That for the manifesting of mans subiection to both those properties the declaration of the lawe was needefull wherin the condition of his estate myght appeare THe infinite mercy of God hauyng thus geuen to Adam a touche or saie of the foundation of this new worke concerning mans restitution séemeth as it were for a tyme to forget man in leauing hym neither rule nor law manifested by his worde wherby to gouerne hymselfe to proue whether he any thyng stirred as yet by hys swéete promise would hunte and séeke after hys God to the finding of whom he coulde want no store of guides séeyng all the other creatures of god were indices or pointels to shew him who he was For the harmony and whole consent of all other creatures in their seueral kyndes conspired as it were together to lead vnthankefull man to the knowledge admiration of his mighty and meruelous creator by the contemplation of their obedience and thanckefulnes in their kyndes for his glorious workes bestowed vpon them wherby he might be drawne both to reuerence and glorifie God and beholde hys owne miserable condition which amongest all the rest was founde the onely iarring and discordant stringe from the swéete consent of that harmony By vewe wherof he might also be pricked forward to shame hys lacke and séeke recouery of hys loste obedience For castyng hys eyes vp to heauen there he myght sée the inuiolable law of their creation most reuerently obserued The rowling sky with his rauishing sway measuryng vnto vs the due tymes both of labour rest cariing about with vntyred motion in the space of one naturall day all the rest of the heauenly hoste paynteth out the glory of god The Sunne as a glorious bridegrome expresseth the magnificence of God holding his yearely circuit aboute the limites of his stately palace at whose approching all things growing on the earth apparelling thēselues in the beautifull ornamentes of theyr nature yelde in their kynde glorye vnto God for the cheerefull presence of that comfortable creature The chaungeable Moone that by her hasty iorneys in eche monthly trauell dispatcheth one whole viage in repairyng her oft decayed light sheweth her obedience to her Creator thereby yelding hym glory vpon whose motion not onely small moystures and humours but also the waste and swallowing seas séeme to attend All the residue of the starres both wandring and fixed obseruing inuiolably their motions tymes and circuites declare the great and wonderfull power glory of god Then drawyng his eyes néerer home considering the ayre there also séeth he nothing but the praise and glory of god be holding there the continuall trauell of nature in filling her storehouses with plenty of munition to execute the will and commaundement of their gloryous God namelye lightening thunder hayle snow rayne wynde and all other creatures of the place Thē drawing hys eyes home to hys feete and beholdyng the earth there also séeth hée openlye dysplayed the magnyficence of god For the earth her self in bryngyng forth and nourishing her children bewrayeth the same Beastes Fishes and foules in crauyng of God their foode acknowledge hys soueraygntye The birdes in yeldyng hym well tuned thankes in their melodious harmonye declare their reuerence to god Al trees plantes and herbes by their smylyng grace and glorious ornamentes of their beautie paynte vnto man the magnyficence of their creator And to bée shorte euen from the heygth of heauen vnto the centre of the earth hath he in all hys creatures as it were wrytten or ingraued the glorious Maiestie and magnyficence of hys incomprehensible myght wisdome bountie and eternitie But what needed thys farre trauell to séeke a thyng so néere at hande had man but looked into hymselfe hee coulde not but sée that all hys owne lyfe increase and conseruation was nothyng els but the vertue and power of God dwelling in hym whereby the truth of these sayings of Saint Paule doth well appeare namelye That the inuincible thinges of God that is to saye his eternall power and Godhed are vnderstande and seene by the thynges made from the creation of the worlde to the intent that they shoulde bee without excuse because that when they knew God they gloryfied hym not as God neither were thankefull And agayne the Lorde left not him selfe wythout testimonye euen towardes them to whom hée sente no knowledge of hys woorde Surely although these rules and guides might haue trained man to the séekyng of God yet God too géeue a more euident vew of hys infinite goodnes and mercy myndefull of his promise concerning mans restitution first made to Adam but more clearely afterwardes to Abraham in promising that in hys séede all the nations of the earth should be blessed God I say myndefull of this promise chose oute a peculiar people namely the children of Israell indewing them with the name of hys people callyng hymselfe the God of Israell as though hée had béene peculyar to them onely vnto whom he manifestly opened hymselfe both by woorde and miracle vnto whom hée also declared the condytions whereupon he would receyue man to fauor agayne And writing the same in tables of Stone delyuered them to Moyses their ruler as a glasse wherein to vew their miserable fall and corruption The somme whereof was contained in these two commaundementes namely Thou shalt loue the Lorde thy God wyth all thy hearte wyth all thy soule wyth all thy mynde and wyth all thy strength The seconde Thou shalt loue thy neyghboure as thy selfe And although thys briefe somme was at the delyueraunce deuided into diuers and sondry braunches yet all those are from hence deriued as from their fountayne and hed Nowe hauyng shewed that mans transgression bryngyng in sinne and death made hym and all hys séede rebels to God and thereby an apte subiect for the iustyce and mercy of God to worke on and that also for the manyfestyng of mans subiection to both those propertyes a law was needefull wherein the condition of hys estate mighte appeare it followeth Cap. 4. ¶ That the nature of the lawe is to be knowne and what is requisite to the fulfillyng therof and the contrarietie betwene the same and the corrupt nature of man. AS the wysedome of God being of it selfe vnsearcheable offereth vnto vs contynuall cause to haue the same in admiration so in my iudgement it hath not here offered vnto vs the lest in adding to his puissaunt and imperiall commaundement lawe this worde Loue In saying thou shalt loue the Lorde thy God why not rather thou shalt honour worshyp serue or obey the Lord thy god All which woordes séeme at the first sight to argue in the law maker greater impery superioritie prerogatiue then this word Loue whiche séemeth to import too much familiaritie and equalitie surely the wisedome of God hauyng to deale with the ouerthwart nature of man sawe it conuenient to vse that worde of the vnderstanding
desire of the whole mā vnto righteousnes I sée no cause to tary about the lawe of the second table which concerneth onely mans dutie towardes his neighbour euen as the first concerneth his duetie towardes god The lawe is this Thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy selfe vnto the vnderstanding whereof that which is already said concerning loue hath so opened the way that onely this briefe explication therof may suffice namely thou shalt with willing desire and naturall pronenes of all the powers of the whole man couet thy neighbours felicitie both in body and soule as much as thine owne Hauing now sufficiently shewed the nature of the law and what is required to the fulfilling thereof it is necessary to compare with the same the corrupt nature of man expressed in the first and second chapters For the playne vnderstanding wherof it is expedient to vse some definitiōs of thē both The law may thus be defined The law is the absolute rule of righteousnes which chalengeth to the fulfilling therof the full obedience willing desire and naturall pronenesse of the whole man Contrariwise the corrupt nature of man gathered out of the second chapter is a corrupt disposition infecting the whole man with full obedience willing desire and lustfull pronenesse vnto sinne and rebellion whiche by these wordes of Paule to the Rom. is euident It is not obedient to the law of God nether it can be And to the Corinthes The natural man perceiueth not the thinges that be of God for they are but folishnes vnto hym neither can he perceiue them because they are spiritually examined Thus thorough the comparison of these two together it euidently appeareth that in the whole corrupt nature of man there is no iote of abilitie to satisfie the law in any one poynte theyr natures being as direct contrary as fire and water heate and cold light and darkenes And here I cānot omit seing the place doth vrge me the fearefull shift which in this cause some aduersaries séeke in hunting for degrées of perfection to establishe their blinde righteousnesse of workes as though the law chalenged not of man the absolute performaunce thereof but a certaine degrée of perfection proportionall to the condition of his habilitie in saying there is perfection in children perfection in men perfection in Angelles and perfection in God concluding thereby such a perfection onely to be required in man as is proportionall to the condition of his habilitie as though in the lawe of God there were at the least a certayne wincking at wickednesse alowing such perfection as man can attaine and wincking at the rest of his wantes Surely as this doctrine is vntrue so is it daungerous fearefull The vntruth wherof is hereby manifest both in that the law was geuen vnto man and also it doth expressely exact the full and entire obedience of all the principall partes of man For what creature besides man hath hart soule and mynde The daungerousnes and fearefulnes of this doctrine doth hereby appeare for no man can be so wicked but vnder the lée therof he may finde safe harborough to defend the deserued storme of iust reproofe and punishment for being reproued for sinne may he not by this doctrine safely say to hys reprouer Sir glory you in the measure of your own perfection I for my parte expresse the perfection answerable to my habilitie whiche is as much as the lawe requireth the lesse I can performe the more is my good hap seeyng the law aloweth the sufficiencie of my small habilitie for that thereby I haue the more libertye to féede my nature wyth her daintie delightes Surely I sée not how this doctrine can haue other meanyng séeyng they séeme to inferre this sense in that they affirme that God commaundeth vs nothing impossible which by their owne degrées of perfection must néedes haue thys meanyng that where our habilitie is not able to strayne it self to the absolute perfection of the lawe there the law slacketh it selfe to the weake perfection of our habilitie Truly if this be not their meanyng it were expedient that some of them made a glose vpon the text that the reader myght better vnderstand it Surely if they were not to déepely learned in errour they woulde otherwise consider the nature and end of the law and acknowledge mans imperfection whole insufficientie to the fulfillyng thereof and so séeke for that whiche nowe followeth here to bée required namely Cap. 5. ¶ To what ende the lawe shoulde be geuen to man he hauyng no power to satisfie any parte of the same THe glorious and reuerende maiesty of God beholdyng euen from Adams fall the miserable captiuitie of mans estate and mynding hys promised deliuerance that therby the victorious triumph of hys mercy might be sounded throughout the worlde to the iuste aduauncement of hys glory God I say myndefull hereof as the wisest builder beganne the foundation of this newe woorke concernyng mans restitution vpon the rocke whiche was immoueable throughout all eternitie that in suche sorte that the whole glory thereof as of right appertained might iustly redound to hymselfe beyng the begynner continuer and finisher of the same namely vpon the immutable determination of hys owne purpose fréely offered by promyse first to Adam in promising that by the séede of the woman the serpentes head should be brused whiche promyse once past hym thereby was strayght way offred to careles man iust cause of two principall dueties First and chieflye with thankfull heart to haue layde holde of the promyse of God that is constantly to haue beleued that as God had promised so he was both able and willyng to performe the same Secondlye with continuall admiration to gaze at the incomprehensible wisedome of God in the maruelous continuation of that woorke Which thing if we now do diligently marke vnto whom from the beginning to the finishing thereof the whole course and order is playnely shewed in the scryptures Then shall we easely finde that which in thys chapter is required namely the ende and cause why God gaue the lawe to man though man had no iot of habilitie to performe any part of the same Where-fore considering wel the ordinary course of Gods doynges in that cause we shall sée how he as it were by degrées trayned dull man to the vnderstādyng of his gloryous purpose First forasmuch as Adam and the yong worlde immedyatly succéeding him was both so neare the familiaritie as it were of God and the tyme of the gyfte of the promise and also for that the full measure of wickednesse which with the age of the worlde continually taketh increase was not yet in mans possessiō therfore vnto him as then it might surely haue beene sufficient euen by the instinct of the lawe engrafted in nature and by the contemplation of the obedyēce of all other creatures in their kinds to haue vewed and considered the great lacke in hys owne nature towardes the performaunce of righteousnesse
agréeing with that which is sayd already namelye that no good woorke can bée wrought but by him in whom Iesus Christ doth raigne that is by that iustified for hereby it is playne that no good worke can be in man onles it be by Iesus Chryste but Iesus Chryst worketh onely in the iustified for his spirit doth certifie their spirites in whom hee dwelleth that they are the children of God there is no condemnation to them that are in Chryst Iesu And in this place doth Paule also go forward in prosecutyng the woorde of Esay for where Esaye calleth them trées of ryghteousnesse that is to say the bringers forth of the fruites of ryghteousnes he addeth a plantyng of the Lordes to shew that their ryghteousnesse is the Lordes worke and that doth Paule open here where hée sayeth that good workes or fruites of righteousnesse are in vs by Iesus Chryst as though he had sayd Iesus Chryste hath made you to bée trees of ryghteousnesse that you myght bring forth the fruites thereof namelye good workes and so declare your selues to be a plantyng of the Lordes Thys beyng taught Paule goeth forward in declaryng the finall cause of good workes in saying Vnto the glorye and prayse of God whereby it is playne out of these words of Paules that Chryst is the efficiēt cause of good workes and that none can bée wrought but by hym in whom the spirite of Chryste dwelleth that is none can be wrought but by the ryghteous or iustified in that he saith whyche fruites are in you by IESVS Chryst Whereby it is playne that wythout Iesus Chryste they can not bée in them Where also is declared the materiall cause of good woorkes Namely a fruite of ryghteousnesse so that vnlesse it bée brought forth by a ryghteous tree it can bée no good worke hee also declareth that the iustification or ryghteousnesse of the doer of them is the formall cause of them in that hée calleth them the fruite of ryghteousnesse for that declareth the doers of them to bée trées of ryghteousnesse as Esay termeth them wherby also appeareth that no good worke can bé done but by a man already iustyfied hee also telleth the finall cause of them in that hée sayeth Vnto the glory and prayse of God concludyng euen as Esay in the fore named place doth For after hée had sayde that they myght bée called trées of righteousnesse a planting of the Lordes hée addeth for hym to haue glorye in so that the ende of good woorkes is not to iustifie the doers but to glorifie God for vnles the doers had bene iustified before the woorkes were wrought they coulde haue bene no frute of righteousnesse So that thys place of Paule is an openyng of the forenamed place of Esay for where Esaye sayeth that they myght bee called trees of ryghteousnesse Paule expoundeth that to bée that they shoulde bryng foorth the fruites of righteousnesse and where Esaye calleth them a plantyng of the Lordes that doth Paule open when he telleth that the fruite of ryghteousnesse must be in them by Iesu Chryst And where Esay sayeth for hym to glorye in Paule sayeth to the glory and praise of God. Thus by comparyng together these woordes of Paule and Esay it is more then euident that good workes bée so farre from iustyfiyng the doers that before iustificatyon no good worke can bée wrought And Chryst himselfe affirmeth no lesse when he sayeth that the tree must bee good before it bryng foorthe good fruite Euerye good tree sayeth he bryngeth forth good fruite So that first hée acknowledgeth the trée to bée good before it bryngeth forth good fruite And if the tree be euill he affirmeth in the same place It bryngeth foorth euill fruite concludyng playnely that no euyll tree can bryng forth good fruite Whereby it is euident that the man muste by fayth bée made good that is to saye righteous and iustyfied before he can bring forth any good woorkes So then the woorke is acknowledged for good through mercy which couereth the blemishes thereof in respect that it is the worke of a man by fayth already iustified and clothed in the righteousnesse of Chryste and not in respecte of it selfe which compared with the iustice of God is wickednesse as in the 9. Chapter was proued for wee bee all by nature the chyldren of wrath as Paule beareth witnesse And thus writeth Augustine Sequuntur bona opera iust fi atum non praecedunt iustificandum Good woorkes folowe hym that is iustified they goe not before hym that is to bee iustyfied Agayne the same Augustine Quid enim est boni operis ante fidem cum dicat Apostolus quicquidsine fide fit peccatum est for what good woorke is there before sayth seyng the Apostle sayeth that whatsoeuer is not of fayth is synne And Christ hymselfe sayeth wythout mee you can do nothyng whereby it is euydent that vntyll they haue the spiryte of Chryst they can woorke no good worke but none haue the spirite of Chryst but suche as bée the children of God for the Scrypture sayth these bee the children of GOD that bee led by the spyrite of GOD and none are the children of GOD tyll they bée iustyfied for to bée the chyldren of God and to bée iustyfied is all one thyng therefore none can woorke good woorkes but suche as be already iustyfied Agayne to the workyng of euery good woorke there be two thynges specially required namely vnderstandyng and affection So that the worke that must please God muste both bée ioyned wyth the knowledge of the wyll of God and also bée done wyth affection pleasure and delight in the same Touchyng that it shoulde bee done wyth knowledge thus sayth God by the prophet God desireth in man more the knowledge of God then burnt offrynges And before in hys fourth chapter where he geueth a reason of the destructyon of hys people he alleageth onely lacke of knowledge my people sayeth he are destroyed for lacke of knowledge And Chryst himself sayth do yee not therefore erre because you vnderstand not the scryptures And Iob affirmeth that to depart from euill is vnderstandyng Whereby it is playne that wythout vnderstanding or knowledge of the wyll of God no man can depart from euill and do that which is good And therefore doth Dauid crye Geeue mee vnderstanding and I shall keepe thy lawe O geeue mee vnderstandyng that I maye learne thy commaundementes And that good woorkes are wrought through knowledge or vnderstanding it is by the scriptures euident Paul to the Phillippians writeth thus And thys I praye that your loue maye abound yet more and more in knowledge and vnderstanding that ye maye discerne things that differ one from an other that ye may be pure and without offence vntill the day of Christ Here doth Saint Paule not only pray that theyr loue might abound in knowledge but he also telleth the cause of hys prayer namely that they might be able to
of the whole Scripture together may bee acknowledged For we may not wrest such sense out of the Scripture by vrging the outward barke of some particular places therein as shall set them at strife with all the reste of the body of the Scripture and so imagine the spirite of truth at warre with hym selfe Wherefore for the first sorte let these authorites serue Euery man shall enioye good according to the fruites of his mouth and after the workes of his handes shall he bee rewarded Agayne The sonne of man shall come in the glory of hys father with his angels and shall reward euery man according to his deedes And agayne God is not vnrighteous that he should forget your worke and labour that proceedeth of loue which loue ye shewed towardes his name in that ye haue ministred vnto the Sainctes and yet minister These examples may serue for their argument of thys sort Well say they seing that mans rewarde is accordyng to hys workes it appeareth that in workes there is merite and that to mans iustyfication woorkes are requyred Here I myght briefly aunswere that all these woordes are spoken of woorkes comming after iustyfication whyche is not the matter in questyon betwene vs for the question is about woorkes goyng before iustification for the purchase thereof But for their great ouerthrow Let it bée imagined that these promyses are made to woorkes goyng before iustification and yet get they nothyng thereby for we answere they reason from a generall to a species which in an affirmatiue concludeth fasly as for example If one seyng a liuyng creature shoulde reason thus yonder is a liuyng creator therefore it is a man For as of liuyng creatures there be diuers kindes wherof mā is but one so of rewardes there bée dyuers kyndes whereof merite or desert is but one For some rewardes are frely geuē of loue or fauor some through hope of further benefite and some of merite desert or duetie c. So that as vntruely thys is concluded that because it is reward therfore it is merite or duety as the other namely because it is a liuing creature therefore it is a man for in déede this rewarde is of grace or fauour and not of merites or woorkes As by these oft rehearsed wordes of Paule is euydent For of fauour sayeth he yee are saued thorough fayth and not of your selues it is the gift of God and not of woorkes least anye man shoulde boast hym And although thys well considered wyth the definytion of iustyfication in the. 8. chapter doth fullye expresse what sense in these authorities maye well bee allowed yet shall the same in more larger forme of wordes bee declared thus Forasmuche as mans iustificatyon is a free remission of sinne and imputatiō of righteousnesse vnto man thorough fayth in Chryst therfore that the ryghteousnesse of the iustyfied by this free grace might be declared and the bountifull liberalitye of Gods mercye made manyfest to the prayse and glorye of hys grace for thys cause is the rewarde declared vppon the outwarde worke as vppon the outwarde wytnesse of the inward righteousnesse of fayth to the open declaration of the truth of Gods promyses concernyng the womans séede namely Christ By the Prophet Esay hée sayth thus Hee shall iustifie the multitude for hee shall beare awaye their synnes And agayne the people shall bee all ryghteous and possesse the lande for euer The flower of my plantyng the woorkes of my handes whereof I wyll reioyce And agayne that they myght bee called trees of ryghteousnesse A plantyng of the Lordes for hym to reioyce in Wherefore for thys cause namely that the chosen myght bée declared to be ryghteous in the eyes of all the worlde and the triumph of Gods grace or fauour thereby celebrated by the open performaunce of these hys promisses that hée might be iustified in his sayinges and ouercome when he is iudged In consideration hereof I saye he openly pronounceth the fauourable rewarde accordyng to the open manifest works or fruites of the righteousnesse of fayth induyng them with the rewarde of righteousnesse whiche rewarde is of fauour in respect of Chryst apprehēded by fayth and yet pronounced vppon the woorkes as vppon that outwarde fruite whereby the inwarde righteousnesse of fayth is declared whiche hée doth to thys ende that the elect maye bee declared to be iustyfied and the performaunce of his promyses in Chryst made apparaunt so that for thys cause namelye to iustyfie Gods promyse concernyng thys free and mercifull deliueraunce in the sighte of all men to the encrease of the glory of hys grace that as all men heard the promise so all maye witnesse the performaunce thereof For thys cause I say is the fauourable rewarde pronounced according to the outwarde workes or fruites of the ryghteousnesse of fayth wheras if it had beene pronounced accordyng to the fayth no man coulde haue witnessed the true performaunce of the promyse And thys is the cause why the fauourable rewarde is declared vppon the woorkes And not that the workes are the cause of the rewarde For the only end of Gods actiou herein is as Paule testifieth the prayse of the glorye of hys grace whiche is also euydent by this saying of the Phrophet Ezechyell And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I shall doe good to you for myne owne names sake and not accordyng to your most wycked offences By whyche wordes it appeareth that God wyll not onely be ryghteous in the performance of hys frée mercifull promise but hée wyll haue all the worlde both sée and wytnesse the same for hée sayeth in thys promyse you shall knowe that I am the Lorde c. So that hereby God hath promysed to declare hys frée fauour in suche an outwarde subiect as man may bée able to sée and wytnes the fulfilling therof in that he sayeth ye shal know and yet therewyth all he geeueth a determinate caueat that that subiecte wherein hys goodnesse shall be declared shall not be the cause of his goodnesse expressyng playnely what shal be the cause thereof namely hys owne glory Affirming that it shall be for his owne names sake Not onely exceptyng workes from being the cause but also to expresse their great néede of mercye to couer their spottes shewed them touchyng their owne nature howe foule they bée in saying And not accordyng to your most wycked offences And in both the other places before rehearsed out of Esay where he promiseth to make all hys people ryghteous and that they should be called trees of ryghteousnesse This is specially to be noted that in both those places he affirmeth their righteousnesse shall bée the flower of hys plantyng the woorkes of hys handes and not of their owne addyng thereto the cause thereof namely for hym to reioyce in That is accordyng to Saynt Paules woordes For the prayse and glorye of hys grace And to thys ende are all the woorkes of GOD done that hee may
righteousnes vnto workes haue not we our iustification of fayth and workes and not yours of faith onely It is sayde of Phinées in the 106. Psal that his acte was imputed to him for righteousnes And likewise in Deutronomy of hym that deliuered his neighbors pledge that it shal be righteousnes vnto him before the Lord his god And likewise S. Iames saith was not Abraham our father iustified by workes in offering his sonne Isaac vpon the aulter Whereupon they conclude that as man is not iustified by workes so is he not iustified by faith without workes flatly agaynste S. Paule who concludeth playnely that man is iustified of fauour through fayth without workes where he telleth both the finall cause of that liberall gifte namely the prayse and glory of the grace or fauor of God and also he telleth the reason why he so vehemently excludeth workes namely least any man shoulde beast that is through blinde presumption should challenge any part of the glory of that worke which God hath reserued to himselfe for his speciall triumph Now if the aduersaries will néedes vrge that the worde righteousnes or iustification hath the same signification in these places by thē alleged that it hath in Paule Doe they not teare in sunder the spirite of truth and set him at warre with hymselfe forasmuch as by the rigor of wordes they be contrary Paule sayth fiatly and affirmeth it by manye discourses that faith without worke iustifieth and that by workes no man liuing shall be iustifyed but these aucthorities affirme the contrary that these men by workes were iustifyed Now if they will néedes affirme that both in Paul and in these places which they alledge the worde righteousnes or iustifycation hath one sense is not this a doctrine that eyther must accuse Paule of ignorance of the sense of the auncient scriptures or of error in his owne and robbe God of his finall triumph namely of his glorie and vtter spoylinge man of the assuraunce of Gods fauour in Christ for if his assuraunce therof bee once ioyned with the condition of hys owne desert or workes surely he falleth by and by into one of our Phisitions new found Agewes A triple tertian quotidian he can neuer know when he is without a fitte Surely it were to hard for Peter Lumbard him selfe with both his foundations of hope to spy out a time to finde him selfe cleare from a fitte if for one masse whyle on the Sunday his imagination coulde mocke him that he were créeping to godward The true testimony of his conscience might assure him that all the rest of the wéeke after he were gallopping to the deuilward The Lord hath blessed hys elect from such assuraunce Wherefore let vs now reuerently with Paule haue respect vnto the finall ende of Gods woorke in this cause Namely to hym onely to yelde all the glorie and to man assuraunce and vndoubted possession of his fauour in Christ And we shall easely sée in these places no contrarictie but most swéete consent Let vs follow the rule of the auncient fathers in serching the truth of doubtfull sentences Thus sayth Hillarius Intelligentia dictorum ex causis est assumenda dicendi quia non sermoni res sed reiest sermo subiectus The meaning of wordes is to be gathered by the causes of the speaking for the matter is not subiecte to the worde but the worde to the matter Agayne Ierome vppon the Epistile to the Galathians saith thus Nec putemus in verbis Scripturarum esse Euangelium sed in sensu non in superficie sed non medulla non in fermonum folus sed in radice rationis Neither let vs thincke that the gospel consisteth in the wordes of the Scripture but in the meaning not in the barck but in the pith not in the leaues of wordes but in the roote of the meanyng Wherfore let vs in folowing the Coūfell of these auncient fathers séeke such meanynges and sense of these Scriptures as may expresse their consent with the rest of the Scriptures And haue respect vnto the finall cause of Gods purpose Namely as I haue often said that vnto hys fauour and grace for this so frée a benifite all prayse and glory may redoūde That al workes wrought by man before iustification be nothing els but the euill fruite of an euill tree it is before euidently proued And so vtterly vnable to abide the presence of gods iustice Wherby it foloweth of necessitie that the woorkes alleged in these their authorities were not there meant for works going before iustification as causes therof but in déede for such workes as folowyng the same declared manefestly the righteousnesse which to the doers of them was offrée fauour through fayth imputed For that the workes of a man by fayth already iustified be in the sight of God allowed for ryghteous by not hauing sinne imputed vnto them it is not onely not denyed but most constantly affirmed For how can it be otherwise but that God in beholdyng in them hys owne moste glorious Image wherewith throughe grace in respect of fayth they be clothed He muste both acknowledge it and delight therin But that their spottes and blemishes are nowe couered wyth the righteousnes of Christe this commeth not to them either by them selues or in respect of them selues but onely by grace or fauour through fayth as is shewed before For they beinge the workes of a man already by fayth iustified and clothed in the righteousnes of Christ Therfore they thereby clothed in the same righteousnes hauing theyr spottes and blemishes through mercye therewith couered are acknowledged for righteous They are accepted for good fruite because they were brought forth by a good frée So that fayth by apprehendyng of Christ and his righteousnes in the promise through grace and fauour attayneth mans iustification So the workes or fruites of the righteousnes of the same faith do manyfestly declare and witnes the doer of them to be righteous That is as fayth apprehēdeth righteousnes in the frée promise for man so the workes or fruites of that righteousnes of fayth doe declare and testifie that hee is iustifyed Wherefore whersoeuer in the Scriptures man is sayd to be iustifyed by workes the meaning is that he is by workes declared and knowen to bée a righteous man And not that the workes were the cause of his righteousnes This being thus considered ther appeareth betwene Paule and the aucthorities by them alledged no strife but most swéete agréement For as Paule telleth the meanes howe a man is iustifyed so the other shew and declare howe man is openly knowne to bee righteous or iustifyed Now marke gentle reader how this doctrine tendeth fully to that end where unto Saint Paule directeth hys course Namely that the whole glorie may redound to GOD alone and that man may haue a sure possession of Gods fauour in Christ Firste in that by iustifycation of workes this onely is to be vnderstand that man