after one the same manner killed of sinne Why sinne is said to reuiue without the law is neither knowen nor any thing moueth vs. But the other deth of sinne is the true death when as it is slayne of Christ and crucified together with him But this is to be noted that wheras sinne reuiueth and killeth meÌ„ some are killed to saluation as are those which flye vnto Christ and are by him reuiued but others are killed to destruction as Iudas Cain and such other lyke which when they knew their sinne dispaired of saluatioÌ„ Sinne is sayd to haue reuiued bicause it was in vs before and as sayth Augustine and other interpreters bicause it had from the beginning sone after the fall of Adam liued in the nature of man but by little and little all the féelyng therof was cleane blotted out But bicause these meÌ„ seme by the law to vnderstand the commaundement geuen vnto the first parents in Paradise which as I before declared is strange from the purpose of Paul therfore we must simply say that sinne reuiued for that it now began to poure forth his strengths which before it did not when it semed to be dead And the commaundement which was ordeyned to lyfe c. He sayth yâ— Howe the commaundement is sayd to be instituted vnto life the commaundement was instituted to lyfe not that it gaue lyfe but for that it teacheth those thinges which serue vnto lyfe and seuerely requireth them and vnles they be done threatneth destruction He sayth not that the commaundement is death but only turned to death for otherwise the scope of the law is to shew and aduance lyfe as much as lieth in it But that it cannot performe it it commeth through our default For sinne toke an occasion by the commaundement and deceiued me by it slew me He repeteth that which he before sayd that sinne tooke an occasion by the commaundement to encrease in vs transgressions This repeticion as the The repeticion declareth the necessitye of the doctrinâ— Gréeke Scholies note declareth that this doctrine is very necessary For so great was the authority of the law amongst the Iewes that they could not be persuaded that they were through Christ deliuered from it But in this repeticion Paul addeth certayne thyngs which before he spake not of For before he wrote that sinne takyng an occasion by the commaundement wrought in him all maner of lust Now he declareth also how it wrought it namely by deceauyng Farther also he addeth what followed after al this lust beyng thus wrought By it sayth he it slew me In summe he sheweth thrée things which sinne being stirred vp by yâ— law worketh in vs. First it deceaueth Secondly in them that are deceaued it engendreth The effects of sinne irritated by the lawe What is the deceate of sinne manifold kindes of sinnes which is to worke all manner of lust last of all it slayeth But what this deceauyng is all men are not of one opinion Some which by sinne will haue to be vnderstand the deuill referre these things to hys temptyng wherby they say that he deceaueth vs takyng an occasion by the law But séeyng this exposition is not as we haue sayd to be allowed therfore we must of necessity séeke for an other Augustine thinketh that here is vnderstand a double deceauyng for first by the prohibition of the law is stirred vp our lust so that sinnes forbidden vs are more pleasant vnto vs we take greater delight in them Farther if there be any thyng done of vs rightly the same we wholy attribute vnto our own strengths and thynke that we haue fully satisfied the law Others say that our corrupt and vitiate nature herein deceaueth vs for that it fayneth it selfe gladly to admitte and wyth great reioycing to allow the law For we wyll all seme to be We will alâ— seme to be louers of vertue louers of the vertue And hereof it commeth that so many so soone as they heare the Gospell preached wyth great reioycing receiue it but when a life correspondeÌ„t to the Gospell is required at their handes straight way they step backe froÌ„ it So sinne grafted in vs although it fayn it self to fauour the law of God yet it continually draweth vs from it so far is it of that it truly consenteth vnto it Although all these things be true worthy of noting yet vnto me this semeth a more playner What is the true deceate of sin exposition to say that sinne therfore deceaueth vs for that it persuadeth vs that those things which are against the law are profitable and for that it turneth away our thought from the punishments which the law threatneth vnto vs and biddeth vs to trust that those punishments may either be auoyded or els shall not be so greuous as they are there set forth And so in all sinnes which we committe is mingled some ignoraunce which is poured into vs by the deceate of our naturall lust VVheâ—fore the Lavv is holy the commaundement is holy iust good The conclusion of thys part Paul followeth Dauid Here haue we the conclusion of this part The Lawe is acqnited from all that suspicion whereby it was sayd to be the cause of sin For it sayth he is holy The Apostle semeth to haue taken these properties of the Law out of the 19. Psalm where the Law in the Hebrew is sayd to be Torah Iehouab Temimah meschiuah nephesch that is perfect vpright and pure And when he had pronounced that the Law is holy he addeth touching the commaundement that it also is holy iust and good He so sayth as I thinke for no other cause but for yâ— he would commend the Law and whatsoeuer is coÌ„tayned in it Chrisostome vpoÌ„ this place proueth that the Apostle speaketh these thinges of no other Law but of the law of Moses which thing seing we also before proued there is no nede here to rehearse again his reasons And although the Law by very good right be setforth with these prayses yet ought we not therefore to thinke that we are by it iustified For Paul most manifestly sayth that it was ordeyned to life but it turned vnto vs to death Was that then which is good made death vnto me God forbid but sinne that it might aypeare sinne wrought death in me by that which is good that sinne might be out of measure sinnefull by the commaundement For we know that the Law is spirituall but I am carnall being sold vnder sinne VVas that then vvhich is good made death vnto me God forbid but sin that it might appeare sinne vvrought death in me by that vvhich is good Hither to he hath cleared himselfe of the sclaunder which was raysed vp agaynst hym by his aduersaries as though he should teach that the Lawe is the cause of sinne Now he dischargeth himselfe of an other crime wherof he was publiquely accused as though he should say that the Law is the cause
as God had commaunded in the booke of the law This exposition in dede semeth to be somewhat more witty and more likely Howbeit by the wordes of the holy history it is confuted For when Moses feruently prayed the Lorde answered Let me alone I wyll kill all thys people at once for their contumacy towardes me and will make thee a prince of an other people both much greater and also more noble Wherefore there is no reason why Moses shoulde desire to bée putte out of authority that he shoulde not bee the head of that people when as God of hys owne accorde and wyllingly offred that thinge vnto hym Wherefore we must nedes confesse that Moses desired none other thing then that which Paul now wisheth for Chrisostome is so much against this opinion which Ierome defendeth to Algasia that he sayth That such as so thinke are so farre from the truth as a blindeman is from the light of the sunne And of this his confutacion this reason he bringeth Paul saith he had before spoken many thynges of that straighte coniunction which he had wyth God when he sayd that neyther tribulation nor anguishe nor persecution nor hunger nor nakednes nor daunger nor sworde is able to seperate hym from the loue of God After that as though he had not yet satisfied himselfe he addeth neyther death nor lyfe nor aungels nor principalities nor powers nor thynges present nor thynges to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature Now after the rehearsall of so many and so great thynges what more weighty or more noble thyng could he bryng which could excell these thynges Could this that he would gladly suffer death to bring hys brethren vnto Christ But this sayth he is a very small matter if it be coÌ„pared with those thynges before spoken For before he had twise mencioned death but he whiche refuseth to geue hys lyfe for the truth and for the health of his neyghbour seperateth hymselfe froÌ„ God by feare of death And therfore he should haue added no new thing to that which he before had spoken Wherfore we ought to thinke that Paul had a regard to farre greater thynges then these men suppose he had There is an other opinion of those which thinke that Paul referred not these thinges vnto the time wherin he wrote them but vnto that tyme wherin he liued a straunger from Christ For the better declaration wherof we ought to vnderstand that there are certaine men which after that they haue cast themselues hedlong into any thing endeuour themselues by al meanes to draw others to the same not that the place and estate wherinto they haue transferred themselues liketh them but that hauing many companions ioyned vnto them they might either be the lesse reproued or els the thing which they haue yll begon might haue a more tollerable ende And thus these men expounde the woordes of Paul The Iewes mought haue suspected that Paul for that cause desired to bring al other meÌ„ vnto Christ for yâ— he himself had already geueÌ„ himselfe vnto him not for that from the harte he counted the thing good But not so saith the Apostle yea rather so deare is your saluation vnto me that so from the hart I desire to communicate this good thing vnto you that I would wishe my selfe to be accursed from Christ and not to be yet called vnto him so that ye might come vnto him that is I would earnestly desire that ye might haue come to Christ before me And this thinke they is to be made accursed for his brethreÌ„ And to haue some shew to proue this Thou séest say they that he saith not that he desireth now to be made accursed for that could he not do after he was once conuerted but onely he wisheth himselfe to be made accursed that is when he was not yet conuerted vnto Christ But euery man may easely sée that this interpretacion is wrested and troublesome and yet if we should receiue it Paul should not auoide it which he semeth most of all to eschue For what do they not consider that he which of loue desireth to haue bene once in times past accursed from Christ the selfe man desireth this also now to be made accursed For if he should haue done that to the honour of God how should he not do this also to the honour of God Howbeit this interpretation among others haue the Gréeke Scholies I will not now stand any longer about Graeca Scholia the confutatioÌ„ therof for that I doubt not but there are not many which wil defend it There ar others which go about to proue this desire of Paul by the law of God Men say they are so framed yâ— euery man when he is in trouble aduersity desireth gladly to be redemed by some other man yea euen with the hurt of him which should redeme him They adde moreouer that the law of God is that we should loue our neighbours as our selues Wherfore forasmuch as we our selues would gladly desire that an other man should be damned for vs therefore we ought also to wyshe the same to others that we our selues should be damned for them least we would otherwyse to be done vnto oure neyghboures then we woulde to bee done vnto oure selues if we were in the like case And farther they say that euery one of vs ought so to loue his neighbor as Christ hath loued vs but Christ for oure sakes did not only geue his life vpon the â—rosse but also was made a curse and was after a sort forsaken of the father For he cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Wherefore they conclude that that thing which Paul and Moses did was dew hy the Law Here if thou demaund who caÌ„ performe this Law They will answere no man but yet are not godly men for that cause condemned For say they we all dayly want muche of the iuste obseruation of the Law but our dayly falles are forgeuen vs for Christes sake and that which wanteth of our righteousnes is made good by the righteousnes of the Lord which is ascribed vnto vs through â—ayth And yet ought not anye man therefore to slake his endeuor to performe this kynde of commaundement We must labor as muche as lieth in vs if it succede not we ought to lament and so shall it come to passe that â—inne shall not be imputed vnto vs so that we doo not vtterly shake of our endeuor which thinge some men doo which so farre fall that they hate theyr enemies and persecute them but we ought not so to flatter our selues For there are certayne kinds of sinnes so greauous that they can not stand with fayth and charity Howbeit we must confesse that this vertue which we se was in Moses in Paul is a verye rare vertue Wherefore this vertue may be called heroicall or noble This in dede is a good interpretation and commended of those men vnto whome in very dede for piety and
of humane righteousnes For we labour not to confirm Humane rightousnes vnstable and establish but onely those thinges which are weake and are not able to consiste of themselues But they which are godly do after the example of Paul to the Philippians count theyr workes especially such which they did before iustification for losse and donge so farre is it of that they séeke to establishe them or to cleaue vnto them as vnto sound and true righteousnes In this place also is to bee noted an excellent The godly stablish not their owne righteousne◠Those thinges are not to bee mingled together which Paule putteth contrary What is not to b◠subiect vnto the righteousnesse of God They whiche are subiecte vnto the righteousnes of GOD doo most of all glorify him antithesis or contrary position For here the Apostle counteth to be iustified by workes and to be subiect vnto the righteousnes of God as opposites or contraries which can in no wise stand together So y◠I wonder at those which in our time dare mingle these two together namely that we are iustified both by grace and also by our workes If these two might stand together thē should the reprehēsion of Paul be smal yea rather none at al who affirmeth y◠they which séeke to stablish their own righteousnes can not be subiect vnto the righteousnes of God And by this word subiectiō he vnderstandeth nothing els but not to be a receiuer or pertaker therof yea he speaketh most properly For they which are iustified by faith do verely make themselues subiect vnto God counting themselues as sinners and such as haue nede of his grace And hereby is geuen vnto him glory for although they seme to glorify God which confesse the truth and which for the truths sake put either their goods or life in danger yet herein chiefly consisteth his glory whē we attribute not vnto our selues any vertue or holynes but acknowledging ourselues most miserable do attribute vnto him only whatsoeuer goodnes or saluation we obtaine The commentaries which are ascribed vnto Ierome herein very well agrée They are not subiect say they vnto the righteousnes of God that is vnto the absolution from sinnes as though they were not sinners and had no néede of Christ And Chrisostome sayth that Paul not in déede manifestly but yet not obscurely noteth the most gréeuous punishement of these mens ignoraunce namely that through their own peruerse endeuor they were left naked of all righteousnes for they could not attayne vnto their owne righteousnes by works and fell away from that righteousnes which by the faith of Iesus Christ they mought haue had And doubtles the condition or state of such men is most miserable for forasmuch as they are not iustified by faith although they may after a sort apply The most miserable condition or estate of thē which trust to theyr owne righteousnes themselues vnto outward works yet notwithstanding when they sée that they litle profit they at the length cast away all endeuor to liue godly and religiously and in this life liue filthily and at the last in an other life are most miserably tormented For the ende of the lawe is Christ vnto righteousnes to euery one that beleueth For Moses thus describeth the righteousnesse which is of the lawe That the man which doth these thinges shal liue thereby But the righteousnes whiche is of faith speaketh on this wise Say not in thyne hart who shall ascende into heauen ▪ that is to bring Christ from aboue Or who shall descende into the deepe that is to bring Christ agayne from the dead But what saith it The worde is nere thee euen in thy mouth and in thyne hart This is the worde of fayth which we preach For the end of the law is Christ vnto righteousnes to euery one that beleueth Now he confirmeth the proposition which he tooke in hand namely that Why Christ is the ende of the law they which wil be iustified by works are not pertakers of the rightousnes of God for the end of the law is Christ vnto righteousnes This is a causall proposition for Christ is called the end of the law because y◠he bringeth the perfection and absolution or fulnes thereof The propertye also of this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is end is to End signifieth two things be noted for it signifieth two things namely the extreme or vttermost part or limite of a thing and after this maner death is called the end of liuing creatures not doubtles that we should liue to dye for that which is the worse can not be the cause of that which is better It moreouer signifieth the perfection and absolution or fulnes of any thing whē it is brought to the vttermost of his action or motion Now although as touching the first signification Christ by his comming set an end to the law for he tooke away the ceremonies and curse therof yet in this place Paul meaneth not that Christ is in such maner the end of the law but hath a respect vnto the other signification of this word namely vnto perfection and absolution for that Christ hath made perfect and full that which the law could not And that this may the better be vnderstanded let vs consider the end and scope of The scope and ende of lawes lawes Lawes are made to make men good and iust for for no other cause do they set forth things right and honest but that they should be put in vre But amongst other lawes this law which God made chiefly requireth at mens hands righteousnes holines but this thing it can not attayne vnto not in dede thorough hys owne default but by reason of our corruption Howbeit that which it can do The law by it selfe can not attaine vnto hys ende it doth namely vrgeth vs it accuseth vs and it condemneth vs that at the least being ouerpressed with so great waight we should thinke of one to deliuer vs and by that meanes should be conuerted vnto Christ by whome we may both be absolued from sinnes and also may thorough his spirite and grace be able as much as y◠condition of this life wil suffer to be obedient vnto his law geuen vnto vs. Which two thinges Christ most liberally geueth vnto them that beleue in him and so is called the ende that is the consumation and perfection of the lawe This Paul in plaine words noted when he before sayde That which was impossible vnto the lawe in as much as it was made weake thorough the fleshe God sending his owne sonne in the similitude of the fleshe of sinne by sinne condemned sinne that the righteousnes of the lawe might be fulfilled in vs. Hereunto also had Ambrose a respect who thus interpreteth this place that Christ is called the end of the lawe for that God by him bringeth to passe those thinges which he had promised The law is our scholemaister to Christ A scholemaster
by the workes of the lawe no fleshe shal be iustified And by fleshe he vnderstandeth a man not yet regenerate I know there haue ben some which by the flesh haue vnderstand the inferior parts of the mynde which are grosse and wrapped with filthy lustes But this sence Paul excludeth when he saith by the workes of the lawe that is by workes commaunded of God in the law which must néedes come of reason and not of the strength of the inferior soule Farther the scripture after the Hebrew phrase by the fleshe vnderstandeth the whole man whiche thing we haue in an other place more aboundantly expressed Afterward to the end he might the The fourth better confirme this sentence he saith that euery mouth might be stopped and that the whole world might be guilty before God Vndoubtedly if men should be iustified by works their mouthes should not be stopped neither should they be guilty before God for they should alwayes haue somewhat to say namely that they are therefore quite from sinnes because they had deserued it by workes but now whē men perceaue the contrary they dare not once open their lippes Farther he saith The fifth But now without the lawe is the righteousnes of God made manifest whiche hath the testimonye bothe of the lawe and of the Prophetes What man would appoint that thing to be the cause of our righteousnes without which righteousnes may be obtayned vndoubtedly no wise man would so doo when as suche is the nature of The sixt causes that without them the effectes can not be brought to passe To the same purpose also serueth that which followeth Where then is thy boasting It is excluded By what lawe By the lawe of workes No but by the lawe of fayth He woulde haue vs know that all iust cause of glory is excluded and taken away from vs for the whole glory of our righteousnes ought to geue place vnto God but if we should be iustified by workes then should it not be so for the glory should be ours and euery man would count himselfe to be therefore iustified because he hath The seuēth liued vertuously and iustly And how certaine and assured this was vnto the Apostle those thinges which follow do declare We thinke therefore that a man is iustified by fayth without workes of the lawe Wherefore shall we then deny that which the Apostle with so great vehemency affirmeth Vndoubtedly it is a thing most impudent so to do Wherefore let vs assent vnto him and not resist so great a testimony The eight of hys But besides these thinges let vs waighe and consider the pithe of Pauls meaning If we should be iustified by workes saith he we should not only haue matter to boast of but the occasion of glorying in God and of publishing his fauour towards vs should be taken away For without doubt it is vnto vs a thing most prayse worthy and glorious to acknowledge that the beneuolence and redy fauour of God towards vs through Christ is so great that he deliuereth vs miserable men from our sinnes and receaueth vs into fauour although we were couered ouer with neuer so great filthines and dragges of sinne If I say we should be should be iustified by workes then vndoubtedly could we not truly boast bragge or glory hereof But let vs go on and heare what the Apostle sayth in the beginning of the 4. The ninth chapiter What shall we say then that our father Abrahā found according to the flesh For if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath whereof to boast but not before God For what sayth the scripture Abraham beleued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes But vnto him which worketh a reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt Wherefore to the end that so swete a consolation of the loue and beneuolence of God towards vs should not be taken away from vs let vs constantly affirme with the Apostle that we are not iustified by workes And that he might the better persuade vs hereof he vrgeth this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we say signifieth to impute to ascribe vnto a man righteousnes or to count a man for a iust man and setteth it as an Antithesis or contrary vnto merite or debt so that he to whome any thing is imputed deserueth not the same neither receaueth it as a debt But he which obtaineth any thing vnto himselfe as a debt counteth not the same as imputed or ascribed vnto him neither thought Paul it sufficient to haue alleadged the scripture cōcerning Abrahā but also he citeth Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuē whose sins are couered Blessed is the mā vnto whō the Lord hath not imputed sinne By which wordes we do not only gather that the righteousnes by which we are sayd to be iustified sticketh not in our mindes but is imputeth of God that it is such an imputation which consisteth not of works The tenth but of the mere clemency of God Farther the Apostle doth by an other propriety of good workes confirme his sentence namely because workes are signes or seales of the righteousnes already obtayned wherefore he sayth of Abraham And he receaued the signe of circumcision a seale of the righteousnes of fayth which was in vncircumcision c. Wherefore forasmuch as good workes are signes and seales which beare witnes of y◠righteousnes already receaued they can not be the causes thereof Neither haue ceremonies only that property but also euen those workes Morall workes also are seales of righteousnes before obtayned The eleuenth which are called morall when they are pleasant and acceptable before God for they also are signes and tokens of our righteousnes Wherefore Peter exhorteth vs to endeuor our selues to make our vocation sure namely by liuing vprightly and by good workes Yea and the forme also of y◠promise is diligently to be weighed which God made with Abraham for vnto it is not added a condition of the law or of workes And seing God added none with what audacity shall we then presume to do it And Paul saith For not through the lawe was the promise made vnto Ahraham or to his seede that he should be the heyre of the world but through the righteousnes of fayth For if those whiche pertayne vnto the lawe be heyres then is fayth made vayne and the promise is of no force namely because the lawe worketh anger Wherefore if we fulfill not the lawe the promise will take no place and it shal be a thing vayne to beleue that promise which shall neuer be performed which vndoubtedly must néedes vtterly be so if it be geuen vpon thys condition that we should performe the lawe when as no man can perfectly accomplish the law But the Apostle procedeth farther this iudgeth of the most mercifull counsel of God The twelfth Therefore is the inheritaunce geuē by faith that it might bee according to grace to
no reputacion yet was it taken to be geuen for Christes sake And therefore in all the promises of the olde Testament the myndes of the godly ranne vnto this foundation and ground Then let vs consider the finall cause Wherefore would God haue the publike wealth of the Iewes preserued to the ende but only that Christ should be born therehence Why prouided he that the stock of Dauid should contynue safe euen to the ende but onely that the sonne of God should of it take humane fleshe Why brought he agayne hys people from captiuity but only that the Messias should at length be borne at the tyme promised in the place appointed and of a stocke assigned This vndoubtedly was the cause of all those promises vpon this cause did all the fathers bend their minds as many as vnderstood a right Wherfore Paule wresteth not the testemonyes of the prophetes neyther doth he rashely abuse them And let this be vnto vs a sure and faythfull rule for the perfect vnderstanding of the promises of the olde What it is to lyue by fayth testament whereas he sayth that the iust man shall lyue by fayth he meaneth that he shal be able to moue hymselfe to all good thynges as to beleue to hope to contynue in hope and to loue of charity vnto which thynges by the power and strength of our owne nature we canne by no meanes attayne And that by faith we obtaine eternall life it very well agreeth with those thinges which The knowledge whiche commeth by fayth and the eternall lyfe which shal be in heauen are one and the selfe same thyng as touching the matter Wherein the righteousnes which is receaued by fayth consisteth We are not firste iuste and then afterward lyue by fayth Differences betwen the righteousnes of the Gospel and of the lawe Christ spake This is the life eternall that they should acknowledge thee to be the only true God and him whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ These thinges shall we playnly and openly knowe in heauen our countrey and that with a cleare and manifest sight But now haue we these selfe same thinges with a very obscure knowledge that is through fayth This is not an other lyfe from that But then shall that be made perfecte which we haue now but only begon And the righteousnes which by this fayth maketh it selfe open consisteth herein especially that from the tyme we are reconciled vnto God we leade our life in such sorte that both we render vnto hym his due worshipe and also vnto our neighbour our bounden due offices or dueties And whereas the Prophete writeth that the iust man lyueth by fayth his wordes must not so be taken as though he should affirme that we are fyrst iust and that then afterward we liue by fayth But this thyng he teacheth that by fayth do come vnto vs two commodityes both that we should be iust and also that we should obtayne life we see here also set forth vnto vs the difference betweene the righteousnes of the law and of the Gospell The righteousnes of the law is a perfecte obedience of the commaundementes of God But the righteousnes of the Gospell is an imputacion thereof The righteousnes of gospell God geueth vnto vs but the righteousnes of the law we geue vnto God The righteousnes of the law leaneth vnto workes For it is written The man which doth these thinges shall liue in them and cursed be he whiche abideth not in all the thinges whiche are written in the booke of the lawe also If thou wilte enter into lyfe keepe the Commaundementes Also doo thys and thou shalte lyue But here it is sayd The iuste manne shall lyue by fayth Wherfore looke what difference there is betwene to do and to beleue so much seeme these places to be repugnaunt one to the other But these thinges A conciliation of places repugnant shall easely be made to agree by making a distinction of righteousnes For forasmuch as the righteousnes of the Gospell is one and the righteousnes of the lawe is an other some testimonyes speake of the one righteousnes and some teach of the other Now by that which hath bene spoken the Apostle setteth forth three good By fayth we obtayne saluation righteousnes and life thinges and those most principall which by fayth we obtayne namely saluation righteousnes and life For thē Gospell is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleueth agayne the righteousnes of God is reuealed by it from fayth also the iust man shall liue by fayth If there be anye that requyre more then these good thinges then is he ouer curious Further euen in the very first entrance into the cause we see how strongly he affirmeth by these three sentences now rehersed that by fayth these good thinges happen vnto vs. Here also maye be noted in what estimation Paul hath the holy scripture for vnto it he ascribeth the chiefest authority to proue the question takē in hand namely that the righteousnes of god is reuealed by fayth And if both the Apostle and also the Prophet do so manifestlye pronounce that we are iustified by fayth then is it not meete that our aduersaryes should so crye out agaynst vs for that we affirme the very selfe same Wherefore if they be herewith offended then let them grudge agaynst the scriptures agaynst Paule and agaynst What remedy we must vse when it is sayd that we reiect good woorkes the Prophet and not agaynste vs. And agaynst them which crye out that we spoyle good workes of theyr dignity and honour there is no presenter remedy then to lyue vprightly and holyly that thereby we may aboundantly haue testemonyes of good workes and say to our aduersaries if any confydence were to be put in good workes then should we in no case geue place vnto you forasmuch as in them we farre excell you And all that whiche we say and teach of iustification which commeth through fayth tendeth only to this that the truth should by the word of God be defended This was Paules meaning when he sayde vnto the Phillippians If any man may put confidence in the fleshe I also may much more and by many thinges he declareth how much in this kinde of glory he excelled others But he afterward addeth that all these things he counted as dongue and losse that he might wyn Christ and that he mought be found in him not hauing his own righteousnes namely which is of works but that which is by the fayth of Iesus Christ This excellent example of the Apostle ought we to imitate that although we attribute not iustification vnto workes yet ought we plentifully to abound in them aboue other men For if we leade an vnpure lyfe and on the other syde boaste of iustification through fayth then shall we be laughed to scorne of our aduersaryes as though we for that cause professed this doctrine to lyue without punishement 〈…〉 ly and without all order For
accordinge to theyr woorkes and deedes In deede the mercy of God is now large but yet in such sort that the seueritie of iustice is not wantinge Moses although he had heard manye proprieties of God whiche serued to expresse his goodnes and clemency that is that he is mercifull gentle slow vnto anger riche in mercy and truth whiche reserueth goodnes or mercye for a thousande generacions yet at the end added that God wil not pronounce the wicked man an innocent that he visiteth the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third and fourth generacion But because they whiche attribute ouermuche vnto woorkes and trust that by them to obteyne eternall life are wont very often to alledge thys place I haue thought it good briefely to declare what is to be thoughte concerning Of works workes But we shal afterward more at large set foorth and declare this thing when we shall haue occasion to entreat of iustification And those things whiche shall now be briefely spoken we will afterward more largely discourse by partes seuerally First this is to be knowen that we deny not that whych is Betwene our good workes eternall felicitye there is no iust proportion There are no good woorkes without fayth Those thinges which are promised vnto works we obteyne by fayth The causes of our saluation Why God attributeth honor vnto woorkes The words of the last iudgement are diligently examined here written that vnto euery man shal be rendred accordinge to hys woorkes But there is not so muche good in good woorkes as eternall felicitie is good Yea ther is betwene these a greater difference then betwene heauē and earth Moreouer there are no woorkes to be counted good which lene not vnto faith and haue not it for the roote from whence they should spring foorth Therfore that which seemeth to be promised vnto workes the same in very deede we obtaine by fayth which is garnished with those workes And because fayth taketh hold of the mercy of God and promises in Christ therfore throughe mercy and Christ whiche are the obiectes of faith shall we be made blessed These are the true and chiefest causes of eternall life the clemency I say of God election predestinacion and the merites of Christe But God in the holye scriptures oftentimes addeth woorkes thereby to stirre vs vp beinge otherwise sluggishe and slouthfull to lyue vprightly And he adorneth woorkes with this kinde of honor that he promiseth vnto them excellent rewardes Whiche thing if we will more narrowly consider let vs wyth diligence weigh what the most high iudge shal in the last iudgemente saye For he will make examination of good workes will say that he was fed with meate and drinke and visited c. But after thys commendation of woorkes when he iudgeth vnto the sayntes the kingdome and eternall life he expresseth the principallest cause that maketh vs happy blessed For he sayth Come ye blessed of my Father and possesse the kingdome whiche was prepared for you before the beginning of the worlde These he pronounceth to be the causes of our blessednes namely that we are deare vnto God and haue geuen vnto vs the blessinge of predestination and election And therfore sayth he that the kyngdome was prepared for vs from the beginninge of the worlde Woorkes in deede are to be had but not as causes Therefore Christ admonished Works are not the causes of our felicity A place of Luke How we are called vnprofitable seruāts vs saying When ye haue done all these thinges say we are vnprofitable seruants we haue done but those thinges which we ought to do Neither passe wee any thynge vpon theyr caueling which say that therfore we are vnprofitable seruantes because out good woorkes do bringe no commoditie vnto God Forasmuche as God needeth none of our good workes But say they it ought not to be denied but that we are by good workes profitable vnto our selues We graunt indede that it is profitable vnto vs that we liue well But that vtility is not to be attributed vnto our workes that they should be causes of our blessednes to come For we haue nothing in vs whereby we can make God obstricte and bounde vnto vs. For whatsoeuer we do the same do we wholy owe vnto God and a We cannot by workes binde God vnto vs. great deale more then we are able to performe Wherefore as Christ admonisheth The Lord geueth not thankes vnto his seruant when he hath done his duety And if the seruaunt by well doing cannot binde his Lord to geue him thankes how shall he binde him to render vnto him great rewardes Therefore the name of The name of merits ought to be abolished merite if we will speake properlye oughte vtterlye to be banished out of our mouthes I know that the Fathers sometimes vsed that word but yet not properly But that woord is not found at al in the holy scriptures For the nature of merite is that there be a iust proportion and equall consideration betweene The nature of merite that which is geuen and that which is taken But betwene the good thinges which we looke for and those thinges which we eyther suffer or do there is no proportion or agreemente For Paule sayth That the passions of thys time are not woorthy the glory to come whiche shal be reueled in vs. Farther merite hath ioyned vnto it debt whych thynge Paule testifyeth when he sayth That vnto hym whych woorketh rewarde is rendred accordinge to debte and is not imputed accordyng to grace Which selfe same Paul yet writeth expressedly that the grace of God is eternall life Lastlye vnto the nature of merite there is required that that whiche is geuen pertayne vnto the geuer and be not due vnto hym whyche receaueth it But woorkes are not of our selues for they are called the giftes of God whiche he woorketh in vs. Wherefore Augustine very wisely sayth That God doth crowne his giftes in vs. Now if our woorkes be due vnto him whiche thinge we cannot deny then vndoubtedly the nature of merite is vtterly taken awaye Eternall life is sometimes in the holy scriptures called a reward But then is it not that How eternall lyfe is sometymes called a reward How blessednes followeth good woorkes reward which Paule writeth to be geuen according to debte but is all one as if it shoulde be called a recompensation Gods will and pleasure was that there shoulde be this connexion that after good woorkes shoulde follow blessednes but yet not as the effecte followeth the cause but as a thinge ioyned with them by the appointmente of God Therefore we may not truste vnto woorkes for they are feeble and weake and do alwayes wauer and stagger Wherfore the promises of God depende not of them neither haue they in themselues as they come from vs that they can moue God to make vs blessed We say therefore that God iudgeth according to woorkes because accordinge as they are eyther
sede of the word of God doth not streight way bryng forth his fruite haue heard the word of the Lord do not at that tyme bryng forth fruit But after ward beyng both chastised by God and more â—ehemently stirred vp with fruite they repete with themselues those things which otherwise they hard without profite Which selfe thyng happeneth in the sacrament of Baptisme For a man shall fynde an infinite number which haue had it by them a long tyme wyth out any fruite But afterward beyng conuerted vnto God they do not onely much esteeme it Baptisme sometymes is had a long tyme without fruite Whether the papistes haue the promise of the holy ghost but also therby they profite much Here also the Papistes obiect an other doubt vnto vs. The promises of God say they are not made voyde as Paule sayeth thorough our sinnes and vnbeliefe Therfore seing we haue the promise of God that by the holy ghost he wil alwayes be present with vs to gouerne his church he fully performeth the same Wherfore ye do ill in departing froÌ„ our rules and our communion But these men are excedingly deceiued when as the promise of the holy ghost was made vnto the disciples of the Lord and not vnto them First let them proue that they are the disciples of Christ and then will we beleue theÌ„ They which are the disciples of Christ adde nothing vnto his wordes neither appoint any thing contrary to the holy scriptures which thing these meÌ„ vndoubtedly do They cry out that the holy ghost is geuen vnto the church We The church hath the holy gost but not the congregation of the aduersaries of the Gospell graunt that But what maner of church is that church A counsell of bishops or a sinode of mitred prelates The holy ghost hath alwayes bene in the church and hath inspired some good men to cry out against these men when as they or deined their decrees contrary to the worde of God In summe the Apostles meaning is that the performing of the promises of God dependeth not of our merites but of the goodnes of God And as it is manifest by the wordes of Dauid when he sayth Agaynst thee onely haue I sinned We when we praye vnto God We bryng nothing of our owne vnto God but sinnes doe bryng nothyng vnto hym but sinnes Therefore we desire hym to heare vs that he might be iustefied in his sayings Hypocrites wyll be heard for theyr merites good workes sake for they acknowledge not their sinnes But they which vnderstaÌ„d them do therby take great consolation because their trust is that they shal be heard eueÌ„ through the goodnes of God For forasmuch as they see that in themselues all thinges are full of vncleanes they woulde neuer presume to lifte vp eyther theyr eyes or prayers vnto God Farther let vs marke We must speake well of the giftes of God and inueigh against the abuses that the Apostle reuerenceth the gifts of God and onely inueigheth against theÌ„ which abuse them For he saw that it followeth not that if men beinge by God aduaunced vnto great honors and they in the meane time are ingrate towards him that therefore those honors should not be had in estimation The husbande men of the Lords vyneyard were vndoubtedly noughty men But theyr noughtines caused not that the ornamentes of the vineyarde whyche Christ and Esay make mencion of were not wonderfull excellent and profytable Now if our vnrighteousnes commendeth the righteousnes of God what shall we saye Is God vnrighteous whiche bringeth in wrath I speake as a man God forbid Els howe shall God iudge the world For if the verity of God hath more abounded throughe my lie vnto his glorye why am I yet condemned as a sinner And as we are blamed and as some affirme that we saye why do we not euell that good may come thereof whose damnation is iust Novv if our vnrighteousnes commendeth the rightousnes of God what shal vve say Here Paule turneth somewhat from his purpose but it is not a digression strange from the cause which is entreated of He before very much extolled the mercy of God and declared that the promises of God were not made of none effect through the vnbeliefe of menne yea rather that by our sinnes the goodnes of God is more illustrated Hereby he saw there mighte be obiected vnto him as the wisdome of the flesh is alwaies redy to speake ill of the words of God and to wrest them to a corrupt sence both that God is vniust which punisheth our sinnes when as by them he is made more illustrious and also that we without hauing any regarde oughte to committe synne seing God by our wicked actes is more iustefyed and so hath alway the victory and his cause is thereby made the better Commendeth sayth he which in the Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifyeth also to confyrme and to establish Which thinge very well agree with commendatioÌ„ Which forme of speaking the Apostle afterward vseth Paralâ—gismus accidentis when he fayth that God hath commended vnto vs his loue for that when we were yet sinners he gaue his owne sonne for vs. But in this kinde of obiection is committed a false argument taken of the accident For that it is not the office of sinnes properly and of themselues to illustrate the glory of God Which selfe thinge may also be sayd of that which is writteÌ„ in this selfe same epistle That of the fall of the Iewes followed the saluation of the Gentiles For we must not thinke that theyr fall was the true and proper cause of the saluation of the Gentiles For it came of the determination of God For God had appoynted that the preachinge of the Gospell beinge reiected of the Iewes shoulde be transferred vnto the Ethnickes And they whiche let loose the bridle vnto sinne vnder this pretence for that they would thereby make God to haue the victory iustefy him are muche like vnto them which hauing bene payned with a most greuous sicknes and then being restored to health by the Phisition haue made his arte more famous will agayne endeuour them selues to fall againe into the selfe same kinde of disease that thereby the Phisition maye be the more renowmed or if poore men beggers should determine that therfore they would eyther wante or begge thereby more and more to shew foorth the liberality of riche men That which of it selfe conduceth to the setting forth of the glory of God oughte not to be blame woorthy or filthy Vertues whiche are ioyned with true prayse do of themselues aduaunce the glory of God We ought not to meruayle that our doctrine is sometimes The doctrine of the Apostles was subiect vnto sclaunders oppressed with sclaunders when as we see that this selfe same thing happened vnto the Apostles They preached true things yet the vngodly through theyr sophisticall subtelties inferred of theyr woordes most pernicious
conclusions Paule preached those thinges which we now read and had oftentimes incultated that grace is ther aboundant where sinne hath abounded and taught that the law therfore entred in that sinne shoulde be increased Of these thinges the vngodly sayd it followeth that men should sinne freely because to the attaynemente of grace and the promises of God we haue neede of synnes All menne All men are greeued when they heare that they are euill spoken of and especially ministers doubtles are sory when they heare theyr name or fame to be euell spoken of For they vnderstande that the prayse of a good name and of a good fame is an excellente good gifte of God But aboue other the pastors and ministers of the word of God are most greeuously troubled with this kind of discommodity Because they rightwell perceaue that theyr infamye and especially as touchinge doctrine redoundeth not onely against the truth of God but also bringeth no small hurt vnto the people committed vnto theyr charge Therfore the Apostles did euermore put away suche slaunders from themselues And that the fathers also did the like theyr writinges do testefye But Paule in thys place doth not playnely absolue that which he obiected vnto himselfe but afterward in the 6. chapter the matter shal be more at large discussed Onely at this presente he depelleth from his doctrine false slaunders And those things the vngodly are therfore wont to obiect because when they are accused they are alwayes ready to lay vpon God the cause and blame of theyr sinnes not in deede manifestly but by circumstances Some whē they are accused say that they are driuen by the starres to commit those things which they do But who made the stars God Why then God is accused So came it to passe in our fyrste parente when God reproued hym The woman sayde he whiche thou gauest me she hath deceaued me The wicked de lay vnto God the cause of theyr sins And by these woordes he wrested the cause of his sinne vnto God After the selfe same manner do these men deale whome Paule now speaketh of We sinne say they but the doctrine of the Apostle hath declared vnto vs that our sinnes are no let vnto the glory of God but rather pertayne vnto the settinge foorth of his truth fayth and constancy of promises And what other thinge els is this then to accuse the word of God As touching the first obiection Paule sayth Is God vnrighteous vvhich bringeth in anger As though he shoulde haue sayd that which ye fayne vnto your selues that synnes are vniustlye punished if by their occasion the goodnes of God be set foorth is absurde For then God should iudge vniustlye But no good vpryght reason can once imagine that he which is iudge of all men should be vniust Therfore he addeth I speake as a man That is these thinges I spake not that I thinke so in very déede but I speake those thinges which men both oftentymes thinke and do also not very seldome obiect vnto vs. But as touching the wordes it shal be good to note that whereas it is sayde If our vnrighteousnes commende the righteousnes of God by the righteousnes of God is vnderstanded his goodnes and mercy For that word which is in the Hebrue Tsedek our men haue turned iustice or righteousnes when as in very deede it signifieth mercy He also vseth thys word the truth of God which signifieth nothing els then his fayth or fidelity For before he sayde Shall our vnbeliefe make the fayth of God without effect Fayth in that place and truth in this place is nothing els then a constancy in promises and couenantes And when we reade I speake as a man we are taught what maner of thinges those are which we thinke vpon so long as we are not regenerate but are strangers from God Origen in this place followeth an other reading For he hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this particle he ioyneth with those things which went before so that thereof this sentence he gathereth Is God vniust which bringeth in anger agaynst man God forbid But the common reading is both playne and also serueth well to the purpose The maner which the Apostle vseth in aunswering when he sayth God forbid teacheth vs how redy God forbid what it signifieth with the Apostle we ought to be to repell from our thoughtes and cogitations whatsoeuer absurd thing reasō inferreth out of the scriptures against God We ought straight way to answere These thinges are after the maner of men and therefore are they not to be harkened vnto It oftentymes happeneth that our sense thinketh that God is cruell and forgetfull of his an accepter of persons and such lyke But then must we call to memory that the doinges of God are not to be measured The doings of God are not to be measured by the law of man according to the law of man for he is aboue all lawes neyther ought to be iudged of any other This thinges haue the flatterers attributed vnto the bishop of Rome bearing him in hand that he hath the fulnes of power whereby he can dispence both with the lawes of man and also with the lawes of God so that he himselfe can be iudged of no man Which fulnes of power one Baldus a lawyer not the worst of his time writeth to be the fulnes of time as which inuerteth and turneth vpside downe all rightes and lawes These thinges are agréeable vnto God only Wherefore it is blasphemy to attribute them vnto any man Only touching thinges of God it is wickednes to search out the causes and reasons but whatsoeuer Philosophers or any other kinde of men do set forth vnto vs it must be exactly examined by the word of God And as we are blamed and as some affirme that we say why do we not euill thinges that good may ensue whose damnation is iust Now withstandeth he the other obiection wherein the aduersaryes sayde that we shoulde sinne that thereof myght follow some excellent good thing namely the iustification of God and commendation of his mercy Whereunto with one words he answereth this when he sayth that the damnation of these men is iust For by that meanes he confesseth that that so greuous an error is farre strange frō his doctrine when as he cōdemneth it together with thē although some expound it in the passiue signification as though the condemnation whereby they are condemned were for that they had so euill an opinion of the Gospell Their obiections are answered when they are brought to these absurdities which coulde Sinnes are not the true cause that God should be made iuste Against good ententes not be concluded of these thinges which are spoken of Paule but of the false surmising of these men whereby they thought that sinnes were the true cause that God should be made iust For the Apostle also sayth together with them that euil things are not to be committed that good should come
thereof Wherfore let no man pretende for their sinne a good entent as they vse to say There is of God a law set forth vnto vs it is our part to be obedient vnto it Let vs not followe the reasoninges of man thinking with our selues if I shall obey the commaundements of the Lord this discomodity or that inconuenience will follow This were for a man to preferre himselfe before God as though he had not foreseene what might happen vnto vs by the obseruing of his commaundemeÌ„ts Augustine oftentimes citeth this place when he writeth to Consentius against lieng And assuredly we also at this time haue much contentioÌ„ with them which defend many euill things vnder the pretence of a good ende They haue presumed to maime and to dismember the Sacramente of the Eucharist because they suspected that the wine might he spilled out of the cuppe if it should be distributed vnto the laye men They will haue the people also to praye in an vnknowne tongue whiche is forbidden by the woorde of God and they say that a laudable entente and good ende is sufficient And so presume they vpon infinite moe other thinges not weighing what the holy Ghost sayth in this place Yea and they lay the selfe same thinges vnto our charge which are now obiected vnto Paule For when we preache iustification freely and without woorkes they saye that we open an entrance and way vnto losenes of life that we condemne good works Iustification freely geuen is not against good workes The famâ—lies of the Papists do debilitate good workes when as yet we teach not these thinges God indeede forgeueth sinnes freelye but he doth not therefore geue vnto his licence to sinne but together with iustification is geuen the holy Ghost and an innouation of life whereof springeth no small endeuour to good workes But if agaynst them we would vrge such kinde of cauillations peraduenture they shoulde be founde to geue farre more greater occasion to loosenes of life forasmuch as they teach that if a manne confesse his sinnes and receaue the Ecclesiasticall absolution althoughe he haue in his mind no good and holy motions yet is iustificatioÌ„ offred so that he lay not a let against it as they vse to speake But this is a very easy matter to do and openeth a way vnto sinnes which thing also no lesse doth theyr purgatory But we promise not iustification but where as is a true and perfect fayth after which continually do followe good woorkes Wherefore seinge vnto vs are obiected the selfe same thinges that were obiected vnto Paule it is manifest that both he and we haue one and the selfe same cause But we muste not geue place to these humane reasoninges The Originall cause of the fall of the Nonatians So fell the Nouatians who pretending that they would not minister any occasions to sinne at length denied repentance And other many suche examples might be brought foorth What theÌ„ are we more excellent then they No in no wise for we haue alredy proued that all both Iewes and Gentiles are vnder sinne As it is written There is none righteous no not one There is none that vnderstaÌ„deth there is none that seeketh after God They haue al gone out of the way they haue ben made altogether vnprofitable there is none that doth good no not one Their throte is an open sepulchre they haue vsed theyr tongues to deceite the poyson of aspes is vnder theyr lippes Whose mouth is full of cursinge and bitternes Theyr feete are swifte to shead bloude Destruction and calamitie arc in theyr wayes And the way of peace haue they not knowne The feare of God is not before theyr eyes What then do we excell them No by no meanes Now returneth he to his purpose from whence he had before somewhat diuerted And although he seeme to ascribe many great thinges vnto the Iewes at this present yet meaneth he not that therby should be concluded that they excel the Ethnikes But this rather is his entente to make them equall with the Ethnikes Neyther doth that which he now writeth repugne with that which he before spake although at the first sight there seemeth to be in woords some contradiction For before he wrote that the state of the Iewes was very excellent and that circumcision brought vnto them great vtility But here he seemeth to deny those thinges whiche he then spake But the distinction which we before made mencion of doth easly conciliate these thinges For if we looke vpon God vndoubtedly he hath bestowed vpon the Iewes a greate many thinges which he hath not geuen vnto other natioÌ„s But if we haue a respect vnto the Iewes they so abused those good thinges that they had nothing wherein they excelled other nations Whereby commeth to passe that either sentence is true The Greeke Scholies do admonishe vs that this sentence may be red two manner of wayes For the Ethnikes hearinge those things which the Hebrewes had peculiarly obteined of God to be so much extolled demaund What then Are we ouercome or haue they the victory ouer vs So that this woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we haue englished do vve excell may be taken passiuely The other reading is to take this verbe in the actiue signification as though these thinges shoulde be spoken vnder the person of the Iewes For when as they had now hearde theyr giftes to be so extolled they inferre What then do we not in dignity excell the Gentils Vnto whome Paule by negation aunswereth No by no meanes And this aunswere hath a great Emphasis or force as though he should haue sayd The thinges which I haue before made mencion of pertayne vnto the person geuen you of God and they are none of yours And in that he putteth in himselfe amongst them in saying do vve excel he maketh his reprehension more gentle and more tollerable Neyther yet in the meane time maketh he a lye forasmuche as he himselfe also was a parte of the people of Israell as touchinge the fleshe There is in the Church so greate a connexion A connexioÌ„ betwene the good and the euill of those which are in it conuersant together that euen as the euill which are amongest the good are in certaine thinges pertakers of theyr prayses and benefites for for the good sake doth God the longer beare with them and they haue the vse of good thinges aswell spirituall as temporall So contrarilye for the euell sake no small discommodityes redounde vnto the sayntes forasmuche as they haue a feeling of theyr punishments and are oftentimes wrapped in the same miseryes that they are neyther haue they anye thinge whereof iustlye to The sinnes of the wicked pertain after a sorte vnto the good complaine when as vnto them pertaine after a sort the offences of others For they haue not eyther admonished or reproued or blamed them so much as they ought to haue done Neyther haue they alwayes shewed them selues an example of good life
the law is two maner of wayes cōfirmed by fayth First because by it we obtaine the holy ghost whereby are ministred vnto vs strengthes to obey the lawe But a man may paraduenture doubt how this can be that by fayth we haue the holy ghost when as of necessity he alwayes goeth before fayth For fayth The holy ghost goeth before fayth in vs. Betwene causes and effects are certayne circuites The holy ghost both goeth before and also followeth fayth The Law maketh vs vncertaineof the good will of God The Law with out fayth is weake and can not consiste is both his gift and also commeth from him to vs. But we answere that betwene the causes and the effectes seme to be certayne circuites as it is manifest by cloudes and showers From cloudes discend raynes out of waters which are in the inferior places are taken vp vapors by the heate of the heauēs which are thickened into cloudes out of which againe discend showers vpon the earth But in this circute we must alwayes haue a recourse to the first according to the order of nature which is whē there is supposed an humor of which cloudes may encrease So also must we do here We will graūt that fayth by the benefite of the holy ghost springeth in vs. By which fayth is increased the aboundance of the selfe same spirite whose encrease the former fayth hath preuented and of a greater fayth is still made a greater encrease of the spirite But yet notwithstanding we constantly affirme that there is but one thing chiefely from whence all these good things flow namely the holy ghost Secondly saith Augustine the lawe is by the helpe of fayth otherwise confirmed Because by fayth we pray and calling vpon God with prayers we do not only obtayne remission of sinnes but also so greate a portion of the spirite and of grace that we haue strengthes to obey the lawe Vndoubtedly the lawe if it be taken by it selfe maketh vs both vncertayne of the good will of God and after a sort bringeth desperation vnles fayth come and helpe which both maketh vs assured that God is pacefied and mercifull towards vs and also by grace obtayneth the renuing of strengthes And the Apostles phrase whereby he sayth that by fayth he establisheth the lawe is to be noted For thereby he signifieth that the lawe if it be left vnto it selfe and without fayth is weake so that it can not consiste And therefore vnles it be vpholden by fayth it shall easely fall And The woonderful sharpnes of wit in Paule The Law and sayth helpe one an other this is the poynte of a singular artificer not only to depel from him that which is obiected but also to declare that the selfe same maketh most of all for hys purpose The lawe and fayth helpe one an other and as the common saying is geue handeseche to other For the lawe doth as a scholemaster bring men vnto the fayth of Christ and on the other side fayth bringeth this to passe that it maketh them after a sort able to accomplishe the lawe For strayght waye so soone as a man beleueth in Christ he obtayneth iustification and is liberally endued with aboundance of the spirite and with grace The entent and purpose of the lawe was that a man should both be made good and also be saued But this thing it was not able to performe Then succeded fayth and did helpe it for through it is a man renued so that he is able to obey God and his commaundementes Chrisostome sayth that Paule here proueth three thinges First that a man may be iustified without the lawe Secondly that the lawe can not iustify Thirdly that fayth and the lawe are not repugnant one to the other Ambrose teacheth that therefore by fayth is the lawe established because that those thinges which by the lawe are commaunded to be done are by fayth declared to be done And we haue alredy before heard that this righteousnes which Paule here commendeth hath testemony both of the lawe and of the Prophetes And if any man obiect that therefore the lawe is made voyde by fayth because by it ceremonies are abolished he answereth that this thing therefore so happeneth because the lawe it selfe would haue it so and foretold that it should so come to passe In Daniell we reade that after the comming of Christ and after that he was slayne the dayly sacrifice should be taken away and the The Law Would and fortold that ceremonis should be made voide Testimonis witnessing that the ceremonis of the Hebrues should cease holy anoynting and such like kinde of ceremonies Wherefore Christ did not without cause saye The lawe and the Prophetes endured vnto Iohn baptistes tyme. Ieremy also most manifestly sayd that an other leage should be made farre diuers from that which was made in the olde tyme. The epistle vnto the Hebrues thereby concludeth that that which was the olde leage and was so called should one day be abolished Zachary the Prophet in his 2 chapter sayth that the city of Ierusalem should be inhabited without walles Which signified that the Church of the beleuers should so be spred abroade and dispersed through out the whole world that it should not be enclosed in by any borders or limites Which selfe same thing Esay semeth to testefy when he sayth That mount Sion and the house of the Lord should be on the toppe of the hilles so that the Gentiles should come vnto it out of al places And Malachy the Prophet pronounced that the name of God should be called vpon frō the rising of the sunne to the going downe of the same so that vnto God should euery where be offred Minchah which many haue transferred vnto y◠Eucharist as though it were a sacrifice when as yet the prophet thereby vnderstādeth prayers and the offring vp euen of our selues as Tertullian testefieth in his booke agaynst the Iewes and also Ierome when he interpreteth that place Wherefore when the Prophets seme to affirme that ceremonyes should be transferred vnto the Ethnikes they are so to be vnderstād as though by the signes they ment the thinges themselues The Ethnikes being conuerted vnto Christ receaued that which was represented by the ceremonies of the elders But they reiected the How the Ethnikes receued the ceremonis of the Hebrues outward signes and thys was by fayth to confirme the lawe And forasmuch as the Prophetes foretold that ceremonyes should be abolished the same is to be taken as if it had bene spoken of the lawe for that the Prophetes were interpreters of the lawe And that Christ when he should come should chaunge the ceremonies euen the Iewes them selues doubted not whych thing is manifest by Iohn Baptist shewed that ceremonis should bee abrogated the historie of Iohn Baptist which we reade in the Gospell For when he would purge menne conuerted vnto God he sente them not vnto sacrifices and vnto the ceremonies of Moses by
ernest peny and a triall of the saluation to come And therefore in those which are in Christ he hath engrauen and emprinted his spirite Nether nede we sayth Ambrose forasmuch as we are so deare vnto God to be aferd that we should of him be deceaued And Paul hath not without a cause made mencion of the holy ghost For he it is which beareth witnes vnto our spirite that we are the sonnes of God and by him we chiefely acknowledge the thinges that are geuē vs of God For as it is written in the first to the Corrinthians we haue not receaued the spirite of this world but the spirit which is God to know the thinges which are geuen vs of God But because we can not by certayne demonstracions or by experience of the sence teach vnto the infidels this loue of God whereof the holy ghost maketh vs assured therefore it is A similitude sayd to be powred into our hartes For we are in this life like strangers which although at home they come of a noble parentage and are rich yet so long as they are abiding amōgst strange nations they are not had in estimation But yet they knowing their owne nobility reioyce in their hart and passe not vpon the vayne opinions that other men haue of them So we hauing the loue of God shed abroade into our hartes when we are as fooles miserable men derided of the wicked are nothing at all moued with their iudgement being fully contented with our state and condition Augustine somewhat otherwise expoundeth this place For he thought that by loue is to be vnderstand that loue wherwith we loue God which exposition in my iudgement can haue no place For we haue not therefore our hope vnshaken because we loue God but because we are loued of God Farther the scope of Paul is to confirme our hope by the benefit of the death of Christ which maketh vs assured not of our loue towards God but contrariwise of Gods loue towardes vs. Wherefore he concludeth his argument with these wordes And God hath set forth his loue to wardes vs. c. Although we also gladly acknowledge with Augustine that the hope of godly men is somewhat confirmed for that they now feele by the holy ghost that they are inflamed with the loue of God when they vnderstand that for their sake the sonne of God was of hym deliuered vnto the death And that our loue is deriued of that loue of God wherewith he embraseth vs it is playne and manifest Our loue springeth of the loue of God but as touching the sence of the Apostle the former exposition is more naturall For Christ when we were yet weake according to the consideration of the time died for the vngodly For a man will scarce dye for a righteous man For for a good man it may be that one dare dye But God setteth forth his loue towardes vs seing that while we were yet sinners Christ died for vs. Much more then being now iustified by his blood we shal be saued frō wrath thorough him For if whē we wer enemies we wer recōciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shal be saued by his life And not only this but we also reioyce in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whome we haue now receaued the attonement For Christ when we were yet weake c. Now he expresseth the reasō wherby we may knowe that God loueth vs namely for that he gaue his sonne for vs whē we were yet weake sinners vngodly enemies Wherfore we manifestly gather that y◠hope cā not confound vs wherby we haue full confidence y◠seing we are now regenerate and reconciled vnto God we shal at the length obteine eternall felicity For if he vouchased to geue so much for enemies and sinners sakes vndoubtedly he wil geue much more vnto his frindes and childrē Wherfore The Methode of Paules reason Paul first setteth forth the benefite bestowed vpon mākind the sonne of God I say which was geuē vnto the death Secondly he maketh a comparisō wherby is excedingly confirmed the hope of the faythfull Last of all he sheweth that we doo not only hope but also excedingly reioyce of this loue of God towards vs. As touching the first part he doth not coldly or sclēderly declare how much good God hath bestowed vpon vs when he gaue his sonne for our saluatiō but with greate amplificatiō he setteth forth the matter namely that his sonne was not geuen for all men but for those which were vtterly vnworthy of all mercy For before we wer by the benefite of God made pertakers of this redemption we could by no helpe or force of our owne helpe our selues And therfore Christ is sayd to be geuen for weake ones which wholy neded all maner of helpe And those selfe same being wicked and vngodly refused the helpe offred vnto them And when they were sinners these euells dayly encreased more and more For both the infirmity was encreased and the remedy grew the more in hatred by reason of theyr impiety which more and more encresed This also helped therevnto for that men were now declared to be open enemies And it was a greate matter to vndoo and make voide those thinges which were once decreed This is the meaning of these wordes vveake vngodly sinners and enemies For a righteous man and for a good man Seing that all men are loth to dye thereby is manifest how greate was the loue of Christ towards vs which would dye for such as once were we as hath now bene declared For the righteous Some hereby haue vnderstand a iust cause For they whiche haue deserued death canne skarslye bee perswaded too take theyr death patient For the Good That is they more willingly dye for that which is profitable and plesant as the parentes for theyr children the husbands for their wiues merchants for theyr merchandise Origen bringeth an example of the Martirs which suffer death for Christs sake who is in very dede good Others make mēcion of the Decians Curtians Codrians and the bretherne called Phileni which of theyr owne accorde gaue theyr liues for theyr countrey For all these semed to haue bene moued to geue themselues to the death both for that which is iust for that which is profitable For it was a thing iust that they should be so kind vnto theyr countrey in the defence thereof to be willinge to shedde theyr liues Farther also by theyr death they semed to preserue those who were vnto them most deare Vndoubtedly for my part I thinke with Chrisostome that by these woords Iust and Good are simply to be vnderstand good men and iust men although Ierome to Algasia in his 7. question taketh Iust and good substātiuely for a thing iust and good But why Paul sayd Scarce for a iust man and addeth peraduenture for a good man I thinke this to be the cause for that they which seemed sometimes to
made manifest the power and efficacy of Christ against sinne First for that he bringeth to passe that the haynous wicked actes which we haue committed are not imputed Secondly for that through the holy ghost he geueth vnto vs strengths wherby we are restored and the rages of our naturall lust are broken Christ fought againste sinne wherfore we must nedes make him either superior vnto sinne or equall or els lesse To say that he was lesse is both false and impious for then it should follow that he was ouercome of sinne If we make him equall then will it follow Proues that Christ is of more might then sinne Two kingdomes to be considered that sinne is not yet vanquished for then should they haue left leuing the victory vncertaine But seyng it is said that sinne is ouercome then followeth that which Paul saith namely that Christ was mightier then it Two kingdomes are to be set before our eyes yâ— kingdom of Christ the kingdom of Sathan That Christes kingdome got the victory Christ himself declareth in the Gospel where he sayth That the stroÌ„g armed maÌ„ so long time liued quietly and peaceably til such time as a stronger then he came vpoÌ„ him For then was he ouercome and the other which was mightier theÌ„ he caried away his spoiles armor Wherfore we must warely take hede lest being to much intentiue to those sins which we haue coÌ„mitted we desperatly say with Câ—in Our sinne is greater theÌ„ that it can be forgeuen For this were contumelious blasphemy against Christ to say that there is some sinne to be found which can The desperation of Cayn is coÌ„tumelious blasphemy against Christ Here is not spoken of sin against the holy ghost The sinne which remaineth in the regenerate declareth the might of Christ not be ouercome of him But here is no mete place to declare why sinne against the holy ghost is not forgeueÌ„ nether also maketh it any thing to the purpose for we speake of them which are conuerted vnto Christ which can haue no place in those which sinne against the holy ghost Nether doth this a litle helpe to the acknowledging of the victory of Christ that sinne still after a sort abideth in the regenerate For although there be sinne in them yet Christ by his power ouer whelmeth it so that it can not hurt For sinne is now taken prisoner and brokeÌ„ as somtimes enemies are takeÌ„ on liue of emperors or Captaines reserued on liue against a triuÌ„ph yâ— one the selfe same day may be both vnto yâ— Emperour for a triuÌ„ph vnto the enemies coÌ„quered vtter destructioÌ„ Christ shall come to iudge shal in yâ— sight of yâ— who le world triumph And as it is writteÌ„ vnto yâ— Cor. The last enemy death shall be destroyed and together with him sinne his continuall companion But that in the meane time we haue sinne in vs it is nothing preiudiciall vnto our saluation And it is the Gosple to beleue that sinne is remitted and forgeuen vs although it still abide in vs. Howbeit nether the wisedome of The philosophers vnderstand not that there is sin in vs and yet we are iust the fleshe nor philosophy can attayne to the knowledge of this For philosophy pronounceth none to be iust strong wise and temperate but he which hath gotten these vertues by often actions and vpright workes But we contrariwise in the kingdome of Christ affirme that a sinfull man though he be neuer so wicked so sone an he is conuerted vnto Christ and with a true faith taketh hold of him is streaight way before God iust By 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle in this place vnderstandeth iustification of this verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to be pronounced iust to be acquited Although in this selfe same epistle in the 1. chapter we rede which when they knew the righteousnes of God how that they which committe such thinges are worthy of death yet doo not only the same but also consent vnto them that do them That which is there turned in latine Iusticiam and in englishe Righteousnes is in the Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth in that place a law prescribed of God Nether is it to be meruayled at that these significatious are so changed for they are not vtterly differing one from the other For some times they are compared together as the cause and the effect For therefore amongst men is a man acquited of the iudge for that he hath done thinges iust and hath bene obedieÌ„t vnto the lawes But thus can not we be before God For we are not absolued from him for that we haue fulfilled his commaundements Only Christ hath fulfilled them Wherfore not only he himselfe is iustified but also his righteousnes performance of the law is adiudged vnto vs forasmuch as we are counted amongst his members Here he beginneth to expresse yâ— which was the third part of our diuision by what meanes Christ hath placed in his elect those good thinges which he hath brought vnto vs and these good thinges are in them most plentifull and also most firme and stable This he gathereth of the Antithesis for euen as Adam brought in sinne and death and so brought them in that they haue raigned so Christ hath geueÌ„ vnto his life grace and righteousnes not after any common sort but most liberally and aboundantly For if thorough the offence of one death raigned thorough one much more shall they which receaue the aboundance of grace of the gifte of righteousnes raigne in life thorough one Iesus Christ For if thorough the offence c. This reasoÌ„ is thus to be declared If Adam could so poure in sin death into men that they raigned in them much more is This amplification is to be noted the same to be graunted vnto Christ And the amplification of the woordes is in this sort It is a greater matter of more efficacy to say pleÌ„ty aboundance of grace theÌ„ simply to say grace And this hath a greater emphasis to say yâ— gift of righteousnes theÌ„ if he had sayd righteousnes simply For wheÌ„ it is called yâ— gift of righteousnes there is signified that it coÌ„meth freely Farther it is of more efficacy to raigne in life then after a sort to obteyne life But what force this word of raigning hath one eche side may thus be vnderstand Let vs set before our eyes a man that is a straÌ„ger from Christ In him doth sinne not only abide Sinne to raigne what it signifieth but also mightely raigne that although he sometimes haue excellent endeuors and now and then doth some morall workes in shew most goodly yet he can by no meanes shake of that tirrany but whatsoeuer he doth it worketh vnto him vnto death and condemnation This is sinne and death to raigne in a maÌ„ On the other side let vs set before vs a godly man and one grafted into Christ This
Christ which thing Paul also teacheth saying The end of the law is Christ to saluation The law doth not by it selfe bring men to Christe and to saluatiō The Ethnikes opinion concerning the end of the law What is the law which yet he speaketh not vniuersally But to euery one that beleueth For the law doth not of it selfe bring a man to thys end The Ethnikes sayd that the end of the law is knowledge which it engēdreth of thinges that are to be done Wherfore Christippus as he is cyted in the digestes fayth that the law is the knowledg of thinges diuine and humane But thys end and thys definition extend to largelye For all wisdome and all good artes doo geue some knowledg of diuine and humane thinges Now resteth diligently to se what is the matter and efficient cause of the law And briefely to speake of these thinges I say that the Law is a commaundement of God wherein both hys will and also disposition or nature is expressed When I say a commaundement I note the generall woorde For there are commaūdemēts of people Senators kings of Emperors But whē I say of God I adde the difference which noteth the efficient cause But in that I The law expresseth vnto vs the disposition nature of God say that in the law is expressed the will of God that is so manifest that it nedeth not to be expounded But this may peraduēture seme more obscure in that I said that in the law the disposition of God is taught vs and we are stirred vp to the knowledge of his nature we wil therfore by examples make it more playn Whē God commaundeth vs to loue him he therebye teacheth that he is of nature amiable For those things cannot iustly be beloued which are not worthy to be beloued And vnles he bare great good will toward vs he would not set forth vnto vs the chiefe good which we should loue Wherfore he for this cause exhorteth vs therunto bicause he desireth to haue vs pertakers of himselfe We sée therfore that he is such towardes vs as he desireth vs to be also And when he prohibiteth vs to kill First therin he declareth his will farther he sheweth himselfe to be such a God which abhorreth from violence and from iniuries had rather do good vnto men then hurt them After the same maner these two thinges may also be declared in the other preceptes and out of this definition may those thinges also be gathered which we haue before spoken concerning the forme and ende of the law bicause of necessity such doctrine ought to be both spirituall and also to engender a wonderfull excellent knowledge and we are taught that God by it hath geuen no small Benefites of the lawe benefite vnto men for it causeth vs both to know our selues and also to vnderstand the proprieties of God Plato in his bookes of lawes of a publike wealth and Platoes definition in Minoe seemeth thus to define the lawe namely that it is an vprighte manner of gouerning which by conuenient meanes directeth vnto the best ende in setting forth paynes vnto the transgressors and rewardes vnto the obedient This definition may be most aptly applied vnto the law of God yea there can be no such law Lawgeuers made God the author of theyr lawes vnles it be of God It is no meruaile therefore if the olde lawgeuers when they would haue their lawes commended fayned some God to be the author of them For Minos ascribed his lawes to Iupiter Licurgus his to Apollo Solon and Draco theirs to Minerua and Numa Pompilius referred his vnto Aegiria But we are assured and that by the holy scriptures that our law was geuen of God by Moses The Manichies do wickedly condemne the law There is no good or euill whych is not by the law of God either commaunded or forbiddē The law requireth not onely deades but also the wil The law bringeth vs to the knowledge of God and of our selues in mount Syna And these thinges beyng thus sene concerning the nature and definition of y◠law we mayeasly vnderstand how fowly the Manichies erred which blasphemed it and cursed it as euil For seyng that the law commaundeth nothing but things worthy to be commaunded and prohibiteth nothing but thinges mete to be prohibited how can it iustly be accused For there can be no iust or honest duety found which is not commended in the law of God nor nothyng filthy or vnhonest which in it is not forbidden neither are wicked actes onely prohibited in y◠law but also wicked lustes are there condemned Wherfore it sheweth that not onely outward workes are to be corrected but also the mynd and will And forasmuch as a great part of felicitie consisteth in the knowledge of God and Philosophers do so much extoll the knowledge of our selues and the law of GOD as we haue taught performeth either it can not but with great wickednes be reproued as euill and hurtful Howbeit this place wherein it is sayd That the law entred in that sinne should abound may seme to make somwhat with the Manichies as doth that also vnto the Galathians That the law was put for transgressions and that also in the 7. chap. of this epistle That sinne through the commaundement killeth and that likewise which is sayd in the second epist ▪ to the Corint That the law is the ministery of death All these thinges may seme to confirme the error of the Manichies But The things which are ioyned vnto the law of themselues and the thinges that come by chaunce must be seperated A similitude we must diligently put a differēce betwene those things which of themselues pertaine vnto the law and those things which follow it by reason of an other thing per accidens that is by chaunce For as we haue before taught sinne death damnation and other such like do spring of the law by reason of the corruption of our nature But if a man compare not the law with our nature but consider it by it selfe or if he referre it to a sound vncorrupt nature then can he affirme nothing els of it then that which Paul sayth Namelye that it is spirituall holye good and instituted vnto lyfe and it is said rather to shewe synne then to worke synne Wherefore if men deformed lying hidde in the darke shoulde saye vnto a man whiche by chaunce bryngeth a lyghte vnto them gette the hence least by this thy light thou make vs deformed vndoubtedly we could not gather by their wordes that the power and nature of light is such that it doth make men deformed but this we might rather gather that those things which of themselues are deformed are by the light vttered and shewed what they be And so is it of the lawe for it after a maner bringeth light and openeth to our knowledge the sinnes which before lay hidden But a man will say if the law be good and holy why
sinne And it is not hard to sée how fowly they are deceaued which do of Pauls wordes gather these so greate absurdities For in their reasons they take that A false argument of those which gather absurd things out of Paules sayinges which is not the cause for the cause and so fall into a manifest false argument For not to put confidence in the workes of the law or to teach that by the lawe sinne abounded is not a sufficient cause why the lawe of God should either be reiected or els counted vnprofitable And to teach that workes iustifye not is not a cause why we should ceasse of from doing works And to say that more grace abounded when sinne abounded is not to say that our sinnes are the causes of the grace of God For that is agaynst nature that that which is in very déede euill shoulde That which is in very deede euell of it selfe bringeth not foorth good things bring forth good And seing sinnes do alienate vs from God how should they purchase vnto vs grace The disease maketh not the Phisition notable but by occasion It is the art which coÌ„mendeth him and not the disease So sinnes of their own nature do not illustrate the grace of God but his goodnes and mercy wherby he forgeueth sinnes If we wil conclude rightly and without a fals argument let vs thus reason forasmuch as we can not fulfill the law and therfore it can not iustifie vs let vs not cleaue vnto it only Wherfore let vs annexe Christ and his grace How we ought in this place to conclude which if we do we shall receiue much fruit therby Againe seing that workes can not be the cause of iustification let vs not attribute so much vnto wicked men to such as are not yet regenerate to say that they by their own merites can get vnto themselues grace But being regenerate let vs aply our selues to good works as to the fruites of righteousnes And althoughe sinnes are not the causes of the grace of God yet let vs acknowledge that there neded a mighty and an aboundaÌ„t grace to take those sinnes away when as they had so infinitely increased There Paralogismus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is committed also in these arguments a false reason of equiuocation For when Paul sayth where sinne hath abounded there more abounded grace he saith not whersoeuer sinnes haue increased there streight way grace hath more abounded For there are found many most wicked men ouer whelmed with infinite synnes in whom shineth no grace of God at all But this Paul sayth where sinnes haue increased by the law and are now in very dede known and inwardly felte in the mynd there men being made afeard of their misery are after a sort prepared and driuen vnto Christ to implore his ayde â–ª And therby it commeth to passe that grace aboundeth in them which are so touched by the law There is an other fallace or An other fallace as touching the diuersity of time deceipt in this reasoning which coÌ„meth of yâ— diuersitie of tymes For we graunt that God through Christ geueth aboundant grace wherby the sinnes which went before regeneration are blotted out Yet therof ought not to be gathered that sins are againe to be heaped vp to the end grace also should be augmented Wherfore it plainly appeareth that in these false accusations is more then one kynde of false argument Neither was Paul onely accused of this crime that he opened a wyndow to sin but also al those whosoeuer they were that taught Christ ernestly For those false witnesses in yâ— Actes testefied against StepheÌ„ yâ— he ceassed not to speake An example concerninge Stephan We are not onely iustified by faith but we receaue the spirite of Christ wherby we are restored to newnes of life many things against God against yâ— law But Paul to acquite the doctrine of the Gospel froÌ„ such false accusatioÌ„s saith that we are not only iustified by faith but also haue the spirit of Christ whereby we are both stirred vp to a new life and sinne also is weakened in vs. Wherfore wheÌ„ we reade the holy scriptures we ought to ponder them with greate diligence and attentiuenes before by way of reasoning we gather any thing out of them For he which neglecteth the principles or first groundes is easely led into dangerous errors So greate difference is there betwéene those things which Paul concludeth of the things before spoken and those thinges which the vnlerned do gather of them that they are manifestly contrary one to the other They by this doctrine do gather that we must sinne to the ende grace may abound But Paul of the selfe same doctrine gathereth that we must not sinne that grace should abound Which thing he proueth in this chapter principally The aduersaries gathered that we must sinne and Paule that we oughtâ— not to sinne The Apostle proueth bâ—â—wo reasons that we muste sinne no more Why he vseth interrogations They which are dead vnto sinne ought not to liue in it Similitudes by two reasons the first is because we are now deade vnto sinne and are come vnto Christ And this reasoÌ„ he at large handleth in the first part of this chap. The other reason is that we ought to obey him vnto whose seruice we haue addicted our selues Wherefore seing by our conuersion vnto Christ we are made the seruantes of righteousnes we must now serue it and not sinne And this reason contayneth that which remayneth of this chapter Neither is it in vayne that Paul putteth forth his sentence by interrogations For by them he partly expresseth the affection of his indignation how that he toke it very greuously that the doctrine of the Gospell should be diffamed with so absurd suspicions Farther by his interrogations he declareth the security of his conscience For he sheweth that he thought nothing lesse then that which was obiected against him The first reason is this They which are dead vnto sin ought not to perseuer therin But Christians are dead vnto sinne Wherfore they ought not to perseuer in it These things are euidently proued by the contrariety of death and life because no man can at one and the selfe same tyme be both deade and also on lyue For euen as he is a foole which would desire health in such sorte that he would together with it be sick also or which would abyde still in the fire that he might be deliuered from burning so also is he a foole which being deade vnto sinne thinketh that he may neuertheles liue vnto it The selfe same thing teacheth Christ when he sayth that no man can serue two masters And in naturall knowledge it is a common sentence that the generation of one thing is the corruption of an other Wherefore if we be borne agayne to Christ then is it necessary that we should dye vnto sinne Although What it is to dye vnto sinne whilest we liue here this death is
vnto an other namely to him which rose agayne from the dead that we should bryng forthe fruite vnto God For when we were in the fleshe the affectes of sinnes which were by the law had force in our members to bryng forth fruite vnto death But now ye are deliuered from the law beyng dead vnto it where in ye were holden that we should serue in newnes of spirite and not in the oldnes of the letter In this chapter the Apostle answereth vnto the other obiection of the aduersaries Methode of this chapter namely that he semed to deiect the lawe more then was mete And he declareth that he for this purpose did it that they which had once taken vpon them the name of Christ should no more séeke to be vnder the lawe when as by the benefit of Christ they are deliuered from it And here he at large prosecuteth that which in the chapter before he had but briefely touched when he sayd Ye are not vnder the law but vnder grace Wherfore first he setteth forth our liberty wherby we are deliuered from the seruitude of the law Secondly that he should not seme to haue abrogated it for that it commaundeth things vile or vniust he declareth that it is not sinne but only sheweth and vttereth sinne Thirdly after he had declared that by the prohibitions of the law sinne is both encreased and more vehemently killeth he defendeth the law it self not to be that cause of our death and that it cannot by any meanes be counted guilty therof And after that he had taught that all destruction and the whole cause of euils is deriued of the corruption prauity which is by nature in vs at the last he addeth that it exerciseth a very sore and violent tiranny in men euen being regenerate and wyth great affect crieth out wysheth that he might be out of hand deliuered from that violence Now at the beginnyng he doth not absolutely write that we are deliuered from the seruitude of the law but he addeth that as a reason to open vnto vs the way meane wherby we come vnto such a liberty namely the death of Christ After that he declareth the ende wherfore we are brought from the law vnto Christ which is that euen as before we brought forth fruit vnto death so now we should bring forth fruit vnto God And bicause the Iewes which were now come vnto Christ mought heue bane offended wyth thys sentence of the deliuery from the law therfore by a louyng and gentle name he calleth them brethern and attributeth vnto them the knowledge Why he calleth the brethern of the law lest he should seme to be moued either of hatreâ— or of contempt toward them to abrogate the law wherin they so much gloried Know ye not brethren for I speake to them that know the lawe that the law hath dominion ouer a man so long as he liueth The proofe of that that he said that we are deliuered from the law is taken of no other thing but for that we are dead For they which are dead are not bound vnto the law And yâ— we are dead We are sayd to be deliuered from the law for that we ar dead It seemed filthy to the Iewes a thing vile to fall away from the law of God We depart â—ot from the law against the will therof he declareth by the body of Christ in which he saith we are mortefied vnto the law And this argument the Apostle therfore so diligently handleth for that vnto the Iewes of whom in those first tymes the greatest part of the church consisted it sented a thing vile and filthy sodenly to fall away from the law which they had receiued both of their elders and also at the handes of God Wherfore the Apostle now sayth that that ought not to be layd vnto vs for a fault seing that we are exempted from the law neither depart we from it against the will therof For it also sendeth vs away from it self vnto Christ But of what law Paul here speketh all men are not of one minde Ambrose thinketh that those things which are here spoken pertaine to the commaundement of the Gospell and not vnto the law of Moses For in it is permitted diuorcement neither is separation alwayes waited for till the death of the husband or wife But sauing the authoritie of Ambrose a man shall not easely finde in the scriptures that the Gospel is plainly called a law Farther it is very plaine that Paul reasoneth these thinges against yâ— Iewes who thought the obseruation of the law necessary also in the Gospell Wherfore it was nedefull to confute them not only by the Gospell but also by the authoritie of the law In which law although diuorcement were permitted yet the Apostle now speaketh not therof For he followeth the ordinary way vsed in matrimony rightly instituted wherin separation happeneth not but only by death But that matrimony should thorough diuorcement be losed happeneth not as Chrisostome vpon this place noteth but thorough some default For therfore oftentimes in the olde In the matrimony of vertuous and honeste yoke fellowes diuorcemente had not place law were wiues put away of their husbandes for that they were infected wyth some great haynous sinne or if they were vertuous and honest for that their husbandes were to much froward and malicious towardes them But Paul would not ascribe any such things vnto the law And forasmuch as he had a certayne and necessary cause of separation as which came by the meanes of death therfore he thought it not good to make mentioÌ„ of yâ— other cause which neither hapned alwais nor was at any tyme vsed of the vertuous and honest Wherfore by this place we cannot define what and how much Paul permitteth as lawfull vnto Christians in the case of diuorcement For here he bringeth only a similitude taken of matrimony By this place can not be gathered whether diuorsement be lawfull for Christians or no. Matrimony is two wayes loosed We in thys comparison occupie the rome of the wife Wiues in the old law repudiated not their husbandes But it is not of necessitie that similitudes should vniuersally in al points be correspondent which thing Erasmus also in this place noteth And Paul therefore made no mention of that separatioÌ„ which happeneth by repudiation for that we depart not from the law by repudiation but by mortification Wherfore he thought it good to set forth that cause of separatioÌ„ which made best to his purpose For forasmuch as there are two causes of separation namely death and diuorcement Paul toucheth that only wherby we are deliuered from the law And that is death Farther forasmuch as in this similitude we occupie the roome of the wyfe and the wife in the olde law although she mought be put away by diuorcement yet could not she repudiate her husband only it was lawful for her being put away to depart from her husband vnles her husband
corruâ—ted yet the Law written The law geuen by Moses could not be so corrupted as the lawe of nature was remayned alwayes one which being righly examined was able alwayes to reproue the corrupters thereof But the Law of nature fora 〈…〉 â—s it is siâ—uate in the mindes of men if it be there once corrupted can neuer be made sound agayne But there are many which say that Paul vnderstode these â—inges of the Law of nature of which opinion Origen semeth to be But Paul himselfe confuteth them when he bringeth a testemony out of the Law of Moses Others thinke that the Law of nature did indede shew sinne but taughte not the offeÌ„ce of God and as they say the guiltines whereby we are by reason of the sinnes committed condemned to punishmentes But the Law geueÌ„ of God performed The law of nature did not only shew sinne but also the offence of God and guiltines both And forasmuch as this guiltines and the offence of God are the principall thinges which are considered in the Law therefore the Law geuen of God is sayd to shew sin But this can not be attributed vnto yâ— Law of nature bicause it shewed not that thing which in sinne is the chiefest But nether is this senteÌ„ce sufficient as I thinke For vnles men had by the Lawe of nature vnderstode that God had bene offended they woulde neuer haue endeuored themselues by sacrifices and oblations to satisfie his wrath or by vowes and purifications to redeme theyr murthers Farther those thinges whiche happened in the floude and in Sodome and in many other places may be a sufficient argument that God punisheth sinnes This thing also the historiagraphers poets orators and philosophers haue euery where in theyr writinges taught and in the holy scriptures bothe Pharao and Abimelech testefied the same as we haue before sayd Wherefore omitting all these opinions we say that Paul speaketh these things of the Law geuen by Moses For of it arose the controuersie And although it be longe to all good lawes to vtter and to shew sinne yet is there no law which so fully doth it as doth the Law geuen of God so that it be rightly vnderstand that euen for this cause chiefely for that it is geuen of God For other Lawes The lawes of men not such efficacy as the law of Moles althoughe sometimes they commaund thinges vpright yet bycause they are thoughte to be onelye inuencions of wise men doo not much mone the minde Iudede the excellent sentences of philosophers and poetes delight the mind but they doo not so vehemently reproue a minde hardened as doth that Law which we are fully perswaded to haue ben geueÌ„ of God For in it we seme to hear God him selfe speaking vnto vs. Farther it may at the firste bront seme wonderfull why the Apostle amongest all other preceptes brought this only precept Thou Why the precept of not lustinge is aboue other here brought Lust is here touched because it is the heade of all euils shalt not lust But the Apostle did this as he did also all other thinges mostâ— warely For he thought chiefely to take that kynde of prauity which is most hidden from the iudgement of men and is not set forth in other lawes For the naturall lust and corruption which impelleth vs to all euils is in this place touched and layd abrode as the fountayne and hed of al euilles Wherfore this is an excellent sayinge of Augustine that no sinne is committed without luste Wherefore Paul woulde not speake of the grosser outward sinnes for that he saw that they pertained vnto discipline and are not onlye set forth by the ciuill Lawes but also punished Nether would he speak of wicked affections and perturbations for that he saw them condemned of the philosophers in theyr Moral The preceptes of God are distinguished into precepts commaunding and prohibiting The thinges that are commaunded ought to be done with al our strength The things that are forbiddeÌ„ ought to be eschewed without all maner of prones vnto them Two principall commaundementes of the law discipline and rules geueÌ„ by them to bring them to a mediocrity he weÌ„t rather to the very roote of all sinnes and sheweth that it being vnknowen and hidden is manifested and brought to light by the law of God And to expresse this thing more playnly this is to be obserued that all the commauÌ„demeÌ„tes of God ether commaund something or forbid something And they commaund not only that a thing should be sclenderly done but also that it be done withall the soule with all the hart and with all strengths and most exactly so that there be vtterly nothing in vs which is not obedient vnto the will of God And that which they forbid they doo not only so forbid it that it it self be not in vs but also that there be not leaft in vs any affect or prones thereunto And therefore God gaue this coÌ„maundement Thou shalt not lust that we should both in minde will and wholy in al the partes both of the soule and of the body abhore froÌ„ those things which God hath prohibited And in this maner answere together these two coÌ„maundmentes Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy soule and with all thy hart c Whiche is to be repeted in all the preceptes that commaund any thinge to be done and the laste precept Thou shalt not lust which agayne is to be vnderstand in all thinges that are forbidden Wherefore in these two commaundementes is the pith and if I may so speake the soule of the lawe as without whiche the other commaundementes of GOD can not be full and perfect And all men althoughe they be neuer so holye yet are they accused ouercome and condemned of ether of these preceptes For vnlesse the grace of God throughe Christe shoulde These two precepts accuse men though they be neuer so holy succour vs we haue nothing before our eyes but certayne destruction For so long as we here liue how frée we are from lust Augustine most plainely declareth in many places and especially in his 200. epistle to Asellicus the bishop For thus he sayth That in mynde he may do that which he loueth and not consent vnto the flesh which doth that which he hateth that is not that he should not lust at all but that he should not follow after his lustes And straight way We shall one daye come to the ende thereof when the lust of sinne shall not be restrayned or bridled but shall not be at all For this thyng hath the lawe set forth saying thou shalt not lust not that we are here able to performe this but as whereunto by going forward we bend our selues And against Iulianus in his 6. booke and 5. chapter but who doubteth but that lust may in thys lyfe be diminished but yet not consumed What is the property of the lawe Where the law shewerh sinne In the scriptures the lawe is
of death For forasmuch as death and sinne are so ioyned together that the one is alwayes engendred of the other therefore Paul when he had confuted the first obiection touching sin goeth to the other obiection concerning death For before he denied that the law was of it selfe the cause of sinne now he also denieth it to be the cause of death And euen as before he defended the Law by translation when as he sayd that As the law by it selfe is not the the cause of sinne so also is it not the cause of death the lust naturally grafted in vs is the true and proper cause of sinne So now also he vseth the selfe same translation and ascribeth death not vnto the Law but vnto the vice grafted into vs by nature If a man demaund what commodity hereof followeth that our lust beinge irritated by the Lawe committeth more haynouser wicked facts and bringeth death he answereth that we are thereby brought opēly to the knowledge of the malice of our naturall prauitye which prauity herein chiefely consisteth that it perniciously abuseth the most excellent Law of God so that y◠which was ordeyned to good doth now bring vnto vs destructiō And yet must we not sticke stay in this knowledge of our misery For the more we know that we are in perdition with so muche the greater endeuor We must not stay in the knowledge of our misery The scope of the whole scripture Why the law is not the cause of death ought we to flye vnto Christ at whose hands alone we must looke for saluation and who is the only remedy of our so greate misery And this is the skope of the whole scripture For euery where in it is ether declared our prauity or ells set forth the mercy of God thorough Christ The reason whereby Paul proueth that the Lawe is not the cause of death is this That whiche is spirituall and ordeyned vnto life can not bring death But the Law of God is spirituall and or deyned to life wherefore it can not properlye be the cause of death The Maior or first propositiō hath two parts the first is that the Law can not bring death for that it was ordeined vnto life This sentēce is proued by the nature of things contrarye For death and life forasmuche as they are thinges contrarye can not at one time be found in one and the selfe same subiect For it is not possible that of one and the same Law should in the selfe same men together at one and the same time be engendred both life and death The second part is that the law is spirituall and therefore can not bring death And that is hereby proued for that the nature of the spirite is to quicken and not to destroy VVas that then which vvas good made death vnto me Thys he therefore What is the nature of the spirite obiecteth vnto himself for y◠before he semed to speak things repugnant namely y◠the commaundemente was ordeyned vnto life but yet turned to him to death These thinges seme at the first sight not well to agree It semeth that he should rather thus haue sayd What then Is the Law which bringeth life made vnto me death But Paul to set forth the obiection more vehemently comprehendeth the Law vnder this word Good or this pronowne which is referred to y◠which was before spoken namely ordeyned to life For before he had affirmed both namely that the Law is both good and also ordeyned to life Wherefore he now not without cause obiecteth vnto himselfe Was that then which was good made vn to me death God forbid But Sinne here vnderstād vvas made vnto me death For so is the sentence to be made perfect Now he declareth what vtility the Lawe which was geuen broughte For he sayth that sinne abused it and by it slewe vs that sayth he it mought be knowen and appeare that sinne by that which was good wrought vnto me death God would haue vs to vnderstand that our corruption is greate that by the Law that is by a thing most good it bringeth death Paul speaketh not here chiefely of the death of the body althoughe it also What death Paul here meaneth doo follow but rather of that death whereinto we incurre when we ernestlye fele our sinne by the knowledge of the Law For hereby we see that we are obnoxious vnto the wrath of God adiudged to hell fire Which thinge when we A taste of ēternall condemnation A similitude with efficacy seriously consider we fele in our selues some tast of eternall condēnation By which meanes it commeth to passe that although in body we liue yer we are sayde to be slaine of sinne by the Lawe And as they which are kept in prison after that they know that sentence of death is geuē vpon thē although they are permitted to liue two or three dayes to take their leue of theyr frends yet are they filled with incredible heauines and horror and euery houre haue a tast of theyr death so that al that time they may seme rather to dye then to liue An other similitude And euē as they which are sure to be very shortly rewarded with a greate and looked for reward although in the meane time they take greate paynes yet do they nothing weighe that trouble for that euen in theyr labors they seme to thē selues to haue after a sort the fruition of theyr hoped for reward and to haue it in a maner in theyr hands So they which by the Lawe see fele that they are now condemned to eternall death take no pleasure at all in the delights of thys life For euen now they fele in themselues that those paynes are begon But many maruell that Paul should say that this came to passe in himselfe and especially when as he writeth vnto the Galathians that he had profited in the religion of the Iewes aboue all the men in his time And vnto the Phillippians That he had How Paul was decraned and slaine of sin bene conuersant in the righteousnes of the Law without blame And vnto Timothe That he had from his elders serued God with a pure conscience But Augustine in hys first booke agaynst the two epistles of the Pelagians in the 8. and 9. chapiters diligently dissolueth this doubt He mought sayth he be honestly conuersant in outward workes so that before men he mought without blame performe the righteousnes of the Lawe But before God and as touchinge the affectes of the minde he wa◠not free frō sinne For it mought be that he thorough feare of men or through feare of punishmentes which God threatneth vnto transgressors was moued to liue vprightly but as touching Paul acknowledged himself◠obnoxious vnto the lust grafted into him by nature lustes and inward motions agaynst which men would not that God had made any Law he also was obnoxious vnto vice sinne Nether was h◠by faith and charity as he
often repeted we ought to thinke to be very necessary and also not very well knowen vnto vs. Farther these things The things that are so often repeted ar both necessary also not very well knowne vnto vs. are not repeted without some addition whereby are not a little made plaine those thinges which were spoken Here the Apostle entended to declare two thinges first that he would that which is good and thereof he reasoneth that he felt in hys minde a delectation in the lawe But those thinges wherein we delight we desire to be brought to passe The second is that he declareth that he is plucked away and letted so that he can not fulfill his owne will And this he hereby proueth for that he doth those thinges from which he abhorred But these thinges are to be vnderstand in a diuers respect as they terme it For as he was regenerate he abhorred from thinges euill and desired better but as hee was not regenerate he was drawen vnto those thinges whiche hee woulde not and fell into worse and worse The effecte of his exclamation is therefore expressed in this strife to geue vs to vnderstand that these thinges are not entreated of lightlye or coldly but with great féeling and with certayne experience Now that I haue briefely declared the exposition of this place I will come to the knitting together of the wordes of the Apostle and examine euery perticuler part of them I find a law vnto me when I would do good for that euill is present with me This is doubtles an obscure sentence and may haue diuers senses For if we take the lawe which we sée is here put infinitly and without contraction for the vice and corruption of nature then may we thus interprete it that it is a let vnto vs when he would do good Of which saying is rendred a reason for that euill is present with me As if he should haue sayd this is the cause why I am letted from doing good But if this word lawe be taken in good part and do signifye the commaundementes of God then must we of necessity adde a verbe whych signifieth not a let but an exhortation and stirring vp And so may be gathered thys sense when I would do good I finde the lawe of God allowing approuing exhorting and instigating me But if thou demaunde why then do I not good I answere for that euill is present with me therefore am I letted and called backe from the good purpose of my minde Wherefore the obscurenes commeth two maner of wayes Firste the lawe is put infinitelye whiche maye be drawen ether vnto luste or vnto the commaundemente of God Secondly there is no word added whereby is signified ether let or contrariwise impulsion or exhortation Ambrose thinketh that here is signified the lawe of God which he sayth geueth a consent For that can not be vnderstand of our consent whereby we in minde serue the lawe of God For this we owe not vnto the benefite of the law but to the spirite of Christ only that the will of God shoulde be pleasant to our mynde But after that by his helpe we come once to this poynt to will thinges good and vprighte then if we looke vpon the lawe we shall finde that it as Ambrose sayth geueth a consent vnto vs. Chrisostome confesseth that it is a hard place howbeit he thinketh that by it is signified the lawe of God and sayth that it prayseth and approueth all the good and iust thinges which we would do but the euill which is present with vs is a let that we can not performe those things And hereby is manifest the infirmity of the lawe which can in déede approue thinges right commendeth the will of hauing them but can not remoue away the impedimentes and lettes neither can bring to passe that we should not sinne or not be condemned But I if I may herein declare my minde do by the lawe vnderstand that conditiō whereunto we ought to obey and this I iudge to be the minde of the Apostle I finde a condition and a decrée layd vpon me namely by originall sinne and naturall lust that when I would do good euil euer is present with me This is the punishement of the lawe whereinto we al incurre by the transgression of our first parentes Ambrose semeth to demaunde where sinne or euill is present with vs. And he aunswereth in the fleshe it lieth and watcheth as it were before the dores and at the gate so that the will after y◠it hath decréed any thing that is good if it will come forth and performe the same findeth a let euen at the very gate A pleasant inuentiō doubtles and such which semeth to expresse that which shall afterward be spoken of That we in mynde serue the lawe of God but in fleshe the lawe of sinne If thou agayne demaunde how it commeth to passe that the euill is present with vs in the flesh not also in the mynde he answereth that it thereof commeth for that y◠flesh only is by traduction deriued from Adam For therefore sinne passeth through the fleshe and after a sort dwelleth in it in maner as in his house Which otherwise should rather be placed in the soule as which should rather sinne then the flesh if it should be by traduction But seing it is not by traduction thereof it commeth that sinne dwelleth not in it but in the flesh That the soule is not by traduction let vs for this tyme graunte althoughe Augustine be somewhat in doubt touching that matter Yet do I not sée why we Sinne is presente not onely in the flesh but also in the soule should deny but that sinne is also in the minde I graunt indede that the first entrance of corruption is through the flesh and that originall sinne is traduced from the parentes through the sede and the body but it stayeth not there For from thence it strayeth throughout all the partes of the soule and of the body Howbeit this word Adiacere which is englished to be present I vnderstand no otherwise then I before interpretated it namely to be at hand to be redy to vrge and to pricke forward I delight in the lawe of God concerning the inward man Two things he put forth that his will was to do good but euill was present with him whereby his entent was made frustrate Now he diligently explicateth ech part If we should follow Chrisostomes mynde namely that when we appointe to do any thing rightly we finde the lawe allowing and approuing our purpose then should not this sentence be amisse that we on the other side delight in the vnderstanding of the lawe as it semeth to delight in our purpose and to consent vnto it But this is now to be of vs considered with how great warines Paul now encreaseth and amplifieth that which he before had simply spoken He before sayde that he willed that whiche is good that he consented vnto the lawe
it was lawful for him to do wherfore he thinketh he lost his power which before he had â—uer men But this interpretation although it conteine nothing that is vngodly yet in no wyse agréeth with the meaning of the Apostle For Paul geueth a reason how we are deliuered by Christ from the lustes and motions of which he complaineth towards the ende of the vij chapter And forasmuch as the death of Christ is put for the cause of this deliuery that exposition which we brought of the sacrifice for sin both is agreable with reason and also is proued by other testimonies of the Scriptures For Esay in his 53. chapter writynge of Christ sayth If he shall put his soule Ameth schaim asham nephesch sinne that is to say for sinne Paul also as we haue before cited him saith That he which knew no sinne was for vs made sinne And in the first epistle to the Corrinthians Christ our paschall is offered vp And in the epistle vnto the Hebreues Christ is set forth to be that sacrifice for sinne whiche was sene to be offered without the hostes Iohn also sayth Beholde the lambe of God whiche taketh away the sinnes of the worlde in which wordes he calleth him a lambe for yâ— What the killinge of sacrifices signified in the old time he should be a sacrifice for sinne And that slaughter of sacrifices shadowed nothing els vnto the elders but damnation and death For there they which offred them acknowledged that the sinnes for which they ought to haue bene punished should be transferred and layd vpon the Messias that euen as the sacrifice was killed so should Christ in tyme to come dye for the sinne of the people Which thing peraduenture they declared by an outward simbole or signe namely by laying on of Why the Gentils sometimes sacrificed men their handes And many thinke that this signification of the offring vp of the Messias for sinne was of so great force that for the figuracion therof men were among certaine nations offred vp For that which they had heard of the holy patriarches should one day come to passe the same they sought to expresse by a sacrifice most nyest as they thought vnto the truth Which yet forasmuch as it wanted yâ— word of God and was by them only inuented was nothing els then an vngodly cruelty Of this thing Origene against Celsus maketh mencion Neither can it be but Why the killinges of sacrifices aâ— at this day â— out of vse wonderful that at this day throughout the whole world there are no immolatioÌ„s of sacrifices which seme by the prouidence of god therfore to haue vanished away bicause that noble and so long looked for sacrifice of the deth of Christ which was by all those sacrifices after a sorte shadowed is now performed For God hath geuen one only oblacion wherby as we haue said sinne is condemned By which so great liberality of God towardes vs both feare and also faith ought to be stirred vp in vs. For if God to the ende he would abolishe sinne spared not his owne proper sonne what shall become of vs if we despise so great a sacrifice and tread vnder foote the bloud of the sonne of God On the other side who will not put his confidence in God whom he séeth for our sinnes to haue geuen his sonne vnto the deth Wherfore we ought with a most strong faith to embrace this sacrifice Neyther ought we here to regard the sacrificing priestes which boast that they can by their The sacrifyce of Christ is not applied vnto vs by Masses masses and superstitions and vngodly whisperinges apply this sacrifice vnto vs. In dede the holy scriptures teache that one ought to pray for an other But that yâ— communicating of one man is sufficient for an other or that it applieth the death of Christ vnto an other that thing the holy ghost neuer taught And sithen the sacramentes are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is seales of promises they can profite them onely if we speake of theÌ„ which are of full age which embrace theÌ„ by fayth Wherfore eueÌ„ as it is not coÌ„uenient yâ— one should be baptised for an other so doth it nothing profite if one man receiue the Eucharist or supper of the Lord for an other For this were all one as if a man should take seales by which promises are confirmed and transferre theÌ„ vnto a blanke paper which hath neither promise nor any thing written in it we may in déede when we communicate geue thankes vnto God for that he hath holpen our neighbours and brethren and we may pray for them that they may be confirmed But to eate the sacrifice or Eucharist or to offer vp Christ for other men it is vtterly a fained inuention And although we shoulde graunte theÌ„ thys yet should they not haue yâ— which they so much séeke for For thys is not peculiar vnto priestes but is coÌ„moÌ„ vnto al theÌ„ which celebrate yâ— supper of yâ— lord Away therfore with these fained lies let euery maÌ„ labor by his own proper faith to take hold for himselfe of this benefite of Christ to apply it vnto himself Augustine in his exposition begon vpon the epistle vnto the Romanes saith that euery one of vs applieth vnto himselfe the sacrifice of the death of Christ For he saith Touching the sacrifice of which the Apostle then spake that is of the burnt offring of the Lordes passion that euery man offreth for hys owne sinnes then when he is dedicated vnto the passion of Christ through faith and when by baptisme be is noted by the name of faithfull Christians Now let vs speake of the third thing namely to sée what is the fruite of the death of Christ That the righteousnes of God might be fulfilled in vs which walke not according to the fleshe but according to the spirite That which we haue turned Righteousnes and others Iustification in Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word signifieth that honesty and vprightnes which is commaunded in the lawe which although it be so called yet are we not therby iustified for the fulfilling thereof can be in no man but only in him which is iustified It is true in dede that We shal be iudged according to our works we shall not be iustified by them we shal be iudged accordinge vnto those woorkes for God wyll render vnto euerye manne accordynge to hys woorkes For accordinge to the condition of the workes the forme of the sentence shal be pronouÌ„ced Yet are not good works the causes of that felicity which we looke for For if they were causes then shoulde they either be equall with the reward or els they should be greater then it For this is the nature of causes ether to excell the affectes or at the least wayes to be The dignity of causes either excelleth or els is equall with the effecâ—es How the preceptes of the law are fulfilled in vs by Christ equall
afflict The purpose of God noteth firmnes themselues or to take it in ill part if they haue tribulations layd vpon them for that it shall turne vnto them vnto good especially to theÌ„ that be predestinate vnto euerlasting saluation Wherfore it is very plaine both by the wordes which follow by the entent of Paul that purpose is in this place to be referred vnto God not vnto those which are called Ambrose in dede denieth not but that it is yâ— purpose Ambrose flieth vnto workes â—oresent of God Howbeit being moued as I thinke with the same reasoÌ„ yâ— Chrisostom was he saith yâ— God calleth predestinateth whoÌ„ he knoweth shal beleue shal be apt for him and deuoute But we ought not to thinke that the election and predestination of God depend of workes forsene It is in déede certaine neither can we deny it that those whom God hath predestinate shall one day if age permitte beleue and be deuoute and apt For God shall geue it vnto them for he predestinateth God predestinateth not onely the end but also the meanes A similitude Foure thinges to be noâ—ed also the meanes whereby we shall at the length come vnto the ende So we also after that we haue determined to vse any pece of timber to some vse of an house do fashion and hew it to that forme which may best serue for the accomplishing of the worke which we haue to do But here are fower things diligently to be noted of vs first that the will of beleuing and the purpose and counsell of liuing holily which shall at the length be in those which are elected neither springeth of themselues nor also naturally is cleauing vnto them For they are the giftes of God and not the endowmentes of nature Neither can any man of his owne accord attaine vnto them For what hast thou saith Paul that thou hast not receaued But if thou haue receaued it why boastest thou as though thou haddest not receaued it But if they be geuen of God as vndoubtedly they are then followeth The good meanes are not geuen of God by 〈…〉 ce but bâ— predestination it of necessity that they are not done by chaunce or rashely but by the counsel and predestination of God Wherfore these thinges also are pertaining vnto predestination For euen as God predestinateth his to eternall life so also predestinateth he them to good counsels vnto holy workes and vnto the right vse of the giftes of God And hereof followeth that which is secondly to be noted that our good purpose or faith or good workes forsene can not be the causes of predestination for so should we neuer come to an end For sithen those thinges as we haue sayd are of predestination and not of our selues it may againe be demaunded why God would geue them vnto this man rather then to that man Where if thou answere as many do because God foreséeth that this man will vse those good giftes well and the other not againe will arise as waighty a question touching the selfe same Good workes foreseene are not causes of predestination good vse For seing that also is a gift of God why should it by the predestinatioÌ„ of God more be geuen to this man then to that And by this meanes there shal be no end of enquiring vnles we will at the last fayne that there is some good thing found in vs which we haue not of God which thing to affirme is not only absurd but also impious Thirdly of this thing we ought to be fully perswaded that euen as good workes forsene can not be the causes of predestination so also are they by Good workes are not causes of eternall felicitie predestination not geuen vnto men to be causes of the chiefe good thing that is of the felicity whereunto we are predestinate they are in déede meanes whereby God bringeth vs vnto eternall life but therefore are they not causes for that blessednes is geuen fréely and we are by the mere mercy of God predestinate vnto it Lastly we ought to hold that these works are not alwayes forsene in the predestination Good works cannot alwayes be foreseene of God in them that shal be saued The foreknowledge of good workes cannot be the cause of predestination of God For many infants being taken away before they come to ripe age by the predestination of God attaine vnto eternall life who yet should neuer haue had any good workes For God foresaw that they should dye being infants Which thing very euidently proueth that the foreknowledge of good workes is not to be put as the cause of predestinatioÌ„ for a iust and sure effect can neuer want his true cause Augustine entreating of this place expressedly sayth that purpose in thys place is not to be referred vnto the elect but vnto God And which is more diligently to be noted writing against the two epistles of the Pelagians in his 2. booke to Bonifacius towardes the ende he saith That the Pelagians at the length confessed that the grace of God is necessary whereby may be holpen our good purpose but they denied The Pelagians at the length confessed that our purpose is holpen by grace Whether grace be geuen vnto theÌ„ that resist it The Pelagians tooke this word purpose as Chrisostome did Chrisostome defended froÌ„ suspition of the heresâ—e of the Pelagians Good endeuors and purposes are sent vnto vs of God that the helpe of that grace is geuen vnto them that resist which is farre wyde from the truth For at the beginnyng euery one of vs resist the pleasure wyll of God neither should we euer assent to hym when he calleth vs vnles he should come and helpe vs wyth hys grace And he addeth that the Pelagians in thys place which we haue now in hand referred not Purpose vnto God but vnto those which are called Howbeit I dare not therefore accuse Chrisostome to be a Pelagian for he at other times as Iohn sayd ascribed whatsoeuer good thing we haue vnto the grace of God and plainly confesseth originall sinne both which things the Pelagians denied Howbeit it is manifest by the wordes of Augustine that the Pelagians and Chrisostome agréed in the exposition of this place Augustine in the selfe same booke confesseth that our purpose is holpen by the grace of God But yet not in such sort as though it were of our selues and not geuen of God And for confirmation of this sentence he citeth that which is written in the latter to the Corrinthyans the 8. chapter I geue thankes vnto God which hath geuen the same endeuour for you in the harte of Titus These wordes sufficiently declare that the good endeuors and purposes which we fele in our mynds are sent of God He citeth also the 77. Psalme I sayd I haue now begonne and thys chaunging commeth of the ryght hande of the hyghest But I do not much trust vnto this testimony for out of the Hebrew
any to such as would haue vsed theÌ„ wel Further remember that in these wordes it is not sayd that they which had not miracles should if peradueÌ„ture they had haâ— any haue beleued of themselues as though yâ— that lay in their owne nature or fre wil. For that thing would God haue geuen vnto theÌ„ And forasmuch as it is a senteÌ„ce coÌ„ditional there ought not of it to be inferred a proposition categoricall or affirmatiue As wheÌ„ it is sayd If a horse should flye he should haue winges it followeth not thereof that a horse hath winges or that to flye is of the nature of the horse or that the horse Neither election nor reprobation depende of works fore sene The difference betwene election and reprobation could flye if he had winges when as vnto flyeng are required moe things then winges Wherefore herein election and reprobation agrée together that neither of them depâ—ndeth of workes foresene Howebeit they differ two maner of wayes Firste for that although sinnes are not causes of reprobation yet are they causes of eternall damnation wherunto the reprobate are ordeined For they are not condemned but by iuste iudgemente neyther haue they any thing that they can iustlye complayne of the iniustice of God But good workes are neither the beginning of the election of God nor true causes of eternall felicity Neither must we here harken to the scholemen which put in them merite as they vse to speake of condignity For Paul contrariwise teacheth that the suffringes Merite is not to be admitted of this tyme are not condignae that is worthy the glory to come which shal be reueled in vs. The other difference is for that the good workes where vnto we are predestinate to be by them led to felicity are not of our selues but of the predestination of God But sinne is grafted in vs euen from our birth Good workes we haue of God but not sinnes For in iniquityes are we conceaued and in sinnes hath our mother conceaued vs. Howbeit some haue gone aboute to proue that the loue of God dependeth of workes by the 8. chap. of the boke of Prouerbes For there God thus speaketh Those that loue me I loue But of those wordes can not be inferred that which they seke I graunt indede that they are loued of God which loue God but yet it followeth not that therefore God beginneth to loue them because they loue him Yea rather it followeth contrarily that they therefore loue God because God beginneth not therfore to loue vs for that we loue him God loueth them For so Iohn teacheth vs Not that we haue loued God for he hath loued vs first But that we may the plainlier vnderstand both that which I haue alredy spoken and also that which shall afterward be spoken I will declare the signification of fower wordes which are of Paul vsed in this treatise namely the loue of God election predestination and purpose The loue of God is it as we haue sayd whereby he willeth vnto any man felicity Election is whereby he preferreth one before an other PredestinatioÌ„ is whereby he directeth those whome he hath so loued and preferred before others to the ende which he hath appoynted vnto them namely vnto eternall life by apt meanes And The order betwene loue electioÌ„ and predestination these are in such order ioyned together that predestination followeth loue and election For as we haue sayde whom God hath loued hath preferred before others those he directeth to their ende But touching loue and election we must otherwise consider of them in God then we see commonly commeth to passe in men For men when they see a man adorned with excellent giftes him they elect Loue and election are after an other maner of sorte in God then they are in men aboue others and then they wishe well vnto him and to their power seeke to do hym good but God forasmuch as in men he findeth nothyng that is good yet of his mere mercy and singular goodnes he loueth some and decreeth vnto them many good thinges and thereof followeth election For for this cause onely are they preferred before others for that they are loued of God and not for any their owne worthines And as loue is to election so is hatred to reprobation Wherefore I mislike not that which the master of the sentences citeth out of Augustine that predestination is a preparation to glory and reprobation a preparation to eternal punishementes so that those differences which we haue a little before mencioned be added Nowe resteth to declare the fourth worde namely purpose And that we say is nothing els but his good pleasure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 What the purpose of God is which signification we gather out of the epistle to the Ephesians the 1. chap. where it is thus written which hath predestinated vs to adopt vs into children vnto himselfe thorough Iesus Christe according to the good pleasure of hys wyll And straight way he addeth Predestinate according to his purpose This declareth that Purpose is the generall worde of predestination What is predestination after Augustine purpose and good pleasure are taken for one and the selfe same thing and do pertayne vnto wil. Wherefore the purpose of God is the pleasure of his wil and is taken as the generall worde to define predestination and reprobation For Augustine sayth that predestination is the purpose to haue mercy and reprobation the purpose not to haue mercy And according to this sentence Paul sayth in this chapiter That election mought abide according to purpose But touching all these matters we will hereafter more at large entreate What shall we say then Is there vnrighteousnes with God God forbid For he sayth to Moses I will haue mercy on whome I will haue mercy and will haue compassion on whome I will haue compassion Wherefore it is not of hym that wylleth nor of hym that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy For the scripture sayth vnto Pharao For thys same purpose haue I stirred thee vp that I myght shewe my power in thee and that my name mought be declared thoroughout all the earth Therefore he hath mercy on whome he wyll and whome he wyll he hardeneth Thou wilt say then vnto me why doth he yet complayne â–ª for who can resist his wyll But O man who art thou which pleadest agaynst God shall the thyng formed saye to hym that formed it why hast thou made me thus Hathe not the potter power to make of one and the same lompe one vessell to honour and an other to dishonour VVhat shall we say then Is there iniquity with God God forbid When fleshe and humane wisedome heareth that all things are to be referred vnto the wil of God it beginneth to stirre For it can not abide that and pretendeth reuerence to the name of God when as in very dede it abhorreth mortification neither can abide to subdue all whatsoeuer it hath to the
is reduced all those things which follow in this chap. he shall sée that the Apostle draweth those thinges which he teacheth of predestination to these principall pointes namely vnto power For he saith Hath not the potter power Vnto purpose or good pleasure for vnto the Ephesians he vseth both words Vnto will for he saith He hath mercy on whome he will and whome he will he hardeneth Vnto mercy or loue for he saith It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy Also Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated Seing Paul what cause soeuer he eyther here or in any other place geueth of predestination reduceth them to these fower principall pointes can we doubt of his meaning or shall we take vpon vs to geue sentence otherwise But as touching works he speaketh not so much as one worde wheresoeuer he entreateth of this matter but onely to exclude them Farther consider this that there is nothing more against the scope and meaning of Paul then to put workes foreséene to be the causes of predestination IustificatioÌ„ should come by workes if election should depende of workes forsene For by that meanes woorkes shoulde be the causes of iustification But that doctrine the Apostle hath in this Epistle by all manner of meanes oppugned And I hereby proue this reason to be firme because the Apostle maketh predestination to be the cause of vocation and vocation the cause of iustification Wherefore if workes be causes of predestination they shall also be causes of iustification For this is a firme rule among the Logicians whatsoeuer is the cause of any cause is also the cause of the effect Farther no man can deny but that good workes procéede of predestination For we are sayd to be predestinate that we shoulde be holye and blameles And God by predestination hath prepared good woorkes in whiche we should walke And Paul himselfe confesseth that he obteined mercy to be faithful Good workes are the effectes of predestination Against the good vse of of free wil. Wherfore if workes be the effectes of predestination howe can we then say that they are the causes thereof and chiefly those kinde of causes which are called efficient causes For that vse of frée will is nothing worth which they so often boast of as though we haue it of our selues and not of the mercye of God For Paul sayth that it is God which worketh in vs both to will and to performe And God in Ezechiell sayth I will take away from them theyr stony hart and wil geue vnto them a fleshy hart We can not saith Paul thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues And if we had in our selues that good vse which they speake of what shoulde let but that we mighte glory thereof Vndoubtedly the Lord sayth No man commeth vnto me vnles my father draw him And Ierome against the Pelagians excelleÌ„tly wel writeth that those which are sayd to be drawen are by that woord signified to haue bene before withstanding He which is drawen was before vnwillyng resisting and vnwilling but afterward God so worketh that he chaungeth them This selfe same thing also doth the nature of grace proue For Paul sayth That the remnantes might be saued according to the election of grace yâ— is according to gracious or frée electioÌ„ For so is the genetiue case after yâ— Hebrue phrase to be resolued Farther in the definition of predestinatioÌ„ in yâ— first place we haue put this word purpose which seing it signifieth nothing els as we haue declared out of the Epistle vnto the Ephe. but the good pleasure of God thereby it euidentlye appeareth that from no other where must we séeke the cause of predestinatioÌ„ More Workes caÌ„not be the causes of our calling ouer workes can not be the causes of our vocation and much les of our predestination for predestination goeth before vocation And that woorkes are not the causes of vocation is declared by the Epistle vnto Timothy God hath called vs sayth Paul with his holy calling not by our works but according to his purpose and the grace which we haue in Christ before the times of the world Hereby it most manifestly appeareth that works are not the causes of our calling Yea neither also are works the causes of our saluation whiche yet were farre more likely for by good woorkes If we should be predestinate by workes thâ— exclamatioÌ„ of Paul were to no purpose God bringeth vs to felicity But Paul to Titus sayth that God hath saued vs not by the workes of righteousnes but according to his mercy Farther what néeded Paul after this disputation to cry out O the depth of the riches of the wisedom knowledge of God how vnsearcheable are his iudgementes and how vnaccessable are his waies For if he would haue followed these mens opinion he might with one poore word haue dispatched the whole matter and haue sayd that some are predestinate and other some reiected because of the works which God foresaw should be in both of them Those men Augustine in mockage called sharpe witted men which so trimly and so easly saw those things which Paul could not sée But say they the Apostle in thys place assoileth not the questioÌ„ But it is absurd so to say especially seing yâ— he broght it in of purpose the solucioÌ„ therof serued very much vnto yâ— which he had in hand And how in Gods name can he seme not to haue assoyled the question when he The question is assoyled when it is reduced to the highest cause reduced that euen vnto the highest cause namely vnto the will of God And therewithall sheweth that we ought not to go any farther when God had appointed limities at the fote of the mounte Sina if any man had gone beyond those limites he was by the law punished Wherefore let these men beware with what boldnes they presume to go further then Paul would they should But they say that the Apostle here rebuketh the impudent Be it so But yet is this rebuking a most true solution of the question For Paul by this reprehension prohibiteth vs not to enquire any thing beyond the mercy and will of God If these men meane such a solution which may satisfye humane reason I will How the questioÌ„ may be said to be assâ—yled not to be assoyled easely graunt that the question is not in such sorte assoyled But if they seke yâ— solution which fayth ought to embrace and to reste therein they are blind if they se not the solution But let vs se what moued these men to say that workes foresene are the causes of predestination Vndoubtedly that was nothing ells but to satisfy humane iudgement which thing yet they haue not attayned vnto For they haue The aduersaries satisfie not humane reason nothing to answere touching an infante which being grafted into Christ dieth in his infancy For if they will haue him to
repeteth the selfe same promises fayth But why God would repeate the self same promises it is not hard to see For so weake is our minde that except the wordes of God be repeted and agayne and agayne inculcated it easely starteth backe frō fayth Neyther is iustification only once taken hold of but so often as we truly and mightely assēt vnto the promises of God For forasmuch as we continually slide and fall into sinnes we haue nede euermore that our iustification should be repeated Afterward he maketh a caueling that in the epistle vnto the Hebrewes are many thinges had touching fayth and many wonderfull factes made mencion of which haue bene by it obteyned but yet not one word spoken that iustification is to be ascribed vnto it But this man with an vniust payr of balance weigheth the words of the holy scripture neyther sufficiētly considereth him what those words meane The iust haue by fayth ouercome kingdomes haue wrought righteousnes haue obteyned the promises For these are so to be resolued that from the last effect we must returne vnto the first The last is to ouercome kingdoms the next to worke In the 11. chap. to the Hebrewes saith is said to iustify righteousnes the first is to obteine y◠promises amongst which promises are reckoned blessing life remission of sinnes and such other like which serue to iustification Wherfore that which is first made mencion of sayth apprehendeth by it we are iustified afterward follow good workes therfore it is sayd and they wrought righteousnes lastly by the selfe same fayth we obteyne also temporall good thinges and for that cause it is sayd They haue ouercome kingdome Wherfore Pighius falsely affirmeth that in the Epistle vnto the Hebrues among the effectes of fayth is no mencion made of iustification For although that word be not there read yet is it of necessity and manifestly gathered of those thinges that are there written For neyther are we Arrians as some wickedly belie vs that we will graūt nothing but that which is by playne and expresse wordes read in the holy scriptures For we graunt those thinges also which are by euident and playne arguments gathered out of them But Pighius afterward demaundeth why we take away from workes the power of iustifieng Vnto this we could make answere with one word that we do it bycause the holy ghost in the holy scriptures so teacheth vs namely that men are iustified by fayth without workes But to the end we should not so briefely dispatch it he hath layd a blocke in our way for he answereth vnto him selfe that the cause therof is for y◠our works are imperfect neither satisfie they y◠law of god nether also can they stand sure before the iudgment of God But by this meanes also sayth he we may affirme that iustification is not of sayth for it also is imperfect Faith as it is a worke iustifieth not For there is no man that beleueth so much as he should doo But vnto this we answere as we haue in other places oftētimes answered that fayth as it is a worke iustifieth not For that effect commeth vnto it not by any his owne power but by his obiect For from the death of Christ and promises of God is righteousnes deriued into vs. So a beggar receaueth almes with a leprous weake and sore hand and yet not in that respect that his hand is in suche sorte weake and leprous But thou wilt say why doo not other good workes also by theyr obiect namely by God for whose sake they are done apprehend righteousnes as well as fayth I answere that fayth was to this vse made and iustituted of God For so also in the body of a man although it haue diuers and sondry members yet the hand only taketh hold and receaueth And so is casely dissolued that common paralogisme we are iustified by fayth Fayth is a worke ergo we are iustified for worke sake Here in the conclusion is stuffed in this word For which was not in the premisses and therfore the collection is not good Farther the forme of the reason is ab Accidenti For it is accident or happeneth vnto sayth to be our worke in that it iustifieth vs. Wherfore it is a fallacie or deceite as they call it of the Accident Farther Pighius obiecteth that charitie iustifieth rather then faith for y◠it is the nobler excellenter vertue But this reasō we haue before confuted as ridiculous The nobilitie of the vertue serueth nothing to the power of iustifieng charitie is more nobler thē faith therfore it iustifieth rather thē faith For nobilitie or dignitie serueth nothing to iustification For it is al one as if a man wold thus reason The eyes are more excellenter then the mouth and the hands Ergo meats are to be receiued with the eyes and not with the mouth or the hands Which also we sée happeneth in naturall things that things which follow are of more perfection although they geue not life In the childe conceiued nature ascendeth as it A similitude were by degrées from the power of vegitacion to the power of féeling and from the power of féeling to the power of vnderstanding And yet doth it not therof folow that y◠powers of vnderstanding or of féeling for that they are more noble thā the power of vegitacion doe therefore geue life vnto the childe And that to iustifie It is declared by reasō that faith iustifieth not charitie rather pertaineth vnto faith then vnto charitie besides that the holy scriptures doe teache the same it may also be shewed by good probable reason For the power of knowledge which pertaineth vnto vnderstāding consisteth in perceiuing And therfore they which are taught any thing after they once vnderstand it are accustomed to say Accipio or teneo that is I take it or I holde it For in very déede by knowledge a thing is after a sort receiued into the minde Wherefore it ought not to séeme marueilous if by faith we are sayd to take holde of the promises of God and the merites of Christ But charitie consisteth in pouring out bestowing and communicating our goodes vnto others Which thing ought to follow iustification and not to go before For before that we are regenerated we are euil neither can we vprightly or in suche sort that God should allow it communicate any good thing vnto others Hereunto Pighius addeth that if that faith which iustifieth suffreth not with it hainous sinnes which may trouble the conscience and which may alienate a mā from God it must néedes follow that if a man which beleueth doe chaunce to fall into any greuous wicked crime he is straight way destitute of faith and ceaseth to beleue that there is a God when yet notwithstanding we sée that wicked men doe not only beleue that there is a God but also doe confesse all the articles of the faith This argument at the first sight séemeth to be very
first violateth the law of God And he wil take vengeaÌ„ce of our enemies for that we are vnto him most deare Therefore he sayth he which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye And God is neyther forgetfull nor also neglecteth his office Wherefore seing vnto him belongeth vengeaunce and we are vnto hym deare when we are iniuried he is first offended and he neglecteth not that which pertayneth to him we ought without doubt to leue the vengeannce vnto him Sayth the Lord. This is not had in the Hebrew Howbeit it is aded of Paul to the end these admonitions should sticke the deaâ—lier in our mindes If thyne enemy hunger fede him O notable kind of vengeance may humayne reason say But much rather will it so say if it thinke that in the name of meate and drinke are comprehended all maner of dewties which are necessary for the maintenance of the life Wherefore the lawyers when in a testament or will is bequethed vnto a man meate and drinke thereby vnderstand that vnto him are bequethed clothing lodging bedding phisike and such other like thinges And the lord when he sayth that God maketh his sunne to arise vpon the good and vpon the euill and rayneth vpon the iust and vpon the vniust by these two words Sunne and rayne comprehendeth all the gifts of God whatsoeuer we se in thys life common to the good and to the euill And in so doing thou shalt heape coles of fire on his hed This some thus vnderstand thou shalt adde spurres vnto him wherby he shal be stirred vp to loue thée agayne Some thus Thy benefits shall be vnto him as coles of fire whereby he shal be made ashamed his conscieÌ„ce shal be troubled and he shal be kindled with confusion as though this shal be the vengeance of the godly and by this ignominiof theyr enemies they shal satiate theyr anger This latter interpretatioÌ„ is not so semely for a Christian man For none that is godly at any time reioyseth in the hurt of his enemies I grant indede that the benefites which we bestow vpon our enemies may woorke these thinges in them Howbeit we ought in no wise to set forth these thinges as endes of our dewty but in such sort as we declared in the first exposition so farforth as they serue to his amendement to whome we doo good The selfe same thing is to be iudged of that which Origen sayth that these coles signifie hell fire This indede may come thorough theyr default that our benefits should encrease theyr dampnation and punishementes But that ought not to bee the cause of our purpose or entent For we ought to seke nothinge ells but their saluation Be not ouercome of euill but ouercome euill with good Forasmuch as betwene contraries there is a continuall battaile therefore Paul aptly maketh mencion of good euil which are coÌ„traries It is doubtles an excellent kind of victory A notable kind of victory A daungerous fall by well doing to ouercome the force of hatreds as contrariwise it is a pernitious fall to be throwen downe with the outrageousnes of anger In this battayle it is necessary that either the wickednes of our enemies be ouercome by our goodnes or that our goodnes geue place to the fury of our enemies And that by such pollecies is ouercome the maliciousnes of ill men may be proued euen by theyr owne testimony as Chrisostome writeth For if they should be asked the question they will confesse that they are then ouercome of vs when with a valiant mind we contemne theyr iniuries and hurtes For there they chafe they fret they fume as though by our patience were broken and vtterly deiected all theyr strengths But they wonderfully reioyse when they se vs so mooued that we wil nedes auenge the iniuries which we haue receaued In humane conflictes those are said to ouercome The diuers maner of fightyng of carnall and of spirituall men which ouerthrow others and those are counted ouercome which being van quished and euill handled haue the woorse Which is not to be meruayled at wheÌ„ as those thinges are the inuentions of the deuill But the holy ghost here setteth forth vnto vs a farre other kind of battayle wherein they are ouercome whiche whilest they seke to aueÌ„ge theÌ„selues playnly declare that they are ouercome and they go away conquerers which so lenefie and temperate theyr anger that they shew benefites vnto them which haue done vnto them iniury Vpon this stage ought Christians to exercise themselues wherin they haue as lookers on and supporters The stage of christiaÌ„s the Angells And the author or maister of the game is the most iust God These woordes to ouercome and to be ouercome Good and euill are of great efficacy with which vnles our mindes be moued it is a great argument that there is but a very sclender spirite and bastardly fayth in vs. But what shall we iudge of How we ought to be haue our selues towardes the excommunicate and towardes heretikes men excluded from the Church whome they call excommunicate persons And what also of them which preach and teach doctrine contrary to the truth With the one we are commaunded not to eate meate and to the other not to say so much as God spede Touching these men if necessity vrge we ought to geue vnto them neate and other thinges necessary not for acquaintance familiarity or our delectacion sake but euen only that we cease not from the office of charity But if there be no such necessity we ought neither to talke with them nor to eate with them But if the necessity of the soule or of the body so require all these thinges which Paul here writeth we ought to obserue towards them The thirtenth Chapiter LEt euery soule be subiect to the higher powers for ther is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordayned of God Whosoeuer therfore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinaunce of God and they that resist shall receiue vnto them selues iudgement For Princes are not to be feared for good workes but for euil wilt thou then be without feare of the power doe well so shalt thou haue prayse of the same For he is the minister of God for thy wealth but if thou doe euil feare for he beareth not the sword for naught For he is the minister of God an auenger vnto wrath Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers If as we haue before proued they are to be reproued which repay euill for euill and if also the office of Christians be to render vnto men that haue offended them the dueties of charitie then doubtles are they excéedingly to be accused which in stead of benefites repay euil which geue not due honor nor shew due obedience to such men as deserue wel at theyr hands such as are magestrates And for as muche as the Apostle entendeth diligently and at large to entreat of this matter that we may the better vnderstand
I shall take my iorney into Spayne I wyll come vnto you For I trust to se you in my iorney and to be brought on my way thitherward by you after that I haue bene somwhat filled with your company Therefore also I haue bene oft let to come vnto you The Romans mought by these wordes haue suspected that Paul had contemned them when as he being appointed of God to be the minister of the Gentles had yet notwithstanding in bestowing the benefite and office of hys preaching preferred other nacions before The cause why Paul went not at the beginning to Rome them This was not the cause sayth Paul But forasmuch as ye had alredy heard the Gospell and your fayth was now published thoroughout the whole world but in these places Christ was not yet preached I was hitherto letted by the ministery committed vnto me that I could not come vnto you Paul before in the beginning of this epistle mencioned this selfe same thing I had purposed oftentimes sayd he to come vnto you but hetherto I haue bene letted But there saith Chrisostome he spake nothing of the cause but here he sheweth it namely for that he was stayed in those places which he could not leaue before that he had filled them with the Gospell And what was the cause why he went not to the Thessalonians when yet his desire was thereunto he declared in the epistle which he wrote vnto them For he sayth that Sathan was a let vnto him but he alleadgeth not the planting of new Churches And this difference of causes Origen noteth But I sée also an other cause why the Apostles somtimes were compelled to do contrary to that which they had appoynted in their mynde the admonishment I say of yâ— holy ghost Touching which thing we read in yâ— 16. of the Actes As we passed through Phrigia and the countrey of Galatia we were prohibited by the holy ghost to preach the word in Asia And again in yâ— same place They assayed to go into Bithinia but the holy ghost permitted them not But Ambrose sheweth yâ— there was also an other cause why Paul so earnestly enforced himselfe to preach the Gospell there Why Paul made such spâ—de in going about countrey where Christ had not ben heard of namely to preuent yâ— false Apostles For if they had gotteÌ„ into those places before theÌ„ they would not haue taught Christ very sincerely and if they had once sowed pestilent errors the Apostle succeding them should haue had much more a doo to bring them to good ground agayne For those nations must nedes afterward not only haue learned but also must haue taught to put away the errors wherwith theyr corrupt teachers had enfected them But now seing I haue no more place in these quarters c. He sayth that he had iust cause which letted him that he could not come to Rome Now he putteth theÌ„ in hope of his comming which was next to be spoken of For if I depart hence now sayth he I shall not doo otherwise then my office â–ª requireth And that shall then be after that in these quarters there shal be no more place wherein I haue not built a Church And I haue a great desire to se you Which thing I hope shal shortly come to passe But here the Romanes mought say doost thou then contemn the state of the Apostleshippe and doost thou count it for nothing to come vnto vs to whome the Gospell is alredy preached and doost thou ouerhippe those which as yet haue heard nothing of Christ Paul answereth it shal not be so â–ª But forasmuch as sayth he there is nothing as yet bestowed vpoÌ„ the Spaniards and their whole countrey lieth open for me I thinke now to goo into that countrey And so it shall come to passe that I will come by you that I may a few dayes solace my selfe in the Lord and in the purenes of your fayth and your louing confabulation and spirituall familiarity Here let vs note the obedience of the Apostle which preferred the necessary condition of the Apostleship which was such that it behoued him to go not whither he would but whither nede required before his so great a desire to se the Romanes although the same desire were very iust and honest Erasmus noteth that the Apostle taketh away from this woord Hispania the first sillable For he writeth Spania And paraduenture they so speake in Grecia And when he wrote these letters he was at Corinthus in Achaia But we also at this day in Italy call that contrey no otherwise then Paul doth For we say Spagnia and Spagninolo vtterly cutting of the first sillable For I trust to se you in my iorney and to be brought on my way thitheâ— warde by you after that I haue bene somewhat filled with your coÌ„pany The Apostle desireth not only to haue yâ— fruition of theyr godly and swete familiarity at Rome but also that after he had satisfied both his and theyr desire he might by them be Why Paul desired to be brougâ—t on his way in to Spâ—ine by the Romanes brought into Spayne not that he was affected to any pompe or gorgeous shewes or that he desired as at this day the Popes and Cardinalls doo to bee brought on his way with honour but that euen in the iorney might by them that went with him to communicate his doctrine and exhortations to the Church of Rome and to others For it can not be doubted but that they which would accompanie him in his iorney would obserue and note all things which by the way they eyther heard of him or saw in him that when they came home they might declare the same edifie the Church more firmely It is likely also that Paul forasmuch as he had occasion to trauayle into sondry countries and which were far distant would chiefly picke out such companions as were well knowen in those places cities which they should trauayle thorough that by them might be opened a more redier entrance to preach the Gospell For although the truth of Christ haue no nede of mans helpe but that it can consist without it yet notwithstanding for the more commodious spreading of it abrode it is lawfull for a godly man to vse familiarities frendshippes and societies For he knoweth that all his thinges ar Gods and Christs after that he hath once vtterly geuen and consecrated himselfe vnto him We find also in the latter epistle to the Corinthians the first chapiter that Paul when he should go to IerusaleÌ„ desired to be brought on his way by them to whom he wrote that epistle But whether the Apostle according to his hope went into Whether the Apostle went into Spaine Spayne and by that occasion visited the Romanes it can not by these woords certainely be gathered For the godly sometimes promise vnto themselues many thinges and that with a godly and iust desire which yet haue not successe for they were by coniecture led that it should
offred vnto vs are the holy scriptures which we ought alwais to haue in our hands as a present remedy For if we be enfected with ignorāce there shal we finde light to shake the same of if we be disturbed with sundry perturbations and languishing affectes of the mind and if also we be vexed with the conscience of most greuous sinnes in them are offred vnto vs remedies both easy redy if we be oppressed and in a maner ouerwhelmed with the troubles and greues of outward thinges there shall we find sound and firme consolation if we be sometymes in a perplexitye not knowinge in thinges doubtfull whiche way to turne our selues we can in no other place better then there finde good and faithfull counsell if we be tempted and be in daunger as it oftentimes happeneth of our saluation there we haue a most strong most sure place of refuge And doubtles our latter Dauid drue out from no els where but out of this scrippe most small stones of the word of God wherewith he smote the forehead of Goliah and felled to the ground Sathan by whome he was tempted in y◠desert Wherfore the first Dauid not without iust cause wrote that he considered wonderfull things touching the lawe that is touching the scriptures of God and that he had hidden in his hart the worde of God to the ende he might not sinne against him and this word he confessed to be his consolation in affliction for that the wordes of GOD quickened him What should a man seke farther here out doe flow the fountaines of our Sauiour and we are all inuited freelye to drawe water out of them whereby our intollerable thirste is quenched and satisfied with a singular desire to obtaine blessednes Here haue we a storehouse of GOD full stuffed with the plenty of all good things and set abrod wyde open for vs therout may euery man prouide for his owne want Here is layde for vs a table most plentifullye furnished where the wisedome of God hath mingled for vs most pleasant wyne wherewith euery man may most penltifully refreshe him Here is set forth for euery man a garden and paradise more pleasant then the garden of Alcinoes Salomon Wherfore let vs gather out of it things profitable not hurtful Let vs rather imitate y◠bees then y◠spiders in sucking out the most sweete iuyce and not the deadly poyson We vse commonly with an incredible study to embrace bookes set forth by any industry of man whereout yet we attayne nothing els but a meane how either to defend or to recouer health or a way to encrease thinges domesticall or rules to gouern a commonwealth or institutions of husbandry or of other artes or some entisements to pleasures how much more is it profitable for vs with our whole hart to apply our selues to the reading of the holy scriptures Forasmuch as in them speaketh not vnto vs humane wisedom but God himselfe vnto whome vndoubtedly if we harken geue hede we shall receaue a singular alacrity and chearfulnes of mynd we shall driue away heauy cogitacions we shal be eased and lightened with a most sweete consolation and shall put on strength aboue mans reach we shall now thinke nothing hard or difficill we shall thinke the yoke of the Lord and his crosse to be thinges most light and shall offer our selues most redy for his name sake to suffer any thing yea and being instructed with heauenly eloquence we shall talke vnto men not with the wordes of men but with the wordes of God himselfe Doubtles I know that there are many which beleue not these thinges and that there are not a few which deride them and thinke that we are out of our wits but I would gladly desire these men to vouchesafe once to make a profe besech them not to disdayne to reade I dare sweare and that vpon my greate perill that they shall at one tyme or other be taken They shal at the length feale how much these thinges diuine differ from humane thinges They shall feale I say if they reade attentiuely diligently that at the length thorough the mercy of God these scourges of feare and shame are encreased in their sences they shall feale them selues to be effectually perswaded once at the length to dye vnto death that they may liue to life they shall feele also themselues smitten with an horror of their sinnes and pleasures past when as before in them they thought themselues blessed happy They shal feele that the whole misery of this carnall life is heaped vp before their eyes and they being tormented with the bitter feeling therof it will cause to burst forth out of their eyes greate showers and mighty floods of teares for the oracles and words of GOD when they are earnestly read and deapely cōsidered do not slightly nippe the mind but do most deapely digge into the hart with most sharpe prickes and therout after a sort plucking vp by the rootes vices wicked actes do in their place plant peace of conscience and spirituall ioye they shal also at the length fele kindled in them the wonderfull and most pleasant loue of the swetenes goodnes of God Wherefore they being thus vtterly changed shal be compelled to say that which Dauid excellently well recordeth How swete are thy words made to my iawes they were sweter vnto my mouth then hony But of such an helpe then which can nothing be found more diuine and more heathfull are those men depriued whiche other will not read Gods bokes at all or els reade them with a certayne disdayne lothesommes and contempt so that they haue no zeale to the wordes of God but thorough theyr owne proper deuises their mind is vtterly caried to other matters Of which impiety and wickednes God in y◠Prophet Osea the 8. chapiter greauously accuseth Israell saying I haue written to them the greate things of my law but they were coūted as a strange thing Doubtles those children are to much degenerated which count that voyce wherewith theyr most louing parent calleth vpon them to liue godly and vertuously for a strange voyce and contrariwise do folow as theyr owne and proper voyce that which is in very dede a strang voyce and so it commeth to passe that after the maner of betels they refuse swete sauors and go to stinking donghils Wherefore it is not to be meruailed at if they waxe rottē in the filthy puddle of worldly pleasures if they be burnt vp wyth vnwoorthy and filthy cares If they dispayre in aduersities and if at the laste they perishe in sinnes and in a lyfe altogether corrupted In summe as touching the holy scriptures I may iustly pronounce although somewhat inuerted that which Demostenes affirmed of money namely that with the word of God ought al things to be done and with out the same can be done nothing that is good But what go I about Do I take vpon me to set forth the commendacions and prayses of
they whiche defend workes of preparation may see that Paul had none such vnles a man will say that to persecute the Church was a good worke They are wont to obiect that God had a regard to hys zeale purpose and hys good entent and therfore had mercy vpō hym For it is written vnto Tim that he obteyned mercy 1. Tim. 1. Paule acknowledgeth that merites were not the cause of his calling A place to Timothe expounded bycause he did it ignorantly and of infidelitie But Paul acknowledgeth no merite to be the cause of his callyng when he sayth vnto the Galathiās When it pleased hym whiche is in Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And to Timothe and I haue obteyned mercy that God should in me first show hys long sufferyng that I should be an example of those whiche should beleue So he vtterly ascribeth his callyng vnto the mercy of God and not to his merites But where they alledge bycause I did it ignorauntly and of infidelitie that is therfore sayd to declare that there neded mercy where so perillously reigned ignoraunce and infidelity not that infidelity and ignoraunce whiche are sinnes should deserue pardon And by thys prerogatiue that he is an Apostle by callyng he stoppeth the mouth of hys aduersaries which sayd he was not an Apostle bycause he was not cōuersāt with Christ he aunswereth them that notwithstādyng yet was he called of hym And agaynst those whiche sayd that he had fallen from the Iewishe Religion he excuseth hym selfe bycause he obeyed God whiche called hym But althoughe it here appeare not by whom he was called yet vnto the Galathians it is expressed For there it is written not of men neither by men For that whiche the Grecians call Apostles the Hebrues call Scheluthtls Ierome interpreteth that Hierome maketh three maner of sendinges some are sent of God and not by men as Moses Esay and Paul other are sent of God but yet by men as Elizeus by Elias Dauid by Samuel and as there were also many other other are sent by men onely not by God as they which are set ouer Churches not by iust election but by affection of the fleshe or by fauour or giftes And these can not be deposed for as much as they haue the ordinary maner of institution although they can not be counted chosen of God lastly there be other whiche thrust in them selues neither are they sent of God nor yet of men as at this day do many Anabaptistes whiche beyng moued onely of their owne will breake into the ministery This was the office of Paul of the other Apostles to execute this functiō in Christes stede which thing in Paul god dyd illustrate by many miracles to the end there should be no doubt therof for as much as it was not knowen vnto men for they had not sene him conuersant with Christ There is also added an other title whereby Paul adorneth hys What was the putting a part of Paule name namely that he was put apart for the Gospels sake to declare that hys vocation whiche hee hath now made mencion of had hys begynnyng euen of the predestinacion and election of God And in the Epistle whiche hee writeth to the Galathians he manifestly openeth the nature of such a puttyng a part when he sayth that hee was segregated from hys mothers wombe that is elected not rashlye but with great wisedome and obseruation Hereby we learne that that is false which some men thinke namely that some men are borne good and other some euill Vndoubtedly we are all borne the children of wrath neyther is We are all borne in sinne there any inequalitie as touchyng byrth but it is the predestination and election of God wherby we are vnited and grafted into the members of Christ although some of the fathers sometymes sayd that therefore some are predestinate of God or separated from other because he foresawe that they would vprightly vse both grace and also frée will howbeit they speake not that out of the wordes of God Neyther did Paule at any tyme vse thys reason yea rather he sayd of Iacob and Esau before they were borne or before they had done any good or euill c. Which reason had sclenderlye commended the grace of election which then chieflye hee entended to doe if it should be vnderstand accordyng to these mens interpretation For a man myght haue sayd although these being little ones had as yet done nothing in acte and in very deede yet as touching the prouidence and sight of God vnto whom all thynges are present they had done both good and euill accordyng vnto the which they were eyther predestinate or reprobate And by thys obiection the argument of Paule should haue bene very much weakened Farther to rēder this cause of the electiō of God it was not so hard a thing the the Apostle should haue needed to stoppe the mouth of man complayning of the iustice of God Which thyng yet hee doth when hee sayth But who art thou O man which aunswerest vnto God Hath not the potter power ouer the claye of one ond the selfe same lumpe to make one vessell to honour and an other to contumely And he cryeth out Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdome and knowledge of God how vnsearchable are hys iudgementes how inuestigable are hys wayes which thyng vndoubtedly neded not to haue bene spoken if the question might so easily haue bene dissolued Adde thys also which he saith in an other place It is not of him which willeth nor of hym which runneth but of God which hath compassion And agayne he hath mercy vpon whom he wil and hardeneth whō he wil. Wherby is manifest that we are chosen to saluation not by our workes foreseene but of meare goodnes But the knowledge of election and predestination hath a double vtilitie fyrst that we shoulde not dispayre in aduersitie but The knowledge of predistination is profitable rather remembryng that we were deare vnto God before the foundations of the worlde were layde and that he hath not onely elected vs but also called vs and iustified vs we shoulde not doubt but that he hath a care ouer vs so that he euen now also will not forsake vs. It is of force also to represse our pryde that we shoulde not bee puffed vp for our workes or holynes of our life knowing that we haue these thynges onely of the election of God And hereby also it manifestly appeareth that God chooseth vs not for our good workes which hee foreseeth for as much as they are comprehended in predestination For whom God hath predestinated to saluation vnto those same also hath he appointed to geue both grace and meanes whereby they should come vnto saluation These are the two principall vtilities which the knowledge of predestination bryngeth vnto the electe Wherefore they which haue such cogitations of it that Who abuse the knowledge of predestination they are driuen to desperation as
with the mother Yet let vs not perswade our selues that whilest we Perfect peace is not had whilest we lyue here lyue here we can haue absolute and perfect peace how beit it shal be encreased dayly and Paule wisheth that they might now haue it begon and when tyme shal come to haue it at full And yet neuertheles we obtaine it presetly by Christ if we haue God pacifyed towardes vs. For afterward it is written Now therfore Rom. 5. being iustified by fayth we haue peace towardes God out of whiche floweth tranquilltty of conscience and somuch of the spirite and deuine comfort that what soeuer happeneth we take it in good parte Wherefore in the middest of tribulations tormentes this fyrme peace was not taken away frō holy men For they gaue thankes vnto God and they iudged that all thinges in these their Peace which passeth all sence afflictions were done for the best And this is that peace which passeth all sense and humane reason When he sayth From God the father from our lord Iesus Christ He sheweth the fountaine and beginning from whence these good thinges should be hoped for For they An argument of desiring and hoping for the thinges which we pray for come not of our owne strengthe and workes but of the mercy of God And hereby we are encoraged to desire and to hope for these good thinges which Paule wisheth for For seing that God of whome these thinges are desired is both good and also our father he will without all doubt geue vs them And Christ for asmuch as he is our mediator and redemer will not vndoubtedly deny vs them He is called Lorde which name is very agreeable vnto him For Why Christ is called lord all thinges are geuen him of the father and he hath paid the price for our saluation therfore he is iustly called Lord which name we may suppose that he hereby obtayned because the Hebrues neuer pronounce the holy name Tetragrammaton whiche is Iehouah but pronounce it by other wordes that is by Elohim or Adonay which signify might and dominion Whereby it semeth it came to passe that the 70. interpreters whē they red this name Tetragrammaton turned it by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Lord as it appeareth in many places of the which we will bring one The Lord sayd vnto my Lord. Where in the fyrst place is written Iehouah which they turned Lord. Wherefore when Christ is called Lord it is as much as if he had bene called God Although Tertullian agaynst Praxea sayth that Christ is called Lord when he is ioyned with Tertullian the father For then the father is called God If the sonne being ioyned wyth him should also be called God the Ethnikes might thinke we put more Gods then one Wherfore to withstād their supersticiō we make this word Lord an Epitheton of the sonne But if we name Iesus Christ by himselfe and alone he is playnely called God as it appeareth in many places of the scriptures And he vseth a certayne similitude as a beame of the sunne when we make mencion A similitude of it by it selfe we cal it the sun and we say that the sun entreth in at our windowes But when it happneth that the sunne is also to be named together with the beame we do not call the beame by the name of the sun but we say it is the beame of the sun But the fyrst reason is more fyrme and by that that Paule declareth The equality of the father and of the sonne The salutacions of Paul are not vayne The office of saluting is to be retayned among Christians that peace is to be looked for of vs as wel frō the son as from the father is shewed the equality of eyther of them betweene themselues And the salutation which Paule euery where putteth before his epistles is of no small force For if the blessinges of the fathers were of much force that is the blessinges of Nohe Isaac Iacob Moses and of other vndoubtedly the prayers of Paule also are not to be counted vnprofitable And for as much as we sée that both nature and the holy ghost abhorred not from this kinde of office to salute one an other the same maner and vsage is still to be retayned But we must onely take hede that we salute not any man dissemblingly and thinking an other thing in the hart do it onely in outward voyce or writinge Otherwise saluting is an instrument not a little apte to admonish vs of loue towardes our neighbours and that our neighboure may vnderstande what loue we beare vnto him And thus much touchinge the salutation Now let vs come to the Exordium that is the beginning wherein Paule very much laboreth to winne vnto him the Romanes and chiefely for that that he exceedinglye reioyceth that they are come to Christ First verely I geue thankes vnto God through Iesus Christ for you al because your faith is published through out al the world For God is my witnesse whom I worship wyth my spirite in the Gospell of his sonne that without ceasing I make mencion of you alwayes in my prayers beseechynge that at one tyme or other a prosperous iorney might happen vnto me by the wyll of God that I may come vnto you For I am desyrous to see you that I might bestow among you some spirituall gift to strengthen you withall that is that I might haue consolation together with you through the mutuall fayth whiche both ye and I haue And I woulde not that ye should be ignorant brethren how that I haue oftentimes purposed to come vnto you but haue bene let hetherto to haue some frute among you as I haue among other of the nacions For I am debter both to the Greekes and also to the Barbarous vnto the learned and also vnto the vn learned so that as muche as in me is I am redy to preach the Gospell to you of Rome also All writtinges in the beginning are wont to tend to this ende to get the The ende whereunto the beginning of hys talke tendeth good will of the hearers as much as is possible which thinge Paule here doth and first in that he sheweth them how he geueth thankes vnto God for them He declareth the cause thereof namely for that their fayth was now published throughout the whole world And he affirmeth that he cōtinually maketh prayers for them that they might goe forward as they had begonne Farther he sheweth that he is exceding desirous to see them present And thereof he sheweth causes namely both to comfort them and also to confirme both himselfe and them And he addeth this also that he desireth to do these things euen of duety For by reason of his Apostleship which he executed he acknowledged himselfe debytour vnto all nacions And he thereunto addeth that for that cause he is not ashamed of the Gospell And so concludeth he his Exordium Here
obiecte vnto vs the Gospell younge menne whyche are studious of the Gospel yea euen theyr own senses and humane reason cryeth agaynst them saying are ye not ashamed of thys new doctrine Are ye so blynde that ye see not that by thys meanes good workes are condemned the worshipping of God perisheth the minstery of the church is troden vnder foote the dignity of priesthode is abiected ecclesiasticall riches are vtterly spoyled what patrones or supporters of learned men shall ye haue hereafter Did your elders which went before you both in thys Mecoenate◠vniuersity and in others being both doctors notable men follow these steps Vnto these men also ought we to aunswere we are not ashamed of the Gospell howsoeuer you speake ill of it If so be they wil say we haue the Gospell yours A collatio◠of the doctrine of the Papistes of the Gospell is a new doctrine Let vs answere them agayne In such sort is that the Gospel which ye haue as that is the Gospell to set forth fayned worshippinges of god casting away and dispising the sincere worshipping described vnto vs of God as it is to worshippe stockes and images as is to obtrude vowes whereby such men are drawen away from matrimony which aboue others haue most neede therof as is to go on pilgrimages vnto Images to worshippe the bones of Saynctes to inuocate the dead and an infinite number of such other like Wherefore ye ought to be ashamed of your doctrine and not we of the Gospell of Christ Let it be diligētly examined what we by the same gospel iudge of the What maner of doctrine ours is honour of god We attribute all thinges vnto hym only we wil in all thinges depend of hym only Farther see what our iudgement is concerning the worshippyng of hym We desire to retayne the same pure and holy as it is delyuered vs in the holy scriptures What do we thinke of good works we vrge them continually and requyre to haue them done of vs so perfectly that we thinke alwayes that something remayneth not perfectly done of vs vnto whiche we should leuel and whereunto we ought to direct all our endeuors What iudge we as concerning the holy ministery we trauayle to haue it to be in great estimation as by which God worketh our saluacion What of Sacraments That they should be kept pure and vndefyled and be reduced vnto that vse whereunto Christ instituted them What iudge we of magistrates that they should be obeyed and that we should be subiecte vnto them in all thinges so that they commaund nothing agaynst the word of God What of poore and miserable men that we should helpe and relieue them What of publike peace and tranquillity That it be kept yea euen with the los of our goods What of sciences and good learning That they should be mayntained and aduaunced Why do ye obiect auncientnes vnto vs There is nothing that we more desire then to haue thynges brought to their olde estate Ye haue brought in new thinges we require againe the estate of the primitiue Church and desire to haue againe the institucions of the Apostles Wherefore there is no cause why we should be ashamed of the gospel of which such as complain do rather lament the losse of theyr commodities then that they can accuse our doctrine And if anye Troubles and discommodities are not to be ascribe◠vnto the Gospel troubles or discommodities happen they are not to be ascribed vnto the doctrine but vnto those which vnder the pretence of Christ and of the gospell doo seeke those thinges which are their owne and not the thinges which are Iesus Christes But now let vs see Paules reason why he is not ashamed of the gospell of Christ Because it is the power of God to saluacion to euery on that beleueth It is the power that is the organe and instrument wherby God sheweth forth hys power to saluation For together with the woord of God and the gospell are instilled grace and the holy ghost and especially remission of sinnes by whiche we are renewed and made safe And yet this knittinge together of mans saluation wyth the gospell is not naturall that is of necessitye so that the gospell The Gospell is not a naturall instrument but at the pleasure of God This diffinicion hath the cause efficient end and instrument of receauinge the Gospel A similitube of the Sacraments The sum of the whol controuersy concerning iustificatiō Why in iustification mencion is made chiefly of the power of god The difference betwene the righteousnes of the law and of the Gospel This phrase of speach to take holde by fayth is not strange nor rare in in the holye scriptures beyng geuen and set forth saluation should streight way follow of necessitye For it is needefull that God doo also inwardly moue the harts of the hearers as in the Actes of the Apostles we reade it was doone vnto the woman that sold silke Wherfore the gospel is to be counted an instrument arbitrary which God vseth according to hys will Many thynke that thys definition is taken of the cause efficient For in it is expressed the power of God whiche maketh vs safe Then is added the fynall cause namely that thys power of God is to saluation neyther is that lest vnspoken of whereby we are made able to take hold of so greate a benefyte and the same is fayth For it is added to euery beleuer For they which come to heare the Gospell and wante fayth receaue nothyng but wordes and the Gospell to them is no Gospell Euen as in the Sacraments they which are without fayth do in deede receaue the simboles or signes but they haue not the fruyte and thing of the sacraments Here is now touched the chief poynt of all the controuersy For in that it is sayd that saluacion cometh of the Gospell vnto euery one that beleueth is sufficientlye declared that we are iustifyed by fayth and not by works nor by our owne strength nor by philosophy nor by ceremonies of the law Neither did he without cause make mencion of the power of God For that before we can be saued our enemyes ought to be vanquished that is the deuill death hell and in especiall sinne Hereby playnly appeareth also the difference betweene the righteousnes of the lawe and the righteousnes of the gospell The righteousnes of the lawe is to do and to worke He that shall do these thinges shall liue in them sayd Moyses as it is alleaged to the Galathyans and shall in this Epistle be afterward intreated of in hys place But contrarywyse the ryghteousnes and saluation of the Gospell is by fayth vnto all thē that beleue For it is fayth which taketh hold of the mercye and promes of God although there haue bene some which durst affirme that this kind of speach to take hold by fayth is straung that is not vsed in the holy scriptures But they are excedingly deceaued It is
he made all thinges whatsoeuer he would it can not be auoyded but that the will of God after some maner concurreth to the producing of sinne But this thing ought we alwayes to haue before our eyes that one the selfe same thinge as it proceedeth from vs is sinne but as it is of God it is no sinne Therefore if in thys question we should aunswere simplye we ought to say that God is not the cause of sinne in that it is sinne Because he as we haue alredy often sayde inflicteth those thinges whiche in vs are sinnes as punishementes and wythdraweth his grace from such as haue deserued Whether a man endued with the grace of God can fall into sin The grace of God is not alwaies of one and the selfe same efficacye euill and oftentymes ministreth vnto them occasions of falling to the ende they should iustly be punished And if thou wilt demaund whether a man endued with grace and not forsaken of God can fall I would answere that the grace of God is not alwayes after one and the self same maner For sometymes by the iust iudgement of God it is more remisse and by it our hart and mynde are not so strongly and with such efficacy chaunged And then a man may fall and often tymes committe greuous sinnes But when it is of efficacy and mighty and when it fully beareth dominion in our hartes it preserueth vs from the greuouser sort of sinnes so much as in this life is possible But to returne to that which we were in hand with we can not deny but that God after a sort is the cause of sinne whether we consider the action whiche is naturall or the taking away of strengthes and grace although that happen not but through our fault For so sayd Oseas Thy perdition or destruction commeth of thee O Israell but thy saluation commeth from me Wherfore when it is sayd that God is the cause of sinne we must graunt that not to be spoken properly forasmuch as we haue in our selues sufficient cause of sinne And although we cauel neuer so much of other sinnes yet what shall we say of Originall sinne Vndoubtedly there is none which doubteth but that it is inflicted to vs of God for the auengement and punishment of the first fall And we are so borne with it that it can not be sayd that we draw it by any other proper sinne before committed of vs. But in these thynges we must deale moderately and in a Christian assembly we must speake warely For if a man streight way shall absolutely and simply say that God is the cause of sinne he shall not say true and the thyng not beyng well vnderstoode will cause many to be offended and men wyll excuse It must be aunswered by partes theyr wycked actes and go about to lay the cause of them vpon God The matter may be declared by partes and the truth may in such maner be spoken that all maner of offence may be auoyded But which is the best way thus to deale The Maneches we haue alredy shewed A great many heretofore haue erred in thys matter The Maneches for that they woulde not make the almighty God the author of sinne because they perceiued the Scriptures to be repugnaunt vnto theyr sentence appoynted two beginninges and framed vnto themselues two Gods one good and an other euil one of the old Testament and an other of the new one the Creator of thys visible worlde an other the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ They thoughte that by this meanes they could conciliate those thynges which are euery where written in the holy scriptures The good God they vtterly denied to be the cause of sin But the author of it they made the god of this world whome they pronounced to be euill They abused a place of the latter epistle A place of the latter Epistle to the Cor to the Corinthians where it is sayd In whome the God of this world hath blinded the hartes of the vnbeleuers Behold sayd they to make blynde pertayneth not not in any case vnto the good God but vnto the God of this worlde But thys place nothinge helpeth them For we may thus vnderstande it that God hath blynded the hartes of the vnbeleuers which are sayd to be of this worlde And after this maner doth Augustine read it Farther peraduenture by it is signified the Deuill whome Christ and also Paule calleth the prince of thys worlde with his fellowes powers aduersaries vnto vs the gouerners of this worlde and of darkenes Neyther is it any meruayle if he be called a God for so was he counted and worshipped of the infidels For the Scripture vseth sometymes to name thinges not as they are but as they are counted Moreouer there is no cause why but that we may vnderstande by the God of thys worlde the true God which hath created this world that is thys visible world and the self same God is the father of our Lorde Iesus Christ Neither is it a thyng vnsemely for hym to blinden the hartes of the vnbeleuers when as Paule in this place saith that he deliuered them vp both vnto theyr owne lustes and also into a reprobate mynde Yea and Christ also sayth of hymself that he came into iudgement that they which saw should be made blynde and they which were blynde should see But vnto those thinges which we haue now spoken of as touchyng occasions A place of Iames. Whither God tempteth men namely that God sometimes ministreth suche occasions by whiche men destitute of grace and the holye Ghoste are stirred vppe to sinne a place of Iames seemeth to be repugnaunte who in hys 1. chapter writeth thus God tempteth not to euill And yet we cannot deny but that the scriptures sometymes testefye that God tempted the Israelites Abraham and others Augustine de consensu Euangelistarum deuideth temptations into two kyndes Namely that some are to Two kinds of temptacion proue and other some to deceaue And he graunteth that God somtimes tempteth to proue but neuer to deceiue But this distinction semeth not to be sufficient For one and the selfe same temptation when it ighteth vppon a godlye man profiteth to trye hym wyth all But if it happen to an vngodlye person and one that is destitute of grace it serueth to seduce him As in the desert the temptacions as touching Moses Aaron Iosua and Chaleb were probations and trials but vnto others they were prouokementes vnto sinne And yet it sufficiently appeareth that God was the author of them Wherefore An other distinction of temptacions The Greeke schooles Howe God is not the author of inward temtations laying a part Augustines distinction there is an other which is more allowable which is read in the Greeke Scholies namely that there are certayne temptations vtterly outward whose beginning or cause we haue not in our selues as aduersities and persecutions but there are other temptations which seeme to burst
brasen serpent was ouerthrown of kyng Ezechias which yet was erected by the commaūdement of God and approued by wonderful great miracles For as many as loked vpon it were healed Our temples are not therefore built that we shuld in them behold pictures But in them is ministred the worde of God the sacramentes are geuen and deuyne prayses are celebrated All which thinges far excell Churches ought to be shut when ▪ there is no congregation all maner of images And he which is not perswaded by this kynde of doctrine shall nothyng at all profite by pictures A man wil say peraduenture that in Churches these thinges are not alwayes had which we now speake of for sometymes there is no teaching neyther are the sacramentes ministred neyther are the sacramentes ministred neither is there had any holy assembly I graunt this to be true but yet the temples ought to be shut when these christian exercises are not in doyng Otherwyse they are open for men to walke vp and downe and to be occupied about trifles And of how small force their excuses be Against thē which say that images are the bookes of idiotes or of the vnlerned which they bryng for images hereby appeareth in that they alwayes say that these images are the bokes of idiotes and of the laitie But how chaunceth it then that the images of highest estimation vnto which were instituted pilgrimages and which were had in greatest reuerence and honour were kept close so that none could sée them but for money Why should the boke be kept shut by which they would haue men to be taught Farther a man may sée certayne images euen of one and the selfe same kynde and person neglected and contemned and other of them contrariwyse laden aboue measure with honours They haue peraduenture the image of the Virgin at home or in the streate or els in the market place which yet they forsake and go on pilgrimage into Boleyne or into Italy an other image of the selfe same Vndoubtedlye if they desire by them to be taught the image at home could haue taught them euen as well as When the vse of images began first in temples the image in a straunge place We see moreouer that then the vse of images chiefly flourished when pastors of Churches ceased from feedyng their flocke with holye sermons as thoughe they ment to deliuer the people committed to theyr charge to be instructed by domme images Wherefore my opinion is that images oughte vtterly to be remoued out of holy temples But in other Out of the temple and where no holy assembly is images are lawfull places there may be some vse of them At the least they may bryng an honest pleasure which may haue some vtilitie ioyned with it yf they represent those thinges whiche are monumentes and examples of pietie But they are in no case to be suffered no not in other places also if they shoulde become occasions of Idolatrye For then must we alwayes imitate Ezechias Neither ought we at any tyme to attribute more vnto them then vnto the holye scriptures For We must neuer knel◠before images The vse of images came from the Ethonikes who falleth downe vppon hys knees and worshyppeth the booke eyther of the new Testament or of the olde None vndoubtedly which is godly wise And yet in them both Christ and also the workes of God are more truely and expressedly set forth vnto vs to contemplate then they are in all the images of the world Neither is this to be passed ouer that the maner of hauing of images came vnto vs rather from the Ethnikes then from the practise of holy men And also if we haue images priuately two other thinges also ought diligently to be taken hede of First that they be not lying images so that vnder the title and name Lying images are condemned of sayntes they represent not those which neuer were extant Suche as are the signes of George of Christopher of Barbara of such lyke which are by images pictures obtruded as sayntes when as there is nothyng found of certainty touchyng them Howbeit I deny not but that some things may somtimes be painted which may by an allegoricall signification profitably enstructe the beholders Farther we must beware that the pictures or tables be not filthy or wanton Wanton images are not allowed wherwyth to delyght our selues lest by the syght of them should be prouoked filthy lustes Now resteth that we speake somewhat of the breakyng of Images In which thyng I will content my selfe wyth the testimony of Augustine Whether it be lawfull to breake images who in his sermons and especially in his sixt sermon hath these wordes So God performe and geue all thynges into thy power as he hath geuen that which is broken This we say to you good brethren that ye do not these thynges when they are not in your power to do them It is the maner of wycked men and of tauerne haunters there to rage where they haue no power and without cause to thrust themselues hedlong into danger of death Ye haue heard the thinges which we red vnto you all when ye of late lyued Deut. 7. in cotages and losely When the land was geuen into your power First Moses sayth that the land shall be geuen into their power and so he tolde them what they should then doo Namely ye shal destroy theyr altars groues images c. When ye haue receaued power then do ye these thynges Where power is not geuen vs there we do not these thynges but where it is geuen we omitte them not Many Paganes or infidels haue these abhominations in their fieldes do we come and breake them No doubtles for first we labour to breake the idoles in their hartes when they also are become Christians or do inuite vs to so good a worke or do preuent vs. Now then we must praye for them and not be angry with them And thus much as touching images Wherfore God deliuered them vp vnto shamefull affections For euen the women did chaunge the naturall vse into that whiche is against nature And likewise also the men lefte the naturall vse of the woman and brent in their lustes one with an other men with men wrought filthines and receiued vnto themselues the reward of their errour as was meete Wherfore God deliuered them vp vnto shamefull affections For that he had repeted the crime of idolatry he also more largely beginneth againe to declare the punishmentes therof And sayth that the men lefte the naturall vse of women and were inflamed against nature which selfe thing he mencioneth of y◠women whom reason iudgement and shamefastnes ought to haue conteined in honest life as they ought also to haue caused the men to haue done which thing He disputeth of nature with the Ethenikes came not to passe because as God threatned in Deut. y◠38. chap. The vngodly are striken with madnes and fury And
good or euill we shall obtayne eyther eternall life or eternall damnation But thereby it followeth not that woorkes are the causes of our saluation Our sense iudgeth that these two thinges are repugnant the one to the other that a thinge shoulde be geuen freely and yet neuertheles workes should be required These thinges are not repugnant that blessednes is geuen frely and yet goodworks required But yet is not this iudgement true For they most aptlye agree together as it shall afterward in hys place be declared We haue nowe sufficiently spoken as touchyng this kynde of speache vsed of Paule and of the Scripture And those thinges which we haue nowe alleaged shall in their places be more diligently examined euery one by themselues Vnto them which by patience in well doyng seke glory and honour and immortality eternall lyfe But vnto them that are contentious and disobey the truth and obey vnrighteousnes indignation and wrath Tribulation and anguish vppon the soule of euery man that doth euill of the Iewe first and also of the Grecian But vnto euery one that doth good glory honour and peace vnto the Iewe first and also vnto the Grecian For there is no respect of persons before God Vnto those which by patiēce in wel doing seke glory honor immortality lyfe eternall Ambrose readeth that glory honour immortality shal be rendered vnto them which seke for eternall lyfe Which thyng wycked men do not who rather labour by all meanes to aduaunce themselues vnto the honours riches and pleasures of this world which is to liue wickedly But godly and holy men do seke eternall lyfe that they may redely moue themselues to knowe and to loue God to worship hym and to deserne well of their neighboures Whiche selfe thing is eternall lyfe but yet as now begon and shal be accomplished in an other world The scripture vseth by eternall life to signify the blessednes which Life is a thing excellent we loke for For among other thinges life as Aristotle writeth in hys Politikes hath in it selfe many commodities And therfore men suffer many and greuous thinges to retayne it still vnlesse peraduenture beyng ouercome with the burthen of miseries they wishe for death But this is the playner readyng to say that God geueth eternall lyfe vnto those whiche by patience in well doyng doo seke glory honour and immortality Vndoubtedly the saintes in liuyng well do seke to be renewed vnto the image of God after which followeth glory honour and immortality And immortality is set in the last place lest they should be thought to seke the glory and honor of this world For those things do quickly perish and are offred by those men which are easely chaunged and we which receaue them here haue but a short tyme to lyue here But those thinges which we seke for are euerlastyng and immortall By patience in well doyng This he therefore saith because as he writeth in an other place They which will liue godly in Christ shall suffer persecution And not Why patience is required in wel doyng only the deuill our flesh but also wicked men do withstand good workes And forasmuch as among good workes these are the principallest wherby we helpe our neighbours to the obteynement of true sound and firme good thinges by teachyng admonishing and correctyng them therfore vnto them aboue other thinges we apply our selues But they on the other side doe sometimes take it greuously and do stirre vp persecutions agaynst vs as it happened vnto that Prophetes Apostles and Martyrs But we ought not for all that to cease Augustine in his 50. epistle willed that the Donatistes although they wickedly and cruelly raged against the Catholikes should yet not be forsaken And he bringeth a similitude A similitut◠of horses and mules which kicke and bite when their sores are in curing and yet men cease not from healyng them Which duety if it be performed vnto beastes vndoubtedly much more ought it to be performed vnto men It is assuredly a thing very hard with a valiaunt mynde to suffer lettes and impediments which hinder good workes But all thynges whiche are excellent are harde And forasmuch as we all in a maner desire eternall lyfe we ought to take vpō vs this patience in well doyng And it is not from the purpose to consider howe What is suffering the saintes may clayme vnto themselues this patience forasmuch as we dayly sinne and if we shall say that we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues We aunswere Two kinds of fallinge that there are two kinds of fallings There are certain which are in a manner dayly comming from a wicked lust which is grafted in vs by reasō of original sinne which also therfore is yet of force in the regenerate because they are not yet fully restored neyther do they alwayes behaue themselues according to the principle and ground of regeneration They are by reason of infirmity and vndiscretenes rapt and violently drawen by the enticements of this worlde but it alwayes greeueth them they resiste and desire to be rid therof Therefore they say together with Paul Now not I woorke it but sinne which dwelleth in me Wherfore so longe as they be so affected and that they cease not of from endeuouring themselues to fullfyll the will of God they are sayde to perseuer and to excercise pacience in well doynge But when they fall into more heynouser sinnes as did Dauid and Peter then thys longe sufferynge is somewhat interrupted but because forasmuch as they pertayne vnto the elect they are called backe to repentance they are forgeuen that which they haue committed and God no more imputeth it vnto them Therefore they are iudged according to the good workes which they haue done before the fall and do after the fall so that that cutting of of the perseuerance which is now blotted out by repentance remayneth no more Now we will also entreate of those whiche in the last tyme of Whether they which when they dye do repent shal be iudged according to their workes The thife wanted not good workes their life repent which as it should seeme cannot be iudged according to their good workes whereof before they had none neyther vnto them can be attributed patience and long suffering in well doing But it is to be noted that fayth can neuer be without good workes Therfore these men if they beleue although they repent in the last houre yet vndoubtedly shall they not be without good workes Which thinge the example of the thiefe declareth who repented in a maner at the very poynt of death and was saued For he being conuerted vnto God confessed Christ acknowledged hys sinnes exhorted his neighbour and ernestly prayed for the obteynement of hys owne saluation By all which thinges we may see how diligently ernestly if he had had space to liue he would haue applied himselfe vnto good works What shall we say to infantes which dye in Christ They
Iewe first and also to the Grecian These wordes are so playne that they neede no exposition Onely thys thynge let vs note that thys repeticion of felicity which abideth the godly tendeth to thys ende that they being allured with the hope thereof might the more earnestly repent For there is no respect of persons before God As touching Paules methode The methode of the reprehension past in this reprehension of the Ethnikes it is after this maner As concerning the the fyrst part of knowledge which is called contemplation he hath proued that they knew God by the creatures but when they knew him they worshipped hym not as they ought to haue done Therefore when they had geuen the glory of God vnto Idols they were delyuered vp by him vnto the lustes of their owne hart vnto shamefull affections and into a reprobate mynde Moreouer as touching the other knowledge which consisteth in the doing of workes he sheweth that they knew right well the iustice of God And that he thereby proueth in that they iudged vprightly in geuing sentence vpon other men But that which they so well knew they performed not at all For both they themselues lyued wickedly and partly they consented vnto them which sinned and partly in seuerely punishing of others they ouerhipped themselues Which men he terrefied in declaryng vnto them that they should not escape the iudgement of God And because they beleued not that the iudgement of God shoulde euer come and that the prouidence of God had no care of thinges humane because they saw by experience that God ceassed from punishing wickednes against the first reason he layeth that we knowe assuredly that the iudgement of God shal be without doubt agaynst those which do such thinges as touching the other reason he sayd that this long tarying of God shal be recompensed with sharpenes of the punishement Whiche yet in the meane tyme is to thys ende proftiable vnto them that they might haue space to repent Whiche thing if they do not they shall fall into the horrible iudgement of God Of whiche iudgement he sayth that he shall render vnto euery man according to their workes And he deuided it into partes namely what the godly and what the vngodly shall looke for and added moreouer that neyther affection nor fauour shall there be of any force and made equal the Iewes with the Gētiles the Gētiles with the Iewes wherof he now bringeth a reason for that before God there is no respect of persons Whether God haue a respect vnto persons This I thought good the more largely to repeat that the methode of those things which are spoken might be throughly vnderstanded But now let vs sée whether this be altogether true that God accepteth not persons which is to deale in the cause according to the worthines or vnworthines thereof not hauing regarde to the conditions or states of them which are to be iudged It semeth vndoubtedly that God hath a respect vnto persons bicause he gaue vnto the Iewes many good thinges and that for this cause namely for that they pertained vnto Abraham Isaac and Iacob and because they were of their séede stocke Yea when the people had made a calfe and deserued worthely all of them to be destroyed Moses An exāple of Moses prayed vnto the Lord and although he confesseth that the cause deserued destruction yet he desireth pardon for them for Abraham Isaac Iacobs sake of whose stocke they came And so he layd before God not the cause but the person Yea and in the 89. Psalme we reade of the séede of Dauid that although they had prophaned A place of Dauid the testament of God and had forsaken his wayes he would in déede visite them with the rod Howbeit for hys seruaunt Dauid sake he would not take from them his mercy Is not this to accept persons and not to weigh the causes And in A place of the ten commaundementes An exāple of the Sodomites the ten commaundementes we reade that he will do good vnto a thousand generations of them that feare hym and kepe hys commaundement And God was contente to spare the Sodomites if there had bene but ten iust men amongest them And he gaue vnto Paule all them that were in shippe when they were in daunger of ship wracke Neither spared he them for the iustnes of the cause but because they sayled in the fame ship together with Paule To the ende these thinges may be more What a person is throughly vnderstanded we must first declare what is in this place vnderstanded by the name of a person And that is nothyng els as we now speake of it then the condition or state or a certaine quality geuen vnto vs either of God through nature or receiued by election Of the first kinde are these to be a man or a woman a father or a sonne of this nation or of that to be borne a prince or a subiect a frée man or a bondeman and suche other lyke taken But these are taken of our owne will and accord to be a minister of the church to be a souldier or a handicraftes man and such other lyke In summe a person consisteth by comparyng of a man either vnto an other man or els vnto certaine thinges or faculties For if Abraham be referred vnto Isaac he is his father if Salomon be referred vnto the Israelites he is their kyng if Aristotle be compared vnto sciences he is bothe learned and also a Philosopher if Cresus vnto riches he is riche vnto which selfe same riches if Irus be referred he is a begger So haue we what a person signifieth Now let vs sée the differences of persons There are certayne persons which Certayne persōs may want good workes but some other cannot may vtterly be wythout good workes as the person of a father or of a brother of a riche man or of a poore man But certayne cannot alwayes want good workes as are the elect the predestinate the members of Christ the faithfull the partes of the church and such other lyke For it is not possible that such men althoughe they sometymes fall should vtterly be without good workes Thirdly there are some persons so ioyned vnto the causes that the cause can not be iudged vnles there be a respect had vnto the person As when one striketh a man whiles he executeth the office of a magistrate or if he which liueth wickedly be a minister of the church and such lyke As touching those persons which are not vtterly without good workes and which are necessary for our saluation God hath so a respect vnto them that if without thē we shall appeare before hys iudgement seat we cannot be saued But of this kynd of persons this sentence of Paul is not to be vnderstand But as touching those persons whiche haue not eyther good or euill workes of necessity ioyned with them we answer that if the causes be so annected that in
iudgement they either aggrauate or extenuate the person then of necessity there must be a respect had vnto the person Because accordyng to the saying of the Gospell That seruaunt shall be more greuously punished whiche knoweth the wyll of his Lord and transgresseth it then he which sinneth ignorauntly Wherfore there remaineth that this place of the Apostle be vnderstanded of such persons as are seioyned from causes Farther there is to be put great difference Persons free from causes Besides iudgemente somethinge may be geuen vnto one man freely and an other of the same state and condition omitted betwene to accept a person in iudgemeÌ„t besides iudgement to geue vnto som one man any thing freely and not geuing to an other For this latter parte no man can iustlye accuse As if a man hauyng two debters shoulde requyre his debte of the one and forgeue the other he of whome the debte is required hath no cause iustly to complaine of his creditour So likewise God althoughe he cal one and calleth not an other because no merites went before in neyther of them cannot be called an accepter of persons Neither if in rewarding those which labored but one houre in the vineyard he would geue as great a reward vnto those and to them which had labored in it all the whole day ought he to be reproued Because he defrauded not these men of the hire for whiche he agreed with them And vnto the other he would geue freely that whiche they deserue not But then should there be iust cause to complayne if a thing should be geueÌ„ vnto one man and an other vnto whome the selfe same thing is due should be defrauded And after the selfe same manner forasmuch as God is bounde vnto God is bound to no man no man when he destributeth sondry giftes it is lawfull for him to do with his owne what pleaseth him For that in geuinge vnto some freely he defraudeth not them of any thing due whome he omitteth These thinges hath Augustine against the two Epistles of the Pelagians in his seconde booke and. 7. chap vnto Bonifacius where he thus writeth Acception of persons is there rightlye sayde to be where he which iudgeth leauinge the deserte of the cause whereof he iudgeth geeueth iudgemente with the one against the other because he findeth some thinge in the person which is woorthy either of honor or of compassion And straight way he bringeth the similitude of the two debters and the parable of the vineyard whereof we haue alredy spoken and addeth Euen as therfore here is no acception of persons because one is in such manner freely honored that an other is not defrauded of that his due so also wheÌ„ according to the purpose of God one is called and an other is not called vnto him that is called a good gift is frely geueÌ„ of which good gift the calling is the cause vnto him that is not called is rendred euill because all men are guilty for that by one man sinne entred into the world These are Augustines woordes vnto which to the ende we may ouerthrow the argumentes which we haue before recited this is to be added That Those thinges which God geueth vnto men he geueth of hys mercy whatsoeuer good thing God of his liberality geueth vnto menne the same vndoubtedly proceedeth of his mercy and clemencye And althoughe sometimes he pronounceth that he will do good vnto some eyther for theyr progenitors sake or els for theyr prayers these thinges he therfore speaketh to stirre vs vp to liue well Neither are these promises to be vnderstanded of the whole kinred of the posterity or vniuersally For God accordinge to his secret predestination hath his choyce in he seede of the saintes and in hearing of prayers which are made out of other men Which thing may be sufficiently confirmed by examples For althoughe the seede of Abraham were blessed yet that blessing had place in Isaac and not in Ismael The same promise was made vnto Isaac but it was performed in Iacob and not in Esau The common wealth of the Iewes had a promes that it shoulde be preserued but that promes was performed in the kingdome of the house of Dauid and not in the kingdome of the ten tribes Wherfore forasmuch as this choice which is according to predestination is vtterly vnknowne vnto The choyce which consisteth in predâ—stination is both vnknowne vnto vs also leaneth not vnto persons Two kinds of the benefites of God vs we oughte not to lene vnto the person And it commeth to passe perpetually that they which are so chosen of God are also adorned with good works Wherfore God hath not a respect vnto the person but as we haue sayd iudgeth according to the woorkes And how little a respect of persons he sometimes hath the place in the. 14. chap of Ezechiell declareth where it is saide That the earth shal be destroyed forasmuch as it hath bene altogether viciate and corrupte And thoughe there stoode vp in it Noah Iob Daniell vndoubtedly they shall not deliuer it but shall deliuer theyr owne soules onely Farther the benefites of God are eyther but for a time whiche pertaine vnto this life or els they are eternall whiche belong vnto the chief felicity of which Paule now intreateth Who affirmeth that without respecte of persoÌ„s it shal by the iust iudgemeÌ„t of God be either rendred or denied But as touchinge commodities whiche dure but for a time we doubt not but that God vseth sometimes either to hasten or to slacken them at the prayers of holy men which selfe thinge he attributeth also vnto the seede of the saints But in this doing he eyther prouoketh men to repentaunce or els by his lenitye they bringe vnto theÌ„selues greater punishment But as touching the eternal chief felicitie we haue now declared yâ— God hath made no promise generally for the sauing of any posteritie Therefore the Iewes deserued woorthely to be reproued for that they promised vnto themselues onely so greate a thinge as thoughe for that they were of the seede of Abraham they coulde not perishe paule in thys There is no generall promes for the sauinge of any posterity as touching eternall life selfe same Epistle the. 9. chap most manifestly declareth That not all they whyche are of Israell are Israelites neyther because they were the sede of Abraham therfore they were straight way all sons But by Isaac sayth he shall thy seede be called That is Not they whiche are the children of the fleshe are the children of God but the children of the promes are counted for the seede This sentence of the Apostle testefieth that whiche we haue sayd namely that the promises of God in this kinde were singuler and not vniuersal And it is for certaine that in those which are chosen to saluacion are vndoubtedly found good workes if they come vnto ful age Wherfore these The elect if they come to full age shall vndoubtedly
haue good woorkes What Moses and the Prophets had a regarde vnto when in theyr prayers they made mencion of the names of certain of the electe thinges nothing let this sentence which was alleaged namely that before God there is no acception of persons And as often as we read in the prayers of Moses or of the Prophets that mention is made of the Patriarkes whereby they endeuoured themselues to prouoke God vnto mercy we muste thinke that they had a regarde to two thinges First forasmuch as in that nation God had some appointed vnto himselfe they desired that for theyr sakes he woulde spare the whole multitude Secondlye they attributed not these thinges vnto the merites of the saintes which as we haue sayd are none but they made mencion of the promises made vnto those Fathers Hereby therefore it is manifeste by what meanes those thinges which were obiected may be aunswered But nowe let vs retourne to the exposition of the woordes of Paule For as many as haue sinned without the law shall perishe also without the law and as many as haue sinned in the law shal be iudged by the law For the hearers of the law are not righteous before God but the doers of the law shal be iustified For as many as haue sinned c. Paule here teacheth that God in very dede hath no respect of persons neyther in iudgement doth iniury vnto any man He maketh the Iewes equall with the Gentles forasmuch as of ech nation they which haue liued wickedly shall perishe And as touching the maner of iudgement the Iewes which shal be condemned shal be iudged by the law of Moses because they shall haue it both to accuse them and to condemne them But the Gentiles being wicked shall neither be accused nor condemned by that law but by the light of nature and euen by their own cogitations By the law in thys place we must vnderstand the law of Moses For it only is perfect and for it began all the contencion otherwise there were none or very fewe nations which were not gouerned by some institutions or lawes Here are added two preuentions The first is that it mought haue semed wonderfull vnto the Iewes that theyr cause should not be a whit better forasmuch as they were adorned by God with the benefite of the law Vnto whome Paule answereth that therby they were rather the more greuously to be accused because before God not they which heare the law shal be iustefied but they which do it The other preuention is for that it semed a hard thing vnto the Ethnikes that they should perishe when as they wanted the law of God Vnto whome he sayth ye were not vtterly without a law And two maner of wayes he proueth that they had a law fyrst in that by nature they did those thinges which are prescribed by the law secondly because they had within themselues their owne cogitations mutually accusing them or excusing them As touching the Iewes he sharpely reproueth them as which were of so small sound iudgement that they iudged themselues to be therefore iustefyed because they had receaued the lawe And now he beginneth by litle and litle to come vnto them which a litle afterward he doth more openly For saith he the hearers of the law shall not be iustified before God but the doers He therefore saith before God because they before mē wōderfully much boasted of the law which they had receaued God sayth he nothing regardeth this For there shall not be required of you that ye receaue the law but that ye execute the law The discourse which now is in hād is touching the righteousnes The righteousnes of the law requireth deedes and workes of the law which alone they allowed For touching the righteousnes of fayth he will afterward plainly entreate Now he cutteth their throtes with theyr owne sword in defining the righteousnes of the law namely that it vrgeth dedes and requireth works to the fulfilling thereof Whereby he calleth thē backe to consider their owne life Neither saith he in the meane time that mē cā not be otherwise iustified but only sheweth vnto thē that they haue fallē away frō the righteousnes of the law wherof they so much boasted That therfore which he now saith hath this sence If any man should by the righteousnes of the law be iustified before God it behoueth that the same should fulfil the law according to that saying Cursed be he which abideth not in all the things which are writē in the booke of the lawe This is an easy plaine expositiō But Augustine in his booke de Spiritu litera ad Marcellinum is of this minde that the doers of the law are iustified but yet in such sort that righteousnes goeth before the good works which the saintes do For they are fyrst iust before they do iust workes But because he seeth that this word of iustifying is in the future tence and by that meanes is signifyed that men shall not be iustefyed vnles they fyrst haue good workes therefore he addeth that to be iustefied in this place is not first to receaue righteousnes but to be counted righteous so that the sense is they shal be counted for righteous which shal be doers of the law but they ought first by fayth to haue receaued righteousnes whereby they were made iust but afterward they shal be made knowen by the effectes as they were before iust so now shal they be counted for iust And the like kinde of speach sayth he is in this sentence when Halowed be thy name how it is to be expounded we pray Thy name be sanctified Where we desire not that the name of God should be made holy as though before it were not holy but we desire that it may be of men counted holy This is Augustines exposition For when the Gentiles which haue not the law do by nature the thinges contayned in the law they hauing not the lawe are a lawe vnto themselues whiche shewe the effect of the law in theyr hartes their conscience also bearing witnes and their thoughtes accusing one an other or excusing at the day when God shall iudge the secretes of men by Iesus Christ according to my Gospell For when the Gentles c. Now commeth he vnto the Gentles whiche ought not to complayne thoughe they perished seing they had not the lawe of Moses For hee declareth that they were not vtterly without a lawe because they did by nature those thinges whiche were contayned in the law And when hee sayth by Nature he doth not vtterly exclude the helpe of God For all truth that men knowe is of God and of the holy ghost And nature here signifieth that knowledge whiche is grafted in the myndes of men Euen as in the eyes of the body God hath plāted the power of seinge Neither doth Paul in this place entreate of the strēgthes by which the Gētiles being holpē performed these things For that shall afterward bée
apply our selues vnto filthy lusts then they do to be greedy of lucre to seeke auengemente to be fearefull to dye to be desirous of life to contend and striue to muche earnestly amonge our selues for the commodities of the flesh straightway they say that our doctrine is woorse theÌ„ that which they professe And without doubt those things which are here spoken These things fitte with the Christians and espeially with those that professe the Gospell fitte rather with the Christians then with the Iewes when as we are endued with more excellente giftes then they were Christe sayde Beholde a greater then Salomon here and a greater then Ionas We boaste of the knowledge of Christe we reste in the Gospell and we haue the forme of doctrine out of the articles of fayth and we contende that all thynges are more perfecte in the Gospell then they were in the Iewysh religion we haue yâ— fruicioÌ„ of the liberty of the spirite when as they were greuously oppressed with the yoke of ceremonies yet though we be indued with so many and so excellent gifts we leade our liues in such sorte that the Gospell of Christ is euill spoken of through vs. But if any man will say that the truth and dignitie of the doctrine dependeth not of the dignitie maners and life of the teacher because Christ sayd of them which satte vpon the chaire of Moyses The thinges which they say doe ye but the thinges which they doe doe ye not This I know to be true But in the meane time let vs marke Whether doctrine ought to be iudged by the maners life of the teachers that Christ sayd of the false prophetes and deceauers By their fruites ye shall know them Wherefore we must put a difference that of men there are some already instructed in religion and other some are to be instructed Wherfore they which are instructed in sound doctrine do acknowledge it to be true and do count it for the worde of God though he which teacheth it and deliuereth it be not so pure But they which are to be instructed and are not yet come to the vnderstandyng of it doe iudge of it accordyng to the maners and life of the teachers Not that in very déede the doctrine is by the maners of the ministers made eyther true or false but because the vnlearned sorte are wont so to iudge And in summe God will not be honoured with outward titles and ceremonies Thys is the wilie subtiltie of the deuill that the giftes of God which ought to be fruitfull shoulde be made both of no force and also should more aggrauate our cause It is a great infelicitie to deforme those thinges wherby we ought to be honoured And it is no small ingratitude to dishonour God which hath so honoured vs. Paule accuseth these men that they dyd not onely them selues transgresse the lawes but also allured others to the same and caused them to blaspheme the name of the Lord. And by an antithesis or coÌ„trary position he exagerateth or amplifieth that which he before sayd Thou that teachest an other teachest thou not thy selfe But the place which he citeth is in Esaie the 52. Chapter And in the Greke edition the place is thus written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is Through you my name is euery where euill spoken of among the Gentiles But in Hebrewe it is written Ve tamid col haiom schemi meuoats That is And alwayes euery daye my name is ill spoken of Wherby appeareth that betwene the Hebrewe veritie and the Greke edition there is not much differeÌ„ce But Paule vsed the Greke edition partlye because it was in their handes vnto whom hée wrote and partly because it serued well for hys purpose For the Greke hath among the Gentiles which the Hebrewe hath not But here is no small doubt obiected vnto vs for that the Prophet séemeth to laye the whole cause of the blasphemie vpon the straungers namely for that when they had lead away the Israelites captiues they railed vpon their God as though he had not bene able to deliuer theÌ„ Which thing is more expressedly read in Ezechiell the 36. chap. from whence it may séeme that these thynges were taken for there it is apertly written that they in mockage sayd Beholde the people of thys God But we must consider what was the cause and occasion of the captiuitie of the Hebrewes and we shal finde that it was nothyng ells but theyr wicked actes and transgressions of the lawe by which they in a maner compelled God to deliuer them into those calamities wherof followed the blasphemies of the Ethnickes God was vrged The cause of the blasphemie was not in the GeÌ„â—les but in the Iewes two wayes for on the one side vnlesse he had chastised them when they liued wickedly other nations would haue spoken euill of hym for that he so much bare with wicked men On the other side if he should correcte them in forsaking and deliuering theÌ„ to outward nations he should be euill spoken of as a weake and féeble God And the fountaine and originall of these euills was the wicked lyfe Note that the glory of God is two maner of wayes endaungered of the Hebrewes Wherefore in Ezechiell there is added that he being touched with the compassion of hys name had decréed to deliuer them at the length both that he himselfe myght afterward bee set forth as a mightie God and that they by amendment of lyfe myght behaue them selues the better By thys place we may gather that the Iewes greuously fell For the greater their dignitie was the more greuouser were those thinges which they coÌ„mitted so that by euery mans iudgement they could no way be defended Therefore in Esaie the Lorde sayd when he had reckened vp all the ornamentes which he had bestowed vppon hys vineyarde Iudge thou house of Israell betwene me and my vineyarde Which parable Christ also vsed in the Gospell For Circumcision verily is profitable if thou doe the lawe but if thou be a transgressour of the lawe thy circumcision is made vncircumcsion Therefore if the vncircumcision keepe the iustifications of the lawe shall not hys vncircumcision bee counted for circumcision And shall not vncircumcision which is by nature if it keepe the lawe iudge thee which by the letter and circumcision arte a transgressour of the lawe For circumcision in deede is profitable When he had hetherto reckened vp the benefites bestowed vpon the Iewes and had shewed how they had abused them now by the way he setteth forth a manifest exposition of the true circumcision and of the true Iewishnes By reason of circumcision they arrogantlye puffed vp them selues Vpon whiche occasion Paule sheweth by preuention that it made them not a whitte better then the Gentiles when as they liued so filthilye It was a great thyng in déede to be circumcised so that the vncircumcision were cutte of in the hart also Otherwise how litle the circumcision of the body profited
oppressed Otherwise it shall bee all one to bee occupied in them as to marke what Liui Aristotle Salust Plutarche and other writers haue left in writing But now without the law is the righteousnes of God made manifest beyng confirmed by the testimony of the law and of the prophetes Here is expressedly put forth the question wherof he will afterward entreat And thereof he putteth two partes Of which the one is that the righteousnes of God is without the law made manifest The other is that it is obtained by the faith of Iesus Christ And Paule affirmeth that this righteousnes of God hath the testimonye both of the law and of the prophets This is it which he proposed at the beginning that by the Gospell is reueled the righteousnes of God from saith to faith And in that he writeth that this manifestation is done without the law he vnderstādeth without helpe of the law being obserued but onely by the hearing of faith Which The righteousnes of God threefold selfe thing he affirmed vnto the Galathians when he said Haue ye receiued the holy ghost by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith The righteousnes of God as I haue in an other place declared is thréefold The first is wherby we are through Christ receiued into fauour and our sinnes are forgeuen vs and the righteousnes of Christ is imputed vnto vs. And the second kind of righteousnes followeth this namely that thorough helpe of the holy ghost our minde is reformed and we all whole are inwardly renewed by grace Thirdly follow holy and godly workes for they which are once come thus far are most zelous and desirous of working well Now then Paule entreateth of the first righteousnes whiche he saith is declared in vs without the law And he calleth it the righteousnes of God because it is gotten thorough his power and goodnes and not thorough our owne workes And if a man do more narowly consider it it is the mercy of God which he bestoweth vpon vs thorough Christ And I haue in an other place admonished that that which the Hebrues call Tsedech and our men haue turned righteousnes signifieth rather goodnes and mercy And therefore to this day the Iewes call almes by that name And Ambrose vpon this place is of the selfe same mynd For he sayth Therefore is Ambrose Why the mercy of God is called righteousnes that called the righteousnes of God which semeth to be the mercy of God because it hath his originall beginning of Gods promise and when that promise is performed it is called the righteousnes of God For therfore is it the righteousnes of God because that is rendered which was promised Also whē he receiueth those which fly vnto him it is called rightousnes For one not to receiue him that flieth vnto him it is iniquity Thus much Ambrose But we must not harken vnto them which in this place do interprete these wordes Without the law for without the ceremonies of the lawe For we haue before shewed that althoughe the question was moued by reason of them yet hath Paule entreated of the lawe generally so that it comprehendeth all the partes of the law They seme not much to ouershoote themselues which by the righteousnes Christ the righteousnes of God of God vnderstande Christ for whatsoeuer pertayneth to iustification that same commeth from him vnto vs when we beleue in hym Betwene the righteousnes of God and ours Paule plainly putteth a difference when he saith in this self same The manifestation of the righteousnes of God happened chiefly in the tyme of the Apostles The order and maner of the preaching of the Apostles Epistle Being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and seeking to establishe theyr owne they are not subiecte vnto the righteousnes of God But that we may the better vnderstand what this manifestation of the rightousnes of God is which then happened chieflye when Paule wrote these thinges it must thus be vnderstanded that we must haue a regarde what manner of preaching the Apostles vsed As farre as we can gather out of the sermons of the Apostles as they are set forth in the Actes of the Apostles First they preached repentaunce setting before mens eyes their sinnes and condemnation wherin men were wrapped then they gathered together the proprieties and conditions of Christ which should heale these euils and that out of the holy scriptures Thirdly they applied the same proprieties and conditions vnto Iesus of Nazareth to allure men vnto his fayth And suche as hearyng these things beleued the same obteyned of God remission of their sinnes Inwardly they were made new and outwardly they liued moste holily resembling the image of God to which mankynde was made With perseuerance they called vppon God communicating together in prayers breakyng of bread all holye workes They stedfastly did put their trust in God as they which were vtterly destitute of all other helpe They nothing regarded worldly riches laying the price of their things and money at the féete of the Apostles They stoutely bare a good testimonye vnto Why the righteousnes of God is said to be made manifest without the law Christ reioycing that they suffred greuous thinges for hys names sake Lastly in this quarell they cherefully shed theyr bloud bestowed theyr life And the world seyng those thinges could not but be moued and acknowledge that a new kynde of righteousnes appeared on the earth And because amongest them were Ethenikes which had no knowledge at all of the law therfore the Apostle sayth Without the law Also many of the Hebrewes were called who although they knew the law yet they nothyng at all regarded it And it was all one as if they had not had the law There came some also which liued very vprightly and were moste zelous in the study of the law as Nathaniell whome Christ pronounced to be a true Israelite in whom there was no guile And these were iustified without the law for that obseruation of the law which they performed was not the cause why they were iustified The lawe in déede may be a helpe vnto iustification because it admonisheth vs and accuseth vs by whiche meanes we are dryuen vnto Christe But for as muche as it hathe not the strengthe to forgeue synnes to geue the The law helpeth vnto iustification but it is not the cause thereof A conciliation holye Ghoste to suggest faythe into the hartes of the hearers therefore Paule saythe righte well That we are iustified wythout the lawe Augustine in hys booke de spiritu litera saith that the Apostle seemeth to speake thynges repugnaunt For he affyrmeth that the righteousnes of God whereof he nowe speaketh had his testimonye of the lawe and the Prophetes and yet be saythe that it was made manifeste without the lawe But he aunswereth that there is here in verye deede no contradiction if a man rightly distinct those thinges which are here spoken For
therefore Paule excludeth the law because it poureth not in grace neither is the cause of iustification although this righteousnes whereof he speaketh hath his testimony of it Wherefore in his first booke and 8. chapt De gratia Christi contra Coelestium Pelagium he sheweth that this sentence is thus to be pronounced namely The righteousnes of A sondry distinction in this sentence God without the law and then to adde seuerally by it selfe is nowe made manifeste So that this particle without the law is referred vnto righteousnes and not vnto these woordes made manifest But this doth not verye well agree with the woordes of Paule although that which he sayth be most true But this is woorthy of notinge that Augustine in the same place sayth that this aduerbe of time now is not so to be taken as thoughe the olde fathers in the lawe of nature and This aduerbe of time Now howe Augustine vnderstandeth it An erroure of the Pelagians in the law of Moses had not saluation by Christ and obteyned not this righteousnes without the law The Pelagians vndoubtedly were of this opinioÌ„ that many had saluation before Moses time by the lawe of nature whiche shined moste brightly in theyr hartes which being afterward obscured the law of Moses succéeded like vnto the Moone because it brought light but not altogether absolute Last of all came Christ whose light shineth as bright as the sunne And so they affirmed that the old fathers wer saued without Christ and without his grace because Christ was not as yet come But they were muche deceaued for that The elders were iustefied not without Christ but by hym they thought that the fayth of a thinge to come serueth not to saluation when as yet we at this day beleue the resurrection of the dead the last iudgement and life eternall which are thinges to come and by this fayth are we holpen So the elders by theyr fayth in Christ to come receaued as much benefite as touching iustification as we now do which are born after his comming For the merites of the crosse of Christ and of his bloude are not thinges duringe but for a time Wherefore Christ sayd of Abraham that he desyred to see his day and saw it and reioysed Farther Paule sayth As in Adam all men dye so in Christ all men are made on lyue And he most plainely writeth vnto Timothe that Christ is the onelye mediator betwene God and men Therefore then also before his comminge into the sleshe he gaue righteousnes without the law vnto men whiche beleued in him And thys woord now which the Apostle here hath is to be referred vnto the manifestatioÌ„ For indeede this righteousnes was before but it lay hiddeÌ„ and very few had it In the olde time righteousnes was by fayth but now it is declared more amply and aâ—ertly Fayth is the instrument wher with righteousnes is comprehended But now is it publikely and openly knowne vnto the whole world And this is it that at the death of Christ the vaile of the Temple did rente and was made open so that those things which before were hidden were now made manifest The Apostle hauing in this place put foorth a question most largely to be entreced of vseth therein great perspicuity And that whiche he purposeth is deuided into two partes For in the one he denieth that by the lawe commeth our righteousnes And in the other he affirmeth that it is geuen vs by the fayth of Iesus Christ Wherefore his meaning is that fayth is the instrument whereby thys righteousnes is appreheÌ„ded And he excludeth the law from which sentence the world excedingly abhorreth for that the world knoweth of none other righteousnes but of that which commeth by good woorkes But men ought to consider The world is offended bycause the Law is excluded froÌ„ iustificatioÌ„ The principles and groundes of good woorkes in men are corrupt Christ is vulgarly thought to be the mosâ— excellent lawgeuer from whence those good woorkes do procéede which they would so fayne haue to iustify They will say from reason and the will But if these twayne be vitiated and corrupted by whom shall they be corrected They haue nothing to say but by God But before he wil correct it it is necessary that he be merciful and pacefied towards vs. But he is not pacefied but by the death bloud of Christe Of which things when we through fayth take hold we are truely said as Paule affyrmeth to be iustified by fayth without the law Commonlye it is thought yâ— that Christ is a lawgeuer which hath by his appointed and decreed thinges of most excellency and most profitable And how excellent the things are which he hath commaunded they gather out of the 5. 6. and 7. chapters of Mathew where is red that not onely murther is prohibited but also wrath and anger against our neighbour And commaundement is there geueÌ„ that he which hath any offence agaynst an other should leue his gift at the altar and go and reconcile himselfe vnto his brother He commaundeth also that we should in the way be at agreemeÌ„t wyth our aduersary Neither forbiddeth he periury onely but also any othe And although in the law be permitted An eye for an eye A tooth for a tooth yet Christ commaundeth that we should not resist euell Also in the law adultery is prohibited but Christ hath also forbidden the lustfull lookinge vpon a womaÌ„ And he restrayned those which would for euery slight cause put away theyr wynes Of these thinges they inferre that Christe in his lawes hath commaunded things more perfect theÌ„ the law of Moses commaunded And that his lawes were more commodious then the lawes of Moses hereby they proue because he abrogated ceremonies which were very hard to be obserued neither could they easely be obserued of all nations We graunt indeede that by the comminge of Christ ceremonies were taken away because the signification of them is nowe fulfilled But that Christe gaue new lawes we vtterly deny He indéede did interprete the law of Moses and reproued the error of the Scribes and of the Pharisies which thought that none but the grosser kind of sinnes were repugnante vnto the law he teacheth yâ— the commaundemeÌ„ts of God ar far otherwise to be vnderstaÌ„ded theÌ„ they ether vnderstood theÌ„ theÌ„selues or expouÌ„ded theÌ„ vnto others Wherfore he left the law as he found it and executed that which belongeth vnto hys office which was to be made an oblation and sacrifice for sinnes and to geue What was the office of Christ remission of sinnes and righteousnes by imputatioÌ„ and the holy ghost and grace Wherfore Iohn Baptist declaring the office of Christ when he shewed hym with hys fynger sayed Behold the lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world These things make against the Anabaptistes whiche make the Gospel to be nothing but good workes and a most absolute conuersation These men know not
An error of the Anabaptistes the chief and principall benefite of Christ neyther make they any difference betwene the law and the Gospell The law in deede commaundeth but the Gospell ministreth strengths to accomplishe those thinges whiche are commaunded The law accused the The Gospel absolueth The law maketh a sound outwardly The DiffereÌ„ces betwene the Law and the Gospel Gospell is grauen in the bowells The law worketh anger The Gospell maketh God pacifyed and reconciled vnto vs The lawe by making afeard deiecteth the mind The Gospell by comforting erecteth it The law is the ministery of death The gospel of life The law is a schoolemaster The gospel is a perfect instruction The whole lawe consisteth in this that we should woork The Gospel herein chiefly consisteth that we should beleue The law bringeth a curse vnto theÌ„ whichlyue vnder it The Gospel bringeth blessing The law bringeth bondage The Gospell spirituall liberty The lawe is the letter The Gospell is the spirite The lawe hath promises but with this condition if ye shall doo all those thinges The promises of the Gospell are free and therefore firme There mought be rehersed also other differences whereby these two differ very much a sunder But at thys tyme we thinke these to be sufficient Whiche thinges yet are not iudged true by humaine reason Neither is it any maruayle for as Plato sayd in his second booke De legibus What soeuer we behold a farre of we know it not thoroughly For there cometh betwene our sight and it a dissines and by farre distaÌ„ce of place darknes shadoweth The cause why many iudge so ill of the Law and of the Gospell our sights But when we come and behold them more nighly theÌ„ we iudge of euery thing a right These things spake he bycause voluptuous and corrupt men could not be perswaded that a good and innocent life is pleasauntest For they iudge of it farre otherwise for that they are very much distant from it But if they would drawe nere vnto it and make a triall therof they should then iudge vprightly So do we at this present pronounce of these men For asmuch as they a far of looke vpon the holy scriptures neither do with any diligent heade taking consider the Gospel and the lawe thereof it commeth to passe that they iudge so ill of them The Apostle addeth of this righteousnes which he speaketh of that it hath the testimony of the law and of the Prophets Which he therfore addeth because that doctrine whiche he set forth mought haue semed new and strange But in the Gospell newnes is Newnes must be remoued away from the Gospel in any wise to be auoyded Therfore he euery where testifieth of the Gospell that it is of antiquity and instituted by God before all worlds And in the beginnyng of this Epistle he wrote that God promised it by hys Prophets in the holy Scriptures At this day also there is a strife betwene vs and the aduersaryes about doctrine whilest they contend that we bring in new things but they abyde stil by the old doctrine But now by the Apostle we learne how this controuersy may be ended What doctrine is called new what olde The doctrine of the Papistes is new forasmuche as it hath no testemonye out of the holy scriptures That doctrine vndoubtedly is old and auncient which hath hys testimony by the lawe and the prophets that is by the holy scriptures And that is to be iudged new wherof there is no mention made in them They haue set vp the Masse wherin one alone doth communicate for others whiche are standers by This hath no testimony thoroughe al the scriptures We affirme that the supper of the Lord ought to be common vnto all the faythfull which thing is most playnely declared by the institution therof as it is set forth in the Gospels and in Paul They geue vnto the lay men the sacrament of the Eucharist mayned which is not only not in the scriptures but also is playnly agaynst the scriptures They defend the inuocations of the dead for the confirmacion wherof they haue nothing out of the holy scriptures They compel the Clergie froÌ„ matrimony they defend purgatory they maintayne Images they vse a strange tongue in their holy seruices they obtrude the choyse of meats garments shauings vnctions and a thousand such like trumperyes as things necessary vnto the worshippinge of God and that vtterly without any testimony of the scriptures Let them learne of Paul who endeuouring to teache righteousnes to come by Christ sayeth that it hath testimony of the law and of the prophets and not that he made it of his owne head But the doctrines of these men do aduaunce impietye For they obtrude the fayned inueÌ„tions of men as necessary worshippinges of God And forasmuch as they haue no testimony out of the scriptures it must follow of necessity that they are new But the reason Why newnes is to be taken hede of in religion why newnes ought to be auoyded in religion is because the Lord commaunded in Deutronomy that from his commaundements and rytes they should nether take away any thing nor adde therunto Euen Plato also in his lawes and Pub. welth forbiddeth that there should be any innouation in thinges pertayning vnto religion In deed mens laws may sometymes be changed for that the form of the Pub. Humane lawes may be chaunged welth is sometymes altered Neyther do those lawes which serue for a kingdome serue for that gouernemente which is executed by the noble men or a Pub. welth that is ruled by the people Farther the lawgeuers forasmuch as they are men can not se all things And there happen daily many cases for which they are fayne both to correct and to change laws And eueÌ„ as in artes throughe continuance of tyme somewhat is found wherby they are made more perfect so lawes also in successe of tyme are oftentymes amended and brought into a better forme But none of al these rases taketh place in the lawes of God For as touching the Church it chaungeth The politicall gouernment of the church chaungeth not his forme not his forme it is alwaies one and the self same Pub. welth and there is nothing hidden from the vnderstanding of God which is the author of those lawes He forsâ—â—th all thinges neyther is his knowledg increased by successe of tyme. Wherfore it is not mete that men should attempt to alter any thing in his lawes But now let vs se what testimonyes there are of this righteousnes in the lawe and the Prophets which Paul asserteth And although Christ sayd generally that Moses wrote of him and Luke declareth that Christ beyng apparelled like a stranger and talking by the way with the twoo Disciples began at Moses and then tought them by the prophets and psalmes yet is there no certayne place brought forth wherin is expressedly made mention of the Messias And yet neuertheles if we will
as generally spoken when as in all men there nether is nor appeareth any such righteousnes But his wordes are contracted vnto those which beleue vnto the elect I say and sanctified Which thing the words of the Apostle sufficiently declare If this sentence should be vnderstanded altogether vniuersally then this manifestation could not be referred but vnto the preaching This vniuersality may haue a respect vnto the preaching which is set forth vnto all men hauing no respect either of persons or estates for so Christ warned the Apostles to preach the Gospell to all creatures and generally addeth whosoeuer beleueth and is baptised shal be saued But the first sense is both true and also more perspicuous He afterward addeth a reason why this righteousnes is made manifest vnto all vpon all that beleue Because sayth he All haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God That forasmuch as they want righteousnes of their owne they might receaue it at the handes of God There are none so holy but that as sayth Ambrose this place conuinceth them to be sinners forasmuche as this righteousnes geuen of God hath place in all and vpon all But this phrase is to be noted Are destitute of the glory of God By it some thinke is to be vnderstāded the The glory of god somtimes signifieth his dwelling in vs. dwelling of God in vs bycause men were seperated from him nether had they him ioyned vnto them by grace And that the glory of God expresseth this maner of dwelling hereby it is manifest for that the Arke of the couenant is called the glory of God Wherefore when it was taken by the Philistians the glorye of God was sayd to be taken away Others thinke that Paule by the glorye of God vnderstandeth the perfect and true righteousnes which comming from God is iudged glory or that whereby we glorifye God And forasmuch as glory What glory is is nothing els but a prayse most aboundantly published Paule by a figuratiue kinde of speach calleth the most singular giftes of God the glory of God for which giftes we both prayse and celebrate his name so that the thing hath by the figure Metonomia the name of the propriety which followeth it But in my iudgement it semeth that Paule would declare by these wordes that all men in theyr corrupt nature were reiected and that he chiefely reproueth rites sacrifices and workes of the lawe in which they thought the glory of God chiefly to consist For he sheweth that they in very deede were destitute of the glory of God although they were altogether full of their ceremonyes And are iustified freely by his grace Here we haue what that meaneth the righteousnes of God to be made manifest without the lawe namely to be geuen freely And Paule laboring to shew that in iustification is no consideration had of our workes semeth to shew that he neuer satisfieth hymselfe So many wordes heapeth he vp which signifieth one and the selfe same thing For We measure the righteousnes of God by our own righteousnes he saw what a hard thing it is to be beleued of vs which will our selues do nothing freely and by our owne measure do measure the righteousnes of God as though he also would not geue his righteousnes freely Out of this kinde of speach ought to be gathered this common sentence that by fayth only we are iustified And although this word only be not found in the holy scriptures yet is it necessarily inferred of those things which we there reade as Ambrose most Ambrose sayth by fayth onely playnly noteth in this place writing vōp these words saying We do nothyng we recompēce not by fayth only are we iustified which is the gift of God He was not content to say that we are iustified by fayth only but he addeth also other clauses whereby he might more playnly declare the same The selfe same thing writeth Basilius also in his booke De confessione fidei We sayth he haue nothing whereof Basilius was of the same iudgement we may make our boast concerning righteousnes forasmuch as we are iustified only hy fayth in Christ. Which wordes are not so to be vnderstanded as though the fayth wherby we are iustified were alone that is not adorned with good holy works but because our workes though they be neuer so holy are not causes of the true righteousnes The like similitude is shewed in water wherin moistnes and coldnes are ioyned together but to washe away blots and spots properly belongeth to moistnes and not to coldnes Wherefore this is a false argument ab accidente whē as two things being ioyned together that which belongeth to the one is ascribed vnto the other But as touching this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is being iustified being a participle of the nominatiue case it is to be referred vnto that which was a little before spoken For all haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God as though he should haue sayd they which were such are iustified freely By his grace by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus whome God hath set forth a propitiator by fayth Here Paule expresseth those thinges which by fayth we embrace when we are iustified and sheweth that by fayth he vnderstandeth the obiectes which by it are apprehended And when he sayth by grace he sheweth that he entreateth of a farre other maner of righteousnes then is that which is gotten by workes and he most manifestly excludeth the conditions We are not iustified rashely or by chaunce of the lawe And when we heare that we are iustified fréely and by grace we must not thinke that the same is done rashely or by chance forasmuch as it is tempered by the rule of the election of God The causes and reasons whereof although they be vnknowen vnto vs yet are they knowen vnto God And seing that in respect of hym the same is not done by chaunce we ought not to affirme that men are iustified b◠chance And euē as chaunce is to be takē away so also ought we to banishe necessitye least we should seeme to admitte fate or desteny For God is not compelled to chuse this man more thē that man But whatsoeuer he geueth he geueth it freely and without compulsion By the redemption Hereby appeareth that we are manumitted by Christ and made his free men For we were bond men cast into the prison of sinne Who are redemed death and the deuill But Christ hath fully payd the price for vs and that no small price for he hath shed his owne bloud for vs and geuen his life That is sayd to be redemed which before was both free and also pertayned vnto vs. We were the peculiar people of God and through our owne default we were sold vnder sinne This phrase here of the Apostle manifestly declareth how litle we ought to ascribe vnto free will before we be by the redemption of Christ set at liberty And
he haue transgressed his commaundement And if he had beleued him when he threatened death vnto him he would not haue bene so vnaduised to comitte that which was the cause of death And he also if he had loued his neighbour as he was bounde to do woulde not by his transgression haue throwen all his whole posterity into death And if he would haue delt iustly he would in no case haue taken away an other mans fruite which pertayned vnto him These thinges hath Tertullian excellently well noted of the law geuen in paradise vnto the first man and woman And he also affirmeth that after this law succeded that lawe which is called the lawe of nature I will not speake that Noe The law of nature The law geuen vnto Noe. receaued some preceptes which were common vnto all mankind And if God would afterward by Moses more plainly expresse the lawes which he had before geuen there is no cause why the Iewes should contemne the Gētles as though they were left without the lawe For it is most manifest that whē Christ came he did set forth a most perfect explication of the doctrine which was then set abrode amongest all men of all lawes whereby playnly appeareth how fowly The rashnes of the Iewes the Hebrues are deceaued which are so rauished with the loue of theyr owne stocke that they will rather haue God to want of his glory that he should not be the God of all mē nor his prouidēce reach vnto all mē then they will confesse that they alone are not the people whom God hath a care ouer loueth In this Why God is sayd to be the God of some place let vs note that the Apostle bringeth a reasō why God is chiefly called the God of some namely because he iustifieth them For straightway he addeth VVho shall iustify circumcision of fayth and vncircumcision by fayth What is vnderstand by circumcision and vncircumcision we haue elswhere declared they at to be vnderstand by the figure Metonomia so that by the signe Metonomia we must vnderstand those thinges which are by it signified These prepositions of and by in this place signifie one and the selfe same thing They serue to amplifie the matter as in an other place Paule sayd of God All thinges were made of hym and by hym The difference of these prepositions bred sometymes a greeuous contencion betwene the Grekes and the Lattines The Lattines sayd that the holy ghost proceded not only of the father but also of the son On the cōtrary A contenciō of the Grekes the lattines toching the holy ghost the Grekes affirmed that he proceded of the father but by the sonne not of the sonne But after they had long tyme contended they saw that their contencion was only about wordes By these thinges which haue now bene spoken we euidently see that as touching iustification the Gentles are made equall with the Iewes which is a very great comfort vnto vs. Neyther ought we to be any thyng moued that Paule here vseth a verbe of the future tense when he faith Shall iustifye For although in the olde time very many both of the Iewes and of the Gentiles were so iustified yet because that rarely happened and amongst fewe it was counted as not done if we haue a respect vnto the generall benefite which happened after the comming of Christ Neyther is the emphasis or strength of this sentence following to be passed ouer For it is one God vvho shall iustifye c. For thereby is signified that euen as there is but one God so also to iustifye men he will vse but one waye namely By fayth Those thinges which are here spoken ought much to moue vs not to contemne our neighbours For whē we shall cōsider with out selues One God vseth one way to iustefy al men A reason why we◠ought to loue our neighbors An error sprong of the wordes of Paule Woorkes that goe before iustification are excluded not those that follow Why Peter sayd that in Paul are certaine hard thing s. Iames semeth tobe agaynst Paule Conciliation A place of Augustine declared that our God is their God also we cā not but embrace them with a great loue honor beneuolence Neither ought we to flatter our selues touching singular benefites which we haue receaued forasmuch as the holy scriptures do admonishe vs that many are fyrst which shal be last and contrary many last which thalbe fyrst And Augustine in hys booke of 83. questions in hys 66. question admonisheth that this sentence of Paule which is now proued namely that man is iustified without workes of the lawe was peruersly vnderstand of many which thought that men when they beleued and were iustified had no more any nede to liue holily iustly not weighing that Paule here speaketh of works that go before iustificatiō not of those which follow it This indede is true that there go no works before which are the causes why we should be iustified But after we haue once obteined righteousnes it is necessary that good works follow And hereof he saith it came that Peter said that in the epistles of Paul are certaine harde thinges which men would peruerte accordyng to their owne lust Iames also semeth to haue bene led so farre that in a maner he wrote thinges contrary vnto Paule namely That a man is iustified by workes who also required the we should declare our faith by workes Wherunto also Iohn Iudas in their epistles seme to tend But all these things are wel inough neither ar they any thyng repugnant one to the other For Paul speaketh of workes that are done before iustificatiō but Iames speaketh of those workes which ought to follow it These things haue I brought out of the place of Augustine before cited and out of hys booke of faith and workes the 14. chap. Who yet in the 66. question which we haue nowe alleaged hath a certain sentence which must be warely and aptly vnderstanded otherwise it should not be true For he sayth That it is impossible that we shoulde by workes goyng before obteyne iustification but afterward sayth he it is necessarye that they follow so that we remayne in life And if a man beginne to beleue in the last houre of his lyfe whē he shall streight way die he hath nether good works going before nor good workes followyng after but there followeth him onely a righteousnes of fayth and by it he is saued Augustine semeth by those wordes to affirme that it is possible that true fayth which iustifieth may be had without works which in very dede is false For when a manne at the extremitie of death beleeueth it is not possible but that he loueth God and his neighbour and calleth vpon him and is sory for those thinges which he hath before wickedly committed Wherfore these kindes of good workes which at the least haue place in the mynde follow his faith But I
For what sayth the Scripture Abraham beleeued God and it was counted to hym for ryghteousnes VVhat shall we say then The summe of those things which are contayned in this 4. Chapter is deuided into these partes The first is that we must be iustifyed after the selfe same manner that Abraham was iustifyed The seconde that our iustifycation commeth by the imputacion of God The third that it cōsisteth The sum of the things that shall be spoken of in this chapter in the remisson of sinnes In the fourth is set foorth the time wherein Abraham was iustifyed and so is declared that he attayned vnto righteousnes before he had put in vre any woorke of the law namely the worke of circumcision Farther he plainely sheweth that righteousnes is therfore had by fayth that the promise of God mighte be firme and sure Moreouer there is set foorth the example of Abraham and that with an amplification declarynge howe that he considered not hys owne infyrmitye neyther those thinges whyche by nature had bene able to hynder that which God had promised him Lastly is shewed y◠these things were not written for his sake only but also for vs which by faith do follow the steps of the self same father Abrahā Chrisostome bringeth in these things which are here spokē after this maner That it might seme peraduenture to It is an honorable thing to be iustified by fayth The Apostle doth very well in vsing an example some not to be very mete glorious that we should by fayth be iustified witohut works But saith he the matter is far otherwise Because partly we may se how excellent a thing this is for Paul calleth that thing righteousnes which we attayne vnto by faith here declareth that God by this means sheweth forth declareth his goodnes righteousnes and partly bycause Abraham so great a Patriarche was after this maner iustified It is not with out a cause that Paule placeth an example before his other arguments For the thinge that is here chefely sought for is that the truth which is layd before vs might be made manifest and playne And this is the proper vse of examples The dignity of Abraham most manifestly to lay a thing before our eyes And although there were greate plenty of examples yet Paul did choose this example of Abraham because he was both a man of God and also one endued with most excellente vertues because the Hebrues continuallye boasted of him as whome they acknowledge and craked to be the father and prince of theyr kindred And of suche force was his authority amōgst them that the place of the blessed was called the bosome of Of how great a value iustification is Abraham Which name Christ would not haue vsed in his Gospell vnlesse it had bene receaued amongst the commō people Neither ought we to meruayle that the Apostle so diligently and exactly bendeth himselfe to dispute of this iustification For it is not a slight thing nor a matter of small weight but the principall ground of our felicitie wherin if a mā be throughly instructed I dare be bold to say that he shall easely put away all abuses And bycause our aduersaries in it as in the first entry do fowly stumble and erre therefore in other partes of religion also are they most filthily deceaued But in this example this is chiefly to be marked that for as much as in it is entreated of Circumsion and Abraham is sayd to haue bene iustified before he receaued it some suppose that hereby they haue a firme argument that Paul excludeth not all woorkes from iustification but onely ceremonies of the law Vnto whom we answere that Paul therefore in especial reasoned touching these ceremonies for that for them the controuersie happened But yet in the discourse of hys reasoning he mingleth many thinges which cause that the question must of necessitie be taken generally which thing we shall in his place note Wherefore we graunt that the argumentes chiefly tende to that end but yet are they so handled that together he concludeth vniuersally of all workes Farther it is to be noted that in the tyme of Abraham and of the old law for as much as these ceremonies were founded vpon the word of God men were bound no lesse to obey them then the other commaundementes And yet the Apostle affirmeth that by that obedience men were not iustified Wherefore we conclude that those selfe same men could not be iustified by the obseruing of the other cōmaundemētes In this place is deiected the dignitie of good works but not vniuersally Wherfore those thinges which are here spoken ought not to be drawen vnto a loosenes of life and to licentiousnes to sinne but rather are to bee applied vnto the scope and meaning of Paul Paul onely entendeth this thing to shewe that in good workes is not set the cause of our iustification Other praises and commendacions he aboundantly geueth vnto them For it is not to bee thought that by hys doctrine he would bring into contempt the most excellent vertues Paule contemneth not the vertues and good works of Abraham The temptacions and victories of Abraham of a man of such estimation For as the Iewes make mention Abraham was very often tempted and yet neuertheles he continually ouercame God called him out of his land and kinred to lyue as a straunger in the land of Chanaan But there he could not lyue by reason of the famine wherefore hee was constrayned to go downe into Egipt where he was tempted the third tyme when Pharao tooke away hys wyfe from him The fourth temptacion hee suffered when he was compelled to depart from Loth for the auoyding of contencions Finally he was tempted when he made warre agaynst so many kinges and agaynst so victorious an host when as he him selfe had with him but a very few The sixt temptacion was when he being now a very old man was commaunded to receiue Circumcision The seuenth when king Abimelech in Gerara agayne tooke away hys wyfe from him The eight when Agar which had conceaued by him was constrained to flee from Sara who afflicted her greuouslye The ninth when he was compelled to send away his sonne Ismael being nowe of good age together with hys mother The tenth when God required of him to sacrifice vnto him hys onely bogotten sonne Isaack With these other such most excellent workes was Abraham adorned which thinges Paule contemneth not but only sheweth that these were not such that they could be opposed and set agaynst the wrath and iudgement of God so that for theyr sakes he should haue God fauorable and mercifull For in this place is not entreated of the righteousnes which is obtayned by workes which is in vs a quality cleaning vnto vs but only of that righteousnes whereby we are iustified before God The reason of the Apostle may thus be knit together We are iustified after The argument of Paule the same maner that
muche nede not to be brought backe againe to learne their first rudimentes But Lactancius as touching pleasures delightes writeth nothing els but that the earth shall at that time shew forth her fertilenes shall of her owne accord bring forth fruites most plentifully For hony shall run down the rockes vine trées shall spread along the riuers and the flouds shall flow ouer with milke But all these thinges are the inuentions of men and the same such fayned deuises that they are manifestly repugnant vnto the word of God Christ whē he entreateth with the Saduces concernyng the resurrection affirmeth that the sayntes shall be like the aungels of God as which shall neyther marry wyues nor be married And Paul when vnto the Thessalonians he setteth forth the history of our resurrection maketh no mencion of such trifles This onely he saith That we shall not preuent those which haue slept in the Lord but shall be taken vp together wyth them to mete Christ in the ayre and so shall alwaies be with the Lord. Farther our sauiour hath testified that hys kingdome is not of this world And Paule to the Corinthians sayth That we after the resurrection shall be spirituall and also that the belly and meates shall bee destroyed And to the Rom. he sayth that the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke In the booke of the Apoc. a thousād yeres are taken for a long tyme as he sayth That he would haue hys myracles testified A place of the Apocalipse vnto a thousand generatiōs the is for euer So y◠number of an hundreth signifieth an absolute reward For so Christ saith that he would rēder an hundreth fold to those which forsake all that they haue for hys sake And oftētimes in y◠holy scriptures a nūber certain is put for a nūber vncertain infinit And wher as it is written in the Apoc. y◠the deuil shal be bound for a M. yeres Augustine referreth y◠to the state of this presēt tyme wherin by the benefite of Christ that strong man is so vnarmed and ouercome and spoyled that he cannot seduce the elect vnto destruction And the table of Christ at which the sayntes shall eate and drinke Ambrose vpon Luke interpreteth to be the communication of eternall lyfe and of the chiefe felicitie The prophets also oftentimes vsed similitudes taken of kingdomes of this world to describe the kingdome of Christ that the ruder sorte mought the easelier vnderstand the things that were spoken And as touchyng this matter let this suffice Forasmuch as Paul sayth that the promise consisteth not of the law but of faith and bringeth this reason for y◠otherwise both the promise should be voyde faith made of none effect a man mought doubt if there be so small agréement betwene the promise and the law how it came to passe that God vnto his law and precepts annexed so many promises For he hath promised to doo good vnto a thousand Why God annexed promises vnto the law A distinctiō of promises some pertayne vnto the law and some to the Gospell generations of them that obserue his law and to geue long life to them that honor theyr parents And Christ himself sayth If thou wilt enter into life kepe the commaundementes Geue and it shall be geuen vnto you forgeue and it shall be forgeuen you Here we muste make a distinction of promises For some of thē pertaine to the Gospel concerne iustification eternall saluation These thinges de pende not of the condition of the lawe as Paul testifieth For then shoulde they be voyde for as much as none of vs is able to accomplish the law and that partly by reason of our infirmity and partly by reason of the wonderfull excellency of the law it self Our infirmity Paul declareth in this epistle when he saith That which was impossible vnto the law in as much as it was weakned through the flesh c. Wherby it is manifest y◠the flesh is the let y◠we cā not perform those things which are cōmaūded in y◠law And in the 7. chapt he sayth that in our flesh dwelleth no good so that we doo those thinges which we would not And the excellēcy of the law is vnderstanded by the 5. 6 7. chapters of Mathew and especially by that precept Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God withall thyne hart and with all thy soule c. And one the other side Thou shalt not lust And Paul ioyned these two causes together when in the 7. chapter of this epistle he sayd The law indede is spirituall but I 〈◊〉 carnall sold vnder sinne This is the reason why the promise of the Gospell consisteth not of the law which thing also Paul expressed in that that he sayth that the law worketh anger But there are other promises annexed vnto the law and to certayne perticular commaundemēts and those we say are not put in vaine For after that a man is once iustified there beginneth in him a certayne obedience of the commaundements of God and the same pleaseth God which obedience although it be not absolute and perfect yet is it so imputed vnto the beleuers as if it were perfect by that meanes we obteyne the promises annexed The beleuers obtain the promises annexed vnto the 〈…〉 w. vnto the commaundementes whiche yet should in vaine be hoped for without iustification and the promise of the Gospel And this is a notable place and worthy neuer to slip out of our memory That the promise consisteth not of the law And if any man will by the law vnderstand ceremonies straightway ought to be layde agaynst hym those thinges which follow the lawe worketh anger and this that the promise shoulde be firme In which places is most manifestly declared that the law is not to be vnderstād only of ceremonies but also of the morall part For by neglecting or not obseruing it we fall into the wrath of God Although there are some which go about rifltingly to auoyde the strength of this reason For they say if the inheritance shoulde consist of ceremonies the A cauillation againste the reason of Paule promise should be vncertayne For those ceremonies were not common vnto the Gentiles vnto whome yet was promised saluation Wherefore at the least as touching the Gentiles fayth shoulde be vncertayne and also the promyse But if it were so the argument of the Apostle should be absurde for the aduersaryes and the false Apostles would haue sayde therefore to the ende the promise shoulde not be vncertayne let the Gentiles also receaue the ceremonyes And so Paule should haue vsed that fallace which is called peticio principii and shoulde haue taken that as a ground which he shoulde first haue proued namely that the Gentiles ought not to be compelled vnto ceremonyes But they are most manifestly confuted by that that is added that the lawe worketh anger Which thinge vndoubtedly agreeth rather with morall preceptes then with ceremoniall The Apostle
moughte haue proued his argument by that which we haue a litle before made mencion of that none of vs is able to kepe the law But he omitteth that at this present And to conclude the more euidently he addeth that the lawe worketh anger As if he shoulde haue sayde So farre is it of that the lawe bringeth the inheritance that it rather maketh vs guilty and subiect vnto the wrath of God And if thou demaund why the law doth in such sort bring vnto vs anger we may answere because we are not able to kepe it For by anger Paule vnderstandeth nothing els but the vengeance of God and that by the figure Metonymia For men when they are angry are accustomed to auenge whiche thinge God also doth although he be not moued with humane affections This selfe same thinge hath Paule to the Galathyans in other words expressed saying Cursed be he that abideth not in all the thinges that are written in the boke of the law And a curse in the holy scriptures signifieth nothing els but calamity affliction and misery I meruayle that Origen vnderstandeth this saying of Paule of the lawe of the members for that vndoubtedly is to farre wide from the purpose For the Iewes gloried not of the concupiscence which was in them by nature which is called of Paul the lawe of the members but they boasted of the lawe of God which was geuen them of God by Moses Wherefore that the Apostle mought with some fruite deale agaynst them it behoued him to write of that lawe whereof they boasted Howbeit by Origenes wordes our aduersaryes may see what he thought of naturall concupisence Vndoubtedly seing he sayth it worketh anger it followeth that he iudged that the first motions which are deriued out of it are of necessity sinnes and transgressions I know there haue bene some which haue taken anger in this place not for the anger of God but for our owne anger For forasmuch as we are by nature prone vnto vices and the lawe when it commeth forbiddeth them we beginne to hate God the author of the lawe and so it worketh in vs anger But the first exposition is bothe plainer and also better agréeth with the sentence followyng For where no law is there is no transgression By these wordes it is manifest that the Apostlement to signifis this that the wrath of GOD is kindled against transgressions But how transgression is brought in by the law the nature How the law and transgression follow one the other of relatiues teacheth which is such that the one of them beyng taken away the other also is taken away On the one side is put the law on the other side is set eyther the obseruation or transgression therof And forasmuch as the obseruation of the law can not be perfect there remayneth onely transgressiō which Paul in this place inferreth But those thinges which are here spoken are to be vnderstande of the law written and whiche was geuen by Moses For otherwise there is none which wanteth a law at the least vndoubtedly the law of nature Wherfore there can none be found without sinne no not an infant of a day olde when as vnto him the image of God is in stede of a law vnto which image for that he answereth not The law of children is the image of God as Augustine declareth in his booke of confessions vndoubtedly he can not be with out sinne As touching the letter the Greke worde worde is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with aspiration so it is turned in Latine cuius that is of whome But the vulger interpreter séemeth to haue red 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and therfore turned it vbi that is where But as touching the sence there is no difference whether it be this or that Howbeit let vs not thinke that these thinges are to be ascribed vnto the lawe as it is taken by it selfe alone The law of his owne nature worketh not these things A similitude but as it lighteth vppon our mynde being corrupt and vitiate We haue of thys thing an example although grosse in gonne pouder wherwith is mingled either salt nitre or salt peter which is by nature very cold And thereof it commeth that when the fire is receiued in the brimstone against which striueth the coldnes of the salt nitre or of the salt peter it conceiueth so great a violence that the pellet beyng driuen out with an incredible force shaketh and ouerthroweth whatsoeuer is in the way So the heate of our lust when it findeth the law repugnaunt agaynst it is with a greater violēce strēgthned so that it enforceth men to most haynous wycked actes For as the common saying is We endeuour our selues to that whiche is forbidden vs and we haue alwayes a desire to thinges denied vs. Howbeit to the godly and to the elect this force of the law is not vnprofitable For it leadeth them euen as a scholemaister vnto Christ And for that cause Christ is iustly and worthely called the ende of the law not for that the law is by him abrogated but bicause it directeth men vnto him Finally Christ hath performed and accomplished y◠law Christ the end of the law not onely in himselfe but also in them that beleue in hym for he hath geuen them strengthes to obey it Neyther is it any maruell that the law bryngeth men vnto Christ especially seyng he himself was the author therof For by the Sonne it was Christ the author of the law reuealed vnto Moses And for this ende he gaue it by it to drawe men vnto hym Here are we admonished of the peruersenes of our nature whiche is so greate that although we be taughte the wyll of GOD by the lawe yet we neuer cease to striue agaynste it Some goe aboute by this place to inferre that they do ill whiche set for the lawes especiallye seyng they serue verye muche to increase Whether it be lawfull to make lawes transgressions But if their argument were of any strengthe then shoulde they inferre that GOD also oughte not to haue made any lawe Wherefore we say that those lawes whiche are made are either iust or vniust If they be vniust then are they not to be counted for lawes For who will call the violent affectes of tyrantes lawes But if they be iust then are they interpretations of the lawes of God And by them we vnderstande the will of God that by that meanes we Good lawes are interpretacions of the lawes of God Names attributed vnto the law may be broughte to Christe that by him we may obteine strengthes to do them This selfe same sentence also is had in the epistle to the Galathians That the lawe was put because of transgressions namely to shew forth thē to accuse them to condemne them So in the latter epistle to the Corinthians the law is called the ministery of deathe and in the first to the Cor. it is called the power efficacy of sinne
And before in this epistle by the law is said to come the knowledge of sinne Wherfore a man may not without iust cause meruaile what moued Paul to write so like things so oftentymes of the lawe But we oughte to consider that it is moste What was Paules entente when he wrote of the law lykely that in the primitiue church when Christ beganne euery where to be receued the deuill craftely inuented an other new deuise to extol the law by all manner of meanes that it mought be had in estimation not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentles that in the mean time Christian religion mought be weakened and cleane taken away And he blinded the eyes of men that none should haue an eye vpon Christ which was the end of the law And lest any man should by often reading of the law attaine to any commoditie he found the meanes that mē gaue themselues to brawling about wordes and old wiues questions Wherefore Paul was brought to this point that either he must reiect the lawe of God or els haue wincked at the lettes of the Gospell Wherfore by great aduise he teacheth thrée thinges For first considering the law of God by it self and in his owns nature he with worthy praises extolleth it and therewithall sheweth what euils by it come vnto vs thorough our owne default Secondly he teacheth that Christ is the ende of the law last of al he cutteth of brawlings contencions disputations and vnprofitable questions and which make nothyng to the purpose These self same things in a maner happen also in our tymes Our aduersaries cry out Good workes good workes as though we were agaynst them Farther they wyll not that the people As the false Apostles pretended the defence of the law so do our aduersaries now pretend the defence of good works What we must teache concerning good woorkes What they are that are the instrumentes of the deuell should vnderstād the mercy grace of God benefite of Christ Lastly they continually braule contend to hinder the iust reformation of the church so continually prolong the tyme to the ende nothyng shoulde be put in execution But let vs learne of Paul how we may warely and wisely resist them Let vs leaue vnto good workes their dignitie but yet not in such sorte to attribute more vnto them then either the truth and holy scriptures will suffer or els is agreable with our weake nature Farther let vs as plainly as we can out of the holy scriptures declare the grace of God and benefite of Christ Lastly let vs abstayne from superfluous and contentious questions By these wayes and meanes may we well withstand the deuill Neither doth the diuell these things by himselfe but alwayes findeth instrumentes apte for his wicked purpose whome Paule calleth deceitfull workers which transforme themselues into aungels of light and euery where sowe discordes and offences bewitching mē that are in the ryght course and leadyng men from Christ to estimation of themselues He calleth them moreouer thynges cut of dogges enemies of the crosse of Christ whose God is the belly and end destruction which wyll be teachers of the law and yet in the meane tyme know not what they affirme and speake whiche by a fayned modesty and affliction of the flesh and worshippyng of angels and religion of themselues deuised take away from men the reward of saluation which after they haue fallen away from the loue which procedeth from a pure hart a good conscience and an vnfeined faith turne themselues to vayne speaches and range and creepe abrode like a canker which although in wordes they say they know God yet in dedes they deny hym With these coulours doth the Apostle paint forth false ministers against whome he had muche to do Vnto whome they are not vnlike which in our dayes withstand the restoryng of religion Hitherto he hath vsed reasons ab absurdo that is driuing to an absurditie If the inheritaunce should consist of the law then should faith be vayne and the promise of none effect and to affirme either of them were very absurd His argument he hereby proued for that the law worketh anger and is alwayes ioyned with some transgression Now he proueth by a direct reason that the inheritaunce consisteth of faith namely that it might be of grace to the ende the promise should be firme As if he should haue sayd it behoueth that the nature of Gods promises be kept For such is the nature thereof that it be certayne and come fréely But it can not be certayne and come fréely vnlesse we be made heyres by fayth and not by the lawe Therfore is the inheritaunce geuen by fayth that it might come by grace and that the promise might be firme to all the sede not to that onely which is of the law but also to that which is of the fayth of Abraham who is the father of vs all as it is written I haue made thee a father of many nations accordyng to the example of God whome he beleued who restoreth to lyfe the dead and calleth those thinges which are not as though they were Whiche aboue hope beleued vnder hope that he should be the father of many nations accordyng to that which was spoken vnto hym So shall thy seede be And he not weake in fayth considered not his owne body which was now dead beyng almost an hundreth yeare olde neyther the deadnes of Saraes wombe Neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeliefe but was strengthned in faythe gaue glory to God beyng full assured that he which had promised was also able to do it And therefore it was imputed vnto hym for righteousnes Therfore is the inheritaunce geuen by faith By this place we sée that to To haue a thing by fayth is to haue it freely attaine to any thing by faith is with Paul nothing els but to haue it fréely Wherfore it ought not to seme meruailous that we haue oftētimes inculcated that to be iustified by fayth is to be vnderstande of the obiect of fayth that is of the mercy and promise that we may be iustified fréely Chrisostome sayth if the promise should come of the law we should not nede that saluation which we obteyne by fayth and grace But In Abrahā a double posterity now where as the Apostle saith that the promise oughte to be firme vnto all the sede of Abraham that ought to be vnderstanded both of the Iewes and also of the Gentles as though in Abraham were a double posteritie And this is chiefly to be noted which here is alleaged of the certaintie of the promise For that may not either be wauerynge or doubtfull For that whyche we apprehende by fayth Besides the holy scriptures there is nothing that can wyth a true fayth be beleued He declareth that whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne oughte to be certayne Whiche is onely the worde of GOD whereunto onelye faith ought to leane
forasmuch as it maketh not ashamed but remouing all doubt attaineth to God which is our chiefe felicitye is fastened to him as of the laste linke of the chayne the highest and chiefest This selfe same propriety of Not confounding beloÌ„geth to fayth also For none that beleueth in hym shall be confounded And that not without cause For what can be of more nere affinity vnto fayth then hope The Lattine interpreter Hope and faith haue one and the selfe same propriety not to make ashamed A figuratiue speach turneth it Non confundit that is confoundeth not Howbeit it mought be more properly turned Non pudefacit that is maketh not ashamed And it is a figuratiue kind of spech For Pauls mind was to signifie that the godly can not be frustrated of their hope for they whiche are frustrated namely when thinges fall out farre otherwyse then they hoped for commonly are ashamed Wherefore Paul by shame vnderstandeth frustration because shame alwayes followeth it But the Lattine interpreter had a regarde to that perturbation of the mynde whiche followeth shame For to confounde is nothinge els but to perturbe or to trouble Now if this sentence be true as in deede it is moste true namelye that this hope confoundeth Hope dependeth not of our works Hope is most assured not it followeth that it dependeth not of our woorkes For otherwise it shoulde oftentymes fayle But that it is true and certayne Paul declareth not by one word only but by thrée and those of great efficacy For first he vseth this word knowing which betokeneth an assured knowledge of a thing He maketh mencion also of reioycing which can not haue place with godly and wise men but of those good thinges which they assuredly and firmely possesse At the last he addeth that hope confoundeth not And it is not without cause that he oftentymes induceth perswasions of this certainty for that thereheÌ„se chiefly is consolation to be sought for in afflictions When Christ hong vpon the crosse the wicked rayled agaynst him saying he hoped in God let him saue him if he will haue him Let him come downe from the crosse c. The selfe same thinges Remedy agaynst rayling speaches Hope depeÌ„deth not of merites are layd agaynst vs not only by outward enemyes but also by our fleshe and outward senses and humane wisedome How can we resist these but by thys doctrine of the Apostle hope confoundeth not the hope which we haue put in the Lord maketh not ashamed The Sophisters by this place contend to proue that hope springeth of merites because Paul sayth it springeth of putieÌ„ceâ—as though we should thinke that hope is geuen vnto vs by the merite of pacience But in the meane tyme they marke not that those thinges which Paul here by a certayne order disposeth ar not so compared the one to the other as causes and effectes For who will say that afflictions are the cause of pacience and if it be not so why should they more affirme that pacience is the cause of hope The scripture most playnly teacheth that he which putteth confidence in man or in any creature is accursed for a man of whose promise we depend assure our selues may ether dye or alter hys mynd or also be letted that he can not fayth fully perform that which he promised And to put confidence either by cause of merites or by reasoÌ„ of works is to put hope in man Wherfore such hope worthely maketh ashamed but yâ— hope which is fixed vpon God is certaine neyther caÌ„ be deceaued The Sophisters go about craftely to auoyd this senteÌ„ce by two places of Paul the one to the Romanes the other to Timothe The place to Timothe is thus I know whome I haue beleued and I am assured But the other to the Romanes is thus I am assured that nether death nor life nor angels c. By these places they thinke is ouerthrowne our sentence for that they thinke that these wordes are to be vnderstand not vniuersally of all beleuers but only of Paul and such other like which had a peculiar reuelation that they shoulde obtayne saluation But these their enterprises are in dayne For here is now entreated Here is in treated of the nature of hope generally of the nature and proprlety of hope whereby is manifestly proued that al they which are endewed with it are sure of their saluation so that they must nedes confesse that they which doubt of their saluation ether haue not yâ— hope which longeth to a Christian or els if they haue that hope they must nedes be assured He which doubteth of saluation hath not the hope that longeth to a Christian of their saluation But if a man shall say what if I shall be vnworthy and therefore God will not bestowe vpon me the chiefe reward I answere that this is a wrastling of the conscience and is to be ouercome by an assured hope For the obtaynning whereof we must clene fast vnto the word of God Such as is this God is faythfull which will not suffer you to be tempted aboue your power but will together with the temptacion make away out such like places of the holy scripture wherein God promiseth that he will geue perseuerance to hys vnto the ende And to speake briefely the hope of the godly leneth only vnto the goodnes power and mercy of the only God This thing Basilius vnderstood right wel in his exposition vpon the 32. Psalme when he interpreteth these words hoping in his mercy He sayth he which putteth not confidence in his owne proper deedes nether hopeth to be iustified by workes hath his hope of saluation onlye in the mercy of God For when he shall consider these thinges with himselfe Beholde God and his rewarde c. But the schole men haue tought farre otherwise For the Maister of the sentences in the thirde booke thus defineth hope Hope is an assured expectacion of the blessednes to come comming of the grace of God and of merites going before Which definition how absurd it is especially as touching the latter part it is very manifest in those which are newly from most hainous filthy sinnes conuerted vnto Christ For they vndoubtedly can haue no good merites for that before they wanted charitie from which all our workes procede yet They which are conuâ—rted vnto Christ want not hope although they want works and merites They which are most wicked ought not to caste away all hope there can be nothing more certaine then yâ— they which are conuerted vnto Christ cannot be without hope Yea Augustine vpon the Psalm From the depthe haue I called vnto the Lorde exhorteth them that fall and those which liue in the depth of euils not to cast away hope and that by the example of the thiefe and of many others It may now be demaunded of them by what merites hope is confirmed in these meÌ„ They customably answere that merites do not alwayes go before hope but alwayes
go before the thing hoped for And they so declare their opinion touching this matter that they teach yâ— merites go before hope either in very dede or doubtles in thought For men newly conuerted commonly whilest they conceiue hope of saluation appoint in minde in thought good workes by which they thinke to merite the last reward But what present hope can these good works imagined in yâ— mind which are not yet wrought produce For of a cause which yet is not caâ— not be produced an effect which alredy is We should rather contrariwise affirme namelye that this holye will springeth of faith and of hope then that faith or hope should procede from it as from the cause But it is a sport to sée how these meÌ„ turn themselues when on the one side they say that hope is an assured expectation and yet on the other side they will haue this to be a most firme doctrine that no man can be assured of his saluation vnlesse it be singulerly reueled vnto hym of GOD. Here they perceiue themselues fast tied and they confesse that it is an harde matter to vnderstande what manner of certaintie the certaintie of hope is Here the poore soules swete and go to worke and faine and imagine many thinges First The certainty of hope commeth of the certainty of fayth they teache that all certaintie of hope commeth of the certaintie of fayth and this in dede is not amisse For therfore we certainly hope bicause by saith we embrace the most certain promise of God But they go on farther and say that by faith we generally and absolutely beleue that all the electe and predestinate shall be saued but hope maketh vs to haue confidence that we are of the number of the electe as though hope had a perticuler knowledge vnder faith so that that which was generally apprehended by faith is by hope applied vnto euery one of vs a parte Wherfore they affirme that this certaintie of hope is by supposition if we be of the number of the elect and if we continue vnto the ende And this kinde of certaintye they will haue to consist of very likely coniectures And at the length they conclude that the certaintie of hope is lesser then the certaintie of faith But we contrariwise make the certaintie of either of them alike For looke how much faith we haue so The certainty of hope and of fayth is alike much hope also haue we For faith retaineth not with it self any part of certainty which it deliuereth not ouer vnto hope That is a fayned fond deuise which they bring touching applicatioÌ„ yâ— by hope we shuld priuately aply vnto our selues those things which we haue by faith generally and absolutely beleued For we do not only beleue that God is good or the father or author of mans felicitie but also euery godly man by faith assureth himselfe that God both is will be vnto him good is will be vnto him a father is and will be vnto him the author of felicitie Hereof Faith applieth those thinges which it beleueth vnto him in whom it is commeth that certaintie of hope And therfore is it that Paul writeth that it can not confound And seing faith hath a respect vnto God as to one that speaketh the truth and hope vnto him as to one that is faithfull and most redy to performe his promises and God himselfe is no lesse faithfull in performing then true in promising we may manifestly conclude that hope hath as much certaintie as hath faith Neither can that any thing helpe him which they cauill at the length namely yâ— Certaintye as touching the obiect subiect hope hath certaintie as touching the obiect but not as touching the subiect For when say they it hath a respect vnto the clemency goodnes grace and power of God there is no let in those thinges but that euery one might be saued And therfore on that behalfe they put a perfect certaintie But if a man consider the subiect the mynd I say and will of him that hopeth for as much as this minde and wyll is flexible and wauereth and may be chaunged it can neuer be certaine or sure of saluation But these men seme to me to deale euen as they do which in a siege defending their citie diligently shut and defend all other gates but yet in the meane tyme leaue one open thorough which the enemies enter in and waste and spoyle all which done they perceiue that they lost all their labour So these men take exceding great paines that there should séeme to be no vncertaintie as touching the goodnes power and clemency of God or merite of Christ Howbeit in the meane tyme they appoint our will to be so subiect vnto chaunging that it neither can nor ought promise vnto it selfe perseueraunce no not out of the worde of God And so they vtterly take away all certaintie so that this saying of Paul Hope confoundeth not can haue no place neither doth the certainty which they go about to establish any thinge profite For if we looke vpon the holy scriptures we shall not only vnderstand that God is generally good and mighty but also that he is euer vnto vâ— good and mercifull and therefore he will confirme our will that it shall neuer fâ—ll away from hym For as we haue a little before mencioned He will not suffer vs to be tempted aboue that which we are able to beare but together with the temptation will make away out And in the first chapter of the first to the Corrinthians He shall confirme you vnto the ende blameles agaynst the day of our Lord Iesus Christ For God is fayhfull by whome ye are called There are besides a great many other testimonies The testimonies of God promise vnto vs perseuerance What the certainty of hope is Hope calleth those thinges which are to comâ— as alredy done in the holy scriptures which promise vnto vs both perseuerance and confirmation of our will by Christ wherefore we say that this certaynty of hope is a firme cleauing vnto the promyses offred vnto vs and receaued by fayth for that we knowe that we shall not geue ouer but continue euen vnto the last ende And of so greate force is this hope that as Augustine witnesseth vnto Dardanus and in many other places it calleth thynges that are to come already done as the same Augustine very well declareth by many places of Saynte Paule and especially vnto the Romanes vnto the Ephesians and vnto the Collossians For vnto the Ephesians we are sayde to be already rysen from the deade and to be already set at the right hande of God together with Christ in the heauenly places Vnto the Colossians If ye haue risen together with Christ c. And in an other place He hath saued vs by the lauacre of regeneration And vnto the Romanes By hope we are made safe This certainty springeth chiefely of a worthy estimation which by fayth we conceaue
dye for others which thing yet very rarely happened the thyng They which seme to dye for others dye for their owne sake being well considered may be sayd to haue died for their owne sake and not for any other mans sake Either for y◠they would winne glory or els for that they saw that all thinges went against them and not being able to abide that they chose rather to die But how farre the Decians and Curtians and suche other like were distant from the pure loue of Christ may be declared by many argumēts The death of the Curtians and of the Decians far inferior to the death of Christ For first they were not of that dignity that they should be compared with Christ wherfore their life which they gaue was not of like valew Farther woulde they or nilde they they should at one time or other haue died and peraduenture euen the selfe same tyme when the host was like to haue bene vanquished of the enemies But when death hangeth ouer mens heds it commonly maketh them the more fierce and bold as we read of Solon for he when he had raysed vp the citizens against the Tyranne Pisistratus beyng demaunded what thyng made him so bold alone aboue others to take vpon him such an enterprise answered his olde age For when he saw that he should within a while afterwarde dye he easely perswaded himself willingly to dye for his country sake but Christ not beyng obnoxious to death and yet for our sakes geuing himself vnto the death declared himselfe a much greater loue towards vs then they did towards their country Farther they died for their coūtry which was swete vnto thē for their wiues for their children for their lawes but Christ would be slain for weake persōs for sinners for enemies Before thē was set glory for whē they in such sort died they were an admiratiō to all mē wer publikely highly cōmended praised but Christ died a most vile death so y◠also he was reckened amongest thieues when as otherwise he was of all men the most innocentest Last of all they when they died had no consideration of God but Christ whatsoeuer he did did it of an obedience toward the eternall God his father Wherefore whether we looke vpon our selues or vpon Christ which suffred we can fynde no cause of his death but the meare loue of God towardes vs for we were so miserable and paste grace that we coulde by no merite of ours allure God to loue vs. Further Christ was so perfect and so heaped vp with all maner of felicity that he had no nede of that death thereby to attayne the more commodity What a pure loue is And that is counted a singular and pure loue which nether followeth his owne commodities nor is after a sort violently drawen of the worthynes of the thing it selfe And herein vndoubtedly Christ hath excellently well resembled his father and declared himselfe to be the sonne of God For he rayneth vpon the iust the vniust graunteth life doth good to men that are contumelious agaynst How much Christ excelled the Philosophers him and as Iohn sayth loued vs first Some of the Ethnike philosophers thought that they had done a very great acte when they were not moued with iniuries and for that cause they were counted like vnto God but Christ farre excelled thē For he was not only not agaynst wicked ones his enemies but also loued them and so loued them that he gaue his life for them Wherefore forasmuch as God is constant nether will easely chaunge hys will and seing that he hath geuen vnto vs so much vndoubtedly he will afterward geue greater thinges and seing that he hath once begonne to be beneficiall vnto vs he will not ceasse of vntill he haue adorned vs with all maner of benefites He hath God is hetherto foūr faythfull in his promises bene found faithfull in many promises he promised to take vpon him humane fleshe he tooke it to preach the Gospell he preached it To dye for our saluation he died To rise agayne from the dead he rose agayne To ascende vp into heauen he ascended vp To geue the holy ghost he gaue it To cal the Gentles he hath called them What is now behynde but the last resurrection and euerlasting glory to be rēdred vnto the faythfull Vndoubtedly if he haue faythfully performed all other thinges he will not in this one thing which is remaining breake hys fayth There were two thinges to be done saith Chrisostome which semed very hard namely that sinners should be iustified and that the Lord should dye for thē And forasmuch as both these things are now done the thinges which are remayning shall vndoubtedly be performed And Ambrose saith that the thinges which are remaining to be done are now made very easy And where as Paul sayth According to the time It may be referred vnto the death of Christ which happened not at euery tyme but at a tyme certayne opportune and appointed of God For if all thinges haue their appoynted tyme much more is the same to be affirmed of the death of Christ Wherfore Paul saith y◠he was geuen whē now was come the fulnes of time And Christ many times said either that his houre was now come or that it was not yet come That particle also may be added to that which is sayd that we were weake namely as the consideration of the tyme required For when we were strangers from Christ we lyued a weake life which yet is not so to be taken as though the consideration of the tyme coulde excuse that infirmitye For tyme vndoubtedly brought not that infirmity vnto vs for men were rather made weake by their owne transgression Although Ambrose vnderstand those wordes According to the tyme of the three dayes wherein Christ lay deade in the sepulchre But it skilleth not much which of these three interpretations a man followe But chiefely by these wordes of the Apostle we ought to consider what estate they are in which are not yet regenerate nor made partakers of the death of Christ For Paul pronounceth them to be weake sinners enemies and wicked men Where then ran What is the estate of those that are not regenerate Against workes preparatory these workes of preparation haue place for which our aduersaries make so muche ado But these men dreame I know not of what middle state wherein men lyue not altogether godly nor vtterly vngodly Amongest which kinde of men they recken Cornelius the Centurion whose almes were gratefull and acceptable and his prayers heard of the Lord when as yet he beleued not in Christ But as touchyng him if as these mē say he were not yet a pertaker of the death of Christ nor by any means regenerate vndoubtedly by the testimony of Paul he was both an enemy of God and an vngodly person and therfore neither he himself nor his works could be acceptable vnto God
excellent estate or condition but also as it is written vnto the Hebrues Do tread vnder foote the sonne of God and do pollute his blood which was shed for them By this place also we are taught to loue our enemies not after the common maner as when men say yâ— they wishe wel vnto theyr enemy it is inough they thinke if they hate him not but yet in the meane time they will take no paynes ether to bring him to amendment or to saluation And which is more haynous they are not onely not beneficyall towardes theyr enemies but also through theyr sluggishnes they suffer theyr weake bretherne to perish they winke at theyr sinnes nether vse they any admonitions or reprehensions that they might be amended There are besides infinite other instructions which The loue of God most plentifully teacheth vs many thinges the loue of God teacheth vs. For we haue no booke stuffed with more plentifull doctrine then the death of Christ whiche if we diligentlye examine we shall be tought in a maner al dueties necessary vnto saluation Lastlye is to be noted that these thinges which Paul in this place meÌ„cioneth are had although indede more briefly yet fully inoughe in the 6. chapter of the Gospell of Iohn So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten sonnes that euery one that beleueth in him should not perish Here also we heare that through the loue of God the sonne was deliuered for vs. And whereas Paule sayth enemies vveake vngodly sinners the same hath the Euangelist signified by this one word vvorld And whereas Paul sayth That thorough him vve are iustified recoÌ„ciled and shal be saued from vvrath that hath the Euangelist expressed in these wordes That he vvhich beleueth in him should not perishe And not only this but vve also reioyce in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by vvhome vve haue novv obtayned the reconciliation This was the third part which the Apostle vsed in making mencion of the benefite of Christ after that he had both layd him forth before vs and also by amplification as it was mete commended him vnto vs. Wherefore Paul sayth that so great is the gift of God that thereof we excedingly reioyce We are not only sayth he certayne that we shall be saued but also we reioyce not in our selues but in God not through our workes but through Iesus Christ by whome we haue obtayned reconciliation When he sayth that we reioyce of this benefite of God he priuely reproueth those which counted it a thinge full of shame to professe Christian religion or to wayte for saluation at the handes of a man crucified and put to a most shamefull death Herein sayth Paul is nothing vile or whereof we should be ashamed yea rather all thinges are most honorable and full of great dignity For here we can looke vpon nothing which testefieth not Reioysinge is opposed to filthines shame vnto vs the singular loue of God towards vs. This sentence of Paul agréeth very well with these words of Ieremy in the 9. chapter Let not the wise man reioyce in his wisedome nor the mighty man in his might nor the rich man in his riches but he which reioyseth let him reioyce in this that he knoweth and vnderstandeth me which What our reioysing is worke mercy righteousnes and iudgement and loue these thinges in the earth The prophet meaneth the selfe same thing that Paul doth namely that no man should reioyce ether for the good thinges of the mynde or of the body or of fortune but only let him reioyce of this that he knoweth the Lord. And the vnmeasurable loue of God can by no other thing be better or clearlyer vnderstand then by the death of Christ This is our fayth this is the chiefest knowledge that we can haue of the goodnes of God Hereby we vnderstand that God hath wrought By the death of Christ is God chiefly knowne mercy when he would by this meanes redeme vs to haue wrought iudgemeÌ„t and righteousnes wheÌ„ as he would not suffer our sinnes to escape vnpunished but hath so seuerely auenged them in Christ But because our fayth ought not to be idle but to repay agayne the selfe same thinges that we haue receaued of Christ therefore the Prophet addeth that God both loueth and requireth the selfe same thinges in the earth that is in vs. VVe reioyce sayth Paul and also the prophete in the knowledge fayth of so great a gift bestowed vpoÌ„ vs by God But they reioyce not which coldly weigh these thinges but they which feale them inwardly in the mynde and so feele them that they are ernestly affected This is to reioyce in the Lord and not in our owne workes Wherefore that which Paul before sayd that the elect reioyce in tribulations herehence dependeth for we Why we reioyce in afflictions do not reioyce of the afflictions as they are of themselues but for that we feele by them that God loueth vs. Last of all our glory herein consisteth that we haue gotten God himselfe to loue vs and to be our father then which felicitye could nothing haue happened vnto vs more to be desired Nether is this to be passed ouer that Ambrose hath noted vpon this place that we ought not only to geue thankes vnto God for the saluation and security which we haue receaued but also that we reioyce in God through Iesus Christ By which words Ambrose avoucheth the security of saluation we gather that he asserteth the security of saluation as well as we to the ende our reioysing mought be concerning such thinges as we haue now assuredly in our hands Farther also hereby it most euidently appeareth that those words of the Apostle which he before spake That the loue of God is shed abroade into our hartes are to be vnderstand of that loue wherewith God loueth vs. For of that loue this sure token we haue in that God hath geuen his son vnto vs. Farther the Apostle entending to make vs certayne of our saluation and to confirme vs in our hope coulde take no argument at all of our loue towardes God for our loue is alwayes mayned and vnperfect And therefore if a mans hope were doubtfull and vncertayne and should by this meanes be confirmed and willed to be of good cheare for that he beareth a loue towardes God he mought answere straight way that he for that cause most of all doubteth for that he seeth his loue to be weake and colde and that he loueth not God so much as he ought to do and by that occasion he can not attayne to so greate a rewarde Wherefore Paul hath appoynted an other way and confirmeth our hope by the gift of God And he thought it not sufficient simply thus to say but excellently amplifieth it by the contraries and opposites Out of this fountayne are to be Wherâ—heÌ„ce are to be sought consolations in afflictions sought consolations for the afflicted when by reason of
the knowledge of sinne And this knowledge he sayth is had by the lawe and that sinne was both before the lawe and after the law but it gréeued not all men after one and the selfe same maner for before the lawe was geuen sinne was not knowen but after it was geuen it began to be knowen By these wordes is most manifestly gathered that the lawe had not this force to take away sinne out of the world but was for this cause geuen to shew sinne The Apostle semeth to speake these thinges by preuention for a little before he had sayd for that all men haue sinned which mought haue bene iudged vntrue especially seing the same Paul sayd Where no lawe is there is no transgression For sinne is whatsoeuer disagréeth from the rule of the law Wherefore he answereth that sinne was indéede before the lawe but it was not then imputed And by the lawe he vnderstandeth the lawe of Moses For They which liued before Moses time were not vtterly without a law The institution of man was a certaine law The law geuen of God by Moses reproueth all kindes of sinnes nether were they which liued before Moses tyme vtterly without a lawe for they had the light of nature and reasons in their conscience accusing and defending one an other as we haue before red in the second chapter Also the very institution of man whereby he was bound to resemble the image of God was a certayne lawe For when he departed from that Image vndoubtedly he sinned and this lawe extended so farre that it also included the very infantes But when by reason that our corruption grew of more force these things were obfuscated God of his wonderfull great mercy gaue a lawe whereby mought be reproued all kinds of sinnes Wherefore we ought with all dilligence to looke vpon it vnles we will be ignorant of our selues Which euen the Philosophers abhorred as a thing most euill For otherwise we are of our owne nature so framed that when our sinnes are layd before vs we laboure not so much to amende them as to excuse to extenuate and to lenefie them and because we would sinne the more fréely we set before vs the examples of other men For we commonly regard not what we ought to do but what other men do But if we would looke vpon the lawe straight way would come before our eyes our condemnation For in it is written Cursed be euery one which abideth not in all the We must most diligētly looke vpon the lawe thinges that are writtēin the booke of the lawe And therefore God by a singular benefite gaue vnto the people prophetes which should not onely inculcate and beat into their heades the lawe but also expounde the same by most vehement and feruent preachinges Wherefore it is much to be lamented now a dayes that sermones are ether so rare or els that those fewe that are are so negligently hard Wherefore it is not to be meruayled at that euery where is founde so great blindnes and that pernicious errors do so farre range abroade VVhere no lawe is sinne is not imputed The lattine booke hath non imputabatur that is was not imputed Peraduenture they reade 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Men knew not sinnes so far was it of that they coulde beware of them God in that blindnes imputed sinnes and that iustly And yet were they not before the law vtterly ignorant of time verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This imputacion or reputacion is to be referred vnto men which were so miserable and blinde that of themselues they could not so much as know sinnes so farre were they of that they could beware of sins so vtterly obscure was at that time the light of nature but God imputed those sinnes vnto them that not vnworthely for that blindnes happened through their owne default And that God imputed those sinnes vnto thē he himselfe many wayes declared For he both by the floud destroyed the whole world and complayned vnto Noe that all flesh had corrupted theyr way and that the hart of man was prone vnto sinne euen from hys childehode He reproued Cayn of murther and tooke vengeance vpon the Sodomites And Cayn himselfe answered that his sinne was greater then that it could be forgeuen By which wordes we se that Cayn was not vtterly ignorant of sinne yea nether were the Egiptiās vndoubtedly ignorant of sinne For they cast Ioseph into prison for that he was suspcted of adultery and so serued they the baker and the butler for that they had sinned Nether is it credible that godly men as Abraham Iob and Iacob vnderstood not sinne especially seing we rede that Iacob desired that he might be put to death with whome soeuer the theft which Laban sought shoulde be found But thys knoweldge which the godly had was not in them all It was geuen only vnto them by reason of theyr singular piety For the common sort of people counted nothing for sinne but only grosse sinnes and such sinnes as were most euidenly hurtefull vnto the societie of men neyther may we easely ascribe vnto Ambrose who vpon this place sayth that men after a sort knewe sinnes but The Ethnikes were not ignorāt that God would aming sinns yet they did not therefore thinke that God would auenge them for they supposed that God would not take vengeaunce of sinnes For Pharao Abimelech being kinges reproued Abraham for that he sayd that Sara was his sister so by that meanes had put them in greate danger that God should haue taken vengeance vpon thē for cōmitting adultery with an other mans wife There mought also be brought testimonies of the Ethnikes which fayned many thinges touching the greuous paynes of them that are in hell But as touching this sentence of Paul we must know that forasmuch as before the law was geuen by Moses there florished Before the law of Moses there were some laws Others lawes forbad all kindes of sins many cities and Publike welths it followeth of necessity that there were some publique lawes receaued amongst thē for otherwise men could not haue liued together and haue mainteined fellowship peace one with an other Howbeit such lawes were neuer of that nature that they forbad vnto men al kindes of sinne which thing yet the Law geuen by Moses hath done For amongst some nations theftes and amongst other nations adulteries were counted for no sinnes nether were there by any lawes punished Amongst the Grekes were permitted many vile filthy thinges Nether did the Romanes lawes which yet were much more seuere and purer punishe all maner of sinnes But that Law which Moses gaue was perfect and absolute especially if we doo consider it as Christ hath expounded it Wherefore the meaning of the Apostle in these words is that sinnes although they were in very dede sins yet were they not knowen amongst men but by the prescript of the Law By those thinges also we may sée that there is
lust may be found the nature of In naturall lust there is the nature of sinne sinne For it is vniust that the body should not obey the minde in honest thinges that lustes should be against the mind and beare dominiō ouer it and that reason should be against God and abhorre from his cōmaundements These things seinge they are vniuste whether they happen vnto vs with our wils or of necessitye vndoubtedly they are sinnes But this man which obiecteth these thinges doth he not sée that he must also of necessity graunt that the posterity of Adam is guilty of his sinne and that not willinge and against their mind which thinge is most of all against the word of God For it is written in the Prophet The Sonne shall not beare After Pigghius opinion the Son beareth the iniquitie of his father not his owne the iniquity of the father also The soule which sinneth it shall dye Which sayinge vndoubtedly were false if we beleue Pigghius forasmuche as children do dye and are guilty of eternall damnation although they haue not sinned Vnto which absurdity we are not compelled which do put in euery man that is born sinne and a cause why he shoulde die and be condemned Pigghius also thinketh it contumelious and blasphemous against God for that he suffreth sinne to be planted in them that are borne when as they can do no otherwise but to be borne in suche sorte affected as we sée all other menne that are borne to be affected But let Paul answere to this obiection who in this Epistle saith O man what art thou which answerest vnto God Hath not the potter power ouer his clay to make of one and the selfe same lompe one vessel for honor and an other for contumely Let Esay also aunswere who saith that it is not mete that an erthē pot should dispute with other erthē pots of the worke of his maker God is not such a one to be brought into order by our reasō which should come to passe if we should measure his iustice by the rule of our iudgemēt And forasmuch as there passeth no day wherin happeneth not somwhat in the gouernmēt of worldly things which we find fault with accuse fatisfieth not our wisdome whē then shall we confesse God to be iust For who can assigne a cause why so much grace is not geuē vnto him whiche pearisheth for euer as is to an other which is saued I know that these men are accustomed to say that God doth therein no vniustice because he by no law is bound to destribute one the self same and equal grace vnto al men But vndoubtedly humane prudence will not there stay For it wil complaine and saye that although he be not bound by the prescripte of mans law yet by the law of his goodnes he ought to be one and the selfe same vnto al men Farther what humane wisedome can sée what that iustice of God is that some are taken away being yet infants and children that theyr hartes should not be peruerted with malice and so to attain to saluation wheras other are kept safe till they come to ripe age wherin to deserue vnto themselues distruction when as otherwise they mought haue bene We oughte to haue in reuerence the secretes of God and not to correct them A saying of Cato they had bene taken away in theyr infancy Here we ought to haue in reuerence to worship the secretes of the iudgement of God and not to desire to correct them or to amende them accordynge to the prescripte of our lawes Cato beinge an Ethnike when he tooke Pompeius parte because he iudged it iuster then Cesars at the last the victory declining and Pompey being discomfited put to flight looked vp to heauen and cried out that in thinges deuine there is greate obscurenes For he thought it a thing vnworthy that the prouidēce of God should suffer Cesar to haue the vpper hād And I my selfe whē I consider these things am much delighted whith Augustines answere which he vseth agaynst the Pelagians Two argumentes of the Pelagians when he was in hand with this selfe same cause which we are now in hand with For the Pelagians obiected vnto him two argumentes somewhat subtle and hard One was how it can be that God which of his goodnes forgeueth vs our owne sinnes will impute vnto any other mens sinnes An other was if Adam by originall sinne condemneth men vnwares and agaynst their will why doth not Christ also to the ende he might in no part be inferior vnto Adam saue the vnbeleuers To these thinges Augustine answereth what if I were so An excellēt sentence of Augustine dull that I could not straight way confute these reasons shoulde I therefore geue euer a whit the the les credit vnto the holy scripture Yea rather it is much more conuenient for me to acknowledge myne owne rudenes then to ascribe vntruth vnto the holy scriptures But afterward he dissolueth both the arguments For to the first he answereth God imputeth not to vs an other mans sinne but our owne Christ to saue his wayteth not for their will The iustice of God hath no nede of our defence that God is the chiefe good thing nether doth he as these men alleadge in originall sinne impute vnto vs an other mans sinne but our owne iniquity which sticketh vnto our nature euen from the very beginning To the other he saith that Christ saueth also those that are vnwilling for he wayteth not for them to will but of his owne accord commeth vnto sinners both vnwilling and resisting And he also bringeth many infants to felicity which as yet beleue not neither by reason of age can haue fayth whereby to beleue Therefore do I alleage these thinges to shewe that it is lawfull for me if I will to vse the same answere which this father vsed first and to say vnto Pigghius Let vs suffer God to defend himselfe he nedeth none of our defence that he should not be counted vniust or cruell Let vs beleue the scriptures which crye euery where that we are borne corrupt and vitiate Which thing also both death and an infinite heape of miseryes do manifestly declare vnto vs which thinges vndoubtedly God would not lay vpon the childrē of Adam vnles there were in them some sinne deseruing punishement But they which discend not into themselues neither behold their owne nature how redy it is to all wickednes those I say know not what this concupisence meaneth Howbeit many Euen the Ethnikes wondred at the corruption of our nature of the Ethnike Philosophers saw it For they do meruayle how in so excellent a nature there can be so greate wickednes selfe loue and desire of pleasures And they so acknowledge these euils that they iudged it very nedefull that children should haue correction and discipline and to corect this naturall malice they gaue counsell to sustaine labours and excercises and
many other hard and gréeuous thinges But they saw not the cause and fountayne of these The Ethnikes saw the euil but vnderstoode not the fountayne thereof euils For that can be perceaued only by the word of God Farther this Pigghius reasoneth and sayth that this desire which Augustine calleth concupisence is a worke of nature and of God and therefore it can not be counted sinne But we haue before answered that it commeth not from the groundes of nature as it was instituted by God but of nature corrupted For man when he was created was made right and and as the scripture sayth to the Image of God Adam whē he was created had affectiōs geuē him which were gentle and moderate Iulianus Pelagians praised lust Wherefore that desire of thinges pleasant and preseruatiue in Adam when he was first created was not outragious or vehement to be against right reason and the word of God for that followed afterward Wherefore we ought not to call it the worke of God as Pigghius sayth but the wickednes of sinne and corruption of affections Wherefore Augustine calleth Iulianus the Pelagian an vnshamfast prayser of concupiscence For he which thing Pigghius also doth commended it as a notable worke of God Moreouer Pigghius is agaynst Augustine for this cause namely because he sayth that concupisence is sinne before baptisme but after baptisme he denieth it when as sayth he the concupisence is one and the selfe same and God is the selfe same and his lawe the selfe same Wherefore he concludeth that ether it must be sinne in both or els in neither But here Pigghius excedingly erreth two maner of wayes first because What mutation commeth by regeneration he thinketh that in regeneration is made no mutation especially seing that he can not deny but that in it commeth the remedy of Christ and his righteousnes is applied and the guiltines taken away For that God imputeth not that concupisence which remayneth after regeneration Moreouer also the holy ghost is geuen that the might of concupisence myght be broken so that although it abide in vs yet it shoulde not beare rule in vs. For to thys thynge Paul exhorteth vs when he sayth Let not sinne raigne in your mortall body On Augustine affirmeth that those thinges which remaine after regeneratiō are sinne If at any time he deny it to be sinne the same must be vnderstād as touching the guiltines therof That lust is not actuall sinne Why original sinne is called lust Whither this sinne be the wāt of originall righteousnes What the scholemen vnderstand by originall righteousnes Not euery defect or want maketh the thing euill the other side also he is deceaued in that he supposeth that Augustine thinketh that the concupisence which remayneth after baptisme is vtterly no sinne and especially if it be considered alone and by it selfe For by most expresse wordes he sayth that of hys owne nature it is sinne because it is disobedience against which we ought continually to striue But when he denieth it to be sinne the same is to be vnderstand as touching the guiltines therof for that is without doubt taken away in regeneration For so it comth to passe that God although it be in very dede sinne doth yet not impute it for sinne Farther Augustine compareth concupiscence with those sinnes are called actuall being compared with them it may be said that it is no sinne For it is far from the haynousnes of them But I meruaile how Pigghius could be so bold to say that Augustine without testimony of the scriptures affirmeth lust to be Originall sinne when as he in his disputations against the Pelagians doth mightely defend his sentence by the holye scriptures But why he calleth Originall sinne concupiscence this is the cause for that Originall doth most of all declare it selfe by the grosser lustes of the mynde of the flesh Now I thinke it good to sée what other men haue thought touchyng this For besides this opinion there is also an other sentēce which is of those which say that Original sinne is the want of Originall iustice Anselmus was of this opinion in his booke de partu virginis and he drew many scholasticall authors into this his sentence And these men by Originall iustice vnderstand nothing elles then the right constitucion of man when the body obeyeth the soule and the inferiour partes of the soule obey the superiour partes the mind is subiect vnto God to his law In this iustice was Adam created if he had abode all we should haue liued cōtinually in it But forasmuch as he fell all we are depriued of it The want of this righteousnes they affirme to be Originall sinne But to make their sentēce more plaine they say that not euery defect or want is sinne or euill For although a stone want iustice yet shall not therfore the stone be called vniust or euill But when the thing is apte mete to receiue that which it wanteth then such a defect or want is called euill as it happeneth in the eye when it is depriued of y◠faculty of seing And yet we do not therfore say that in the eye is blame or sinne for then cōmeth sinne when by reason of such a want followeth a striuing and resistyng against the law of God Pigghius condemneth this sentence also For he saith it is An obiectiō of Pigghius no sinne if a man kepe not the gift which he hath not receiued For it may be that he which is borne hauing his health and being whole of body and limmes may fal into a disease or lose one of his members or become maymed which defectes or wantes yet there is no man will call faultes or sinnes but this similitude serueth not to the purpose For a disease or lamenes of the body serueth nothing eyther to the obseruyng or violating of the law of God But that which they call the wante of original iustice bringeth of necessitie with it the breach of the law of God More ouer he contendeth y◠the losse of originall iustice in children is not sinne bicause it was not lost thorough their default But this agayne is to call God to accompt But God is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not to be compelled to order neither ought he to be God is not to be broght to order ordered by humaine lawes But let Pigghius conferre that his opinion wyth thys which he impugneth This affirmeth that God condemneth vice and corruption which it putteth to be in children newly borne But Pigghius maketh children gilty and condemneth them of that fault and sinne which is not in them But onely is that which Adam our first parent committed For otherwise he counteth those children most innocent But whether of these is more farre from reason more abhorreth euen also from humane lawes to punish an innocent for an other mās sinne or to condemne him which hath in himselfe a cause why to be condemned
of creation that it should be called a filthines therfore that opinion is also What is the subiecte of Original sinne reiected The last opinion is of most men receiued and it is that the soule contracteth originall sinne by his coniunction with the body which is alredy infected and corrupted of our parentes so that if we be demaunded what is the place thereof or as they commonly speake what is his subiect we answer that the place therof is in the fleshe as in the roote and beginning then out of that fountayne it also Seede is the instrument wherby this sin is traduced possesseth the soule and so it is extended thoroughout the whole man Wherfore séede is the instrument wherby this sinne is traduced from the parentes into the children Pigghius obiecteth that vices can not be deriued by sede into the posterity vnles peraduenture it be those vices which cleaue and sticke in the body of the parent as we sée happeneth in the leprosie in the falling sickenes and other diseases of the body Neither doth nature suffer that in the very substance of séede sinne should haue place that by it it should be traduced into the children Here we aunswer Not onely the affections of the body are deriued from the parents into the children but also the affections of the minde first that it is not true that onely the diseases of the body of the parentes are deriued into the children For we sée many conditions of the minde deriued from the parentes into the children As wit fury ambition gentlenes hautines such other To the other we graunt in déede that the euill qualitie or corruption which is brought by the séede as it is in the sede is not sinne But yet that letteth not but that the corruption brought into the children by seede as by an instrument may haue in it the nature of sinne As the qualities which we haue now rehersed do not make the séede it selfe wittie docible or couetous but yet those qualities brought vnto the child conceiued do make him such a one But whether God may be put Whether God be the author of this traduction of originall sinne the author thereof they commonly say that the deformitye and vnrighteousnes which is in this sinne is drawn out of nature already corrupted which as it was created of God was not so vitiated and so they graunte that whatsoeuer is good in nature the same to be of God And whatsoeuer is therein euill for as much as it is nothing ells but a defect or want of it it is not or necessity to put an efficient cause For that which is but a want it is not of necessity that it should be made for if it should be made it should also remayne in it But this is not enoughe We agree indede with them that God is the author of the subiect or of the thing layd vnder the defect or want But in that they say that this defect it selfe hath not an efficieÌ„t cause therein we agree not with them For there ought to be something to remoue or prohibite that perfectioÌ„ which is wanting and to with hold the grace and giftes wherewith our nature was endewed at the beginning Wherefore we must needes referre this priuation or defecte vnto God which geueth not perfection vtterly without want which thing he euermore doth by his iust iudgement although it be not alwayes manifest vnto vs. And it is most certayne by the scriptures nether can it be denied but that God punisheth sinnes by sins But yet they are not so laid on vs of god yâ— they should be sinnes as they depende of him for whatsoeuer God doth the same without all controuersy is both righte and luste And euen punishementes so farre forth as they are punishementes pertaine to the nature of goodnes Howbeit as they procede from vs they are sinnes For we doo not affirme that God by himselfe God when he createth the soule corrupteth it not when he createth the soule corrupteth it For it contracteth the filthines of sin from a corrupt body where vnto it is adioyned But in this thing humane wisedome is muche offended For it thinketh that by no meanes there ought to be made any suche coniunction For it semeth to be like as if a man should cast a Wherein humane wisedome is here offended precious thinge into an vncleane vessell It semeth also vniust that the soule which hath done nether good nor euil should be ioyned with abody from which it should contract originall sinne Yea rather if it should be so men ought to absteyne from procreation As they that are leprous are also exhorted to absteyne if it be possible from procreatioÌ„ lest by it they should coÌ„tinew to infect humane nature And bycause the end whereunto man is instituted is eternall felicity it semeth not agreable that the soule should be placed in that body whereby it should be called backe from the end prescribed And as it is vniust that the soule which hath not offended should be punished in hell fire so also semeth it vniust yâ— it should be cast into that body wherein it incurreth not payne as in hell but sinne and hatred of God which are thinges more grenous and doth so incurre them that it can by no meanes auoyde them These thinges are so hard and obscure that they can not fully be satisfied by mans reason There are indede certayne These obiections may be lâ—nified but not so dissolued that they can satisfy mans reasoÌ„ consolations gathered out of Ecclesiasticall writers which doo only mitigate and lenefie these obiections so much as is sufficient for godly myndes but not so much as mans reason requireth For the soule is ioyned with an vncleane and infected body in consideration of the whole world that the kinde of man which is the chiefest should not be wanting in it God cesseth not of from his office He letteth not the course of nature but the body being now made according to his prefixed order he treateth the soule and will rather a man to be God will rather haue a man to be although he be corrupt then that he should be nothing Of those thinges which he gaue at the beginning he geueth certaine He hath put forth the remedy of Christ God myght otherwise haue helped if he had would God sheweth a form of his goodnes in renuing of this our kinde A sentence of Gregorius although he be not borne without sinne then to be nothing And though he geue not al those thinges which he gaue at the beginning yet of his mercy he geueth many of them Farther he hath set forth the remedye of Christ our mediator by whome the sinne which we haue contracted should be purged Which corruption driueth the Elect before their conuersion vnto Christ that feling the streÌ„gth of their disease they may receaue medicine of him And then after they are once grafted into Christ they haue this sinne lefte to
lawe increaseth sinne because he which sinneth knowing and wittingly is more greuously to be accused then he which sinneth He that sinneth knowing and wittingly is more greuously to be accused vnawares The lawe of nature was nowe so decaied that it wincked at many thinges For many counted lust for no sinne yea rather they semed happy which could obtaine that which they lusted for But when this voyce sounded from heauen thou shalt not lust man began to consider that lust was vnhonest and filthy Wherefore when he endeuoured to striue against it being destitute of strength as Agustine saith he found not a victory but captiuitye For he saw now that he was a bondsclaue vnto it Farther sinne is therefore increased by the lawe because in it we see paynes and punishementes set forth In the lawe we see the paines and punishmeÌ„ts of sinners vnto sinners Whereby it commeth to passe that men hauing their conscience accusing them leape backe from God as froÌ„ a seuere iudge and cruell reuenger And when they haue begon once to hate him they rather throwe theÌ„selues hedlong into any euil then that they will light vpon him Fourthly Chrisostome saith that the lawe of nature containeth a few and certayne briefe preceptes By the law of Moses the law of nature is deuided and distinct into many parts Before the law sinne was on slepe and halfe deade That grace should abound sins being incresed is not true in all men The law and aboundaunce of sinne are not the perfect causes of saluatioÌ„ which are amplified by the lawe of God For that it hath deuided those fewe into many partes whereby is augmented a heape of preceptes And because vnto euery commaundement his proper transgression is repugnant therefore sinnes may seeme also to be increased Neither doth the lawe by these meanes which we haue alledged onely increase sinne but also accuse and condemne it Wherefore in the first to the Corrinthians he saith that the lawe is the power of sin because they which sinne are by it proued guilty But these thinges are not so to be vnderstand as though there had bene no sinne before the lawe For there was sinne in dede but it was on sleepe and halfe deade Wherefore Paul in the 7. chapter of this epistle saith when the commaundement came sinne reuiued Which words declare that sinne was also before although it were not felt Farther we must note that the connexion betwene the law and the increase of sinne is vniuersall and pertaineth vnto all men but the connexioÌ„ which is betweene sinne increased grace abounding hath not place but only in the elect and predestinate For in the reprobate after sinne was by the law increased sorrow and griefe which come thereby engendreth desperation For these are not the full causes of saluation but instruments by which God vseth to deliuer his And the nature of instrumentes is that if a man remoue from them the power of the principal agent of themselues they bring to passe nothing God doth in dede What is the nature oâ— instruments God by certain meanes prepareth or bringeth vs to regeneration An â—â—ror of the Sophisters God vseth euell things to our saluation vse the law the feeling of sinne and terrors of paynes wherby to prepare away to iustification And although before our conuersion the same be sinnes yet by them he prepareth our minds but yet not with that kinde of preparatioÌ„ which the Sophisters haue fayned For they affirme that a man by these meanes deserueth grace as they are accustomed to say of congruency which thinge we haue in an other place declared to be repugnant vnto the holy scriptures But we graunt that as touchinge Gods behalfe there is a preparation for he vseth these meanes whereof some are of theyr owne nature euill and directeth them to a good end which ought to be ascribed only to his most wise prouidence But that grace hath abounded euen this thing may teache vs for that the Elect doo not only obteyne remission of sinnes by Christe but also are adopted to be the How grace is sayd to abound children of God made brethren of Christ heyres of God and fellow heires of Christ and they reioyce also in tribulations and in the hope of the glory of God God dealeth as good phisitions vse to doo which doo not only heale the disease but also doo adde strength and forme which the sicke man had not before But it semeth more agreable that Paul should haue sayd that sinne beinge augmented paynes and punishementes should haue more abounded for that doo sins deserue But he inuerteth his oration and in stede of paynes and punishements Paule inuerteth hys oration sayth that grace abounded Which thing we first fele by our owne experience to be true For we which were before oppressed with griefe and in a maner consumed with sinnes when we se our selues to be reconciled vnto God can not but count it for a most singular benefite For he which hath the more forgeuen him forasmuch as he feleth the greater gift loueth the more Farther the common people commonly weigh and esteme giftes by the consideration of the necessity that went before Wherfore forasmuch as sin being increased was after a sort vnmeasurable the grace also which should blot out the same ought likewise to What it is to haue the gospell preached vnto them that are in misery Of the nature of the law The Manichies and Pelagians vnderstood it nor be in amaner vnmeasurable By this place we may vnderstand what it is to haue the Gosple preached to meÌ„ broken in misery as it is written in Esay and what that is that Christ called vnto him those which were in trauaile and were laden For they which fele not themselues to be such come not vnto him when he calleth them Here I thinke it good somewhat briefly to speake of the nature of the Law and therewithall to declare how the Maneches and Pelagians vnderstood it not and what it worketh in vs ether before regeneration or after we be iustified First as touching the forme therof we may affirme the self same thing that Paul sayth in this epistle when he writeth that it is spirituall But the vniuersall end therof which pertayneth vnto all men is to bring men to the knowledge of sinne Which thing Paul hath both here signified and also before manifestly tought saying that by the law is the knowledge of sinne Here if a man aske why the Apostle sayd not rather by the law is the knowledg of righteousnes I answere bycause a man that is not yet regenerate so long as he is without Christ can not haue within himselfe the fealing of good workes or of true righteousnes which satisfieth the law of God Wherefore when he compareth his doings with the law he findeth them to be nothing but onely falles and transgressions But if we speake of the end of the law as touching the elect the same is
the difference They by the name of Grace vnderstand those giftes which are geuen vnto them that are iustified namely the habites or qualities which are poured into theÌ„ more ouer good workes and other such like which God worketh in the elect But we forasmuch as we sée that these giftes so long as we liue here are through our corruption vnperfect do deny that we can by them be iustified and that by them by any meanes we are able to satisfy the iudgement of God Wherfore we vnderstande that to be iustified by grace is to be iustified by the only mere and sincere good will of God which he of his only mercy beareth towards vs. We say also that we are iustified by the grace of Christ which his father beareth towards hym For forasmuch as he is most gracious before him he bringeth to passe that he loueth would in him as hys members and brethren adopted by faith But the schoolemen haâ—â— What it is to be iustified by grace and by the grace of Christ The imagination of the Schole men sprang out of the Ethikes of Aristotle fayned vnto themselues that grace is an habite or quality poured into the soule yâ— the foule may more easely rise vp and more redely do good workes Which theyr fayned inuention they can by no meanes confirm by the holy scriptures But they séeme to haue taken it from the philosophers who in the Ethikes teach that the faculties powers of the minde are by an habite strengthned so that they are able to perform those things which before they wer not able or if they were able yet they were not able without great difficulty The self same thing do these meÌ„ iudge of yâ— mynd that forasmuch as of hys owne nature it can not so lift vp it self to be acceptable vnto God and to do yâ— workes which should please him it hath nede of a heauenly and spirituall habite to performe these things And whilest they thus follow their philosophy they depart from the vulgare and receyued sence of this worde grace For when we say that a souldiour is acceptable vnto a kyng or vnto a captaine A similitude we do not say that in the souldiour is grace or fauour but rather in the king or captayne which beareth fauour vnto the souldiour So we in thys case if we would speake plainly or aright should not say that in vs is powred or geueÌ„ grace but rather that we are receiued of GOD into grace or fauour which before were hys enemies But that we may the better fynde out the error of the scholemen we will here sette foorth their definition for they defyne grace to be an habite of goodnes and charity infused of God like vnto his whereby he that hath it is To haue grace of God is to be receiued into fauour of him The definition which the scholemen assigne vnto grace made acceptable vnto God and doth workes that are acceptable vnto him and meritorious When they say that it is an habite infused of God they seperate it from naturall vertues Farther when they make it to be like vnto the goodnes and loue of God they thinke that they bring a reasoÌ„ why they which be adorned with this habite are acceptable vnto God namely because of that similitude And because they can not by the scriptures proue that grace is a thing created in the soule they labour to confirme it with reasons For Thomas sayth that the beneuolence of God can not be idle for God is saide to loue when he geueth any good thing Wherefore he saith that God to do good to some or to loue some is to geue or infuse into them such an habite or quality as we haue now described But this is a very weake argument For we graunt that the loue of God lyeth not idle The loue of God towardes the elect is not idle but filleth vs with benifites and those very manifold But how followeth this argument God geueth very many giftes Ergo he createth or powreth in such an habite Farther this is no small error that they will that by this habite or creature we are made acceptable vnto God For it must nedes follow that seing he hath geuen vs such a gift he therefore loued vs before for the loue of God goeth before all his giftes The vertues in dede which follow may haue some consideration The loue of God towards vs goeth before all his giftes why they should be geuen but yet they can not haue that force to allure God to loue vs for he loued vs euen before he gaue them vnto vs. An other of their reasons is this If they which are conuerted vnto Christ say they haue the holy ghost which before they had not then of necessity it followeth that there happened some mutation But in God there is no mutacion Wherefore we must appoint it to be in our selues namely that we haue such an habite of grace which before we had not But this likewise is of no force for God differreth his aydes God is not chaunged although he do that now which before he did not is as semeth good vnto him and moueth the hartes of men at an appointed time when as before he moued them not which thing yet we doubt but is done without any his change at all For we know that God at an appoynted time created the world which before was not extant and yet we can not say that God is therefore changed Now resteth for vs to confirme by the scriptures that the grace of God signifieth his frée and vndeserued loue secondly that it signifieth also the rewardes It is proued that the grace of God is the fauor which he beareth towardes vs. or giftes which are bestowed vpon the Saintes thirdly that the grace of Christ is that whereby he is of force with the father and by reason of whiche we are loued of the father As concerning the first Paul fayth to the Ephesians that we were elected of God before the foundacions of the world were layde according to his good pleasure to the prayse of the glory of his grace In which place we sée that the cause of our election is that the frée loue and grace of God towardes vs should be commended And in the latter epistle to Timothe he sayth Which hath called vs wyth his holy vocation not by workes but according to his purpose and grace And Peter exhorteth vs to hope in that grace which is offred But it is not lawfull to hope in a thing created And as touching Christ Paul saith vnto the Ephesians that God hath made vs acceptable in hys beloued that is in Christ whome most dearely and especially he loueth And in this epistle he calleth grace eternall life This therefore is the The true definition of Grace true definition of Grace and agréeable vnto the holy scriptures That it is the frée beneuolence of God whereby he counteth vs deare in Christ Iesus and
raigne in vs. And he by name excludeth those two thinges which we haue now rehersed that is to say that we should not obey it nor beare weapons with it against righteousnes And very warely ioyneth he vnrighteousnes with sinne For all they which sinne do worke vnrighteousnes either agaynst themselues or against their neighbours or els against God for against some one Lust after regeneratioÌ„ to called sin of these sinne euer worketh iniury This is also to be marked that Paul in thys place expressedly calleth that lust sin which remayneth in vs after regeneratioÌ„ which is not only in such maner so called as a writing is called a hand or cold is called slouthfull For a writing is called a hand bicause it is written with the haÌ„d and cold is called slouthful bicause it maketh vs slouthfull So nourishment lust which after regeneration is still in vs is both a remnaunt of Originall sin and also stirreth vs vp to sinne and therfore is called sinne But besides these two reasoÌ„s which are metaphoricall it is also of his owne nature sinne For sinne accordyng Concupiscence or lust is sinne not onely by a metaphore but also properly to the true definicion therof is that which in vs is by any meanes repugnant vnto the law of God Wherfore seing that lust which remayneth after Baptisme is repugnant vnto the law of God and stirreth vs vp against it it cannot but be sin Neither is this to be admitted which some commonly bost of namely that there is no sinne vnies it be voluntary and committed by frée election For this definition agréeth not with sinne vniuersally but only with that sinne which is called actuall For otherwyse originall sinne should not be called sinne For no man contracteth it willingly or of his own election Wherfore let vs agrée with Paul yâ— whatsoeuer wicked lust remayneth in vs after regeneration the same is sinne Yea rather if we would rightly weigh the matter within our selues actuall sinnes shall appeare to be partes of our naturall lust or to speake more vprightly euil fruites Actuall sinnes are the fruites of originall sinne comming of that euill roote The Apostle concludeth that we ought not to fight in the quarell of sinne or vnrighteousnes but rather we must apply our selues vnto God which hath both created vs and also perpetually gouerneth and renueth vs through Christ But applye your selues vnto God as they that of deade are on lyue and geue ouer your members as weapons of righteousnesse vnto God In that he sayth that we shoulde applye our selues vnto GOD he excludeth not thys whiche in an other place he sayth namely that God woorketh in vs. The Apostle speaketh here of men regenerate whiche for that they are in some parte made newe may bee fellowe woorkers of God And therefore Men regenerate are the fellow workers of God they ought continually to be admonished to obey the institutioÌ„ of the holy ghost Farther by these kindes of speaches is shewed the difference betwene those actions which God stirreth vp in meÌ„ and those actioÌ„s which he worketh in stocks and stones and also in brute beastes For in stockes and stones he so worketh that they nether fele nor desire any thing In brute beastes he so worketh that he vseth theyr sence and appetite for they haue nether will nor reason But in How God worketh in men meÌ„ and especially in them that are regenerate and are his he so worketh that he vseth the strengthes of theyr reasonable soule wherewith they are endewed And forasmuch as we are sayd to moue our selues according to these powers it ought not to seme straung if Paul write that we should geue ouer our selues vnto God for he speaketh of our nature as is mete for it to worke And yet neuerthelesse this abideth firme and vnchangeable that whatsoeuer good thing is wrought of vs the same is wholy wrought in vs by God and his spirite Farther he addeth Your selues bycause he requireth the strengths not only of the body and of the minde but also the whole and perfect man As they that of deade are on liue We ought to exhibite our selues aliue namely with the life of God whiche herein consisteth that we should be moued by the spirite of Christ and whatsoeuer we do we should doo it by his impulsioÌ„ For they liue vnto God and vnto Christ which are moued vnto the best things and which vtterly passe the nature of man Wherefore this life of God whereof The life of God in what thinges it differeth froÌ„ the corrupts life of men we now intreate differeth two maner of waies from the common life of meÌ„ first for that it floweth from an other ground or principle namely â—rom the spirite of Christ secoÌ„dly bycause it tendeth to an other end then doth theyr life which are moued by Sathan for they alwayes runne hedlong into most greuous euills and at the length fall into eternall distructioÌ„ and therefore as touching God they ought to be sayd and also to be counted dead But such were we sometimes also for which cause Paul sayth As they that of deade are on liue Although this be the playner and simpler sence to referre this sentence vnto that death whereof was before made mencion namely whereby we being coÌ„uerted vnto Christ do dye vnto sinne For they that are such can not but exhibite themselues bening vnto God which thing being brought to passe straight waye followeth that which Paul addeth That your members also may be geuen ouer as weapons of righteousnes vnto God Here is agayne signified vnto vs that when we come once to God we ought to fight in his cause And forasmuch as God is ioyned with our righteousnes it sufficiently appeareth that we haue not our righteousnes of our selues but of him For sinne shall not haue power ouer you For ye are not vnder thâ— law but vnder Grace These thinges are added as thoughe he should haue sayd Fight stoutely and with a valiaunt courage for it shall neuer come to passe that sin shal be are dominion ouer you which thing yet should happen if ye should not fight And hereby he assureth them that they shal haue the victory bycause they The grace of God is mightieâ— then ouâ— luste â–ª haue the grace of God to helpe them whose might and strength is farre greater then the power of our lust For the spirite of Christe and his grace can easelye tame and ouercome sinne ye are not sayth he vnder the law which only sheweth what is to be done and bringeth no helpe at all thereuÌ„to Chrisostome in this place admonisheth that the law sheweth only what is to be done or what is to be auoyded but nothing helpeth or aydeth them that wrastle but only setteth forth a bare exhortation of wordes But the Gosple setteth forth Christe of whome are ministred the holye ghost and strength to accomplishe good thing which through faith we haue knowen And thereby commeth to passe that
as we are able and to the end we should not be faint harted he comforteth vs in promising vs an easy victory bicause we are not vnder the law but vnder grace What then shal we sinne bicause we are not vnder the law but vnder grace God forbidde Knowe ye not that to whomesoeuer ye geue your selues as seruantes to obey hys seruaÌ„ts ye are to whome ye obey whether it be of sinne vnto death or of obedience vnto righteousnes But God be thanked that ye were the seruants of sinne but ye haue obeyed from the harte vnto the forme of the doctrine wherunto ye were deliuered But beyng made free from synne ye are made the seruauntes of righteousnes What shall we therfore sinne bicause we are not vnder the law but vnder grace Now coÌ„meth he vnto the second reason wherby he entendeth to proue yâ— we ought not to abide in sinnes none otherwise theÌ„ he came at yâ— beginning of this chap. vnto his first reasoÌ„ For euen as before he depressed yâ— law coÌ„mended grace wherupon the aduersaries toke occasioÌ„ of speking slaundrous words saying shal we abide in sinne that grace may abound So coÌ„cludeth he yâ— reason now brought forth by these wordes For ye are not vnder the lawe but vnder grace At whiche wordes the false prophetes cried out saying that many were offended and accused the doctrine of Paul And therefore he oftentymes obiecteth vnto himselfe such Antipophora is â— figure interrogations For his doctrine for that cause was euery where euill spoken of Wherefore here is vsed the figure * Antipophora If it be so as thou sayst that we are deliuered from the lawe then may we sinne and that without punishement But they which make this obiection are wonderfully deceaued For the deliuery from the lawe is not geuen to liue licenciously but rather for a more perfecter absolutenes Wherefore Paul addeth God forbid signifiing that he excedingly abhorred from such kinde of doctrine And this absurdity mought haue followed if Paul had affirmed only that we are deliuered from the lawe and had added nothing els But in that he addeth But ye are vnder grace he sheweth Grace is a more excelleÌ„ter scholemaster then the law that they are so deliuered from the lawe to the ende they should lyue vnder a more excellenter schoolemaster for by grace and the holy ghost we are not only so illustrated that we sée what thinges we ought to do but also we are excedingly stirred vp and pricked forward to execute the selfe same thinges Wherefore the Apostle doth not so leaue the godly without the lawe that he woulde haue them let loose the bridle vnto wicked lustes but he setteth forth grace which through the benefite of the Gospell succeded the lawe And forasmuch as men are much better gouerned by grace and by the holy ghost then they are by the lawe it easely appeareth how weake the argument of these men is For in their disputation they take as it was said at the beginning that for the cause whiche is not the cause But so farre is it of that that which Paul sayth is the cause of sinne that of it rather the contrary followeth For they which are vnder grace and are gouerned They which are gouerned by the conduite of grace sinâ—â— not by the conduite thereof sinne not yea rather forasmuch as Christ 〈…〉 gh grace liueth in them they can not sinne so farre forth as by hym they are â—tirreâ— vp to any kynd of worke For Paul saith vnto the Galathyans I liue but not I now but Christ liueth in me But they sinne which liue vnder thâ— Lawe which 〈…〉 seth and condemneth them as Paul writeth vnto Timo. The law is not geuen vnto a righteous man but vnto the vngodly and vnto sinners to 〈…〉 holy and 〈…〉 the prophane to murtherers of fathers and mothers to manslears to whoremongers and to abusers of nature and if there be any other thing that is contrary to wholsome doctrine By thys place we sée that they which are infected with these wicked vices are vnder the dominion of the lawe namely by it to be accused and punished But the Gospell suffreth vs not to remayne in sinne for it doth not only preach the remission of sinnes but also vnto theÌ„ that beleue it bringeth the spirite of God whereby they are wonderfully inflamed and stirred vp to holy workes Neither is this reason of any force We are not compelled by threatninges and punishements of the law to withhold our selues from sinne therefore we are by none other meanes impelled By what reasons the regenerate are bound to liue holilye They which liue vndergrace oughte to obey God A similitude of seruauntes to lyue innocently For we are bound of dewty piety and fayth to lyue honestly and holilye which things vndoubtedly are of greater force and doo more vehemently stirre vs vp then any bond of the Lawe This is the effect of the reason aleadged They which liue vnder grace ought to obey God but to make the thyng more playne we will expresse it by a similitude of seruants for they ought in all things to be obedient vnto their masters and to be comformable vnto theyr willes thus therefore he reasoneth It is mete that seruaunts obey their Lords But ye are now made the seruauntes of righteousnes wherefore vnto it oughte ye to do seruice and not vnto sinne Farther to strike vs more sharpely he addeth to this reason a double spurre to pricke vs forward firste he sayth that they came into this seruitude not against their willes or by compulsion but willyngly and of theyr owne accorde secondlye as muche as lyeth in hym he layth before theyr eyes the haynousnes of synne and geueth thankes vnto God who deliuered them from it and made them the seruauntes of righteousnes If a man demaunde at what tyme we addicte our selues to be seruauntes vnto righteousnes Chrisostome answereth that we then do it when we are baptised So by the sacrameÌ„t of baptisme he declareth both this reason and also the other wherby he proued that we are dead vnto sinne This similitude of seruauÌ„tes and Lords is confirmed by that right or law whereby seruauntes are bound vnto theyr Lordes which law whither it be the law of god or the law of man maketh theÌ„ bound to obey theyr Lords and this thinge may be knowen by the finall cause if we consider the property of the name Augustine in this 19. booke De ciuitate Dei the 15. chap writeth that Serui that is seruaunts were so called of the Latine meÌ„ Why Serui that is seruants are so called Seruio in lattine signifyeth to saue or to keepe Seruitude sprange of sinne We are born slaues vnto Sathan bycause being taken in warre they were saued of theyr enemies For they which were taken were not alwayes slayne by them that ouercame them but sometimes were reserued one liue for this purpose that they should be seruauntes vnto them that tooke them And
threatneth Death is improperly called a rewarde Eternall life is not called a rewarde death vnto sinners Agayn he by the figure Catachresis calleth it a stipend For no man committeth sinne with this intent that for a reward he would obteyne death Here Paul inuerteth the Antithesis or contrary position for he sayth not that eternall life is the reward of righteousnes but rather attributeth it vnto Grace which thing he therefore doth to assigne and appointe the whole nature of merite in Christ only And therfore he addeth thorough Iesus Christ our Lord. that no man shoulde imagine any other mediators â—thâ—â— deade saintes or ells theyr owne workes Farther Paul semeth of purpose 〈…〉 a 〈…〉 stipeÌ„d to set Grace or a gifte and by that meanes he excedinglye stirreth vs vp to the study of eternall life sithen it is a thing so excellent that vnles it be geuen by God it can not be gotten by any of our workes He taketh this greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the stipeÌ„d or wages of a souldier and he continueth still in his metaphore of a king and of a Lord which he a little before vsed For they vse to geue stipendes vnto theyr The maner of the elders towardes souldiers seruauÌ„ts And the Greke word sauoreth much of the maner of the elders where by they were wont to geue vnto theyr souldiers vittayles to eate when they were one warfare And at Rome it was the maner a long time that the souldiers with theyr owne meate but afterward were vittayles geuen them of the common treasory And it well appeareth by the etimology of the word that it was first instituted only for yâ— releauing of necessity and to signify some honour Vnto laborers is geuâ—n a rewarde Vnto warriours is geuen a stipende not as though they semed stipendes of such worthines for which men should put theyr life in danger Wherefore as to laborers was geuen a reward so vnto warriors was geuen a stipend But now let vs especially consider in what sort grace and workes are as touching eternall life And as much as may be gathered ether out of the holy scriptures or out of those thinges which Augustine hath left in writing as touching this matter we will playnly declare so that it shall be made manifest how much our aduersaries dissagree from vs in thys poynt As touching the first if by Grace we vnderstand the fauour and mercy of God then is it the only cause thoroughe Iesus Christe why we obteyne eternall life For our workes can by no meanes be the causes of our felicity Howbeit they are certayne meanes by which God bringeth vs vnto felicity As the way is not the cause of the end thereof nor the runninge place the cause of the gole or The difference betwenâ— the cause and meanes marke and yet by them men are led both vnto the end of the way and vnto the marke So God by good workes bringeth vs to eternall life when as yet the only cause thereof is the election of God as Paul most manifestly teacheth in thys epistle Whome he hath predestinate sayth he those also hath he called whome he Againste merite hath called those also hath he iustefied whoÌ„ he hath iustefied those also will he glorifie Thys declareth that all these thinges do so come from the Grace of God that they consequently follow the one the other and God which geueth the one will also liberally and freely geue the other Wherefore the whole consideratioÌ„ and nature of merite ought vtterly to be taken away For that which properly meriteth The nature of merite any thing must of necessity haue in it a free geuing vp nether ought it by any other meanes to be due Wherefore forasmuche as we owe of dewty vnto God all thinges that we haue vndoubtedly whatsoeuer we do it can merite nothing Farther those things by which we will merite any thing ought to be our owne But good workes are not our own but are of God Besides this also all imperfection and vncleanes must of necessity be remoued awaye otherwise our workes are contaminated nether can they be leueled to the rule which is prescribed by God wherefore we ought rather to craue pardon then once to thinke vpon price or reward Farther betwene merite and reward there ought to be some proportion But there can be no proportion betwene our workes and eternall felicity Wherefore they can not properly be called merites Moreouer God will that there should be taken froÌ„ vs all matter of glorying which thing were not possible if by our workes we should deserue eternall life And forasmuch as Paul in this place describeth eternall life by yâ— name of grace vndoubtedly it can not be of workes Let this suffice as touching the first Now will I briefely declare what Augustine hath written as touching this place In his Enchiridion to Laurentius the 107. chapter A stipend sayth he is payd in warfare as a debt and not geuen as a gift therefore Paul sayth the stipend of sinne is death to declare that death is rendred vnto sinne not wythout desert but as due But grace vnles it be free it When eternall 〈…〉 is gâ—â—en after 〈…〉 a it iâ— grace for grace is not grace Wherefore as touching the good workes of man forasmuch as they are the giftes of God in that vnto them eternall life is rendred grace is recompensed for grace The same Augustâ—â—e in his booke De gratia Libero arbitrio the ix chapter In the Gospell of Iohn sayth he it is written that we all haue receaued of hys fulnes and grace for grace euery man as God hath deuided vnto him the measure of fayth For euery man hath receaued a proper gift from God one thus and an other thus Wherefore when eternall life is rendred grace is rendred for grace But so is it not of death because it is rendred as due vnto the warfare of the deuill Wherefore whereas the Apostle mought haue sayd and that rightly the stipend of righteousnes is eternall life he would rather say But the grace of God is eternall life that therby we myght vnderstand that The Apostle 〈◊〉 hâ—â—e sayâ— and that iust 〈…〉 that eter 〈…〉 〈…〉 God bringeth vs vnto eternall life not for our owne merites but for hys mercy Wherefore it is written in the 103. Psalme Which crowneth thee in mercy and compassions Because it is he which worketh in vs both to wyll and also to performe The Apostle had sayde before worke your saluation wyth feare and trembling Afterward least we should attribute thys thyng vnto our selues he sayth that God worketh these thy 〈◊〉 vs and that not for our merites but according to his good pleasure And in the same booke the 8. chapter he sayth that there is no small ambiguity how eternall life is â—â—ndred vnto good workes For the scripture sayth that euery man shall haue according to his works And yet on the other side Paul
by the mercy of God through Christ be wholy forgeuen hym euen as he had forgeuen vnto others theyr offences And it is so farre of that Augustine thought that Paul was vtterly without sinne that he interpreteth this place vnto the Phillippians Yea also I thynke all thynges to be but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Iesus Christ my Lord for whome I haue counted all thynges loosse and iudge them to be dongue of workes done after he came to Christianity For when as before hauing made mencion of workes done when he was yet of the Iewishe religion he sayd But the thynges that were vantage the same I counted losse for Christes sake those wordes which are afterward added he addeth by the way of correction shewing that not only workes of Iewishe religion but also all other were to bee counted for losses and thinges vncleane For he considered that in all thinges is some fault and defect or want And that sinnes are mingled with our good works Sinne is mingled with our good works the scriptures most manifestly teach when they say that no man can be iustified in the sight of God And the saintes do make intercession against that exact examination of righteousnes Enter not say they into iudgement wyth thy seruaunt O Lord. And Ihon sayth If any man say he hath no sinne he deceaueth hymselfe and the truth is not in hym And Salomon sayth in the bookes of kinges That there is not a man on earth so iuste that he sinneth not Which wordes Augustine diligeÌ„tly weighing applieth them vnto the form of the present time least any man should referre that sentence of Salomon vnto those thinges which we haue committed before regeneratioÌ„ We ought all to pray that our trespasses may be forgeueÌ„ vs as which in this life may rather thirst after righteousnes then yâ— we caÌ„ attaine vnto a perfect absolute righteousnes For that precept of yâ— lord wherein we are coÌ„manÌ„ded to loue God with all our hart with all our soule and with all our strengths shall then at the laste be perâ—ormed when we shall come to that place where we shall so God face to face as he is as Augustine writeth in his booke de Spiritu Litera towardes y end In which place also he demaundeth why this commaundement was geuen if it can not be performed in this life He answereth that therefore God commaunded it that we should know what by fayth we ought to desire whereunto our hope shoulde be leueled and what we ought continuallye to go aboute in all our actions And he thinketh him to haue much profited in this life which can at the length se how farre he is of from that which is perfect The same Augustine in his seconde booke De peccatoruÌ„ meritis remissione chap. 16. 17. 18. writing many thinges as touching this matter sayth that in the scriptures men are sometimes called Why the saintes are called perfect notwithstanding they obserue not the commaundementes God requireth at meÌ„â— hands that they should be without sinne Why God gaue a laws which he knew could not be obserued No man is afflicted which is without sin perfect not bicause they are vtterly without sinne but bycause in innocency of life they haue much profited and bycause that to obteine perfection they coÌ„tinually bend theyr studye and endeuour bycause also God forgeueth them theyr faultes and that whiche they waÌ„t of righteousnes he imputeth vnto theÌ„ of the fulnes of the righteousnes of Christ Nether denieth he but that God requireth of men that they shoulde vtterly be without sinne For there could be no sinne vnles there were a law which wheÌ„ we sinne we transgresse Farther he demaundeth why God gaue that Lawe which he right well saw could by no meanes be performed And he aunswereth that he did it for this cause that he mought worthely condemn those which contemned it thorough coÌ„tempt transgressed mought here theyr prayers which applied theÌ„selues vnto it and more and more helpe them dayly to accomplishe the same And to this purpose he bringeth that sentence which is written namely that God correcteth and chastiseth those whome he loueth but yet not with fury or auengment but with a fatherly correction But there is none chastised or afflicted which is without sinne For this thing only suffred our Sauiour namely wtout any fault committed of him selfe to susteyne most bitter paynes Wherfore seing all men whom God loueth are corrected with aduersities it followeth of necessity that they all are subiecte vnto sinne Which thing Paul vnto the Galathians most assuredly affirmeth of the saintes For he sayth that in them the flesh so repugneth against the spirite that they can not doo those thinges which they would And in the next chapter he writeth that he himselfe did the euill which he hated By all these things may easely be gathered that a man though he be neuer so holy yet so long as he here They which are loued of god are not without sin We haue euer in vs some what which nedeth forgeuenes Vnles we were miserable before God he should not vse mercy towardes vs. What mercy is How the regenerate are not vile before God Note a certaine distinction liueth hath alwayes some what in him that hath nede to be forgeuen of GOD. Which thing Augustine also testefieth towardes the end of his booke De Spiritu Litera And hereby is most euidently gathered that our good workes are not sufficient vnto eternall life But our aduersaries crake and boast that the regenerate are not vile in the sight of God But we say that we before God are not with out miserye For vnles we were so God could not vse mercye toward vs which mercy yet Augustine writeth that we haue altogether nede of if we desire to be crowned For mercy is an effectioÌ„ wherewith we are moued towards them that are in misery wherefore if eternall life be geuen vnto vs of mercye then must we nedes be vtterly miserable before God But if they vnderstand that the regenerate are not vile in the sighte of God bycause God beawtifieth them with many giftes and ornamentes we graunt to that Yet those gyftes whatsoeuer or how great soeuer they be ought not to seme of so great force to be sufficient vnto eternall life And that commeth not thorough yâ— defaults of the giftes but thorough our default which in all thinges obey them not For we still cary aboute in our fleshe much of old Adam and of naturall corruption Farther our aduersaries put a difference betwene the good workes of men regenerate for they say yâ— those are partly of our selues and partly of God Those say they as they are of vs can merite nothing but as they are oâ— God they doo merite and are causes of eternall life And by this distinction they thinke that yâ— matter is made playne But we graunte not so much vnto them For if we diligently and thoroughly consider
any worke we shall of 〈…〉 ty graunte that it commeth of the grace of God and that we muste noâ— lea 〈…〉 our selues any prayse thereof though it be neuer so smal But bycause God 〈…〉 th â—s to worke Why our workes are alwayes vnperfect who so long as we liue here are not fullye cleansed thereof it commeth that our workes are alwayes vnperfect Moreouer it they were thâ— causes and merites of eternall life we might with security put confidence in them But that the holy scriptures playnely forbid For Paule in thys epistle sayth I iudge that the suffringes of thys time are not worthy the glory to come which shall be reuealed in vs. In thys place Paul considereth good worke in that they are of God For We haue it not of our selues to suffer for Christe we haue not of our selues to suffer aduersities for Christes sake For it is God which worketh in vs that suffring And yet though it be neuer so greate Paul sayth that it is not be compared vnto the glory to come But these men appoynt in a merite as they vse to speake de Condigno that is of worthines Thirdly the aduersaries contend that good workes are the cause of eternall lyfe Workes ar not the causes of eternall lyfe sine qua non Good workes are a beginning of Eternall life Howe good workes are said to be meanes by which God lendeth hys vnto eternall life This word merite vsed among the fathers It is the safest way to abstaine froÌ„ this worde merite This word merite is not vsed in the holy scriptures A place vnto the Hebrues A place of Ecclesiastes sine qua non that is without which it cannot be obteyned Which sentence how ridiculous it is young infantes whom we know are saued without workes can testifie For although they by reason of age can do nothing that is good yet do they obteine eternall lyfe Therfore this cause is not of so great waight that without it no man can be saued And in those that are of full age to speake properlye good workes can not haue the nature of a cause For in them those are nothing els but a beginning of eternall lyfe Wherfore seyng they are a certaine part of eternall life they cannot be counted causes therof Nether ment I any other thing els wheÌ„ before I said that good workes are meanes and as it were certaine steps by which God leadeth his vnto eternal lyfe I graunt in dede yâ— among the fathers is oftentimes found yâ— name of merite which word I would to God they had more seldom with greter consideration vsed For that word hath engendred most vile errors Although the fathers themselues in many places mitigate and leuiste that worde by expositions to the end we should vnderstand that they ment not the iust and proper nature of merite For they alwayes admonish that eternall life is geuen fréelye and that the saintes are crowned by the mercye and compassion of God and that we oughte not to truste vnto merites bicause they canne not consiste before the iudgemente seate of God and other suche like Whiche sentences if our aduersaries would earnestly weigh and ponder they would not so malepertly and stubbernly defend those merites which they call ex Condigno But as I haue said it is yâ— safest way vtterly to abstain froÌ„ this word especially seing it is neuer once vsed through out the whole Scriptures But they vse to obiect a place out of the 13. chap. of the epistle vnto the Hebrewes Talibus hostis promeretur deus which after the Latine is thus englished with such sacrifices is God wonne as by merite But in the Greke in the place of this word promeretur that is is wonne or merited is written this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth is delighted or accepteth theÌ„ They obiect also a place out of the 16. chap. of Ecclesiasticus Omnis misericordia faciet locum vnicuique secundum meritum operum fuorú whiche accordyng to the Latine is thus englished All mercy shall make place vnto euery one accordyng to the merite of his workes But first that booke is not in the Canon Of that that Augustine said howe Paul might haue sayde eternall life is the stipend of righteousnes ArgumeÌ„ts ought to be taken of that which is written in the holye scriptures and not of that which mought haue bene written Paul could not write otherwise then he wrote farther the place is not wel cited For in Greke it is thus written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is all mercy shall make place euery one shal finde according to his dedes In which wordes is nâ— meÌ„tioÌ„ at all made of merite Now let vs examine that which before we said Augustine writeth namely that the Apostle mought truely haue sayd eternall lyfe is the stipeÌ„d of righteousnes but he would not Here first I say that argumentes ought to be taken of that which we are faught in the holy scriptures and not of that which mought otherwise be written in the scriptures Wherfore it is a weake argumeÌ„t for a maÌ„ to say yâ— apostle mought haue said eternal life is yâ— stipend of righteousnes wherfore righteousnes deserueth eternal life Bicause yâ— argumeÌ„t ought to be takeÌ„ of yâ— words of Paul For if it were lawful to reason after this maner theÌ„ sound arguments which leane vnto the worde of GOD should be weakened For there mought be alwayes obiected althoughe the Scripture so haue it yet it moughte haue ben spoken otherwise And by that meanes we should haue nothing certain And although I haue declared what Augustine ment by these wordes yet I can not therfore be easily persuaded to thinke that the Apostle could haue writteÌ„ otherwise then he wrote For if the other kinde of speach should haue geuen occasion of hautines and pride then could it not edeffe it behoued him also to follow the sayinges of the holy ghost And although that sentence mought peraduenture be spoken of righteousnes taken by it selfe yet can it by no meanes be spoken of vs of our righteousnes Wherfore seing that sentence could neither edifie nor make any thing to the purpose I sée not how Paul could so haue writen Howbeit in this matter I will not contend more then is mete with Augustine The seuenth Chapter KNow ye not brethern for I speake to them that know the lawe that the law hath dominion ouer a man so long as he liueth For the woman which is in subiectioÌ„ vnto a man is bound by the law to the man while he liueth but if the man be dead she is deliuered from the law of the man So then if while the man liueth she take an other man she shall be called an adultresse but if the man be dead she is free from the law so that she is not an adulteresse though she take an other man Wherfore ye my bretherne are dead also to the law by the body of Christ that ye should be
difference which Augustin assigneth betwene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not alwaies obserued For yâ— Scriptures vse either word indifferently to signifie yâ— worshippyng of God Vnto the spirite is attributed newnes For the spirite by regeneration reneweth vs both in body and in soule and moreouer in the beleuers it sheweth forth new and Why newnes is attributed vnto the spirite What is to be vnderstand by the name of letter vnaccustomed workes The antithesis also is to the oldnes of our old estate which yâ— Apostle expresseth by the name of letter in which word he comprehendeth whatsoeuer doctrine may be outwardly set forth vnto vs. For whatsoeuer is such procedeth from the strengths of nature And it is called old bicause it commeth not froÌ„ a hart regenerate and a will chaunged In this also is a certaine kind of obedieÌ„ce but yet not such an obedience as God requireth And therfore it is called yâ— oldnes of the letter for that it is a certaine slender imitation of that doctrine which is set foorth vnto vs. Woorkes of this kinde come not of the impression of the lawe in the harts of men For God in Ezechiell promiseth to geue vnto his people a fleshy hart Those thinges also may after a sort pertaine to outward discipline But they neither please God and moreouer to them that do them they are sinnes and therfore Paul sayth that they pertaine to oldnes Certaine of the fathers imagine many thinges touching the spirite and the letter but by the letter they vnderstaÌ„d The difference receaued touching the spirite and the letter is refelled an historicall sence by the spirit they thinke are signified allegories But the Apostle ment farre otherwyse But of this matter we haue spoken somwhat vpon the second chap. of this epistle vpon these wordes of Paul the circumcision of the hart is which consisteth of the spirite and not of the letter Neither ment Paul any thing els in the latter to the CorrinthiaÌ„s when he sayth That the law killeth but the spirit quickeneth For he calleth the law grauen in stones the ministery of death sayth that he is not appointed the minister of the letter but of the spirite Chrisostome thinketh that this sentence that we should serue in newnes of spirite is therfore added of the Apostle that we hearing mention made of liberty should not liue losely through licentiousnes of the flesh but should vnderstand that we are bound to a certaine other kynd of seruitude and that is to serue God Although as we before To obey God is not a seruitude Not all the fathers of the olde testamente liued in sinne admonished it can not properly be called seruitude for in it we follow not an other mans will but our owne Neither are these wordes of Paul so to be taken as though all the fathers of the old Testament liued in sinne and in the oldnes of the letter They pertaine vnto them only which either in this tyme want Christ or in the old tyme liued without him such as were many of the Israelites which waited for Christ according to the flesh as though Messias should be onely a pure man which should come and bring nothyng vnto the Iewes but a carnall kingdome pompe riches glory and a large dominion But the godly fathers as Abraham Iacob Dauid Esay and many others of that race wanted not the benefite of Christ but beyng endewed with the spirite of God had the fruicion of the liberty of the Gospell so much as the nature of the tyme then suffred They in dede obserued the ceremonies of their times such other like precepts but this they dyd of their owne accord not being compelled neither bare they any hatred against the law of God And although at this day after yâ— Christ hath appeared yâ— spirit of God be more largely poured abrode and the mysteries of our saluation are more plainlier manifested then they were in times past yet dare I not affirme that those holy patriarches had lesse of the spirite of Christ then haue many cold Christians in our tyme. And I wonder at Chrisostome beyng so great a man yâ— when he wrote vpon this place he would say That the elders had a body heauy and sluggish and vnapt vnto vertues but our bodies after the commyng of Christ are made lighter reddier The interpretacion of the law deliuered of Christ pertained also vnto the elders Somwhat was graunted in the law whiche is denied vnto vs. and cherefuller and for that cause the preceptes of the Gospell are more hard higher then were the commaundementes of the law For vnto them it was sufficient not to kill but vnto vs it is not lawfull so much as to be angry Vnto theÌ„ iâ—â—as sufficient not to coÌ„mit adultery but vnto vs is also prohibited the lustful loking vpoÌ„ an other maÌ„s wife And such other things of yâ— same sort I graunt in dede yâ— certaine things wer permitted in yâ— old law which were reuoked by Christ For it is not lawful for christians as it was for yâ— Iewes for euery light cause to geue a boke of diuorcemet But those thinges which Christ admonished of lust of anger pertained no lesse vnto yâ— Iewes in the old time theÌ„ they do to vs in this time And wheras Christ saith It was said to theÌ„ in olde tyme that is not to be referred vnto the sentence of the law but vnto yâ— wicked Christ retected the corrupte interpretations of the scribes and of the Phariseis An error of many of the fathers Sondry affectes stirred vp by the law interpretations of the Scribes and Phariseys For otherwise when as in the ten commaundements it is sayd Thou shalt not lust all maner of wicked lust both of the flesh and of vengeaunce and of other mens goods is vtterly forbidden But not only Chrisostom but also many other of the fathers erred in this matter But to returne to our purpose we ought to know that certaine men are by the lawe stirred vp only to certaine outward ceremonies and certaine cold workes which pertaine only a certaine discipline but those selfe same can in no wyse attaine to the iust and perfect obseruance of the will of God but there are others which wheÌ„ they very diligently consider the law and behold the horror of sin and the vncleanes and weakenes of their strengths at the last vtterly dispaire and begin to hate and abhorre God and to blaspheme him and his law and to fall hedlong into all mischiefe and wickednes vntill they drowne themselues in eternall destruction But vnto godly men the consideration of the lawe is profitable and healthfull for when as in it as in a glasse they consider their owne infirmity they are compelled to get them vnto Christ as vnto an hauen of whome they may both obteyne forgeuenes of sinnes and also day by day greater instauration of strengthes What shall we say then is the law sinne God forbidde But
I knew not sinne but by the law for I had not knowen lust except the law had saide Thou shalt not lust But sin toke an occasion by the commaundement and wrought in me all manner of lust For without the law sinne was dead For I once was aliue wythout the law but when the commaundement came sinne reuiued but I was dead and the same commaundement which was ordeyned vnto lyfe was found to be vnto me vnto death For sinne tooke an occasion by the commaundement and deceaued me and thereby slew me Wherefore the lawe is holy and the commaundement is holy and iust and good What shall we then say Is the law sinne God forbid Here Paul beginneth after a sort to defend the law For before he sayd that we are deliuered from it And he mought haue semed not very godly to haue estemed of the law especially when he sayd That the affectes of sinnes which are by the law were of efficacy in our members that we should bryng forth fruite vnto death For these and such other lyke things which semed to be contumeliously spoken agaynst the law he was cōmonly ill thought of of the apostles Wherfore by preuention he obiecteth vnto himself that which he knew was by them layd to his charge Is the law sayth he sinne By the figure Metonymia he putteth sinne for the cause of sinne or for that doctrine whiche persuadeth to sinne He speaketh it by way of interrogation as though he would put forth a question to be debated And to cleare himselfe of all manner of suspicion and to declare how farre he was from this impietie straight way without The law is not properly the efficient cause of sinne In our selues is the true cause of sinne any taryeng he aunswereth God forbid But to make that which followeth y◠eastlier and plainlier to be vnderstand this is to be noted that Paul attributeth not vnto the law the workyng of sinne For sinne commeth of it only per accidēs that is by chaunce For the true and proper cause of sinne is in our selues For y◠lust which is grafted infixed in vs when the law of God setteth it self against it waxeth more 〈…〉 ce and is more vehemently kindled not that the law bringeth occasions to this infection For it only sheweth things which are euill setting forth what things are to be done what to be eschued But when the corruption of nature perceyueth that those thyngs which are set forth of the law are agaynst it it gathereth together his strengths and strengthneth it selfe to resist as much as lyeth in it and therfore it poureth out greater forces As we sée in the sommer whē A similitude cold cloudes hange ouer vs then in these lower regions are much greater heates And when as of the sonne al things are inflamed and made whote yet by Antiperistasin welles and places vnder the earth are more cold For such is the nature of The nature of thinges contrary things contrary that to repell the presence of their contrary they more vehemētly bend themselues and gather greater strengthes But I knevv not sinne but by the Lavv For I had not knovven lust except the Lavv had sayd Thou shalt not lust By these wordes the Apostle teacheth that How the law encreaseth sinne the Law encreaseth not sinne but so farre forth as it setteth before our eyes the knowledge thereof And he speaketh of himselfe to geue vs to vnderstand that he speaketh or declareth nothing but that which he had learned by feling and experience And by y◠same example he secretly exhorteth vs wholy to discēd down into our selues if we will together with him know the groūde of our saluation If thou demaund it what time Paul sayth that he knew not sinne and was ignorant At what time Paul◠knew not sinne of lust many thinke y◠he meaneth this of his childhode in which time by reason of age he could not vnderstand the commaundementes of the law This answere although I meane not to disproue yet do I not thinke it to be sufficiēt For after that we are come to discretion nether age nor naturall knowledge can of themselues shew sinne vnles we most attentiuely consider the Law of God For if it be but lightly and sclonderly looked vpon it engēdreth not a true knowledge of sinnes Wherefore we may say that sinne is not knowen of men both when they are letted by age and when being come to age they neglect the Law of God and also when they doo not attētiuely enough ether heare or rede it This place manifestly teacheth that Paul entreateth not only of ceremonies Both age and sinne let vs from the knowledge of the law Here is proued that Paul entreateth also of morall preceptes The law of nature also shewed sin The law of nature was in a manner cleane blotted out The presumption of hipocrites went about to depraue many thinges in the law of God An euident difference betwene the letter the spirite but also comprehendeth the ten commaundementes For out of thē he bringeth a confirmatiō of his sentence when he citeth this precept Thou shalt not lust And euen this Law whereof he speaketh is it from which he pronounceth that we are deliuered Which thing were not possible if as our aduersaries affirm we should be iustified by the workes thereof But thou wilt say did not the Law of nature shew sinne why then doth Paul say that he knew not sinne but by the law geuen of God by Moses Indede the law of nature shewed sinne but yet so long as it was soūd and whole But it being in a maner clene blotted out partly by the fall of the first parentes and partly by many other corruptions which it had now by long vse and continuance contracted could not performe his office so much as should be sufficient vnto the saluation of men Wherfore God gaue a law which should restore all thinges which our prauity had corrupted in the Law of nature And yet could not the presumption of men be so repressed but it went aboute in the Law also geuen of God to depraue many things For the Scribes and Pharisies with theyr interpretaciōs had corrupted the natiue and proper sence of the Law Wherefore Christ was compelled to bring it to perfection from theyr deprauation and to shew that it is farre otherwise to be vnderstand then they in the olde time had interpretated it And hereby we vnderstand that there is no small difference betwene the Law and the Spirite The Law may be blotted and corrupted by euill interpretations Farther also although it be perfect yet hath it not suche strengths that it can ether extinguishe sinne or alienate the minde from sinne But the spirite can not be vitiated nor corrupted and it breaketh sinne and chāgeth the minde But we ought to know that the Law geuen by Moses could not so much be corrupted as the Law of nature For although it were by interpretations
fayne For the lawe of God hath a farre other ende then that it should be absolutely performed of vs or that we should by the obseruation of it obtayne righteousnes Wherefore lust is of two sortes the one is a manifest consent of Lust of two sortes the minde which pertayneth to euery one of the commaundementes of God For anger and hatred pertayne vnto this commaundemente thou shalte not kill Lust and filthy desire pertayne vnto this commaundement thou shalt not committe adultery the other is a generall lust which is a pronesse against the will of God and is with all the motions thereof expressed in the last precept thou shalt not lust but there is yet remayning a doubt for Moses setteth not foorth that precept so simply and playnely as doth Paul but sayth he Thou shalt not lust after thy Paul conciliated with Moses neighbours house hys field hys seruaunt hys mayde hys oxe or hys wyfe The cause of this diuersity is for that wheÌ„ as Moses should geue the lawe to men being rude he would more openly and more plainely describe lust by the obiectes whereunto it is caried that they mought the easilier vnderstande it But Paul which sawe that he had to do with them that knew the law thought it inough precisely to say thou shalt not lust supposing yâ— it should néede no farther declaration Yea nether did Moses reâ—oâ—ed not all thinges w 〈…〉 unto our lust is caâ—ed Moses recken vp all things whereunto we are by lust led He thought it sufficient to recken a certaine fewe thinges which straight way were perceaued of euery man as grosse and manifest And so we sée that God in like maner vsed the figure Synecdoche in a maner in all the rest of the commaundementes Which thing Christ in Mathew hath plainly tought vs when against the traditions of the God in the commaundementes vsed the figure synecdoche Scribes and of the Phariseyes he defended the true meaning of the law For he tought that in that commaundement thou shalt not kill is not only prohibited the hand but also contumely hatred and wrath And that in this commaundemeÌ„t Thou shalte not commit adultery is not only forbidden the vncleane action but also the lustfull looking and all maner of inflamatioÌ„ of the minde towards a woman not being thy wife After the same maner we could easily declare that in all the rest of the commaundemeÌ„ts is vsed the figure Synecdoche Farther in euery one In all the commaundementes are commended the vertues coÌ„trary vnto that vice whiche is prohibited The ten commaundementes like the ten predicamentes of Aristotle of the commaundementes are commended the vertues which are contrary to that vice which is there prohibited For when we are forbidden to beare false witnes against our neighbour therewithall also we are commaunded to defend the truth and ernestly to succour the good fame of our neighboure when we are forbiddeÌ„ to steale we are also coÌ„mauÌ„ded to be liberal towards our neighbours to communicate such things as we haue to them yâ— want And to declare yâ— which oftentimes commeth into my minde the ten commaundementes of the lawe seme in my iudgement in all partes as touching honesty filthynes vertue and vice to extend as farre as the ten predicamentes of Aristotle For as there can nothing be found in the nature of thinges which pertayneth not to those predicamentes so is there no vertue no vice nothing honest nothing filthy which can not be referred to some of the ten commaundementes And as all the generall wordes and perticular kindes of the other predicamentes are resolued into the predicamente of substance so may all outward sinnes be resolued into lust And as the predicament of substance hath matter and forme as the first and chiefe ground so the whole consent of our minde to sinne is resolued into the prauity of our nature Wherefore although in the lawe are set forth thinges knowen and grosse yet in them God requireth that which is commaunded in the first and last commaundement namely that we should haue the motions both of the body and of the The commaundemeÌ„t against iâ—st is not well deuided into two minde honest and clene and that we should abhorre from all those thinges which God hath forbiddeÌ„ vs. Farther this to be noted that Paul bringeth this as one only precept Thou shalt not lust Wherefore I meruail at certayne amongst whom also is Augustine which of one commaundement do make two as though in the one is prohibited adultery when it is sayd thou shalt not lust after the wife of thy neighbour and in the other is forbidden that we couet not an other mans land house oxe seruaunt and maide But if the preceptes shoulde increase in number according to the number of the thinges that we lust after we should of one commaundement make in a maner infinite commaundementes For it is possible that we may couet our neighbours honors dignityes vessels money garmentes and infinite other such like thinges But there are others which to kepe the ful number of ten in the commaundements haue left this commaundement Thou shalt not lust vndeuided and haue deuided the first precept into two parts so that in the first part they put this thou shalt haue none other Goddes and in the second thou shalt not make to thy selfe any grauen image c. But I thinke that either Whych is the first precepte of these partes pertayne to one and the same precept And I suppose the first commaundement to be that which is set before the rest in stede of a proheme I am the Lord thy God which hath brought thee out of the land of Egipt For in those wordes are we commaunded to count him for the true God And that we should not thinke that he is to be worshipped together with other Goddes straight way is added the second precept wherein we are prohibited to worship strange Gods In the fyrst commaundement is offred vnto vs the Gospell and grauen thinges and images And if a man will more narrowlye consider the thing he shall sée that together with as it is his first commaundement is offred vnto vs the Gospell For God in it promiseth that he will be our God And in that which is mencioned of the deliuery out of Egipt is contayned a promise touching Christ But to returne from whence we are digressed we ought certaynly to hold that in this precept Thou shalt not lust are prohibited our corrupt inclination and euill motions of the minde which we should not acknowledge to be sinnes vnles the lawe had shewed them vnto vs. Aristotle Pigghius and such other like for that they were ignorante of the lawe of God contende that these are not preceptes But sinne tooke an occasion by the commaundement and wrought in me all maner of lust Hetherto Paul hath declared that the lawe only sheweth sinne Now he toucheth the true cause of all transgressions Which cause he plainly
them spirite and in nature whatsoeuer Why the law is sayd to be spirituall is moued of it selfe and hath in it by any meanes life it hath it by the benefite of the spirite Wherefore if the lawe should of it selfe bring death doubtles it should do it against the nature of the spirite And the lawe is called spirituall for two causes First because it was not deuised of mans vnderstanding as ciuil laws are but was written by the ministery of Moses in mount Sina God himselfe by his spirite being the inditer thereof Wherefore comming of the spirite being the author thereof it is call spirituall It is called also spirituall for that not being content with outward actions it perseth euen to the will and to the minde and to the inward motions senses and spirites of a man and commaundeth vs to obey it with all the soule and with all the spirite Wherefore they are fowly deceaued An error in distinguishinge the law from the Gospel which so distinguishe the olde lawe from the new that they thinke that the olde lawe only restrayneth the hand but the new pertayneth also to the affectes of the minde For they are not to be counted to satisfy the olde lawe which obserue only an outward righteousnes And if they do not that which the lawe commaundeth that which they do doubtles pleaseth not God yet rather it is to be counted sinne The lawe of God forasmuch as it dealeth not with vs after a ciuill maner is not The law of God dealeth not with vs after a ciuill manner content only with an outward honesty of maners Wherefore nether Socrates nor Aristides by their righteousnes satisfied the lawe though they be neuer so much commended of writers And when the Pharisey had geuen thankes vnto God for that he was not as other men but fasted twise in the weke and did many other thinges which mought please men Christ pronounced that he went not to his house iustified But without al doubt he should haue obtayned righteousnes if by those his workes which he made mencion of he had satisfied the meaning of the lawe This excellency and perfection of the commaundementes of God carnall men vnderstand not so that the Israelites when Moses came downe from the mountayne could not looke vpon the brightnes of the countenance of Moses neither could they abide it And we also so long as we vse this vayle of humane reason The law of God is not vnderstand by the force of humane reason shall not be able to behold the spirituall light of the lawe Origene thinketh that the lawe is therefore called spirituall for that it is not to be expounded according to the letter as commoÌ„ly it is sayd but by allegoricall senses But seing Paul here entreateth of the ten commaundementes as that precept which is of him rited Thou shalt not lust plainly declareth this interpretation ought vtterly to bee counted from the purpose For in this part of the law we may not deale with allegories Neither doth Paul therfore say that he is carnal for that he vnderstood not In the Decaloge allegories haue no place allegories but for that he felt in himself affections striuing against the law of God Now then forasmuch as the law is spirituall in that manner that we haue now declared it followeth of necessitie that it of his owne nature bringeth not death but rather lyfe For so Moses in Deut. the 30. chap. sayth that he had set forth vnto The law of it selfe bringeth life the Israelites life and death good and euill blessing and cursing For the perfect obseruation of the law draweth with it blessing life and good and yâ— violating therof bringeth cursing euil and death And the law commaundeth not transgression It lieth not in our will and choise in as much as we are corrupt to chose life but obseruation But yet it lieth not in our choyce or will of our own accorde to chuse good life and blessing For the commaundemeÌ„ts of the law are displeasaÌ„t vnto vs vntill the spirite of Christ come And Christ sayth If thou wylte enter into lyfe kepe the commaundements And Dauid in the 19. Psalme saith That the law restoreth the mynde Which testimonies if they be rightly vnderstanded teach this selfe same thing But if a man demaund whether these proprieties of the law at any time attaine to their effect We aunswer that they do but yet euen then wheÌ„ The law sheweth forth his effects in the regenerate the law is written not only in tables but also in our hartes and bowels For theÌ„ although the law be imperfectly expressed in our workes yet are not the promises therof made frustrate which in the elect of God are performed not thorough merites but thorough grace and mercy After yâ— the Apostle had in such sort coÌ„mended the law he rendreth a reason why of it he drew not life but death Bicause saith he I am carnall sold vnder sinne Here the crime of slaying the increase of sinne is transferred from the law to the corruption of our nature And there is nothing more gratefull vnto God then for vs to accuse our selues with due prayses to set forth his worde It was not possible to deuise a more apte commendation of the law For Paul doth not only set forth the singuler dignitye therof but also speaketh that which he saith is well knowen and vnderstande of all the godly We know sayth he that the law is spirituall And to make this the more playne he setteth against it our vncleannes I sayth he am carnal and sold vnder sinne The law is the maistresse of vertue and enemy of all vices I abhorre vertue and folow vices euen against my will When he sayth that he is carnall he meaneth that he was infected with Why Paul saith that he is carnal originall sinne and corruption For that euill is deriued from Adam by the flesh whiche yet containeth not it selfe in the fleshe but possesseth the whole man and all his strengthes And the better to declare what this worde carnall signifieth he Why we are said to be solde vnder sinne addeth sold vnder sinne For euen as bondmen are oftentimes drawen and impelled of their masters to that which they would not so are we by originall sinne drawen to many things which we allow not Neither are we only vnder the bonds of Originall sinne but also through our owne will we adde therunto a great hepe of sinnes Wherfore we are bouÌ„d with many kindes of snares By this metaphore Paul notably setteth forth our captiuity The Iewes were oppressed with greuous seruitude when they were captiues in Egipt neither were they any gentler delt with in Babilon but most cruelly of all were they handled vnder Antiochus But there can no seruitude be compared with this wherof Paul now speaketh for in No captiuiâ—ye can be compared with seruitude of sin those seruitudes was only an outward enemy and the
obnoxious to many troubles They added moreouer that therefore he sayth he is sold vnder sinne for that he was subiect vnto that death which had through the sinne of Adam crepte into the worlde For to be solde vnder sinne after them is to be subiecte vnto death and vnto other iniuries and troubles of this life which haue by the meanes of sinne crept into the world And by this meanes in Gods name they thought that they had excellently well interpretated Paul although they make no mencion at all of the vice of nature of the corruption of mans dispocition and of the prauity of all the partes both of the soule and of the body traduced through Adam into all his posterity But Paul far Against the Pelagians otherwise therefore saith that he was sold vnder sinne for that he did those things which he would not but those thinges which most of all he would he did not and for that when as to will was preseÌ„t with him yet he found no ability to performe that which is good and for that he fel into that infelicity which he lamented so that he felt a lawe in his members which sharpely fought agaynst the vnderstanding of the minde These sentences and causes being diligently considered it is very manifest that Paul bewayled not the death of the body or the afflictions of this life but his owne corruption which he had as wel as other men drawen from Adam Forasmuch as there are certain things which Ambrose noteth in this place which are not to be contemned it shall not be amisse here to write his iudgement First he acknowledgeth that these thinges are to be vnderstand of the lawe of Moses Farther that the lawe is therefore called spirituall for that it calleth vs backe from sinne and prohibiteth vs to geue vnto creatures that worshipping which is due vnto God only Moreouer he testefieth that we are fast bound with a double bond first by reason of Originall sinne which we haue drawen from Adam secondly by reason of infinite other sinnes which we our selues haue added He confesseth also that we are so bounde vnto sinne that we can not vse our owne power By which wordes we may gather that our frée will is not a little hindred Ambrose confesseth that free will is not a little hindâ—red The deuill mingleth himselfe with our thoughtes Farther he sayth that by reason of all these thinges it commeth to passe that the deuill mingleth himselfe with all our thoughts which he could not do but through sinne Wherefore seing that we can not discerne our owne thoughtes from those which are of the deuill offred vnto our mindes it is necessary that we oftentimes looke vpon the lawe of God Here we ought to note that Ambrose affirmeth that the deuill mingleth himselfe with our thoughtes which the Scholemen will not absolutely graunt For that which I do I know not For what I woulde that do I not but what I would not that do I. If theÌ„ I do that which I would not I consent to the lawe that it is good For that which I do I know not He now by reason he proueth yâ— he is sold vnder sinne for that he doth not those thinges which he would himselfe but is rather He which of necessitye followeth the will of an other man is a seruant bought for mony violently drawn to those things which he would not But he yâ— of necessity followeth the will of an other man and doth not his owne will vndoubtedly is in no better estate then a seruant bought for money And this is to be vnder tiranny to be led vnto those thinges which thou thy selfe in minde and in will allowest not And when he sayth that he doth not those thinges which he woulde he meaneth that will which is now by the benefite of Christ made comformable vnto the law of God which nether willeth nor not willeth any thing but so farre forth as it séeth it ether allowed or dissalowed of the lawe of God Wherefore the Apostle rightly of this concludeth that the lawe of God is good because the minde of men regenerate being now after a sort amended so iudgeth of it And wheÌ„ as he saith that he doth not those thinges which he would and imputeth not that let vnto the lawe it remaineth that that is to be ascribed vnto our lust and naturall vice which of his owne nature is euill For besides these three there is no other thing whereunto that can be imputed And he sayth that he doth not the thinges which he would for that he is not led by his iudgemente as he is regenerate but is resisting and against his will drawen backeward of lust Into this infelicity incurre we through sinne so that we ceasse to be Lords of our owne motions and workes But we were not so at the first framed This place declareth how broken and diminished our frée will is left vnto vs. For we fréely and of our owne accorde do Free will broken and diminished those thinges which in our owne iudgement we allow not Neither are we the seruauntes of sinne only touching the inferior partes of the mynde as some hold but all whole whatsoeuer we are touching nature For if there be any thing in vs which resisteth that commeth of the spirite of Christ Neither are we for any other cause sayd not to will or not to do that which we do but for that being instructed by yâ— spirite of God we determin appoint with our selues yâ— that is not to be done which we do Holy men are sometimes angrye more then they would be and speake sometymes many thinges which they would afterward were vnspoken An example Dauid in his anger sware that he would kill Naball the Carmelite with all his whole famelye But beinge admonished by the woordes of Abigail he reuoked his dangerous othe Our hart sayth Ambrose as it is cited of Augustine is not in our owne power We sometymes appoynt with our selues that we will with an attentiue hart pray vnto God but for that many thinges offer themselues vnto our thoughtes we straight way filthyly wander from our talke with God That which I do I know not That which he afterward sayth he hateth and would not he now sayth that he knoweth not But forasmuch as knowledge is of two sortes the one simple which iudgeth or determineth nothing of the thing Knowledge of two sorts knowen the other which ether alloweth or dissaloweth it Paul speaketh of this latter knowledge so that the sense is that which I do I know not that is I allow not with the full asseÌ„t of my minde Althoughe as Chrisostome admonisheth out of these wordes may be picked an other sense So great a perturbation commeth of the affects that what we do we consider not For the deceit of yâ— entisemeÌ„ts of yâ— lust is subtle great Subtle men hauing ben long time practisers of craftines although The entisements of the lust
A similitude Dâ—fâ—rence betwene Paul and the Philosophers we sée what they do yet oftentimes they so beguile our eies the we perceaue not what they do Aristotle sayth that in euery sinne is mingled some kinde of ignoraÌ„ce Although betwéene yâ— philosophers the seÌ„se of Paul there is some differeÌ„ce For they thinke this power to be grafted in the nature of the minde reason and will alwayes to desire and to approue that which is good but the confusion beginneth only in the grosser partes of the soule But the apostle affirmeth that al the partes of man both the inferior and the superior doo by reason of originall sinne resist the spirite of God But seing that both from himselfe and from the Law he remoueth away the cause of sinne it is manifest that it hath hys place only in lust grafted in vs. And seing he sayth that he himself doth not the things which he would and which are euil much les vndoubtedly doth the Law them For he by the Law vnderstoode that these things are not to be done Wherfore herehence haue we a commondation of the Lawe and he doth not here as heretikes faine which frowardly peruerte the sayings of Paul blame the Law For that vvhich I vvould I doo not but that vvhich I hate that doo I. Some thinke that this is to be referred only vnto the first motions But seing the scripture manifestly sayth that the iust also fall and that we all in many thinges offend I se no cause why we should into so narrow a streight contract this saying These thinges are not to be draweÌ„ onely to the first motioÌ„s of the Apostle For I doubt not but that euen holy men also haue not only some times euill lusts but also sometimes doo certayne thinges which ought not to be done But they are streight way sorye and they accuse themselues and as much as lieth in them correct the sinne And yet I would not that any maÌ„ should hereby thinke that I affirme that the iudgement of the spirite and the purpose of the will renewed abideth sound wheÌ„ the godly fall into most heynous wicked The iudgement of the spirite abideth not sound in faultes that are very haynous factes as when Dauid committed adultery and murther For these sinnes are of that kind whereof the Apostle sayth They which doo suche thinges shall haue no portion in the kingdome of God Wherfore Augustine made an excellent distinctioÌ„ namely that a crime is one thing and sinne an other thing Wherefore seinge in this kinde of crime the right of regeneration is after a sort lost it is not to be tought that Paul thereof speaketh in this place Now then it is no more I that doo it but the sinne that dwelleth in me For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing For to will is present with me but I finde no ability to performe that which is good It is not I that doo it He affirmeth that he doth it not for that he all whole doth it not For in respect that he is regenerate he abhorreth from that whiche he doth The lust and vice whiche is by nature grafted and planted in vs is it which wresteth from vs many things But they which are wise fly vnto Christ that he may make that seruitude which they serue more milde which thinge he not only doth but also mercifully forgeueth the thinges that are committed amisse Wherfore for these causes Paul denieth that he doth that thing which he doth And vndoubtedlye it is to be ascribed vnto the singular gift of God that we will not and that those thinges displease vs which we doo and contrariwise that we wil and wishe those thinges which we doo not For thys propertye is not in all men For it is in them only which are now grafted into Christ and regenerate in him In dede Iudas Cain and Esau were displeased with their sin but yet not therefore for that they allowed the Lawe of God but for that they now began to fele their own discommodity and calamity and destruction For How sins displeasetheÌ„ that are desperate Difference betweene the godly the vngodlye they were not touched with any loue of the Law and wil of God So much difference is there betwene a godly man and an vngodly The godly maÌ„ although he fall yet he doth not from the hart violate the lawe of God For he hath euer thys in hym that continually he resisteth and repugneth sinne But the vngodly man neuer doth good from the hart or escheweth euill as the law commaundeth For he alwayes hath a regard vnto gayne commodity fame and such other like thinges and not vnto the will of God These declare that Paul speaketh Paul in this place speaketh of himself and of the regenerate those thinges which are contayned in this chapiter of himselfe and of the sayntes which are now in Christ regenerate For he sayth that in mind he serued the Lawe of God and to will was present with hym but to performe that which is good he found no ability And when he had cried out vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from this body subiect vnto death He added a geuinge of thankes for that he knew that by Christ he shoulde attayne to it Thys can not they â—â— which are strangers from Christ and vngodly and voyd of yâ— holy ghost Testimonies where by is proued that holy men haue sinne They which deny thys are thereunto by thys reason chiefely moued for that they perswade themselues that sinne can haue no place in holy men when yet the scripture teacheth farre otherwise For Paul vnto the Galathians speaking of the godly writeth in a maner the selfe same thinges that he doth now in this place walke ye sayth he inspirite and performe not the desires of the flesh He sayth not haue ye not the desires of the fleshe but performe them not And the fleshe sayth he lusteth agaynst the spirite and the spirite agaynst the flesh so that whatsoeuer thinges ye would ye doo not This is it which he here sayth I doo not that which I would Dauid sayth Who vnderstandeth his sinnes Cleuse me from my hidden sinnes Enter not into iudgment with thy seruaunt for in thy sight shall no liuing creature be iustified And Esay sayth that our righteousneses are like a clothe stayned with the naturall dissease of a woman And the Lord commaundeth vs to pray Forgeue vs our trespasses If we say we haue no sinne sayth Iohn we deceaue our selues and the truth is not in vs Iames saith we all offende in many thinges The Fathers also affirme that Paul Augustine proueth that Paul speaketh of himself and of the regenerate Ambrose of the same iudgement in thys place speaketh of himselfe And amongste other Augustine agaynst the two epistles of the Pelagians the 10. chapiter And the reasons that moue him thereunto are those for that the Apostle sayth It
affirme that by regeneration is takeÌ„ away the guiltines of sinnes For although these vices remayne both as the scripture testefieth and also as experience teacheth yet their bond and guiltines is taken away Wherfore Augustine oftentymes saith that lust in dede remayneth but the guiltines therof is by Christ takeÌ„ away And he addeth that somtimes it coÌ„meth to pas that the act and worke of sinne passeth away as we see it is in theft and in adultery but the guiltines notwithstandyng abideth and sometymes it commeth to passe that the guiltines is takeÌ„ away but the fault remayneth Which is plaine to be sene touching this lust wherof we speake It remayneth in dede but yet we cannot by it be as guilty condemned to eternall death If thou demaund why it is called sinne when as the guiltines is taken away I aunswer bicause in that it is not imputed vnto vs it hath not that of his owne nature for as touching his owne nature as we haue before taught it deserueth death and damnation but this commeth by an other meanes namely of the mercy of God through Christ But euery thing ought to be considered by it selfe and of his own nature Wherfore seyng the proper nature of sinne Euery thinge ought to be considered by his owne nature is to striue against the law of God and this thing we sée to come to passe in this lust and in these first motions therfore they ought to be called sinnes Neither by this our sentence do we fall into that folishnes which the Pelagians vpbrayded vnto Augustine and to other of the catholikes as though they should say that by regeneration The PelagiaÌ„â— bâ—â—ided vnto catholikes folishnes is not blotted out sinne but only rased For when heares are shauen there remaine still vnder the skinne the rootes of the heares by which they grow vp againe For although we affirme that in men regenerate remaine still lust A similitude corrupt motions yet do we not deny but that God is perfectly reconciled vnto vs. Wherfore although of their owne nature they are sinnes yet by the mercy of God they are so blotted out that they now vtterly cease to be imputed wherfore if we As touchinge imputation sinnes are vtterly taken is regeneration haue a respect vnto imputation there remayneth nothing of them Last of al they obiect vnto vs that we do iniury vnto Augustine when we say that he affirmeth these to be sinnes when as he interpreteth himself that they are called sinnes improperly For as a scripture or writing is called a hand for that it is done with the hand so that these called sinnes for that they come from original sinne and as cold Why Augustine calleth these motioÌ„s sinnes is called slouthfull for that it maketh vs slouthfull so are these called sinnes for yâ— they stirre vs vp to sinnes but yet properly they are not sinnes So say they Augustine by this meanes doth not only interpretate himselfe why he calleth these sinnes but also hath geuen vnto vs a way how we ought to vnderstand Paul wheÌ„ he calleth these sinnes Hereunto we aunswer first that if either Augustine or any other of the fathers do deny that these are sinnes that is to be vnderstand by When the fathers say that these motioÌ„s ar not sinnes they vnderstand that they are not actual sinnes way of comparison if they be compared with actuall sinnes but not that the nature of sinne can wholy be taken away from them Which thing Augustine in another place most plainly declareth For against Iulianus in his 6. booke 8. chap. For it is not sayth he no iniquity when in one man eyther the superiour partes are after a vile maner seruantes vnto the inferiour partes or the inferiour partes after a vile maner resist the superiour partes although they be not suffred to get the maistry Seyng that he calleth this sinne iniquitie he plainly declareth that vnto it is agreable the nature of sinne which we before described And in his 5. booke agaynst the same Iulianus He expressedly calleth these motioÌ„s sinnes and affirmeth thâ— to be iniquities the third chapiter he thus writeth The luste of the fleshe agaynst which the good spirite lusteth is sinne for that in it is a disobedience agaynst the gouernment of the mind and it is a punishement of sinne for that it is rendred vnto the merites of the disobedient person and it is a cause of sinne thorough the falling away of hym that sinneth Here we sée that lust is of Augustine thrée maner of wayes called sinne Neither Note these wordes of Augustine can it be sayd that he writeth these thinges of a man not regenerate For he expressedly saith Against which the good spirite lusteth For in the wicked is not the spirite of God which striueth against lustes Wherfore we haue out of Augustine thrée places one which we before cited out of his 5. booke de libero Arbitrio and Lust remayning in vs is truly and properly sinne two against Iulianus wherin he expressedly confesseth that lust is sinne and bringeth a reason why he so thinketh Neither oughte our aduersaries as touchynge the interpretacion of Paul to runne vnto a figure to say that this is not properly to be called sinne For both out of Paul and out of other places of the scripture is brought good reason why lust is truly and properly called sinne And it is to be woÌ„dred at that these men otherwise are euery where so prone to figures when as in this one proposition This is my body they so much abhorre from al kind of figures when as yet notwithstanding a figure is there most conuenient And if thou desire other testimonies of the fathers wherby to proue that lust is sinne we haue before cited Ierome vpon Mathew And there are in Augustine against Iulianus found cited a great many other sentences of the auncient fathers All which make wholy on our side But now let vs come to the exposition of the 8. chapter The eight Chapter FOrasmuch as nowe there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirite For the lawe of the spirite of lyfe which is in Christ Iesus hath made me fre froÌ„ the law of sinne and of death For as much as in this chapiter are entreated many notable things it shall The Method of this chapt not be amisse to deuide the summe of them into the partes thereof Firste Paul remoueth away condemnation which he sayth is taken away by the Lawe of the spirite of life which spirite we haue obteyned by the benefite of the death of Christ And this liberty promiseth he not indifferentlye vnto all men but only vnto those whiche are in Christe and walke not accordinge vnto the fleshe but according to the spirite For they which seperate them selues from Christ can not be pertakers of his benefite TheÌ„ he addeth that we by this spirit are
pertakers not only of the death of the Lord but of his resurrectioÌ„ also for forasmuch as Christ was by it raysed vp from the dead as many as are endewed with the same spirite shall likewise be raysed vp from the dead For that cause he exhorteth vs by the spirite to mortefye the deades of the flesh that we may be made pertakers of euerlasting life Thirdly he amplifieth and adorneth this state and condition which by the spirite of Christ we haue obteyned namely that now we are by adoption made the children of God that we are moued by this spirit and made strong against aduersities to suffer all afflictions Which prayses serue not a little to quicken our desire that we should desire to be dayly more aboundantly enriched with this spirite Fourthly he confuteth those which obiected that state to seme miserable and vnhappy in which the faythfull of Christ liue For they are continually excercised with aduersities so that euen they also which haue the first fruites of the spirite are compelled to mourne And he writeth that by this meanes these thinges come to passe for that as yet we haue not obteyned an absolute regeneration nor perfect saluatioÌ„ for we haue it now but only in hope which when time shall serue that is in the end of the worlde shall be made perfect Fiftly he teacheth that notwithstaÌ„ding those euills which doo enclose vs in on euerye side yet our saluation is neuertheles sure for the prouidence â–ª of God whereby we are predestinâ—te to eternall felicity can nether be chaunged nor yet in any poynte fayle And by this prouidence sayth he it commeth to passe that vnto vs which loue God all thinges turne to good and nothing can hurt vs forasmuch as God hath geuen vnto vs his sonne and together with hym all thinges wherefore seing the father iustifieth vs and the sonne maketh intercession for vs there is nothing which can make vs afrayd Lastly he sayth that yâ— loue of God towards vs is so greate that by no creature it can be plucked from vs. Hereby it is manifest of how greate force the spirite of adoption is wherewith we are sealed so long as we wayte for the perfection of our felicity And these thinges serue wonderfully to proue that our iustification consisteth not of workes but of fayth and of the meare and free mercy of God This is the summe of al that which is coÌ„tained in the doctrine of this chap. As touching the first part the Apostle alledgeth that condemnation is now takeÌ„ away which he proueth bycause we are endewed with the spirite of Christe But this deliuery he promiseth vnto those only which are in Christ Wherfore seing it is manifest what his proposition or entent is now let vs se howe these thinges hange together with those which are alredy spoken Toward the end of the former chap Paul cried out twise first when he sayd Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death And by the figure Aposiopesis he expressed not the deliuerer but here he sayth that that deliuerer is the Lawe The law of the spirit and life deliuereth of the spirite and of life Farther in that place with greate affection he sayd I geue thankes vnto God through Iesus Christe our lorde nether declared he wherfore he gaue thankes But nowe he playnly expresseth the cause For he sayth that now there remayneth no condemnation and that we are deliuered from the Thankes are to be geuen for that there remayneth in vs no coÌ„mendation Law of sinne and of death This is it for which he gaue thaÌ„ks Lastly he added how that in minde he serued the law of God but in flesh the law of sinne Now he more playnly expresseth what that is namely to be in Christ and not to walke according to the flesh but according to the spirite Hereby it manifestly appeareth how aptly these thinges are knit together with those which are alredy spoken The Apostle seemeth thus to speake Althoughe sinne and the corruption of nature where wyth the godlye are vexed be as it is alredye sayde styll remayninge in them yet is there no daunger that it shoulde brynge condemnation vnto men regenerate for they are holpen by the spirite of Christe wherewith they are now endewed And euen as before he aboundantly entreated of the violence and tiranny of sinne which it vseth against vs being vnwittinge What thinges auayle to know our selues and vnwilling thereunto so now on the other side he teacheth what the spirite of Christ worketh in the Saintes Wherefore seing not only the holy scriptures but also the Ethnike writers do expressedly commaund that euery man shoulde knowe himselfe peraduenture there is scarse any other place out of whiche the A godly maÌ„ consisteth of two principles same may better be gathered then out of these two chapiters For a godly man consisteth of his owne corrupt and vitiate nature and also of the spirit of Christ because we haue before learned what yâ— corruptioÌ„ of nature that is sinne woorketh in vs and now is declared what benefites of Christ we obtayne by his spirite by this may euery man as touching ether part know himselfe Vndoubtedly wonderfull great is the wisdome of the Apostle who when he wrote of the force of sin expressed it chiefely in his owne person to geue vs to vnderstand that there is no Why Paul chaungeth the persons in these two descriptioÌ„s man so holy which so long eas he liueth here is cleane ridde from sinne But afterward when he entreateth of the helpe of the spirite of Christ he bringeth in the person of other men least any man should thinke with himselfe that not all manner of Christians enioye this excellente helpe of God but onelye certaine principall and excellent men such as were the Apostles After these things which we haue before heard out of the seuenth chapter a man mought haue sayd forasmuch as we are so led away captiue of sinne and that by force and against our willes what hope can there be of our saluation Much saith Paul Forasmuch as now there is no condeÌ„nation to theÌ„ which are in Christ For by the spirite of Christ we are deliuered from the lawe of sinne and of death This reason is taken of the cause efficient whereby is not only proued that which was proposed but also euen the very carnell and inward pithe of our iustification is touched For although men being now iustified are so restored vnto the giftes of God that they begin to liue holily and do accomplishe some certayne obedience begonne of the lawe yet because in the iudgement of God they can not stay vpon them forasmuch as they are vnperfect and are not without fault of necessity it followeth that our iustification should herein consist Wherein consisteth iustificatioÌ„ â–ª namely to haue our sinnes forgeuen vs that is to be deliuered from the guiltines of them And this is it which
vnder the law And that is it which condemneth and killeth For it vnder the payne of damnation commaundeth that we should beleue in Christ. Wherefore they which beleue not by the condemnation of the law do perishe But the propriety of the Gospell is only to make safe It mought also be somewhat more plainly aunswered The Gospell as it onely outwardly maketh a souÌ„d â–ª differreth little from the law that the Gospell so long as it doth but outwardly only make a sound neither is the holy ghost inwardly in the hartes of the hearers to moue and bowe them to beleue so long I say the Gospell hath the nature of the killyng letter neyther differeth it any thyng from the Lawe as touchyng efficacye vnto saluation For althoughe it conteyne other thynges then the Lawe dothe yet it canne neyther geue Grace nor remission of synnes vnto the hearers But after that the holy ghost hath once moued yâ— harâ—s of the hearers to beleue then at the length the Gospell obtayneth his power to make safe Wherefore the lawe of sinne â–ª and of death from which we are deliuered is it whereof before it was sayd that it leadeth vs captiâ—â—s and rebelleth against the lawe of the minde In this fight saith Chrisostome the holy ghost is present with vs and helpeth and deliuereth vs that we runne not into dammation He crâ—wneth vs saith he and furnishing vs on euery side with stayes and â—elpes bringeth vs into the battayle Which I thus vnderstand that we are counted crowned through the forgeuenes of our sinnes and holpen with succors when we are so holpen with free and gracious giftes and with the strength of the spirite and instrumente of heauenly giftes that we suffer not this lawe of naturall corruption to raigne in vs. And let this suffice as touching that euill from which we are by the spirite of Christ deliuered Now let vs declare what is the nature of this deliuery This deliuery may indede be compared with that deliuery whereby the children Our deliuery is compared with that deliuery whereby the Israelites escaped out of Egipt of Israell were deliuered out of Egipt But they were not 〈…〉 at liberty but yâ— they were with greeuous perils greate teÌ„ptacions excercised in the desert and when they were come to the land of Canaan they had alwayes remnants of the Amoritres Chittits Heuites and Cetites with whome they had continuall strife We also are so deliuered from death and sinne that yet there still remayneth no small portion of these euils But yet as Paul saith they can not hurt vs. For although it be sinne yet is it not imputed But by death our body shall so be losed and the soule shall so be seperated from it that by meanes of the holy resurrection it shall neuertheles returne againe vnto life And for that cause Paul said not simply that we are deliuered from sinne and from death but from the lawe and power of them Augustine also in his first booke and 32. chapter De Nuptijs concupisceÌ„ntia saith that this deliuery consisteth of the forgeuenes of sinnes which thing also we see happeneth in ciuill affaires For if a man being A similitude cast into prison knowing himselfe to be guilty doth waite for nothing but for yâ— sentence of death and yet through the liberallity and mercy of the king he is not only deliuered from punishment but also the king geueth vnto him greate landes and aboundance of riches and honors if we should consider in him the principall ground and cause of his deliuery we shall finde that it consisteth in the forgeuenes of his crime and offence For what had it profited him so to be enriched if he should straight way haue bene put to death So although by the benefite of the spirite we haue our strengthes renewed and the power or faculty to beginne an obedience forasmuch as by all these thinges the lawe of God can not be satisfied we could neuer be iustified vnles we had first remission of our sinnes For we should still be vnder condemnation and should be vnder the power of sinne and of death And when Paul vseth this word law he speaketh metaphorically For by the lawe he vnderstandeth force and efficacy And he attributeth it vnto sundry This word law is here taken Metaphoricallye thinges vnto sinne vnto death and vnto the spirite and if there be any other thing which hath the authority of ruling and gouerning the same may be called the lawe of him whome it gouerneth and ruleth But as we haue already sufficiently tought when we heare of this word lawe no man ought to thinke that here is spoken of the lawe of Moses And thus much as touching the maner of this deliuery But in this place therecommeth to my remembrance a sentence of Chrisostome in his homely de sancto adorando spiritu wherein he admonisheth that this is an apt place to proue the deuinity of the holy ghost For if the holy ghost be the author of our liberty then it behoueth him to be most frée And that A place to proue the diuinitye of the holy Ghost he is the author of our liberty not only this place declareth but also that place wherein it is written Where the spirite of the Lord is there is liberty But Arrius Eunomius and other such like pestiferous men would haue the holy ghost to be a seruaunt For they in the holy Trinity put a greate difference of persones for the sonne they sayde was a creature and for that cause farre inferior vnto the father but the holye Ghoste they affirmed to bée the minister and seruaunte of the sonne But if he bée a seruaunte howe then can hée bée vnto others the author of libertye He hath indéede other argumentes out of the holy scriptures whereby he confuteth the Arryans but it sufficeth me to haue rehearsed thys one argumente onely because it serueth somewhat for this place Now let vs se who they be that are partakers of this deliuery For Paul doth not superfluously entreate thereof For when he had taught that this libertye commeth of the spirite of Christe althoughe it be the true and principall cause yet bycause it is oftentimes hid nether can it be seene of other men therefore Paul turneth himselfe vnto the effects as vnto thinges more euident For there are many oftentimes which boast of the spirite and of faith which yet are most farre from them and remayne vnder damnation This selfe same maner shall Christ obserue in the last iudgement He shall first say Come ye blessed of my Father receaue ye the kingdome prepared for you froÌ„ the beginning of the world By these wordes is expressed the chiefe and principall cause of our saluatioÌ„ namely yâ— we are elected of God predestinate But bycause this cause is hiddeÌ„ from the eyes The proue by the effectes declareth who are the elect of God of men to the end they might seme true heyres of the
kingdome of heauen he streight way declareth that thing by the effectes I was hungry sayth he and ye fed me I was thursty and ye gaue me drinke I was in prison and ye visited me c So Paul in this place expresseth the true cause of our deliuery namely the spirite of Christ Now to know who they are that be partakers therof he setteth forth yâ— effectes of this deliuery sayingâ— Vnto those vvhich are in Christ Iesus vvhich walke not according to the flesh but according to the spirite That which is added namely to walke according to the spirite and not according to the fleshe bycause it is afterward repeated shall in that place be expounded Let vs se therefore what it is to be in Christe First commeth that which is common vnto all men For the sonne of God bycause What is the coniunction which we haue with Christ he tooke vpon him the nature of man is ioyned and made one with al meÌ„ For sithen they haue fellowship with flesh and bloud as witnesseth the epistle vnto the Hebrues he also was made pertaker of flesh and bloud But this coniunction is generall and weake and onely if I may so call it according to the matter For the nature of men is farre diuers from that nature which Christe tooke vpon him For the nature of man in Christ is both immortall and also exempted from sinne and adorned with all purenes but our nature is vnpure corruptible and miserablye contaminated with sinne But if it be endewed with the spirite of Christ it is so repayred that it differeth not much from the nature of Christ Yea so greate is that affinity that Paul in his epistle to the EphesiaÌ„s sayth That we are flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones Which forme of speaking An Ebrue phrase our bone and our flesh semeth to be taken out of the writinges of yâ— old TestameÌ„t For there bretherne and kinsefolkes doo thus speake of themselues one to an other He is my bone and my flesh For they seme to acknowledge vnto them one common matter by reason of one and the selfe same séede of the father and one the selfe same wombe of the mother Whereunto this also is a helpe for that children doo draw of theyr parentes not only a carnall and corpulent substance but also witte affections and disposition This selfe same thing commeth to passe in vs when we are endewed with the spirite of Christ For besides our nature which we haue commoÌ„ with him we haue also his mind as Paul admonisheth in the first to the Cor. and the selfe same sence as he requireth vnto the Phillippians saying Let the selfe same sence be in you which was also in Christ Iesus Thys our coniunction with Christ Paul expressed in this selfe same epistle by graftinge wherein are verye well perceaued or sene those two things which we haue now made mencion of For the grafte whiche is grafted and the stocke whereinto it is grafted are A similitude made one thing nether only are yâ— matters which were diuerse ioyned together but also they are nourished together with one and the selfe same iuyce spirite and life This selfe same thing the Apostle testefieth is done in vs when he sayth that we are grafted into Christ The same thing also Christ teacheth in the Gospel of Iohn wheÌ„ he calleth himself yâ— vine vs yâ— braunches for yâ— braunches haue yâ— selfe same life common with the vine trée they burgen forth by yâ— same spirite and bring forth one and the selfe same fruite Paul also in his epistle to the Ephesians Our coniunction with Christ is compared with matrimony â–ª compareth our coniunction with Christ with matrimony For he saith that it is a greate sacrament betwene Christ and the Churche For euen as in matrimony not only bodyes are made common but also affections and wills are ioyned together so commeth it to passe by a sure and firme grouÌ„d betwene Christe and the Churche Wherefore the Apostle pronounceth them frée from sinne which abyde in Christe and be in hym after that maner which we haue now expressed to the end they should liue his life and haue one and the self same sence with him and bring forth fruites of workes not disagreing froÌ„ his frutes and they whiche are suche can not feare condemnation or iudgement For the Lorde Iesus is saluation it selfe as hys name suffycyentlye declareth Wherfore they which are in him are in no daunger to be condemned Hereunto Who are in Christ we adde that they also are in Christ which in all their things depend of hym and which whatsoeuer they take in hand or do are moued by his spirite For to depeÌ„d of him is nothing els then in all thinges that we go about to haue a regard vnto him and to séeke onely his glory but they which are moued by his spirit â–ª do not follow the affections and instigations of lustes Hereby it is manifest how faithfull and godly men are in Christ and that by all kindes of causes â—â—or we haue one the selfe same matter also the selfe same first groundes of forme for we are endued with the self same notes proprieties and conditions which he had The efficient It is proued that we are in Christ by all kindes of causes cause wherby we are moued to worke is the same spirit wherwith he was moued Lastly the ende is all one namely the the glory of God should be aduanced But that which was vnpossible vnto the law in as much as it was weake because of the flesh God sendyng his own sonne in the similitude of the flesh of sinne and by sinne condemned sinne in the flesh That the righteousnes of the Lawe might be fulfilled in vs which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit For they which are accordyng to the fleshe sauour the thinges that are of the flesh but they that are accordyng to the spirite sauour the thinges that are of the spirite For the wisedome of the fleshe is death but the wisedome of the spirite is lyfe and peace Because the wisedome of the flesh is enmity against God for it is not subiect vnto the lawe of God neyther in deede can be So then they that are in the fleshe cannot please God But that which was impossible vnto the law in as much as it was weakened by the flesh God sending his sonne Here is brought a reason wherby is shewed that this spirite of God is geuen vnto vs for a deliuerer to the ende we might be made the more certaine therof For when we heare that of necessity we must haue the spirite of Christ streight way we thinke with our selues that by reason of our vncleane affections and corrupt maners we are vnworthy of the receauing of it This doubt Paul taketh away saith that yâ— benefite commeth vnto vs by the death of Christ For this was the ende for which Christ would dye namely
that by his spirite the iustification of the law might be fulfilled in the elect Neither did he for any other cause take flesh vpon him but to helpe and succor the infirmity of our flesh Of this purpose and councell of God the Apostle here entreateth By this place it manifestly appeareth how one and the selfe same worke One and the selfe same worke is both sin and vetue as it commeth either from vs or from God as it commeth from men is sinne and as it commeth froÌ„ God is good The Iewes sought nothing els in the death of Christ but to exatiate and fulfill their hatred to reiect the worde of God and to repell and put away the chastisements and corrections of the Lord and also to kepe still their dignities and honors These endes forasmuch as they are very wicked the action also could not but be very wycked But God forasmuch as he had a regard to the setting forth of his goodnes and procured the health of mankinde in that he deliuered his sonne vnto the death accomplished a worke of most singuler charity Wherfore if we will speake properly God if we speake properly ought not to be counted the cause of sin God can not be called the cause of sinne although it cannot be denied but that he is the cause of that thing which in vs is sinne for that which in him is praise worthy and procedeth of vertue is oftentimes by vs defiled for that we our selues ar vncleane In that he saith That which was impossible vnto the law he teacheth both that the law is weake and by the contrary that the spirite and faith are strong But that infirmity of the law appeareth not vnles the weakenes of our frée will be throughly known For therof commeth it that the law is weak because it lighteth vpon a corrupt nature For otherwise the law it selfe so far forth as it is written is nether weake nor strong But man is iudged weak so long as he is left vnder the Law and is not holpen by the spirite of grace This place most strongly An argument of iustification that it is not had by workes proueth that iustification is not of workes and that there are no workes preparatory for works which go before iustification either do agrée with the law of God or els they defect or want of it If they agrée with the law theÌ„ of necessity we must graunt that the law is not weak as that which without the spirit and grace may be performed Paul in this place affirmeth that thing to be vnpossible But if such workes faile of the rule of the law â–ª which can not be denied then must we nedes graunt that they are sinnes But by sinnes no man can be iustified Here also are reproued the Pelagians which tooke vpon them to say and teach that a man by The Pelagians are in this place ouâ—râ—hrown the strengthes of nature is able to fulfill the commaundements of the Law For Paul teacheth contrariwise that the law was so weakened by the flesh that it behoued vs to be deliuered by an other helpe But where as he sayth yâ— the law was weakened by yâ— flesh no man ought therfore falsely to suppose yâ— here is condeÌ„ned yâ— substance of the flesh or nature of yâ— body for these things God created good But by flesh he vnderstaÌ„deth yâ— naughtines corruption which by reason of the fall of AdaÌ„ passed through all mankind Which corruption forasmuch as it is still remayning euen in men regenerate they can not vndoubtedly perfectly and fully accomplish the lawe of God vntill they haue vtterly put of this fleshe And as Chrisostome noteth the lawe of God is not by these wordes condemned but rather commended because it commaundeth right and iust thinges but it can not bring them to the ende Wherefore the comming saith he of Christ was necessary which might minister helpe and succour vnto the lawe for the lawe in dede taught vprightly There are two things which the law cannot performe what ought to be done and what ought to be auoyded But besides this there were two other thinges necessary which the lawe could not geue first that those thinges might be forgeuen which are committed against the commaundements thereof an other is that the strengthes of man might be corroborated whereby to performe the commaundementes of the lawe Without these two thinges whatsoeuer the lawe teacheth touching the doing or eschewing of thinges it can not profite but rather serueth to condemnation For he which knoweth the will of his Lord and doth it not is gréeuouslyer punished then he which knoweth not the will of his Lord. Those commentaryes which are ascribed vnto Ierome do vpon this place expressedly affirme that the Apostle here speaketh not of the lawe of ceremonies for he speaketh here of that lawe whereof is written in the 7. chapter of Mathew The thinges which ye wyll that men should do vnto you the same do ye vnto them of which lawe it is straight way sayde Thys is the lawe and the prophetes Wherefore there is no cause why any man shoulde cauell that that whiche Paul saith It was possible vnto the lawe is not to be referred vnto the morall lawe Three thinges are here enquired for but vnto ceremonyes But there are in this place thrée thinges to be obserued first what moued God to geue his sonne secondly what Christ being geuen vnto vs did for vs. Lastly what fruite we obtayne by his worke As touching the first the Apostle saith that this was the purpose of God when he gaue his sonne that the infirmity of the lawe should not be a let to our saluation For he sawe that it was God gaue his sonne that the infirmity of the law should not be a let to our saluation so weake by reason of the infirmity of our fleshe that by the ministery thereof we could not attaine vnto saluation which he had appointed for vs. Which sentence if our aduersaries would consider they should sée that they can neither maynetaine workes of preparation nor yet iustification by workes vnles paraduenture they thinke that this counsell or purpose of God was not necessary And these men vndoubtedly do as much as lieth in theÌ„ to diminishe the benefite of Christ neither acknowledge they the perfect and full loue of the father towardes vs. Paul saith that the lawe without Christ is weake these men say that before we are made pertakers of Christ we be able to worke good workes and to obey the lawe of God And although Paul here teacheth the impossibility of the lawe yet the fathers haue sometimes accursed such as dare say that God hath commaunded Whether God haue commaunded thinges vnpossible thinges vnpossible Although if a man rightly vnderstand our doctrine he shall easely sée that we teach not that the commaundementes of God are vtterly vnpossible but only as touching those which are strangers from Christ For men now regenerate haue
they shonne persecutions but valiantly stand fast in all maner of dangers Which selfe thing Paul in the latter to Timothe wrote in other wordes saying We haue not receaued the spirite of fearefulnes but of might and of loue Wherefore he exhorteth Timothe not to be ashamed of the testemony of the Lord nor of him being in bondes for the Lordes sake but couragiously to indure labors for yâ— Gospell sake Although these thinges are true yet this is not it which this place of Iohn teacheth For it there maketh mencion of the iudgement of the Lord of which he willeth the Godly which loue God not to be aferd And he rendreth a reason for that feare hath vexation ioyned with it Wherefore I gladly assent vnto Augustine which saith that Iohn speaketh of perfect charity Which forasmuch as it can not be had in this life we may not looke to haue it without feare Farther we mought in this place vnderstand that feare which is seioyned from confidence and therefore driueth men to desperation For they which beleue and loue God truly vphold their feare with a liuely fayth The same spirite beareth witnes with our spirite that we are the children of God And if we be chyldren we are also heyres euen the heyres of God and fellow heyres of Christ if so be that we suffer with hym that we maye also be gloryfyed wyth hym For I count that the afflictions of thys present tyme are not worthy the glory which shall be reuealed in vs. The same spirite beareth witnes with our spirite that we are the children of God He sheweth that by those praiers wherby we call vpon God we are made more certayne of the adoption whereof he before made mencion For forasmuch as in our prayers we are stirred vp by the holy Ghost to cal God father we ought fully to be perswaded that it is so for that we know that the spirite of God can not lye Paul in the first to the Corrinthians sayth That no man can say the Lord Iesus but in the holy ghost Here he sayth that no man can in such sort pray to call It is the spirit which putteth vs in mind to call vpon God as vpon a father God his father vnles the same be geuen him of the spirit of God Hereby we see that those thinges which are set forth vnto vs to be beleued and which the lord himselfe hath taught can not be receaued of vs vnlesse the holy ghost doo firste throughly moue our hartes Chrisostome to confirme this testimony of the spirite of God sayth If ether any man or Angell or Archangell or any creature should preache vnto vs this adoption we mought peraduenture be in doubt of it But seing the holy ghost who is lord of all testefieth of the same what place can there be lest of doubting If a king A similitude or a Monarche should out of his regall seâ—te approue and commend any man what one of his subiects would presume by any meanes to speake against him or to set himselfe against his iudgement Where the Apostle sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is beareth witnes together Two testimonies of adoption he signifieth after a sort that there are two testemonies of thys adoptioÌ„ the one is our sprite and the other the spirite of God For it is no small or light signe of thys adoption that we haue a quiet conscience and that we doo beleue that we are now reconciled vnto God and doo now fele that we are refreshed and recreated with many other good gifts Although these things are not sufficient for our incredulity and infirmity For there is none of vs which hath our conscience so quiet as we ought to haue and which putteth so much confidence in God as he ought to doo Wherfore seing the testimony of our spirite is weake and infirme God would put to a confirmation of his spirite For he it is which testefieth together with our spirit that we are the sonnes of God Hereby ought we to gather of how greate force are prayers as well publique as priuate as Of greate force are prayers aswell publike as priuate well with ceremonies as without ceremonies For in them is confirmed our fayth yâ— we are by Christ adopted into the children of God Howbeit let euery man beware that when he calleth God father he also truly in the hart fele that which he pronounceth in wordes that he doo it not only of custome or of hipocrisy or call God father with the tounge and in yâ— hart doo an other thing or thinke otherwise But here maye be demaunded howe that feare whereof we haue Security and feare how they may agree together before so much spoken is not repugnaunt vnto thys security and confidence of our adoption I answere that these two thinges can not agree together if they be taken in respecte of one and the selfe same thinge But forasmuche as they happen by sundry meanes and of sondry causes they are nothing repugnaunt one to the other For therefore the sayntes feare for that they se they oftentimes fall and liue contrary to the prescript of the Law of God For they vnderstand that sinnes of theyr owne nature deserue the wrath of God scourges and hell fire When they diligently consider these thinges into theÌ„ is smitteÌ„ a feare But on the other side when with fayth they looke vpon the promises and mercye of God they are deliuered from that feare and made certayne of theyr saluation There is nothing to the contrary but that diuers causes may in our mindes bring forth diuers effectes Which thing may by a very apt similitude be declared He which out of a high tower looketh downe vnto the ground if he thinke A similitude that he shall stagger and fall straighte waye will he or nill he he is wonderfully aferd and al his body shaketh for horror But agayne when he thinketh with hymselfe that he is so closed in with a wall that he can not fall he plucketh vp hys spirites and beginneth to be secure of his safety So godly men when they consider theyr sinnes they feare punishement but when by fayth they looke vpon the mercy of God they are secure of theyr saluation And if vve be childreÌ„ vve are also heires eueÌ„ the heyers of God fellow heires of Christ Here the Apostle sheweth what we get by this adoptioÌ„ namely this to be the heires of God Which vndoubtedly can not be a small matter For not al they which are yâ— childreÌ„ of any man ar streightway also his heires For only All children are not hepres the first begotten haue that preheminence as we se the maner is at this day in many realnes and in yâ— holy scriptures it is manifest that Esau and Ismaell were not heyres Wherfore we are heyres and that not of any poore man or of smal matters For we haue obteyned the inheritaune of God and we are made the fellow heyres of
inheritance but we must first in this sort suffer hath gone himselfe he will not offer you to drinke of any other cup but of yâ— wherof he hath himselfe drunke Howbeit this shall be a great comfort vnto vs for that those thinges which we shall suffer shall not be comparable with the glory which shall be reueled in vs. Ambrose followeth this interpretation Howbeit I thinke that this place is so to be vnderstand as though it were a proofe of that which followeth by that which goeth before Ye shall haue the eternal inheritance because ye suffer together with Christ which selfe sentence he vseth in the latter to Tim. If we dye together wyth hym we shall raigne together with hym Chrisostome vpon this place writeth That this is an argument taken a maiori that is from the greater God sayth he hath freely geuen vnto vs many thinges For when we had done nothyng he adopted vs into children he graunted vnto vs to call hym father wherof followed an assured and constant fayth that we are the sonnes of God And how now shal he not geue the inheritaunce which is behynde especially seyng in the meane tyme we haue suffered most greuous calamities Vndoubtedly he wyll not after such and so many trauailes deny it which hath freely and without any our helpe bestowed vpon the beleuers such most excellent giftes And after this sort he declareth that God hath excellently well prouided for men which to the ende they should not boast of their trauaile or industry hath geuen vnto them many thinges fréely and againe that they should not be ashamed that they had obteyned so many great giftes without trauaile he would not haue theÌ„ to come vnto this singuler inheritaunce without wonderfull great fortitude suffring contencion vexation and affliction These thinges auoucheth he and that not amisse nor vnprofitably so that they be of vs rightly vnderstande in such sorte that we confound not the promises of the lawe with the promises of the Gospell And that we should not so do it shall not be out of the way to make plaine what difference there is betwene eche promises They do not herein differ What difference betwene the promises of the law the promses â—f the Gospell as some thinke yâ— the promises of the Gospell haue no conditions ioyned vnto theÌ„ but the promises of the law are neuer offred without conditioÌ„s For euen as it is sayd Honour thy father and thy mother that thou maist lyue long vpon the earth Againe If ye wyll and shall harken vnto me ye shall eate the good thynges of the earth Euen so in the Gospell also we rede Forgeue and it shall be forgeuen you Geue and it shall bee geuen you Againe He whiche forsaketh father or mother or wyfe or house or landes for my sake shall receiue an hundreth folde and possesse eternall lyfe and in this place If so be we suffer together wyth hym we shall be glorified together with hym And Ech promises haue coÌ„ditions annexed vnto them vnto Timo â–ª If we die together with hym we shall also raign together wyth hym Wherfore seyng that this can be no sufficient differeÌ„ce we must seke an other The conditions which are anexed vnto the promises of the law are coÌ„maundemeÌ„ts which the law commaundeth to be fulfilled euen to the vttermost neither will it otherwise render the things promised vnles the conditions be absolutely performed Wherfore The conditions of the law are put as causes of the obteynemente of the promises it is manifest to him yâ— diligently considereth the matter yâ— the conditioÌ„s of the law may be causes of the obteynement of the rewardes whiche were promised For if they mought haue bene so fully performed and accomplished as they were commaunded in the lawe they mought haue bene compared euen with the rewardes and should haue had the nature of merite But for that they coulde not of men be performed God of his mercy in their place substituded promises of the Gospell which although they haue conditions adioyned vnto them yet are they offred fréely For yâ— things that are by them commaunded vnto vs are in déede necessary if we haue power time place and occasion geuen vs to do them This I speake because of infantes and of those which in the last time of their life being at the point of death come vnto Christ For eternall life dependeth not of those conditions as of causes For as we haue now sayd it may both of infantes and of those which in the last moment of their life are conuerted vnto Christ be without The promise of the Gosple may consist without conditions those conditions obtayned And because the promise if it should depend of those conditions as of lawfull causes could not be firme when as there is no man which can fulfill those conditions as they are commaunded euen for that cause also may the promise of the Gospell consist without those conditions This also maketh herewith that Paul saith yâ— they can not be compared with yâ— thing which is promised Three things here to be considered which can not be true in iust and lawfull causes if they be compared with their effectes Wherefore if thou ioyne these thrée thinges together namely that the rewardes of the Gospell are promised fréely that the conditions can not be made equall with them and that the promises ought to be most firme thou shalt both take away the consideration of merite and also shalt easely perceaue wherein they differ froÌ„ the promises of yâ— lawe If thou wilt theÌ„ demaund whether yâ— promises of the lawe were geuen in vayne seing there was neuer any man found which could performe those conditions I will answere that nothing was here done in vaine or rashly For therefore were such impossible conditions annexed The conditions of the Law not put in vain vnto it that men should be put in minde of their infirmity that they throughly vnderstanding it should high them vnto Christ of whome being receaued into fauor and hauing now obtained iustification they may obtaine the selfe same promises For as touching towardes them the promises are now of promises of the lawe made promises of the Gospell for that they which beleued in Christ to come were exercised in the obedience of the law which obedience although it were but only begonne and not to the vttermost perfect yet was it allowed of God And therefore mought they haue the fruition of the promises offred vnto them Chrisostome vpon this place wondreth at the wisedome of the Apostle for that he intending to set forth the goodnes and mercy of God comprehended his seuerity and iustice in one word only For he before as briefely as might be sayd If ye liue accordyng to the fleshe ye shall dye But here in reckening vp the benefites he is so diligent that he doth not only set forth all thinges but also illustrateth them with most excellent amplifications Which thing Paul doth not
sayth That our light affliction which is in vs but for a tyme causeth vnto vs a farre most excellent and an eternall wright of glory In these words is declared By what meanes eternall life far passeth all our afflictions wherfore eternall life passeth al the trauailes of this life namely bycause of the waight diuturnity and greatenes For whatsoeuer thinges we suffer here are called of Paul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is momentary or during but for a time He addeth also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by which wordes is shewed theyr lightnes But contrariwise vnto glory is attributed both eternity and also a wonderfull greate waight which excedeth all measure VVhich shall be reuealed tovvards vs. He saith yâ— this glory shal be reuealed Euen now we haue the frâ—icion of a great part of our glory although hidden Glory signifieth here our whole felicity that we should not thinke that presently we are quite voyde of it for we alredy possesse a greate part thereof although it be not as yet perfect nor manifest vnto the world So Paul speaketh to the Colossians Ye are dead with Christ and your life is hidden with Christe in God But when Christe your life shal appeare then also shall ye appeare together with hym in glorye And this is to be noted yâ— Paul in thys only word glory compreheÌ„deth our whole felicity which we wayt for And there in he followeth the iudgement of men which ar wont to esteme glory as the chiefe good thing Wherof also the philisophers thus affirm yâ— as yâ— shadow followeth yâ— body so doth glory follow true perfect vertue Wherefore glory compreheÌ„deth Glory followeth vertue Glory comprehendeth two things Why blessednes is nor reuealed in this life Similitudes Difference betwene the seruaÌ„ts of Christ the seruaÌ„ts of the world two things which ar excedingly to be desired first that a man be adorned with vertues secondly yâ— he get the good fame of the people But why the blessednes which we wayte for is not reueled in this life Chrisostome thinketh this to be the cause for that it farre passeth the state of thys life And Paul therefore the longer tarieth in the amplification thereof thereby the more to stirre vppe the Romanes to the suffring of afflictions For a souldier is excedingly strengthned to suffer perilles if he hope the victory shall be fruitefull and profitable And a marchaunt is not broken with any labours of sailing or traueling if he hope he shall thereby haue greate gayne Farther we ought to consider that the lot of the citesines of this world is farre diuers from yâ— lot of holy men which serue Christ For they with the greatnes of theyr labors go beyond those good things which they contend to attayne but we though we behaue our selues stoutelye and valiantly as Paul sayth yet are not our workes to be compared with that end which we set before vs. The examples of the Romanes will easely teach vs to vnderstand thys difference Brutus for the preseruation of the liberty of hys countrey did not sticke to slay hys owne children In which thing hereunto also Examples of the Ethnikes had he regard to attayne the prayse of a good citezen For thus writeth the Poete Virgill of hym Vicit amor patriae laudumque immensa cupido that is He was ouercome with the loue of his countrey and vnmesurable desire of prayse Those were the endes of the Ethnikes which were vndoubtedly very small and The endes that the Ethnikes set before them were small and slender Humaâ—ne prayse vnconstant not true sâ—lender For the liberty which they had a regard vnto was not such as is ours whereby we are deliuered from sinne from Sathan from death and from the wrath of God They sought humane prayse a thing doubties vnconstant and of small force But our end is to approue our selues vnto God whose iudgment can not be deceaued Torquatus also slew his owne sonne for that in fightinge agaynst the enemy he had violated the Law of warre Then we also to kepe the Law of God ought not to doubt wheÌ„ nede shall require to suffer all maner of most greauous tormentes For the Lawes of God are not to be compared with the Lawes of warre Camillus being banished out of his countrey valiantly afterward restored it being oppressed of yâ— Galles for that he thought he could not liue with more glory in any other place But a Christian counteth it not so wonderfull a fact which being hurt of any in the Church laying aside desire to auenge seketh by his endeuour to helpe his brother of whom he was hurt and to adorne the Church for out of it no man can liue holily nor attayne vnto eternall felicity Q â–ª Mutius Sceuola of hys owne accord thrust hys right hand into the fire for that it missed when it should haue smitten Porsena What meruayle is it then if a man to obteyne the kyngdome of heauen wyll offer vnto the fire not onely one of his hands but also his whole body to be burnt Curtius being armed at all poyntes and mounted vpon a horse threw himselfe of his owne accord into a gulfe of the earth that the citye of Rome might be deliuered from the pestilence For so had the oracle geuen answere that the wrath of the Godds would cease if that that which the Romanes estemed best were throwen into that gulfe We haue an oracle farre more certayne that they are not to be feared which kill the body but can not kill the soule The Decians vowed themselues to the death that theyr legions of souldiers might be preserued and get the victory Our Martirs also when they doo shed theyr bloud rather then they will be plucked away from the religion of Christ can not boast that they take in hand an enterprise not hard of before M. Puluillus when he should coÌ„secrate a temple vnto Iupiter and in the meane time worde was brought hym by enuious persons of the death of hys sonne was not one white abashed in mynde neyther ceased he of from that which he had begonne but commaunded that hys sonne beyng deade shoulde be caryed out and buryed What mynde then ought a Christian to haue when as he heareth the Lorde saye Suffer the dead to bury theyr dead Regulus when as he had sworne that he woulde returne vnto Carthage althoughe he knewe he shoulde be put to moste greauous tormentes yet woulde he not committe so foule a fact as to violate hys fayth Wherefore we also seing in Baptisme we haue publikely geuen our faith vnto Christ although for yâ— keping of it we should suffer all maner of euils yet ought we not to violate it Some will boast they haue contemned riches and haue for Christes sake taken vppon them a voluntary pouerly but these men thus boasting should call to mind Cincinnatus who after he had behaued himself honourably and done notable actes in his Dictatorship of his owne accord returned againe to till and
plough his fower acres of ground Let them remember that Valerius Publicola after he had excellently executed his coÌ„sulship died so poore that he left not wherwithall to bury himselfe but was buried at the common charge of the citie And Fabritius so little repented him of his pouertie that he despised the gold of Pyrrhus the king These so great and notable actes did thâ—se men only as I said to get the praises of men and to preserue that erthly publike welth But we if we thrust our selues into any dangers haue God himselfe our inheritance and our reward and shal be fellow heires with Christ Before vs as a price or reward is set the kingdome of heauen eternal fellowship with the aungels Wherfore it is manifest that their notable factes farre passed yâ— endes and rewardes which were set before them but the reward which is set before vs infinitely excelleth our workes I graunt in déede their factes are not to be numbred amongst true vertues for they were rather shadowes and images of The Ethnikes were not endued with true vertuâ—s Before God they were glorious sinnes vertues and their workes although they were excellent if we consider them after a ciuile manner yet before God they were nothing els but glorious and shinyng sinnes for they were not either by faith or by the loue of God moued to worke neither also directed they their workes to a iust ende Wherfore Augustine in hys 5. boke de ciuitate Dei and 18. chapter when he had made mencion of these and of other such lyke thinges wisely added Eyther we perceyue these thynges to be in vs or els we feele our selues to be voyde of theÌ„ If at any tyme we do the selfe same thynges there is no cause why we should be puffed vp for they for lesser rewards haue done the lyke But if we know our selues to be so weake and infirme that we dare not enterprise anye suche thynges our myndes ought excedingly to be moued and touched especially seyng we are God regardeth not the greatenes heape of workes What God chiefly regardeth God hath made our lot far better then the Ethnikes found weaker then were euen the Ethnikes Farther those comparisons declare that God hath not a regard vnto the greatnes or heap of works for otherwise he should render vnto them the rewardes which he promiseth vnto vs. But this thing God chiefly regardeth whether we are by faith ioyned together with Christ and whether whatsoeuer we do we direct it to the prayse and glory of his name But the power and facultye to do excellente factes he of his mercye when he iudgeth it opportune aboundantlye ministreth vnto vs. Let vs in the meane tyme geue hym thankes for that he hath made our lot farre better then theyrs For the feruent desire of the creature wayteth for the reuelation of the sonnes of God bicause the creature is subiect vnto vanitie not of hys owne wyll but by reason of hym which hath subdued it vnder hope For the feruent desire c. The excellency of the blessednes to come he hereby coÌ„firmeth for that it is wayted for of euery creature and that not after any coÌ„mon sort but with great anxiety care For so signifieth this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the etimology wherof hereof coÌ„meth for that when we earnestly looke for any thing we vse to thrust forth the head and to looke about to sée and if we can espy it comming Chrisostome sayth that that worde signifieth a vehement wayting for Ambrose interpretateth it a continuall and often wayting for This reason is grounded vpon the definitioÌ„ of that which is called Summum bonum that is the chiefest goodnes For if that good thing be it as Aristotle hath defined it which all thinges Definition of the chiefe good thing Euery creature wayteth for the reuelation of our glory The creatures for our sake trauaile eueÌ„ to the time of our full redemptioÌ„ desire that vndoubtedly which is of all creatures earnestly waited for must of necessity be the chiefest goodnes And the cause why of all creatures our reuelation is wayted for is for that so long as it is differred euery creature is subiect vnto vanitie This place in dede is some what hard howbeit I thinke this sence to be plaine inough That euery creature is in a greuous estate and vntill the time of our full redemptioÌ„ is with troublesome labours ouerweried For the earth is for our sake subiect vnto the curse â–ª bringeth forth briers thornes to nourish vs ofteÌ„times bringeth forth fruites which still decay and is compelled for our sins to suffer destructions and ruines â–ª The aâ—â—e is made pestilent sometimes it is frosen with cold sometimes enflamed with heate sometymes couered ouer with cloudes and sometymes with rayne All kinde of liuing creatures are brought forth and dye to our helpe and comfort the celestiall orbes are continually moued they go downe they arise they suffer Ecclipses the Moone waneth increaseth in the death of Christe the light of the sunne was darkened and when Christ shall come to iudge as the Euangelistes declare the powers of heauen shall trauaile Farther all creatures are compelled to serue the wicked and to be subiect vnto their abuses which thing Ose the prophet in his 2. chap. declareth The Israelites ascribed the good thinges of this world in which they abounded not vnto the true God as they should haue done but vnto Baal vnto him gaue they thankes and vpon him only did they cal Wherfore God being angry said I wyll take away my corne my wyne and my oyle and wyll set at liberty my wooll and my linnen that they should not couer thy shame By which wordes the prophet declareth that when creatures are takeÌ„ away from the vngodly they are set at liberty that they shuld not be compelled any more to serue the wicked Augustine in his 83. booke of Questions and 67. Question interpretateth this place somewhat otherwise For by euery creature he vnderstandeth men euen as it is also taken in the Gospell For so Christ sayth Preach the Gospell to euery creature And this therfore séemeth most conuenient vnto man for that in In man are comprehended all kindes of thinges We muste not thinke that the Moone Sunne Aungels do properly sighe The aungels are neyther subiect vnto vanity nor vnto corruption The Maniches vngodly and vnaptly fained many thynges touchinge the mourning of creatures Two kindes of men him as in a certaine little world are comprehended all kinde of thinges Although the same Augustine denieth not but that these wordes may also be expounded otherwise But here of this thing he warneth vs to beware that we folishly thinke not that the Sunne Moone and Starres and the aungels that are on high do sigh grone which thing some were not ashamed to affirme We must confesse saith he that the holy Aungels doo seruice vnto vs at the commaundement of God But forasmuch
of the Sentences confuted this matter For I know yâ— he in his 3. booke teacheth yâ— our hope leneth not only vnto yâ— mercy of God but also vnto our merites And therefore saith he to hope without merites is no hope but a presumption Thys sentence is not to be receaued For it addeth vnto hope a condition when as fayth without any condition apprehendeth that which is to be hoped for out of the word of God Farther when a these or any other wicked man is sodenly conuerted vnto God hath he not hope Vndoubtedly he hath for if he dispaired of saluation he would not fly vnto Christ And how can any man say that such a hope leneth to any merites when as he hath alwayes before liued wickedly But as we haue before sayd these men thinke they haue here a trimme place of refuge if they answere that thys hope of a man namely conuerted vnto Christ dependeth of merites not in dede past but to come newely that he hopeth he shal obteyne the rewardes of felicity when he hath done workes which he trusteth to doo But here they committe a double fault first bycause if he which is conuerted vnto Christ doo hope that by merites he shall haue eternal life he hath no true hope for he resisteth the true fayth For it apprehendeth the chiefe felicity offred frely Secondly vnawares they auouch that yâ— which hath not as yet his being is the cause of yâ— vertue which in acte and very dede they confesse to be in the minde of the repentaÌ„t And if they meane that he hopeth for felicitie when he hath liued well but yet in such sort that he hath no confidence that he caÌ„ by committing of sinne attaine Workes ar not the cause of hope vnto it then speake they no other thing then we do But so are not workes the cause of hope but light betwene it and the laste end as certayne meanes and first beginnings of felicity that men forasmuch as they hope that eternall blessednes shal be geuen vnto them freelye shoulde also hope that God if they liue wyll freely also geue vnto them good workes For the holy scripture teacheth â—arre otherwise then do these men For Dauid when he sayd If thou Lord shalt loke streightly vnto iniquities who shall be able to abide it And when he saw that the sinnes wherewith our workes are contaminated auocate vs from hope added The cause of our hope My soul hath hoped in his word And by the word he vnderstandeth the promise of which promise he rendreth a cause Bycause with the Lorde is mercye and with hym is plentifull redemption These are the true and proper causes of our hope The promise of God and his aboundant mercy The same Dauid in an other place sayth Why art thou sad o my soule and why dost thou trouble me Hope in God for I will still confesse vnto hym Here some obiect that we ar not iustified by fayth only for Paul sayth that we are saued by hope But these men ought to haue considered that the Apostle in this place entreateth not of Iustification For touching We are saued by hope but we are not iustified by it it he before wrote that by fayth the spirite we are deliuered from the lawe of sinne and of death and adopted into sonnes and heyres and made the fellow heyres of Christ But here he speaketh of the perfect redemption which is still to be wayted for This we also confesse to be holdeÌ„ by hope when yet notwithstanding we haue alredy by fayth obteyned iustification and remission of sinnes Farther I haue oftentimes admonished that when the scripture semeth to attribute iustification ether vnto hope or vnto charity or vnto our woorkes those places are so to be vnderstanded that iustification is there taught not by the causes but by the effectes And we ought to vnderstand that whatsoeuer is The consideration of iustification is sometymes declared by the causes and sometimes by the effectes attributed vnto works the same is wholy done by reason of fayth which is annexed vnto them Wherefore as in a wall we haue a consideration vnto the fouÌ„dation and in the fruites of trées to the roote so whatsoeuer semeth at the first sight to be ascribed vnto works is to be assigned vnto faith as vnto the mother of all good workes Which thinge Augustine hath in many places excellentlye taught Others to proue that hope depeÌ„deth of our workes cite that which Paul before sayd Tribulation worketh patience patience worketh experience and experience hope Here say they it is playne that of patience springeth hope I heare in dede the wordes of Paul but I doo not by them acknowledge that patience is the cause of hope For first it is playne inough to him that will consider it that Paul in thys connexion compareth not causes with effectes For who will say that tribulation is the cause of patience For it bringeth many to desperation and to horrible blasphemies But those thinges which Paul knitteth together in this chayne are instruments by which the holy ghost vseth to stir vp in vs these vertues But graunt that there be some consideratioÌ„ of cause betwene these things yet should it not thereof follow that patience is the cause of hope but contrariwise Patience springeth of hope that hope is the cause of patience For no man with a quiet mind patiently suffereth any thing vnles by that patience he hope to attayne vnto some thing Vndoubtedly Martirs are by hope confirmed in theyr tormentes patiently to beare them And the marchant if he had not a hope to gayn would kepe himselfe at home nether would he wander about the world And the shipmaster vnles he hoped that he could ariue at the porte would not lose out into the depe nether striue agaynst the windes and waues I confesse in dede that here is somewhat encreased by patience For when we se that vnto vs is geuen of Christ for hys Hope is somewhat encreased by patience sake with a quiet minde to suffer many thinges we more and more haue confidence that those thinges also which are remayning and which we wayte for shall one day be geuen vs. But to beleue that hope wholy dependeth of patience I can not be perswaded For as we haue before sayd by hope rather we come vnto patience And in very dede the holy ghost is the author and cause of these vertues And he goeth orderly to worke of one to produce an other Agaynst this certainty which we sayd dependeth of yâ— promise of God Pighius vseth trifling reasons that the promises are generall nether is in them mencion made either of me or of thee and therefore there is still remayning a doubt when we must discend to the application of these promises Thys man semeth to me to make the promises of God to hange in the ayre when as he will haue them to be so Euery faithfull man knoweth that the promises ar properly
of the age of the fulnes of Christ that we alwayes wauer not like children Farther this place teacheth that we are not only predestinate vnto eternall life but also vnto good workes in thys life namely that we should be like vnto Christ For Paul playnly writeth to the Ephesians that we are created in Christ in good workes which God hath prepared that we should walke Wordes of the vngodly abusing predestination We are not onely predestinate to blessednes but also to an holy life Predestination to good woorkes pertaineth not to all which shal be saued in them Wherfore they are fowly deceaued out of theyr wittes which are not ashamed to vtter these blasphemous wordes If I be predestinate I shal be saued howsoeuer I liue for these miserable men se not that we are predestinate not only vnto eternall felicity but also to behaue our selues purely and holily in thys life For predestination pertayneth both to the end and also to those things by which we come vnto the end Which thing yet I would not haue so to be vnderstand as though without these meanes no man is predestinate vnto eternall life For the infantes of the godly which dye in that age and are saued are doubtles predestinate vnto eternall life when as yet notwithstanding by reasō of age they coulde not attayne to good workes But this we ought to hold that the giftes of God are not geuen by chaunce but vpon good sure cōsideration Wherefore sithen good workes are certaine giftes of the goodnes of God they happen not without predestination Wherefore predestination pertayneth as well to the good thinges of thys life as also to eternall life This sayth Paul is done of God to the honor of Christ That he might be the first borne amongst many brethern So good is the almighty and most louing God that hauing a sonne and such a sonne in whome was well pleased yet he would adopt vnto him selfe many other sonnes out of The goodnes of God in adopting vs. our kind amongest whome Christ should be the first borne Alwayes the prerogatiue of the first borne was great both before the Law as it is manifest in the Patriarches and also afterward vnder the law The first borne had two parts of the inheritaunce and succeded the father in the administration of the famely The prerogatiue of the first borne God aboue all thinges loueth order wherefore forasmuch as his will was that the famelyes of men shoulde be gouerned orderlye he appoynted a father to be as it were a Lawfull Lord of all thinges pertayning to the household Who if peraduenture he should dye or fall sicke or thorough age be weake his wil was that the gouerment of the famely shoulde come vnto the eldeste sonne Nether ought that to moue vs that Aristotle in his Ethikes teacheth that brethern exercise amongest them selues a politicall gouernment and that amongest them is a certayne forme of a cōmon welth For he vnderstādeth these things whilest the father yet liueth and gouerneth his famely himselfe For so long brethern are amongest themselues all of like power Or peraduenture the Grecians attributed not so much vnto theyr first borne as did the Hebrues which at thys day also we see is not done in many places howbeit it is sufficiēt in one word to note that the first borne ought to be preferred before the rest of the brethern not to exercise tiranny agaynst thē but to gouern to admonish to helpe to sustayn and to succor them All which thinges Christ hath so performed for his brethern Christ hath performed towardes vs the part of a first begotten brother Christ according to his diuine nature is the onelye begotten that for theyr sakes he suffred death and therefore as Paul sayth vnto the Colossians He is the chiefe amongest all his brethern But in that he is sayd to be our first begotten brother that commeth by the dispensation of the nature which he tooke vpon him for otherwise as touchinge hys diuine nature he is the onelye begotten We are therefore called hys brethern bycause we are coapted by grace And thys byrthryght of Christe shall then at the length be notable and honorable when we beinge wholye renued shall be made pertakers of hys glorye Wherefore it is our duetye both to geue thankes vnto God and also excedingly to reioyce with our selues that we haue gotten such and so great a brother and as touching that which is remayning to deliuer our selues wholy vnto him to be ordred and instructed And sithen we know that he is set forth vnto vs as an image whereunto we ought to conforme our selues we ought alwayes to haue him before our eyes as the rule and example of our life VVhome he predestinateth those also hath he called whome he called those also hath he iustified whome he iustified those also hath he glorified In this In this chayne is nuer a link of woorkes or merites The principles of the church chaine is neuer a linke of workes or of merites For here we sée that all thinges are done freely and of the mere mercy of God For who hath geuen vnto hym first and it shal be rendred vnto him agayne All thinges are of hym by hym and in hym as Paul saith Here are we taught what are the principles of the Church the grounds of the people of God The Church is a fellowship not gathered together by humane reason but assembled by the foreknowledge predestination calling of God So they haue a respect not to any successiōs of nature or prerogations or conditions of places for they are distributed only by the iudgement and good will of God After calling straight way followeth iustification Betwene which forasmuch as nothing can be set but only faith therefore by it we are worthely sayd to be iustified not that it is the cause of our iustification but for that it is an instrument whereby we apprehend the calling exhibited Causes of iustification vnto vs by the promises But the proper causes of iustification are these which Paul here assigneth namely foreknowledge predestination and vocation And herein consisteth our iustification to haue our sinnes forgeuen vs and to be reconciled vnto God But good works holy life the renuing of strengths Holy life good workes pertain to glorification and the giftes of the holy ghost do afterward follow and pertaine to glorification whereunto also pertayne those thinges which we waite for to be geuen vs in an other life Augustine noteth not all those which by any way are called but only those which are called according to the purpose of God and according to predestination wyth a calling I say mighty and strong whereby they are vtterly changed Otherwise many are called but few are chosen Hath glorified He speaketh in the time past both for that a great part of that glory is alredy geuen vs and also for that we by hope holde that which is remayning which before God is
all one as if we had alredy receaued it The Greke Scholies vnto euery part adde this particle Of purpose after this mamaner Whom he foreknew of purpose he hath predestinate of purpose he hath called of purpose that no absurdity should follow These men suspect that God mought easely seme to be an accepter of persons vnles he predestinate and call men by the foreknowledge of works But there was no nede to be afeard of any such thing For here is no debt spoken of But there can be no acception of There can be no acception of persons where no debte is God putteth persons into vs other wise we are equall in the masse or lompe persons where no debt is Farther God findeth in men no persons but geueth to euery one such as he will For we are all of one the selfe same lompe in all partes in one and the selfe same maner corrupted and vitiated here is no difference of persons For that thing only is in euery man which God himselfe predestinateth to euery man Moreouer we haue before sufficiently declared yâ— this word of Purpose ought not to be referred vnto those which are called but vnto God which calleth Ambrose saith That to call is nothing els then to helpe one which alredy thinketh vpoÌ„ fayth Which seÌ„tence can not as touching those which are called be vniuersally true For what thought Paul of yâ— fayth of Christ wheÌ„ he persecuted the Christians And Paul himself in his 2. epistle to the Cor. saith that we are not apt to thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues Wherefore we ought not to hold that the beginnings of fayth are of our selues as thoughe The beginninges of faith are not of our selues as though God helpeth vs when we are thinking of faith God opâ—ned the hart of the woman that solde silke to geue hede to thaâ— which Paul sayde we first beginne and then God afterward followeth with his helpe Ambrose in this place addeth That God pricketh forward them whome he knoweth shall heare him In which place we must beware that we hold not that the hearing of faith hath his beginning of our selues Wherefore in the Actes of the Apostles it is written of the woman that sold silkes that God opened her hart to harken vnto those thinges which were spoken of Paul And that this is the gift of God Dauid saw when he thus prayed Incline myne hart to thy testimonyes And Salomon in his Prouerbes saith The hart of the king is in the hand of God and he shall moue it which way so euer pleaseth him Which thing as it is there said of kings so ought it to be vniuersally vnderstand of all men For Ieremy sayth in his 24. chapiter I will geue vnto them a hart to know me and I will be vnto them a God And in his 31. chapter I will geue saith the Lord my lawes into their hartes and will ingraue theÌ„ in their bowels And Ezechiell in his 36. chap I will take away from them their stony hart and will geue vnto theÌ„ a fleshy hart And Esay saith They shal be all taught of God Which thing Iohn also mencioneth Ambrose addeth moreouer As touching the rest whome God hath not foreknowen he hath no care for that he hath not foreknowen them to this grace But if they beleue they are chosen for a time for that they seeme to be good lest righteousnes should seeme to be without reward but they neuer abide till the tyme of glory come as Iudas Iskarioth or those 72. which when they were elected yet taking occasion of offence departed from our sauiour By these things we may know Predestination is not common vnto all Many seme to be elected which yet are called but for a time A golden chaine where with we are drawen into heauen that predestination is not common vnto all and that there are many which seme to be elected for that they are called for a time when as yet in very deede they pertain not vnto the elect â–ª This gradation of the Apostle is doubtles a golden chayne wherewith men the shal be made blessed are drawen vp into heauen a much more excellenter chayne then is that of Homer wherewith Iupiter is fayned to gouern the whole worlde This chayne shall make vs inuincible agaynst all aduersities For how can we but be well contented when we see that our saluation is of God by so many most excellent meanes procured How can we but reioyce for so great felicity What shall we then say of these thinges If God be on our side who can be agaynst vs who spared not his owne sonne but deliuered him for vs all howe shall he not wyth hym geue vs all thinges also If God be on our side who can be agaynst vs God is on our side not with a wauering wil but with a constant and firme will as a father for his childreÌ„ to defeÌ„d vs froÌ„ all maner of euils Wherfore no creature caÌ„ put vs beside yâ— felicity which God by his predestinatioÌ„ hath appointed for vs. Augustine in his 16. sermoÌ„ of yâ— words of yâ— Apostle saith that God is on our side whoÌ„ he hath foreknoweÌ„ whoÌ„ he hath predestinated whoÌ„ he hath called whoÌ„ he hath iustified whoÌ„ he hath glorified WheÌ„ we yet were not he predestnated vs wheÌ„ we turned backward he called vs wheÌ„ we were wicked he iustified vs wheÌ„ we were vnpure he glorified vs. Wherefore he which will fight against vs taketh in hand to warre agaynst God and kicketh agaynst He which fighteth against vs warreth against God the prycke Augustine moreouer there admonisheth That of these fiue degrees here set forth we should consider how many we haue already obteyned of God and how many are behynde to be obteyned and that we should geue thankes for them which we already haue obteyned and as touching those which we yet want to count God our debter not in dede in such sort a debter as though they are due vnto vs by our merites but for that he hath bound hymselfe vnto vs by hys promises Chrisostome in this place sayth Why askest thou O Paul who can be agaynst vs The whole worlde ryseth vp agaynst vs the Deuill tyrannes they of our owne householde our kinsfolkes our citizens and the flesh It is true saith he that all those thynges fight agaynst vs but they shall not preuayle yea rather they shall aduaunce our saluation Iob was by temptations by hys wyfe frends by the Chaldeans wyndes and fire from heauen made of more fame then he was before Who spared not his owne sonne but deliuered him for vs all Hitherto it hath bene proued that all thinges shall turne vnto vs to good for that we are elected An argument taken of the cause and of a signe predestinated and called of God This kind of argument is taken of the cause And the same is here proued by an argument taken of the signe not vndoubtedly of euery
the creator of the world and also the distributer of all good thinges and that all things which men commonly desire are in his pleasure which thinge when he had sufficientlye declared by aduersities also he made them so valiant that with a stoute courage and an inuincible constancy they testified the doctrine of God to be true In which thing God likewise declared that he is the distributer of all the good thinges of the minde and of heroicall vertues and that his power is so great that of thinges God of thinges contrary worketh the selfe same effectes contrary also he can bring forth the selfe same effect And that which the lattin interpreter turneth We are mortified should haue bene turned we are slayne For the Hebrew word is Hodignu although the Greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifye sometymes to mortefy For in that sence Paul vsed it in this selfe same chapiter when he sayd And if by the spirit ye mortefy the deedes of the fleshe ye shall lyue But here as we sayde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to be slayne and to be deliuered vnto the death But that which followeth All the day long signifieth that death continually hangeth ouer them and that they are neuer sure but that they thinke to be euen by and by drawen vnto death Although Chrisostome amplifieth it an other way It is of necessity saith he that men dye at the least once but sithen they are redy in mynde euery day to dye if nede require they haue euery day the fruite of martirdome as if they should euery day be killed And their cause much relieueth and comforteth them For they are not slayne as wycked men and malefactors but only for religion and piety sake And therfore they say For thy sake And for that cause some â—â—inke that that Psalme ought not to be vnderstand of the first captiâ—ity For then the Iewes were not punished for Gods cause or for religion sake but because they were idolatrers and so wicked that God would no longer suffer them For they had now vtterly fallen away from God the booke of the lawe was now in a manner cleane blotted out the temple was shut vp the city of Ierusalem ouerflowed with the bloud of the Prophetes Wherefore this is a prophesy of the latter calamity which happened in the time of the Machabes vnder Antiochus and the Macedonians For then the Vnder Antiochus and the Mace donians the Iewes suffred many thinges for the law Iewes suffred most gréeuous tormentes for that they endeuored themselues to defend the lawes of God And therefore they say For thy sake are we slayne And in an other verse is added And yet by reason of these thinges haue not we forgotten thee or done vnfaythfully against thy couenant This is not so spoken as though men do at any time suffer more gréeuous thinges then they haue deserued For none of all the martyrs liued so purely and innocently but that he was obnoxious vnto some sinnes And those sinnes deserued not only the death of the body but also if the death of Christ had not holpen eternall paynes But these paynes and vexations God sendeth not vpon them as being angry but to set forth his truth and glory Howbeit in the meane tyme according to his promise he repayeth vnto them not God vnto them which for hâ—â— name sake are vexed rendreth in thys life an hundreth fold only eternall life but also in this life rendreth vnto them an hundreth fold For oftentimes are most aboundantly repayed those thinges whiche were for his sake lost Sometimes also in the middest of tribulations and euen in the very crosse and death he geueth vnto them so much strength and consolation that in very déede it is more then an hundreth fold if it be compared with those thinges which they haue lost And because the misteries of our faith are secret and hidden God will haue them to be testefied not only by oracles of the scriptures but also by the tormentes and slaughters of the elect And therefore Christ sayd vnto the Apostles when he sent them into the whole world to preach Ye shal be witnesses vnto me in Iewry and in Samaria and vnto the endes of the earth But it is no hard matter by wordes to testefy the truth But those testemonies are most waighty which are sealed with bloud and with death Howbeit this is to be knowen as Augustine putteth vs in minde that the paynes and punishementes and death make not Those testimonies are most waighty which are sealed with blood Not the punishmeÌ„ts but the cause maketh Martyrs Three â—thinges required to martyrdome martyrs but the cause for otherwise many suffer many gréeuous thinges which yet are not martyrs For the same Augustine to Bonefacius of the correction of the Donatists and in many other places testefieth that there were in his tyme Circumcelliones a furious kind of men which if they could fynde none that would kill them oftentimes threw themselues downe hedlong and killed themselues These men sayth he are not to be counted for Martyrs Wherfore there séeme to be thrée thynges required to cause a man to be indéede a Martyre First that the doctrine which he defendeth be true and agréeable with the holy scriptures The second is that there be adioyned integrity and innocency of life that he not onely by his death but also by hys lyfe and manners do edefie the churche The thirde is that they seeke not to dye for boastinge sake or for desire of name fame Paul saith to the Corrinthyans If I deliuer my body to The Anabaptistes Libertines are not Martyrs be burnt and haue not charity it nothyng profiteth me Wherefore no man ought to count the Anabaptists Libertines and other like kinde of pestileÌ„ces for martyrs For these men in stubbernly defending their errors vnto the death are not moued with charity neither towards God nor meÌ„ And forasmuch as they are haters Two kinds of testimonies profitable but yet not firme of al theÌ„ that be good they ar the martirs rather of SathaÌ„ of their errors theÌ„ of Christ Two kinds of testemonies we haue which very much conduce vnto the knowledge of the truth but yet are not altogether so firme that we ought streight way to geue place vnto them Miracles and the tormentes which are suffered for the defence sake of any opinioÌ„ In either of them is to be had great warines that the doctrine which is set forth be examined by the holy scriptures Paul out What thinges are to be considered in this similitude of flesh of Dauid compareth the godly with shepe appoynted vnto the slaughter In thye similitude are two thinges to be considered First that they are called shepe for that they are simple as it is mete that the flocke of Christ should beâ— secondly for that in theyr punishmentes they make no resistance following the example of Christ of whome it is written That when be
was like a sheepe led to the death yet he opened not his mouth But in all these thinges vve are conquerors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is we are notably ouercome This particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place nothing pertayneth vnto workes of supererogation For Paul ment nothing ells but that so much strength are geuen vs of God that in this battayle we a greate way ouercome all our enemies The deuills practise is this by these aduersities to wrest from vs our confidence and loue towardes God But that is by this meanes rather encreased For tribulation worketh patience patience worketh experience experience hope â–ª And hope confoundeth not But by what strengths we attayne vnto this victorye Paul streight way declareth sayeng Thorough him vvhich loued vs. Before we loued him And he hath geuen vnto vs his spirite Thorugh whome we obteine this excellente victory otherwise of our selues we are farre vnequall for so greate a battayle It is God as Chrisostome wisely noteth whome we haue to our fellow souldier in this battail We haue God to our fellow souldiour in our torments and by that meanes obteyne we so notable a victory Nether doo we only ouercome troubles whatsoeuer they be but also those which persecute vs though they seme neuer so great and mighty which thing how it happened in the Apostles Luke playnly describeth in the Actes When Peter and Iohn had wrought a miracle so manifest that it could not be denied the high priestes and Scribes being ouercome with the greatenes of the thing knew not what counsell to take What sayd they shall we do with these men As if they should haue sayd Here are playnly ouercome all our practises here our power is able to doo nothing here the more we striue the more and the manifestlier are we ouercome The same thing happened vnto Iulianus the Apostata as it is written in the Ecclesiasticall history He had begon by al maner of meanes to torment and vexe the ChristiaÌ„s but his cruelty and outrageousnes was ouercome with theyr patience Which thinge one of his rulers perceauing priuilye admonished him to cease lest he should both nothing at all profit and also make himselfe a laughing stocke to al men Thys power of God bringeth to passe that by those selfe same thinges which are agaynst the victory we to the greate admiration of all men obteyne the notabler victory For who can beleue that he which is ouercome can ouercome That one slayne burnt torne in peces can in the battayle get the victory These things nature reason and the world vnderstand not wherefore they are to be ascribed vnto God only in whose haÌ„ds forasmuch as the euentes of things are set they depend not of certayne and appoynted instrumentes but of the purpose and counsell of God whereunto those thinges which seme to resist are most of all seruisable Some seme thus to vnderstand this place as though therefore we obteyne so notable a victory for that we are by the greatnes of the benefits of God pricked forward to suffer all things be they neuer so hard And the greatnes of of the giftes of God is by this meanes chiefely knowen if it be compared How the greatnes of benifites is best known with those thinges whiche agayne on the other side we repaye He which died for vs saith Ambrose gaue his life for euill seruauntes why should we then make it so great a matter when we being vnprofitable seruauntes suffer death for a good Lorde And moreouer his death was wonderfull profitable vnto vs all when as coÌ„trariwise our death nothing at all profiteth him And so after this interpretacioÌ„ we must not read That vve by him vvhich hath loued vs are more then conquerors but for him Which reding yâ— Latine translatioÌ„ followeth But in Greke is red 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Whiche preposition ioyned with a genetiue case doth not or very rarely signify For. Wherfore it is more apt to say by him or thorough him as we expounded it at the beginning And so doth Basilius to Amphilochia De spiritu sancto the 8. chap. rede it In which place he at large declareth what this preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth when it is attributed vnto Christ It maketh him not sayth he lesse then the father but maketh hym to be a mediator betwene vs and the father as by whome is deriued into vs from the father whatsoeuer giftes or graces we haue and by whome â–ª hath accesse vnto the father whosoeuer commeth vnto him For the electes and sayntes are taken of Christe and being now reconciled are offred vnto God the father And in the declaratioÌ„ of these thinges he alledgeth those wordes which we are nowe in hand with and interpretaâ—eth them so as we haue sayd For I am perswaded that nether death nor life Chrisostome thinketh yâ— Paul hitherto hath entereated of that loue wherwith God loueth vs but here turneth his speach to our loue and obeysance towardes God as though he would say that the loue of God is so kindled in the hartes of the godly that no creature Why Paul most constantly loued Christ can plucke him away from God And he rendreth a reason why Paul so cleued vnto Christ that be could not be pulled away froÌ„ him Bycause sayth he he loued Christ himselfe and not those giftes which Christ geueth So long as the foundation of amâ—ty abideth so long it also constantly endureth And therefore are those amities commended What manner of amities are to be commended which are gounded not vpon a vayne and mutable consideration but vpon a firme and sure consideration wherefore forasmuch as Paul sought Christ himself which alwayes abideth the same and immutable therefore his loue towards him abode firme and constant wherfore it had ben vnto him to fal away from Christe more griefe theÌ„ hell fire and on the other side to cleue fast vnto him more pleasaÌ„ter theÌ„ any kingdoÌ„e Howbeit I thinke this to be most true yâ— Paul stil coÌ„tinueth in yâ— which he had begon namely to coÌ„meÌ„d the singuler loue of God towardes vs that we might assuredly know yâ— all things though they be neuer so much against vs shall turne vnto vs to good seing we are so entirely loued of God But whether of these interpretacioÌ„s we follow I thinke it skilleth not much for either of them is both godly and also not vnaptly fitteth with the wordes and entent of Paul Howbeit I thought it good to declare what I thinke to be moste agreable 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 saith the Apostle that is I am fullye persuaded If thou séeke a reason thereof hee geeueth a reason demonstratiue whiche is For that God hath foreknowne vs and predestinate vs. And these are causes of the loue of God towardes vs. This declareth he by the effect for that the Reasons of causes and effectes that we are loued of God most louyng father hath geueÌ„ his sonne for our sakes and together
〈◊〉 that is dedicated vnto God Because that they are either seperated or els suspended by this declaration it sufficiently appeareth what it was that Paul wished vnto himselfe The proues of his principall sentence wherein he sayde that he had conceaued so great a griefe that he would gladly be made Anathema for his bretherne are of two sortes The one is taken of witnesses and the other of the cause And the cause is for that they were Israelites vnto whome pertayneth the adoption the lawe the glory the testamentes the promises and for that Christ as touching the fleshe came of their fathers And as touching the first poynt concerning witnesses he affirmeth that he sayth the truth in Christ as though he should haue to do before him and should cite him for a witnesse of his saying Farther he bringeth his owne conscience as a witnes and that rightly especially seing he entreateth of that thinge whiche no man could knowe but Paul himselfe For none knoweth our affections but we our selues onely and therefore Paul calleth his conscience for a witnes as before the iudgement seate of God And because the conscience may sometimes be deceaued forasmuch as euery man flattereth himselfe more then is meete and maketh his affections greater then they are in very deede therefore addeth he In the holy ghost For the conscience being by it directed and tempred is neuer deceaued Wherefore this othe of the Apostle consisteth of thre notable witnesses And he swereth with great waight not in a light or trifling cause but Of what greate waight the othe of the Apostle is in such a cause as bringeth a greate helpe to saluation and also vnto them vnto whome he writeth is very profitable And seing he so earnestly affirmeth with an othe that he had conceaued so greate a sorrow as he hath now expressed it most manifestly appeareth that that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is lacke or want of affectioÌ„s of the Stoikes agreeth not with Christians For certaine things are so framed of nature that strength way so sone as they are offred vnto vs we by a certaine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of the Stoâ—ke not agreable with Christians naturall motion abhorre from them as is death and as also are bitter chances when they happen vnto them which are ioyned vnto vs either by kinred or by countrey Christ vndoubtedly wept for the discention of Ierusalem and was heauy when his time was come that he should sone after dye And Paul in the latter to the Corrinthians sayth that when he shall come he shal hewayle them which haue not repented Samuell powred out teares for Saul bycause God had reiected him For whome also when he was slayne Dauid wept with a publike sorrow Ieremy also with many teares ditties bewayled the captiuity and ouerthrow of his people But these thinges thou wilt say happen vnto our freÌ„ds by the prouidence and commaundement of God wherefore when they so happen Whether it be lawful to be grieued for the aduersities of our neighbours holy men ought not to lament for them For we must chearefully obey the will of God otherwise why do we dayly pray Thy will be done But thou must vnderstand that we may doo both as our minde hath a respect vnto diuerse thinges For when a man beholdeth the aduersities and calamities of men and especially of those men vnto whome he is by any familiar aquaintaunce ioyned then is he both grieued and also would gladly with a greate price redeme those euilles And contrariwise when we behold the decrée prouidence and will of God we do not only take them in good part whatsoeuer thinges they be but The Prophets differ in theyr kindes of speach according to the diuersity of the respect also we receaue them gladly and with a cherefull mynde Wherefore in the Prophets there are red sundry kindes of speach according as they had a respect to diuerse thinges Sometimes they seme to desire God to turne away the calamities of sinners and seme to bewepe and lament them and sometimes they seme to wish that they which hate God may be punished and perish For our mynde like a Kameleon which way soeuer it bendeth it selfe putteth an affecte according to the nature of the thing which it beholdeth Crassus when he saw his sonne slayne and his legions go to the worse Ye souldiers sayth he fight cheare An example of Crassus fully manfully defende your Pub. welth For this mourning is my priuate mourning WheÌ„ he looked vpoÌ„ his own mischance he could not but lameÌ„t but when he set before his eyes yâ— helth of yâ— publike welth he called back his mind to cherefulnes So did Brutus so did Torquatus sley theyr own childreÌ„ yâ— the discipline Whether it wer lawfull for Paul to wish to be made Anathema from Christ of war publike liberty might be preserued But here ariseth an other question more difficâ—l â–ª how it was lawful for Paul to wish to be seperated froÌ„ Christ when as we ought to loue God aboue all thinges and when as we rede in the Gospel He which loueth his father or mother or bretherne more then me is not worthy of me This thing sayth Chrisostome is so obscure that Paul semeth to speake ridles For forasmuch as before he had said that he was perswaded that he could by no creature be plucked away from yâ— loue of Christ by what meanes can he now wish to be made Anathema for his brethern There haue bene some which thought that Anathema in this place is Kimelion that is a deare treasure and of greate price such as noble men vse to haue greate store of made of gold and siluer and fashioned with wonderfull greate conning but this is a triflinge and childishe interpretacion For if Paul had ment so he should not haue sayd from Christ but before Christ Farther what a great acte were this I pray you For there is none which desireth not to be acceptable vnto God and to pertaine vnto his flocke especiallye seinge he knoweth that he is the chiefe goodnes Farther if Paul haâ— bene in steade of a treasure before Christ what should that haue profited his brethern according to yâ— flesh But a man peradueÌ„ture wil say that he might then the better make intercession for them before God But forasmuch as the prayers of the faythfull lene not vnto the merites or dignity of theÌ„ that pray but only to a true and liuely fayth the Apostle ought not so diligently to put in these words in this place For he prayed without intermissioÌ„ for other men although according to those mens opinion he should not be Anathema In The commentaries ascribed vnto Ierome dede Chrisostome reherseth this expositioÌ„ but yet he coÌ„fesseth it to be ridiculous and folish The commeÌ„taries which are ascribed vnto Ierome say that these are to be referred vnto that time wherein Paul persecuted the Church of Christ as though he would say that he
For while he wente aboute to persuade his bretherne according to the flesh how much he loued them in that he said that he wished for theyr sakes to be accursed from Christe if he had added that he had done it for the honor of Christ whom he worshipped I cannot tell what might seme to be dimished of that loue which he sayd that he bare towards his brethren Wherefore he cunningly kept that in silence wherein yet was the chiefe and principall cause of his desire Howbeit least the prudent reader should in any wise Why he made no mencion of the principall cause of his desire erre he hath so tempred his wordes which follow that by them he may very easely gather what his meaning was For thus he writeth To whome pertayneth the adoption the couenantes the glory the geuing of the lawe the worshippyng the promises of whome are the fathers of whome is Christ according to the flesh who is God ouer all blessed for euer Amen These wordes being well and diligently examined do declare what Paul had a regard vnto in this his so feruent desire Let vs call to memory that the Israelites were called of God that they abode long in the profession of God that they kept the lawes of God a longe tyme that they by innumerable Prophetes receaued promises of Christ to come and of other good thynges Forasmuch therefore as they had bene such men and yet semed now to be excluded and other nations which were ignoraunt of God and geuen to most filthy idolatry were placed in their stede many began to be offended at the prouideÌ„ce fayth and gouernmeÌ„t of God Wherfore ether they blasphemed him or ells they made exclamation openly that this was not the Christ promised in the Law These thinges troubled Paul excedingly much For he would not that in the affayres of the Gospel should be brought in a stage matter or a matter of pastime as though that which god had promised to one people he would geue to an other and as though Christ was borne for the Iewes but profited none but the Gentiles And that Paul was by this reason chiefely moued that manifestly declareth which is a litle afterward added Not as though the word of God The end of Moses request hath fallen away By which wordes he declareth that he admonished vs of these thinges lest any maÌ„ should thinke that the promises of God were not sure And none other entent had Moses wheÌ„ he desired to be blotted out of the booke which God had writen theÌ„ that God should spare the people For he geueth this reasoÌ„ Lest peraduenture it be said that God hath brought a people out of Egipt but was not able to bring to passe that they should obteyne the Land which he had promised them and therefore would he kill them in the desert Nether doth Paul in this place say that he Paul desired not to cease of froÌ„ louing of God Euery man ought to preferre the honor of God before his owne felicity Why Paul wished not this thinge for the Gentils wisheth to be seperated from the loue of God for he would by no meanes cease of from louing of him only he wisheth to be excluded from the blessed coniunction with God to be deuided from the fellowshippe of the Angelles and of the sayntes to be depriued of the fruition of eternall felicity And this thing ought euery one of vs to desire namely to preferre the honor of God before his owne felicity And Paul speaketh not these thinges of the Gentiles as he doth of the Iewes not that he would not doo as much for them also when the like danger of the honour of God shoulde happen but bycause then he entreated not of the Gentiles For they on euerye side of theyr owne accord came vnto Christ wheÌ„ as the Iewes most vehemeÌ„tly resisted him The same Chrisostome vpon Mathew expounding this place It is better that one member bee cutte of and cast away then that the whole body should perishe saith That Paule considered this thing that rather he being cut of and made accursed God might haue glory of the greate body being saued theÌ„ that he himselfe should be saued and a greate multitude of Iewes which were like vnto a certayne greate body should be cast into hell fire This so greate loue of Paul â—arre passeth the affect of all parentes toward theyr Children And so greate was it that Chrisostome writing touching priesthode sayth that he was for a iust cause feared a way from that office bycause he saw himselfe to be farre distant from such kinde of loue The same Chrisostome de prouideÌ„tita dei writeth That Paul desired rather to liue in hell then to se his brethern condemned And he addeth that it was a greater vexation vnto Paul to se the distruction of hys brethern the Iewes then if he himselfe should haue bene tormented in hell For he desired that torment rather then to se his brethern perish miserably Nether was he deceaued in this iudgment For it came not from reason or vnderstanding but from the impulsion of the spirite of God The Schoolemen differ not muche from thys interpretation of Chrisostome For Thomas sayth That Paule neuer wished for the seperation from God which coÌ„meth through sinne nether coulde he wish for it keping charity but for the aduauncement of the glory of God it was Lawfull for him to wish for the seperation from felicity Yea yâ— same Thomas addeth That Paul somtimes desired for his bretherns sake to be seperated from that felicity and to haue it differred for a time For vnto the Phillipians he writeth That to dye should be vnto hym gayne howbeit it was profitable for them that he should abide in the flesh he sheweth that he both desired and also hoped that God would graunt that he might be conuersante with them for a time So saith Thomas mought he also in this place for the helth of hys brethern wish to be seperated from God ether for euer or else for a time But that these These words cannot be vnderstande of a seperation for a time wordes can not be vnderstand of a seperation for a time this word Anathema sufficiently declareth For Anathema signifieth yâ— seperation from commoÌ„ vse which can neuer by any meanes be reuoked or restored againe But this Greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signify not only I did wishe but also I did pray Neyther Paul wished for that thing which could not be done The will is sometimes rauished to thinges impossible ought we to meruayle that Paul wished for this thing although it coulde not come to passe for there is no doubt but that he was one of the predestinate for our will is oftentimes rauished vnto those thinges which are not possible to be done For so prayed Dauid Who shall geue me power to dy for thee my sonne Absolon When yet it could not be that he should dye for Absolon That are
piety Moreouer the same Aristotle in his first of his Rhetorikes writeth True nobilitie requireth to haue ioyned vertue together with prosperitie of fortune that the true nobilitye or felicitie of anye nation herein chieflye consisteth that together with prosperous successe it haue vertue ioyned with it which two things God aboundantly gaue vnto the Hebrues He addeth moreouer that that people is called noble which is not mingled with the heape and confusion of other nations for which consideration the Athenians boasted that they were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of themselues not mingled with others But there was neuer yet nation found which had their stocke so pure and vnmixst as had the Hebrues For Abraham The Hebrues had theyr stocke pure and vnmixt was the hed of their stocke whose neuew Iacob had 12. children of whome came the twelue tribes Farther euery tribe had their certaine families landes cities and regions which they inhabited To be short as writeth Eusebius de preparatione Euangelica there was no common welth neither of the Lacedemonians nor of the Athenians which two semed to be of all other the most excellentest which had their stocke so certaine or their tribes so certainly deriued froÌ„ one hed prince and progenitor Farther to nobility is required that the people liue by their owne lawes But no nation at any time had their lawes so proper as had the nation of the Hebrues For they had lawes geuen proper of God which infinitely excelled The Hebrues had truly their proper lawes the lawes of all other nations And they liued vnder their owne lawes so long as they obeyed the Lord. For he so long defended them from all misfortunes But by reason of their sinnes they were sometimes led away captiue of outward nations but these captiuities were not perpetuall For after that they had bene punished for their wickednes they were restored to their olde places again Moreouer antiquitie commendeth and setteth forth the nobility of a people But there can nothing be found of antiquitie in the histories of the Ethnikes but that it a long time followed after that the common wealth of the Iewes was established The nation of the Hebrues of greatest antiquity Before the war of Troye whatsoeuer is set forth of Ethnike writers is fabulous And that warre was then made when Iepthe was now iudge ouer the common wealth of the Iewes It also not a little helpeth to nobility to haue had many excelleÌ„t meÌ„ of that stocke But there were neuer ether more or more excelleÌ„ter meÌ„ The warre of Tray about the time of Iepthe theÌ„ there was amongst the Iewes I will not speake of the great increase of childreÌ„ and of the increase of good children which wonderfully florished amongst yâ— Iewes I know there are some which contemne this nobility deriued of Elders For they say that oftentimes of horses are borne mules And they cite Iphicrates which beyng ArgumeÌ„tes againste nobility a notable Emperour and hearing one contumeliously and insoleÌ„tly obiecting vnto him that he was the sonne of a showmaker thus made aunswer My stocke beginneth in me but thyne endeth in thee And he which vpbraideth vnto a man eyther An aunswere of Iphicrates A similitude fortune or want of nobilitie doth euen as he doth which beteth yâ— garments but toucheth not the body For euen as garments are without the body so nobility and fortune are without vs and are counted amongst outward good thinges Cicero although he was a man new come vp yet despised he nobility They which geue themselues to hunting prepare the best dogges they can get to hunt and not A similitude whelpes though they come of neuer so good a kinde And for battaile strong war like horses are sought for and not the coltes of good horses What profite is in pedigrees or wherâ—o is it good Frende Ponticus to be deriued from long discent of bloud Iuuenal Or what shall it auayle to thee to reckon in a row Great nombers of thine auncesters that liued long a goe It is a thing ridiculous for a man to boast yâ— he can geue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that that is seuen or a greate many coates These reasons some vse to extenuate What vse these arguments haue the nobility of bloud Neither are these thinges spokeÌ„ amisse or without profite especially agaynst those which only by the vertue of theyr elders wil be counted noble when as they themselues otherwise liue filthely vily and without any The nobilitie of kinred is profitable nobility But if any maÌ„ haue together with vertue obteined nobility of bloud doubtles of it he hath great commodity For nobility is not as it was obiected a thing vtterly outward For the proprieties and markes and motions of the elders are I know not how transferred to the posterity which although that in the next childreÌ„ or childrens childreÌ„ they ofteÌ„times shew not forth nor appeare yet by a certayne force they are kepte still and reuiue againe in other of the posterity so that in them the spirite and motions of the elders is renued vnto vertue Wherefore seing such sparkes are still reserued in vs they are not vtterly to be counted amongest outward good things Neither agréeth that comparisoÌ„ of the mule which they say is procreated of the horse For that in the mule ceasseth the generation neither can the mule if we consider the common course of nature liue long But they which are begotten of noble parentes although they themselues degenerate yet may they afterward bring forth others And to stay eueÌ„ in that similitude it not a litle adorneth the mule that he is begotten of the horse For for that cause are they more commendable then asses But Iuuenall Cicero and Iphicrates spake of those noble men which when as they themselues had no part at all of theyr fathers or predecessors vertue and good disposition would yet notwithstanding be had in estimation for this cause only for that they came of a noble bloud He whiche being but obscure in birth hath illustrated himselfe with vertues is of far more excelleÌ„cy then are they which coÌ„ming of greate nobility doo with vices and with wicked actes and with sluggishnes and cowardishnes dishonor both themselues and theyr stocke And how much God gaue vnto the posterity of the godly it is manifest not only by this place God gaue many thinges vnto the posteritie of the Saintes but also by that of Exobus where he promiseth to doo good to the iust euen to a thousand generations â–ª and also by thys that he appoynted that the kinges and priestes should be chosen out of a certayne stocke Thys prerogatiue the Ethnikes contemned not For he which prayseth Alcibiades which some thinke was Euripides when he was crowned in yâ— games of Olimpus sayth yâ— he which wil be happy must come of a noble city To which purpose I could cite a great many other testimonies if neede so required
haue despised me And in Ezechiell God saith That the children of Israell are his children namely by reason of this promise generally published amongst them and confirmed by circumcision and many other ceremonies and rites Howbeit forasmuch as many of them fell away from piety and from saluation it was very plaine that not all they were the children of God or the séede of Abraham vnto whom the promises were by election due Wherfore when Paul saith That not all they which are of Israell are Israell by Israel in the second place he vnderstandeth that séede whereunto is adioyned election and by children and by the children of God and by the children of the promise he vnderstandeth those vnto whoÌ„ the perfection of the promise was by the purpose of God coÌ„tracteth He bringeth the firste example of Isaack and Ismael out of the 21. chapiter of Genesis where Abraham is commaunded to caste forthe the handemayden and her sonne as Sara had requested â–ª For in Isaack saith he shall thy seede be called â–ª That is that promise The generall promise is by electioÌ„â—ontracted to some perticuler men which I haue made to thy séede shall by electioÌ„ be performed in Isaack neither shall pertaine to thine other sonne Ismael This place declareth that that which was before promised generally is by the hidden election of God contracted to certaine perticuler men The other oracle touching this selfe same matter is extant in the 18. chap. of Genesis In that tyme will I come and Sara shall haue a sonne This thing God promised when he was entertained of Abraham vnder yâ— oke of Mambra Ismael was nowe borne yet God promised vnto Abraham perticularly that A similitude he should haue a sonne of Sara in whom should be certainly performed the promise which before semed to hang vncertaine As if a father hauing many childreÌ„ should be promised that it should come to passe that in his stocke he should haue a kyngdome he should not streight way perceiue which of those children should be exalted Election or purpose directeth the promises Election is not repugnaunt vnto the promise to that dignitie but that appointing should consist onely in election Paul here by sheweth that the hidden purpose of God moderateth and contracteth that which was promised generally Not as though the election of God is repugnant vnto the promise yea rather it performeth accomplishethit but yet in these in whom it is decréed to be performed Neither ought we to thinke that the election of God is bound to naturall procreation And when the Apostle maketh mencion of the children of the flesh and of the children of the promise by children of the flesh he vnderstandeth those which haue in them nothing singuler or excellent besides the generation of the flesh which came vnto them from the holy Patriarkes And the children of promise he calleth those vnto whome the promise is now by election appointed From a perticuler proposition he ascendeth to a generall proposition And in this example of Esau and Ismael this is to be noted that the Apostle from a perticuler proposition ascendeth to a generall proposition that by such singuler factes he mought gather the order and maner of the election of God Here are we admonished neuer to step backe froÌ„ the faith of the word of God although these thinges which are in it intreated séeme to ouerreache humane reason and iudgement or to be made void Doubtles there should at that time most of all haue bene great doubt when as the promises made vnto the nation of the Iewes were now publikely extant but on the other side there were none in the whole world which more resisted Christ or with more cruel furiousnes repelled his Gospel then did that nation And yet notwithstanding the Apostle with an inuincible faith persisteth and as we haue now declared comforteth himselfe touching the promise of God After the same maner commeth it to passe touching the children of the faithfull We haue a promise that God is not onely our God but also the God of our We baptise infantes vnder the faith of the indefinite promise Against the Anabaptistes séede which promise being indefinite is by the hidden election of GOD applied vnto infantes not in déede alwayes to all but to some certaine as it shall séeme good vnto the purpose of God Which purpose being hidden from vs and we being bounde to follow the outward worde which is commended vnto the Church vnder that promise we baptise our infantes euen as the Elders circumcised theirs This facte the Anabaptistes reproue for that wee are not any thing assured either of the spirite or of the faith or of the election of these infants But we nothing passe vpon that only we haue a respect vnto the worde of God which is offred vnto vs in the generall and indefinite promise But the execution therof we commit vnto God when as we cannot iudge of his election But let them on the other side aunswer vs by what reason they baptise those that are of full age when as it is vncertaine whether they pertaine to election or no and whether yâ— thinges which they say they beleue and professe be truly said and whether with a sincere minde they come vnto Christ or no. Here they can answer nothing but that they follow the confession of that faith which they that are of full age make before the church when they come to be baptised But forasmuch as by yâ— confession they may easely be deceiued neither do they certainly know any thing either of their mind or of the election of God there is no cause why they should accuse vs. For it is euen so with vs in infantes which are offred vnto the church to be baptised as it is with them in those that are of full age And not only this but also Rebecka when she had conceaued by one euen by our father Isaack For the children being not yet borne and when they had done neither good nor euill Vnto the example which he before brought of Isaack and Ismaell he now addeth an other of Iacob and Esau and that not without great cause for men mought haue suspected that there had bene a diuersity in Isaack and Ismaell for that one was the sonne of an handmayden and the other of a frée woman when as no such thing could be pretended in Iacob and Esau For they had one and the selfe same father and one and the selfe same mother they were brethern which came both out of one bely and also twines conceaued in one and the same houre Wherefore as touching nature or procreation of the flesh there could be put no difference at all betwene them Wherefore seing that the one of them was reiected of God and the other elected it is of necessity that the same be attributed wholy vnto the will and election of God as to a higher ground and principle whereby are seuered those which haue one and the same
faineth two children to be borne of vngodly parentes and strangers from Christ both of them are cast forthe and set to daunger of death And the one of them in deede dieth but the other being of somewhat more stronger nature is by a Christian by chance comming by preserued and brought to the Church and baptised and is with other of the faythfull made a partaker of Christ Verely touching the saluation of the one childe we haue nothing that we can certainly affirme but of the other if the childe dye we can skarsely put any doubt And if the matter be so we affirme that one of them was elected and the other reiected Wherevnto then had the election of God a regarde Thou canst not say vnto workes foresene when as those thinges which shall neuer come to passe can not be foresene For the prouidence of God prouideth those thinges which shall come to passe and not those thinges which shall not be yea rather he forseeth that those thinges shall not come to passe Wherefore we see that that deuise touching workes foreseene can not in all cases satisfy humane reason Wherefore we must rather beleue Paul who leadeth vs to the highest cause namely to the wyll of God whereunto doubtles we do iniury if we thinke that there is any cause aboue it What shoulde we flye vnto the workes of men when as All men are by nature of one and the selfe same disposition and prones to euill This opinion makâ—th Paul very blockish duâ—â—itted â–ª we all are of one the selfe same nature of one the selfe same propriety and of one and the same disposition For that lompe of Adam wherehence we are deriued is vitiated and corrupted whereunto if peraduenture there be added any thing that is good the same it hath of the mere and only goodnes of God Farther they which so teach seeme to make Paul very blockishe and dull witted which could not see that which these men so easely vnderstand For he of the election of God bryngeth no other cause but the purpose and wyll of God And at the last also he crieth out O the depth of the riches c. But these sharpâ— witted men doo euen easely rid themselues of this greated difficulty euen I say by one pore word Augustine being yet a priest and newly baptised expounding this place although he saw that God could not haue a respect vnto our workes to come as causes of predestination wherby he embraseth vs yet he thought fayth foresene to be the cause of his loue towardes vs. And of this his sentence as touching ether part he bringeth this reason It is certayne that good workes are deriued into vs from the holy ghost for thorough him God worketh all in all and the same God geueth vnto vs the holy ghost Wherefore â–ª good workes sayth he forasmuch as they procede from God caÌ„ not any thing moue to his electioÌ„ or predestinatioÌ„ But he thought that God had a respect vnto our fayth and electeth them whome he foreséeth should beleue for that he thought that fayth is of our selues For although we rede sayth he that God worketh all in all yet we rede not that God beleueth all in all Wherfore Augustine erred whilest he was yet a priesâ— he thought it is of our selues to beleue but to work wel he thought to come of God These thinges wrote he being yet rude following as it should appeare to me the doctrine of his father Ambrose For he vpon this selfe same place teacheth the selfe same thing namely that God electeth them whome he knoweth shall afterward beleue But Augustine when his iudgement was now thorough Augustine reuoked his error age excercise more ripe and of deeper consideratioÌ„ reuoked this sentence as it is euident by his first boke of Retractations the. 33. chapiter in which place he thus writeth of him selfe These things had I not writteÌ„ if that I had vnderstode that Faith is no lesse the gift of God then good workes fayth is no les the gift of God then good workes And that fayth is geuen of God he gathereth by that which is written to the Ephesians in the 6. chapiter Charitye and fayth from God the father and from our Lord Iesus Christ And in the same epistle the 2. chapiter By grace ye are made safe thorough faith that not of your selues For it is the gift of God not of workes lest any man should boast And vnto Timothe I obteyned sayth he mercy that I might be faithfull but he saith not for that I was faith full To this purpose mought be brought a greate many other sentences but for this present I thought these should suffice And as touching the wordes of Paul Purpose electioÌ„ why they are attributed vnto God no man ought to wonder that the Apostle when he speaketh of these things at tributeth vnto God purpose and election For the holy scriptures euery where frame themselues to our infirmity and speake vnto men after the maner of men By those wordes we vnderstand the constancy and immutability of the will of God For euen as men are wont as touching thinges whiche they haue rashly appoynted afterward when they haue better considered the matter to alter them but those thinges which they haue decréed with good consideration and deliberation they will haue to be firme and to continew so also thinke they of God For that cause Paul calleth his will purpose and electioÌ„ An oracle was geuen to Rebecka That the elder of these two brethern should serue the yonger for she had asked counsell of God what the brethern striuinge together in her wombe signified By this oracle we se that it is God which putteth a difference God putteth a difference betwene those yâ— are borne betwene those which are borne when as otherwise by nature they are equall And promises made to this or that stocke and to this or that posterity signifie nothing else but yâ— of that stocke or posterity shall some be elected but who they be it lieth not in vs to iudge We ought rather to haue a respect vnto the effects and whom we se to be called to beleue to geue themselues to good works those Forasmuch as prebestination is a thing hâ—dden vnto what thinges we ought to haue a respect A similitude to count for elect and alwayes in this matter to haue a regard vnto the commaundementes and vnto the promises that is vnto the outward word of God But concerning the hidden counsell of God as touching euery perticular man we haue nothing reueled vnto vs. But Chrisostome semeth to be against this First â—e sayth That there arose greate offence touching the reiection of the Iewes and the election of the Gentiles especially seing that the Gentiles had alwayes bene vncleane but the Iewes had moste playne promises For it is all one sayth he as if the sonne of a king vnto whome the kingdome semeth to be by
same againe This only now I lay that that proposition is not altogether so simplye to be vnderstanded Farther this also is not true which he taketh as a ground when he saith that Paul in this place dissolueth not the question which he did put forth â–ª For Paul most plainely sayth that the election of God is the cause of our saluation And of the election of God he putteth none other cause but the purpose of God and his mere loue and good will towards vs. Neither is he any thinge holpen by that similitude whiche he bringeth out of the fiueth chapter of this Epistle For there Paul sayth that it is not absurd to say that we in such sort haue the fruicion of the righteousnes of Christ that by it we are iustified forasmuch as by the offence and dissobedience of one man many are condemned This sayth he he ought to haue proued that we are infected by the sinne that we haue drawen from Adam which yet he did not but left it vndissolued Yea rather Paul proued that we are pertakers of that corruption euen by this that we die And they die also whiche haue not sinned after the likenes of the transgression of Adam Wherefore by death as by the effect he sufficiently proued original sinne For in yâ— Paul afterward sayth when he entreateth of the calling of That the Gentiles by fayth caâ—â— vnto Christ is not the cause of predestinatioÌ„ but the effect God gâ—ueâ—h not faith vnto his râ—shly but of puâ—pose the Gentils and of the reiecting of the Iewes that the Gentils came by faith but the Iewes sought saluation by the works of the law he putteth not that as a cause but onely as an effect of predestination For it may straightwaye be demaunded wherhence the Gentils had theyr fayth And if they had it of God as doubtles they had why did God geue it vnto them Surelye for no other cause but because he would Wherfore let vs leue those thinges as not agreable with the wordes of the Apostle and this rather let vs consider how the Apostle in this place confuteth iij. The Maniches confuted of Paul errors First he stoppeth the mouth of the Manichies which attributed much vnto the houre of the natiuitie as though we should by the power of the starres iudge of the life death and other chaunces that happen vnto men For Paul sayth that Iacob and Esau were borne both at one time in whome yet we see that in theyr The Pelagiâ—â—s confuted whole life was great diuersitie He confuteth also the Pelagians which taught that the will is so frée that euery one is according to his merites foresene of God which error is also in other places confuted of Paul by most strong reasons For to the Ephesians he saith Which hath elected vs in him before the constitucion of the world that we should be holy He saith not that he elected vs for that we were holy but that we should be holy And vnto Titus He hath saued vs not by the woorkes of righteousnesse which we haue done but according to his mercy And to Timothe Which hath called vs by his holy calling not according to our woorkes but according to his purpose and grace which is geuen vnto vs in Christ Iesus before the times of the world By which wordes we see that the election of God consisteth of Grace whiche we haue had from eternally Farther by these woordes of Paul is also confuted Origen as we haue sayde Origene coÌ„futed For Paul saith that these two had done neither good nor euell The elder shall serue the younger This seemeth to be a temporall promise What is the groundâ—ele of earthly promises But we haue before oftentimes admonished that the foundation and groundsell of these earthly promises is the promise touching Christ and touching the obteynement of saluation through him And this maye hereby be gathered for if we haue a respecte vnto the principallitie of the first birth we shall not finde that Iacob atteined to it For he neuer bare dominion ouer his brother Esau so longe as he liued yea rather when he returned out of Mesopotamia he came humblye vnto him and desired that he mought obteyne mercy at his handes and it vndoubtedly Iacob had the possessioÌ„ of the first birth not in himself but in his posterity seemeth that Esau was farre mightier then he Althoughe touching the posteritie of eche it is not to be doubted but that the promise tooke place For in the time of Dauid and of Salomon the Iewes obteined the dominioÌ„ ouer the Edumites If these thinges be well applied to the purpose of the Apostle then muste it needes be that that they be vnderstanded of the promise of Christ and of eternall felicity For this is it that Paul endeuoreth that it shoulde not séeme to be againste the promise of God â–ª that few of the Iewes are receaued vnto the Gospell séeing that the greatest part of them were excluded And when he had brought this testimony of Iacob and Esau that the elder should serue the yonger of that oracle he bringeth this reason that the election mought abide according to purpose Which thinge for that it séemed hard vnto humane reason he confirmeth by an oracle of Malachy As it is written Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated This sentence of Scripture which is here cited is the reason and cause of the other sentence The latter oracle is cause of the first A place of Malachie declared which he before alleadged namely That the elder should serue the yonger Which is herebye confirmed for that it is written Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated These wordes are written in Malachy aboute the beginning of the first chapter in which place God thus vpbraydeth vnto the people their ingratitude I haue loued you And they are sayd thus to haue answered Wherein hast thou loued vs TheÌ„ sayth the Lord Iacob and Esau were they not brethern And yet haue I loued Iacob hated Esau And this he hereby proueth for that they beinge bretherne yet he preferred Iacob before Esau And vnto Esau he gaue a waste and solitary land suffered not the Edumites to be deliuered from theyr captiuitie yea rather he threateneth that if they should enterprise to reedifie theyr countrey being ouerthrowen he would then destroy it But vnto the Israelites he gaue a good fertile land who if peradueÌ„ture they should for theyr sins be led away into captiuitie yet he promised From the loue of God commeth eternall lyfe and froÌ„ hâ—s hatred eternal destruction yâ— he would bring theÌ„ home again fully restore again vnto theÌ„ theyr old kingdom But these things forasmuch as they are earthly we do not at this preseÌ„t meddle wt. This thing onely I thinke is diligently to be weighed yâ— of the loue of God coÌ„meth eternall life and from his hatred eternall destruction Some in this place with great curiosity enquire
that they had God fauorable vnto them And God as touching those whose God he will peculiarly be prouideth for thē not only commodities in this life for he is the God of the whole man and hath no les care ouer the soule then he hath ouer the body that not only in this life but also in this life to come but let vs peise the entent of Malachy He reproueth God prouideth for his not onely things erthly but also eternall the people of ingratitude towardes God God saith he is your father and Lorde Howbeit ye neither loue him nor reuerence him when yet he hath loued you And that loue he proueth by a double benefite of God towards them first for that he loued Iacob and preferred him before Esau when yet notwithstanding they were brethern and twines secondly for that he gaue vnto the one a sertile and plentifull land to inhabite but vnto the other he gaue an vnfruitful and barren land and for that he deliuered the one from theyr captiuity but would haue the captiuity of the other to be perpetuall So the loue of God is proued by the effectes but of that loue is alledged no cause I graunt indede that the posterity of Esau were alwayes wicked men and enemies vnto the people of Israell although by affinity they were ioyned vnto them yet they were alwaies aduersaries and enemies vnto them Some say also that Mahumet came of that natiō although there are others which referre his stock to the Ismalites Farther the earth also The earth is by reason of sinnes made barrē is by reason of sinnes made barren Therfore Dauid sayth That for the sins of the people the earth is turned into a wildernes and is made of God vnfruit full But neither Paul nor the prophet describe these thinges as causes of the loue of God Yea rather if we should fayne any such exposition vnto Malachie his reprehension should somewhat be extenuated For when he vpbraydeth vnto the people ingratitude for that God had loued thē they mought in one word haue made answere Therefore hath he loued vs bycause we deserued it for he foresaw that our workes should be good and for that cause he loued vs. Wherefore much wayght is taken away from this reprehension if we admitte this opinion Many trouble theyr heddes about the hatred and loue of God and say that he neither loueth nor hateth as we vse to doo Which thing in dede I graunt for God loueth with out all maner of troubled affection and loueth perpetually for he is not changed he hateth also without perturbation and for that he is not mutable he perpetually hateth those whom he hateth They say moreouer that these thinges are to be considered by the effectes so that God is sayd to loue him to whome he doth good and to hate him whome he ouerpasseth and leueth in sinnes and for his sinnes which he hath committed afterward greuously punisheth Herein I will not contend with them although in graunting thys God in dede loueth and in dede hateth I also affirme wyth the holy scripture that God truly and in dede loueth and hateth and that thereof followe those effectes which we haue now mencioned And bycause we can not by it selfe vnderstand the force and might of the loue hatred of God therfore we consider thē by the effects namely ether by his gifts or by his punishmēts But the ground of y◠question is whither y◠loue come of our merites or fréely The Apostle excludeth merites other some fayne woorkes Whether God loue or hate in respect of works fore sene foreséene Wherefore it shall not be amisse to recite theyr opinions that we maye see how this is to be vnderstanded that God either hateth or loueth Chrisostome thinketh that God therefore loued Iacob because he was good and reiected Esau because he was euill And if thou saye that they forasmuche as they were not yet horne had done neither good nor euill he maketh aunswere that vnto God if is not needefull to waite for the euent of thinges For he by the most sharpe sighte of his foreknowledge seeth before all eternitie what thinges shal afterward come to passe and he alone knoweth truly who shall be woorthy of his election who vnworthy But here Chrisostome somewhat strayeth from the truth when hee saith God findeth not in men an◠worthines for which they should be elected that God findeth in men any woorthinesse for which they ought to be elected For what thing els is that but not onely to diminishe but also vtterly to take awaye euen the grounde of grace For if of our selues we be worthy to be elected verely the grace of GOD is not geuen vnto vs freely Howbeit he confesseth that the Apostle speaketh not this for if he had made aunswere that Iacob was therefore elected for that he was good and Esau reiected for that he was euil he saith that the Iewes mought straightway haue replied if we be reiected for our wickednes what were the Gentiles whiche are now receaued any better then we This thinge also woulde they vtterly haue denied For the Gentiles were infected with most gréeuous sinnes howbeit he sayth it moughte be graunted that the Gentiles which were nowe called were good for that they had receiued the saith of Christe which the Iewes by all maner of meanes withstoode But Paul would not in such sorte make aunswer but referred the whole matter to the foreknowledge of God against which doubtles saith he none that hath his righte wittes will stande For Paul resolueth not the question into the fore knowledgeof God but into his wil by it God foreseeth who shal be good and who euill But here againe he is far out of the waye For Paul resolueth not the question into the foreknowledge of God but into his will mercy and power For he sayth that it is not of hym that willeth nor of him that rūneth but of God that hath mercy that he hath mercy on whom he will and hardeneth whome he wyll and lastly that the potter maye of one and the selfe same masse or lompe make one vessell to honor and an other to contumely And to the Ephesians he saith that we are elected accordinge to the good pleasure of his will Chrisostome addeth that when it is sayd that the elder shall serue the younger thereby is shewed that the right and dignity of the first birth should nothing profite hym which came first out of the wombe but the vertue which God foresaw before workes Here it is a harde matter to vnderstand what manner a thinge that vertue is whiche should goe before works For what doth he peraduēture thinke y◠these men are borne endued with vertue But there cā no such thing be foūd in the scriptures for they testifie y◠mē are borne the children of wrath obnoxious vnto sinne But as far as we can coniecture A mynde prone to good things is not in
declare in him his power therefore he hath mercy on whom he will hardeneth whom he wil. Why then do we still complayne For who can resist his wil Here againe he addeth God forbid He for no other cause as I suppose thus wresteth the text but Why this place is made so troublesome of these fathers Origene wrote a boke of free will for yâ— he would not haue mans vnderstanding to much offended or free will impayred But that this wrested expositioÌ„ yet satisfied hym not it is manifest by yâ— which he alledgeth out of a boke of fre wil which he saith he wrote although yâ— boke be not at this day extaÌ„t And in it he endeuoreth to interpretate these words as if they were the wordes of Paul himselfe and not of any other man asking a question They hurt no more free will sayth he then that which we rede in Dauid Vnles the Lord build the house they labour in vaine which build it The builder in dede doth somwhat for he is carefull and laboreth but God remoueth away the lets and permitteth the worke to be accomplished So will he haue that to be vnderstanded whiche is written vnto the Corrinth Neither he which watreth nor he which planteth is anye thing but God which geueth the encrease Wherefore although we labor yet it is God which geueth perfection accomplishmeÌ„t to our labors After this maner thinketh he may aptly be expounded this sentence It is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy But this cauillation Augustine of whose iudgment as touching this matter I am in a greate many places excellently well confuteth For so sayth he we may inuert the sentence the other way and thus say It is not of God that hath mercy but of man that willeth and runneth But touching this matter we will speake more at large in due place Thus much we thought good at this present to reherse that thou moughtest se that Origen hym selfe putteth no greate affiance in this his first interpretation howbeit he goeth on in it and thus repelleth that troublesome and importunate inquisitor O man what art thou that answerest vnto God and goest to Law with him when as thou art as clay in the hand of the potter Neither vouchesafeth he to make anye other answer to the troublesome inquisitor For so he sayth Christ when he was demaunded by what power he did those thinges would not make answere vnto the Scribes Whome doubtles he would haue aunswered if they had asked the question with a godly minde and with a minde desirous to learne For so also a master that hathe a malipert seruaunt which neglecteth to doo the thinges which he is commaunded and troublesomely enquireth the causes of those thinges which are commaunded him would say vnto him What hast thou to doo to enquire touching these thinges I will haue it so bycause it is my pleasure so When as otherwise he would make answere if he were asked the question of a faythfull and an obedient seruaunt Therefore God although he hid from many what he would do yet reueled he his secretes vnto Daniell a man desirous of knowledge So we also if we be not rash and importunate inquisitors may in the scriptures know the causes of the loue and hatred of God towardes Iacob and Esau although to the malepert and importunate inquisitors that answere which is here geuen of Paul ought to be sufficient And in the first epistle to Timothe it is written That In a greate house are vessells some of gold some of siluer some of clay in this place that distinction of vessells is not discribed Thys thing only Paul sayth That the potter may of one and the selfe same masse make one vessel to honour and an other to contumely But vnto Timothe is geuen a cause of the diuersity For thus it is written He wich shall purge himselfe from these thinges shal be a vessell to honour sanctified to God and prepared to euery good worke Of which wordes we may inferre to the contrary He which purgeth not himself nor clenseth him selfe shall be a vessell Origene geueth a cause of the loue of God towardes Iacob â–ª and â—â— his hatred towardes Esau The opinioÌ„ of Origene is coÌ„futed to contumely Lo saith he the cause which was not geuen vnto the Romanes is geuen vnto Timothe Wherefore Iacob was therefore beloued bycause he had clensed him selfe from sinnes for the scripture geueth testimony of hym that he was a man simple gentle and obedyent to his parentes And Esau was therefore hated for that he had not purged him self but perseuered in malice in impiety This exposition of Origen conteyneth many things which are not to be allowed First for yâ— he persisteth not in those thinges which he had spoken at the beginning namelye that election consisteth not of woorkes but of the purpose of God and good pleasure of him that calleth Secondlye for that he maketh darke those thinges which in the Apostle are plaine and perspicuous Thirdly for that in his booke of frée will he declareth that he followeth not the exposition which he presently bringeth moreouer for that he thinketh that the Apostle in this place dissolueth not yâ— question where he of purpose putteth it forth and entreateth of it but dissolueth it in the Epistle to Timothy where he onely by the way toucheth that matter Lastly for that out of those wordes of the Apostle he gathereth not a good solucion For of that sentence of Paul He which purgeth himselfe shal be a cleane vessell oughte not to be inferred that a manne can by hys owne strengthes purge hymselfe for that thinge doth God onelye and not we our selues Neyther is that argument of force to proue our strengthes and the libertye of our wyll whyche is taken of a commaundemente or of an exhortacion For God oftentymes commaundeth and oftentimes exhorteth after this maner If thou shalt do this or that these or those thinges shall happen vnto thée to the ende we might vnderstande our infirmity and acknowledge from whence those things which are commaunded are to be sought for But to be clensed and purged in suche sorte as God geueth grace cannot be the cause of election Now wil I come to Ambrose who in a maner nothinge disagréeth from these thinges for he also will haue the purpose of God to signifie foreknowledge And when yâ— Apostle saith That the election should abide according to purpose he peyseth that word should abide and thereof gathereth that the foreknowlege of God cannot be deceaued neither is it possible but yâ— euery thinge shall so come to passe as God foreséeth euery thing shall come to passe but he saith What acception of persons â—â— that God loueth and hateth as he that foreknoweth thinges to come and not as an accepter of persons but doubtles God cannot be sayd to accept persons for that we beleue he fréely loueth and hateth whome he wil not by
time when he was called Verely he thought vpon nothing ells but how to murther the christiaÌ„s and vtterly to destroy and to ouerthrow Christian religion and yet notwithstanding he was streight way conuerted vnto God and the truth was so set forth vnto him that streight way he embrased it vtterly and wholy changed his minde Wherefore there is no cause why any man should accuse God of iniquity for when he forgeueth and pardoneth he geueth frely of that which is his owne but Why God is not to be accused of iniquity when he punisheth and putteth to paines he by most good right requireth that which is his owne These thinges writeth August as we haue sayd in his boke of questions to Simplicianus the second question But in his epistle to Sixtus which is the 105. in nomber he sayth that God findeth not men mete to be elected but maketh them God in Iocob loued only his mercy He hated Esau for that he would not haue mercy on him Paul wanted not sharpenes of wit Neither loued he any thing ells in Iacob saith he but his owne free mercy And Esau he hated for that he woulde not haue mercye on him Whiche thinges these men sayth he speaking of the Pâ—lagians seking to auoyd say that God had a regard to the workes foresene as though forsoth Paul wanted so greate sharpenes of witte that he would not se that which these witty men saw For theÌ„ doubtles was the time for Paul so to answer wheÌ„ he had obiected vnto him selfe What shall we then say Is there iniquity with God God forbidde He mought streight way euen with one worde after these men haue solued the question yea rather he had had no question at all to solue We must consider what Paul there went aboute what he did and what was his entent His entent was to inculcate the grace of God but they which haue this scope before theyr eyes can not imagine any suche things And in his Enchiridion to Laurentius the 98. chapiter he writeth that if this had bene the entent of Paul he would in no case haue sayd Not of workes yea he would rather haue sayd Of workes foresene he loued Iacob by his free mercy and hated Esau by his iust iudgment Wherefore they which are planted in an holy calling let them acknowledge that vnto them is geueÌ„ grace not dew vnto them and in others that eternally perish let them consider what was dew vnto them Now that I haue thus briefely recited the sentences of the fathers I thinke it good to declare my iudgement What is to loue What is to hate as touching this whole matter First I vnderstand that To loue is nothing els but to will well to a man And to hate is nothing els but to wish ill to a man or not to wyll well vnto him Wherefore God is sayd to loue them vnto whom he willeth eternall saluation that is the chiefe felicitie and those he hateth vnto whom he wylleth it not Nowe this so being the controuersie is whether God wylleth felicitie to the elect by workes foresene or no and how he willeth it not to the reprobate First we wyll speake of loue Nowe loue can not be of workes foresene for Paul sayth Not of workes but of him that calleth And seing The electioÌ„ or predestination of God cannoâ— be of works foreseene that God findeth not good workes in men but of his mercy deriueth them into them how can they be the causes of his loue And in the 11. chapiter of this epistle Paul sayth That the remnantes shall be saued according to the election of grace And if of grace then not of workes And in this place the same Apostle referreth the effects also of the promises of God only to the will and power mercy of God Therfore ought we to presume to go no farther And in the 1. chapiter to the EphesiaÌ„s he sayth That we are predestinated into the adoption of children according to the good We should be iustified by workes foresâ—ne â–ª iâ— we should by them be elected pleasure of the will of God And if we should graunt that men attayne to saluation by workes forsene we could not auoyde but that men should be sayd to be iustified by workes For then of our workes should follow the foreknowledge of God of foreknowledge predestination and of predestination calling and of calling last of all iustification we should consent also with the Pelagians that iustification and merites take theyr beginning of our selues and that God afterward addeth grace mercy and variety of gifts Neither ought we to thinke that the worke of God which is eternall hath his beginning of any thing temporall The eternal worke of God hath not his beginning of a thing temporall The hatred of God is not of workes foresene After the selfe same maner we say that the hatred of God dependeth not of workes foreknown For Paul a like pronouÌ„ced of ech brother Not of workes but of him that calleth And if we should graunt that the hatred of God springeth of ill workes foresene it mought be on the contrary part inferred as sayth Augustine that the loue of God also springeth of good workes forsene And moreouer this reason can not take place in all those that are elected or reiected For many amongest the Iewes and Turkes perish euen in theyr in fancy and are condemned and therefore are nombred amongest those whome God hateth in whome yet he could foresee no euil workes forasmuch as they should neuer haue any yea rather he foreknew that they should worke nothing Neither auayleth that any thing which some say that God saw what they would haue A cauillatioÌ„ confuted done if they should haue liued For by this meanes should not the iustice of God as touching humane reason be defended for the defence whereof yet these men take so great paynes For streight way should come into yâ— mind why these men were reiected for those workes which they neuer did nor euer should haue done But they should haue done them thou wilt say if they had liued Graunt it were so But a conditionall proposition affirmeth nothing And that God followeth not this consideratioÌ„ in his loue or hatred Christ plainly declareth wheÌ„ he saith Wo vnto the Corozaim wo vnto the Bethsaida for if in Tyre and Sidon had bene done the thinges which haue bene done in thee they bad long since repented in sackcloth and ashes Again Wo vnto the Capernaum which art exalted vp to heauen for thou shalt be cast downe euen into hell For if in Sodome had bene done the thinges which haue bene done in thee those cities had yet bene remayning These wordes playnely declare that God hath not a respect vnto that what a man shall do For he gaue miracles vnto God gaue miracles to them that vsed theÌ„ ill but gaue none to theÌ„ that would haue vsed them well them that vsed them ill and gaue not
power of God Wherfore some are so agaynst all talke of predestination that straight way as soone as any mencion is made of it they are gone But this they can not do without great iniury vnto the holy ghost as though he would teach any thing which should either be vnprofitable or hurtful But we ought to geue eare vnto Paul They do â—â— which abhorre from the talke of of predestination â–ª who with much profite reasoneth of it And that we may do this without danger we ought to beware of fonde imaginations neither ought we to adde any thyng to that which the holy scripture hath deliuered vnto vs. If we kepe our selues within these bondes we shal runne into no danger at al. Paul did generally put forth that the hatred and loue of God depende only of his will and not of the workes of men Which sentence he now proueth as touching eche part and that by a double testimony of the scripture But before he bringeth forth those testimonyes he obiecteth vnto himselfe that which vnto humane wisedome mought seme vniust What sayth he shall we say Is there iniquity with God if he do thus as pleaseth hym He maketh answere and curseth such a suspicion saying God forbid But the cause why humane reason is so offended if WhereheÌ„ce springeth the offence of humane reason both predestination and reprobation should depend of the mere will of God commeth of this because that men thinke that thereby iustice distributiue which requireth that vnto like be rendred thinges like should thereby be empaired And forasmuch as all men are in the stocke of Adam of like condition they thinke it not iust that one should be predestinated to eternall saluation and an other reiected to eternall destruction Origen to defend this iustice in God tought that the soules of men haue before they come to this life workes ether good or euill for which they are predestinated eyther to destruction or to felicity Pelagius thought that the iustice of God is to be defended by workes foresene A peruerse carefulnes of men which opinion not only he but also many others of the fathers embraced Neither can I inough meruayle that men were so carefull for the iustice of God when as it can come into no daunger at all For the will of God is the first rule of iustice But these selfe same men haue a remisse and negligent care ouer their own iustice which is not only endangered but also ofteÌ„times violated and broken Paul to answere to this error of mans imagination proueth yâ— the election of God is not as these men imagine deriued of iustice distributiue for that God is by no law bound to geue vnto any man those thynges â–ª which he hath decréed to geue but God of his mere mercy liberality taketh some and adorneth them In the parable which the Lord put forth Vnto euery one of the workemen was geuen a peny for their dayes worke vnto those in dede which had labored all the whole day it was geuen of couenant but vnto others which had bene but an houre in the worke it was geuen of mercy And when those yâ— came first were displeased the good man of the house answered Is it not lawfull for me to do with myne owne what I wyll Verely it was lawfull and especially seing the same pertayned to mere mercy But as touching iustice distributiue DistributioÌ„ comming of iustice is one thing â–ª geuing comming of mercy is an other thyng ElectioÌ„ pertaineth not to iustice but vnto mercy Take vp saith he that which is thine and go thy wayes Wherefore he did put a distinction betwene that distribution which is done of iustice and that geuyng which procedeth of mercy So Paul in thys place teacheth that the election of God pertayneth not as these men imagine vnto iustice but vnto mercy And thys he confirmeth by an oracle of the scripture saying For he sayth to Moses I will haue mercy on whome I will haue mercy will shew compassion on whome I will haue compassion By these words God teacheth that there is no other cause of his mercy which he sheweth towardes some but euen his very mercy Wherfore I somewhat meruaile how Pigghius a manne otherwise as he him selfe thinketh ful of wit amongst his principall reasons wherebye he contendeth that God predestinateth by woorkes foreséene putteth this also for one as though if it were not so the iustice of God wherby he distributeth his giftes could by no meanes consist For how séeth he not that the Apostle obiecteth vnto himself the selfe same thinge and dissolueth the same by no other reason but for that God herein dealeth not with vs by law or by duety but by mercy For this doth the oracle which is here cited most plainely declare But it is woorthy to be laughed at to ascribe vnto Paul that which he by all meanes auoyded to speake To go aboute God is not to be broght into an order to deale with God by law is to séeke to bring God to an order whiche thing as no man can do so is it not mete that any endued with reason should attempt to do it And Paul when he saith What shall we say then Is there iniquity with God by these woordes declareth that he knewe right well what commonlye commeth into the mindes of men when they heare this matter reasoned of This also is to be noted that although Paul could haue excused his doctrine that these absurde thinges followed not of that which he had toughte yet was he moued with a feruente desire of piety to repell this blasphemy and to aunswere God forbid â–ª As though he woulde haue said it is no vpright dealing to thinke any such thinge of God And he addeth a reason for that that can not be vniuste whiche God testifieth of himselfe and acknowledgeth to be his â–ª Now God himselfe sayd vnto Moses I will haue mercy on whome I will haue mercy and will shew compassion on whom I will shew compassion In this sentence are two thinges to be noted first that those good thinges which God The cause of yâ— gifts of God which he geueth vs is not to be sought for without his goodnes hath decreed vnto vs depend onely of his mercy secondly that the cause of them is not to be sought for without the beneuolence of God For he saith vnto Moses that he will shew mercy to whom he will shew mercy Now if God do prescribe these limits vnto our knowledge they ought to be counted to much presumptious which will séeke to go further I before noted that Origen and Ierome to Hedibia thought that these woordes vnto this place O man what art thou which aunswerest vnto God are put vnder the person of the aduersary which is farre straunge from the due order of the text For Paul did put his owne aunswere when he answered his aduersaries God forbid Wherefore it is méete that those thinges which
inculcate then shoulde not boastinge be excluded for euery righteous man mought say of himselfe I haue obtained grace because wheÌ„ it was offred I receiued it I haue beleued God making promise vnto me for that I gaue mine assent I haue obteined Christ because wheÌ„ he came I receaued him But Paul crieth out that our boasting is excluded not in déede by the law of workes but by the lawe of fayth and of grace Neither can the aduersaries That modicum is some kinde of of worke Workes at vniuersally excluded froÌ„ the cause of iustificatioÌ„ The sentence of Paul is to be takeÌ„ simply and not by way of comparison deny but that that modicum which they labour so ernestly to establish is some kinde of worke But Paul so excluded not woorkes from iustification that he lefte vnto them the second place vnto faith but he vtterly and vniuersally excluded theÌ„ as touchyng the power to iustifie For he sayd not onely that we are iustified frely but added without workes Wherefore whereas they say that the senteÌ„ce of Paul is not to be vnderstanded simply but by way of comparison it is vntrue and vain But the scriptures saye they in other places speake so For it is written in the Psalm Vnles the Lord buyld the house they labour in vayne which buyld it And Paul to the Corrinthians sayth Neither he which plaÌ„teth is any thing nor he which watreth but God which geueth the encrease It is certaine say they that these thinges are to be expounded by way of comparison For in very déede both he which buildeth and which planteth and whiche watreth doth somewhat But that whatsoeuer it be forasmuch as it is but little if it be compared vnto the worke of God therefore it is sayd to be nothing and they are sayd to labour in vaine As touching the firste place we say that Dauid speaketh of ciuill works touching which we graunt that men in them take greate paynes and woorke somewhat Howbeit they labour in What is to be thought of ciuill enterprises vaine vnles God vouchsafe to fauor theyr enterprises Let Cesar AlexaÌ„der or Cato take what paynes they will either in the kingdome or in the Publike wealth and yet shall all thinges come to no purpose vnles God geue the successe In the other place Paul entreateth of the holye ministerye of the churche Neyther will I graunte this vnto the aduersaries that the Ecclesiasticall ministerye is eyther a thing small or suche as maye be called nothing For it is a thinge honorable and The holy ministery is both a thing great also nothing with most weighty wordes commended of the holy scriptures Wherefore as touching the office it is not nothing but touchinge the geuinge of spirituall life it is as Paul sayth vtterlye nothing For of it selfe it can not geue that spirituall life neyther perfect nor vnperfect The minister of the church in déede setteth forth the worde of God and the sacramentes but cannot reach to the coÌ„municating of that heauenly life Wherefore Paul spake truly and properly neither néeded he that figure A figure vsed in one place is not alwayes vsed in an other place of comparison whiche these men imagine Moreouer graunte that the scripture in other places vseth these kindes of speaches shoulde it straight way follow that therefore this sentence is so to be taken especially séeing it hath bene by most firme argumentes proued that it is in verye déede neither of him that willeth nor of hym that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy And therefore our election or predestination consisteth not of our works but fréely and of the mercy of God But still notwithstanding they are ouercome by reasons they cauill and say that they deny not but that we are elected of God fréelye but yet that causeth not but that some respecte may be had to woorkes foreséene For so they saye that we say with Paul That eternall life is grace when yet notwithstandyng we confesse that God rendreth vnto euery man accordyng to hys woorkes And if God can haue a respecte vnto woorkes when yet he geueth eternall lyfe fréely what shoulde let hym that he can not fréelye predestinate a man although he haue a respect also vnto workes foresene Hereunto we answer that eternall life is indede geuen Good workes oftentimes go before eternal life but can not preuent predestination Predestination is the efficient cause of good works and not eternall lyfe Predestination and reprobation are oftentimes with ouâ— works freely which yet followeth good workes not as merites but as necessary degrees by which they which are of full age come vnto it And this order the scripture it selfe putteth But that any our workes go before predestination the scriptures in no place haue tought vs yea rather contrariwyse Paul sayth to yâ— Ephesians Hereunto are we predestinated that we shoulde be holye and immaculate And vnto Timothe he sayth that he had obteyned mercy that he moughte be faithfull Why then seke these men to preuent order and especially seyng that theyr own similytude serueth not For eternall life followeth good workes and is not the efficient cause of them but predestination is the cause of good works Farther thys respect to good workes in predestination can not as we haue sayde take place in all men For many are predestinated vnto eternall lyfe and many are appoynted to eternall destruction which neuer should haue any workes at all as it is manifest in infantes Wherfore this is firme and vnmoueable that as touching election and infusion of the spirite there is nothing at all in vs whereby God shoulde be moued to bestowe these thinges vpon vs. For in predestination vocation and iustification there goeth before in vs nothing that is good but good works go before glorificatioÌ„ The reasoÌ„ therof is for that we straight way dye not so sone as we are iustified wherefore it behoueth that that space Why good workes in them that are of age â—o before eternall life of tyme which is betwene haue workes whereby may be declared our fayth and righteousnes which we haue by yâ— electioÌ„ of God obtayned By will Paul vnderstandeth the endeuor of the mynde and by course or running all holy workes vniuersally which metaphore is much vsed in the holy scriptures For Paul in an other place writeth of himselfe I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course And vnto the Corrinthyans So ranne ye that ye maye winne the price And vnto the Galathyans Ye runne well who letted you Out of thys sentence two thynges we ought to gather first that our saluation or election is not of hym that wylleth nor of hym that runneth that is not of our merites but of the mercy of God onely as God sayth in the 9 chapter of Deutronomy Say not for my righteousnes hath the Lorde brought me into thys lande Secondly that it is not of the willer to will nor of the runner to runne but these
a stony hart shalt geue me a fleshy hart These men to no purpose imagine that God setteth forth a certayne common grace vnto all men so that whosoeuer will may receaue it as though it were in our power either to embrace it or to reiect it For if it were so the beginning of our saluatioÌ„ should be of our selues and so whilest we go aboute to defend the liberty of our owne will we spoyle God of his election and liberty For if he equally offer his grace vnto all men as these men imagine then shall he predestinate nor elect none for it shall rather lye in men either to reiect God or to elect hym But the scripture euery where attributeth vnto God the election of those whome he will to Our will is not the rule of the election of God be saued And Christ sayth Ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you It is a poynt of great arrogancy to seke to bring God into an order that our wyll shoulde be the rule of the election of God This thing me thinketh is very vnwarely spoken of these men to affirme that they are receaued of God which will admitte his grace and they are reiected which will not admitte it Notwithstanding yet these men by such wiles and subtleties satisfye not humane reason which is the thing they chiefly go aboute For if we should graunâ— that which these men imagine namely that that litle or as they call it that moâ—icum whereby we can either admitte or reiecte grace when it is offred is in vs comming of our selues yet forasmuch as it is of all men confessed that God can by his spirite so helpe that little whatsoeuer it be that it shall not decline from vocation nor be ouercome of lustes humane reason will still enquire why he performeth not that especially seing that he may do it without any his discommodity euen onely by his becke Verely if a father should se his sonne in danger to be striken or to fall is it not his duety to helpe him and to It is the fathers part when he may â–ª to deliuer his son from daunger remedy the danger yea rather it is not onely the duty of a father so to be but also of euery good man and chiefly if it may be done without any losse or dammage But this may be without all doubt affirmed of God for nothing can hinder him when he defendeth any by his grace and spirite Neither auaileth this any thing which some say that it is not mete that men should be compelled to good thinges for we say that men desire not to be compelled but to haue their will made good and so changed that it be not ouercome of sinne And that may be obtayned without compulsion for the Saintes which are The saints which are in their couÌ„trey are not compelled to will that which is good already in theyr countrey namely in heauen of their owne frée and voluntary accord cleaue fast vnto God and that perpetually without any compulsion had at all But they obiect that if it were so then should men haue no merites at all For those merites they say consist in that modicum which they say is remayning in vs so that we vse it rightly But here also humane reason will answer What do these thinges helpe with so great a danger and destruction of infinite men Farther it very much pertaineth vnto the glory of God not to ascribe any thing vnto our merites but to referre all whole vnto him Thou seest now into how sondry and blinde mazes these men throw themselues whâ—n they seke to excuse God who hath no neede at all of any such patrone For all the godly ought to be no les assured that the wil of God is iust then they are These men acquite not God by their excuses that God is But what I besech you get these men by these their excuses Forsoth euen this in stede of one blasphemy which they pretend to auoyde which yet in very dede is no blasphemy at all â–ª they vnwares fall into many absurdities Yea at the length they are brought to that poynt that wil they or nil they they holde that some good thing commeth from men which dependeth not of God They crye out that it is absurde to saye that God is the cause of induration God to harden-taken in that sence that was before declared is not absurd But I would gladly know of them vpon which article of yâ— fayth this absurdity lighteth Doubtles vpon none if they so vnderstand the matter as we haue before declared it namely that we must not thinke that God of himselfe poureth any malice into men But if they shal say as doubtles they do say that they so teach that men should not be offended I would know of them what part in man is offended by this doctrine They wil answere I know humane reason But if they so much weigh the offending thereof why do they not disanull in a maner al the articles of the fayth For doth not it thynke that the creation of all thinges is absurde Doth not it thinke the death of Christ If we should satisfie humane reason we must disanuâ— the articles of the faith and the resurrection of the dead is absurde Paul to the Corrinthyans sayth that the naturall man vnderstandeth not those thinges which are of the spirite of God for vnto him they are foolishnes And what in Gods name shall we say that may satisfy humane reason Shall we say that God as touching perticuler thinges hath not a regard to humane affayres but that he onely vniuersally prouideth for the world Or shal we say that he permitteth men vnto themselues and condemneth no maÌ„ vnto eternall paynes For these and such like thinges as they are not disagreable from humane reason so are they most of all repugnant vnto the holye scriptures Wherefore we sée that this deuise though it séeme goodly to the shew and wittye This witty deuise nothing auayleth yet doth it nothing profite these men Now will we examine the sentences of the Prophets wherein God séemeth somtimes to be said to be the cause of deceauing and of error Shall we say that they prayed against the ouermuche lenity of God and sayd after this maner O God why dost thou so long forgeue this people why doost thou not chastise them that they be not so deceaued and erre Here doubtles I cannot inough meruayle at the so great negligence of these men in weighing the sayinges of the prophets Verely if a man diligently read the 60. chapter of Esay Where it is thus read Why hast thou made vs to erre â–ª O God and hast turned away our hart from thy feare He shal sée that this complaint is rather of the deceates and The Prophets praid not against the lenity of God beguilinges of the false Prophetes then of the lenitye of God For Esay prayed not that the people should be
men after the fall if grace and the spirite be away For of themselues they cannot do otherwise although it be not againste their nature but that they may By what necessitie we are vrged to sinne be holpen and chaunged of God The third necessitie is that which they call of infalliblenes or of consequence or as the Logicians speake of a composed sense Which is when our actions are not considered as they come from our owne nature reason or will but are considered together with the predestination and foreknowledge of God And although the disquieting of humane reason as touching this necessitie is by those distinctions after a sorte asswaged yet is there an other maze wherein it excéedingly wandreth For it séeth that God coÌ„maunded Pharao to let the people go and therby it gathereth that he willed that thing On the other Whether God at one the selfe same tyme both willeth and â—illeth one and the selfe same thing A place of Esay side it heareth that God saith I will harden the hart of Pharao by which wordes it gathereth that he would not haue the people let goe â–ª Wherefore humane sence iudgeth it a thing very absurde that God should at one and the same time both will and not will one and the same thing But a godly minde to vnfold it selfe out of this perplexity will call to memory the sentence of Esay spoken vnder the persoÌ„ of God which sentence our sauiour Christe also vsed in the Gospell and likewise Paul in the actes of the Apostles when he had preached at Rome to the vnbeleuing Iewes Heare saith he the word and vnderstande it not see a sight and discerne it not Make grosse the hart of the people that they vnderstande not stoppe theyr eares that they heare not blind theyr eyes that they see not lest peraduenture they be conuerted I heale them And Christ in the Gospell saith that he came to iudgemente that they God wil haue some to be made blinde â–ª vnto whome yet he wil ha them his word bâ— seâ— for which see should not see These sayings declare that God wil haue some to be made blinde and yet in the meane time he will haue his word to be set forth vnto them For Christ sent his Apostles to preache throughout the whole world And although he excepted none vnto whome he would not haue his Gospel preached yet opened he not the haâ—ts of all men to assent vnto the truth when they heard it Wherfore it followeth that the elect onely do beleue but the wicked are hardened and their sinne is made more greuous when as now is taken away the excuse of ignorance For Paul saith in the first chapter of this Epistle that the inuisible thinges of God â—â— seene by the creation of this world being vnderstanded by those things which are made his eternall power also and diuinitie so that they are without excuse Christ also sayth If I had not come and spoken vnto theÌ„ they had had no sin not yâ— otherwise they should haue bene without sinne but for that they shoulde not haue had so gréeuous sinne For after that they had heard Christ al excuse of ignorance was now taken away from them Wherefore when humane reason beareth vs in hand that to call a maÌ„ and yet in the meane time will not haue him to come is nothing els but to séeke to mocke and to deceaue let vs put it to silence and say with the Apostle O man what art thou that contendest with God And let vs declare that it is méere madnes A remedy against humaine reason to séeke by Dilemmas and Silogismes to carpe God and to obiecte vnto him that he dealeth no les absurdlie then if a man should call his frende to a banquet should sée many things to be therunto a let which lets although he when he may remoueth not yet is he angry vnles he come or if a man should sende his seruaunte any whether whome he knoweth shal be letted in his iorney and although he take not away those hindrances when as he may yet wil he punish his seruant for tarieng or if a magistrate should coÌ„maund a man fast bound in prison to come foorth wheÌ„ yet notwithstanding he looseth not his bondes These thinges séeme vnto them absurde for two causes First for that they vnderstand not to what ende the law and Vocation the law haue moe endes then one vocation and the commaundements were geuen For they thinke that they were geuen to no other vse but to be performed But Paul saith that by the law is the knowledge of sinne Men are so proude and so blockishe that they thinke they can straight way perform al things so yâ— it be onely declared vnto theÌ„ what they should do Wherfore yâ— they mought vnderstaÌ„d their impoteÌ„cie imbecilitie it was necessary yâ— they should receue yâ— law should be called being not yet deliuered for by yâ— meanes they must nedes fele perceiue yâ— knowledge alone of it self is not sufficient An other cause why these men are troubled is for yâ— they see not the other commoditye which the elect gee hereby For when they fele in theÌ„selues how weake they are they are stirred vp to thinke lowly of theÌ„selues and to implore yâ— By the vocatâ—on of the reprobate although without efficacy the elect are holpen ayde of God and more and more in the reprobate which are forsakeÌ„ to acknowledge theyr owne naturall imbecility and to confesse that they shoulde haue bene in the same estate vnles besides the knowledge of the truth they had bene holpen by the spirite and grace of God Wherefore hereby it is manifest how profitably and wisely those thinges were instituted which semed absurd And forasmuch as not al which heare the Gospel are inwardly with efficacy moued of God thereof it commeth that Paul sayth to the Corrinthians that it is to some the sauor of life to life aâ—â— to other some the sauor of death to death This is a playne There is no contrariety in the will of God simple conciliation of that contrariety which appeareth to be in the wil of God And bycause that in these vocations and promises semeth to be expressed some will of God which yet taketh not effect certayne diuines haue not vnskilfully sayd that there is one will of the signe or of the antecedent an other will of efficacy The will of the antecedent and of the consequent God when he pronounceth things which succede not doth not therfore lie Examples or of the consequent For it oftentimes happeneth yâ— God ether threatneth or promiseth a thing which yet shall not come to passe And yet doth not God therefore lye or deceaue For he pronounceth those thinges eyther as nature was then ordered or as thorough ill desertes it mought come to passe vnlesse some change were had in the meane time So was Ezechias told that he should dye bycause that
mercy for that they haue purged themselues from filthines But what the verye meaning of that place is we haue before declared And that the Gentiles performed by nature those thinges which are of the law we thus expounded that they did many things in outward discipline which were coÌ„maunded in the law of Moses as in yâ— they eschued thefts whordomes adulteries other such like sins Wherfore Paul coÌ„cluded yâ— they waÌ„ted not the knowledge of vice vertue of right and wrong so yâ— when in many things they fell sinned they could not be excused by reason of ignoraunce There are others which vnderstand those wordes of the Gentiles now conuerted vnto Christ which being endewed with the holy ghost executed the commaundementes of God and declared both in life and in maners yâ— righteousnes consisteth not of the law of Moses of which thing yâ— Iewes continually boasted of But the first interpretacioÌ„ more agreeth with the words of the Apostle But whether soeuer interpretacion be admitted Origen hath therby no defence to proue that men attayne vnto righteousnes by the worthines True righteousnes dependeth not of the endeuor of men but of the goodnes of God The Iews did not rightly follow righteousnes of workes Yea rather the very wordes of the Apostle most plainly declare that true righteousnes dependeth not of the endeuor or worthines of men but of the goodnes and mercy of God For he sayth that the Israelites following the law of righteousnes attained not vnto righteousnes But this semeth vnto humane reason very absurd namely that those which followed not should obteyne and those which followed should be frustrated Howbeit this we ought to consider that the Israelites did not vprightly and lawfully seke it For if they had sought it according to the meaning of the law for as much as Christ is the end of the law they had doubtles beleued in him and so should haue bene iustified But by cause Paul in this place twise repeteth the righteousnes of the law some thinke yâ— those wordes are not in either place to be a like vnderstanded For in the first place by the law of rightousnes they thinke is to be vnderstanded the outward law and in the second place the true righteousnes as though Paul should saye that the Iewes applied themselues vnto the outward obseruation of the law but could not attayne vnto the true righteousnes in Christ Which interpretation I indede dislike not howebeit I thinke that these wordes may in eyther place be taken in one and the same sence so that the meaning is although that Wherfore the law of God is called the law of righteousnes the Iewes had purposed in theyr minde to kepe the law geuen them of God which law is called the law of righteousnes for that in it is contayned moste perfect righteousnes yet being voyde of fayth and of the spirite of Christ they could not kepe the law and therfore they were frustrated of theyr purpose and of that which they had determined in theyr minde so that they neyther had the true righteousnes which the Gentiles had obteyned and also were frustrated of that righteousnes which they sought for And the ground of that error was The grouÌ„d of the error of the Iewes in folowing of righteousnes Faith the soule of the commaundementes of God for that they being destitute of fayth and in the meane time supposing that they mought be iustified by workes applied themselues vnto workes only But without fayth these thinges are in vayne enterprised For fayth is the soule and life of all those thinges which are commaunded in the law Seing therfore that they fayled of the prescript of the law they had not Christ by whome their transgression of the law mought be forgeuen and by whome that which wanted mought be supplied And these workes whereof Paul speaketh the Fathers referre vnto the rites and ceremonies of the law of Moses but that as we haue declared is straÌ„ge from the very methode and doctrine which Paul vseth in thys epistle The contencion indede at the first beganne as we haue oftentimes said aboute ceremonies But Paul to proue that they can not iustify added a generall What Paul in this place vnderstandeth by workes In the obteinyng of rightousnes workes are as contrary opposed vnto fayth They which ascribe righteousnes vnto workes are not iustified proposition namely that no workes of what kinde soeuer they be in as much as they are workes haue power to iustify wherefore Paul in this place by workes vnderstandeth not only ceremonies but also all dewties of life This moreouer is worthy to be noted that Paul in this place in such sort affirmeth that righteousnes is taken hold of by fayth that vnto it he opposeth workes as contrary For when he had said that the Gentiles attayned vnto righteousnes by fayth streight way he addeth that the Iewes fell away from the law of righteousnes although they endeuored themselues thereunto namely for that they sought it not by fayth But why they sought it not by fayth he geueth a reason for that they sought it by workes Whereof it followeth that they are not iustified which abscribe righteousnes vnto workes For to put conâ—idence in them and to attribute righteousnes vnto them is an assured and euident let that thou canst not attayne vnto the true righteousnes Chrisostome noteth that these wordes of Paul which eyther pertayne vnto the Gentiles or which pertayne vnto the Iewes may be reduced to thrée wonderful principal poynts For first of the Gentiles he sayth that they attayned vnto righteousnes which Three things here out gathered against the meaning of the Iewes How the righteousnes of faith is greater then the righteousnes of workes thing the Iewes could in no case abide to heare for they would haue had none but themselues counted to pertayne to the kingdome of Christ SecoÌ„dly which is also more wonderfull he sayth that they attayned vnto righteousnes when as they gaue not themselues vnto righteousnes And which is most wonderfull of all he sayth that the righteousnes of fayth which the Gentiles tooke hold of is farre greater then the righteousnes of workes And therefore Paul before in this selfe same epistle thus wrote If Abraham were iustified by workes he hath glory but he hath not whereof to glory before God But how the righteousnes of fayth is greater and ercellenter then the righteousnes of workes is thus to be vnderstanded that although the workes of men not regenerate seme to be honest and notable and bring with them a certayne ciuill righteousnes yet notwithstanding is that righteousnes of so small valew that before God it is none at all yea rather it is counted for sinne Farther the holines and vprightnes of works which are done of men regenerate although it please God yet can it not abide to be examined tried by his exacte iudgmeÌ„t For our righteousnesses are like a cloth stayned with the naturall course of
elected Also ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you And if Christ and the Apostles haue in their sermons oftentimes made mencion hereof no man saith he ought to doubt that this doctrine is against the fruit and commodity of preaching He affirmeth also that it followeth not that although our will saluation and good workes depend of the will and appointment of God therefore we should cast away all our diligence endeuour and care For Paul when he had said that God worketh in vs both to will and to performe yet Saluation our good workes depeÌ„d of God yet ought not we â—o cast away all maner of care to lyue well cessed not to geue good admonishments And when he had written vnto the Phillippians that GOD which had begonne in them would accomplishe the worke whiche he had begonne that they might be blameles in the daye of the Lorde in whiche woordes he attributeth vnto GOD bothe the beginning and successe of good works yet in the selfe same epistle wonderfully exhorteth he them to holynes Christ also commaunded his Apostles to beleue and yet on the other side he sayth That no man can come vnto him but whome the father shall draw He also sayth He which hath eares to heare let him heare And yet God sayth in the scriptures that he would geue them an hart from aboue to vnderstaÌ„d eyes to sée eares to heare Wherfore these thinges are not repugnant one to the other namely that the appointment of good works lieth in God and that the gift of them is to be hoped for at Gods hands only and that we also must put to our care and endeuour to liue vprighly and holyly for as we haue before sayd the holy scriptures teach both Farther if for thys cause we should deny predestination seing that by the selfe same maner the foreknowledge of God is certayne and can not be deceaued shall we therefore deny that God foreknoweth all thinges As well the foreknowledge of god â—s predestination is certaine An example brought by Augustine if peraduenture there be some which may be offended with this doctrine And in his booke de bono perseuerantiae the 15. chapter he bringeth an example which happened in his time He saith that in the same monastery that he was in was a certaine man not of so vpright a life This man when he was admonished of his faulte was accustomed to say Such a one shall I be as God hath foreknown me to be And when he so spake saith Augustine he spake indede the truth but although his iudgement were true yet became he euery day worse and worse at the last also saith he he returned to his olde vomite howbeit saith he what manner of one he shall as yet in time to come be God onely knoweth Though this man abused the truth yet will not therefore any godly man deny that God foreknoweth all things And that this foreknowledge of God is no let vnto good workes Christ declared when he coÌ„maunded his disciples to pray when as yet in the meane time The thyng is not made euill by the abuse therof he plainely told them that God knewe right well what thinges they had néede of Wherefore the foreknowledge of God doth not call vs backe from the endeuor of praying for the thinges profitable and necessary which God hath decréed to geue The foreknowledge of God ought not to call vs backe from our endeuor to prayers The giftes of God are not acknowledged â–ª except the fouÌ„taine of theÌ„ be knowne What is the fountaine of the giftes of God vs he hath decréed to geue theÌ„ by this meane They also are deceaued which thinke that this doctrine is an vnprofitable doctrine yea their sight is but small and they vnderstand not the profite therof Vnto the godly it is very profitable to the ende they should not put any confidence either in themselues or in any other men but should fixe all theyr whole hope and affiaunce in God onely Which thing vndoubtedly none can truely and from the harte do but those whiche are fully persuaded both that their saluation and also theyr good workes depend not vpon themselues but of God No we cannot acknowledge the giftes of God except we vnderstande from what fountaine they spring But that fountaine is the fre purpose and mercy of God geuen vnto them whome he hath elected before the constitution of the world He which seeth not this seeth not the goodnes of God towardes him By this doctrine may men be brought not to glory in themselues but in the Lorde which thing they cannot do which ascribe vnto their own frée will that litle how much so euer it be for which thing sake they affirme that God electeth them For they haue in themselues whereof to glorye Farther the scripture willeth vs that we should mortifye our selues and behaue our selues lowly there is nothing that is more easelier bringeth this to passe then doth this doctrine The certainety also of saluation which we defend is by no other means better made manifest And in the We are coÌ„maunded to geue thaÌ„ks for our election It confirmeth the doctrine of free iustification It is no â—â—w doctrine sâ—yng it is set forth in the holy scriptures Heresies were the causes that doctrines were more diligently entreated of latter Epistle to the Thessalonians Paul willeth vs for this thing to geue thankes vnto God that we are elected of God But this can we not do vnles this thing also be wholy made plaine and knowne vnto vs. Neither without this doctrine can the grace of God be defended against the Pelagians for they toughte that the election of God commeth by our merites Frée iustification also should pearish excepte we be rightly taught of predestination Séeing therefore this doctrine being soundlye vnderstande is vnto so many thinges so profitable no man oughte to count it vnfruitfull And sithen it is set foorth in the holy scriptures it can not vndoubtedly be called a new doctrine And if the fathers before Augustines time haue not so diligeÌ„tly spoken of it it ought not to be meruailed at for the occasions wherfore doctrines were more diligently discussed and searched out wer heresies which dayly sprang vp in the Church a freshe And for that before Pelagius time no man had spoken against the grace of God there was no néede that any maÌ„ should defend it but wheÌ„ there arose vp a new error it was necessary that this doctrine should the more diligently be examined And yet did not the fathers which were before Augustines time alwayes leue this thinge vnspoken of Which thing Augustine himselfe proueth in the. 19. chapter of his booke de bono perseuerantiae Ambrose vpon Luke saith that God could if he would of vndeuout persons make deuout And againe he saith that God calleth them whome he vouchsafeth and him whome he will he maketh religious The fathers that were before Augustines time tought this
reprobate are condemned because of their sinnes Sinnes foresene are noâ— the cause why a man is reprobate And yet we ought not hereby to inferre that sinnes foreséene are the cause why any man is reprobate For they cause not that GOD purposeth that he will not haue mercye Howbeit they are the cause of damnation whiche followeth in the last time but not of reprobation which was from eternally The laste ende of reprobation is the declaration of the mightye iustice of God as Paul hath taughte namely that these vessels are prepared vnto wrath because God woulde shew in them his power And God aunswereth of Pharao Euen vnto this end haue I raysed thee vp that I might shew in thee my power The farthest ende is damnation whiche as it is iust so also is it allowed of God But the niest ende are sinnes For God coÌ„maunded that the people should be made blinde that they should not vnderstand that they should not heare Lest peraduenture saith he they should be conuerted and I should heale them For sins although as they are sins they are by God in his lawes condemned yet as they are iuste punishmentes they are by him imposed for the wicked desertes of the vngodly But we muste not stay in these néerer endes We must go farther that we may at the length come to that ende which Paul hath set foorth namely that the iustice of God should be declared And thus muche hitherto as touching the first article Now let vs come to the second wherein is to be sought the cause of predestination Of the cause of predestination Forasmuch as predestination is the purpose or will of God and the same wil is the first cause of all thinges which is one and the selfe same with the substance of God it is not possible that there should be any cause thereof Howbeit we do not Of the will of God may sometimes be geuen a reason but neuer any cause especially an efficient cause We cannot geue any reasonâ— of the 〈◊〉 of God â–ª but those which the holâ— scriptures haue set forth vnto vs. Predestination may haue a final cause The material cause is after a sorte found in predestination The â—nd is considered two maner of wayes therfore deny but that sometimes may be shewed some reasons of the wil of God which although they may be called reasons yet ought they not to be called causes especially efficient causes But that in the scriptures are sometimes assigned reasons of the will of God may by many places be gathered The Lord sayth that he therefore did leade aboute the children of Israell throughe the deserte rather then through shorter passages through which he could haue lead them that they should not sodenlye méete with theyr enemies Adam also was placed in Paradise to husband it and to kéepe it And God testifieth that he woulde not as yet expell the Cananites out of the land of Chanaan because they had not yet as filled yâ— measure of their sinnes Howbeit althoughe as we haue sayde the scripture vse sometimes to bring reasons of the wil of God yet no maÌ„ ought to take vpon him to râ—der a certain reason of it but that which he hath gathered out of the scriptures For so as we are dull of vnderstanding we should easely vsurpe our owne dreames in stede of true reasons But that there are finall causes of the predestination of God we deny not For they are expressedly put of Paul and especially when he citeth yâ— of Pharaoâ—euen o this end haue I stirred thee vp that I mighte shewe in thee my power and of the elect he sayth that God would in them shew forth hys glorye The materiall cause also may after a sorte be assigned For men which are predestinate and those thinges which God hath decreed by predestination to geue vnto the elect as are these vocation iustification and glorification may be called the matter about which predestination is occupied This moreouer is to be noted that the end may sometimes be taken as it is of vs in minde and desire conceaued and then it hath the consideration of an efficient cause for being so conceaued in the minde it forceth men to worke Sometimes also it is taken as it is in the thinges and as we attayne vnto it after our laboures And then properly it is called the end bycause the worke is then finished and we are at quiet as now hauing obteyned the end of our purpose But we therefore put this distinction It may be both true false that we are predestinate by workes that if at any time we should be asked whether God do predestinate men for workes or no we should not rashly eyther by affirming or by beniinge geue hasty sentence For the ambiguity is in this word for how it is to be vnderstand For if good workes be taken as they are in very dede are wrought bycause God predestinateth vs to this end that we should liue vprightly as we rede in the Epistle vnto the Ephesians namely that we are elected to be holye and immaculate and that God hath prepared good workes that we shoulde walke in them as touching this sentence or meaning the proposition is to be affirmed But if that worde for he referred vnto the efficient cause as thoughe the good workes which God foresaw we should do are as certayne merites and causes which should moue God to predestinate vs this sence is by no meanes to One effect of predestination may be the cause of an other effect but they cannot be causes of the purpose of God be admitted It is possible indede that the effectes of predestination may so be compared together that one may be the cause of the other But they can not be causes of the purpose of God For vocation which is the effect of predestination is the cause that we are iustified Iustification also is the cause of good works and good workes although they be not causes yet are they meanes by which God â–ª 〈…〉 ngeth vs vnto eternall life Howbeit none of all these is the cause or the meane why we are choseÌ„ of God as contrariwise sins indede are yâ— causes why we are damned but yet not why we are reprobate of God For if they should Iâ— sinnes were the causes of reprobation no man should be elected The purpose of God not to haue mercy is as free as the purpose to haue mercy Why good workes foresene are not the causes of predestination A place out of the first epistle to Timothie be the cause of reprobation no man could be elected For the condition estate of all men is a like For we are all borne in sinne And when at any time Augustine sayth that men are iustly reprobate for theyr sins he vnderstandeth together with reprobation the last effect thereof namely damnation But we may not so speake if by reprobation we vnderstand the purpose of God not to haue mercy For that purpose is no lesse
free then y◠other purpose of shewing mercy These thinges being now thus declared we will assigne reasons why we deny that good workes foresene are the causes of predestination The first is because the scriptures no where soteach But of so weighty a matter we ought to affirme nothing without the holy scriptures Howbeit I know that certain haue gone aboute to gather this sentence out of the first epistle to Timothe where it is thus written In a greate house are vessells of gold siluer and wood And if a man shall clense him selfe from these he shal be an honorable vessell of God and mete for euery good worke Hereby they conclude that certayne are therefore destinied to be vessels of honour bycause they haue clensed them selues from the filthines of sinne and frō corrupt doctrine And bicause they are here sayd to haue power to performe this they say that it lieth in euery man to be predestinate of God vnto felicity But these men make no good collection For the sentence of Paul in that place is thus to be taken He had sayd before The foundation standeth firme The Lord knoweth who are his As if he should haue sayd mē may sometims be deceaued for they oftentimes iudge those to be goodly which are most farre from godlines In which wordes he reproued Himeneus and Philetus For a litle before he had spoken of theyr peruerse doctrine For they taught that the resurrection was done alredy wherefore Paul would not that men should be iudged as they appeare to be at the first sight For God hath in this world as it were in a greate house vessells some of golde some of siluer some of woode and some of claye And he knoweth beste whiche of these are honorable and whiche are made vnto contumely But we which know not nor vnderstād the secret of his will can iudge of them but only by the effectes that whosoeuer is cleane from corrupt doctrine and liueth godly the same is a vessell vnto honour Neither doth this place proue that men can clense themselues or make themselues vessels of honor For as Paul hath tought vs in this epistle it is God onely which bringeth this to passe For he as it were a potter hath power of one and the selfe same masse or lompe to make one vessel to honor and an other to contumely Wherefore this place enterpretateth the other And therefore we ought not to gather more of those wordes of Paul then that such clensing is a token whereby we iudge of the worthines or of the vnworthines of the vessels in the Church It is God which knoweth truly what maner of one euery man is and his foundation standeth firme for it can not be deceaued But we can not iudge of others but only by certayne tokens and effects And this is it which Christ admonisheth By their fruites ye shall know them Neither do they rightly vnderstand Man cānot by himselfe make himselfe a vessel of honour Free wil is not proued by propositions hypotheticall the Apostle which by these words If a man keepe himselfe cleane form these thinges teach that it lieth in our will to make our selues vessels of honour For the strengthes of our frée will are not proued by propositions hipotheticall or hauing conditions that we should thus inferre the holy scriptures teach that if ye shall do this or that or if ye shall beleue ye shall haue saluation Wherefore we can of selues beleue or liue holily Suche conclusions are weake for God in another place teacheth that he will make vs able to walke in his wayes Preceptes therefore and exhortations and conditions are to that end added that we should vnderstand what is required at our handes and what maner ones they shal be which pertaine vnto God and shall obtaine eternall life Wherefore we ought not out of these places to gather what our owne strengthes are able to do But it is easy to declare why men that are purged of God are notwithstanding said to purge themselues For God worketh not in men as stockes and stones for stones are moued without sense and will But God when he regenerateth men so cleanseth God maketh the godly clene they are said to make themselues cleane and reneweth thē that they themselues both vnderstand those things which they do and also aboue all things desire and will the same after they haue once receaued a fleshy hart for their stony hart Wherefore after they are once regenerate they are made workers together with God and of their owne accord they bend themselues vnto holynes and vnto purenes of life God by Moses commaunded the Israelites to sanctify themselues And yet in an other place he manifestly testifieth that it is he which sanctifieth the people And Paul vnto the Corrinthians sayth that Christ was made vnto vs wisdome righteousnes redemption and sanctification God also commaundeth vs to beleue and yet the scriptures in an other place testify that faith is the gift of God By all these things therefore it is very manifest how little this place maketh for our aduersaries which way soeuer they turne thēselues Besides al this the scriptures do not only teach y◠predestination is not of works foresene but also plainly teach y◠contrary For Paul as The scripture teacheth that predestination is not of workes foresene we sée in this epistle pronoūceth of those twines before they were borne or had done eyther any good or any euill it was sayd The elder shall serue the yonger also Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated that it should not be of workes but of him that calleth Wherefore he denieth that either the loue or hatred of God commeth of works But they are worthy to be laughed at which after this sort cauill that Paul in déede excludeth works already done but not those which are to be done For they sée not that Paul in this place goeth about to remoue all maner of difference from those two brethern that we might fully vnderstand that they were A cauillatiō ouerthrown vtterly like as touching their persons For when he declared that they were borne of one and the selfe same father and of one and the selfe same mother y◠they were brought forth also both at one burthen his meaning tended to no other end but vnto this by their equality to shew that the election of God is frée so that it laye in him to elect the one and to reiect the other But if there had ben only this differēce left as touching workes foresene then should Paul in vayne haue put so great an equality Wherefore Paul sayth vniuersally not of workes in which words he comprehendeth as well works to be done as works already done And that we mought the more surely vnderstand this he addeth But of him that calleth Wherfore Paul sendeth vs vnto God and not vnto works And if a man diligently consider Vnto what principall pointes the predestination of God
more excellency then the effect especially in that it is such a cause wherfore if workes be the causes of predestinatiō they are also more worthy of more excellency Our works cannot be of more worthines then predestination That which is constant certaine dependeth not of that which is vncertain vnconstant then predestination Moreouer predestinatiō is sure cōstāt infallible How thē shall we appoint y◠it depēdeth of y◠works of frée will which are vncertaine vncōstant may be bowed hither thither if a mā cōsider thē perticulaly For men are a like prone vnto this or y◠kinde of sinne as occasions are offred For otherwise if we will speake generally by reason of the sinne of the firste parentes frée will before regeneration can do nothing els but sinne Wherefore according to the sentence of these men it must néedes follow that the predestination of God which is certaine dependeth of the workes of men which are not onely vncertaine but also are sinnes Neither can they say that they mean of those works which follow regeneration For those as we haue taught spring of Grace and of predestination Neither do these men consider that they to satisfye humane reason We must not so defēd ou◠liberty that we spoile God of his libertie and to auoutch I know not what liberty in men spoyle God of his due power liberty in electing which power and liberty yet the Apostle setteth forth and saith that God hath no les right ouer men then hath the potter ouer the vessels whiche he maketh But after these mens sentence God can not elect but him only whom he knoweth shal behaue himselfe wel neither can he reiect any man but whom he séeth shal be euill But this is to go about to bring God into an order and to make him subiect vnto the lawes of our reason As for Erasmus he in vaine speaketh against this reason For he sayth that it is not absurde to take away from God that power which he himselfe will not haue attributed vnto him namelye to do any thing vniustly For we say that Paul hath in vaine yea rather falsly set foorth this We must geue vnto God that liberty whiche the scripture geueth vnto him liberty of God if he neither haue it nor will that it should be attributed vnto him But how Paul hath proued this libertye in God that place whiche we haue cited most manifestly declareth They also to no purpose obiect vnto vs the iustice of God for here is entreated onely of his mercy Neither can they deny but y◠they by this their sentence do rob God of a greate deale of his loue and good will towardes men For the holy scripture when it would commend vnto vs the fatherly loue of God affirmeth that he gaue his sonne and that vnto the death and that then when we were yet sinners enemies and children of wrath But these men will haue no man to be predestinated which hath not good woorkes foreséene in the minde of God And so euerye man may say with himselfe If I be predestinated the cause thereof dependeth of my selfe But an other which féeleth truely in his harte that he is fréely elected of Loue towards God is kindled of the true feling of predestination God for Christes sake when as he of himselfe was all maner of wayes vnworthy of so greate loue will without all doubt be wonderfullye inflamed to loue God againe It is also profitable vnto vs that our saluation shoulde not depende of our works For we oftentimes wauer and in liuing vprightly are not very constant Doubtles if we should put confidence in our owne workes we should vtterly dispayre But if we beleue that our saluation abideth in God fixed and assured for Christes sake we cannot but be of good comfort Farther if predestination shoulde come vnto vs by our woorkes foreséene the beginning of our saluation should be of our selues against which sentence the scriptures euery where cry out For that were to raise vp an idoll in our selues Moreouer the iustice of God shoulde then The consideration of the election of God ▪ and of the election of man is diuers haue néede of the externe rule of our workes But Christ sayth Ye haue not elected me but I haue elected you Neither is that consideration in God which is in men when they beginne to loue a man or to picke out a frende For men are moued by some excellente giftes wherewith they sée a man adorned But God can finde nothing good in vs which first proceedeth not from him And Ciprian saith as Augustine oftentimes citeth him that we therefore can not glory for that we haue nothinge that is our owne and therefore Augustine concludeth that we oughte not to parte stakes betwene God and vs to geue one parte to him and to kéepe an other vnto Vnto God is all whole to be ascribed our selues touching the obteinement of saluation for all whole is without doubte to be ascribed vnto him The Apostle when he writeth of predestination hath alwaies this ende before him to confirme our confidence and especially in afflictiōs out of which he saith that God will deliuer vs. But if the purpose of God shoulde be referred vnto our workes as vnto causes thereof then could we by no meanes conceaue any such confidence For we oftentimes fall and the righteousnes of our If predestinatiō shold depend of workes i◠woulde make vs not to hope but to dispayre workes is so sclender that it cannot stand before the iudgement seate of God And that the Apostle for this cause chiefly made mencion of predestination we maye vnderstand by the. 8. chapter of this Epistle For when he described the effectes of iustification amongst other things he saith that we by it haue obteined the adoption of sonnes and that we are moued by the spirit of God as the sonnes of God and therfore with a valiant minde we suffer aduersities and for that cause euery creature groneth and earnestly desireth to be at the length deliuered And the spirite it self also maketh intercession for vs. And at the last addeth That vnto them that loue God all thinges worke to good And who they be y◠loue God he straightway declareth Which are called saith he according to purpose These seketh Paul to make secure that they shoulde not thinke that they are hindred when they are excercised with aduersities for that they are foreknowne predestinated called and iustified And that he had a respect vnto this security those thinges declare whiche In which wordes of Paul the aduersaries a◠deceiued follow If God be on our side who shal be against vs Who shall accuse against the elect of God First by this methode is gathered that the aduersaries much erre supposinge that by this place they may inferre that predestination commeth of workes foreséene For Paul before that gradation wrote these wordes To them that loue God all
thinges worke to good as though foreknowledge and predestination whereof he afterwarde maketh mencion should depende of that sentence And to this purpose A place of Salomon they cite this sentence out of the Prouerbes of Salomon Those that loue me I loue Neither cōsider they as we haue said y◠Paul in this place entēdeth to declare who they are vnto whō it is geuen to loue God and to haue all thinges to worke vnto them to good And those he saith are they which are by the predestination of God elected And as touching Salomon we also confesse that those whiche loue God are againe loued of him But this is now in question whether the loue of God whereby he embraceth vs do spring of our loue or no. This thinge doth Iohn by expresse wordes decalre in his Epistle Not saith he for that we haue loued him He hath The loue of God springeth not of our loue but contrariwise first loued vs. The second thing that we gather of these wordes of Paul is that the predestinatiō of God if it be of this force to confirme vs touching the good wil and loue of God towardes vs can not depende of our woorkes For our woorkes are both weake and of moste sclender righteousnes Farther this is to be considered that Paul kept not in silence those causes which might be geuen for he expressedly putteth the ende namely that the mercy and iustice of God might be made manifest But when he commeth to the efficient cause he will haue vs so fully to stay our selues on the will of God that he compareth God to a potter and vs to clay In which comparison he declareth that there is nothing whiche oughte farther to be enquired of I know that the aduersaries say that that comparison is brought onely Of the comparison of God to the potter to suppresse the malepertnes of the demaunder not that the matter is on either behalfe in very déede so For God electeth men by workes foreséene But if it so be how then by this similitude shall the mouth of the murmurers be stopped For they will saye if the iustice of God requyre thys that election be of woorkes soreséene what needed Paul to saye Before they had done eyther good or euill it was sayde The elder shall serue the younger Iacob haue I loued and Esau haue I hated Agayne Not of woorkes but of hym that calleth that election mighte abide firme accordinge to purpose And why is this similitude of the potter brought when as the thinge it selfe is farre otherwyse and neyther doth God as a potter do all thynges as pleaseth hym neyther are we as clay vtterly without difference doubtles by this reason of these men the malepert demaunder is not repressed yea rather there is offred an occasion of caueling for that the similitude which is brought serueth not to the purpose There is also an other sentence of Paul vnto the Ephesians wherby is strongly confirmed this our sentence For whē he had said that we are predestinated according to the purpose of God he added God worketh according to his will not accordyng to oures By the power whereof he worketh all thinges according to the counsell of hys wyll But if it were so as these men imagine God should not worke all things according to his will but according to the will of an other For as we should order our works so should he moderate his election and that is to be led by an other mans wil and not by his own This self thing testifieth Paul to the Corrinthians saying God hath chosen the foolishe weake and vile thinges of thys world to confound the wise mighty and noble men Looke brethren saith he vpon your vocation not many wyse men not many mighty men not many noble men are called And in the selfe same epistle when he had described the former estate of the elect had reckoned vp a great many greuous sinnes at the length he added And these thinges were ye but ye are washed but ye are sanctified And vnto the Ephesians Ye were saith he once with out God without hope in the world These things proue that the vocation and predestination of God depend not of our merites But as Augustine writeth vnto Simplicianus God ouerhippeth many philosophers men of sharpewit of notable learning he hath also ouerhipped many which if a man haue a respect vnto ciuill maners were innocentes and of a good vertuous life Neither doubtles is this to be meruailed at For if God to this ende predestinateth to make manifest the riches of his mercy that is sooner accomplished if he bring to saluation The mercy of God is more declared if we be predestinated frely then if of workes those which both more resist and by reason of their desertes of life are more stranger from it then if he should elect those whom humane reason may iudge to be more mete Hereof it came that Christ gathered the flocke of his disciples out of sinners publicanes and vile men neither disdained he to call vnto hym thieues and harlots In all which men what consideration I besech you was there to be had vnto merites Paul also writeth vnto the Corrinthyans We preach Christ crucified vnto the Iewes in dede an offence and vnto the Grekes foolishenes but to them that are called both Iewes and Gentiles Christ the power of God and wisdome of God We see also in this place wherehence the Apostle seeketh the difference when he affirmeth that some thinke well of Christ preached and some ill For The difference of the beleuers of the vnbeleuers ▪ dependeth of vocation God said that he would deliuer his people not for their works but for his name sake The Iews were not of God preferred before the Gentles for their workes all this he saith commeth wholy of vocation For he sayth But vnto the called as if he should haue said They which are not called haue Christ for an offence and for foolishenes But they which are called do both follow him and also embrace him for the power and wisdome of God In the prophets also when God promiseth that he will deliuer his people he sayth not that he will do it for their workes or merites sake but I wil do it saith he for my names sake From this reason Paul departeth not For he sheweth that God by predestinatiō will make open the riches of his glory that all men might know how litle the Iewes had deserued this election of God that other nations being ouerhipped they alone should be counted for the people of God Which thing Steuen expresseth in the Actes of the Apostles when he saith That they had euer resisted God and had bene alwayes stiffe necked What good workes then did God see in them to preferre that nation aboue all other nations Ezechiell notably describeth howe GOD looked vpon the people of the Iewes at the beginning namely as vpon a maiden naked and on
Pigghius moreouer cauilleth againste our doctrine as though we stirre vp meÌ„ to hate God For Christ thus speaketh of Iudas Wo be vnto that man it had bene better for him neuer to haue bene borne He being reiected and a reprobate it must néedes follow that he hated God when as God first hated him And forasmuch as the nomber of the reprobate is the greater nomber Whether is had bene better for Iudas that he had neuer bene borne euery man say they might easly surmise that he is one of that nomber And so it should come to passe that many should abhorre from God But we aunswere that Christ said wel that it had bene better for that man if he had not bene borne For euery one of vs ought rather and gladlier to desire either neuer to haue bene or to be brought to nothing then that by committing of sinne we shoulde offende God Wherefore Christ sayd truly and plainely that it had bene better for Iudas that he had neuer bene borne Howbeit simply as touching God it had not bene better for by him both the counsell of God as touching our redemption was fulfilled and also by the punishment which was inflicted vpon him both the iustice and power of God appeared the more manifest And it is vaine that they say that many fall into suspition of their reprobation For out of the holy scriptures no man can No man hath a certaine and in fallâ—ble argument of his reproâ—atioÌ„ An example of Frances Spiera gather any argumentes of efficacye that he is a reprobate And if God will sometimes reueale it by a certaine secret iudgement yet cannot that be made a common rule In our time in déede it happened that a certaine man in Italy called Francis Spiera inwardly felt that God had inflicted vpon him this euill But this I suppose was done to the terror of others For he after that he had at the beginning knowne the truth of the Gospell and openly professed it being broughte to Venice before the legate of the Bishop of Rome publikely abiured it Afterwarde being striken with a gréeuous wounde of conscience he perswaded himselfe that he had sinned against the holy Ghost By meanes whereof he was throwne into so greate a desperation that he woulde neuer afterwarde receiue any consolation though he were assisted euen by notable and religious men which exhorted him to haue a good hope of Christ and of his death And he would saye that these thinges serued well to be spoken vnto others but vnto him they nothing at all preuailed for that he knew most assuredly yâ— he had sinned against the holy Ghost and yâ— there was no remedy remaining to deliuer him from damnation and so remaining in this desperation he died God would in this man by a certayne singuler and vnaccustomed dispensation feare away others from the like wickednes and impietye Howbeit this neither customably happeneth as farre as we can gather out of histories neither also can any man by the holye scriptures gather this desperation And peraduenture God did not put this into the heade of Spiera but the Deuill whose bondslaue he was hauing now renounced piety to the ende to driue him to vtter desperation Wherefore we must make a distinction as we before admonished that either we speake of them that are vtterly without all feeling of piety or els of the godly and of them that are now called If we speake of those that are straungers they either nothing regarde these counsels of GOD or els they are The godly suspect not that they pertaine to the number of the reprobate alreadye in dispayre of themselues If we meane of the godly they will not suffer themselues to be any longer tormented with this suspicion for that they now sée that they are called that they haue obteyned faith and therefore are iustified all which thinges moue them to haue confidence and to hope that theyr names ar in the roule of the elect Lastly Pigghius imagineth that we speake things absurd for that we teach that men were first in a masse vitiated and corrupted wiâ—â— originall sinne before that they were predestinated of God as though we would here by iustifie the purpose of God when yet notwthstanding we in the counsell of predestination put condemnation and eternall infelicity before sinnes and our corrupt nature and so we iustefy that which is first by that which commeth after he addeth also that hy this meanes as touching the purpose of God euen by our owne doctrine the ende is first appointed and those thinges also whiche bring vnto the ende Wherefore forasmuche as originall sinne is one of the meanes whereby we are condemned it cannot as we imagine go before reprobation when as it falleth and is comprehended vnder it is a meane vnto eternall condemnation But these thinges declare that this man vnderstoode not what we say Neyther Augustine Pighius vnderstandeth not our senteÌ„ce nor we euer sayd that originall sinne goeth before predestination when as predestination is before al eternity but Adams fall was in time Nether is it so absurd as he imagineth that sinnes should fall vnder reprobation not indéede as the cause therof but as the cause of condemnation and of eternall misery And whereas he Originall sinne gâ—eâ—h not before predestination Sinnes how they fal vnder reprobation saith that if it were so it should follow that God willeth sinnes we haue before declared how this is to be aunswered vnto Neyther can he deny but that God vseth sinnes which are continually committed to those endes whiche he himselfe hath appointed And forasmuch as this is not done of him rashelye but by his appointed counsell how can it be that after a sort sinnes are not comprehended vnder reprobation Nowe if he contende that God willeth not sinnes neither is the cause of sinnes in such sort as he willeth good works is the cause of good works we also affirme the same But yet in the meane time let him cease to count it for a thing absurde that both the ende and also the meanes either of predestination or of reprobatioÌ„ are coÌ„prehended vnder the purpose of God although after a diuerse manner And as touching originall sinne we also affirme that it goeth not before predestination or reprobatioÌ„ but of necessity followeth it for that God would not produce men out of any other stocke or matter but out of the progeny of Adam by meanes wherof we are al borne infected with the spot of corruption And forasmuche as this was not hidden from God therefore Augustine and we also with hym saye that God from eternallye purposed to haue mercye on those whome he loued and not to haue mercye on others whome hee loued not so that if they whiche wante that mercye whyche is bestowed vpon others do leade theyr life in originall synne and when they are come to age and to the vse of reason do adde vnto it many other sinnes then are they iustly and
the minde in earthly men and so themselues they bend As moues the Sire of men and Gods that dayly doth ascend And when we speake of foreknowledge we exclude not will for as we at the The foreknowledge of God is not to be seperated frō his will The foreknowledge of God ouer throweth not natures beginning admonished God can not foreknow that any thing shall come to passe but that which he willeth shall come to passe for there can nothing be but that which God willeth to be and that which God willeth he also bringeth to passe in vs. For as Paul sayth He worketh in vs both to will and to performe But this will ioyned to foreknowledge neither inuerteth nor destroyeth things naturall but so worketh in them as is agréeing with them and therefore forasmuch as the nature and propriety of the will of man is to worke fréely and by election the foreknowledge and will of God taketh not away this faculty or power from it although Predestination is the cause of all oure good workes Prayers of the church his predestination be the cause of all good actions which are done of the elect and in the elect Which thing is not only proued by testimonies of the scriptures but also the consent of the Church in their prayers affirmeth the same for thus it prayeth O God from whome all holy desires all good counsels and iust workes do proceede c. And sinnes although after a sort they are subiect vnto the will of God yet are they not in such sort produced of it as good workes are Howbeit this ought to be for certaine that they also are not done vtterly without any will of God For permission which some put differeth not from will for God permitteth Permission pertayneth vnto will that which he will not let neither ought it to be said that he permitteth vnwilling but willing as Augustine saith Wherefore in either kind of works the will and foreknowledge of God in such sort vseth it selfe that it ouerthroweth not the faculty or power of mans will In the predestinate it prouideth that nothing be of them committed which may ouerthrow their saluation And in the reprobate Note this that is spoken of the reprobate he taketh away from them no naturall power which pertaineth to their substance or nature neither compelleth he them against their wil to attempt any any thing but he bestoweth not vpon them so much mercy nor so much grace as he doth vpon the elect and as should be nedfull for their saluation But a great many hereat stomble for that they thinke with themselues If God haue foreknowen that we shall méete together tomorrow then must it néedes be that our will was vtterly determinate to this part otherwise that could not be foreknowē But we answere as we haue alredy signified that that determination in in such Whether our will be determinate to one part sort with God as is agreeing with the propriety or nature of the will But vnto it is proper so to will one part that of his nature if can also will the other part Wherefore we confesse that if we haue a respect vnto God it is appointed and decréed what we shal do For his knowledge is not in vayne called foreknowledge for he hath not an opinion of things so that his knowledge can be changed but hath a certaine and sure knowledge or science and there can be no science vnles as we haue said it be certaine and firme But this determination and certainty of his we both haue said and do say inuerteth not the nature of things neither taketh away liberty from our nature Which thing is proued by this reason God Many thinges are possible which neuer shall be foreknewe that many thinges are possible which in very déede shall neuer be and although they shall neuer be yet the foreknowledge of God taketh not away from them but that they are possible Which thing we will declare by an example of the scripture Christ when he was taken sayd I could haue asked of my father and he would haue geuen me eleuen legions of Angels which should defend me from these souldiors Wherefore Christ affirmeth that it was possible for him to aske and that vnto him mought be granted so many legions of Angels which yet was neither done nor was by any meanes to be done And yet notwithstanding God foreknew that it mought haue ben done and although it should neuer come to passe yet was it not letted by foreknowledge but that it was possible Wherfore as the foreknowledge of God letteth not possibility so also taketh it not away contingēcy and liberty This necessity of infalliblenes is not only declared and proued by the holy scriptures and by reasons as we haue now shewed but also is acknowledged of the fathers Origen against Celsus in his second booke against the argument of Celsus which he obiected against the Christians saying Your Christ at his last supper foretold as ye say that he should be betrayed of one of his disciples if he were God as ye contend he was could he not let the doing thereof Origen here wondereth and answereth that this obiection is very ridiculous for forasmuch as he foretold that that thing should come to passe if he had letted it then had he not spoken the truth and therefore he added that it was of necessity neither could it otherwise be but that that should come to passe which was foretold Howbeit because that this foretelling chaunged not the will of Iudas therefore is he worthely accused neither ought the blame to be layd vpon Christ which foretold it Origen in that place acknowledgeth either namely the necessity of certainty and that the nature of the will is not letted Ambrose also when he interpreteth those words of Paul Iacob haue I loued and Esau haue I hated referreth the sentence of the Apostle to works foreséene and yet addeth that it could not otherwise haue come to passe but as God foresaw that it should come to passe Chrisostome also expounding that which is written vnto the Corrinthians It behoueth that heresies should be cōfesseth that this necessity is a necessity of foretelling which is nothing preiudiciall vnto the power of our will and choyce Neither is this necessity taken away by certaine places in the scriptures which otherwise at the first sight séeme to put a chaunge of the sentences of God as is that of Esay when he threatened vnto Ezechias the king present death which prophesie yet God séemed to change when he prolonged his life fiftene yeares And vnto the City of Niniue it was foretold that it should be destroyed within forty dayes which thing yet came not to passe Those things in very dede make nothing against the truth before taught For God foretold vnto Ezechias death which was euen at hand according to the causes of the dissease whereof he was then sicke and therein was made no lye But The
with her it could not be auoyded but that he should committe incest of which inceste shoulde be borne children which should pollute themselues with murthering one the other and should ouer throw theyr fathers kingdome The auncienter Philosophers as Democritus â–ª and Empedocles affirmed that the will also is subiect vnto fate or vnto the connexion of causes But Chrisippus the Stoike hereunto rather inclined to excepte the will of man as Oenomaris Cynicus as Eusebius Caesariensis de Preparatione Euangelica â–ª citeth him saith that Democritus made men bondmen and Chrisippus halfe bondmen But leuing these let vs returne vnto Cicero who said If there be foreknowledge then thinges should in such sort come to passe as they were foreknown neither can the euent foreséene be auoyded so that then the liberty of men is vtterly takeÌ„ away Lawes theÌ„ are in vaine admonitions are in vayne rewards punishmeÌ„ts and such like things are in vaine wherfore he setteth forth a choyce that a man should chuse whether he would rather admitte foreknowledge or liberty of the will for that they could not consist both together as farre as he iudged And because he was man hauing to do in ciuill matters and delt in lawes iudgemeÌ„ts he rather reiected the foreknowledge of God then he would loose the liberty of the will of man Wherefore Augustine sayth of him Those which will be free he maketh sacrilegious persons so that to defend their liberty they spoyle God of his foreknowledge Ciceroes reason was If the wil be frée there can not be a certaine and sure connexion of causes for if it were certaine it could not be broken of our will and if there be no certaine connexion then can there be put no foreknowledge and therfore he affirmed that God also foreknoweth not what thinges shall come to passe for if he should foreknow them then should there be a certaine and firme order of causes which being graunted there shoulde bee nothing remayning in the power of our will But we ought to hold either of these sentences for of the one we haue by sence experience For euery man may consider in himselfe how he woorketh by counsels and deliberation and electeth that whiche pleaseth him But the other that is the foreknowledge of God we hold by faith whiche knowledge is of no les The elections counsels of man are not against the prouideÌ„ce of of God The wil of man is placed in the order of causes God by his foreknowledge changeth not the nature of causes Fortune chaunce are referred vnto vs not vnto God force then the apprehension both of sence and of reason Wherefore we deny vnto Cicero this consequence There is a certaine and constante order of causes whiche God foreknew therfore there is nothing in our will And we therfore deny the argument for that our will also is to be placed amongst the causes of thinges yea it hath not amongst them the vnworthiest place Wherefore euen as God can foreknow what shall come to passe of other causes in like sort is he able plainely to sée what our willes wil elect And as in foreséeing other causes and theyr effectes he in no wise destroyeth nor chaungeth the natures of them so also leaueth he in their ful state the willes of men This also moued Cicero that then nothing should come by chaunce But forasmuch as very many thinges happen by chaunce and fortune it is manifest that there cannot be a certaine or sure order of causes neither also any foreknowledge In this sort reasoned he But we aunswere that those thinges which are said to come by chance ar so called things coÌ„ming by chance as they are referred to our vnderstanding whiche forasmuch as it is weake by reason of the dulnes therof seeth not the course or connexion of causes but if their be coÌ„pared vnto the mind of God from which nothing is hidden they can not be said to come by chance or rashely The infirmity of the mind of man is that it maketh fortune or chance to be with thing we wil declare by an example If a maister should sende his seruaunt to the market and commaunde him to be there by sixe of the clocke and should also commaund his Baliue apart to doo the self same thing doubtles both the Baliue and the seruaunt should mete together which to either of them should come by chaunce for that they knew not of their maisters commaundement but the maister he selfe who knoweth the matter will not iudge this to come by chance which thing hereby also may be made more plaine Suppose that I knewe that there were treasure hidden in a place and I should commaund one to digge in that place when he should find the treasure he would cry good fortune but I which knew the matter would attribute nothing vnto fortune So God forasmuch as he knoweth the course and connexion of all causes neuer ascribeth any thing to fortune Wherefore let vs put all thinges to be subiect vnto the purpose of God and amongest all other thinges our wils also which we affirme haue that power which God willed who tempereth the natures of all thinges There is a certayne cause as sayth Augustine which so worketh that it is by no meanes wrought and suche a cause is God And there is an other cause which so worketh that it also is wrought of an other of which kinde is our will which so willeth and worketh in that that it also is wrought of God Wherefore we ought neyther to assent vnto Cicero nor to the Stoikes for as we ought to withdraw nothing from Our wils are not free froÌ„ the foreknowledge of God Note a saâ—ing of Austine the foreknowledge of God so lest of all are our willes to be exempted from it for they pertayne to yâ— better part of the world For what should he haue a care of or what should he foreknow if he should neglect men Our willes as sayth Augustine are able to doo so much as God would and foreknew they should be able to doo and therefore whatsoeuer they are able to doo they most certaynly are able to doo and whatsoeuer they shall doo they shall without all doubt doo for that he whose foreknowledge can not be deceaued foreknew that they should be both able and also do it And in yâ— Necessity of two sortes 10. chap. of the fifth booke before cited he deuideth as we also did a necessity in to two parts one whereby we are compelled to suffer those thinges whiche we would not as is the necessity of death wherunto will we or nill we we must gâ—ue place The other necessity he sayth is that according to which any thing is sayd to be necessary that is shall vndoubtedly come to passe And touching this there is no nede that we should be aferd concerning our will for by it the will is not diminished the first indede is repugnant vnto it for it is not possible Not euery
would declare that this his assent to the truth resembled some We are also sorye by reason of the morall workes of the Ethnikes certaine shew of piety and of duty Wherefore in such workes which are morally called good the minde of the godly delighteth although therewithall also it sorroweth that those workes are not done as they ought to be done And as touching this present sentence of the Apostle we must not gather that he of sinne that is of zeale without true knowledge conceaued a loue and good will towardes the Iewes for he reasoneth not from the cause yea rather by the effect he declareth his loue towardes them namely in that he not onely prayeth for saluation for them but also agrauateth not the crime which they were guilty of but rather Paul loued not the Iews for their euill zeale as much as the thing suffreth excuseth it It should be a false kind of reasoning a non causa vt causa that is taking that for the cause which is not the cause if a man would hereby proue that Paul had a delight in the sinnes of the Iewes But if a man will nedes contend that this argument is taken from the cause we say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is englished harts desire is in this place an affect What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place signifieth The zele of the Iewes was sinne which pertaineth to mercy and so Paul had compassion vpon the Iewes for that he saw the Iewes so miserably erred And this sentence is of no small force to proue that that zeale of the Iewes though it were goodly to the shew was sinne for nothing stirreth vp mercy but only misery and calamity neither are we moued to pray for any that they might be conuerted from euil workes vnles the same workes were sinnes and that very hurtfull Wherefore I wonder at the Nicodemites of our tyme which obiect the history of Elizeus and of Naaman The Nicodemites of our time The fact of Naamā the Siriā very ill cited the Sirian to proue that it is lawful for them so that they thinke wel in in their hart to be present at vngodly supersticions For Naaman the Sirian although he were newly conuerted yet he vnderstoode that that was sinne and for that he had not as yet so farre gone forwarde to departe from his commodities he required of the Prophet to pray for him which declareth that he iudged that such a sinne neded pardon Wherefore we conclude that this zeale of the Iewes whereunto the Apostle now beareth record was in very deede sinne and although it haue some shew of vertue yet is it very farre of from it For as it is plaine by moral philosophy that vertues and vices are as touching Vices and vertues are occupied about one the same matter where about they are occupied one and the same but in forme much differ as fortitude and feare temperaunce and intemperance iustice and iniustice For one and the selfe same affectes when they are by right reason bridled to a mediocrity and when thorough vice they either want or exceede differ not in matter although the habites or qualities which are occupied about them are much differing And that which the Philosophers speake of vertues and of vpright reason we ought to transferre also vnto the holighost and vnto faith geuen vnto the scriptures And although in a good and euil zeale the affect be one and the same yet is the difference most great when it is gouerned by true knowledge and faith and when it is gouerned of it selfe and wanteth true knowledge As A similitude the water of the sea and rayne water although they agree together in matter of moisture yet are they sundred by very many proprieties differences These A good intent is not sufficient to make the worke good thinges haue I therefore alleadged to confute those which oftentimes defend wicked actes for that they are done of a good minde purpose or as they say entent as though euery zeale were sufficient to make the worke good Whose sentence if it were true mought easely excuse the Iewes in that they killed Christ and afflicted his Apostles for they beleued that by these meanes they defended the lawe of God and ceremonies of their fathers But the Apostle Errors in matters of faith is hurtfull Against workes of preparation saith otherwise when he attributeth vnto them zeale but yet a zeale ioyned with error but when error lighteth in matters of faith it is a deadly sinne Wherfore let them well aduise themselues what to say which so stoutly defend workes preparatory doubtles their meaning is nothing els but that men although before iustification they absolutely worke not good workes yet by reason of a certaine vpright purpose and zeale of congruity they deserue grace Such workes for as muche as they want true knowledge whiche is fayth it followeth that they are such a zeale as the Apostle nowe speaketh of We deny not but that God sometimes vseth suche our wycked workes by thē at length to bring vs vnto iustification but that we our selues do thorow them deserue iustification it is farre from the truth yea rather oftentimes Goodly workes are sometyme a let vnto saluation it commeth to passe that such workes are a great let vnto saluation For the Philosophers and Pharesies being dronken glutted with those goodly workes were ouermuch puffed vp and for that they delighted in thē selues they contented them selues with those workes neither endeuoured they to ascend vnto the true degree of righteousnes We are by this doctrine also of Paul We must not streight way geue place to zele admonished not straight way to geue place vnto zeale we must first trye and diligently examine it for oftentimes vnder the goodly shew thereof lyeth hidden most great impietie as it is manifest in the Iewes which slew Christ and persecuted the Apostles and as this place euidently declareth It is a greuous sinne to refuse to be subiet vnto God A rule to try zeale For they being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and going about to stablish their own righteousnes are not subiect vnto the rightousnes of God What more wickednes could haue bene deuised then to refuse to be subiect vnto God and to seeke to prefer their own righteousnes before the righteousnes of God The Apostle in these wordes geueth vs a rule whereby we may be able to trye and examine our zeale And that rule is this to see whether we will be subiect vnto God whether we can abide that all thinges shoulde bee attributed vnto God and claime nothing vnto our selues as the true knowledge of God requireth There are a great many in our daies which as it were by a certain zeale labour to defend worshipping of Images pilgrimages and other suche supersticious actes vnto whom if a man manifestly declare that those thinges are repugnant vnto the word of God they
whose God he is a saluation which endureth but for a tyme for this thing haue brute beasts at his hand and the wicked also Moreouer Christ the most true interpreter of the law teacheth the selfe same thing For a young man demaunding of him what shall I doo to possesse eternall lyfe He made aunswere Keepe the commaundementes if thou wilt enter into lyfe This place moste plainly proueth that the talke was of eternall lyfe Neither is it anye meruaile that the Lawe is the woorde of God whose propriety is to bring lyfe with it so that it be receaued Although the Law The law the Gospell are diuersly receiued The worde of God bringeth lyfe and the Gospell are not receaued after one and the selfe same maner For the Lawe is receaued by doing and moste exactly performyng that whiche is commaunded But the Gospell is receaued by a lyuely and effectuall assent of fayth And that the propriety of the woorde of GOD is to bryng life it is manifest by the creation of thinges wherin God called those thinges whiche were not and streight way they had being And Christ also many tymes said y◠his wordes are life which thing the Apostels also ment when they sayd Thou hast the wordes of life c. And Paul most manifestly before in this selfe same Epistle in y◠7. chap. writeth of the Lawe that it is spirituall And of the commaundement of God he affirmeth that it is iust holy and good and ordayned vnto lyfe Moses also in the 30. chapiter of Deut. writeth of the selfe same lawe that he had set before the people lyfe and death manifestly declaring that if the Lawe were receaued and fulfilled The promises of the law art by supposition The promises of the law were vnto the trāsgressors of the law turned 〈…〉 o a cu 〈…〉 e. The promises of the law freely follow the good work◠of thē that are iustified it would bring with it lyfe and that eternall lyfe But for that wee are debarred of this commoditye our mercifull God hath prouided an other woorde namely the word of fayth which if by assenting vnto it it be receaued hath with it lyfe By this place it is euident that the promises of the Lawe are giuen by supposition or condition of workes going before So that if these workes be not performed the promises are made voyde yea rather in stede of them succeedeth a curse which thing was declared in Deutero when vpon Mount Garizim and Hebal were recited the blessinges and cursinges But in the Gospell if vnto promises be annexed workes they are not to be taken either as desertes or as causes of those promises but we must thus thinke that those giftes of God which are promised follow after workes although those workes be not perfect and absolute as they are commaunded in the Law But the righteousnes which is of faith speaketh on this wyse Saye not in thine hart who shall ascend into heauen that is to bring Christ from aboue c. As the fyrst righteousnes is sayd to consist in doing so this all whole standeth in beleuing For if thou haue the word nere thee that is if thou beleue in thine hart thou shalt obtaine saluation The Apostle séemeth by the figure Prosopopaeia to bryng in the ryghteousnes of fayth thus speakyng as though it should say Say not in thine hart c. Although we may reade it other wyse namely that Paule putteth forth this sentence absolutely But the righteousnes which is of faith And straight way he addeth this he sayth as though Moses should speake of it But which way so euer we reade it it is no great matter But this is certain that he declareth the nature of faith What is that fayth which engēdreth righteousnes by the propertie thereof that we should not thinke that euery kinde of faith bringeth righteousnes but onelye an assured and constant fayth For this is the nature of fayth to exclude all ambiguitie and doubtes For if we should with feare and suspition geue our assent that assent should be but an opinion and not faith Seing therefore that there are two principall thinges set forth vnto vs to be beleued namely that Christ perpetually obtaineth of the father grace and reconciliation for vs and that by hys death he hath ouercome eternall death Of these two humaine reason doubteth and therefore it is brought in of Paul as though Incredulity of mans hart it should say And who shall ascend vp into heauen to see that God is pacified towards vs through Christ Or who shall go downe into the deepe to see that eternall death is by hym broken and extinguished After this sorte is the vnbeleuing mynde woont to wauer which thing Paule by the figure Mimesis expresseth These cogitacions ought fayth to driue away and onely to looke vpon the goodnes and power An example of Abraham of God Which thing our Apostle before did notably teache that Abraham did for when he had sayd that Abraham beleued it was imputed vnto him to righteousnes he declared how his fayth resisted such reasoninges He considered no◠saith he his body now in a maner dead nor the wombe of Sara now past child bearing The property of faith is to mortifye the assaults of reason but gaue glory to God most fully knowing that he was able to performe the things which he had promised And so in hope he beleued against hope Wherfore the propertye of fayth is to mortifie these assaultes of reason Say not in thine hart The Apostle therfore wrote this for that althoughe these cogitaciōs of reason be not expressed by the mouth or by the wordes yet they We can not let but that euil motiōs of the mind will aryse Paul was accused as an enemy to Moses wander abrode in the harte Neyther doubtles can we let but that such cogitations will assault our minde howbeit we are taught to resist them For he which geueth place to these thinges both denieth Christ and also despayreth of saluation Paul not without iust cause cited Moses For he was accused as though he were an enemy to Moses and preached that men should fall away from him Wherefore his meaning is to declare that he is not agaynst Moses but rather teacheth the selfe same thinges that he taught wherefore we may say that he turneth y◠argument of the aduersaries agaynst themselues They sayd We will not receaue the righteousnes of fayth for that we beleue Moses Yea rather sayth Paul forasmuch as ye beleue Moses ye ought to follow thys The ministery of Moses and the ministery of the Gospell in what sort they differ righteousnes But if Moses preach the righteousnes of fayth how is his ministery distinguished from the ministery of Christ and of the Gospell Iohn sayth The law was geuen by Moses but grace by Iesus Christ And if he preached the righteousnes of fayth he also brought grace Vnto this question we answere That Moses
seme doubtfull whether it ought to be referred vnto Moses whome he had before cited or vnto the righteousnes of faith which is brought in as if it should speake But thys is no matter of wayght and there are some greke exēplers wherin is added 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 y◠is But what saith the scriptures Nether is this to be passed ouer y◠in the Hebrue is had not only nigh or next but there is also added this aduerbe Meod which signifieth very whereby is noted a very nigh inward néerenes The Seuenty intepreters haue in their translation not onely in the hart and in the mouth but haue added in the handes But that is not had in the Hebrue and Paul hath left it out Augustine in his questions vppō Deut. who readeth after the translation of the Seuenty diligently noteth that But if it be added it nothing hindreth yea rather it helpeth the interpretacion of the Apostle whereby is declared that in that place is entreated of the commaundement of God as it is grafted in the hart as it is confirmed by the mouth and as it is expressed in worke But all these thinges are to be referred vnto Christe and How great the strēgth of fayth is vnto faith for that is it which causeth our mind and harte to be opened and made able to receiue those thinges which are vtterly repugnant vnto reason iudgemēt and sence and so is that made nigh vnto vs which is by nature most farre of from vs. And that the scripture by name mencioneth the hart it wanteth not a mistery for although faith pertaine vnto the assent of the minde yet notwithstandinge hath it most nighly ioyned with it the affect of the will which is by the hart described for that if vnto our vnderstanding or minde be offred those thinges which are most manifest and plaine it is so ouercome that it straight way geueth assent nether The minde when it assēteth vnto thinges very manifest waiteth not for the consent of the will How the vnderstanding will are vnto faith waiteth it for the commaundement or consent of the will as it is euident in the first principles of all sciences and in mathematicall demonstrations But whē thinges doubtfull are set foorth and that the reasons on either side are obscure and many thinges are agaynst the proposition set foorth the minde and vnderstanding geue not assent but by the commaundement and consent of the will which in that case peiseth and examineth the ambiguity Wherfore when faith is engendred in vs the holy ghost therein vseth two workes The one is so to illustrate the minde that it may be made certaine of the thing set before it although it be not very euident The other is that the will be so strengthned that by the affect therof it may ouercome whatsoeuer sence or reason do set foorth which is repugnante vnto the word of God geuen vnto vs. For in the worke of faith vnto our will is ioyned the holy Ghost for the assente whiche by beleuing we geue vnto the oracles of God is firme and of efficacy for the spirite chaungeth the will and maketh it of hys owne accorde vtterly to will those thinges which it before refused Wherfore God whē he geueth vnto vs faith gouerneth ech power of the soule as is agreable vnto their nature And forasmuch as this pertaineth to the wil not to iudge any thing of it self but to follow the iudgemente of vnderstanding the minde is by the spirite of God made assured of the thinges which are to be beleued and vnto it therewithall it is made plaine that we must wholy be obedient vnto God Therof it commeth that the wil resisteth not but represseth all thinges which otherwise shoulde be a let to this assent required at our hands He calleth the Gospel y◠word of faith for none other cause but for that by faith it is apprehended whereby a figuratiue kinde of speach the obiect is illustrated and described by the vertue which apprehendeth it This is the worde of faith which we preach This is not spoken that we should beleue that the Gospell is not ioyned with the law for how then could repētance be preached But therfore it is written for that the chiefest parte of the ministery of the Apostles is occupied about the righteousnes of faith And when it is said This is the word of fayth which we preach by a certaine Emphasis is declared that the doctrine of the Gospell is in no wise repugnant vnto the lawe of Moses yea rather it excellently well agréeth with it It is not onely sayd that the woorde is nigh in the hart but also in the mouth Which thing Paul weying moste aptly applied it to his purpose for this he saith belōgeth to confessiō which euer straight way foloweth a true effectuall faith Some of the Iewes vnderstood this place as though Moses should say now the word is in your mouth y◠is ye haue it in sight before you for this woorde Pi disagréeth not from this signification for it is sayde Keephi lephi which signifieth hard by and nighe Others also haue not vnaptlye by in the mouthe vnderstanded expressing or rehersing for the lawe being geuen and written the Iewes mought repeat and recite with themselues the woordes thereof And the Leuites daylye repeated it in the Tabernacle or in the temple of God and in this wise it was said to be had in the mouth But this is to be considered that it was for no other cause had in handes and sighte or recited either of the Leuites or of any of the people but to bring men vnto Christe and to stirre them Why the law was oftentimes repeted vp to faith in him and to prouoke the godly to confesse to praise and to allowe that which the Lord had spoken If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the lord Iesus and shalt beleue in thine harte that God hath raised him vp from the deade thou shalt be saued For with the hart mā beleueth vnto righteousnes and with the mouth is confession made vnto saluation For the scripture saith whosoeuer beleueth in hym shall not be made ashamed For there is no difference betwene the Iew and the Grecian For there is one lorde ouer all who is riche vnto all them that call vpon him For whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the lord shal be saued If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt beleue in thine hart that God hath raysed him vp from the deade Althoughe Paul séemeth not here to obserue a right order for first we beleue before we make confession The fayth of an other mā is knowen onely by confession In the resurrectiō is accomplished our saluation yet because that we cannot iudge concerning our brother whether he beleue vnles we heare him first confesse for this cause the Apostle putteth the effect before the cause And amongst other thinges which are to be beleued he
one of an other by this meanes loue is more By the institution of the ministery is kept charity God calleth meÌ„ vnto the ministery two maner of wayes entier then if saluation should be ministred vnto vs by Angells Howbeit thys we ought to know that the efficacy of the worde of God or of the sacramentes depeÌ„deth not of yâ— goodnes or holines of the minister This moreouer is to be noted that the sending of God is eyther by himselfe immediately or ells by the calling of the Church for the right ordering whereof there ought not a regard to be had vnto money affinity frendshippe or such like but vnto the worthines of them that are called And ChristiaÌ„s ought to be fully perswaded that although they which chuse the ministers of the Church are sinners yet is not that a let vnto theyr saluation for vnto them is geuen eyther a good pastor or an euill If they haue a good pastor they haue cause to geue vnto God thankes which hath not only prouided that saluation should be ministred vnto them but also hath geuen vnto them an holy and good pastor But if he be an euill pastor let them also acknowledge the goodnes of God which when as they deserued not a good It is a greuous sinne â—o aduance or to tolerate vnworthy ministers pastor suffreth rather the worde and sacramentes of God to be ministred vnto them by such a one then that he would forsake them And yet they to whome it pertayneth to admitte the pastor let them not thinke that they commit a light offence when they eyther aduaunce or tolerate vnworthy pastors And the people when they heare the word of God and receaue the sacramentes ought most chiefely to weigh those thinges which are ministred vnto them whether they hâ— deliuered vnto theÌ„ purely sincerely or corruptly rather theÌ„ to loke vpon yâ— conditioÌ„s or maners of theyr minister although his saluation also is not to be neglected neyther are offences to be tollerated more then must nedes And although Paul in this place entreate of vocations and sending which as I haue sayd is both ordinary and extraordinary yet is it not to be doubted but that he nowe Here is entrcnted of extraordinary vocation but it is rightly eppâ—â—ed vnto the ordinary vocation speaketh of the extraordinary way when as the Apostles were not choseÌ„ by the iudgment of the priestes and bishoppes but were sent thorough out the world at the commaundement of God only Howbeit the thinges which are mencioned in the commendation and prayse of the ministery pertayne also vnto the ordinary vocation of the ministers of the Church There are two things which Paul thinketh are now remayning to be proued namely yâ— the Apostles should be seni of God himself to preach yâ— Gospel secondly the it is not so much to be meruayled at if but few beleued For the confirmation of the first he bringeth a place out of the prophet Esay in the 52. chap. How beautifull are the feete of them whiche bring glad tidinges of peace and which bring glad tidings of good thinges These things are spoken of yâ— deliuery from yâ— captiuity of Babilon but I haue oftentimes admonished yâ— those perticular deliueries either froÌ„ Egipt or from the Assirians other oppressors of the people of yâ— Iewes had to theyr roote foundacioÌ„ iustification from sinnes thorough Christ for captiuites oppressions and other misefortunes forasmuch as they are effects of sinne when they are taken away God is declared to be reconciled by the forgeuenes of sinnes And in that sence is Mathew to be vnderstanded when he writeth that in Christ when he healed the sicke was fullfilled that sentence of Esay He hath borne our infirmities Which although at the first sight it semeth not to agree for that Esay speaketh of the death The rootâ— of the deliuery of the Iewes A place of Mathew of Christ wherein he suffred the punishmentes dew vnto our sinnes and the historye is declared of the healing of disseases yet in very dede it excellently wel agreeth for Mathew considered that the infirmities which Christ draue awaye entred in thorough sinne and those infirmities being gone signified that sinne the cause of them was taken away namely by Christ whome it was necessary that he should be our reconciliator and this argument may be taken á minori that is of the lesse for if the messengers of the redemption from the captiuity of the body were had in honor and admiration and were sent from God vnto the Iewes how much more are the messengers and legates of eternal saluation to be had in honor and admiration which were sent not only vnto the Iewes but also vnto the whole world And that they were sent of God it is very playne by the wordes of Esay For before this sentence cited of Paul he maketh God complayning of the oppressors of his people and promising that forasmuch as they were so cruell agaynst his people that thereby his name was layd forth vnto blasphemies and cursinges he would therefore deliuer hys people And the tiding bringers of this his will he sayth should be very welcome and receaued with great ioy and admiration But the Hebrue veritie hath Vpon the mountaines The wordes of Esay in the 52. chap. are these Mah gan al heharim ragle mebasher mashimiaa shalom mebasher tob Which place the Seuenty interpreters haue thus turned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is I am at hand as a pleasantnes or beautifulnes vpon the mountaynes But this particle Paul omitted for that this worde chiefly hath a respect vnto the situation of the citie of Ierusalem The situacion of the citie of Ierusalem which was situated betwen mountaines Therefore in the Psalme it is writteÌ„ The mountaynes are in the circuite thereof Yea verye oftentimes we reade in the Psalmes that the eyes were lifted vp vnto the mountaynes Seing therfore yâ— the messengers should come from the Assirians or Persians they could not come vnto the city vnles they were first sene vpon yâ— mountaines Howbeit this The disciples called out of Galile oracle may also easely be applied vnto the Apostles for forasmuch as they wer called out of Galile as it is playne by yâ— hystory of the Gospell wheÌ„ they were sent â—o preach they weÌ„t hither thither thorough that mountaynes and especially wheÌ„ they came vnto Ierusalem hauing receaued the holy ghost preached yâ— Gospel The preaching of the Gospel was publike and not in coâ—ners there Moreouer by this metaphore is notablye described the coÌ„dition or maner of yâ— preaching of the Gospell For it is not done secretly or in corners but publikely as those thinges are which are séene in open places Which kind of speach Christ also vsed when he sayd The things which ye haue heard of me in your eare preach vpon the house toppe Wherefore it is necessary that the preaching of the Gospell be frée opeÌ„ and perspicuous so that it be
preached and haue done our duety buâ— few haue beleued Christ also sayde Many are called but fewe are elected There was no nation which had so diligent and often preaching of the worde of God as the Iewes had And yet in it was alwayes a wonderfull multitude of vnbeleuers Wherfore there was no cause why they should so insolently boast that the pro 〈…〉 ses How the promises of God are to be contractâ—d were made vnto the séede of Ahraham for they ought to be contracted both to the elect as it was sayd in the 9. chapiter and also vnto the beleuers as we haâ—e now heard The Prophet by way of admiration brought forth the sentence now alleaged For forasmuch as mans reason knoweth not the cause howe so greate an incredulity can withstand the word of God and the holy ministery it wondereth thereat Which thing Iohn also considered in the 12. chapiter for he writeth that the Iewes beleued not when yet Christ had wrought miracles that that might be fulfilled which is written in Esay Lord who hath beleued our hearing and to whome is the arme of the Lord reuealed The preaching of Christ and of the Apostles was most cleare and mighty and was confirmed with miracles such as were neuer before sene and therefore it was wonderfull how so few shoulde beleue yea so farre of were the Iewes from fayth that they beleued that Christ was put to so cruell death for his wicked actes and blasphemyes And therefore in this selfe same chapiter Esay sayde And he was counted with transgressors And it is not to be meruailed at that whereas in the Hebrew is not had this worde Lord Paul yet added it for the 70. interpreters haue added it And forasmuch as it corrupted not the sence Paul also vsed it Vnto whome is the arme of the Lord reueled Here is not spoken of reuelation done by outward preaching for that is preached vnto all men but of the inward reuelation and which is of efficacy The Apostles were sent vnto all but the inward reuelation had not place in all By the arme we vnderstand the What is â—o be vnderstaÌ„ded by the arme of God mighty power of God to saue For so Paul defined the Gospell that it is the power and might of God to saluation Neither is there any cause but that also by the arme of God we may well vnderstand Christ For as euery man by the arme doth all the things that he doth so God by his word createth gouerneth and iustifieth therfore his word which is Christ Iesus is called his arme Neither is this word arme applied only to a man but also the long snout of an Elephant is called an hand or arme for that by that instrument he worketh many thinges And Cyrillus teacheth how that place in Iohn is to be vnderstanded wherin it is sayd That that might be fulfilled which was spoken by Esay Lord who hath beleued our hearyng namely that that word That expresseth not a cause but rather a consequence For these meÌ„ were not by the prophesy of Esay made vnbeleuers but because they should be vnbeleuers therfore the Prophet foretolde it There is in déede in such kind of reasonings some necessity but yet only of supposition or of consequence as they vse to speake yet is not any such necessity there to be graunted which bringeth violence or compelleth the will of man To our hearing By hearing is ment words or preaching It is an Hebrew phrase The name of the sense is transferred to those things whereby the sence is moued Schamaa in Hebrew signifieth to heare In Esay it is written Lisch miothenu After which selfe same maner Eli sayd vnto his children in the first booke of Samuell It is no good fame that I heare of you the Hebrew word is Hisch miah which signifieth hearing These words are deriued of hearing for that by the talkes of fame and by words is stirred vp hearing Although Ambrose vnderstaÌ„d hearing passiuely that the Apostles preached not but the things which they had heard of the Lord. But the first exposition is more simple and most agréeth with the customable speach of the Apostles who although they wrote in Greke yet they euery where in a maner kept still the Hebrew phrases But as touching the matter it It is a woÌ„der that â—â—eÌ„ do beleue séemeth no great meruaile if men beleue not but rather it is to be wondred at that they beleue for therein God vseth his strength and his gracious and mercifull spirit And they which are faithfull when they sée that others are left in their obstinacy and incredulity may consider in them what they had deserued vnles they had bene ayded with the help of God And if any man complayne why the Lord through his grace geueth not one and the same thing vnto all men we haue nothing els iustly to answere but this Is thyne eye euill because I am good take that which is thyne and go thy wayes it is lawfull for me to do with myne owne what I will but vnto thee I do no iniury Neither in that these things were foretold of Esay the Prophet is the cause of the Iewes any thing holpen or their incredulity any thing excused For as Cirillus saith vpon Iohn in the place now alleadged These thinges came not to passe for that they were foretold but for that they should come to passe therfore were they foretold It was of necessity indéede that it should be so but yet no coaction was therby brought vnto the will of man And doubtles God could if he would haue geuen faith vnto all men but by his iust counsell although vnto vs hidden he would not whereby we may know that faith commeth not of our own strengths but is in very déede the gift of God as is sayd vnto the Ephesians and vnto the Phillippians And although faith be indifferently preached vnto al men yet is it not geuen vnto all men for neither he which planteth is any thing nor he which watreth but God which geueth the encrease And as it is said in Iohn He which shall heare of my father and which shall learne he it is that shall come vnto me But he which is not taught inwardly of God is ignoraunt And because he hath in himselfe the causes of his ignoraunce he is without excuse Wherefore we ought not to wonder at the fewnes of the beleuers For the light shineth in the darkenes and the darkenes comprehendeth it not They which heare are not after one and the selfe same maner prepared of God for some are made good ground some stony God prepareth not all men after one and the selfe same maner some ouergrowen with thornes or ouerworne with much treading vpon And althoughe this sentence of the skarsity of beleuers may bee applied both vnto the GeÌ„tles and vnto the Iewes yet in this place it rather pertaineth vnto the Iewes for Esay preached vnto the Iewes and had experience of their incredulity
that so fewe of the Iewes shoulde receaue Christ and his Gospell But euen as at that time many were preserued from idolatry by the goodnes of God so now also by his grace manye are deliuered from incredulity and many more shal be deliuered towardes the end of the worlde This history is written in the first booke of kinges the. 19. chapter Although the history of Helias actes begin in the. 17. chapter There Helias foretolde vnto Achab that An history of Helias because of idolatry and impiety which was dayly encreased heauen should be shut vp When he had declared this great euill to come he departed and God hid him by the brooke Cherith For Achab went about to séeke him to the end to kil him A rauen euery day by his ministery fed him whereby was declared that the seruantes of God when néede is haue all thinges to do them seruice yea euen those creatures whiche otherwise seme vtterlye vnprofitable The brooke was dried vp by reason of want of rayne God coulde haue filled it with water againe that the Prophet mought thereout haue dronke but he woulde not yea rather God sente him to Sarepta to succor a faythfull and godlye widow and her sonne who as the Hebrues thinke was Ionas After thrée yeares he was commaunded to returne to the kingdome of Israell and to geue raine But he thought that fertility could not conueniently be restored againe vnles he should first purge the land of idolatrers He therfore cōmaunded that the Prophets should be gathered together in mount Carmell where they coulde not obteine of theyr God fire from heauen for their sacrifice Which thing Helias by a wonderfull great miracle obteyned Whiche acte forasmuch as it coulde not but be allowed of all men caused him to take the Prophets and to slay them at the broke Cison and after the iust execution of this death he obtayned of God greate aboundance of raine Neither is he to be condemned as a murtherer in that he slew so many Prophets For they by reason of theyr idolatry were iustly according to the law of God guilty of death And forasmuch as the ordinary power ceassed it was lawful for the Prophet to punishe them when as God had committed vnto him an extraordinarye power Iesabell that wicked woman as soone as she heard of these thinges sware that she would the nexte day kill Helias by occasion whereof he fled and being wery in his iorney and considering with himselfe the vngodlines which at that time raigned he was wery of his life and desired of God to die And the Aungell was present with him and set by him breade baked on the coales and water and twise bad him to eate and from thence he came to mounte Horeb and lodged in a caue waytynge to talke wyth God And being demaūded what he did he answered this which Paul now citeth And streight way was stirred vp a strong mighty wind and in the wind was heard a voyce y◠the lord was not in the wind after y◠wind came a mighty earthquake after the earthquake a vehement fire but God was neyther in the earthquake nor in the fire after that followeth a soft thinne breath as it were an hissinge there was the lord who asked Helias what he did And he answered I am very Rabbi Leui A place of the booke of kinges declared zelous for God bycause the children of Israell haue foresaken the couenaunt and slayne the prophets cast downe the alters and now also they seke my life What these thinges ment I will briefely declare according to the enterpretacion of Rabby Leuy the sonne of Gerischon the wind the earthquake and the fire represented the zeale and vehement affect of Helias who would haue had God streight way to be angry to auenge and to destroy the wicked there was not the Lord for he had not decreed so to deale but would gently and by litle and litle correct punish them moderatly I say by leasure in continuance of thē therfore the Lord was in the soft and thin breath and noyce wherfore when he had heard Helias complaynt he sayd I wil doubtles punish them whē I se time not after thy pleasure but as I shall thinke good Anoynt Azaell to be king ouer Siria he when the time commeth shal be the minister of my vengeance Anoint also Iehu to be king of Samaria and he shall punish the Baalites Anoynt also Helizeus to be prophet in thy place for he also shal correct the wicked sinnes of y◠The godly thorough to much zeale expostulate with God people But whereas thou thinkest that thou alone art left it is not true for I haue reserued vnto me seuen thousand men which haue not bowed theyr knees before Baal So oftentimes commeth it to passe with the godly y◠thorough to much zeale they expostulate with God for the good successe of the wicked as though he should seme to neglect his owne cause The same thing also happeneth vnto vs in our dayes for we thinke that we alone are left when as all Itally France and Spayne are bondsclaues to supersticions and to Antichrist But it is not so indede The Church is not cut of although it be oppressed with great tiranny and in those places are many thousandes of good men which in theyr oppressions and anguishes most chastly kepe theyr fayth vnto God Seuen thousand is not here to be taken for a certayne and definite nomber but for a very greate nomber The multitude of them that shal be saued is not to be measured by the capacity of our vnderstanding and by the discretiō of mans iudgement God alwayes preserueth vnto himselfe many both in the Papacy and vnder the Turke and in Counselles whome we know not but vnto him vnto whome it belongeth they are perfectly knowen The expostulatiō of good men with God The expostulation of men with God is of two sortes may come two maner of wayes eyther that they are only sory and complayne vnto him of sinnes of impiety idolatry and such like wickednes and expresse vnto him what a griefe it is vnto them to se such thinges and this acte is godly and laudable and vsed in the prophetes and in the Psalmes Sometimes it is done as though they would accuse God of negligence as which looketh not to his owne cause and they will prescribe vnto him a way as though if they were in his rome they would handle the matter a greate deale better which without doubt is sinne and that no light sinne The thinges which happened at that time were very like vnto those things which Paul had experience of in his tyme. For all the whole kingdome of the ten tribes had gone astray and in the kingdome of Iuda there remayned very few which were desirous and zelous of true piety as in the first times of the Apostles all in a maner mought seme to haue bene strange from Christ Helias without doubt desired to dye and
cause for that then Christe ought rather to haue holpen them by speaking plainly and not darkely vnto them But whereas the thing is spoken in the future tempse of the indicatiue mode that nothing helpeth their case for we also affirme that that then was to come which nowe we know to be done but we say that it was done by the commaundement of the Lord as Esay expresseth as Paul also declareth Moreouer sayth Pigghius it is a foretelling and therfore it is not a cause This is a weake profe for that which Esay foretold his words I say and preaching irritated the Iewes and stirred vp in them the affect of incredulity Is not the doctrine of the law sayd to encrease sinne for that by it are stirred vp lustes But this sayth he commeth not thorough the default of the law we graunt that neyther also say we that this commeth to passe thorough the default or sinne of God or of the prophets preachers when yet notwithstanding they are after a sort causes Men are not made blind thorough the default of the doctrine or preaching of the Gospell therof but let vs looke vpon originall sinne which is the foundacion of all the euils that come vnto mankind There doubtles after the first fall Adam with all his posterity was spoiled of grace and the spirite from the mind was taken away light that it should not vnderstand the things that pertayne to God from reason was taken away the power to kéepe vnder wicked appetites and on the other syde the affects were corrupted to rebell with greate violence agaynst reason and honesty These thinges thou wilt say are punishements yea they are also sinnes And who inflected them God inflicted them which thing no man can deny For it is his ordinaunce that iust that he which departeth from him should incurre suffer these thinges But of this matter I will cesse now to speake any more for that I haue before at large fully discoursed it But sayth he men are not compelled to sinne Is this most sharpe sighted Sophister yet so dull that he knoweth not how to distinguishe necessity from violence This particle vt that is that The word of God and preaching are instruments whereby they which shal be made blind are irritated sayth he in Marke signifieth a consequence and not a cause yea it also signifieth a cause for the words of God spoken and preached by Esay by Christ and by the Apostles were instruments wherby they were irritated This may be perceaued by a similitude very manifest and playne Suppose that there were a body full of choler which choler notwithstanding as yet bursteth not forth when sommer is com then by reason of heate if vnto him be geuen cold fruites and also cold drinke whereof he excessiuely taketh these things are corrupted in his stomack the choler is encreased and is poured abrode thoroughout the bodye whereof springe perillous flixes and gripinges in the inward partes Who can deny but that the heate of the sommer the fruites and drinke were the cause of this dissease at the least the cause called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 although it were not the principall cause or as they call it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He supposeth that this particle That in Marke signifieth a cause efficient and not finall So that the sense is Therfore I speake in parables for that seing they sée not He chaungeth the coniunctine mode into the indicatiue mode and transformeth the whole in suche sort that he turneth the words of Marke into the words of Mathew when yet the holy ghost of purpose caused this diuersity of words to be And Pigghius séemeth to obtrude these things as though we should deny Mathew which thing is not true Onely we are displeased with Pigghius exposition but the Gospell of Mathew we both receaue and reuerence Moreouer he declareth himself not to haue bene very dâ—igent in the Popes decrées although he bable of them continually In them is coÌ„maunded that if any controuersy arise about any part of the scripture of the old Testament we should goo vnto the Hebrue verity And it is Augustines rule in his booke De doctrina Christiana Seing therfore that the Euangelists expresse In controuersies perâ—ayning to the old testament we must go to the Hebrue verity not this place of Esay with one and the self same words why goeth he not to the fountayne of the Hebrue verity Neyther is there any reason why he should be offended if this particle That do signify a finall cause as though Christ to this end spake in parables that they shoulde be made blind Doth not the Lorde say of Pharao to this end haue I raysed the vp that I might in the shew forth my power And is not the potter sayd to make some vessells to honor and some to contumely After whose maner God is sayd to haue ordeyned vessels of mercy and vessels of wrath to declare both the riches of his glory and the seuerity of his iustice When the scripture plainly setteth forth vnto vs such ends of the workes of God they ought neyther to be obscured nor to be denied Mathew turneth this place of Esay by the indicatiue mode and by the future tempse followinge the edition of the Seuenty which thing he mought lawfully do when as these interpreters disagréed not from the Hebrue verity as touching the sense but onely as touching â—oords And that this might lawfully be done Rabbi Dauid Kimhi one of the Hebrues vnderstoode only in that edition wanteth the efficient cause of their blindnes which cause both Paul and Iohn haue expressed And in the Hebrue it is plainly declared by the imperatiue mode which is in that place not in vayne put But it shal be good to heare what Ierome sayth touching this matter who in his Commentary vpon the sixt chapiter of Esay at the first doubteth why Luke as it is read in the Actes of the Apostles in the 28. chapiter citing this place followeth the 70. and not the Hebrue verity And he answereth yâ— the Ecclesiastical writers write yâ— Luke was expert in the arte of Phisike was more skilfull in the Greke â—oung then in the Hebrue therfore it is no meruaile if in citing testimonies of yâ— Luke had more skil in the Greke tonge then in the Hebrue old testameÌ„t he followed the texte which he was best acquainted with But in stead of this answere I would rather thus make answere That the holy ghost had so instructed Luke and the rest of the Euangelists that they mought redily haue cited testimonies out of the Hebrew verity if they had would but of purpose when they might conueniently they followed the 70. that the Gentiles vnto whose vses theyr writinges should chiefely serue might by that edition of the 70. which only they had vnderstand the thinges which were by them cited Ierome moreouer reproueth those which in his time sayd that we ought not to looke vpon
that impossibiltie somtimes is al one with difficulty or hardnes For I am not ignoraunt what Gregorius Nazianzenus in his 4. booke of his theology hath writteÌ„ as touching this matter vnto whome whither I may in all things assent I mind not at this present to debate And when as Pigghius can not deny but that Ihon sayth that God made blind the Iewes he sayth that although vnbeleuers haue in themselues the cause why they are made blind yet not with standing the scripture so speaketh as if God should make them blind Doth the scripture so speake and doth it that without reasoÌ„ would it so speake as though God herein doth nothing I suppose not But it shall not be amisse to examine an notable similitude which he bringeth A man sayth he that is pore blinde or that hath sore eyes if he looke vpon the Sunne shall thereby be blind Shall we Similitudes which Pighius bringeth say that the beames of the Sunne haue made him blind when as he had in hym selfe the ground and beginning of that disease How wil he him selfe auoyde the sharpnes of this his similitude I graunt that yâ— beginning of disease was in the eyes but the disease was not so greate that he which was pore blinde could se nothing at all for although he were dull sighted yet was he not blind In that he is now etterly made blind who will not say but that the Sunne according to hys nature and maner of working is the cause therof The dew also or raine saith he is not yâ— cause that ground vntilled bringeth forth thornes who would euer so say and that the raine causeth fertlenes in bringing forth thornes who will denye that hath but one ounce of witte But he hath neuer his fill of similitudes but at the last he addeth suche a one as Pelagius neuer durste vse Imagine saith he that a soule were shut vp in a chamber together with two counsellers with the spirite I say and the flesh and without on the one side let Christ stande hauing with him a companye of all vertues and spirituall giftes on the other side let stand the Deuill with his whole route of wicked sinnes both these waite with out to see which of them the soule will let in within the spirite geueth counsell to receaue Christ and the flesh to receaue the deuil the soule being as it were in the middest inclineth fréely to whether parte it will if it receaue Christ the deuill is vtterly driuen away but if it entertaine the deuill Christ departeth away Pelagius for his opinion could say no more He putteth the soule in the middest whiche yet The soule of him that is not regenerete can not be sayd to be in the middest betwene the spirite and the flesh without Christ is a bondslaue of the flesh That the will ought to be chaunged by the inspiration Christ he speaketh not so much as one word That we must haue geuen vs a fleshy hart and our stony hart taken away he vtterly kéepeth in sileÌ„ce onely peruasions are set before vs. So saide Pelagius that men are moued by the lawes and scriptures but he also neuer spake one woorde of the chaunginge of the hart And Pigghius fearing least in this fayned declaration we shoulde not vnderstand him addeth that frée will is a weake eye in whose power yet it lieth to be healed What sounde diuine woulde euer speake this that it lieth in the power of the will or of humane strengthes that a man shoulde be saued He laboureth yet more plainely to declare his sentence We are sayth he the good odor of Christe vnto some indéede vnto life and to other some vnto death A good odor saith he killeth no man but it is not so for a man may iustlye say that serpentes are killed with good odors and with the swéete smell of spices So also incredulitie may be Without blame and without cause ar not all one stirred vp by sound doctrine and preaching of the word of God But not through the default of the doctrine or preaching I say But yet may we not say yâ— it is not the cause thereof as it is not by the default therof God also without any his fault maketh blind yet notwithstanding maketh he blinde as the scripture testifieth But now let vs leaue this Sophister in whose sayinges there is much more absurdity then difficulty in aunswering But as touchinge the matter whiche we were in hand with it was as I before sayde a gréeuous offence to sée that Christ being the true Messias and shewed in the scriptures was receaued of so few of the Iewes yea rather he was hated in a manner of them all who yet were verye studious in the scriptures And in our dayes this self offence troubleth many for that wheras it séemeth yâ— vnto Christ were promised all nations yet notwithstanding there is so great plenty of Epicures so great filthines of Turkes and so great a wicked heape of Papistes which vtterly resist the Gospell But againste this kinde of offence the holy Ghoste hath before armed vs. First Moses saide that the Iewes should be irritated against a nation that is not an nation Esay sayth Though the nomber of the children of Israell be as the sand of the sea onely a remnanie shal be saued Vnles the Lorde had lefâ—e vnto vs seede we had bene like vnto Sodoma and Gomorrha Christe the stone of offence and stomblinge blocke is set to the risinge and fall of manye Lord who hath beleued our report Many are called but fewe are elected And there are infinite other such like testimonies whereby the holy scripture confirmeth vs not to be moued with this small nomber They which receaued not Christ when Chochalus and Theudas came followed after those false Christes and counterseated They whiche receaue not Chr 〈…〉 receaue fâ—lse Christes Messiasses and they which renounce Christ follow Mahumeth shall we therfore say that Chochalus Theudas Mahumet is Christ we shoulde be farre besides our selues if we should so say when as Christ himself foretold that this thing should come to passe Me saith he ye receaue not but if an other come in my name him ye will receaue Yea rather this ought to be vnto vs a manifest proofe that Iesus of Nazareth is the true Messias when as we see that in him this oracle together with other oracles is fulfilled namely to be receaued of few He indede prayed vnto the father but not for the world but for them whome the father had geueÌ„ vnto him otherwise the whole worlde is set on mischiefe There is yet an other doubt which stayeth vs for that the wordes of Esay seme to pertain vnto his time onely and not vnto Christes and the Apostles time and vnto our time I graunte that that blinding was in the time of the prophet which yet should continue euen vnto the ende of the world The Prophet when the Lorde had commaunded hym the thinges which we haue now
one and the selfe same will of godly men are contrary motions Contrary motions may be in the will of men when as they happen not in respect of one and the selfe same thing but in respect of diuers For in that they looke vpon the will and decrée of God and the destruction of sinne and such like they can not but reioyce in the punishments of the wicked But in that they looke vpon them as men being ioyned vnto them by nature of one and the same flesh and lompe they are excedingly sory for their destruction as Samuell mourned for Saul for that he was reiected of God as it is An example of Samuel written in the 15. chapiter of the first booke of kings And this shall suffice touching this matter Wherefore I will now returne vnto the words of Paul For that it was to be feared least the Gentiles hearing these so horrible things of the reiection and blindnes of the Iewes should be puffed vp with arrogancy and contemne the Iewes as people vtterly reiected of God and also it was to be feared least the nation of the Iewes should vtterly be in dispaire of their saluatioÌ„ and should thinke that a way vnto Christ is vtterly cut of from them when as the Gentiles were now called to supply their roome It is not so saith Paul And he bringeth an argument An argument taken of the finall cause taken of the finall cause Therefore are the Gentiles called that the Iewes should be prouoked to emulation Wherefore their saluation is not past all hope And we must cal to memory that which was said at the beginning of this chapiter namely the Paul here enteÌ„ded to proue two things First yâ— the fall of yâ— Iewes was not vniuersal which he hereby proueth for the electioÌ„ obtaineth saluatioÌ„ in many of the nation of the Iewes as Paul before plainly declared in himself although others are left in their blindnes The secoÌ„d thing which is to be proued is now set forth namely that the fall of the Iewes is not vnprofitable when as of it followed the saluation of the Gentles This is it which he at this present saith I say then Haue they therefore stombled that they should fall God forbide But thorough theyr fall saluation hath come vnto the Gentiles to this end to prouoke them to emulation Wherefore if the fal of them be the riches of the world the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles howe muche more shal theyr fullnes be I say then haue they therefore stombled that they should fall God forbid But thorough theyr fall saluation hath come vnto the Gentiles The meaning is God hath not therefore made blind and forsaken the Iewes that they should fall as though the purpose of God should stay there nor seke any farther commodity it sought doubtles farther commodity and that was the conuersion of Many ends appointed one vnder an other the Gentiles whose end also is the saluation of the Iewes wherefore that nation ought not vtterly to despayre or repentaunce neither shall theyr fall be perpetuall Augustine in his Enchiridion sayth that God is so good that he suffreth nothing that is euill to happeÌ„ but that thereof come some good things And the same Augustine interpreting this place sayth that the Apostle denieth not but that the lewes fell but he sayth that theyr fall was not in vayne nor vtterly without fruite But this is not to be passed ouer with silence that the thinges which the Apostle speaketh are not to be vnderstanded of all the Hebrewes perticularly for some of them The thinges which are here spokeÌ„ are not to be vnderstanded of all men perticularly were in state to be holpen and were coÌ„uerted vnto Christ but others thorough theyr incurable obstinacy and blindnes perished Wherefore these thinges are to be referred vnto the nation of the Iewes generally which so fell away from the grace fauor and giftes of God that yet notwithstanding there still remayneth in it precious sede yâ— still hath remnantes which shal be saued and the roote is not vtterly so dead but that God in due time commeth and when it shal seme vnto him good can make it to spring forth agayne For the promises of God although they are not bound vnto the stocke of the Iewes yet are they alwayes fullfilled in them as touching the elect Neither is it of necessity that wheÌ„ a Iew As touching saluation it is no hindraunce to a Iewe that he is borne a Iewe. is borne his plague should therefore for that he is a Iew be incurable or vtterly past all hope And as touching the wordes Paul sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth nothing els but to stomble and to fall The Lattine interpreter hath added this word So But in the Greke is not red that particle And it skarsely fitteth well when as Paul entreateth not here of the greauousnes of the fall of the Iewes but rather leâ—ifieth it by the end namely for that it was not vnprofitable For of it followed the saluation of the Gentiles and therefore it is to be The Iewes by their fall made roume for the Gentiles to enter in thought that it shall dure but for a time For the Iewes gaue place for a time to make roume for the Gentiles to enter in And this is referred vnto God who suffred the Iewes therefore to be reiected that the Gentiles which were vnbeleuers might be called But this is to be knowen that the fall of the Iewes if we will speake properly was not the cause of the saluation of the Gentiles but rather an occasion For this is a constant and most firme rule that the effect can The fall of the Iewes was an occasion and not a cause that the Gentiles were called not in dignity excel the cause if we coÌ„sider it as the ful and true cause Wherfore it is of necessity that good thinges in as much as they are good doo spring from ells where then of the euill thinges And if after sinnes follow some spirituall commodities that is in no wise to be ascribed vnto them but vnto the goodnes and prouidence of God which hath a perpetuall care for the gouernment of the world and rule of the Church And euen as of false propositions sometimes followeth a true proposition by the force and order of the sillogisme but yet not by A similitude the efficacy of the false and lieng proposition so by â–ª this order which God vseth in the administration of thinges out of euill thinges commeth some good And as in naturall transmutacions we perpetually se that the generation of one thing is the corruption of an other for this commeth not for that corruption An other similitude of his owne nature helpeth forward generation but bycause that efficieÌ„t cause which expelleth out of the subiect the first forme bringeth in a new And that the elect succede those which haue
〈◊〉 Paul vnderstandeth to fall irrecouerably but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifieth to fall thorow negligence which happeneth vnto them that liue carelesly and loosely Neither is this a meane honor which the holy Gost by Paul ascribeth vnto the natiō of the Iewes when vnto theyr fall he adioyneth the calling of the Gentils and vnto theyr laste conuersion the resurrection from the dead Origen vpon this place noteth that the fall of the nation of the Iewes was not as the fall of the Deuill for that their fall is recouerable But Satan cannot be conuerted no not at the ende of the worlde Which sentēce is both worthy of admiration and is also most manifestly repugnante vnto his opinion whiche he hath both in his booke Peri arch 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and also in Origens interpretatiō vpon this epistle suspected many other places Wherfore this his interpretacion vpon this Epistle to the Romanes is not without iust consideration suspected of the learned as though it wer none of his vnles we wil say that at diuers times he was diuersly minded or that his bokes were as some thinke corrupted by heretikes ▪ which thing in my iudgemente is not so credible for that it is scarse possible to corrupte all the examplers But this mighte be that he whiche turned this exposition into Lattine salued it somewhat in some places But touchinge this matter howsoeuer it be it shall suffice to be admonished thereof In the meane time let vs consider that God in his iudgements is alwayes one therfore y◠which we haue now hearde let vs neuer How we may vse the sinnes of other men suffer to slippe out of memory Namely that falles and sinnes by the prouidence of God alwayes bring with them some profite and somewhat tending to the glorye of God but although not alwayes to them which haue sinned yet oftentimes to others Wherfore it is our part that when we sée the fal of our neighbor we straight way consider how we may vse that fall either to our edification or to admonishe correct or to comfort him which hath sinned or at the least way to instruct helpe others And if peraduenture none of these thinges take place yet let vs not therefore put of all hope but cleauing faste to this doctrine let vs praye vnto God that he woulde vouchsafe to geue vnto sinnes and wicked actes that are committed some desired fruite If the fall of them be the riches of the world and the diminishing of thē the riches of the Gentils how much more shall theyr fulnes be Hereto Paul tendeth to teach that the conuersion of the Iewes shal be profitable euen as theyr blinding was he vseth an argumente taken a minori that is of the lesse For if their fal and diminishing gaue place vnto the Gentils that they also might Good is of more might then euil obteine saluation muche more shall theyr conuersion be profitable vnto the Gentils for that which is good is of his owne nature of greater might to produce forth good thinges then is that which is euill And Paul by an excellent Antithesis vnto fulnes setteth as contrary falling and diminishing And when he sayth that theyr fal and diminishing was the riches of the world he meaneth that by that meanes great plenty and a great multitude of the Gentils came vnto the Gospell and vnto He comforteth not only the Iues but also the Gentles the church These thinges serue not onely to comforte the Iewes but also to cōfirme the Gentils for they mought haue suspected that the conuersion of y◠Iewes should be vnto them noysome by an argument taken of contraries after this sort If the execation of them was a way and occasion of theyr saluation then contrariwise their conuersion shal be an occasion of theyr reiection But saith Paul it is not so for that this came to passe againste the order of nature that the fall of the Iewes should cause the calling of the Gentils But that the repentaunce and saluation of the Iewes shoulde aduaunce the fayth and pietye of the Gentils is farre more agréeable and if we shoulde weigh the matter well humane reason can not so well perceaue how the fall of the Iewes could cause the calling of the Gentils and therfore we before sayd that this is wholy to be ascribed vnto the ordinaunce What shall be the fulnes of the Iewes of God The fulnes of the Iewes shall then be when that nation shall publikelye confesse Christ for now only a few remnantes are adioyned vnto the church But at y◠time the number shal be great and they shal haue an ample church gathered of theyr own nation 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Paul in this place taketh for wante or diminishing of this verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to be vanquished and to be ouercome Wherefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a conflict and hath a passiue signification namely when a man in fighting and striuing is ouercome Whē the Iewes withstood Christ and his doctrine and sought to driue him away cleane they were ouercome and were spoyled of al the good giftes wherwith they were before adorned This selfe same woord Paul vsed to the Corrinthians in his first epistle against them which in matters of contention drew theyr bretherne to the iudgement seates of infidels and there when they were ouercome with lust or desire and not able to bridle their affectes they suffred 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is they were vanquished Origen in this maner expoundeth the fulnes of the Iewes that in this time the churche shal be enlarged amongest many natiōs which church although by getting vnto it new members it be alwaies encreased yet then shall it haue his fulnes that is his vttermoste power and perfection when the people of the Iewes shall cleaue vnto Christ And yet let no man thinke that all shall at the length so come vnto the Gospell that in that people amongst the shéepe shall not be mingled many goates and with the wheate tares and with the wise virgins foolish virgins But the sence is that euen as nowe all of them are in a manner turned away from Christe so at that time the greatest parte of them shal be turned vnto Christe Chrisostome vpon this place hath in my iudgement a very bold interpretation For he sayth that Paul in wordes only fauoreth the Iewes after a sorte to comforte them and ascribeth vnto them those commendations which in very déede are not commendations for that howsoeuer it were that the Iewes were made blinde the Gentils should neuer haue had saluation vnles they had beleued Here doubtles I durst not geue such an interpration and although I confesse that by the vsuall and naturall order sinnes can in no wise bee the causes of any thing that is good especially if we consider them that We must not charge the Scriptures wyth any kind of lyeng God hath no nede of secōd causes
of our will is as though it should lie in our hand to stand in the goodnes of God or not to abide in incredulitye when we are fallen into it And for some profe and confirmation of this his corrupt sentence he from the true sense wresteth these wordes If thou continue in his bountefulnes and saith If thou shalt do the things which worthely are correspondent vnto the goodnes of God and he sayth not If thou shalt abide in fayth for fayth onely is not sufficient These thinges in very déede are not so For Paul althoughe he sayd not If thou abide in fayth yet is it all one when he sayth If thou abide in his bountefulnes For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we a litle before sayd is goodnes and a certeyne redines of the mind to do good to any In this goodnes of God sayth he if thou abide that is if thou fall not away from it In which wordes he most manifestly attributeth vnto the goodnes of God our conseruation For of it dependeth faith whereby we Paul putteth the cause for the effect are saued Wherefore he putteth the cause in stede of the effect For before he had sayd Thou standest by fayth but that thou shouldest not thinke that yâ— fayth is of thy self now he maketh mencion of bountefulnes whereof as of his true beginning fayth dependeth and that this is true it is plainly to sée by the Antithesis or contrary position For he sayth If they abide not in their incredulity they shal be restored agayne thou shalt be cut of if thou continue not in his bountefulnes This bountefulnes as thou séest is opposite vnto incredulitye and therfore it occupieth the place of fayth and that very aptly when as fayth is inspired vnto vs by the singular bountefulnes of God Neyther ought we to thinke which thing that godly father séemeth to goe aboute to proue that it lieth in the handes of euery man either to continue and to abide in a good and holy purpose or els if peraduenture we fall to be restored agayne For what dead man is able to rayse vp himselfe agayne or in stéede of a stony hart to graft in himselfe a fleshy hart And that perseuerance also is the gift of God the Apostle declareth when he sayth that it is Perseuerance is the gift oâ— God God which geueth both to will and to preforme and that according to his good will And Augustine wrote a very good booke De bono perseuerantiae whereout we may aboundantly gather sound doctrine But what néede there many arguments for proue hereof Paul himself discusseth this question when he addeth For God is able to graft them in agayne He sayth not that it lieth in their handes this worke he attributeth vnto God only Why do we then runne vnto True faith which iustifieth is neuer alone the power of our owne will or to the determination of our owne purpose And whereas he sayth that fayth alone is not sufficient when we speake of iustification this is in no wise to be receaued especially seing that he himselfe in an other place sayth that fayth alone is sufficient and so is contrary to hymselfe Notwithstanding to auoyde confusion in serching out of these thinges this we ought to know that the true and iustifying faith is neuer alone but hath ioyned with it other good workes and vertues But yet as the effects thereof which effectes followe naturally after that it hath iustified the beleuer so that amongest other effectes iustificatioÌ„ hath the first place Origen noteth in this place that of the Iewes Amongest the effectes of faith iustification hath the first place it is sayd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is they are broken of but of the Gentiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is thou shalt be cut of and he thinketh it a farre more greauous thinge to be cut of then to be broken of as though the punishement of the Gentiles if they should fall away from the faith receaued should be more grâ—uous then the punishement of the Iewes which were remoued from their old estate I can skarsely be perswaded that Paul in these woords had such subtile vnderstandinges Further the holy scriptures neuer in any place make mencion that the fall of the Gentiles should be more greauously punished then the fall of the Iewes Yea rather if a man will consider the matter well he shall see that if punishements ought to be according to the sinnes whersoeuer is the greauouser sinne Whether fal is more greuous the fall of the Iewes or the fall of the Ethnikes there ought to be the greauouser punishement inflicted And if the Iewe and the Ethnike be equally placed in the calling of God and both as it possibly may be do fall it is out of doubt that the Iew sinneth more greauously for that besides the fayth of Christ which he hath common with the Ethnike he was in comparison of him endewed with many other gifts which forasmuch as he hath neglected in falling away from God he is the more ingrate and therfore his fault is the greater That the Iewes shall at the last be restored agayne the Apostle proueth by the power of God And his argument is taken à maiori that is of the greater If God could graft thee into it being by nature a wild oliue tre and strange from a good oliue trée how much more is he able to restore the braÌ„ches which were in tymes past broken of from the fat oliue tree And when he sayth that the Gentiles were cut of from the naturall wild oliue trée he semeth to affirme that malice or wickednes is naturally in them which ought not to be vnderstanded of nature as it was instituted of God which was created good but as it is corrupted thorough the sinne of Adam and so by generation deriued into his posteritye And wast contrary to nature grafted into the true oliue tree Shall we say that it is contrary to the nature of men though they be Ethnikes and infidells A distinctioÌ„ of the nature of meÌ„ to be called agayne to God and to be conuerted vnto pietye We must make a distinction of the nature of men either as it is referred vnto God or as it is referred to his owne proprietyes For as it is referred vnto God there can nothing be done of him in it which is not sayd to be done according to nature for this is naturall to euery thing created to be subiect vnto his Creator And man It is naturall to the creature to be subiect to his creator was made to the Image of God and to this end instituted to be ioyned to his Creator wherfore both by the fyrst counsell of God whereby he made man also by the nature of thinges created which are naturally subiect vnto the efficacy and working of their author it is naturall vnto men religiously to cleaue vnto God Wherefore sinners are not sayd to be grafted into the good
can not certainly iudge neither is the knowledge The Gentles before they are called are without thereof necessary to saluation Let vs consider also that when Paul sayth that the fulnes of the Gentles shall enter in he thereby noteth that before the preaching of the Gospell the Gentles were without for as much as they should afterwarde enter in Neither spake Christ any otherwise wheÌ„ he sayth that they which were in the high wayes and streates should be compelled to enter in Ambrose expounding these wordes saith That then shal be wyped away from the eyes of the Iewes their blindnes that they may beleue In which wordes he declareth that so long as this execation abideth they can not beleue And he addeth That God prohibiting from their hartes the spirit of pricking which worketh in them blindnes may render vnto theÌ„ Ambroseâ— minde touching free will the fre choyce of the will In this sentence he manifestly declareth what he thought of frée will namely as touching those thinges which pertayne vnto iustification and vnto regeneration Whatsoeuer he writeth of it in other places here he most truly affirmeth that straungers from Christ want liberty of will which then is restored vnto them when they are illuminated As it is written Out of Sion shall the deliuerer come and shall turne away the vngodlines from Iacob This profe which he bringeth out of the sayinges of the Prophets hath in the conclusion necessity only by supposition and not absolutely The strength of the argument herein consisteth for that deliuery was by couenant promised vnto Israell But with yâ— Gentles there was neuer before Christs tyme any leage or couenant publiquely made There was in déede a Before the gospell was preached there was no league made with the GeÌ„tles promise of their calling For it was sayd vnto AbrahaÌ„ In thy sede shal all Gentles be blessed but in very déede there was no couenaunt publiquely made with the Gentiles Neither can this deliuery be vnderstanded as touching any perticular persons when as it is promised vnto Sion and vnto Iacob by which names not any singular persons are signified but the whole people This testimony as touching the greater part thereof is taken out of the 59. chap. of Esay and part of Ieremy and especially out of the 31. chapiter towardes the end Origen Ambrose affirme that it is taken out of Esay And Ambrose peculiarly seemeth to saye that the conuersion of certayne of the Iewes perticularly which happened dayly was a certaine experiment of the will of God as touching the restitution of that nacion Howbeit that which Esay speaketh in the 59. chapiter is not in all pointes as touching the wordes in such sort as the Apostle now alleadgeth them For he after this maner followeth the 70. interpreters who not as touching the sence but only as touching the wordes In Hebrew it is Vba lesion goel vleschabe pescha beiaacob vehum iehouah that is There shall come a redemer saith the Lord vnto Sion and vnto those in Iacob which shal repent them from their iniquities And then is added And this is my couenaunt with them sayth the Lord my spirite thâ—t is vpon thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy sede nor out of the mouth of the sede of thy sede Whereas in the Hebrew it is sayd Vnto Sion shall come the redemer the Seuenty as Ierome writeth haue turned it out of Sion whome Paul also followed And it wel known that Christ was borne of the Iewes who are ment by the name of Sion and the word of the Lord and preaching of the Gospell therehence had his beginning although the Greke edition which we vse hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is for Sions sake whereby it is manifest that this which we haue either is not the translation of the 70. or els it is in many places corrupted And Ierome addeth that this word Noal according to the nature of the Hebrew signifieth to be nighe so that is The Greke translation which we vse is ether not the traÌ„slatioÌ„ of the 70. or els it is corrupted Faith whiche iustifieth hath repentaunce annexed with it all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth nigh namely vnto whome the inheritance of the kinsman that is dead commeth Wherefore the sence of the Hebrew words is that vnto Sion shall come a nigh deliuerer Moreouer that which is written both of the 70. and of Paul And he shall turne away the vngodlynes from Iacob is in the Hebrew Lishbe which they paraduenture tooke as though it were written Leschob peschaa but this maketh no disagréeing as touching the sence For they which are deliuered by faith from their sinnes haue alwayes repentaunce annexed and ioyned with their faith not as a condition which should be the cause of remission for this should be a condition of the law and vnprofitable when as no man is able to performe it but an euangelicall condition as which followeth the forgeuenes of sins or iustification at least by nature is acceptable vnto God for whatsoeuer waÌ„teth therof by reasoÌ„ of our infirmity is holpeÌ„ by the merits of Christ And this is my testament with theÌ„ That which followeth in Esay touching the spirite and word of God excellently setteth forth vnto vs the couenaunt or leage of Fod For first are the wordes of the promise which also shall alwayes remaine amongest the faythfull which yet should be vnprofitable vnles therto were added the spirite whereby the hartes of the hearers are moued to beleue VVhen I shall take away theyr sinnes This part is not read in Esay wherfore it may be taken as a compendious interpretation of those thinges which the Prophet before spake of the couenaunt for where the spirite is the wordes of God are spoken when we embrace them by fayth streight way foloweth forgeuenes of sinnes and for that the prophet expressed not the effect Paul thought he would manifestly set it forth Otherwise it is gathered out of the 31. chap. of Ieremy where when mencion had bene made of the new couenant the first being abrogated it is sayd I will be mercifull vnto theyr iniquity and I will no more remember theyr sinne And that whiche Esaye speaketh of Sion and of Iacob and Ieremye also of the house of Iudah and of Ierusalem can not be taken of Paul allegoricallye as thoughe in these woordes is signifyed the number of the faythfull These wordes are to be vnderstanded properly of the Israelites An argument wherby is proued that the Messias is God Only God forgeueth sinnes of what people so euer it be For as we sayde Paules meaninge is peculiarly to commende the Iewes and to put away the discord which was sprong in the Church betwene the Ethnikes and the Iewes And in yâ— it is sayd that the Iewes should by the Messias be deliuered from theyr sinnes it is a sure
God no man knoweth but only the spirite of God And if we vnderstand How we may vnderstand some secretes of God any thing of them that commeth as it is there sayd for that God hath reueled vnto vs his spirite And we haue the mind of Christ which we haue drawē chiefely out of the holy scriptures spiritually vnderstanded as it is mete Augustine entreateth of this place towardes the end of his booke de gratia libero arbi trio and sayth That Paul before sayd That God hath shut vp all vnder infidelity that he might haue mercy of all And shewed also that so long as the Iewes beleued the Gētiles were vnbeleuers but when the Iewes were made blind the Gentiles came vnto the true fayth and from the serching out of these secretes mē are iustly forbidden for that they are not able to perse into them yea oftentimes they haue thereby hurt and they fall into absurd Reason ought not to persuade vs to do euill thinges that good may ensue By these sayinges is nothing taken away frō the certainty of fayth opinions For when mē heare that God hath shut vp all vnder beliefe that he might haue mercy of all streight way they adde therefore are euill thinges to be committed that good thinges may ensew when as rather they ought to say We haue done euill thinges and the lord hath thereout thorough his mercy brought forth good thinges let vs therfore doo good thinges that better may ensew No man hath bene Gods counseller for he is the chiefe wisedome Howbeit by these sayinges is nothing taken away from the certainty of fayth for that it commeth not vnto vs by humane strength or by our owne vnderstanding but by the breathing of the spirite of God And whosoeuer do rightly and diligently weighe those thinges they shall neuer be able any maner of way to complayne of God as though he should deale with them vniustly when as he as it is manifest is in debt to no man Neyther can this be true that predestination is of workes foresene when as it is sayd that no man hath Predestination is not of workes foresene geuen vnto him first that he should be recompensed For what ells is this God to predestinate according to woorkes foresene then to render vnto them his appointing to eternal life Merites also are herby most manifestly excluded which can not properly consist vnles we affirme that we geue somthing that is our Merites at excluded owne which thing this sentence which we now entreate of suffreth not Wherfore let no man cry out that he hath done many thinges and therfore many and greate thinges are dew vnto him when as no man hath any thing that is hys owne And although it be written that God will render to euery man according to his Our good workes are the workes of God workes yet is that so to be vnderstanded that if they be good workes they are for no other cause called any mans workes but for that they are wrought in hym namely by the power of the spirite of God whereby they are in very dede the workes of God And Augustine most truly sayth that God crowneth in vs his gifts For as touching vs we deserue nothing but death Finally let vs hereout gather that forasmuch as no man can by hys owne wisedome or strengths attayne vnto thinges diuine the best remedy is that we all suffer our selues to be led by the spirite and word of God For of him and thorough him and for him are all thinges to him be glory for euer Amen That we can in no wise be Gods counsellers hereby it is euident for that all thinges depend of him as it manifestly appeareth in the creation of all thinges and also in regeneration whereby we are iustified where all whole is attributed vnto him and finally we are no otherwise in his handes then the vessell is in the hand of the potter Wherefore we may conclude that he hath ful right to do with vs whatsoeuer he wil and it is our part not to be to much inquisitiue but to geue the glory vnto him and to direct all our doinges vnto him Frō which thing both idolatrers and also they which attribute iustification vnto theyr workes are most farre distant Origen noteth as also he before When it is said that no man can be Gods counseller the sonne nor y◠holy ghost are not excluded for the whole blessed Trinitie knoweth all thinges Origens exposition vpon this epistle suspected The things which are created consist not of the nature of God How God created all thinges by the sonne Instrumentes are not to be made equal vnto hym that worketh with them Why God created all thinges for himselfe did that this sentence None can be Gods counseller ought to be vnderstanded of thinges created and not of the sonne or of the holy ghost And to proue that the holy ghost knoweth the father he bringeth this sentence No man knoweth the thinges which are of God but the spirite of God Wherefore he admonisheth that from this proposition is to be exempted the blessed trinity which thing I therefore mencion for that it is thought that he was of this opinion that the sonne knoweth not the father and that the holy ghost knoweth not the sonne Wherfore this commentary of Origen vpon the epistle to the Romanes is not without iust cause suspected The Apostle when he sayth Of him meaneth not that the thinges which are created doo consist of the nature of God as of a certayne mater but they are of God as of the efficient beginning neyther neded there any matter in theyr creation for they were made of nothing And all thinges are therefore thorough him for that God neded not an helper for he is endewed with a full power of his own he is sufficiēt of himselfe And he created all things by the sonne not as by an instrumente but as an artificer by wisedome excerciseth his arte For instrumentes haue not any such force that they are to be counted equall to the artificer But the sonne is in all poyntes equall vnto the father And all thinges were created of God for him for that he hath nothing more perfecter then himselfe and therefore for him selfe he created all thinges for he is the end of all thinges Augustine in his booke de Natura boni agaynst the Maniches in the 27. and 28. chapiters at large intreateth how these thinges are to be vnderstanded neither varieth be from the exposition now brought I omit to speake of them which referre these thinges vnto the father the sonne and the holye ghoste for as it is not of anye greate wayght so semeth it to be to muche constrayned Amen is a word of confirmation For the maner of the Apostle is so often as he hath made an end of entreating of those thinges which pertayne vnto the glory of God to burst forth into this affirmation which thing we also ought to
the end the promise should be firme as if he should haue sayd our mynde should continually wauer if the promise should depend vpon workes none could appoynt any certainty of his owne saluation for his conscience would euermore accuse him that he had not performed those workes vnto which the promise should be made to the end therefore we should not in such sort wauer God would that our iustification should consist of faith and grace that the promise might be firme The same thing also is gathered out of that which is declared of Abraham how that contrary The thirtenth to hope he beleued in hope He is sayd to beleue in hope contrary to hope which either in himselfe or in nature séeth or féeleth no maner of thing which might perswade him to hope As Abraham was an hundreth yeares of age his body was in a maner dead his wife an old woman and barren all which thinges naturally feared him away from hoping and yet preuailing against them all he hoped But we if we should haue merites or good workes by which we might obtaine righteousnes then should we not hope contrary to hope but in hope and accordyng to hope Wherefore our iustification is to be appointed no otherwise thē we read that it was in Abraham For he is the father of vs all as it was imputed vnto him so shall it also be imputed vnto vs. But now let vs come to the 5. chapter There The fourtenth agayne Paul plainly expresseth in what case men are before they be regenerate for he sayth For Christ when we were yet weake according to the consideration of the tyme dyed for vngodly ones And straight way But God setteth out his loue towardes ve in that that when we were yet sinners Christ dyed for vs And he addeth For if when we were ennemies we were reconciled to God by the deathe of his sonne muche more being now reconciled shall we be saued by his life Hereby we gather that before regeneration men are weake sinners vngodly and the enemies of God Who then can ascribe vnto such men power to attayne vnto iustice when they will by bringing forth good workes Others may beleue it but the godly will neuer be so perswaded This is moreouer an other profe in that he setteth forth the cause of so greate The fiuetene an euill when he sayd Therfore euen as by one man synne entred into the world and by sinne death and so doath went ouer all men forasmuch as all men haue sinned as if he should haue sayd we were euen thē from the first beginning by the first man lost and condemned And lest thou shouldest thinke that infantes are to be excepted he sayth Yea death hath raigned from Adam euen to Moses ouer them also which haue not sinned after the similitude of the transgression of Adam The Masse or lompe of perdition comprehendeth all those that are borne from whiche corruption the holy scriptures teach that it is not possible for men to escape by their workes to claime vnto themselues iustification Afterwarde in the 6. chapter thus speaketh The sixtene our Apostle What fruite had ye then in those thinges whereof ye are now ashamed For the end of them is death But now being deliuered from sinne and made the seruantes of God ye haue your fruit to sanctification and the end euerlasting life What other thing meane these woordes then that all thinges whiche men do before they beleue in Christ deserue nothing els but ignominy and shame And there is no fruit of sanctification but that which followeth regeneration And who will say that we are The seuentene iustified of those thinges whiche are full of ignominy and shame But now let vs heare what is said in the beginning of the seuenth chapter Knowe ye not bretherne for I speake to them that know the lawe how that the lawe hath power ouer a man as long as it endureth For the woman which is in subiection to a man is bound by the law to the man as long as he liueth but if the man be deade she is loosed from the lawe of the man Wherfore if whilest the man liueth she coople herselfe with an other man she shal be counted a wedlocke breaker but if the man dead ▪ she is free from the lawe of the husband so that she is no wedlocke breaker though she coople her selfe with an other man Euen so ye also my bretherne are dead vnto the law by the body of Christ that ye should be coopled to an other namely to him which is risen againe from the deade that we shoulde bring foorth fruite vnto God Paul would by this reason declare that we before our faith in Christ were as it were to husbande 's coopled to the law and to the flesh of which copulation could come no fruites but those that are pernicious and deadly But now being deliuered by the grace of God we are coopled vnto Christ by the spirit vnto Christ I say being raysed from the dead by which copulation we shal now bring forth fruite vnto God and not any more to death and damnation And the selfe same thing he affirmeth or rather expoundeth when he addeth For when we were in the fleshe the lustes of sinnes which are by the law were of force in our members to bring forth fruite vnto death Here let vs note that so long as we were in the flesh we were subiect vnto wicked affections whiche by the lawe were of force in our members how then could we be iustified by our workes Further in the same chapter is written For that which I do I allow not For what I woulde that do I not The eightene but what I hate that do I. If now I do that which I would not then is it not I that do it but sinne that dwelleth in me For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Here as it manifestlye appéereth is entreated of the bodies of men and although in interpreting these wordes I am assured that they are to be vnderstande of those workes which are done of the godly which haue already obteined iustification yet now I leaue it fre vnto the aduersaries to take whether part they wil and if they graunt that these things ought to be vnderstand of works done before iustification then forasmuch as they are neither allowed nor good how shall they deserue righteousnes for they are called euil no man is iustified by an euil actiō But if we vnderstād works which are here described to be the works of those that are iustified then wil I make mine argument a maiori that is frō the greater If those workes which rather séeme to be acceptable vnto God iust holy are called euil by the iudgement of reason now renued are not allowed howe can we affirme thē that those works which are done of sinners are such that they are able to iustifye And lest any
man should say y◠we take our argumēt only of the which happeneth thorough the slouthfulnes of men when as the disputacion is of that which may be done if mē would put to theyr good will for many are not iustified by theyr good workes when as yet they might be iustified by them if they The 〈◊〉 would hereunto we answere with the Apostle in the 8. chapiter who sayth For that which the law could not performe in as much as it was weake bycause of the fleshe that performed God by his owne sonne being sent vnder the similitude of flesh subiect vnto sinne and by sinne condemned sinne through flesh This place admonisheth vs that the iustice of God which is commaunded in the commaundementes could not be performed by the helpe of the law by reason of the vice and infirmity of the flesh and for that cause was Christ sent of the father to performe that whiche The 20. could not be accomplished of vs. The same thing also teacheth he a litle after for when he had sayd that the lust of the flesh is death he addeth moreouer That it is enmity agaynst God for it is not subiect vnto the law of God neither indede can be Wherefore whatsoeuer we do by our naturall strengths which is called flesh the same resisteth God for our corrupted nature can not be subdued vnder the law of God And forasmuch as it is so thē can we not be iustified by y◠dedes therof In the same chapiter also we read Vnto those that loue God all thinges worke to The 21. good vnto those I say which are called of purpose In which wordes the Apostle touched the beginning and chiefe poynte of all our goodnesse namely the purpose of God whiche is so the cause of our saluation that all our other goodnes dependeth thereof but it is not moued by any of our goodnesse But the very causes of mans felicity are afterward orderly and distinctly described amonge which there is no mencion at all of our good workes Those which he knew before he also predestinated and whome he hath predestinated those hath he also called And whome he hath called them also hath he iustified and whome he hath iustified them also will he glorify This chayne is lincked together with all the meanes and helpes by which God bringeth vs to saluation But seing there is no mencion made of the workes of the law and of merites it sufficiently appeareth that by them we are not iustified Farther when it is sayd Who shall accuse against the elect of God The 22. It is God which iustifieth who shall condemne It is Christ which dyed yea which also is risen agayn which also sitteth at the right hand of God which also maketh intercessiō for vs If by the iudgment of God we should be iustified by workes it had bene sufficient to haue sayd the elect shal be accused in dayne forasmuch as they haue good merites and seing by theyr vertuous and holy workes they shall obtayne absolution He sayth not so But saith he it is God which iustifieth And it mought haue bene answered No man shall condemne the elect when as theyr workes ar such that they deserue both absolutiō and a reward But he maketh no such answere but sayth It is Christ which dyed c. Why then should we take vpon vs to mingle our woorkes therewithall when as the scripture willeth vs in no case so to doo Now come we to the ninth chapiter wherein is entreated of the prouidence of God which directeth and ordreth all thinges not for any other cause vndoubtedly but that we should thinke that the nature of it and of iustification is all one for either of them is geuē fréely and not of works For the Apostle writeth that of two brethern which were not yet borne and when they had done neither good nor The 23. euill to the end the election of God shoulde abide according to purpose not of workes but of the caller it was sayd The elder shall serue the yonger as it is written Iacob haue I loued and Esau haue I hated Here as we se are workes most manifestly excluded Also vnto Moses it was answered I will shew mercy to whomsoeuer I shew mercy The 24. and will haue compassion on whomesoeuer I haue compassion These wordes also declare y◠the forgeuenes of sinnes the meanes whereby men are receaued into fauor depend not of theyr workes but of y◠mere merciful beneuolēce of God And y◠same thing also do the wordes following declare It is not of him that willeth The 25. nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy Againe He hath mercy on whō he will and whome he will he hardeneth But if iustification might be gotten by our will or by workes then should it be both of him that willeth and of him that runneth neither should they be conuerted on whome God hath compassion but they which should chiefely haue compassion vpon themselues neither also should God harden any man when as all men might promptly easely and at their pleasure by good workes be reconciled vnto God and also be iustified But it is farre otherwise for they which put their confidence in workes do to farre erre from the true righteousnes whereof we now speake Toward the end of the 9. chapiter the Apostle sayth Israell which followed the lawe of righteousnes attayned not to the law of The 26. righteousnes And why euen because they sought it not by fayth but as it were by the workes of the lawe And if the works of the lawe were a let vnto the Iewes for the obtainment of iustification what should we then hope for thereby This selfe The 27. same thing the Apostle although in other wordes declareth in the 10. chapiter They being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and goyng about to establishe their own righteousnes are not subiect vnto the righteousnes of God These wordes signify nothing els but that they fal from the righteousnes of God which attribute to much to their owne righteousnes namely to workes And so great is the contrariety betwene grace and workes that the effect which procedeth from the one can not The 28. procéede from the other For Paul sayth There is a remnaunt left according to the election of grace If it be of grace then is it not now of workes for then grace is no more grace and if it be of workes then is it not of grace For this is the property of grace to be geuen fréely and of a mere liberality but the property of a worke is that the reward should be geuen of duty and euen by very right Lastly what shal we say The 29. when the Apostle crieth out Oh the depth of the riches of the wisdome and knowledge of God Vndoubtedly Paul by this affection declareth that it is a thing most hard to be knowen whether God deale iustly which predestinateth whome he will and
therefore such leaues he casteth awaye and destroyeth as vaine and nothinge woorth And of the same estimation are those They put in infidels a grace wherby they may doo good works woorkes with God whiche these men so colour and adorne They inuente also an other fayned deuyse not muche vnlike vnto the firste for they saye that those workes of the infidels are not done without grace For there is say they a certain generall grace laid forth vnto all men and common vnto men euen not regenerate wherewith they beinge after a sorte holpen may merite iustification and do An heresy of the Pelagians workes which please God But in so saying they fall into the heresye of Pelagius For he also taught that men without the grace of Christ might euen by the strengthes of nature and doctrine of the lawe worke good woorkes by whiche they might be iustified Neither doth this any thing helpe their cause in that they saye that they referre not these thinges vnto nature but vnto grace whiche the Pelagians vtterly denied for in wordes they wil séeme to disagrée from them when as in verye déede they altogether agrée with them For in that they assigne a grace whereby they can attain vnto righteousnes without Christ they are both against Christ and also against the counsell Milleuitanum and also against the holy scriptures Further in that they make grace common vnto all men they turne it vnto a nature and so say that some vse it and other some vse it not And this grace they Grace preueÌ„ting and grace after following call a preuentinge grace but that other whiche is more absolute they call an after following grace Which diuisioÌ„ we deny not so that it be rightly vnderstand For we graunt that there is one grace which preuenteth and an other which foloweth after but that grace is nothinge els but one and the selfe fauor of God throughe Christ wherewith we are both preuented to will well and wherewith we afterwarde being regenerate are holpen and stirred vp to liue well For who euer doubted but that we are preuented of God before we can be chaunged and renued in Christ He were worse then madde which would say that we in our conuersion do preuent the ayde and helpe of God He first loueth vs before we can beginne to loue him he first stirreth vs vp by his fauor and spirite before that we can either will or thinke any thinge that is good But herein is the error if we thinke that men are endued with the grace of Christ wheÌ„ they are not yet regenerate nor renued in Christ There are in déede sometimes geuen vnto them certain illustrations but if those be not so vehement and of such efficacye to chaunge their mindes Certayne illustratioÌ„s are geuen vnto infidels then serue they vnto their iudgemente and condemnation and not vnto their saluation which thing we must thinke that eueÌ„ the sinnes of them which are so illuminated do deserue And lest any man should be ignorant what these mens meaning is this is to be knowen yâ— they affirme that Paul excludeth from iustification those workes onely which are done of them by frée will onelye and by the helpe of the law But I would faine know of these men what manner of workes those be which are so done of men They are not vndoubtedly grosse and filthy sinnes such as are murthers fornications adulteries theftes and other suche like For these thinges are not done by the helpe of the law but rather by the impulsioÌ„ of the flesh and of the deuill Neither are they natural works as to play or pastime to plough to reape and to saile for as touching these thinges there is nothinge commaunded in the law Then there remaineth onely honest ciuil or moral workes as to honor the parentes to helpe the poore to be sorye for wicked actes committed For these things are both commaunded in the law and may as these men thinke be performed by frée will from all these say they Paul taketh away the power of iustifieng But what other good workes then are there remaining vndoubtedlye I se none vnles peraduenture they vnderstand those which are done of men alredy iustified for before iustification other workes haue we none besides those whiche we haue now rehersed Sithen therfore these men exclude both sinnes and also workes naturall and these morall workes which the law commaundeth vndoubtedlye they exclude all workes Let them then shew by what works they would haue men to be iustified If they had any consideration they woulde haue this alwayes before their eies If of grace then not of workes and if of workes then is it not of grace neither would they flye vnto this so folish false and vaine cauillation to say that Paul is to be vnderstand of those workes onely which are destitute of any faith and grace whatsoeuer they be How dare these men speake this when as they cannot abide that a man should say that men are iustified by faith only Ye added say they that worde Onely of your owne head it is not found in the holy scriptures If they lay this iustly rightly against vs why did they themselues commit the same faultes why will they take that themselues which they will not geue vnto others Seing therfore Paul taketh away the power of iustifieng from woorkes not adding therto this worde onely how do they then adde that worde vnto them But we haue Why wear said to be iustified by faith that by it onely most firme argumentes out of the holy scriptures to adde vnto fayth this word only and we vse that kinde of speach which as we shall declare is receaued and vsed of all the fathers But let vs heare what they also bable as touchinge this matter Paul say they had most to do with the Iewes which thoughte that they mighte so be iustified by workes and especially by the woorkes of the lawe that they had no néede of Christ Wherfore the Apostle bendeth himselfe to that only But I thinke that whatsoeuer thinges he wrote he wrote them vnto the church which consisted both of the Iewes and also of the Gentils which with one assent confessed Christ Do they thinke that there were any among all these whiche promised vnto themselues saluation without Christe Vndoubtedlye if there had bene any suche the church would not haue suffred theÌ„ But yet there were some which together with Christ would haue retayned ceremonies vnto whiche they attributed ouer muche but that there were any which excluded Christ it is not to be thoughte Further Paul wrote of iustification vnto the whole Churche which consisted both of â–ª Iewes and also of Gentâ—es Paul when he teacheth these thinges instructed not onelye the Iewes but also the Gentils as it most manifestly appeareth by the Epistle vnto the Ephesians where he saith that a man is iustified by faith and that saith he not of your selues leaste any man should boast and in
the extremity of the law be set forth in any decrée and the equity and moderation of the same extreame law be no where expressed An argument taken of the Romane law the iudge ought to follow the extreame law and ought not to adde equity whiche equity yet he may thē follow if it expressed in any law As for example All lawes agrée that if a debiter pay not his mooney at his day and the creaditour by that meanes susteyne losse the debitour is bound to beare the losse And this they call to pay the interest or as other speake to pay the dammage But bycause it is had in the digestes de Regulis Iuris In all causes that thing is taken for a facte wherein it commeth to passe that by an other mans meanes there is a stay why it is not done wherefore if the debter can proue that the fault was not in him why the mooney was not payd for he had the mooney and offerd it but the creditor was in the faulte why payment was not made although the creditor sustayne neuer so much losse by forbearing of his mooney yet is not the debter bound to make recompence by equity For by equity written it is counted for a déede when the let came by reason of an other Wherefore it manifestly appeareth that it is not in the power of a iudge or of any man to moderate lawes as he lust himself And if the case be so in the Romane lawes inuented and set forth by men what shall we thinke of the law of God For it ought infinitely to be more firme then the law of man Neither is it lawfull for vs to fayne in it any equity vnles The law of God more firme then the law of man when we se it expressed in writing As for example The law is He which shall shed mās bloud his bloud shall also be shed Here we haue the extremity of the law which vndoubtedly we ought alwayes to follow vnles in some other place equity teache y◠the same extremity ought to be mitigated But in an other place it is thus writē If two go forth together into the wood to cutte downe wood and the axe by chance falleth out of the hand of the one and killeth him that standeth by him let there be some cities of refuge vnto which this manqueller may fly and in which he may liue safely till such time as the matter be tried so that if he can proue his innocency then let him be let go free at the death of the Highe priest This equity mought the iudges vse bycause it was written in the lawes of God yea they ought also to vse it so often as they saw that the matter which they had in hand so required But that it was lawful for them by theyr authority to bend the lawes of God or to mitigate them it cā not be proued by any testimony of the holy scriptures Yea rather contrarily they were commaunded There may nothing be added vnto the law of God nor any thing taken from it The law of God is impossible to be obserued by humane strengthes that they should not decline neither to the lefte hand nor to the right hand and that they should not adde any thing vnto the law of God nor diminish any thing from it And we nede no long discource to teach that the law is impossible to be obserued as touching our strengths and especially before we are regenerate For that the scripture it selfe manifestly testifieth For Paul thus writeth in the 8. chapiter vnto the Romanes That which was impossible vnto the law in as much as it was weakened by the flesh Also in the same chapiter The wisedome of the flesh is enmity agaynst God For it is not subiect vnto the law of God yea neither can it vndoubtedly And in the first to the Corrinthians The carnall man vnderstandeth not those thinges which are of the spirit of God for neither can he for vnto him they are foolishnes Christ also An euill tree saith he can not bring forth good fruits Also How can ye speake good thinges when ye your selues are euill All these thinges doo manifestly teach that it is not possible that the law of God should be obserued by humane strengths being as they are now vitiate and corrupted But as touching these cauillations and subtle euasions of the Papistes let this suffice Now let vs come to certayne singular obiections which they make whereby they labour both to trouble vs and also to establish theyr owne fond lyes They An obiectiō touching the repentaunce of Achab. say that Achab the vngodly king did rent his garmentes at the threatninges of Elias did putte on sackecloth and so lay on the grounde and fasted and wente barefoote and for that cause the lord sayd vnto the Prophet Hast thou not sene Achab humbled before me In his dayes I will not bring the euill but in the dayes of his sonne Behold say they the workes of an vngodly king and one not yet iustified doo so please God that they pacified God towardes him But we say on the contrary that Achab was by these factes iustified For if he had had that true fayth whiche How Achab is said to be humbled before God iustified men he would not haue abiden still in idolatry and other most grosse sinnes indede he was somewhat moued at the threatninges of the Prophet but that thing which he did pertayned only vnto a certayne outward and ciuill discipline rather then to true repētaunce But God sayth that he was humbled before him I answeare that that word Before me may be referred either vnto the words of God which were spoken vnto Achab by the Prophet so that the meaning is Before me that is to say at my wordes or ells Before me that is to say in the Church of the Israelites And by that facte Achab testified that he repented of the wicked facte which he had committed and that was a good and sound example before the multitude But God which beheld the inward part of his hart saw that that repentaunce was fayned and vnfruitfull And for that cause he promised that he would only differre the punishement so that that punishement which otherwise should haue happened in his dayes should happen in the dayes of his sonne Neither is God holdeth backe his scourges for the obseruing of outward discipline this strange neither ought we to be ignoraunt thereof that for the keping of outward discipline plagues are differed and most greauous punishemētes of this present life are auoyded For our doctrine is not that all sinnes are alike God also wayted till the sinnes of the Amorhites were full And then at the length is hys wrath wont to be powred out when filthy lustes and wicked actes impudently without any bridle range abrode Yea where outward discipline is kept God oftentimes geueth many good thinges not indede for the merite of the factes but by an
men do make their last willes withous a solemnitie required thereunto and without a sufficient nomber of witnesses prescribed whiche yet otherwise were necessary such testaments ought to be allowed Now if a maÌ„ would transferre this prerogatiue vnto citesins who for that they haue their abidings in cities haue store of men of vnderstanding he should excéedingly erre For if their testamentes should be so made they are refused neither are they counted firm So we say that the workes of men iustified may please God which thing yet neyther can nor oughte to be graunted vnto them whiche are without faith and without Christ Farther let vs marke the accustomed fond kind of reasoning of the aduersaries whiche the Logicians call A non causa vt câ—usa â–ª that is from that whiche is not the cause as the cause For they alwayes appoint good workes to be the causes A similitude of righteousnes when as in very dede they are the effects of righteousnes not causes For it is as though a man should say the fire is therfore hot because it maketh How this sentence is to be vnderstand â–ª God rendreth to euery man according to his workes hot But it is cleane coÌ„trary for therfore it fore maketh hot because it is hot So also we because we ar iustified therfore do iust thinges and not because we do iuste things therfore we are iustified Somtimes also they make this obiectioÌ„ that God will reÌ„der vnto euery man according to his works Wherfore works say they are yâ— causes of our felicity But here also as theyr woÌ„ted maner is they are very much deceiued For vnles they haue found out some new grammer vnto themselues vndoubtedly this word according signifieth not yâ— cause But Christ say they in yâ— his Iuxta last iudgement séemeth to expresse these thinges as causes wherfore the kingdome of heauen is geuen vnto them For thus will he say I was hungrye and ye fed me I was thursty and ye gaue me drinke But Christ doth not in very déede rehearse these thinges as causes but rather those thinges which wente before Come ye blessed of my father possesse ye the kingdome which was prepared for you from the beginning of the world For the true cause of our felicitie is because we are elected and predestinate of God to yâ— eternal inheritance For they which are in this number are when time serueth adorned with faith whereby being iustified they haue right vnto eternall Why Christ in the iudgement will make mencion of outwarde workes There are two beginninges of thinges life But because this faith is hidden neither can be séene and Christ will haue all men to vnderstand that none but the iust are receiued into the kingdome of heauen therefore reherseth he these outwarde workes that by them it might plainly be perceaued that righteousnes is geuen vnto men by faith For there is no man that can be so ignorant but that he knoweth that there are two grounds of things the one is whereby they are the other whereby they be knowne Againe they obiect out of the first of Samuel Those that honor me I honor those that loue me I loue Here say they the promise is made vnto the worke But if they woulde make a distinction betwene the promises of the Gospel and the promises of the lawe as we haue els where aboundauntly taught they should easly vnderstand that that place is nothing repugnant vnto our sentence For if we coulde of our selues satisfie the commaundement of the law then might it be the cause why the promise should be geuen vnto vs. But forasmuch as no man is able to performe it all men flye vnto Christ and are through faith towardes him iustified Then by a certaine obedience begonne we begin to worke which although it be not exactly done according vnto the rule of the commaundement yet it pleaseth God And he of his mere liberality performeth the promise whiche was adioyned vnto that worke And so those conditions whiche are adioyned vnto the preceptes are not vnprofitable For they that are iustified attayne vnto them Neyther 〈…〉 thâ—se men ashamed to cite these wordes out of the 25. Psalme Looke vpon my labour and my vtility and forgeue me all my sinnes as though our labours or afflictions are the causes of the remission of sinnes But in this place Dauid being in most gréeuous calamities desireth of God to forgeue him his sinnes that if he should be angry for his sinnes the cause of punishmentes might be taken away For here is not entreated of labours which a man taketh vpon him of his owne voluntary will but of punishementes A similitude inflicted by God We sée also that children whilest that they are beaten of their maisters do desire forgeuenes and pardon If thou geue an almes vnto one that is leprous the leprosy can not properly be called the cause of thy compassion or mercy For otherwise all that passed by the leper should do the same But the true cause is the louing affection in thy minde But they say moreouer that in the holy scriptures much is attributed vnto repentaunce Which thing we deny not But we on the other side woulde haue them to vnderstand that repentaunce is the fruite of fayth and that no man can with profite repent hym of hys sinnes A distinction of confession vnles he first beleue They also vainely boast of many things touching confession But touching it we make a distinction For either it is seperated from hope and faith as it was in Iudas which confessed that he had sinned in deliuering the iust bloud and so farre is it of that that confession should bring any profite that it is a preparation also vnto desperation and vnto destruction or els it is ioyned wyth fayth and hope as it was in Dauid and Peter and so is it not the cause but the effect Aâ—riculeâ— confession of iustification for it followeth fayth and goeth not before it The auricular confession also of the Papistes is vtterly supersticious wherfore we vtterly contemne it For they obtrude it as a thing necessary vnto saluation and as a cause why sinnes should be forgeuen which they are neuer able to proue by any testimony of the holy scriptures They violently wrest this also out of the Lordes Forgeue vs our trespasses is expounded prayer Forgeue vs our trespasses as we also forgeue them that trespasse agaynst vs Agayne Forgeue and it shal be forgeuen you Ergo say they the forgeuenes of iniuries is the cause why our sinnes are forgeuen vs. This their reason as the common saying is with the one hand stroketh the head and with the other geueth a blowe For if the forgeuenes of iniuries should as these men would haue it deserue remission of sinnes then that remission were no remission For after thou hast once payd the price â–ª there is nothing that can be forgeuen thee but then hath remission place when the price is
the second part he left out the name of stipend and of righteousnes and in stéede of them put in the name of grace Neither do I greatly passe that Augustine in an other place writeth that Paul mought haue sayd the stipend of righteousnes is eternall life and yet he would not say so least he should haue geuen occasion of erring For how Augustine thought that Paul mought haue sayd it vndoubtedly I sée not vnles paraduenture by righteousnes he vnderstand the workes of men regenerate forasmuch as with those workes the merites of Christ are ioyned For so it might be true that eternall life is the stipend of such a righteousnes Farther Origen goeth on and sheweth that men are so iustified fréely How eternall lyfe may be called the 〈…〉 pend of righteousnes that good workes are not required to go before For expounding this sentence Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen The soule saith he whose sinnes are forgeuen must needes now be in good state for it is called blessed Wherefore it hath righteousnes which God imputeth vnto it although it haue not yet done any workes of righteousnes but only for that it hath beleued in him whiche iustifieth the vngodly Out of these words we gather many thinges First that God for works sake is not made debtor vnto any man Secondly that not only iustification but also eternall life is geuen fréely Lastly that righteousnes is imputed vnto the mindes of the beleuers although no good workes went before in them Basilius vpon these wordes of the 114. Psalme Be thou conuerted my soule into thy rest for the Lord hath done good vnto thee For saith he eternall rest is set forthe vnto them which in this life haue wrestled lawfully which yet is not rendered accordyng to the merite of workes but is geuen according to the grace of the most liberall God vnto them which haue hoped in him Seyng these thinges are spoken of the workes of men already iustified as touching eternall felicity then are they to be counted much more true if they be referred vnto the workes of them which are yet strangers frō Christ Wherfore euen as those merite not an eternall reward no more also can these merite iustification For both these thinges are geuen fréely Augustine in his booke De dogmatibus ecclesiasticis chap. 48. If by the law saith he commeth righteousnes then dyed Christ in vayne So also may we say if by nature come righteousnes Christ dyed in vayne This spake he against the Pelagians who affirmed that the liberty of man was so great that by nature onely it could do thynges acceptable vnto God And Augustine warely transferreth vnto nature that which Paul spake of the law and sheweth that the selfe same absurditie followeth either namely that the death of Christ is made in vayne For in very dede there is no other cause why the law bringeth not righteousnes but onely because nature is vitiate and weake Wherfore that which is spokē of the one may rightly agrée with the other The same Augustine vpon the first chapter of Iohn expoūding these wordes Grace for grace what saith he is grace He aunswereth That which is frely geuen What is grace frely geuen That which is not rendred saith he as due For if it were due vnto thee then it is a reward rendred If it were due thou wast before good And in his booke de predestinatione sanctorum the 7. chap. Let no man extoll himselfe as it is customably said Therfore deserued he to beleue because he was a good man and that before he beleued which thyng semeth to be written of Cornelius when as yet he had fayth when he did good workes These wordes are so playne that they haue no néede of declaration Chrisostome in his 2. homely vpon the first epistle Chrisostom vnto the Cor. Where grace saith he is there are not workes and where works are there is not grace Wherfore if it be grace why are ye proude by what meanes are ye puffed vp Chrisostome according to the maner of Paul so opposeth grace against workes that the one excludeth the other so far is it of that he will haue grace to be geuen for workes Ierome vpon the epistle to Philemon Grace saith he is whereby ye are saued and Ierome that by no merite or worke The same Ierome vpon the epistle vnto the Ephes expoūding these wordes By grace ye are made safe through fayth and that not of your selues for it is the gift of God Paul saith he therefore spake this least some hidden thought should crepe into vs if by our workes we be not saued vndoubtedly yet by faith we are saued so that in an other kinde it commeth of vs that we are saued All these testimonies sufficiently declare that iustification is geuē fréely neither can it be gotten by any merites or workes goyng before Now resteth to declare out of the fathers how good workes are to be estemed Vndoubtedly they follow iustification as the fruites therof which spring and burgē forth out of true faith Wherfore Origene sayth in that place which we haue before cited expounding these wordes vnto the Romanes But vnto him which worketh the reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt Wherfore saith he not out of workes commeth the roote of righteousnes but out of the roote of righteousnes encreaseth the fruite of workes Whiche selfe thing Augustine affirmeth vnto Honoratus saying Hereout spring good works for that we are iustified and not because good workes went before therfore are we iustified And in his first booke second question ad Simplicianum Yea and workes saith he if there be any that be good do follow as it is said that grace and go not before it And therfore he addeth If there be any good because euen the workes of the regenerate haue in thē much imperfection and vnles the righteousnes of Christ which is imputed vnto the beleuers were ioyned with those workes they should not in very dede be good The same father in his 26. chapter de spiritu Litera at large entreateth this place vnto the Romanes Not the herers of the law shal be iustified but the doers and by many reasons he proueth that good workes follow iustification and go not before To this also tendeth that which Basilius writeth in his second booke De spiritu sancto the 7. chap. of the wordes of the Lord that first it behoueth that the trée be good then his fruites to be good that the Phariseis were reproued which in theyr dishes cups made cleane y◠which was without Make cleane sayth he that which is within and that which is without shal be cleane otherwise ye shal be compared vnto painted sepulchers which in dede without seme beautiful but with in are vncleane and full of dead mens bones What counsels are to be harkned vnto Now let vs come vnto the Counsells which yet are not without choyce and iudgement
to haue peace with God For it reconcileth vs vnto God when our sinnes are taken away which had before made vs enemies vnto GOD. And afterwarde vppon these wordes The law of the spirite of life It is fayth sayth he which iustifieth them that flye vnto it to remit vnto them that which the law helde them guiltie of that liuing vnder faith they might be free from sinne And in his 2. boke vpon the Gospell of Luke he saith that Peter wepte not but when the Lord had looked backe vpon him And he addeth that the Lord brought forth in him both repentance and the power to weape But Augustine when he entreateth of this matter séemeth to be in his owne field so that to hunt in him for testimonyes touching this controuersie is as the common saying is to séeke water in the sea Howbeit it shal not be strange from our purpose to picke somewhat out of him also In the sermon of the Lord vpon the mountaine touching the wordes of the Gospell in Mathew in his 7. Sermon towardes the end If thou presume of thine owne worke a reward sayth he is rendred vnto thee and not geueÌ„ vnto thee by grace I demaund now Beleuest thou o sinner I beleue What beleuest thou that thy sinnes may by him freely be forgeuen thee Then hast thou that which thou beleuest In his preface vpon the 31. Psalme Thou hast done no good and yet remission of sinnes is geuen thee Thy workes are considered and they are al found nought If God should render vnto these woorkes that which is dew doubtles he should condemne thee And in his booke de Spiritu Litera the 12 chapiter We gather that a man is not iustified by the rules of good life but by the fayth of Iesus Christ. And in his booke agaynst the 2. epistles of the Pelagians in his 3. boke and 5. chapter Our fayth sayth he that is the catholike fayth discerneth the iust from the vniust not by the law of workes but euen by the law of fayth And Augustine and Alpius in his 106 epistle of righteousnes is of fayth whereby we beleue that we are iustified that is that we Note diligeÌ„tly what grace we ought to confesse are made iust by the grace of God thorough Iesus Christ our Lord. The same father agaynst Pelagius and Coelestius in his 1. booke and 10. chap. It is not inough sayth he to confesse what grace thou wilt but that grace whereby we are perswaded whereby we are drawen and whereby euen that which is good is geuen This maketh planly agaynst theÌ„ which put I know not what generall grace and will haue it to lye in euery mans power either to admitt or to refuse the same But this grace wherby we are so persuaded is nothing ells but fayth Which fayth indede is necessary to iustifie but those workes which are done before we be iustified doo nothing auaile For the Workes which seme good are turned into sinnes same Augustine agaynst the 2. epistles of the Pelagians the 3. booke and 5. chapter Euen as workes sayth he which seme good are vnto the vngodly turned into sinnes c And in his booke de Spiritu Litera the 28. chapter Euen as saith he there are certayne veniall sinnes without which euen the iust men can not liue and yet they hinder vs not from saluation so are there certayne good woorkes without which euen the most wicked men can very hardly liue which workes yet nothing profite them vnto saluation And that we should not thinke that this faith whereby we are iustified is a thing common What may be aunswered to be the causes why one man is persuaded and an other is not and straying at pleasure he addeth afterward in the 34 chap. Why is this man so instructed that he is vtterly persuaded an other not so There are onely two thinges which I thinke good to answer O the deapth of the riches c. Also what is their iniqâ—ity with God He that is displeased with this answere let him seeke saith he men better learned but let him beware of presumptuous persons If we should geue credit vnto our aduersaries this had ben a very rude blind doubt For they would haue straight way answered at one word that the one was perswaded because he would the other was not perswaded because he would not But Augustine considering yâ— matter more depely namely that it is god which worketh in vs both to wil to performe according to his good wil perceiuing the Paul himselfe being ouercome with the admiratioÌ„ of this thing made such exclamatioÌ„ thought it most mete rather to referre the whole matter vnto God who distributeth vnto euery man yâ— which semeth vnto hym good that without doubt iustly although we sée not the reasons of his iustice Yea neither is it méete for vs to search them out vnles we will haue that to happen vnto vs which commonly happeneth vnto flies which being allured by the The grace which the Pelagians taught was set forth to be common vnto al men was nature Grace is geuen vnto some and is not geuen vnto other some light of the candell and flying more nigh vnto it are oftentimes burnt with the slame thereof The same Augustine de Predestinatione sanctorum in his 5. chapiter reproueth Pelagius for that he had fayned that common grace vnto all the saints which he would haue to be nothing els but nature which selfe thing our aduersaries also at this day do when as they cry out that that grace is set forth as it were openly vnto all men and that it lieth in euery mans power to receaue it so that he will The same author ad Vitalem in his 107. epistle Vnto those sayth he whose cause is a like with those vnto whome grace is geuen vnto whome yet it is not geuen that they vnto whome it is geuen might vnderstand how freely it was geuen vnto them And in the selfe same place he playnly declareth that it is God which of vnwilling maketh vs willing and taketh away our stony hart and geueth vs a fleshy hart This manifestly declareth that it is fayth whereby we are iustified and that God distributeth it according to his good will The same father de dogma tibus ecclesiasticis in the 4. chap. for that booke whosoeuer was the author thereof beareth the name of Augustine To be purged from sinnes saith he God tarieth not for our will and in the 44. chapter The holy ghost maketh vs to chuse thinke and consent vnto euery good thyng pertaynyng vnto saluation And in his 13. booke and 17. chapiter de Trinitate The word of the sonne of God sayth he toke vpon hym the nature of maÌ„ without any maner of merite And after the selfe same maner also is the grace of God geuen vnto vs. This comparison is taken of the greater For if that man which was made the sonne of God obtayned the same
gathered out of thē Farther this also is to be noted euen as we haue already before tought that we affirme not that that fayth whereby we are iustified is in our myndes without good workes although we say that it is it onely which taketh hold of iustification and remission of sinnes So the eye can not be without a head braynes hart liuer other partes of the body and yet the eye onely apprehendeth colour and the light Wherefore they which after this maner reason agaynst vs Fayth as ye say iustifieth But fayth is not alone Ergo Fayth alone iustifieth not do fall into a fowle paralogisme As if a man should thus conclude onely the will willeth But Fallacia composition is diuisionis the wyll is not alone in the mynde Ergo not the wyll alone wylleth Here euen litle childrē may sée the fallace or deceate which they call of composition of diuision And is it not a fowle thing that so great diuines should not sée it But here Smith the light forsoth of diuinity setteth himselfe agaynst vs. He of late cryed out euen till he was hoarse that we falsely affirme that those places of the Of the aduerbe gratis that is freely scripture which testify that we are iustified gratis that is fréely should signifie all one with this to be iustified by fayth onely For this worde gratis is not all one wyth Solum that is onely O dull gramarians that we are which without thys good maister could not vnderstand this aduerbe so much in vse Howbeit thys Grammaticall Aristarchus lest he shoulde séeme wythout some reason to playe the foole It is written sayth he in Genesis that Laban sayde vnto Iacob Forasmuch as thou art my kinsman shalt thou serue me gratis Here sayth he put this word Only and thou shalt sée what an absurd kind of speach it will be And in the booke of Nombers The people sayd that in Egipt they dyd eate fishes gratis And in the Psalme They haue hated me gratis Here sayth he can not be put this aduerbe Only Wherefore we rashly and very weakely conclude that for that in the scriptures a man is sayd to be iustified gratis he is therefore strayght way iustified by fayth only But this sharpe witted man one so wel exercised in y◠concordance of the Bible should haue remēbred that this word Gratis signifieth without a cause or without a reward and price And therefore we rightly say that Iustification consisteth of fayth only bycause it is sayd to be geuen gratis For if workes were required there should be a cause or a reward or a price to the obteynement of righteousnes But forasmuch as Gratis excludeth all these things of y◠word is rightly and truly inferred only fayth And those places which this man hath alledged are not hard to confute For Laban sayth Shalt thou serue me gratis that is without this condition that I should geue the any thing which is only to take and nothing to repay And the Israelites when they sayd that they did eate fishes gratis ment that they did eate them with out any price payd And this They haue hated me gratis is nothing ells then wtout a cause or without any my desert Wherfore if this word Gratis take away price merite forasmuch as Paul sayth that we are iustified gratis we must nedes vnderstand that it is doone without any our price or merite Which doubtles should not be true if works should be required as causes and merites And bicause we once brought a place out of the epistle to the Galathians Of this aduerbe Nisi that is except But when as we knew that man is not iustified by the workes of the Law except it be by the fayth of Iesus Christ and of this particle Except concluded that iustification consisteth of fayth only this man according to his wisedome rageth and sayth that this word Except is not all one with Only For sayth he Ioseph in Genesis sayd vnto his brethern Ye shall not se my face except ye bring your youngest brother Christ sayth he sayth Except ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man ye shall not haue llfe in you Who sayth he wil say that life is had only by the eating of the Sacramēt wherfore sayth he these thinges can not be expounded by this word Only Yes doubtles but they may For in the booke of Genesis what other thing ment Ioseph then to admonish his brethern that they should vpon this condition only come agayne into his sight namely if they brought theyr youngest brother with them ▪ And Christ in the 6. of Iohn entreated not of the eating of the Sacrament for he had not as yet instituted it wherefore by this word to eate he signifieth to beleue And he sayth that they which are of full age herein only haue life if they eate hys flesh and drinke his bloud that is if they beleue that the sonne of God was deliuefor them for the remission of theyr sinnes And that this is the only way whereby they may be saued But Smith addeth that from Iustification is not to be excluded hope and charitie and other good workes I graunt indede that those are not to be excluded from a man that is iustified Howbeit I doo not attribute vnto them the power of iustifieng For that which Paul saith y◠a man is not iustified by workes should not be true if we should be iustified by any kind of workes For if a man should say that an artificer woorketh not with his fingers and afterward should confesse that he vnto that worke which he doth vsed fingers he were worthy to be laughed at although being conuict he would say that he excepted only the litle finger and the third finger and not the thombe forefinger or middle finger For he which vseth thrée fingers vndoubtedly vseth fingers But why doth this man say that hope and charitie are not excluded Bycause sayth he euen ye your selues will haue vs to be iustified by a liuely fayth which doubtles is not without these We graunt that these vertues are always ioyned with true fayth But yet we doo not in them put any part of our iustification before God In this argument is a Fallacia accidentis fallace or disceate of the Accident For vnto those things which are adioyned is attributed that which is proper vnto that vnto whome they are adioyned As if a mā should say The Sunne is round and high ergo the roundnes and highe of the Sū doo make vs warme What workes then doth Smith exclude from iustification when as he includeth hope and charitie I suppose surely he excludeth outward workes fastinges almes and such like But with what face can he so say or teach when as he appointeth and defendeth workes preparatory But this sharpe witted man thinketh that he hath trimely escaped for that he sayth that these things are not of necessity required vnto iustification but only if they
false doctrine But this man vndoubtedly is so farre besides him selfe that he sayth that this was lawfull for the Fathers to do For in his booke de votis which not many yeares ago he set abrode he sayth that Augustine in his booke de Bono viduitatis whereas he writeth that their matrimonies which had vowed a vow of virginity or of sole life are true mariages not adulteries wrote the same for no other end but to perswade Iuliana the widow vnto whome he wrote the booke that mariages in generall are not euill And so in Gods name he confesseth that Augustine setteth forth one false doctrine to ouerthrow an other false doctrine And with the like wisedōe in the same booke he fayneth that Clemens Alexandrinus wrote that Paul had a wife which he thinketh to be most false only to proue that mariage is good and honorable And if it be lawfull so to mingle true thinges with false and to confound all thinges when then shall we beleue the Fathers What thing can at any time be certaine vnto vs but that we may be deceaued by them Farther he fayneth that Paul excluded from iustification only workes of the law But this we haue before aboundantly confuted and haue taught that the reasons of Paul are generall Yea the Fathers saw euen this also For Augustine in many places affirmeth that Paul entreateth not only of ceremoniall works but also of morall works But bycause the authority of Augustine is I can not tell by what meanes suspected vnto our aduersaries Ierome also was of the opinion that not only ceremoniall works are to be excluded from iustification let vs se what Ierome sayth He vnto Clesiphon agaynst the Pelagians vpon these wordes By the workes of the law no flesh shal be iustified thus writeth By cause thou thinkest this to be spokē of the law of Moses only and not of all the commaundements which are conteyned vnder this one name law the selfe same Apostle sayth I consent vnto the law of God There are others also of the Fathers which teach the same but I now ouerpasse them Let it suffice to shew that this other fayned inuētion of Smith is vaine and trifling Thirdly he sayth that they ment to exclude workes as he calleth them penal namely those woorkes I suppose which men repentant doo but to shew how rediculous this is also shall nede no long declaration For first such workes were required of men not that by them they should be iustified before God but only to approue themselues vnto the Church namely lest they should by a fayned and dissēbled repentance seke to be reconciled Farther it is not very likely that Paul spake of any such workes For they were not at that time in vse In dede Ambrose when he excludeth woorkes frō iustification hath hereunto once or twise a respect But we ought not so much to consider what one or two of the Fathers say but what agréeth with the holy scriptures Smith addeth moreouer that it is certayne that God requireth much more of vs then fayth For in Marke it is thus written Repent ye and beleue Here sayth he vnto fayth is adioyned repentāce And in an other place He that beleueth and is Baptised shal be saued He addeth also that in the epistle to the Ephesians the Church is sayd to be sanctified with the lauacre of water in the word And that Peter in his 3. chap. of his first epistle sayth That Baptisme hath made vs safe Ierome also thus writeth vpon the first chapiter of Esay The lauacre of regeneration only remitteth sinnes Behold sayth he iustification and remission of sinnes is ascribed not only vnto fayth but also vnto the sacraments As touching the first we graunt that Christ requireth more of vs then faith For who doubteth but that he will haue men that are iustified to liue vprightly and to exercise them selues in God requireth more of men then faith all kindes of vertues otherwise they shall not come vnto eternall saluation But these are fruites of fayth and effectes of iustification and not causes But as touching the sacramēts we haue many times taught how iustification is to be attributed vnto them For they are in the same respect vnto it as is the preaching of the Gospel and the promise concerning Christ which is offred vnto vs vnto saluation And very oftentimes in the Scriptures that which belongeth vnto the thing is ascribed vnto the Sacrament or signe And bicause Baptisme promiseth remission of sinnes by Christ and signifieth it and sealeth it in them which are washed therfore Ierome of all other sacraments attributeth this vnto it only Wherefore the wordes of the Fathers ought nothing to moue vs when as they thus write That fayth alone is not sufficient vnto saluation For they vnderstand that of eternall saluation vnto which we come not except some fruite follow our fayth But of theyr sayings we ought not to gather the a man is not iustified by faith only And though at any time those selfe same fathers seme to referre theyr wordes vnto iustification yet are they to be vnderstand that theyr meaning was to expresse the nature of the true and iustifieng fayth For it in very dede is neuer alone but hath euer hope and charitie and other good workes as companions Sometimes also by iustification they vnderstand the righteousnes which cleaueth vnto vs of which it is moste certayne that it consisteth not of fayth only They thinke also that this maketh agaynst vs for that Paul writeth vnto the Romanes By hope ye are made safe Neyse The righteousnes which cleaueth vnto vs consisteth not of faith only they that hope is there taken for the last regeneration which we hope we shall one day obteyne in our countrey For the Apostle a litle before spake of it And vndoubtedly we possesse that saluation onely in hope not as yet in very déede If there be any paraduenture whō this most iust and most true solution wil not satisfy let him follow the interpretation of Origen For he vppon that place sayth that hope is there put for faith which is no rare thing in the holy scriptures But they haue found out yet an other fond deuise whereby as much as lieth in them they goo about to lenifie this worde Only which is so often vsed of the Fathers namely that fayth only hath the beginning and as it were the first degrée of iustification which afterward is made perfect and full when other good workes come vnto it But how vayne this is Paul himselfe sufficiently teacheth For he doth not onely say that we are iustified by faith onely but also he addeth without workes Farther this also maketh against these men which is written in in the 15. chapter of wisdome To know is full righteousnes In which place it is a sport to sée how our Smith writeth himselfe First he dareth not deny the sentēce for he counteth that booke for canonicall but as he is
of a sharpe witte at the last this he fayneth That God is not knowen by fayth onely but also by loue But who euer would so say but this man onely Vndoubtedly by loue we know not but by loue we loue But that which is spoken in the booke of wisedome whiche yet with me is not of so great authority Christ himselfe hath most manifestly testified in the Gospel saying This is eternall life that they know thee the onely true God Although of this saying also of our sauior Winchester hath fained a new deuise I know not what namely that to know God is not properly eternall life although it somewhat helpe forwarde thereunto But forasmuch as neither the Fathers nor Paul nor Christ himselfe can satisfy these men there is no hope that we shall any thing preuayle with our reasons They adde moreouer That the fathers say that onely faith iustifieth that is is the principallest thing whereby we are iustified I confesse indéede that only sometime signifieth principall But this sense can not agrée with Pauls purpose This word Only some tymes signifieth principall For if charity be compared with faith charity is excellenter and better as Paul sayth Wherefore if both of them iustify as these men will haue it then shoulde charity haue the chiefest part and not faith And this also is a great let vnto these men which I haue oftentimes spoken of that Paul so ascribeth iustification vnto faith that he sayth without workes But Augustine say they vnto Simplicianus writeth That by fayth we beginne to be iustified Vnto this we may answere two maner of wayes first that that beginning is such that in very déede it hath the very full and whole iustification So that Augustines meaning is that we are iustified so soone as we haue faith Or if this please them not we will say as the truth is indéede that Augustine ment of the righteousnes which cleaueth in vs. They cite also Ambrose vpoÌ„ the 5. chapiter vnto yâ— Galathians In Christ c. For saith he we haue nede of fayth onely in charity to iustification Behold say they vnto iustification we haue no lesse nede of charity then of fayth But they are far deceaued For by those words Ambrose ment nothing els but to make a distinction betwene true faith and a vaine opinion Therfore he sayth that we haue néede of faith only namely which is ioyned with charity But Ierome vppon the 5. chapiter vnto the Galathians sayth That it is charity onely which maketh cleane the hart What other thing els shall we here aunswere but yâ— this his saying if it be vrged roughly simply is false For it is faith also which purifieth the hartes as it is written in the Actes of the Apostles And Paul to Timothe sayth Charity out of a pure hart good conscience c. By which words it is playne tâ—at the hart must of necessity first be pure before charity can come Wherefore we will interprete that sentence by the effect and as touching our knowledge For then is it most certayne that we are regenerate and haue a cleane hart when we be endued with charity After this maner also â—aue we before expounded this Many sinnes are forgeuen her because she hath loued much And by the selfe same meanes also may that saying of Augustine in his booke de natura Gratia the 38. chapiter be aunswered vnto It is the charity of God saith he by which onely he is iust whosoeuer is iust But this séemeth vnto me best to vnderstand such sayinges of the fathers of that righteousnes which cleueth vnto vs. For that consisteth not onely of fayth but also of all vertues and good workes But because amongst all vertues charity is the principallest therefore the fathers sometimes Why our righteousnes is attributed sometymes vnto charity attribute righteousnes vnto it onely And that which our aduersaries haue most vniustly vsurped to expound this word Only for principall or chiefe may in this place most iustly serue vs. For here we entreat not of that iustificatioÌ„ which is had by imputation but of that which we attayne vnto after regeneration Wherefore in this our proposition we exclude not from a man that is iustified hope charitie and other good woorkes but this only we say that they haue not the power or cause or merite of iustifieng And when we say that a man is iustified by fayth only we say nothing ells vndoubtedly but that a man is iustified only by the mercy of God and by the merite of Christ only which we can not apprehend We must not leaue oâ— from vsyng this worde Only by any other instrument then by fayth only Neither must we geue place vnto our aduersaries not to vse this worde Only though they cry out neuer so much that of it springeth great offence and mens mindes are by this persuasion somwhat weakned in the excercise of vertues For by sound doctrine we may easely remedy these discommodities For we alwayes inculcate that it is not true iustification or true fayth which wanteth the fruites of good life But we se the subtle and craftie deuise of these men For if we should say that a man is simply iustified by fayth leauing out this word Only Sreight way they would adde of theyr own that a maÌ„ indede is iustified by faith but yet is he no les iustified by hope and charity and other good woorkes For this selfe same cause the Catholikes in times past would not permit vnto the Arrians this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of like substance bicause they would A like example streight way haue sayd That the sonne indede by appellation or name is GOD like vnto the father in a maner equall vnto him but yet not of one and the selfe same nature and substance Wherefore they did with tooth and naile defend and kepe still this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of one and the selfe same substance as a word most apt to expresse the truth of that controuersie which they might also by good right doo and chiefely for that they saw that that word was of necessity concluded out of the holy scriptures out of which also is most euidently concluded thys our word Only and is thought of vs a word most mete to confute the errors of those which would haue iustification to come of workes Moreouer Gardiner bishop of winchester counted this our proposition to be absurd and agaynst it amongst other arguments vsed this and it is to me more then wonderfull how much it is estemed of certayne Papists his parasites The righteousnes sayth he that is geuen vs of God wherby we are iustefied pertayneth to all the faculties of the mind or rather to the wholâ— man Ergo we are not iustified by fayth only For that pertayneth only vnto the higher part of the soule Here gentle reader lest thou shouldest be deceaued lieth hidden a double fallace or disceate For first graunt
where vrge For Esay sayth in the 5. chapiter Wo be vnto them that are wise in theyr owne eyes and to those which are prudent in theyr owne sight Chrisostome affirmeth that the roote of this vice is to thinke that a man hath of himselfe all sufficientie For they which dare hope so much of themselues doo easely contemne others But the case is farre otherwise â–ª For we haue all nede of the helpe of others neither is there any man in all poyntes so perfect but that he nedeth to be holpen by others much inferior vnto him Who at any time was more prudent then Moses Yet obeyed he Iethro when he gaue him good counsell Saule followed the counsell of his lad to go to the seer And that whiche was not reuealed vnto Isaac touching the infants that straue in theyr mothers wombe was by an oracle shewed vnto Rebecca â–ª Crisostome thinketh that the Romans were much infected with this vice and therefore they were so often admonished touching this for that the pride which was amongest them much disturbed the affayres of the church when as the dignity of the city the amplenes of theyr empire and theyr excellent endewments of naturall good thinges aboudauntly ministered vnto theÌ„ matter of pride Rendring vnto no man euill for euil Vnto the cause is aptly added the effect For they which arrogantly take vpon theÌ„ many thinges and alwayes aspire vnto highe thinges doo easely contemne others and are offended euen in trifels and easely deme that they are despised of other men Thereof springeth displeasure taking and séeking of vengeaunce Some thinke that that which is now sayd differeth from that which is afterward added Dearely beloued aueng not your selues For they suppose that to render euill for euill extendeth farther then to auenge But I to speake the truth see not how he which seketh to recompence euill for euill séeketh not also to be auenged Therefore as I thinke the Apostle first setteth forth the thing generally after that he addeth what ought rather to be done last of all by way of repetition he returneth to eâ—pound that which he put forthe we ought not to render euil for euill For if we sée that that is euil which our enimy hath done vnto vs we ought by no meanes to imitate him as Chrisostome aptly He sinneth more greuously whiche reÌ„dreth euil for euil then he which first prouoketh a man to â—nger admonisheth vs. Origen addeth that they more greuously sinne which reÌ„der euil for euill then they which first committed the euill For it is possible that he which first did the hurt did it vnwares or was ignorant that that was euil which he did to an other or thought it wuld not haue bene so greuous as it was But he which hath had experience in himself and knoweth how irkesome it is and will yet notwithstanding repay the selfe same euil may much more iustly be accused then the other This sentence Paul putteth forth generally and excludeth no man Wherfore it is by no meanes lawfull to recompence euill for euill neither to Iewes nor to Gentiles nor doubtles to any man liuing And by this meanes is confounded the righteousnes of the Scribes and of the Phariseis For they taught yâ— we ought to loue our friends and to hate our enemies How be it Princes Iudges nor Magestrates doe commit nothing against this law when they punishe wicked doers for punishments procéeding of iustice ought not to be counted amongst euils Procuring good things in the sight of all men The commoÌ„ reading hath not only before God but also before all men But that particle is more then needeth Here also is to be noted that he speaketh generally For he sayth not in the sight of the Gréekes or of the Iewes or of this man or of that man but vniuersally of all men Paul in the. 10. chapiter of the first to the Corinthians sayth be ye such that ye geue no offence neither to the Iewes nor to the Grekes nor to the churche of God euen as I please all men in all things not seking mine owne profit but the profit of many that they might be saued This is in a maner all one with that which is in this place commaunded Wherefore we must not only beware that we commit not any thing against those things which are forbidden in the law but also that we behaue our selues warely in those things which should otherwise be lawfull least the weaker sort shold be offended Good things that is iust holy and honest are procured in the sight of all men when those things are done whereby is illustrated the glory of God and the edifying of our neighbor is aduaunced Howbeit this ought not to be our entent to get the praise of men For Christ admonisheth take heede that ye doe not your righteousnes before men to be sene of them But let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your father which is in heauen Wherefore Paule sayth not Seke to please men but haue a care that your examples be suche in the sight of all men that by them they may be put in minde of theyr saluation And wheÌ„ he sayth procuring he plainly declareth that this ought not to be done negligently but most diligently If it be possible as much as in you is haue peace with all men Therefore he addeth conditions for that peace can not be had but with certain And oftentimes WheÌ„ peace with men is to be refused it hapneth that through yâ— outrageousnes and malitiousnes of some peace either can not be made or els can not be kept when as they labour through theyr impietie to lead vs away from God or els we should holde our peace and consent to oppresse our neighbours But when we come once to this poynt that either God is openly to be offended or our neighbor whome we ought to ayd succor helpe is to be forsaken this peace with wicked men is vtterly to be refused For euery faithfull man ought to his power to withstande the enterprises and endeuors of the wicked Yea Chrisostome sayth that Paule was so seuere that in the. 7. chapiter to the Corinthians he thus wryteth euen of them which are ioyned in matrimony And if the vnbeleuer depart let him depart For in suche a case the brother or sister is not subiect to bondage God hath called vs in peace And we doe as muche as lieth in vs when we hate yâ— sinne and loue the persons and resist them as much as we caÌ„ that they commit nothing either against God or against our neighbor And this thing so oftentimes happeneth that Christ sayd that he came not to send peace vpon the earth but the sword Wherefore Paul not without iust cause sayth If it be possible and as much as in you is which conditions we fulfill when we haue our mindes prepared to an vpright and honest peace Dauid sayth with them that hated peace I
what his scope is we will first define what a magestrate is A magestrate is Definition of a magistrate aperson elected and that of God to defend the lawes and peace and with punishments and the sword to represse vices and euils and by all manner of meanes to aduaunce vertues The efficient cause is God the ende is the preseruation of the lawes and of peace the banishing away of vices and discommodities and the encrease of vertues The forme is the order which the prouidence of God hath appoynted in things humane The matter is the man or person For who so euer is appoynted to be a magestrate is taken of men The methâ—de which is here kept is in a maner generall First he sayth that all men ought to bâ— subiect vnto magestrates which thing is first proued by the efficient cause for that â—â— suche powers are of God then is it proued by the coÌ„trary for that they which conteâ—â—ne the magestrate are against God and that to theyr owne great hurt Finally i◠〈…〉 proued Why so often in the new testament is in 〈…〉 ted thaâ— ough 〈…〉 geue ho 〈…〉 to the magistrate â— he Pope heâ—e proued guilty and condemned by the ende for that the magestrates bring vnto vs great profit This is bo 〈…〉 〈…〉 ery often and also very exactly entreated of in the new Testament and that for 〈…〉 cause chiefly for that the children of God sometimes thinke that it is a thing in a maner vayne that they being gouerned by the spirit and word of God should be subiect vnto outward powers Neither can it be expressed in how ill part yâ— Iewes toke it when they were as captiues oppressed of the Babilonians Assirians Medes and Persians and when at home in theyr Countrey they were greuously afflicted first of the Macedontans and afterwarde of the Romaines They would gladly haue shaken of that yoke which the Anabaptistes Libertines at this day with great fury go about to shake of and which the Pope and his dearlings hath now long time shaken of For he hath so exempted bothe himselfe and his cleargy from all publique power that now Princes are subiect vnto him and he suffereth the great monarchies of Christendome to kisse his féete and most filthily to worship him He createth Emperors and putteth them downe as it pleaseth him He taketh away kingdomes and pylleth and polleth them as he lust But Christ behaued himself farre otherwise for he payed tribute and taught that vnto Cesar Christ was subiect to the powers of the world ought to be rendred that which is Cesars With these wordes of Paul agréeth that which Peter wryteth in the second chapiter of his first Epistle saying Be ye subiect to euery humane creature that is vnto the ordinaunce which God would shoulde be amongst men Be subiect sayth he for the Lords sake whether it be vnto the king as vnto the superior or vnto gouerners as vnto them that are sent of him namely either of the king or of God for the punishment of euill doers and for the praise of them that do wel If we examine all the partes of this commaundement we shall in a manner finde in it all those thynges whiche are here taught of Paule The selfe same thyng Paul wrote to Titus in the third Chapiter Admonishe them sayth he that they be subiect vnto Princes and powers and that they be obedient to the magestrates And in his Epistle to the Ephesians to Timothe and to Titus he diligently commauÌ„deth seruaunts to be obedient to theyr masters And vnto Timothe he commaundeth Christians to make prayers for theyr magestrates Whereby that is most manifest which we haue ofteÌ„times sayd and which Chrysostome in this place wryteth that the doctrine of the Gospel was not geuen to ouerthrow the politique gouernments The Gospel ouerthroweth not the gouernments of the world A magistrate called by the name of a father of the world but rather to confirme them and to make them better This place of the Apostle partaineth to that commaundement of the law Honoure thy father and thy mother For in the olde time as Aristotle also wryteth in his Politiques fathers gaue lawes to theyr famely and to them were as kings And amongst the Romanes the Senators were called Patres conscripti that is appoynted Fathers For a magestrate is nothing els but the father of the countrey Here we nede not curiously to entreat by what right or by what wrong Princes haue obtained theyr power This thing only is to be séene vnto that we reuerence magestrates when they are in that roome For this Epistle was written when the Romaines had now obtained the Empire of the whole world which Empire we know they possessed by violence and afterward the Emperors by as wicked practises drew vnto them the whole dominion ouer al yet Paul without al exception commaundeth vs to be obedient vnto the powers And so generall is this proposition In this prâ—cept are contayned all degrees of men of Paul that Chrysostome testifieth that vnder this commaundement are contained Priests Monks Prophets Apostles and Euangelistes But I thinke that Origen is not here to be allowed For he wryteth that Paul sayth let euery soule and not euery spirite for they which are vtterly spiritual do not by any meanes follow the affectes of the fleâ—â—e neither possesse things humane doe not liue vnder Princes and powers Bâ—t who euer had more aboundance of the spirite then our Lord and sauior C 〈…〉 t had Who at any time was more holy then his Apostles were and yet thâ—â— submitted themselues to the higher power euen to the death 〈…〉 to 〈…〉 to popes bishops Wherefore 〈…〉 s muche better to say with Chrysostome that none is to be excepted from this â—niuersall sentence But those ecclesiasticall Papists will say that the kings â—hemselues and publique powers haue geuen vnto them theyr right and ha 〈…〉 appoynted that the clergye should be exempted But we ought not to regard â—hat Princes haue done herein but what they ought to haue done For it lyeth not in theyr hands to disanull the lawes of God Wherefore if this diuine commaundement of Paul willeth that euen euery soule be subiect vnto the publique power then doubtles ought we to obey it For the decrées of God ought not to be reuoked by any authority of man Although these wordes are so to be contracted that we vnderstande that we are not subiecte to the magestrate but only as touching his function and office Which if he at any time goe beyond and commaund any thing that is repugnaÌ„t vnto piety and vnto the law of God we ought to obey God rather then men For there is no power but of God He proueth his purpose by the efficient cause For that no humane strength or force but God himselfe is the author of all powers And it is to be noted that there are sondry kindes of powers For there is Sondry kindes of
powers a power of the father towardes his children there is also a power of the husbandâ— towardes the wife and a power of the master towards his seruaunts and there is also ouer common wealthes these powers Regia that is the power of a King and then Aristocratica which is where the best men gouerne and Politica that is a political gouernement and Tyrannica Oligaâ—chia Democratica And although these three kindes are excedingly corrupted and vitiated yet is God the author of them For there is in them a force might and power to gouerne men and to kepâ— them vnder which vndoubtedly could by no meanes be but of God But if thou demaund at what time such powers first began or when they were first ordained of God I answere that that light which God hath grafted in our mindes shewed vnto men euen from the beginning the maner of bearing rule and it was afterward In what place God by his word confirmed the magistrate by sondry oracles of God confirmed In the booke of Genesis God sayde to Noe and to his children that mannes bloud should be required at his hand which should shed it that is that he which killed a man should also be killed And the this ought not to be done rashly and of euery man euen reason it self teacheth Wherfore out of this place is most manifestly gathered that there ought of necessitye to be chosen out men to decide causes and to punishe the guiltye But for that we sée that in kingdomes many things are done ouerthwartly and vniustly lawes are peruerted and the commaundements of God are violated many thinke that it can not be that such powers should be of God But as Chrysostome very well admonisheth the thing it self that is the principall function must be distinguished In iudging we must distinguishe the thyng from the person from the person For it is not to be doubted but that the person for as much as he is a man may abuse a good thing but the thing it self considered apart forasmuche as it is good cannot come from any els where but from God For euen as in the nature of things he hath appoynted al things orderly For he hath set heauen ouer the elements and therehense through the ayre he infuseth sundry powers and faculties into the earth and thereof bringeth forthe diuers and manifolde fruites wherewith we are nourished and liue And in mannes body he hath set the head in the top as in a tower and vnder it hath placed the eyes the eares the nose and other members euen to the soole of the féete so in order he preserueth humane society so that there are in it certayne degrées by which it is directed in those workes wherein men communicate the one with the other For it is not possible that where all are equall should long be kept peace For therof rather spring contencions and discordes Wherefore some must néedes be aboue others to take away contencions and to bring matters of controuersy to a quietnes This thing God 〈◊〉 cannot be had where equalâ—y is hath not denied to beas cranes and fishes For these liuing creatures haue their kinges and princes by whose conduit and leading they either go forth to worke or returne from worke Wherefore seing that man is the most excellent of all liuing creatures and communicateth in many actions it was most requisite that he should be fensed of God with this ayde of principality But besides this reason which yet is most true and very necessary the holy scriptures also constantly affirme God geueth and traÌ„sferreth kingdoms the selfe same thing For they teach that God is not only the author of all publique power but also that he distributeth kingdoms principalities wheÌ„ to whoÌ„ he wil at his pleasure For somtymes he called yâ— Assirians somtimes yâ— ChaldeaÌ„s somtymes other nations which by violence ouercoÌ„ming oppressing yâ— Israelites rayned ouer them The kingdom which Dauid and Salomon had receaued all whole was by the will of God rent in sonder and ten partes thereof were geuen to Ieroboam the sonne of Mabath And yâ— this thing should come to passe the Prophet in the name of God did shew vnto Ieroboam before yâ— it came to passe God afterward remoued the famely of Aâ—hab that it should no longer raigne commaunded Elizeus to anoynt and consecrat Iohn the sonne of Nansi And in the 4. chapiter of Daniell it is thus written God obtayneth the kingdome amongst men and God by euill princes punisheth sinnes deliuereth it to whome so euer he wyll Howbeit God obserueth this order to vse wicked and vngodly Princes to punish the wicked doinges of the people And indéede we oftentimes see that sumptuousnes pompe pride and raging lustes are kept vnder by the violence of tyrans which otherwise if al things were quiet could not be cestrayned Lenity oftentimes can not remedy these euils therefore that they should not to farre range abroad stronger remedies are necessary And after that men being in this sort chastised doo returne vnto God he comforteth them and prouideth for them gentler princes and more iust gouerners For he will not suffer that thorough the cruelty of tirannes thinges humane should vtterly be ouerthrown God wyth tyranny entermingleth some iust princes and come to nought And this is the cause why God as it is manifest by histories alwayes with these monsters that is with these cruell and bloudy tirannes mingleth some godly and iust princes For he wil not haue vices so be repressed that the nature of men should vtterly perish Wherefore not only good and iust princes doo raigne by the wil of the lord but also vngodly and wicked trianns But if thou wilt say it be so why sayth Osea vnder the persoÌ„ of God They haue raigned but not by me I answere for that euill princes and such which after that by wicked meanes haue obteyned the kingdome doo by worse meanes gouerne it these I say in that they thus beastly behaue themselues haue not a respect to the will of God which is reuealed vnto vs either by the law of nature or in the holy scriptures For by that will of God theyr doinges and endeuors are most manifestly reproued And in this maner they are sayd not to raigne by God for that they apply not themselues to the written and reueled will of God Howbeit it can not be denied but that God by his hiddeÌ„ and effectuall will would haue them to raigne to that end which we haue now declared For that is not inough which some answere that God doth not these thinges but only permitteth them For the holy scriptures manifestly testefie that he called the Babilonians the Assirians and other nations to vexe and afflict the Israelites and that agaynst Salomon and other kinges he raysed vp enemies and aduersaries to kepe them vnder and to chastice them And forasmuch as these men being thus raysed vp haue no regard at all to
acte of Brutus and Cassius which destroyed the tyran Cesar and yet that their doings were not alowed of God the ende declared Wherefore we ought not to resist Princes though they be wicked as Peter admonisheth He which obeyeth the powers iobeyeth god We reuerence God in the earthly powers In earthly iudgements we contemplate the iudgement of Christ to come vs. Of these wordes we may thus gather he which resisteth the powers resisteth God therfore they which obey the powers as it is méete obey God This argumeÌ„t taken of contraryes is very manifest and true And this sentence not a little comforteth the children of God For they sée that when they obey Princes they obey God and reuerence him in the powers Moreouer also by the forme of the iudgements of the earthly magestrate they set before theyr eyes a certayne similitude of the iudgement of God which at the ende of the world we doubt not but Christ shall put in execution For princes are not to be feared for good workes but for euill Now Paul when he had aboundantly spoken of the efficient cause of humane powers whereby he taught that we ought to obey them tendeth to proue the same by the end that we might with the attentiue mynde harken to those precepts If magistrates be appointed to take away wicked workes and haynous factes then it semeth that there should be no place left for them if men would of their owne accord endeuor themselues to piety and to iustice and would not offend against the lawe Yea but euen then also their function is some way necessary For oftentimes we sée that good and innocent men although their mynd and will be good and albeit they desire Not onely the euâ—◠〈◊〉 also â— good and godly are hospen by magistrates to leade an vpright life yet of themselues they can not kéepe any order as touching ciuill discipline Therefore they haue nede of good and godly lawes to direct them to that which they desire Wherfore the ciuil power may be vnto them as a scholemaister But amitte that amongst men were no ignoraunce of the oâ—â—ices of life and of ciuill duties yet must we neds confesse that they shall euen then also be had in honor and admiration which are more aboundauntly endewed of God with most excellent giftes vnto whome yet should remaine no part of principality to be exercised ouer others And forasmuch as this shall happen vnto vs after that blessed resurrection therefore Paul to the Corinthians very well writeth For what causes some resist the magistrates that Christ at the end shall deliuer the kingdome to God and vnto the father and all principality and power shal be abolished But whilest we liue here still in the world and haue our conuersation here amongst euil men both the magistrate is necessary and we ought vtterly to obey him in those thinges which are not repugnaunt vnto piety And forasmuch as the magistrate is to this end appoynted to punish wicked workes and to aduaunce good thereby we may vnderstand that they which resist him may two maner of wayes be accused either for that their owne conscience accuseth them of euill actes by them committed which they would not haue punished or for that they are negligent followers of iustice whereunto they can not abide to be pricked forward But they complaine that they which are magestrates are men corrupt cruell and violent and that theyr whole trauaile is that euery man should haue either nothing at all or else very little But these meÌ„ ought to coÌ„sider that Paul here entreateth of the thing it self and not of the abuse and speaketh of that which happeneth for the most part not of that which happeneth seldome As touching the first that may not to be imputed as a fault to the thing which commeth of the abuse thereof As if a wicked man should peruersly abuse either the minde or the eyes or the eares or the rest of the powers of the soule yet should it not therof follow that the ends of all these things are not most excellent Both the subiects and the princes sometymes abuse the power Tyrannes also want not many good thinges Examples of the gouernment of Nero. vnles peraduenture we will say that God is the author of euill things And as touching power it may be abused as well by them which exercise it as by them which ought to obey it We ought also to remember that euen tyrannes also all be it they be greuous and irksome doe notwithstanding retaine still many offices of iustice and of equity and therfore they haue much more vtility and commodity then Anarchia hath wherin euery man may at his pleasure without any consideration doe what he will For vnles tyrans though they be neuer so cruel had some regard to right and equitie they could not kepe stil that theyr power When Nero in his gouernement oppressed the whole world yet were matters in controuersie decided nether was the strength of lawes vtterly taken away from men For vnder him Paul was by the Centurion deliuered from the danger to be torne in sonder of the common people and of the multitude of the Iewes And wheÌ„ he had cried that he was a citezen of Rome he was losed from his bandes eskaped stripes And the same Paul to the ende he should not be oppressed of the embushmentes of the Iewes was by night led away of the souldiours to Antioche and there oftentimes had libertie to defend himselfe And to be short he pleaded his cause and at the last appealed vnto Nero. Wherefore séeing that euen in wicked Princes shineth It is not lawfull for priuate men to kill a tyranne Examples of Dauid forth much good it is very manifest yâ— theyr power also is of God neither is it lawfull for any priuate man to kill a tiranne Dauid when he mought yet notwithstanding would not kil Saule although he vsed himself like a tyranne yea rather he commaunded that Amalechite to be slaine which bosted that he had killed Saule and he put them to death also which had slaine Jsboseth Saules sonne And doubtles if it should be lawful for euery man at his pleasure to destrâ—y a tyranne there would not want wicked men which vnder the pretence of the condemning of tyranny would doe violence vnto godly Princes and so should nothing be left holy and vnuiolated Howbeit I speake not this that I thinke that superior powers What inferiour powers may do to wardes supeâ—â—our powers There are two principall offices of power The coÌ„mon wealth is contained in two things can not be put downe by inferior magestrates or that they can not be coÌ„strained to doe theyr duety of those which are appoynted either kepers or authors or electors of Princes if they transgresse the endes and limites of the power which they haue receiued As in times past at Rome the Senate people of Rome were wont to do at this day in
and of the latter the sword is committed to be ignorant that he is a keper not only of the latter table but also of the first Wherefore he ought to doo his diligence that religion also be rightly administred and that according to the word of God Neither let him thinke which thing many princes at this day perswade theÌ„selues that such a care pertayneth nothing vnto them They wil destribute benefices and Bishoprickes to whome they thinke good but that they whome they haue exalted to such dignities should execute theyr office they nothing at all regard Wherefore you must be subiect not bycause of wrath only but also for conscience sake For for this cause ye pay also tribute for they are Gods ministers applyeng themselues for the same thing Render to all men therfore theyr dewty to whoÌ„ ye ow tribute tribute to whom custome custom to whoÌ„ feare feare to whoÌ„ honor honour Ow nothing to any man but to loue one an other for he yâ— loueth an other hath fullfilled the Lawe For this Thou shalt not commit adultery Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not steale Thou shalt not beare false witnes Thou shalt not couet and if there be any other commaundement it is briefely comprehanded in this saying euen in thys Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe Loue doth not euill to his neighbour therefore is loue the fullfillinge of the Law VVherefore you must be subiect not only bycause of wrath but also for conscience sake In this as it were in a briefe conclusion he concludeth the chiefe reasons which he had before alledged And referreth them either to vengeance or to conscience And into how greate a danger such as are stubborne and rebellious agaynst the magestrate bring themselues we may easely vnderstand by the most greauous punishments which are set forth in the lawes De crimine lesae maiestatis that is of the case of treason and in other such like lawes Moreouer we must haue a regard to our conscience which otherwise condemneth vs and diliuereth vs to the iudgement of God that although we escape the wrath of earthly princes yet let vs know that the vengeance of God doth stil hang ouer our heds But admitte there were no such vengeance hanging ouer our heddes doost thou yet notwithstanding count it so smal a matter to haue thy sicke mind continually scourged with the prickes of thy conscience There is no man I suppose which is ignoraunt how greuous a torment those cogitations accusing and defendyng one an other are These are those auenging furies which as yâ— Poets fayned do alwayes torment guilty men If thou vse thy selfe sediciously or stubbernly against princes a double care straightway afflicteth thy conscience One is for that thâ—â— hast cast A double care afflicteth the coÌ„science of seditious persons away the gouernment instituted of God The other is for that thou hast wyth most great ingratitude impietie iniustice and contumelies sought to hurte the power which deserueth well both at thy handes and also of all mankinde For this cause ye pay also tribute For they are the ministers of God applieng themselues for the same thing Paul declareth by an outward signe that the conscience of rebellious and stubborne men may iustly be reproued for that they pay tributes vnto their princes And that this is done iustly and rightly and orderly For two â—auses tribute is payd he taketh as a thyng graunted and knowen of all men and of all nations For tribute is geuen either that meÌ„ should testifie that they are subiect to theyr princes for for this cause God also commaunded that men should offer some what vnto him not that he hath any nede of our thinges for whatsoeuer we haue we haue it of him otherwise if he should haue nede of our good thinges he should not be God as Dauid sayth Or ells tributes are geuen in stede of a reward that we might some way recompence those greauous paynes which the maiestrates take for the common wealth and that they may be able to beare the burtheÌ„ of publique costs and charges Wherfore tribute admonisheth the conscience of men that that power is exellent to whome that tribute is geuen and that the same power is instituted of God and set and placed amongest men in the stede of God which also we ought to reuerence and highly to esteme For that is the thing which euery man in payeng tribute promiseth to doo This also we are thereby put in mind of that the Common wealth is by theyr care and industry very much holpen and therefore they ought to be susteyned with our riches which are priuate men as with a reward most iustly dew to theyr labours For to the end we should liue quietly and at ease they are continually troubled with the affaire of the common welth They are compelled oftentimes to be abrode and to neglect theyr owne busines for publique affayres sake that thou mayst abide at home and looke to thine owne affayres They defend the borders they fight agaynst the enemy they suffer all maner of labors they put themselues into most great dangers that we may peaceably and securely haue the fruition of our goods and possessions They decide matters in controuersy they make lawes they set forth decrées they sit in counsell that no man shoulde by violence be put from his owne that no man shoulde haue any vilany or hurt doone vnto him They persecute the euill doers murtherers and theâ—es they destroy that we may safely iorney and that no daÌ„ger should be wrought agaynst vs either at home or abrod For these so many benefits none ought to thinke it a thing greuous if tribute be payd vnto them as a iust reward We ought to helpe the maiestrates with prayers But besides tributes Paul admonisheth vs to helpe them also with our prayers yâ— vnder them we may lead a quiet peacable life with all piety and temperance I would to God princes one the other side when they receaue tributes customes would thinke with themselues to what end they are geuen I would to God they would thus say within them selues These things are for this cause geuen vnto me that I should aduaunce vertues that I should represse vices and defende the peace and tranquilitie of the common wealth I will not for nought receyue so great a reward I will not neglect those things which my people by this kindâ— of honor requireth or rather vrgeth at my hands If all Princes would do thus then should be taken away that ignominie which prouerbe is in euery mans mouth That all good Princes may be written in one ring For they are the ministers of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Here we sée that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and Liturgia pertayneth not onely to holy seruices It is against iustice not to pay or to diminish tributes Why he so many ways setteth forth obedieÌ„ce towards magistrateâ— â–ª 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pertaine not as some
that none can by good conscience denye tribute vnto Princes if it be required Nether ought Pope Bonifacius in any wise to haue taken vpon him to make that vnreasonable and outragious decrée It is already concluded of Paul that all owe subiection and obedience to publike powers Neither ought the godly sayth Chrysostome to take it in ill part to be subiect to magestrates although they themselues are the children of God and appoynted to the kingdome of heauen For theyr glory is not in the state of this life They wayt vntill Christ appeare in whome as yet is hidden theyr life But in yâ— meane time they ought not to count it a thing greuous if they rise vppe if they vncouer the head if they geue the vpper hande if they obey Magestrates Here is nothing vnméete or vncomely Yea rather what so euer is done of them accordynge to the prescript of the worde of God is full of all comelinesse and worthinesse Owe nothing to any man but this to loue one an other Paul will haue vs so perfectly and fully to render to euery man that which we owe vnto him that we should cease to be any more in debt Howbeit there is one certain thing which Charity is alwaâ—s tâ—e for that the cause of that det always remaineth can neuer be fully payd namely the debt of loue and charity For although thou both hast and dost loue thy neighbour yet notwistanding art thou still bound to loue him For there alwayes remayneth a cause why thou oughtest to loue him namely God whose image he is He made him he gaue him to thée to be thy neighbour he hath commaunded that thou shouldest loue him as thy selfe For he that loueth an other hath fulfilled the law Some referre this to that part of the law only which is here spoken of True it is that the discourse of thys treatise is of that part of the law which pertayneth to our neighbour So that the sence should be he which loueth an other hath fullfilled yâ— who le law as touching Our neyghbour is not rightly loued vnâ—es God be loued in him We haue God in our neighboure after a sort visible We must not hereby affirm that we can pâ—eforme the law the secoÌ„d table But I se no let but that we may simply vnderstaÌ„d yâ— who le law For we can not loue our neighbour well vnles we loue God in him For these are so knit together as the cause and the effect and therefore they can not be seperated the one from the other For the loue of our neighbour is a testimony of that loue wherwith we loue God If we loue not God being in a neighbour after a sort visible and present how do we boast that we loue him in himselfe whiche is not séene of vs but is of some thought to be very farre of from vs I would not that our aduersaries should here triumph as though Paul should say that we performe and fullfill the law Paul indede affirmeth that the law is fullfilled of him which loueth his neighbour but yet of such a one which in such sort loueth as the law coÌ„maundeth But this is no man able to performe For this thou shalt not committe adultery thou shalt not kill The proofe is hereof taken for that all those preceptes are summarily comprehended in that which is sayd Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe And this commaundement as Chrisostome here noteth is sayd of Christ to be like that great commaundemeÌ„t Thou shalt loue thy Lord thy God with all thy hart with all thy soule and with all thy strengths For seing that we ought to loue our neighbours as our selues there waÌ„teth litle but that we ought to loue him as we loue God For we omitte nothing Why the commaundement of hanoring the parents is ouer hipped which may serue to our owne commodity or saluation He made no mencion of the loue towards our pareÌ„ts eyther bycause that precept as the Hebrews thinke pertayneth to the first table or ells for that he would not reckon vp all all the coÌ„maundements For therfore he added And if there be any other commaundement Or ells for that he had alredy before sufficiently spoken of the obedience due to magestrates in which order are parentes also to be placed Loue woorketh not euill to his neighbour This is easely gathered of that which haue bene spoken For in these commaundemeÌ„ts are prohibited all things whatsoeuer may offeÌ„ded our brother Wherfore Paul aptly added that such is the force of loue that it suffreth not any man to hurt his neighbour And that considering the season that it is nowe time that we should arise from slepe for now is our saluation nerer then when we beleued The night is past and the day is at hand let vs therefore cast away the woorkes of darkenes and let vs put on the armour of light So that we may walke honestly as in the day not in glottonie and dronckenes neyther in chambring and waÌ„tonnes nor in strife and enuieng But put ye on the Lorde Iesus Christe and take no thought for the flesh to fulfill the lustes of it And that considering the season that it is now time that we shold arise from slepe After that Paul had now geuen many rules touching the dewties of loue and of an holy life lest paradueÌ„ture they should slippe out of our minds he thought it good to vrge them by an argument taken of time The summe is at this present all these thinges are diligently and with an earnest endeuor to be sene vnto for that oportunity serueth excedingly thereunto For so signifieth the Greke woorde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Paul vseth All this whole talke is metaphoricall â–ª For he maketh mencion of slepe of night of day of arising from slepe and of darkenes Waking Aristotle calleth a liberty of yâ— sences to execute theyr functioÌ„s contrariwise slepe is a bond of the sences Which commeth by the euaporation of the noorishements to the hed The meaning is this That before the fayth of Christ was reaceaued What waking is What â—â—â—pe is that is before regeneration men were conuersant in great darkenes of ignoraÌ„ce and therefore as it had bene men on sleepe they were hindred from all good works which mought be gratefull and acceptable to God But now after fayth and the grace of regeneration the bright knowledge of God hath shined forth as it were the day and therfore the strengths both of the soule and of the body are new after a sort losed and made frée to performe the woorkes of righteousnes Wherefore it is not mete that men should at this time be idle and senceles And therefore euery one ought to be awaked vp to execute the will of God seing that he séeth that he walketh in the light and in the day Paul vsed this selfe same forme of speach in yâ— first epistle to the Thes in the last chap. All ye sayth he are the children of
the light and of the day for we are not the children of the night nor of darkenes wherefore let vs not slepe as others doo but let vs be sober and let vs watche For they whiche sleepe slepe in the night and they which are dronken are dronken in the night And in the last chapiter to the Ephesians Ye were sayth he in times past darkenes but now ye are light in the Lord. Wherefore walke as children of light and haue not to do with the vnfruitfull workes of darkenes but rather reproue them For the thinges which they do secretly it is filthy euen once to name Howbeit these thinges are not to be counted as Thinges froÌ„ whencâ— are takeÌ„ing â—aphâ—rs ar not alwaâ—â— by reasâ—noi the trope or figure either to be allowed or to be condemned Difference betwene a natural motion and a violent Some are feruent at the beginning and afterward are weary A distinctioÌ„ of three tymes Our state may be called both light and darkenes It is now twylight faultes to be ascribed to night or to darkenes For God created night and darknes to our vse and commoditie namely that by them we should haue some rest and in termision from labours For now our saluation is nerer then when we beleued The further we goo on the nigher we come to the end Wherfore euery man ought diligently to apply himselfe to liue vprightly For they which runne for a wager the nigher they drawe to the marke the more ernestly they runne therunto And naturall motion herein differeth from violent for that thinges impelled naturally are more swister towards the end but those thinges which are driuen by violence the further they go one the softlyer and weakelier are they caried Wherfore that we may not seeme to obey God agaynst our willes the further we go on in liuyng here so much the feruentlier and holier let vs liue And Paul therfore peraduenture admonished vs hereof as Chrisostome noteth for that many are wont at the beginning of theyr conuersion most feruently to follow after righteousnes But afterward they slacke theyr zeale and become wery The night is past â–ª and the day is at hand Here are to be noted thrée differences of times Of which the first pertayneth to the most chiefe felicity which we wayte for in the blessed resurrection where the day shal shine most brightly The other pertayneth to that darke night and ignorance which is before our regeneration and conuersion vnto Christ The thirde is this shorte time wherein we being iustified doo liue thorough fayth Wherefore if this present time be compared with the night which went before it may seme to be day But if the same be compared with that time which we wayt for in the end it hath stil some shew of night and of darkenes so that it may not vnaptly be called twilight For we haue some light out of the propheticall woord that is out of the holy scriptures which as Peter sayth shine vnto vs in the darke And in the meane time whilest thorough faith we are instructed in thinges diuine we se them not manifestly nor face to face But only thorough a glasse and in a ridle as Paul sayth to the Corinthians And hereby I suppose it is very manifest what that meaneth that that saluation that is the full and bright day of felicity is now nier vnto vs then when we first beleued For then we began first to be mooued towardes the end but now we haue gon a great way in our iorney and euery day draweth nier nier the day of our death wherin we shal be caried from hence into heauen and euery day is nier and nier that comming of Christ wherin he shall both iudge the world and also shall perfectly renew vs according to our hope Wherfore yâ— which Paul sayth Then when we beleued is to be referred to the time of our conuersion VVherefore let vs cast away the weapons of darkenes and let vs put on the Why viâ—â—s are called the works of darknes arm or of light Works of darknes he calleth vices partly because they come of the ignorance of the heauenly truth â–ª and partly also because the doers of them seke after darknes For he which doth euill hateth the light Adulterers whoremongers theues murderers and such other like for the most part worke all their feates in the night And we haue before declared that Paul to the Thessalonians and to the Ephesians mencioneth the like things touching darkenes Wherefore Christ Good workes aâ— rightly called weapons most aptly sayd to them which were sent to take him This is your howre and the power of darknes Good workes he calleth the weapons of light for that they spring of the true knowledge of God and do shine before men to the glory of his name And they are not without cause called weapons For with them we must fight agaynst the deuill and the flesh and with them must we defend our liberty So that we walke honestly aâ— in the day In Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 He perswadeth vs to that which he entreateth of by an argument taken of that which is comely and honest which kind of argument is of great fore with noble and sincere mynds For men degenerate and sauage are commonly moued rather with things profitable and filthy Not in glotony and dronkenneâ— Paul here putteth thrée vices and those very common wherewith carnall men and men estraunged from Christ are euerye where contaminated and vnder those thrée he comprehendeth all other What glotony is vices wherewith mankinde is customably infected By glotonye he meaneth feastes and banquâ—tes but not all kinde of feastes but as Ambrosâ— sayth prâ—digall feasts which are made either at the common chardge of euery one of guests or which are made by courses betwene good fellowes companions wherin men passe the borders of all shame For euery one of the guests thinketh that to be his feast and therefore he dareth both speake and do whatsoeuer he thinketh good But he which is bidden to an other mans table is commonly bridled with some modesty and shamefastnes not to presume to speake any thing that is vncomely And peraduenture Iob feared least the feasts of his children werâ—such manner of feastes and therefore he daily sacrificed vnto God for them And what is went to happen at such riotous feastes the head of Ihon Baptist declareth which was geuen to that wanton and dissolute mayden And how great the outrageousnes of men was and especially of the elders amongst the Ethnikes it may hereby be knowne for that when they had well dronke they were wont hauing garlandes on their heads and minstrels with them to goe in banketting from place to place and as wanton and yong folke to speake and to doe what they listed So that oftentimes they fell to vncleane actes and to contentions as Paule here declareth Which thing the Poetes haue conningly paynted vnto vs in the feastes of
a thing of small waight For euery Christian ought to be fully perswaded touching this that he worship not bread and wyne in steade of God that he thinke not that the body of Christ is diffused through infinite places and that he plucke it not downe from heauen Although Paul in this place by controuersies of disputaâ—ion do rather vnderstand brawlings and contencions of words which are on either side poured out for victory sake and by which yâ— minds are kindled to wrath and are alienated and plucked away one from an other Which thing happened in this foresaid question For either part iudged that hys reasons or arguments serued to his purpose In suÌ„me here is entreated onely of brawling and contencious disputacions and not of gentle and quiet disputacions whereby men may be instructed to piety Moreouer this is to be noted that they which put a difference betwene meates are called of Paul weake when as yet at They whiche put a difference betweene meates are to be counted weake this day such men will be counted most strong But they obiect that Paul here speaketh onely of meates of the law and not of fastinges and of the choyse of meates which is now called into doubt But these men consider not that the Iewes had a great deale more iuster excuse which could not persuade themselues that those ceremonies should be abolished which God himself had deliuered vnto them by Moses then they at this day can haue For those men supersticiously to omitte to speake more sharply with so great a zeale follow the traditions of men only Howbeit I meane not here to defend those glottons which vnder the preteÌ„ce of the liberty of the Gospell geue themselues only to eating and drinking One beleueth that he may eate of all thinges but an other which is weake eateth herbes That man Paul sayth beleueth which thinketh that all things are frée vnto him and those he calleth weake which to the end they would not light vpon flesh prohibited or dressed otherwise then the law commaunded did eate nothing but herbes for that in them could be no danger of violating of the law whervnto Why the children of the Iewes abstained from the meates of the kings table also those young men in Daniell semed to haue had a respect wheÌ„ they would not defile themselues with the meates that came from the kinges table For they desired to haue rootes and herbes geuen them to fede vpon And without doubt it is necessary that euery one haue an assured fayth of that thing which he doth that it be not repugnant to the lawes of God He which eateth let him not despise him that eateth not and he which eateth noâ— let him not iudge him that eateth Paul goeth betwene either parties as a mediator and taketh away their brawlinges and hedgeth in either part by certayne bondes and limites according to his authoritie He permitteth euery man at his pleasure to eate what meates so euer he will so that he behaue himself in such sort that he despise not his weake brother He brideleth also the weake and permitteth them for a tyme not to eate against their conscience but yet in such sort that they should not condemne others which are better theÌ„ themselues As knowledge There is danger both in knowledge and in vnskilfulnes By what names the supersticious are reproued without charity puffeth vp and so puffeth vp that we contemne others in comparison of our selues so vnskilfulnes on the other side maketh vs prone and redy to iudge and condemne others Chrisostome noteth that those supersticious weake ones are in these wordes couertly in dede but yet sharply reproued For first saith he they are called weak and that in faith which doubtles is a most greuous fault Secondly Paul coÌ„maundeth them to be receaued as though of themselues they are not able to arise vp or to stand but haue nede of instructions and of doctrine and consolations Lastly he saith that they are by more strong disputations which they are not able to conceiue easely offended and for that cause are prone rashly to iudge For they condemned others which were more frée as though they violated the law of God and were geuen to glotony and to the belly more then was meete These faultes the papistes at this day vpbraide to many of our men but by what right and how truly let God iudge For God hath receaued him Paul bringeth notable reasons wherby he feareth Ab adiunctis away the weake from daungerous iudgements The first is taken of things annexed together for that he whome thou iudgest is not any common or vulgare man For God hath receiued him neither hath he suffered him to lie in sinnes to worship idols and to be ignoraunt of true religion and pietie Yea rather he hath brought him to this estate that he is now a member of Christ and a pertaker of the nature of God Wherfore seing that God hath adorned him with so great honour how darest thou presume to iudge him Who art thou which iudgest an other mans seruaunt He standeth or falleth to his owne lord yea he shal be established For God is able to make him to stand This man estemeth one day aboue an other and an other counteth euery day a like Let euery man be fully satisfied in his mind He that obserueth the day obserueth it to the Lord. He that eateth eateth to the Lord and geueth God thankes And he that eateth not eateth not to the Lord and geueth God thankes For none of vs liueth to himselfe neyther doth any dye to himselfe For whether we liue we liue to the Lord or whether we dye we dye to the Lord. Whether therefore we liue or dye we are the Lordes For Christ therfore dyed and rose agayne and reuiued that he might be Lord both of the quicke and of the dead VVho art thou which iudgest an other mans seruant Here he reprehendeth theyr fact by a similitude taken of things ciuil humane Men vse not to clayme vnto them selues any right ouer an other mans seruant And knowest not thou that those whome thou in such sort despisest are the seruants of the lord Vndoubtedly he which is taken into the famely of any great prince is not commonly iudged of any but of his lord I would to God these things were alwayes had in remembrance and obserued of backebiters to consider that those whose good name they seke to deface are not only men but also are now receaued of God into hyâ—tuition The faithful both are called and also are the â—eÌ„ of God and are by Christ made his children Paul in the epistle to Timothe calleth the beleuer the man of God in which wordes he signifieth yâ— he is not now a bare man But are all iudgements by these wordes prohibited Not vndoubtedly to those which haue either in the publike wealth or in the Church any publique power For in very dede these men iudge not but rather God
peraduenture séeme straunge vnto some as sayth Origen that the Apostle when as in the spirite of God he know that he should come to Rome wold yet notwithstanding implore those mennes prayers This in my iudgement no man shoulde call in question But we should rather learne that holy men althoughe they certainly know that God will geue vnto them whatsoeuer is expedient yet they also knowe that he will oftentimes geue it them throughe the prayers of his The We pray for those thinges which we know shal be geuen vnto vs. Lord also knew that the father would deliuer vnto him all things yet notwithstanding he continually prayed vnto him and so prayed that he sayde Father into thine hands I commend my spirite And as he knewe that his spirite should without all doubt be receiued of God so doubted he not but that the same was to be obtayned by his prayers Moreouer by those wordes we gather that the force of prayers consisteth not of our workes and merites For Paul so greate an Apostle desireth Prayers consist not of the worthines of them that pray to be holpen by theyr prayers who were far inferior vnto him although Ambrose sayth that many little ones if they be gathered together into one make great ones This saying I mislike not for Christ sayd where so euer shall be two or three gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Againe touching what thing so euer two or three shall agree together it shal be done vnto them as they desire And how much the prayers of the Church profited it is plainly declared in Peter For he was deliuered by the Angel when as continual prayer was made for him And seing now that publique prayers are so profitable they ought without all doubte most often How we ought to praâ— for other to be celebrated Wherfore godly men so often as they are either sicke or are in any great daunger ought to require the publike prayers of the Churche and afterwarde when they haue obtained theyr request they ought also to require yâ— church publikely to geue thanks to God for theyr sakes That ye helpe me in my busines In Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This doubtles is more then to helpe a man in his busines For that word signifieth properly a man to take vpon him one and the selfe same labor one and the selfe same trauail one and the self same striuing and conflicte with him for whome he prayeth And by this phrase of speache Paul doubtles instructeth vs with what affecte we ought to pray for others that is to transfer vpon our selues as much as is possible the miseries afflictions and sorowes of him for whome we pray That he vvould deliuer me from the vnbeleuers in Iury. The first thing that he desireth them to pray for him is that he might be deliuered from the vnbeleuing Iewes whome he knewe deadly hated him For they although they wished that all the Christians might vtterly be destroyed yet they hated Paule aboue all others for that no man more vehemently then he vrged that the ceremonyes oâ— Why Paâ—â— was aboâ—â—â— all the other Apostles odious to the Iewes Moses should be taken away And in this iorney as it is set forthe in the â–ª 2â— and â–ª 21. chapiters of the Actes Agabus and other Prophets foretolde vnto him greuous chaunces which should happen vnto him at Ierusalem wherefore both by that history and by this prayer it is manifest that the minde of Paul was troubled with no small perplexity Which perplexity yet God so restrained within certaine limites that it nothing letted him from the worke of the Lord For the Apostolical history most plainely testifieth that he most constantly answered vnto the Prophets and brethren which dissuaded him from this iorney I count not my soule and life so precious sayd he that I will delay to runne my course and to fulfil my ministery which the Lord Iesus Christ hath deliuered vnto me And I am redy sayd he not only to be bound but also to dye for our Lord Jesus Christes sake Wherefore Paule was not afeard to die but he therefore desired to be deliuered that he might minister vnto the saintes and that he might come to Rome and so goe into Spaine For it had bene muche better for Paul to haue died then so to haue bene vexed with perpetuall contumelies and to liue as one layd forth to all iniuries This he himselfe signifieth to the Phillippians saying To dye is to me a gaine How be it to abide in the fleshe is profitable for your sakes and I hope that I shall abide Paule after this manner maketh request to the Romaines not in dede for his owne commoditye but for theirs And doubtles if they had a desire to sée Paul it was theyr parts withal maner of prayers earnestly to contend that according to his desire he might be deliuered from the vnbeleuing Iewes And that this my ministery vvhich I haue to doe at Ierusalem may be acceptable to the saintes The other parte of his request is that the saintes might gently The sâ—ate of the godly is miserable as touching this world accept his trauaile and paines The condition and state of the godly is doubtles miserable as touching this world They take most grieuous paines for the saluation of others not only to prouide for theyr soules but also for theyr bodyes And yet oftentimes they doubt whether they shall be well accepted of them whome they séeke to profit Neither dothe Paul without cause suspect that this might happen also as touching them which fauoured Christ For in those first times there was in the Churche of Ierusalem a certaine great zeale to obserue the law From which when they hearde that Paule was fallen away they bare but small good Some of the Iewes that were Christians bare no great good effection towardes â–ª Paul wil towards him Wherfore Paul feared least his duety towards them shold haue bene reiected and least he should haue bene frustrated of that consent agrement which he saw was nedeful for him to the preaching of the gospell Wherefore the preachers of our time ought to comforte themselues if they sée that theyr paynes which they take in teaching are not accepted of the people Neyther ought they which faythfully handle the distribution of almes to be grieued if they can not please all men Christ himselfe the more paynes he tooke for our sakes so much the more incurred he the displeasure of the Iewes Wherfore it ought not to seme vnto vs any great iniury if we be coÌ„pelled to suffer yâ— which we se he hath suffred What is to be sâ—ne vnto in geuyng of almes Hereby also let vs vnderstand that we ought not only to helpe the poore but also we must haue a care that our oblations may be acceptable and pleasant vnto theÌ„ which thing they litle consider which when they geue any thing geue it with
a frowning couÌ„tenance and with bitter opprobrious woordes This is a paradoxe of Christian philosophy a doctrine intolerable vnto the fleshe that we should with a valiant minde tollerate iniuries although they be vniustly inflicted vpoÌ„ vs and Paradoxes of christian philosophy that we should not cease to doo good vnto them which haue our trauayle and diligence in suspicion and beare a deadly hatred against vs. But it is meruaile how Paul calleth them saintes who beare vnto him no great good fauour But he saw that with faith and iustification is ioyned very great infirmitie and that oftentimes With iustification is oftentimes ioyned greâ— infirmity it happeneth that holy men haue no vpright iudgement touching thynges humane either for that they are not rightly enstructed or els for yâ— they are fraudulently seduced by others That I may come with ioy vnto you by the will of God and may together vvith you be refreshed This is the ende why he wished to be deliuered namâ—ly that he might be with the Romanes and others whome he might by his diligence and labour helpe in the aduancing of the Gospell Herein Paul placed all his consolation Let the ministers now go and boast of their riches and reuenues and commodities omitting in the meane tyme the apostolicall office of doctrine of preaching of labours and of troubles For herein doth Paul put his solace rest This also is to be noted the lowlines and modesty which Paul vseth wheÌ„ he speaketh these thinges For he saith not that I may teach admonishe instruct correct you but that I may comforte and refresh my selfe with you This is it which he sayd at the beginning of this epistle To confirme you that is that I might be comforted together with you thorough that fayth which is common both yours and mine The God of peace be with you all Amen He last of all wisheth vnto them peace and that no common peace but the peace of God which ought truely to be called the chiefe good thing For as Paul in an other place sayth it passeth all vnderstanding With peace he began his epistle and with peace he endeth the same And when as he himselfe could not as yet be with them he wisheth yâ— they might haue with them the God of peace that is God pacified and mercifull for so signifieth this particle the God of peace The sixtenth Chapiter I Commend vnto you Phebe our sister which is a seruaunt of the Church of Cenchrea That ye receaue her in the Lord as it becommeth saintes and that ye asist her in whatsoeuer busines she nedeth of your ayde for she hath geuen hospitality to many and to me also I commend vnto you Phebe our sister Men thinke that this holy wooman What maner of ministery Phebe had in the church caried this epistle of Paul to Rome She had bene a minister in the Church of cenâ—hrea not indede in teaching publikely but in looking to the poore which were susteyned at the charges of the Church And what maner of widowes either as touching age or as touching maners were required to that charge it is at large set forth in the epistle to Timothe By what maner of meanes she was an helpe vnto Paul we know not But it is inough for vs out of this testimony of Paul to vnderstand that she had oftentimes bene beneficiall both to many others and also to Paul himself She is here thrée ways commended for that she was a sister for that she was a minister and for that she had geuen hospitalitie to many others and to Paul also Wherunto also may be added that she was holy For Paul streight way Phebe thre waies coÌ„mended addeth as it becommeth saints Hereby it is manifest yâ— Christians that are strangers ought not only therefore to be receaued for that they are brethern but also for that they pertayne to God as saynts and wholy dedicated vnto him Cenchrea is a towne nighe vnto Corinthe and a port or hauen longing to that towne Neither is it to be meruailed at that Paul here coÌ„mendeth a woman for he also wrotâ— letters of commendation to Phâ—lemon for Onesimus his bondman Salute Prisca and Aquila my fellow helpers in Christ Iesus which haue for my life laid downe their owne necke vnto whom not only I geue thankes but also all the churches of the Gentles Likewise greete the church that is in their house Salute my welbeloued Epenetus whiche is the first fruites of Achaia in Christ Salute Mary which bestowed much labour on vs. Salute Andronicus and Iunia my cosins and fellow prisoners which are notable Amongst the Apostles and were in Christ before me Salute Amplias my beloued in the Lorde Salute Vrbanus our fellow helper in Christ and Stachis my beloued Salute Appelles approued in Christ Salute them whiche are of Aristobulus house Salute Herodian my kinsman Salute them whiche are of the frendes of Narcissus which are in the Lord. Salute Triphena Triphosa which women labour in the Lord. Salute the beloued Persis which woman hath laboured much in the Lorde Salute Râ—fus chosen in the Lord and his mother and mine Greete Asyncritus Plegon Hermas Patrobas Mercurius and the brethren which are with them Salute Philologus and Iulias Nereas and his sister and Olimpas and al the saints which are with theÌ„ Salute one an other with an holy kisse All the Churches of Christ Salute you Salute Prisca â–ª and Aquila This woman Prisca the wife of Aquila is called of Luke in the 18. chapiter of the Actes Priscilla Her husband Aquila was borne in Pontus but as touching his stocke he was a Iew and he was of the same art or science that Paul was But why he setteth the woman before the man we know not but hereby it is manifest that the loue of ech of them was notable when as for Pauls sake they did put theyr life in danger Wherefore the Apostle coÌ„fesseth that not only he himsefe is much in theyr debt but also all the churches of the Gentils For it was euâ—â—â—t that they had doone a great benefit to them all in that they had preserued Paul theyr teacher and maister Neyther is this to be passed ouer with silence that he calleth the man and the wife his helpers and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which commonly they cal felow workers And â— not without a cause For they instructed in yâ— way of the lord Apollo a Iew one that had very great knowledge in the law as it is writen in the 18 chap. of yâ— Actes All these which are there named Paul hath adorned with most excâ—llent titles Which if a man diligently consider conteyne nothing that is earthly or worldly but conteyne most excellent gifts and vertues What thinges ought to moue christians to loue one another which God had geuen vnto them that we might vnderstand what are the things that ought to moue vs to loue men If there be any which loue them that
are rich beawtifull mighty and in honour they ought to know that this is not the Apostolicall loue Riches indede and beawty and honour are the giftes of God but yet not such that we ought with a singular loue to embrace them And the Church that 〈◊〉 in theyâ— house Paul writeth the selfe same thing of these persons in the first to yâ— Corinthians the last chap either bycause that theyr famely was so godly enstructed that it mought seme to be a Church or els for that the faythfull gathered together into theyr house to celebrate holy assemblies And this interpretacion I thinke to be the likelier although Chrisostome Origen and Ambrose follow the first The first fruites of Achaia They which before all others come to professe religion plainely declare that they litle regard men and the iudgements of the flesh but only follow the impulsioÌ„ of the holy gost Origen in stede of Achaia redeth Asia whome he that will follow let him vnderstand Asia the lesse wherein is Ephesus I meruayle at Ambrose which referreth first fruites to present dignity as though he were placed in some magestrateship or principality which semeth not vnto me very likely and especially for that this word in Christ is added My kâ—nsmen and fellovv prisoneâ—â— Kinred alone could not haue moued him but he the gladlier mencioneth them for that they had suffred together with hym They came to Christ before Paul they are called notable amongst the Apostles not that they were of the number of the 12. Apostles but for that as it is most likely they had sowed abrode the Gospell in many places and had built many Churches Origen thinketh that it is possible that they were of the number of the 72. disciples Which I thinke can not be for they fell away from Christ But how attributeth he this vnto his wife as though the office of the Apostleship could agrée also with her Paraduenture they are called notable amongst the Apostles for that they were well knowen vnto them and were of no small reputation in the Church of Christ This sence I dislike not so that the very wordes be not repugnaunt thereunto Them which are of Aristobulus house He biddeth not them to salute Aristobulus Narcissus made a freman by Claudius Cesar himselfe peraduenture for that he beleued not in Christ Yet he had of â–ª his housholde that were Christians Which self thing is also thought of those whome he addeth the friendes of Narcissus This man was made a frée man by Claudius Cesar and was a man of great might but otherwise wicked an extorcioner and one euill spoken of howbeit Ambrose thinketh that he was an elder In the Lord For all the family of Narcissus beleued not the gospel Vnto these men he ascribeth no titles paraduenture for that they were weake and did not so boldly professe the Gospell Apollo Origen thinketh that Apollo was that Apollo borne at Alexandria but I know not how I should be of his minde touching that For so great a man without doubt should haue bene adorned with some most notable title He therefore peraduenture sayth that these women â—hryphona Tryphosa Persis Mariae laboured for that they had suche a ministery as before we sayde Phebe had His mother and mine He calleth this woman mother bicause of her affection The boke of Hermas is not in the Canon towardes him and not that she was so by nature So before he called Phebe his sister Hermas Origen thinketh that this man was the author of the boke called the booke of the Pastor which scripture he sayth séemeth to him holy and inspired by God which is a plain argumeÌ„t that that boke is not to be receiued as Canonicall VVith an holy kisse This amongst the Hebrues was a token of peace and of brotherly amitie All the churches of Christ salute you Here are ment those churches through which Paul had passed or which were nigh to those places Now brethren I besech you marke them diligently which cause diuision and offences contrary to the doctrine which you haue learned and auoide them For they that are such serue not the lord Iesus Christ but their owne bellyes and with faire speche and flattering deceiue the hartes of the simple For your obedience is come abrode amongst al. I am glad therfore of you but yet I wold haue you arise vnto that which is good and simple coÌ„cerning euill The God of peace shall treade sathan vnto your fete shortly The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you I beseche you brethren marke them diligently which cause diuision and offenceâ— He had willed them before to salute the godly Now he admonisheth them to beware of the wicked He willeth them diligently to marke and to consider them for that as it oftentimes happeneth they can not easely be found out but after loÌ„g time and after that they haue done some great mischief In these words are noted the false Apostles and as Chrysostome sayth diuers of the Iewes which by reason of the ceremonyes of the lawe did cause diuision and dissension in the Churches These men serued theyr voluptuous pleasures and their bealy and not God such as they were also whome the Lord sayd deuoured the houses of widowes Suche men Paule to Timothe calleth intractable vaine speakers deceiuers of mennes mindes and which were of the circumcision They ouerthrow sayth he houses they teache those things which are not meete for filthy gaine sake whose mouth oughte to be stopped A certaine Prophet of theyrs sayd That the men of Crete haue alwayes bene liers â–ª euill beasts and slouthfull bellies And in the latter Epistle to Timothe which crepe into the houses of widowes and lead captiue wemen laden with sinnes always learning and neuer comming to the knowledge of the truth They vse fayre speach sayth he but by theyr flattering they seke nothing else but to deceiue you These are two marks to know false Apostles by They serue theyr bealy and speake fayre or flatteringly Such men sayth Origen ment Christ when he said They come vnto you in shepes Two markes to know false Apostleâ— â–ª by Onely by the word of God false doctrine is discâ—rned from true clothing but within they are rauening wolues shéepes clothing are fayre wordes the gredines of the belly signifieth the rauening of Wolues And Origen addeth See in how great daunger they are which exercise not them selues in the holy scriptures by which only these men are discerned These wordes are diligently to be noted that true doctrine is discerned from fals by the holy scriptures only We make not discordes in the churche as the bondslaues of the Pope falsly slaunder vs but we as muche as lieth in vs and as our bounden duety is resist theyr conspiracye which they haue made against the truthe and with which they haue so long time oppressed it And auoyde them The Church hath no other sword but excommunication This sword the Apostle admonisheth them to vse against
calleth sinne by which word he vnderstandeth the corruption of nature y◠remnants of original sin The law is as a scholemaster therfore it only teacheth instructeth But of it selfe it bringeth not forth these euils This place of Paul excellently setteth before our eyes what maner ones we are by the transgressiō of our first parentes When we are called vnto God we flye away from him when we are inuited to vprightnes and eternall life we runne away hedlonge vnto sinne and death So that thing which ought to be vnto vs a remedy increaseth aggrauateth the disease Desperate disseases as a canker and the leprosy are of so great Disseases past hope stubburnes that by laying remedies vnto them they ware worse and worse wherfore the phisitions geue them ouer Euen such is our lust Who will abide such an horse which how much the more he is pricked forward with spurres so much the more goeth backward Vndoubtedly that sonne is of a very wicked nature which as soone as he heareth the commaundemēt of his louing father straigthway with all his endeuor laboureth to the contrary But we are fallen so farre that certaine thinges therefore seme sweete for that they are forbidden vs. Therefore Salomon sayth waters stollen are the sweeter Augustine wisely waighyng wyth Certaine things seme sweete euen therfore for that they ar forbidden hymselfe thys prauity in his booke of confessions accuseth hymselfe for that when he was yet a childe he wyth others stole away other mennes peares not for that he was hungry or for that he would eate them himselfe or geue them vnto others for they were sower and he had much better at home but only to do ill and to committe those thinges which were forbidden him Paules whole The scope of Paul scope is this to transfer the fault which was layd vpon the Law vnto our prauity For the Law ought not to be accused that it was an occasion of sinnes For there is nothing so good but that it may be an occasion of greate euelles Our sauior saith of himself If I had not come spoken vnto thē they had had no sin And in the 10. chapiter to the Hebrues How much more greauouser punishment semeth he worthy of which hath troden vnder foote the sonne of God And Paul straight way in the beginning of this epistle reproueth the wise men of the Gentles for that when they knew God by the wonderfull order and beawty of thinges created they yet glorified him not as God Whereby it came to passe that the knowledge of God which they had gathered by nature was vnto them an occasion of A similitude greater damnation If a phisition should forbid vnto one sicke of an agew cold drinke and he should therefore begin more feruently to thirst that is not to be attributed vnto the phisition And euen as in this case the corrupt affection of the sicke party is the ground of this euill so the corruption of our nature is the true and proper cause of sinne Wherfore we must continually pray vnto God that it would please him to renew in vs our will Farther we must put awaye Infidelitie confirmeth strengthneth lust infidelity which excedingly strēgthneth the lust that is grafted in vs. For if we verily beleued that those thinges which are prohibited of God will certainlye bring vnto vs destruction we would not vndoubtedly commit them For when before our eies is set present death of the body we all flye from it But when we beleue that that which is set before vs is not present death or that we thinke we shall escape it by some meanes we contemne the admonition so if we beleued God when he threatneth death vnto sinners we woulde vndoubtedlye obey his commaundements But forasmuche as there still cleaueth vnto vs that poyson of infidelity which the deuill breathed into Adam when he perswaded him that The condition of our lustes that thinge should not come to passe whiche God had threatned our luste thus subtelly reasoneth with vs that those punishments which God hath threatned in the law shall not be inflicted vpō the transgressors so roughly as they are there set forth and that it is possible that we may by some meanes escape them More ouer by this place we see that they are in miserable and vnhappy case which ar straungers from Christ For al thinges though they seeme neuer so good turne All thinges turne to euill to them that are straungers frō Christ to them vnto euill which thing Paul durst affirme of the law that is of the word of God how then can it be doubted of other things And that which Paul sayth by the law is wrought in vs all maner of lust some so interpretate as though before y◠Law there was no lust in vs. But these mē ought to cōsider that Paul wrote that sinne by the law wrought in vs all maner of lust And if sinne wrought it then must it nedes be that it was in vs before And when as such sinne is called lust it is not simply sayd that it wroughte luste but there is added this woorde All which signifieth whole perfect and absolute lust Wherefore Augustine expounding this place sayth lust was before the law but not full and absolute Nether disagreth Chrisostome from this exposition Ambrose also sayth when the Apostle sayth All maner of lust he thereby signifieth all maner of sinnes Wherefore it is very manifest that Paul ment nothing ells but that out of our contaminate and corrupt nature when it was prouoked by the Law sprang all maner of sinnes or as they vse to say actuall sinnes Nether wanteth this an Emphasis in me For if these thinges happened in Paul who as he himselfe writeth vnto the Galathi had profited in the religion of the Iewes aboue all the men in his time and as he sayth vnto the Phillippians Had walked without blame in the righteousnes of the law and as he writeth in the first to Timothe Had from his elders serued God in a pure consience What is to be thoughte of vs whiche are neyther studious of the Lawe nor Whither the Apostle here tooke vpon him the person of an other man yet doo in any part performe the thinges which we doo know I know there are some with think that the Apostle here toke vpon him the person of an other mā so that these thinges are not pertayning vnto him but vnto men not yet regenerate or still wallowing in sinnes And Augustine semeth sometimes to haue bene of that minde But in his 2. booke of Retractations the. 1. chap. he sayth that he was moued vpon most iust consideration to reuoke that For it is very playne by those things which follow that Paul entreateth of such a man as in mind serueth the Law of God and delighteth himselfe therein which hateth euill and is drawen agaynst his will vnto the Law of sinne Wherefore he concludeth that these wordes
sée Christ Ierome against the Pelagians Ierome praiseth Augustine which is the only scope of all the scriptures But as touching Ierome from those things which he wrote in those places which we haue now aledged I apeale vnto those which he learnedly godly wrote against the Pelagians For they thought yâ— our saluation dependeth of our workes merites He in the end of his third dialoge highly commendeth Augustine neither any where els yâ— I can remember of speaketh he more worthely of him For he calleth him a man holy and eloquent and excellently commendeth his bookes against this heresy and especially his booke of the baptisme of infantes to Marcellienus and to Hilarius And he sayth that he would not in that disputation procede any farther for that either he should speake the selfe same things that Augustine had before spoken or els if he should séeke to bring other thinges seing Augustine had before brought better he should but lose his labour But in those bookes how much Augustine is against this seÌ„tence namely that election dependeth of workes euery one that readeth them may easely iudge Farther he alleadgeth many thinges out of the scriptures whereby is most euident and playne that the strength of our frée will is so broken and weakned Testimonies which Ierome bringeth against free will that our saluation can by no meanes depend of it Ioseph saith he was led away into Egipt and when beyng now captiue he was shut vp in prison the Iailer committed all thynges to hys power and fidelity And thereof is rendred a cause namely for that the Lord was wyth hym He interpretateth vnto Pharao his dreames he is exalted vnto the dignity next vnto the king he fedeth hys father brethren Iacob goeth downe into Egipt encreaseth into a populous nation hys posterity is afterward brought forth out of Egipt and all these thinges is God sayd to haue brought to passe Where then sayth Ierome is the power of fre will And Salomon sayth with all thy hart put thy coÌ„fidence in God the Lord but be not thou puffed vp in thine owne wisdome In all thy wayes acknowledge him that he may make thy wayes right By him are directed the waies of maÌ„ And Paul saith not that we are sufficieÌ„t to thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues but our sufficiency is of God And moreouer sayth he darest thou still glory in free will and abuse the benefites of God to the contumely of him that geueth thee them and especially seing that the selfe same vessell of election agayne writeth We haue this treasour in vesselles made of clay that the aboundance of our strength should be of God and not of our selues And agayne he which glorieth let him glory in the Lord. And when then Lorde sayth in the Gospel I am the vine and ye are the braunches he which abideth in me and I in him bringeth forth much fruit for without me ye can do nothing Agayne No man can come vnto me vnles my father shall draw him by these wordes he breaketh the liberty of our will outrageous in pride He addeth also that this is to be marked that he which is drawen is signified to haue bene before slowe yea rather resisting and vnwillinge And seing yâ— the matterâ—k so how can the power of our will be so great wherby The strength of our free wil is not so great that it coulde moue God to elect vs. God could be moued to elect vs Vndoubtedly we caÌ„not so much as imagine any such power when as how great so euer it be we must always count to haue receiued it of yâ— grace of God Now let vs se what Origens mind is touching this matter He beginneth in dede well if he could haue continued still in the same minde For at the beginning he sayth That election is not of workes but of the purpose of God and of the good pleasure of him that calleth And vpon the chapiter next going before when he expoundeth this place of Paul whome he foreknew those he predestinated to be made like vnto the image of his sonne he sayth that foreknowledge can not be taken for a bare and simple knowledge For God in his foreknowledge comprehendeth also the wicked whome yet he predestinateth not to be made like vnto the image of his sonne Wherfore he saith that that knowledge signifieth an effect and loue wherby God embraseth some as Paul sayth to Timothe The Lord knoweth who are his wheÌ„ yet notwithstanding he knoweth also those that be aleantes from him So it is written that Christ knew not sinne when yet vndoubtedly he knew the nature of sinne But he is sayd not to haue knowen it bicause he allowed it not neither at any time committed any sinne The leuites also which together with Moses slew the Israelites that had played the Idolaters are sayd to haue knowen neither father nor mother nor kinsfolkes nor frendes for that they were not drawen by any priuate affection to spare them or to absteyne from killing of them Wherfore wheÌ„ Paul saith whome he foreknew those also he predestinated he thus interpretateth it that God predestinated those whome be loued These things being thus well set afterward he addeth vnto them thinges clene contrary making some kinde of protestation as Ierome did of the obscurenes of the place He also imagineth that the purpose of Paul was much like to this namely that A similitude of Origâ—nâ— he in this epistle to the Romanes doth as a maÌ„ which wil lede about a stranger thorough a goodly large Palace of a king For whilest yâ— straÌ„ger is led thorough diuers romes and paâ—lers and chambers it oftentimes commeth to passe that he knoweth not neither which way he came in nor which way to get out This similitude in dede some like very wel but in my iudgement it is not to be liked For this he semeth plainly to signifie that God hath commended vnto vs hys holy scriptures as a Labirinth or maze wherein we should waÌ„der For neither The holy scriptures are not like a Labirinth or mase is therein this place any obscurenes but such as is of these mens own deuising Wherfore he sayth that when Paul had sayd out of Malachie Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hatred he streight way obiected vnto him selfe What then shall we say is there iniquity with God And made answer vnto himselfe God forbid which answere he thinketh is to be repeted as often as the Apostle is asked the questioÌ„ of the importunate and froward demauÌ„der For he imagineth that one should thus continue in questioning with Paul If it was sayd vnto Moses I wil haue mercy on whome I will haue mercy and wil shew compassion on whome I wil shew compassion therefore it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that hath compassion Here he sayth must be added God forbid Farther if it semed good to God to rayse vp Pharao to
was peaceable Dearly beloued auenge not your selues but geue place vnto wrath After he had written what we ought rather to do then to recompēce euil for euil he returneth more largely to expound that which he put forth This thing saith he I cōmaund you that ye auenge not one an other And therewithall sheweth what we ought to do after that we haue receaued iniury Geue place sayth he to anger But to whose anger Some vnderstand his anger that hath done to vs the iniury For so it is possible y◠in geuing place we may break y◠violence therof but if we resist y◠fury therof it wil waxe more hot So lightnings ouercome breake with a great noyse and fall cleaue in sonder thinges hard and which resist thē But when they méete with thinges soft and geuing place they easely penetrat and hurt them not at all So those instruments of warre called Gonnes with a great violence ouerthrow walles and castles built of hard stones but if they light vpon ramperes of earth which geue place to their stroke they vtterly loose their strengthes and nothing hurt Wherefore good captaynes when they make ware vpon the sea vse to couer their shippes euery where with wooll for by reason that the wooll geueth place to the strokes the whole force of y◠Gonnes is easely frustrated It may thus also be vnderstanded that we must geue place to the wrath of God for he which auengeth preuenteth or rather hindreth himselfe So the sense is Commit the matter to God and geue place to his anger For it hangeth ouer your enemies heads For when they hurt you they heap vnto themselues wrath in the day of wrath Moreouer he which auengeth himselfe doth rashely and vsurpeth vnto himselfe the office of God and where as being of a priuate estate he hath not authority ouer those of whom he is hurt yet he vniustly claymeth it Beloued sayth he for those things which he commaunded semed to be somewhat hard And therfore with gentle speach he purchaseth their assent and therewithall declareth that he writeth not these thinges for that he litle regardeth their iniuries and hurtes It is not so saith he for I loue you from the hart Neither commaund I these We may go vnto the magistrates in iust causes things but for your owne profit sake Thou wilt paraduenture demaund whether Christians are prohibited by these wordes of Paul that when they are hurt they should not goe vnto the Magistrate and pleade against him which hath done thée hurt They are not hereby vndoubtedly prohibited How be it this is to be taken héede of that they doe it not of a corrupt affect and wicked mind to seke vengance and to repay euill for euill But this they ought to haue a care of to defende by the helpe of the Magestrate those whome they haue in theyr tuition and moreouer that that brother which hath offended whome they sée will not be amended with sound counsels and godly admonitions be reformed by some other meanes lastly that euill examples be taken out of the Churche and out of the publike wealthe Vpon these and such other like considerations it is lawfull to goe vnto the Magistrate For he is apoynted of God as it is lawful for y◠faithful to vse other benefites He which goeth to the magistrate geueth place to anger of God the heauen I say the sunne corn and fruites so also is it lawfull for thē to vse the magestrate And so is place geuen to y◠wrath of God For y◠wrath is declared vpon y◠wicked either by y◠Magestrate which iudgeth by the authoritie of god in his place or if y◠magestrat neglect his office by god himself as they vse to speak immediatly Wherfore in going vnto y◠Magestrat so y◠it be done rightly orderly is no offēce cōmitted But this is chiefly to be takē hede of y◠we seke not to abuse either God or y◠magestrate only to satisfie our anger to fulfil our hatred as though we would vse them for our tormentoures The common edition hath Not defending your selues In Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which worde although sometimes it signifie to defend yet it signifieth that defence which is ioyned with Whether it be lawful to repell 〈…〉 lence by 〈…〉 olence vengaunce And a christian is not forbidden but that he may repell violēce by violence when he is either sodenly inuaded in a solitary place or that he cānot otherwise haue the ayde of the magestrate For forasmuch as the lawes made by a iust magestrate permit vnto him this thing he dothe it not as a priuate man but as a publique minister armed by iust and publique lawes Christ sayd If a man geue vnto the a blow on thy right cheke turne vnto him the other But this is to be done when thou séest that thou maist by this meanes profite thy brother or that it conduceth to illustrate the glory of God But besides these cases we are not bounde of necessitie so to doe as both Christ and Paul by theyr example haue taught vs. But whilest we repel violence by violence we must obserue a moderation of a iust defēce of our selues as the lawyers speake that we seke not eyther to hurt or to kill him which doth vs violence And this is diligently to be taken bede of that we repell his violence that hurteth vs with as litle his hurt as we can Doubtles vnles it had bene lawfull to repell violence by violence the Apostles when they followed Christ would not haue caried swoordes with them but they had swordes For they sayd vnto Christ in that last supper Behold here are two swordes And Peter when Christ should be taken Shall we smite sayth he with the sword Hereby it is very manifest that the Apostles to this vse ware swordes If this had bene repugnant vnto the law of God Christ would neuer haue permitted it for he was a most sharpe defender of the commaundements of his father Vengeance is mine and I will repay sayth the Lord. That whiche is hard vnto the flesh and disagréeing from humane reason he confirmeth by the authority of the woord of God These woordes are written in Deut. the 32. chapter And it is to be red in the nominatiue case and not in the accusatiue case For in Hebrew it is Linekamueschalony and in Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is vengeāce And that which is added And I will repay is not in the Hebrew but only Veshalom which is And a retribution Wherefore in the Hebrew it is thus Vnto me vengeance and retributiō But the 70. interpreters haue not that particle but in stede thereof read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is In the day of vengeance I will repay when time serueth Neither is it to be doubted but that God wil auenge our cause For in our iniuries he is first offēded For no mā can so much as once think to hurt vs but y◠he