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
harlot and the Israelite not only repressed the plague inflicted by God but also got this thereby that euen the selfe same thinges with like number of wordes were written of hym which Paule here citeth of Abraham out of the booke of Genesis And it was imputed vnto hym for righteousnes Which wordes seing they are spoken of him by reason of his worke it might seme that iustification is not After iustification the saintes do workes which God counteth for iust Paule entreateth of the first righteousnes and the psalme of that righteousnes which followeth iustification Good workes also are sayd to be imputed for righteousnes so proper vnto fayth that Paule should firmely auouch that righteousnes commeth vnto vs by it only But we answere that we deny not but that after fayth and iustification are of good men wrought excellent workes which are of God counted for iust especially when they haue their ofspring out of fayth Wherfore Augustine vpon the 31. Psalme when he commendeth Abrahams fact in that he would haue sacrificed his only sonne sayth that he commendeth the building but in the meane tyme he considereth the foundation which was fayth he sayth that he alloweth the fruite but in the meane tyme he hath a regard to the roote But Paule now entreateth not of those thinges which follow righteousnes but of the very roote and hed what that is for which we are counted iust Wherefore the Psalme speaketh of the worke and Paul of the fyrst righteousnes Nether ought we to maruayle that good workes are sayde to be imputed for righteousnes forasmuch as it is necessary it should be so For they haue not in thēselues so much perfection that they can in all pointes satisfye the lawe of God Wherefore it is nedefull that God for his mercy sake receaue them as acceptable in imputing that part of goodnes and of righteousnes which wanteth in them They also are not to be harkened vnto which interprete this sentence so that they vnderstand that Paul speaketh of fayth here as it is a worke so that Fayth is not here taken as it is a worke Two manner wayes of imputing the sence should be that God imputed vnto righteousnes that acte of Abraham whereby he beleued as though he would count that for iuste That is not intreated of at this present to dispute of a iust worke But that is sought from whence we are iustified And to make the matter more playne to be imputed vnto righteousnes is taken two maner of wayes Sometymes it signifieth some acte to be ratified and to be allowed and to speake briefely to be accepted for iust and after this maner we graunte that that acte of Phinees and the good workes of holy men are imputed of God vnto righteousnes An other way it signifieth that by which we our selues are counted in the number of the iust and that Paul attributeth only vnto fayth as though he should haue said Abraham beleued that he was acceptable vnto God and that he was counted with him for iust and lastly that he should attayne to blessednes and as he beleued so he receaued For it came to passe vnto hym according to his fayth Wherefore by it he receaued that which was offred vnto him of God as it is written in the beginning of the 15. chapter For God had sayde vnto hym I am thy protector and thy exceding great reward But that which is sayd of Phinees and of the workes of goodmen pertayneth vnto the dutyes whiche follow them that are iustified But forasmuch as many promises are made vnto workes and God in this place calleth himselfe a reward and eternall life is oftentimes If eternall life be sayd to be rendred vnto workes why is not also sayd of righteousnes Good woorkes may go before eternal life but not before iustification Eternall life is called a reward by a similitude and not properly in the holy scriptures called a reward as though it were rendred vnto workes why may we not by workes likewise obtayne righteousnes seying that it is as great a matter to glorifye as to iustify But two thinges are here to be considered first that good workes may go before glorification but not before iustification Because after that we are iustified we may do such thinges as are acceptable vnto God But before we are iustified we are able to do nothinge that is truely good and which can please God Moreouer we graunt not that eternall life is had by workes as though it were by them merited But when it is called a reward it is in this respect because it is rendred after the worke done euen as that which we deserue by any ciuile actions is not wont to be rendred till the worke be full done And in such sort eternall life may indede haue some similitude of a reward but yet properly and as touching the nature of a reward it is most farre of and that for thrée causes First because those thinges which are geuen and which are receaued are not alyke but that is required to the nature of merite Secondly because the workes which we offer are not our owne For God geueth them vnto vs and woorketh in vs both to will and to performe Wherefore if there were any merite it should not be attributed vnto vs but vnto God as to the author of all good workes Lastly when a reward or merite is properly taken it behoueth the that which is geuen of vs be not bound of duety vnto him vnto whom it is geuē But we although we shoulde not obtayne felicitye yet ought we to doo all our thinges vnto the glory of God Wherefore eternall lyfe can not be called a reward but by a certaine similitude But many say that these sentences of Paul are to be vnderstand by a figure as though it were the figure Synecdoche that faith is therefore said to iustifie because it in iustifieng obteineth the chiefest place and so they will Sinecdoche which y◠aduersaries vse not that good works which are ioyned with faith should vtterly be excluded from y◠power of iustifieng They are in dede content that we should commend faith but yet in such sort commend it that we shoulde say that it iustifieth together with other good workes which workes they say Paul vnderstādeth in it by the figure Synecdoche And by this meanes they thinke may be conciliated very many places in the scriptures For vndoubtedly in the xx chap. of Genesis God for a worke promised many thinges vnto Abraham Bicause saith he thou hast done this thing thy seede shall be increased it shall obteyne the gates of his enemies and in thy sede shall all nations be blessed and other such like And Iames semeth to expound this Synecdoche when he affirmeth that Abraham was iustified by workes Vnto these men we aunswer that the wordes of Paul will in no case suffer any suche trope or figure whose wordes are so playne and perspicuous that they neither can be violated nor yet
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
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
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
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
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
willeth But that God should will sinnes is to be counted for most absurd and for a blasphemous doctrine They say moreouer that God can not iustly punish â–ª if we committe those thinges which he him selfe both willeth and worketh But this must we of necessity say if we affirme that not only our ends but also our meanes to the endes depend of the purpose of God To satisfye this doubt first let them remember that it can not be denied but that God after a sort willeth or as other some say permitteth sin But forasmuch as that is done without any coaction of our minde therefore no man when he sinneth can be excused For he willingly and of his owne accord committeth those sinnes for which he ought to be condemned and hath the true cause of theÌ„ in himselfe and therfore hath no nede to seke it in God Farther this is no good comparison which these men make betwene good workes and sinnes For God â—o worketh in vs good workes that he ministreth vnto vs his grace and spirit whereby these workes are wrought for those are the groundes of good workes which groundes doubtles we haue not of our selues But sinnes he so gouerneth and after a sorte How God is said after a sort to wil sinne willeth that yet notwithstanding the groundes of them that is the fleshe and our corrupt and vitiate nature are not in God but in vs. Wherefore there is no nede that they should be powred into vs by some outward motion And God is sayd after a sorte to will sinnes eyther for that when he can he prohibiteth them not or for that by his wisedome he directeth then to certayne endes or for that he suffreth them not to burst forth but when and how and to what vses he him selfe will or finally for that by them he will punish other sinnes But these adde that God by no meanes willeth sinne For so it is written in Ezechiell As truly as I liue sayth the Lord I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he be conuerted and liue But we answere that the Prophet in that place entreateth not of the mighty and hidden will of God and of his will of efficacy For God by that will worketh all thinges which he will both in heaueÌ„ and in earth But he entreateth of that will which they call the will of the signe For no man can by those signes and tokens which are expressed in the law gather that God The first aunswer willeth his death or condemnation For the lord commaunded hys lawe to be published vnto all men he hath vnto all men set forth those things which should be profitable and healthfull lastly he vpon all men indifferently powreth greate benefites Wherefore by this will which we call the will of the signe he willeth not the death of a sinner yea rather he prouoketh them to repentance But as touching the other will which they call the will of his good pleasure if by it he would that no man should perish then doubtles no man could perish and there is no will so peruerse as sayth Augustine which God if he wil caÌ„ not make good Wherefore according to this will he hath done all things whatsoeuer he would This is a redy and playne interpretation which if our aduersaries admit not but will nedes contend that the wordes of the Prophet are to be vnderstanded Another aunswer of the mighty will of God and of his wil of good pleasure theÌ„ will we answer yâ— yâ— sentence pertaineth not vniuersally vnto all sinners but only to those which repeÌ„t And those are yâ— electe predestinated vnto whome God as according to his purpose he geueth faith and vocation so also geueth he repentaunce Wherefore which sense so euer they followe they shall neuer by those woordes conclude that God vtterly by no meanes willeth the death of sinners or willeth sinne But they obiect certaine wordes out of the first chapter of the booke of wisedome where it is written God reioyseth not in the destruction of the liuing But if say they he by anye manner of meanes willeth sinne or the punishment thereof he can not be said not to reioyce therein For he reioyseth doubtles in that which he will haue to be done First I aunswere that that booke is not in the Canon and therfore the authority thereof maye be refused But amitte that that booke were canonicall yet do those wordes make nothing against vs. For he whatsoeuer he was that was the author God doth not against his will punishe wicked actes of that booke ment nothing els but to remoue from God that prauitye of nature whereby wicked men take pleasure in euil things And yet was not his meaning that God punisheth wicked factes against his wil. For otherwise whatsoeuer that author vnder the name of Salomon was he should be against the true Salomon For he in his Prouerbes vnder the person of wisedome thus writeth of the vngodly and of the vnbeleuers I also will laugh in your destruction In which wordes is declared that God with a laughing that is with a chiereful minde administreth iustice As touching the wordes of Ecclesiasticus which are writen in the. 15. chapter That no man ought to say of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is he hath deceaued me How it is to be vnderstanded that God deceiueth no maÌ„ in which place the lattine translation hath Me implanauit Vnles we will haue that place to be manifestly repugnant with many other places of the scripture in which God is sayd to haue deceaued the people by false prophets and to haue commaunded that Achab the king should be deceaued and to haue made blind the hart of the people that they shoulde not sée we must néedes after this manner expounde those wordes That no man ought to lay the fault in God as though he woulde excuse himselfe Achab though he was deceaued yet he moste iustly deserued to be They whiche are deceiued are iustly deceiued deceaued for that he contemned the true oracles of God and delighted himselfe in false Prophets The infidelity also and impiety of the people of Israell caused the vengeance of God and execution to come vpon them so that when they were deceaued they could by no meanes be excused Our aduersaries also séeme somewhat to be offeÌ„ded for that we affirme that men haue in themselues the cause of sinnes that is a corrupte and viciate nature For in the first chapter of the booke of wisedome the generations of the world are sayde to be good and not to haue in them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a medicine of destruction This is true indéede so that it be vnderstanded of the first constitution of thinges and chieflye of the creation of Our nature as it was instituted of God wanted corruption man which was created of God in a good estate But afterward thorow his fall he spilt both himselfe and his posterity
put But Pighius sayth farther that God requireth these woorkes that he may◠fréelye impute vnto vs iustification Whosoeuer is but euen slenderlye exercised in the holye Scriptures shall easelye sée that thys man is euen directlye repugnaunt vnto Paul For he in the Epistle to the Romaines sayth Vnto hym whych worketh not a reward is imputed accordyng to grace But Pighius sayth vnto him which worketh God imputeth righteousnes fréely But to impute fréely and not to impute fréely euery childe may sée that they are contradictories But mark gentle Reader this reason of two members These workes which he speaketh of either profite vnto iustification or else profite not If they profite not why calleth he them preparations For amongst causes are reckened also causes preparatory But if he will say that they profite are in very déede causes preparatories with what mouthe can he affirme that he plucketh away nothing from the honoure of Christ but appoynteth him to be the whole and absolute cause of our iustificatiō But peraduenture this two membred argument a man will turne vpon vs touching those works which follow iustification For he wil say either they are profitable to obtaine saluation or they are not profitable If they be not profitable Wherunto good works profite after iustificatiō why are they required and why are their promises setforth vnto thē But if they be why doe we not allowe merite to be in them I answer that suche workes are profitable vnto men regenerate for that they liuing vprightly and orderly are renewed and made more perfect But that is nothing else but a certaine inchoation and as it were a participation of eternall life Farther it hath séemed good vnto God by suche meanes or rather by suche spaces to bring men vnto eternal felicitie But we can not cal these workes merites For Paul expressedly teacheth that the stipend of sinne is death but eternall life is grace But that which is giuen fréely vtterly excludeth merite And in the meane time we ought to remember that That which is geuē frely excludeth merite there is a great difference as we haue oftentimes taught betwene their works which are as yet straungers from Christ and from God and their workes which are now by grace grafted into Christ and made his members Afterward also he goeth about to confute that which we say that a man is iustified by that faith which hath a respecte vnto the promises of Christ and of the remission of sinnes as though we holde that faith is the proper correlatiue of such promises For he saith that faith hath equally a respect vnto all the thinges which are set forth in the holy scriptures Yea saith he he doth vnto God a thing no les acceptable which beleueth that he created the world or beleueth the thre persons of the diuinitie or the resurrection to come then he which beleueth that Christe was giuen to be our mediator and that by him is to be obtained the remission of sinnes For that faith is of no lesse worthinesse then the other And if we be iustified by faith he contendeth that that faith no lesse pertaineth to the other articles then to the remission of sinnes by Christ And this he thinketh may be proued by that which Paul wryteth in the. 4. chapiter vnto the Romaines And not for him only were these things written but also for vs vnto whome it shal be imputed so that we beleue in him which hath raised vp Christ from the dead Beholde saith he that faith is imputed vnto vs vnto righteousnesse whereby we beleue that God raised vp Christ from the dead and not that faith whereby we beleue that sinnes are forgiuen vs by Christ First here we confesse that our faith assēteth vnto all the things which are contained in the holy scriptures But forasmuche as amongste them there is but onely one principall and excellent truthe vnto which all the other truthes are directed namely that Christ the sonne of God suffred for vs that by him we might receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes what meruail is it if our faith haue a respect vnto this one thing chiefly For this our assumpt Paul proueth For he saith that Christ is the end of the law Wherfore séeing he is the end of al the scriptures he is also the summe and principall obiecte of our faith although otherwise Christ is the principal obiect of our faith by our faith we also embrase all other thinges which are contained in the holy scriptures And whereas he addeth that the faith which is of the other articles is no lesse acceptable vnto God then this faith which concerneth Christ and the remission of sinnes we may first say that that is not true if a man rightly way the dignitie of the action of faith For the dignitie of faith as also the dignitie of other suche like kindes of powers is measured by the obiects For as those obiects differ one from an other in excellency and dignitie so the assētings of faith ought according The dignity of faith is mesured by the obiect to the same to be counted inferior or of more excellency Séeing therefore God would in suche sort haue his sonne to die and that men should be by him reconciled that for this he hath instituted all the other things to be beleued which are set forth in the holy scriptures we can not put any doubt but that this pleased him much more then the other For that the other are directed vnto this as vnto their end And this is a common rule amongst the Logicians Euery thyng is such a thyng by reason of an other wherfore that other thyng shall much more be such Wherfore this actiō of faith wherby we assēt vnto this most noble truth ought to excell al other actiōs of faith whatsoeuer they be And so it is not by a thing like acceptable vnto God whither a man beleue this or that If we should vse this answere I know Pighius were neuer able to confute it but we say moreouer that he in vain contendeth about the greater or lesse dignitie of faith as touching this or that article For we are not iustified by the dignitie of faith For it is in euery mā weak◠and féeble But we therefore say that we are iustified by faith bicause by it as by We are not iustified by the dignity of fayth an instrument vnto this ende giuen vnto vs and by God appointed we apply Christ vnto vs and take holde of the forgiuenesse of sinnes Wherefore the worthinesse or vnworthinesse therof is to no purpose considered But that which he bringeth out of the. 4. Chapiter of the Romaines he bringeth cut of and maimed For if a man read the ful and perfect sentence he shal easely sée that plaine mention is there made of the death of Christ and of the remission of sinnes which by it we haue obtained For Paul saith that vnto vs it shall be imputed as it was vnto Abraham if
though they coulde finde no remedye wherby to auoyde reprobation or ells doe put so much confidence therin to liue losely and at pleasure saying that it maketh no matter for that seing they are predestinate they can not be condemned what doe they els but most wickedly abuse a good thing Euery thing ought to be taken by that part wherby it may be holden For a sworde is not drawē by the edge or by the blade but by the Euery thing must be taken by that part wherby it may be holden hafte neyther is a vessell taken by the middest of the bellye but by the handle or eare So predestination ought to be referred to the commodities now declared and not to those thinges which may engender destruction These notes and these titles hath Paule affixed vnto hys name that we shoulde not thinke hym to be a wandryng man which rashlye sowed contentions concernyng religion and that we shoulde vnderstand that there is a great difference betwene Apostles and other common ministers although there be some which dare teach that we must no lesse beleue the Byshop of Rome then Paule the Apostle I graūt in deede that eyther of them do both thunder and lighten but yet after a farre diuers and sundrye manner The Pope thundreth and lightneth with bulles belles gunnes and weapons of warre but Paule hath by the worde of God The Pope and Paule do diuersly thunder and lightē by admonitions rebukinges wholesome doctrine by miracles thundred and lightned in the Church But let vs see by what reason these men defend theyr opinion They say the byshops succeded the Apostles wherefore both haue one and the selfe same authoritie and to both ought we to obey a lyke But we aunswere them thus It is true that the Apostles departyng out of thys world left Byshops to be gouernours ouer Churches but we vtterly deny that Apostles Byshops are not of lyke authoritie Byshops succeding the Apostles are endued with the selfe same or lyke authoritie and that thyng we proue after thys sorte Fyrst because we see that the Apostles were to thys end chosen to constitute the religion and dignitie of the Gospell and to publishe vnto the beleuers the thynges which they had heard of The difference betwene the Apostles Byshops Christ But byshops are to this ende instituted to defend those thynges which are conteyned in the Gospell and in the holy Scriptures which they must so take in hand to defend that they adde no newe thynges vnto them nor fayne any new traditions at theyr owne will and pleasure Farther the holy fathers which were Byshops when they gaue them selues to wryting do confesse that they are onely intreaters or interpreters of the holy Scriptures and will not that those thinges which they write should be had in so great authoritie as we attribute vnto the Canonicall Scriptures yea rather they forbidde that any credite should be geuen vnto them if they speake any thyng agaynst the holy Scriptures Thyrdly to the Apostolicall doctrine were adioyned many miracles wherby theyr authoritie is confyrmed which thyng we see is not done in these traditions of the elders Farther we are sure that the Apostles wrote by the inspiration of the holy ghost which thing vndoubtedly we dare not affirme of our Byshops Wherefore we conclude that the Apostles could not erre in those thynges which they wrote But we see that the Byshoppes very often tymes made vngodly decrees as touchyng rules of religiō as it appeareth in the Counsell of Ariminum and also in the seconde Synode of Ephesus and also in many other yea and they also erred very much in their actes At Chalcedon and Chrysostome deposed Constantinople were Synodes gathered together in which Chrysostome was condempned and deposed which thyng also was done in the name of those Byshoppes which were of a ryght and perfect fayth And there myght be alleaged many examples of the lyke sorte Paule also writing vnto Timothe prayeth hym to saue that which is geuen hym to keepe declaryng that he ought neither to adde nor to diminishe any thyng of the doctrine of the Gospell receaued that is to keepe iustly the thyng committed vnto hym Let thys also be added that the Apostles be so vnto the Bishops and Ordinarye pastours as in the olde time were the Prophetes vnto the high priestes and priestes For they myght write bookes and adioyne them vnto the Canonicall Scripture For Samuell added hys bookes vnto the Scripture Esaie Ieremie and the other Prophets added theyr Monuments vnto the Scripture which thyng the Scribes Priestes and high Priestes could not doe The Apostles called the Gentiles and abrogated the ceremonies of the lawe which thing was aboue the power of the high priestes and priestes The Apostle doth therefore set forth hym selfe by these titles that Why Paul ascribed vnto hym selfe these titles when we read hym or heare hym we should thinke that we heare not the wordes of a man but oracles from heauen Here is also put in the prayse of the Gospell which must bee read by a parenthesis and the same extendeth euen vnto thys place where he sayth To all which are at Rome c. The Gospell to speake brieflye is the preachyng The grosse definitiō of the Gospell takē of the matter of Christ offred vnto vs to saluation accordyng to the promises made in the olde tyme. Thys commendation is taken of the matter which is entreated of in the Gospell because euery science and facultie hath hys dignitie of the thyng that it intreateth of Afterward is geuen an other definition and that is An other definitiō of the Gospell takē of the efficient cause taken of the strength of working namely that the Gospell is the power of God vnto saluation that is the instrument wherby Christ would haue vs saued Definitions takē of these causes ought to be ioyned together to the end to haue the more full knowledge of the Gospell In that it is sayd VVhich he had before promysed c. It is a preuenting whereby hee declineth the enuious name of newnes For the Gospell was counted a new doctrine For they which heard Paule thus reasoned with them selues The olde Patriarches and the Prophets had saluation and a Church and yet they wanted your Gospell therefore thys doctrine is not necessary yea rather more then needeth Here Paule confesseth that the elders were saued but The doctrine of the Gospell is not newe not without the Gospell For in as much as God had before promised it by the fayth of thys promise they were all made safe But now it appeareth new doctrine vnto you because ye haue ouerwhelmed thys promise with humane traditions and haue made it obscure with your owne inuentions Thys selfe same argumēt may we at this day make against our aduersaries which cry out that we bryng in new doctrine Vndoubtedly we go about no new thyng but they haue vtterly brought in straunge and new
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
offended But he represseth thys inquision as curious and which becommeth not godly myndes It is sufficient sayth he that we know that all thynges are done by the prouidence of God Neyther ought we to thynke that any mortall man can better prouide for hys creatures then God himselfe can Neyther let vs thinke that the Romanes were therefore the worse estemed and prouided for because Paule came so late vnto them And he may be an example vnto vs not to be much curious in enquiring after such thinges He hath left the cause vnspoken of and paraduenture he enquired not for it As seene as he sawe that he was letted strayght way he obayed without enquiring the ChrysostoÌ„e was not of thys opinioÌ„ that the Romanes wâ—r first conuerted vnto Christ by Peter causes for as much as it is not for seruauntes to search out the counsels of theyr Lord. And when I consider these thynges I thinke I may thereby gather that Chrisostome was not fully perswaded that the Romanes were fyrst by Peter the Apostle conuerted vnto Christe before Paule came thether For then answeare might easely haue bene made The city of Rome was not vtterly forsaken of God whilest Paule was occupied otherwhere for Peter preached God performeth things that are forspoken that is predestinate after an other manner at an other tyme then the sayntes thynke for the Gospell there This is further to be noted that God oftentymes vseth to accomplish those thynges which are alredy appointed and desired of the saincts to be done but yet at a farre other tyme and after an other maner and way then they decreed wyth themselues to doo it Iacob when he heard that Ioseph hys sonne should be worshipped of hys brethren and also euen of hys parents began to thinke that to be a thyng odious and which coulde not be brought to passe without excéeding great troubles And therefore he did not gladly geue eare vnto it And yet did God performe the same but yet by a far other meanes then he thought So that Paule should go to Rome it was both decréed by the prouidence of God and also he excedingly desired it but it came to passe farre otherwise then euer Paule thought For he when he came to Ierusalem and was so euill handled there that he was in daunger of hys lyfe was compelled to appeale vnto Cesar and God vsed that occasion to sende hym to Rome which he afterward shewed vnto hym by a vision when he suffred shipwracke For he sayd vnto hym Euen as thou hast borne witnes vnto me at Ierusalem so also shalt thou doo at Rome Wherefore we ought alwayes to be mindefull of that place in Ieremy the 10. chapter a mans way is not in hys owne hand neyther is it in man to walke and to direct hys steppes It is God which boweth vs whethersoeuer he will And though he sendeth not forth his angels which should expressedly teach vs what he will haue vs to do yet he is wont to vrge vs by a God vseth necessities and occasions in stead of Aungels Why Paul came so late to Rome certayne necessity and to bring in occasions whereby to driue vs to do that which he hath alredy before decreed and appoynted wyth hymselfe And yet of the cause of thys delay there semeth somewhat to be written in the last chapter saue one of this epistle For he signifyeth that necessities of other Churches letted hym and occasions of preaching the Gospell which were more commodious and more necessary which were offred him in other places For there when he had written that he had nowe filled all places with the Gospell thoroughout all those regions was very desirous to see them neyther had any more to do in those regions he promised shortly to take his iorney toward theÌ„ To haue some fruite among you also Origene complayneth here of the darke construction or confused readinge which he very obscurely goeth about Origene Hyperbaton to restore But in my iudgement it is playne and easy inough if all this And I was letted euen to this day be written by interposition or a parenthesis For then shall the sentence be that he was oftentymes redy to come to haue some fruite among them as he had among other nacions He sayth not arrogantly that he will bring them fruite but rather that he will receaue and take fruite of them Which fruite was to be strengthened and stablished in Christ And Whereby faythfull scoolemasters are knowne Our desires should not preuent the iudgement of God this is a certayne token of faythfull scholemasters if they count the profyte of theyr disciples their fruite and aduantage Although there are some enterpreters which expound this sentence of the reward which should be geuen vnto Paule for preaching the Gospell among the Romanes But the fyrst interpretacion is more playne and more agreeable vnto the wordes of Christ wherein he sayth Ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you that ye should go forth and bring fruite But Paule semeth by hys desire to preuent the will of God which thing profitable seruauntes ought not to do For they must wayte for the commaundement of their Lord neyther must they resist when he commaundeth any thing For God was almost angry wyth Moses for that he refused to go vnto Pharao and so was he with Ionas the Prophet because he detracted God sometymes suffreth the godly to be deceaued concerning his will but he streyghtway correcteth theÌ„ to go vnto Niniuie Betweene these two daungers the meane ought to be obserued Paule whatsoeuer he saw that he thought would aduaunce the glory of God the same did he straight way excedingly desire which is also the nature of other holy men In the meane tyme God suffreth them to be deceaued howebeit he forsaketh them not For strayght way he boweth theyr willes whether it pleaseth hym that is to those thinges which do in very deede illustrate hys name And godly men must beware that they put not lettes agaynst the We must not put impediments agaynst the vocation of God The Apostles desire to go to Rome was besides hys determination calling of God They must bow themselues before God like drawing beastes to be gouerned with the bridell of hys will Neyther is this to be omitted that thys desire of the Apostle was besides his determinacion For he had determined as it is written in the 15. chapter of this epistle not to build vpon an other mans foundacion but there rather to preach Christ where his name had not before bene heard of For I am debtter both to the Greekes and to the Barbarous to the learned and to the vnlearned Now he addeth an other cause of his will The fyrst was to bestow vpon them some spirituall gift to strengthen them and to take some fruit of theÌ„ But now he sheweth that necessity vrged him hereunto least he might haue seemed to haue bene a busy fellow This necessity is taken
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
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
the truth to whome Iesus Christ was before described and before your eyes crucified Farther to the Hebrewes we reade And if any mā shal make voyd the law of Moses he is vnder the witnes of two or thre without any mercy slain How much more greuous punishmēts abide those which haue troden vnder foot the bloud of the sonne of God Lastly they bring a place out of the latter Epistle to the Corrint the 7. chapter Where Paule seemeth to haue made mencion of satisfaction to be made after crimes committed They thinke also that Ambrose maketh on theyr side when he interpreteth these woordes oute of the 11. chap. to the Romanes The giftes of God are without repentaunce Because sayth he grace in baptisme seeketh not sighinge or mourning or any woorke but onely profession from the harte And a little afterwarde he sayth that in the first entraunce of fayth is not required repentaunce for the gift of God freely forgeueth sins in baptisme And they faine that they speake these things that we should not geue our selues to slouthfulnes or sluggishnes and least some should imagine an idle iustificatiand a repentance without fruite Repentance say they whiche is added after baptisme is of that kinde that it hath ioyned with it most feruent prayers and mourning and sighing and almes geuing to our neyghbours and spiritual excercises There is but one maner of true repentance by whiche maye be washed away sinnes committed But whatsoeuer those men say there is but one manner of true repentaunce whiche is that we shoulde from the hart be sorry for the sinnes whiche we haue commited whiche haue alienated God frō vs. Vnto which sorrow is added a desire of forgeuenes and thereunto also are adioyned prayers to attayne the same with a full purpose not to runne any more into the like sinnes and wyth a wyll to mortefy the old man and to put on the new man And all these thinges oughte to leane vnto Vnto Christians repentance is a perpetual companion how be it it is sometimes greater and somtimes lesser In the baptisme of them that are of full age is required repentance faith for without it they cannot consiste And in a christian man is perpetuallye this kinde of repentance so long as he liueth here although we graunte that it is greater when we haue committed greuouser sinnes whiche thinge then vndoubtedly cōmeth to passe when after grace once receaued we fal againe But as the common sayinge is more and lesse chaunge not the nature and kinde of thinges But whereas these men fayne that in baptisme is not required repentaunce and especiallye when they that are of full age are baptised it is both vayne and also manifestlye repugnaunte vnto the holye scriptures For in the Actes of the Apostles when the people had heard the sermon of Peter they were smitten in the hart and sayd Ye men brethern what ought we to do Vnto whom Peter aunswered that they should repent them And when the Iewes were baptised of Iohn they were smitten with such a sorrow of repentance that of theyr owne accord also they confessed theyr sinnes Which selfe thinge the Ephesians also did when they brought foorth their wicked bookes to be burnt And as touching Ambrose vnles he be vnderstanded of Ecclesiasticall satisfactions for that the church requireth not them for sinnes before baptisme that which he writeth is not true For in very déede it is not possible that a man should from the hart Before baptisme wer not required ecclesiasticall satisfactions be conuerted vnto God and come vnto Christe to be washed in baptisme but that he must ernestly repente him of his former life Neyther can I see why it is not conueniēt to vse the ministery of the law to preach it vnto those which haue fallē away frō Christ as well as vnto those which are not as yet cōuerted For it is certayne that Christ entreated with the Apostles touching the lawe in the. 5 and 6. chapters of Mathew when yet notwithstandinge they had nowe both beleued in him and also followed him Paule also in this self same epistle which he wrote vnto the faithfull in the 7. chap. vseth a testimony of the law to the declaracion of concupiscence And in the first to Timothy he pronounceth the law to be good so that a man lawfully vse it Neyther do those places of the Apocalipse vnto the hebrewes and vnto the Galathians teach any other thinge For the vpbrayding of benefites receaued forasmuch as it reproueth men of ingratitude layeth before them the transgression of the law For to sinne is nothinge els but to violate the commaundementes of God which are contained in the law Neither is there anye mencion made of satisfaction in the latter Epistle to the Corrinthians as these men fayne there is For that word which Paule there vseth A place in the latter epistle to the Corrin is in Greeke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Neither mente the Apostle in that place any thinge els then to declare that he was very glad that his first letters had brought forth in the Corrinthians a study 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an indignatiō For that they had excommunicated the incestuous person whom Paule had noted vnto them and had declared that they were not a little sory for that which Paule had reproued in them So vtterlye far of is it that that place commendeth vnto vs Ecclesiasticall satisfactions of which yet there is no suche cause why these men should so much boast of when as in theyr churches they now are vtterly cleane out of The true ecclesiasticall satisfactions ar banished out of the Church of the Papistes How the fathers assigned remission of sinnes to good woorkes God beareth with sinnes vre neither nowe haue they any other satisfactions then those whiche they enioyne men after auricular confession and which no manne can fully performe vnles he be already before absolued of the priest whiche is vtterly contrarye to the vsage of the elders And if at any time we reade that the fathers attributed remission of sins or righteousnes vnto almes geuing or vnto other good works eyther they are vtterly not to be harkened vnto or els they are to be vnderstanded to speake of woorkes as they are effectes of fayth They may also by the name of sinne sometimes vnderstand the paines and punishmentes whiche are due vnto sinnes which punishmentes oftentimes are either mittigated or takē away if woorthy fruites follow repentaunce Thorough the patience of God By these woordes is signified that God remitteth those sinnes which he hath long time before borne with when as otherwise men as touching themselues deserue to be punished euen straightway so soone as they haue sinned But God is mercifull and slow to anger whiche thing he declared when he sent the floude when he destroyed Sodom and ouerthrew the publike wealth of the Iewes And we finde him also to be euen suche a one towardes euery
forme of all his posteritye Howbeit we maye more simply and more aptly referre this vnto Christ For in that comparison Paul Adam a figure of Christ wonderfully much delighted Chrisostome also leaneth thys way and sayth that the Apostle with great conninge and manifold and sondry wayes handleth these woordes Of one and one to make vs to vnderstande that those thinges are to be compared together which haue come vnto vs by one Adam and by one Christ And this is very worthy An analogy betwene Adam and Christ An excelleÌ„t coâ—parison of Chrisostome A strong argumente against the Iewes of nothing in Chrisostome that he sayth Euen as Adam was the cause of death vnto al men although they did not eate of the tree so Christ was made vnto his a conciliator of righteousnes although they themselues had wrought no righteousnes In which place he moste manifestly declareth that we are not iustified by our woorkes He sayth moreouer That by this discourse of the Apostle we are throughlye fensed againste the Iewes if they chaunce to deride vs for that we beleue that by one Christe was redeemed the whole world For we wyll obiect agayne vnto them that they also confesse that by one Adam was all thinges corrupted which semeth to be a great deale more absurde if we looke vpon humane reason then to say that by one Christ all men haue bene holpen In this place the Apostle beginneth to entreate of that whiche was the fourth parte of this diuision namely by whome sinne was excluded And this he declareth was brought to passe by Christ whome he maketh like vnto Adam This similitude is The similitude betwene AdaÌ„ and Christe is to be taken generally to be taken generally that euen as all men depend of Adam so all also in theyr order depende of Christe and as the one merited for all his so also did the other But perticulerly and speciallye there is greate difference For Adam broughte in sinne death and damnation but Christe broughte in righteousnes life and grace There is difference also in yâ— propagation For Adam by the generation of the flesh powreth his euels into men but Christ by fayth And therefore Paul when he had sayd that Adam was a tipe of that whiche was to come as it were by way of correction added But yet the gifte is not so as is the sinne Wherefore betweene Adam Betwene Christ and Adam is not a true similitude but an analogy or proportion and Christe is to be put rather a certaine analogye and proportion then a true similitude But to make those thinges which follow more playne we will deuide in to thrée partes al this whole comparison which consisteth of similitudes of contraries and of thinges compared together Firste the Apostle plainelye teacheth that the sinne of Adam is not so as is the gifte for the gifte many wayes excelleth and passeth the sinne Secondly he expresseth wherin consisteth this victory namely in this that whereas Adam had by one sinne corrupted all mankinde Christe hath not onely abolished that one sinne but also a greate many other sinnes whiche we haue since committed Last of all he declareth what that aboundaÌ„ce of good things is which Christ hath brought vnto his elect As touching the firste this we muste know that Christ is so compared with Adam that he is alwayes made the superiour Neither is this to be passed ouer that Paul expresseth sinne by two names Christ is so compared with AdaÌ„ that he is alwayes made the superior They which sinne do first â—â—re and afterward fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By which names this we learne that they which sinne doo first erre and afterward fall For these two are thorowly knitte together Wherefore the coÌ„mon saying is he that followeth a blind man must néedes fall This also let vs obserue that Paul in this comparison continually in a maner vseth these woordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is gift to declare that our saluation commeth not vnto vs of any of our owne dignity or of works but onely of the meere mercy of God The wordes are thus For if thorow the offence of one many be dead muche more the grace of God and the gifte by Grace whiche is by one man Iesus Christ hath abounded vnto many For if through the offence of one When he sayth that thorow the sinne of one man many haue died he taketh not away or altereth that whiche he before wrote namely that death had gone ouer all For this worde Many oughte in thys place to be of asmuch force as if he had sayd All euen by the testimony of Origene also Wherfore that abideth firme which was before auouched That all men haue sinned that all are therefore subiecte vnto death By Grace he vnderstandeth the fauour of God whereby sinnes are forgeuen This woord Gift peraduenture What grace is with the scholemen signifieth the holy Ghost and other good thinges which men by the holy Ghost obteyne But the schoole men say that Grace is a quality powred into our hartes by God whereby we lead an holy godly life and by this grace saye they is a man iustified But that kind of iustification shoulde pertaine vnto the law For it shoulde consist of those thinges which are in vs. Wherefore the true iustification whereof is now intreated commeth from Christe of whome thorough fayth and the grace or fauour of God we take holde not that we deny the other kinde of grace For we put both kinds namely both the instauration of the beleuers to liue vprightly and also the imputation of righteousnes by Christ whereunto whole and perfect iustification cleaueth that that might be true which we reade in Iohn that we haue receaued grace for grace and by that grace wherby Christ was of valew before the father we are receaued into his grace The nature of yâ— Antithesis required yâ— euen as he had sayd that thorow the offence of one maÌ„ many haue died so he should on the other side haue sayd that through the righteousnes of one the fauor of God hath abounded vpon many But he would rather put Grace and gifte for that these two thinges are the fountaines and rootes of righteousnes and of euery good thinge whiche we by righteousnes obteyne And he therefore saith that it abounded whiche in the Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to geue vs to vnderstand that there We haue more grace then is sufficient to extinguishe sinne was more grace bestowed vpon men then should be sufficient to extinguish sinne For for that we haue obteyned forgeuenes of sinnes wee are also borne againe and we rise againe wyth Christe and are sanctified and adopted into the children of God and are made the bretherne of Christe and fellow heyres wyth hym are grafted into his members are
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
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
nature of carnall generation And by this second example also Paul ascendeth Workes propagation of the fleshe are remoued away in the latter example higher neither remoueth he away only carnall generation from the cause of the efficacy of the promise of God but also workes For he sayth that those infantes were not yet brought forth to light neither had done either good or euill neither were they therefore seperated the one from the other that the one should be reiected the other elected that the one should be loued of God and the other hated Of these two thinges the Hebrues were accustomed continually to boast as of thinges most excellent namely nobility of bloud holynes of workes The one of theÌ„ Paul had now before remoued away now also he remoueth away workes When they were not yet borne neither had done any good or euill The Apostle entendeth in this place to set forth certayne thinges from which humane reason excedingly abhorreth for first he sayth that the mere goodnes and clemeÌ„cy of God is the ground of election Which thing men for that they to much Two things here entreated of â–ª from which humane reasoÌ„ excedingly abhorreth delight in themselues to much loue themselues do not easely graunt For they would rather appoint the groundes of their saluation in themselues and not gladly committe the same wholy vnto God Farther he sayth that this liberality and mercy of God is vtterly frée from all lawes so that it is bound to no man but that it fréely either reiecteth or electeth whom it will Here also is our reason excedingly offended for vnto men it séemeth equity that seing all men are of a like estate and condition God should also haue towardes all men a like and equall inclination for that they say longeth to iustice Wherefore they seme couertly to accuse Our soules liued not before they were ioined to the bodies God as an accepter of persons Farther by these wordes of the Apostle is condemned their error which thought that our soules either sinned or liued iustly before they were thrust into the bodyes for if it were so then had not the Apostle sayde rightly before they had done either good or euill Of that opinion was Origen thorough to muche following the doctrine of Plato Wherefore we muste holde that our soules had no being before they were ioyned vnto the bodyes For they could not haue liued idely and if they had done any thing the same doubtles should haue bene either iust or vniust and so they had done either some good or some euill But they which thinke that God in his election followeth workes foresene deny that they are by these sentences of the Apostle confuted For in that Paul sayth that God elected the one of these and reiected the other before they were borne that they say is to be referred to the singular sharpenes of the sight of God which séeeth those things which shall come to passe long time before they haue their being But the Apostle when as he straight way addeth that the election should abide according to purpose semeth not to haue had a respect vnto workes foresene but only to the singular will of God But neither by this do they confesse themselues to be confuted They affirme that the election of God is gouerned by foreknowledge whereby Against theÌ„ which think that election consisteth of works foresene when as he foreséeth what maner one euery man shall be so he either reiecteth or electeth euery one The selfe same thing also affirme they of the purpose of God that it ought to be iust and therefore ought to be moderated by the foreknowledge of workes and that for that cause it is called purpose because that that shall vndoubtly and immutably come to passe which God foreséeth But if it were so as these men imagine Paul ought then to haue sayd that vnto workes and merites should abide their dew honor which yet he saith not but opposeth vnto them the election and purpose of God And he expressedly addeth Not of workes and as it were euen of purpose denieth that which these men so earnestly endeuor themselues to obtrude wherfore thus to thinke semeth to be nothing els then to swim against the streame and manifestly to fight against the purpose of the Apostle For Paul to the end that nothing should want to confirme that which we say namely that the election of God is the chief cause of our saluation addeth But of him that calleth Whereby we vnderstand that our saluation There ought not to be put in man any thyng that is good which shold moue the will of God to elect him wholy dependeth of him which electeth and calleth vs. And it is verye absurde to set in man any thing so good that can moue the will of God to elect vs for whatsoeuer good thing is in man the same wholy procedeth from God vnles we wil say that there may be some thing that is good which is not of God which were to make of a creature a God And if they graunt that all good thinges which men either shall do or can do do proceede from God then also doubtles must they nedes confesse and graunt that God distributeth not these thinges rashly or by chaunce or vnaduisedly But now if these things be destributed God in no wise dâ—stributeth his gifteâ— rashly The things which God geueth vnto vs are not the causes of election by the election and predestination of God then can they not be yâ— causes of election or of predestination Farther the Apostle a litle afterward so referreth all things to the wil of God yâ— he vtterly excludeth our wil for he saith I will haue mercy on whome I will haue mercy and will shew compassion on whome I will shew compassion Wherefore it is not either of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy And that we should not take it ill for that God after this maner dealeth with vs he vseth a similitude of the potter which of one and the selfe same masse maketh one vessel to honor and an other to contumely and he addeth That the clay yet can not complayne of his maker Moreouer it is a thing dangerous and not agreeable with a godly man to assigne that Our wil also is excluded from being the cause of the election of God If this should be put to be the cause of saluatioÌ„ â–ª neither so doutles should humane reason be satisfieâ— to be the cause of the election of God which is neither put of Paul when yet he of purpose entreateth of that matter neither is any where extant in all the whole scriptures For that is to imagine vnto our selues that which semeth to be agreeable vnto our reason and besides that neither doubtles can thys imagination in all pointes satisfy humane reason For Augustine against the two epistles of the Pelagians in his 2. booke and 7. chapter
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
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
necessitie hâ—tteth the will that it should will anye thing vnwillinglye But this latter is nothing at all agaynst the nature of the will The life and foreknowledg of God although they are necessarily attributed vnto him yet they nothing hurt his nature nor will He can not neyther be deceaued nor dy and yet suffreth he not any thing which he willeth not So also we say yâ— when we will any thing by will we necessarily wil it and yet do we not thinke that hereby our choyce is violated And how the What thinges wicked men wishe for in this question foreknowledge of God hurteth not our will Augustine in his 3. booke de libero arbitrio in the 2. and 3. chapiters very well declareth And first he sayth that by this question are excedingly set a worke a greate many wicked men which eyther would that if the will be free God had no prouidence nor care of thinges pertayning to men that they might with the more licentiousnes geue theÌ„selues vnto lustes in denying the iudgments both of God and of man and to the vtter most of theyr power auodyng them or if it can not be auoyded but that it must nedes be graunted that God prouideth and vnderstandeth the things which are done of vs yet at the least they would obteyne this that his prouidence should so compell the willes of men that they may be excused from blame of theyr wicked factes But how these mens deuises are deceaued he easely declareth in setting forth how the forknowledge of God may stand with will and that a free will He demaundeth of him with whome he reasoneth whither he knew that he should haue to morrow a wil vpright or corrupt He maketh aunswere that he could not tel Doost thou thinke sayth Augustine that God knoweth thys The other confesseth that he thinketh that God knoweth this â–ª Wherefore sayth Augustine forasmuch as God foreknoweth this he also foreknoweth what he will doâ— with thee that is whither he will glorifie thee at the end of thy life and if he foreknowe and can not be deceaued then of necessity will he glorifie thee But in the meane time tell thou me Shalt thou be glorified agaynst thy will or with thy will Verely sayth he nâ—ot agaynst my will for I most earnestly desire the same And hereby is concluded that that which God wil of necessity do in vs hindreth not the wil. He sheweth also that this shal be more plaine if we coÌ„sider of foreknowledge as though it were ours Suppose that I foreknowe that a certayne man shal come vnto me to morrow shal this my foreknowledge take away from him wil but that if he Our memory coÌ„pelleth not thinges past to be past â–ª come he commeth thorough his owne election Doubtles we can not so say for he willingly commeth neyther shal my foreknowledge diminish any thing of his liberty And as our memory compelleth not thinges past to be past so foreknowledge compelleth not those thinges which shall come to passe to come to passe This thing also may an other way be declared If a maÌ„ should se Plato disputing with Socrates or the Sunne or Moone to be eclipsed the sight of the beholder causeth not that they which dispute together should of necessity or agaynst theyr willes dispute together neyther also causeth it that the Sunne or Moone should be eclipsed by chance when as those eclipses of the heauenly lights haue theyr necessary causes Wherefore he which seeth both maketh not by his sight that which is contingent necessary neyther maketh he that which is necessary contingent Neyther ought we to imagine that the foreknowledge of God obteyneth his certaynty of the necessity of thinges for so greate is the perspicuity of the minde of God that it can also most certaynly vnderstand thinges contingent Neyther is thys reason any thing hindred by that which we before ofteÌ„ admonished namely that the foreknowledge of God hath alwayes will ioyned with it when as nothing can be foreknowen of God to be which he him selfe will not to be But yet this will wherby God worketh all in all applieth it selfe How the wil of God bringeth not necessitie to thinges to the natures of thinges For in meate it norisheth in the Sunne it shineth in the vine it bringeth forth wine and in the will of men it causeth that they of theyr owne accord and freely wil those thinges which they wil. Paul as we rede in the Actes cited that sentence of Aratus In him we liue are moued and haue our being Whereof it followeth that the wil of man hath his motions of God But if a maÌ„ wil say that it receaueth of God such motions as it selfe before willeth then shal he speake things absurd for theÌ„ should our wil measure and gouerne the influences of God which thing is far from the truth But rather let vs say The wil receueth such motions of God as he will Second causes may be doubtfull wheÌ„ yet the will of God is certaine that it receaueth of God such impulsions and motions as he will geue And let vs in yâ— meane time marke that God so worketh in our will that it gladly willingly and of his owne accord receaueth the motions which God putteth into vs. But how it commeth so passe that God moste certainly foreseeth thinges to come when yet the willes of men and many naturall causes are doubtfull and worke contingently it may thus be declared It is true in dede that those which consider thinges onely in theyr causes are oftentymes deceaued for that all causes doo not necessarilye produce theyr effectes for sometimes they are letted and enclyne an other way then they were supposed Wherefore men are not deceaued when they now behold the effect brought forth but they are deceaued when they iudge of effectes lying hid in their causes But the foreknowledge of God not only knoweth what thinges shall come to passe in their causes but also thorowly seeth theÌ„ as if they were alredy brought forth and of their causes made perfect and hereof it commeth that we may of the foreknowledge of God infer necessity of certainety and of infalliblenes and so can we not do of the second and niest cause For when we say that God foreknew that this or that thing shal come to passe to morrow we wel conclude All thinges are necessary whilest they are yâ— therefore it shal of necessity be Necessity is not applied vnto a thing known but as it is foreknoweÌ„ of God as present and alcedy brought forth which maketh not onely to perspicuity but also to necessity For euery thing whilest it is is of necessity neither must we afterward graunt that yâ— thing is of necessity for that it is not taken in such sort as it was foreknowen of God Hetherto We do not defend free will haue we defended the power of mans will whiche yet we wil not should be taken vniuersally but only as touching foreknowledge and
it is vnpunished it hath nothing in it that is good but so soone as punishment is inflicted vpon it forasmuch as that punishment is a parte of iustice sinne is thereby at the least somewhat restrained and brideled from ranging any farther abroade whiche thing also is profitable vnto wretched sinners Wherfore if we will iudge vprightlye the martyrs in so prayinge prayed rather for them then againste them Neither also were it absurde if they shoulde pray for the end of the world wherein they had suffred such great euils that impiety may once at the length haue an ende Althoughe I thinke not that all the elders are of Tertullian thought that we should pray for the prolongyng of the end of the world Why they prayed for the prolonging of the ende of the world this mind that we should pray for the end of the worlde when as rather contrariwise Tertullian in his apology saith that Christians in theyr congregations praye for the prolonging of the end of the world And in the same place he writeth that our men by the prescript of the holy scriptures prayed not only for Emperors but also for the long preseruation of the the world For after this monarchy of the Romanes as Paul writeth vnto the Thessalonians shall come Antichrist and the end Wherfore some of the saintes prayed that the time might be prolonged partly that the tribulatioÌ„ which should come through Antichrist might be differred and partely that the Children of election might be gathered together The Gréeke Scholies write that those holy martyrs prayed against the deuill that his power might at the length be brideled or brought to an ende And thus much touching Augustines opinioÌ„ who was also of the same minde against Faustus where he sayth These things which we read in the Prophets seeme to be wordes of execration of such as foretell or forespeake and not the desires of such as pray But as touching this thinge I thinke this to be true that when there is an enemy whiche both wisheth euell vnto vs and also to the vttermost We must make a distinction of the cause why our enemies haâ—e vs â–ª Distinction oâ— yâ— persoÌ„s which vse imprecatioÌ„s of his power worketh euell against vs we firste of all make a distinction of the cause wherfore he hateth vs. For either it is our proper cause humane and ciuill or els it is because he hateth God and his truth Secondly that we make a distinction of the men for some are led by an accustomed affection of theyr own and other some are moued of God who reuealeth vnto them both what he wil do in what state the wicked are stirreth theÌ„ vp to speake the things which they speak nether is this in the meane time to be passed ouer yâ— the euils which we praye for are ether teÌ„poral or eternal These distinctioÌ„s considered this we say yâ— if it be our own cause only therin we ought to be patient long suffring mild Blesse curse Distinction of the â—uils which we pray for In our own cause we ought to be patient not the scripture coÌ„maundeth vs. We ought also to pray for them that persecute vs. God hath created vs men let vs not spit out the venome of serpentes and forasmuch as we are meÌ„ let vs not suffer our selues to be changed into wild beasts They which hurt vs are madde and are moued with furies and therfore are worthy rather of compassion then vengeaunce or imprecations The mouth is geuen vnto vs to helpe and remedy things and not that we shoulde with it curse han Otherwise God will say vnto such execrations I haue commaunded thée to pray for thine enemies why doost thou now then irritate me against them Wilt thou An example of a priest of Athens haue me to be a helper to thée to transgresse my lawes and to be thine hangman A certaine woman priest of Athens coulde not be perswaded to curse Alcibiades for she said that she was placed in the priesthoode to pray for men and not to curse them And amongst the Romanes it was not lawfull for the high prieste of Iupiter to sweare for that oftentimes the ende and conclusion of an othe is execration for they say let this or that fall vpon me vnles I performe this or that And séeing it In our own cause we must vse prayers not exâ—cratioÌ„s In Gods cause it is lawfull somtymes to vse imprecations Our cause iâ— somtimes nerely ioyned with gods cause In imprecations we must beware of the incitation of the flesh We must â—e ioyne sinne from the nature of him that sinneth How it is lawfull to wishe temporal afflictions vnto sinners A maÌ„ may sometymes wish temporall euill things vnto himselfe was not lawfull for the priest to curse himselfe muche les was it lawfull for him to curse others Wherfore if the cause be our owne we ought not to vse execrations but rather prayers compassion and blessing but wheÌ„ Gods cause is in hand and that this our anger commeth by reason of sinnes and wicked actes there is no thing to let but that the godly may sometimes vse imprecations in such manner as we shall expresse And it oftentimes happeneth that our cause is ioyned wyth the glory of God and is so ioyned that it cannot be disseuered therefro but onely by diligent and attentiue consideration As if a minister of the church sée himselfe coÌ„temned and derided although oftentimes he contemne his owne dignity yet notwithstanding neither can he nor ought he quietly to suffer yâ— worde of God which he ministreth to be contemned For which cause the prophets semed many times to be very wroth for that theyr messages and prophesies were derided Wherfore I graunte that in this case both imprecations and cursinges maye iustly be vsed Howbeit this I thinke good to admonish you of that here we go warely to worke for our flesh is wonte oftentimes vnder the pretence of Gods glorye and honor to fight and to braule for our owne honor and estimation Moreouer this is not to be neglected that we very diligentlye seioyne sinnes from nature and that in anye wise we wish well vnto nature it selfe that is vnto men but let vs curse and hate sinnes And forasmuch as it oftentimes happeneth that men after that they haue bene by some afflictions and punishmentes corrected do repente therefore if vnto wicked men beinge straungers from God and transgressors of hys lawes we sometimes wishe some discommodities and aduersities of the fleshe to the ende they maye féele the wrath of God I sée nothynge but that we maye so doe Thys thing without doubte we maye sometime wishe vnto our selues and that iustly that God should rather afflict and scourge vs then to suffer vs to fall into sinnes or if we sinne that he would at the least by these meanes call vs home againe And if we may wish these and such like things vnto our selues why should we not wish
them vnto others seing that we are commaunded to loue our neighbours as our selues So Helias shut vp heauen So God brought home againe some of his elect which went astray for there are some kind of men so blockish the they can not be brought home againe but by this meanes Wherfore the Psalme saith Fill their faces with ignominy and they will seeke after thy name And therefore we may wish the crosse and affliction both vnto our selues and also vnto others for amendment and correction sake In which cause yet nothing ought to be done In this matter we must go discretely warely to worke rashly for oftentimes it happeneth that some by afflictions are not amended but rather made worse Wherfore the better way were to pray vnto God to correct them and not to wish vnto them aduersities except it be with this condition to conuert them or that the glory of God should thereof ensew And so as saith Augustine we should not pray against them but for them But this is to be knowen that amongst men there are some which are the ambassadors of God which are Why it is lawfull for prophets to curse not as priuate men but execute an extraordinary ministery And they by the spirite of prophesying doubt not of the will of God for in their prayers they talke together with God and in that talke they see and vnderstand many thinges as touching the mind and are wonderfully affected Wherefore seing that God sheweth vnto them that sinners shall be brought to amendment by some kinde of punishementes and that he hath appointed to punishe them or that some are now past all hope of saluation and shall without all doubt be punished with eternall misery seing I say that God sheweth vnto such holy men such things and they in no wise doubt but that such things are decreed of the most mighty God which forasmuch as he appointeth them must of necessity be good how can they not but allow them how can they not but wishe them when as they continually pray thy will be done Wherefore when they see those thinges they pray they make imprecations they poure out such execrations and cursings as we reade in the Prophetes and in the holy histories Whereout the godly What consolation is gathered out of the cursings of the Prophetes take consolation which thereby vnderstand in what sort wicked men shall at the length be handled and the weaker sort and they which go astray which pertaine vnto the flocke of God are by these thinges corrected and take hede vnto themselues that they deserue not the like Wherfore Gregory vpon those words of Iob wherein he cursed the day of his birth warely wrote that the execrations of the Saintes procede not of ranker that is of the affect of the flesh and hate of the world but of good consideration namely whereby they se that these things are allowed through the will of God But saith he they pray not for those thinges of a desire and an affecte vnto which his last saying I can not assent for as I haue now sayd the saints can not but allow and ernestly wishe those thinges which they se God willeth so that they be assured that God hath thus firmely decreed In this maner Paul made blinde Elimas y◠sorcerer Peter slew Ananias and Saphira so also the same Peter said vnto Simon the sorcerer thy mony and thou be destroyed together Paul deliuered vnto Satan him that had committed incest and said also I would to God they were cut of which trouble you And in the same sort also Helias commaunded fire to come downe from heauen which deuoured the captains ouer fifty with their fifty souldiers Heliseus also cursed the children which derided him they were rent in sonder of beares What difference is there whether God doo a thing by himselfe or by others whome he hath appointed out to be his ministers They which will imitate the Prophetes must take hede that they haue their spirit The sword of vengeāce and execration cōpared together Wherefore that which he doth by himselfe he can in like sorte do by the Saintes and Prophetes Farthermore if any man be moued to curse others and do pretend the imitation of the Prophetes and of the Apostles let them first well consider whether he haue their spirit or no. For euē as no man ought to vse the sword but only the magistrate so let none vse these execrations but they which are most fully assured of the will of God and which are moued by the spirit to inflict them This place is of nigh affinity yea rather all one with that place which is of vengeaunce Priuate vengeaunce is forbidden but so is not publique vengeaunce and that which is done by Princes so they which are of the common sort let them abstaine from execrations especially let them no◠wishe any crosse vnto any man as touching eternall condemnation vnles it be of condition that it may do good and let them assuredly knowe that they are bound to obey this common rule blesse and curse not agayne pray for them which persecute you And they which by the impulsion of God vse any execratiōs or imprecations let them alwayes haue before their eyes the amendment of sinne or at the least way the diminishing of the maliciousnes thereof by paynes and punishmentes that the righteous may not be hindred from the worshipping of God and also may not extend their handes vnto iniquities and finally let them seeke onely that the will of God may haue place and let them not be desirous of their owne commodities Neither ought it to seme vnto any man wonderfull that that common rule wherein is prescribed vs to blesse and not to curse and to wishe well vnto them that persecute vs admitteth any exceptions for that thing happeneth also in other commaundementes Are we not in an other place commaunded to pray for all men And vnto Timothe a reason is added for that God will haue all men to be saued And yet Iohn saith that some sin vnto the death We must not alwaies pray for our enemies and for them he saith we ought not to pray which yet we ought to vnderstand when we are fully assured that they haue sinned vnto the death Wherefore as touching that trope or figure of Augustin wherein he saith that these imprecations of the Saints were predictions or foretellinges as we vtterly reiect it not We must not pray for them that sinne vnto the death so also do we say that it is not of necessity Neither do we graunt that in the execrations of the Prophetes and of the Apostles were not ernest requests and desires for how could they not desire that which they saw God had willed and decreed vnles paraduenture by request or desire he ment the sence of the fleshe or of reason as it is led by humane counsels Last of all this is to be noted that it is not absurd that in
but vseth such causes as pleaseth hym God caÌ„ vse sinnes for instrumentes of saluation â–ª sinne yet woulde I in no wise take vppon me to say that Paul dealeth onely in wordes in steade of commendations setteth forth vnto vs those which in very dede were no coÌ„mendations for we ought to defend the holy Scriptures from all manner of lying Therfore I thus thinke with my selfe that God doth not of necessity néede seconde causes but rather that naturall causes therefore bring foorth some effect for that it hath pleased God to vse them as instruments in the setting forth of new thinges Wherfore euen as he vseth the Sunne to make warme and to geue light for this thing hath he by his word commaunded that it shoulde do so can he if he will vse any other thing to these workes Wherefore as I haue before sayd according to the order of nature sinnes can not be the causes of vocation and of saluation but onely occasions howbeit if God will vse them as instrumentes whereby to woorke I se not what can let him For he calleth those things which are not as if they were he healeth by the sight of the brasen Serpent he by spittle and dust restoreth sight vnto the blynde man wherefore he can also vse sinnes as instruments and meanes whereby to bring some to saluation Yet not withstanding we ascribe the whole efficacy thereof vnto God and doubt not but that Paule spake in good earnest But there yet remayneth an other doubt What sayth Paule shal be theyr fulnes if theyr fall diminishing be the riches of the world Of which wordes it séemeth that we might gather that by the conuersion of the Iewes many other nations shall be brought vnto Christ which is not possible when as afterwarde it is sayd that the Iewes shall then bee saued and enter in when the fulnes of the Gentles hath entred in And if the calling of the Gentles shal be complete what other Gentles shall there be remayning to be by the conuersion of the Iewes brought vnto Christ But this wee maye aunswere that Paule in this place sayth not that by the conuersion of the Iewes in the last time shal be drawen other nations vnto Christ but onely sayth How mutch shall theyr fulnes be For it is possible that the Gentles already conuerted may wonderfully bee holpen by the Iewes which beleue in Christ for paraduenture by lyght of doctrine feruentnes of the spirit and holynes of lyfe they shall so illustrate the The church shal receiue profite by the conuersion of the Gentlles Church that by them the Gentles also shall be stirred and confirmed and shall thinke themselues to bee in a manner nothing in comparison of them or to haue done nothing in respecte of them Wherefore by them as it appeareth shall be brought much perfection vnto the Church For I speake to you Gentles in as mutch as I am the Apostle of the Gentles I glorify my ministery To trye if I might by any meanes prouoke them of my flesh to followe them and might saue some of them For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world what shall the receauing be but life from the dead For if the first fruites be holy then is the lompe holy and if the roote be holy the braunches also shal be holy For I speake to you Gentles in as much as I am the Apostle of the Gentles I glorifie my ministery When he had now reasoned a minori that is of the lesse he by an example of himselfe confirmeth his sentence which he put forth namely that of the conuersion of the Gentles should follow the saluation of the Iewes through emulation For he had sayd that God called the Gentles to prouoke the Iewes to followe them he now addeth that which God doth I also séeke in my ministery for I glorifye it by this to bring many of the Gentiles to Christ to sée if I coulde by any meanes prouoke them of my fleshe to followe them and to bring some of them to saluation By this place we sée wherein consisteth The honor of the ministery wherin it consisteth the honour of the ministery namely to bring and to conuert manye vnto Christ and this is done by doctrine and preaching both publique and priuate The ministery is not adorned with riches nor with silkeÌ„ and precious garments eyther to be vsed commonly or to be vsed about any holy seruices These ornaments are Sophisticall that is per accidens or by chaunce For euery thing ought to be adorned with those thinges which pertayne to the nature substance therof Wherefore seing that the holy ministery consisteth chiefely in doctrine and preaching thereout ought it to haue his dignity But as there haue bene many which only by beard cloke and staffe haue made a shew of Philosophers and as Seneca sayth sought rather to haue the visor then the face of a Philosopher so in our dayes there are many which will vse only the name title and garments of ministers but will not performe the work therof Paul sayd that this thing is What is chiefly required at ministers handes chiefely required of stewards and ministers that they be found faythfull And in the 2. to the Corint the 6. chapiter Let vs in all things approue our selues as the ministres of God in much patience in afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in prisons as deceauers when yet we are true All which thinges he as a notable example to ministers excellently performed for he continually suffred greate troubles besides the dayly care which he had ouer all Churches none was tempted or burned but he together with him suffred and was burnt Where néede was he preached frealy he sought not his owne things but was made all to all to the end to winne all men he sayd Woo be vnto me if I preach not the Gospel He which to his power doth not with these vertues glorifye the ministery of the Gospel dishonoreth it Yea and Origen vpon this place sayth That Deacons or Ministers by the testimony A place of the fiâ—â—t to Timothie of the Apostle if they Minister well gette vnto themselues a good degre Wherfore it is manifest that they which execute not their office well but yll gett vnto them selues a degree of reprobation yea rather assured damnation And the same writer in this place exhorteth Priests and also Bishops to glorifye their ministery And doubtles all men as many as haue the charge of soules committed vnto them ought to thinke that this is spoken vnto them for for that at this tyme there are not Apostles they haue succeded in their place But euen as ciuills lawes are many A similitude tymes well and healthfully made but yet want such as should sée them put in vse and executed so at this day in the Church are degrées and titles and names of ministeries But there are found very fewe which truly execute their office
nothing and vncircumcision is nothing but onely fayth which worketh thorough loue Of this only dependeth iustification of this faith I say not being dead but liuing and of force And for that cause Paul added which worketh by loue Which yet ought not so to be vnderstand as though fayth should depend of loue or hath of it as they vse to speake his forme but for that when it bursteth forth into act and will shew forth it selfe it must of necessity doo it by loue So the knowledge of a man dependeth not hereof for that he teacheth other men but therin is it most of all declared But if any perfection of these actions of louing and teaching redound vnto fayth and knowledge that commeth of an other cause and not for that that they depend of it or therof haue theyr forme as many Sophisters dreame In the Epistle to the Ephesians the 2. chapter it is thus written By Grace ye are made safe thorough fayth and that not of your selues for it is the gift of God And moreouer in the third Chapiter That according to the riches of his glory he would graunt you that ye may be strengthned with might in the inward man by the spirit that Christ may dwell in your harte by fayth He y◠hath Christ in him the same hath without all doubt righteousnes For of him Paul thus writeth vnto the Corrinthians in the first Epistle and second chapiter Who is made vnto vs wisedome ▪ righteousnes holines redemptiō Here therfore is shewed by what meanes Christ dwelleth in our harts namely by fayth Agayne Paul in the third chapiter to the Phillippians That I might be found saith he in him not hauing mine own righteousnes which is of the law but that which is of the fayth of Iesus Christ Here that righteousnes which is of workes and of the law he calleth his but that which is of fayth and which he most of all desireth he calleth the righteousnes of Iesus Christ Vnto the Hebrues also it is written in the 11. chapter The saynts by fayth haue ouercome kingdomes haue wrought righteousnes and haue obteyned the promises These wordes declare how much is to be attributed vnto fayth for by it the saints are sayd not only to haue possessed outward kingdomes but also to haue excercised the workes of righteousnes namely to haue liued holily and without blame and to haue obteyned the promises of God And Peter in his first epistle and first chapiter In the power of God sayth he are ye kept vnto saluation by fayth In these wordes are signified two principal grounds of our saluation The one is the might and power of God which is wholy necessary for vs to attayne saluation The other is fayth wherby as by an instrument is saluation applied vnto vs. Iohn in his first epistle and 5. chapiter Euery one sayth he which beleueth that Iesus is Christ is borne of God But to be borne of God is nothing els then to be iustified or to be borne agayne in Christ It followeth in the same chapiter This is the victory which ouercommeth the world our fayth By which testimony is declared that the tiranny of the Deuill of sinne of death of hell is by no other thing driuē away from vs but by faith only And toward the end of the selfe same chapiter it is sayd And these things haue I writen vnto you which beleue in the name of the sonne of God that ye might know that ye haue eternall life and that ye should beleue in the name of the sonne of God Now let vs gather also out of y◠Euangelists as much as shall serue for this presēt questiō Mathew in his 8. chap. sayth That Christ excedingly wondred at the faith of y◠Centurian and confessed that he had not found such fayth in Israell And turning vnto him sayd Euen as thou hast beleued so be it vnto thee Here some replye that this history and such other like entreat not of iustificatiō but only of the outward benefits of the body geuen by God But these men ought to consider that sinnes which are in vs are the causes of the griefes and afflictions of the body For only Christ except who vtterly died an innocent all other for as much as they are obnoxious vnto sinne doe suffer no aduersitie without iust desert and although God in inflicting of calamities vpon vs hath not alwayes a regarde hereunto for oftētimes he sendeth aduersities to shewe forth his glory and to the triall of all those that are his yet none whilest he is so vexed can complaine that he is vniustly dealt with for there is none so holy but that he hath in himselfe sinnes which are worthy of suche like or else of greater punishmentes And where the cause is not taken away neither the effect is nor can be taken away Wherfore Christ forasmuch as he deliuered men from diseases of the bodies manifestly declared y◠it was he which should iustify thē from sinnes And that this is true the self same Euangelist teacheth in the. 9. chapter For when he that was sicke of the Palsey was brought vnto Christ to be healed he saith y◠Christ answered Arise my sonne thy sinnes are forgeuen thee At which saying when as the Scribes and Phariseis were offended to the ende they should vnderstand that the cause of euils being taken away euen the euils themselues also are taken away he commaunded him that was sicke of the Palsey to arise and to take vp his bed and to walke Wherfore it manifestly appeareth that Christ by the healings of the body declared that he was he which should forgeue sinnes and euen as those healings were receiued by faith euen so also by the same faith are men iustified and receiue the forgeuenesse of sinnes And in the selfe same .ix. Chapter is declared that Christe answered vnto two blinde men which were very importunate and most earnestly desired to be healed Doe ye beleue that I can doe this for you And when they had made answer that they beleued he sayd Euen as you haue beleued so be it vnto you And when our Sauior was going to the house of the ruler of the sinagoge to raise vp his daughter from death there followed him a woman which had an issue of bloud which woman was endued with so great a faith that she thought thus with her selfe that if she might but touche the hemme of his garment she should straight way be made whole Wherefore Christ answered her be of good confidēce daughter thy faith hath made thee whole But why Christ adioyneth confidence vnto faith we haue before declared in the beginning of this question whē we declared the nature of faith For we taught that that assent wherwith we take holde of the promises of God is so strong so vehement that the rest of the motions of the minde which are agreable vnto it doe of necessitie follow In Luke also is set forth the history of that sinnefull
The patience of god portendeth not vnto the vngodly that they shall escape vnpunished men that although after a sort they were punished yet vnles they repented they should in the day of iudgement be more greuously punished And his meaning is that the patience of God whereby he suffereth them doth not portende that they should escape vnpunished but geueth them occasion to begin truly to repent God is set forth to be both mercifull and good but yet in such sort that his long sufferyng and patience haue endes limites And by reason of this differryng of punishmentes which happeneth in thys lyfe the Apostle is compelled to make mētion of the last iudgement Otherwyse forasmuch as in this lyfe many are passed ouer vnpunished others are most seuerely delt with all God might be thought to deale vniustly Wherfore he vrgeth them wyth the feare of the last iudgement and affirmeth that the differryng of vengeaunce bryngeth more greuous punishmentes Which thyng Valerius Maximus an Ethenike writer speaketh of that God by the greuousnes of the punishment recompenceth the long delaying therof Wherby it is playne that Paule disputing against the Ethenikes which knew The knowledge of the iudgement to come is naturally grafted in men not the holy scriptures reproued them by those thynges which might be known by the lyght of nature Wherfore there is a certayne naturall knowledge grafted in the hartes of men touchyng the iudgement of GOD to come after thys lyfe which thyng the fables also of the Poetes declare whiche haue placed Minoes Radamanthus and Eacus as iudges in hel Wherfore they shall be more greuously punished which haue bene the longer borne withall because the contempt of God addeth no small waight vnto theyr sinnes which contempt semeth to haue crept into them whilest they so long tyme despised his lenitie and patience A hard hart But thou after thyne hardnes and hart that can not repent heapest vnto thy selfe wrath in the day of wrath An hard hart is that which is not softened Wherof rebellion against God springeth by the benefites of God nor broken by hys threateninges nor feare of punishmentes And this rebellion agaynst God we draw vnto vs partely by originall sinne and partly by custome of sinnyng so that now we are in a manner without any kynde of felyng To beleue vprightly forasmuch as it is a vertue hath two extremities On the one side there is so great facility that some wyll beleue euery thing whether it be an inuention of mā or superstitiō or the word of God which In beleuing the meane is to be kept and two extremities are to be taken hede of vndoubtedly is a vyce On the other side there is so great difficulty to beleue that they will not admit no not euen that which is playne by the worde of God vnles theyr owne reason be satisfied therein Betwene these two daungerous extremities there is a certayne meane that we should heasely beleue those thinges which are to be beleued whē they are godly offred vnto vs vsing therin a diligēt trial of the holy scriptures For all thinges are to be examined by that rule Paule vseth this Greke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to lay aside or to lay vp in store For we commonly vse to lay vp in our treasures those thinges whiche we will not vse presently but will afterward vse them at some other conuenient tyme. And this very well fitteth with these vngodly ones For then they felte not the anger of God which yet afterward they shall feele and that so muche the more aboundantly as riches are more plentifull whiche are continually euery day heaped vp together He prudently warely sayth that these men heaped vp vnto themselues wrath that they should not impute these punishmentes vnto the cruelty of God By this kinde of speach he teacheth that it was they themselues which brought this mischiefe vpon themselues And this woord of heapinge vp treasure is oftentimes vsed in the holye scriptures In Deut the 32. chap God sayth touchinge the transgressions of the Israelites that they were sealed vp in This Metaphore of heaping vp treasure is oftentymes vsed in the holy scriptures What the day of wrath is hys treasures Ieremy also in the 50. chap threateneth that God wyll poure out the treasure of his wrath and indignation And that which is added In the day of wrath And y◠happeneth somtimes in this life when God semeth that he will not suffer any longer and sheweth foorth some tokens of his seuerity which thing we see happened in the captiuitie of Babilon in the euersion of Sodome and destruction of the Egiptians And the Prophets euery where describe the most bitter punishments of God by this title that they be layd vp in store against the day of wrath And wrath is here taken for vengeaunce by that kinde of figure wherby that which followeth is expressed by that which goeth before But it fitteth beste to referre those thinges whiche are here described vnto the last day of iudgement which he expresseth by three notes Firste by wrath secondly by reuelation and lastly by iustice Vengeaunce he ascribeth vnto God Three notes of the laste iudgement least it should be thought a thing of smal waight He addeth also reuelation because here thinges are hidden but there all thinges shal be made manifeste He putteth thereunto also this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is iustice least as Chrisostome noteth some should perswade themselues that the iudgemente of God shoulde proceede from an angry minde Vndoubtedly there shal be shewed a most grieuous vengeaunce but yet such a one as shal haue ioined with it iustice Wherfore we ought to haue that iudgemēt cōtinually before our eies neither at any time to take vpon vs any dueties or actions but that our mind be euer turned vnto it And this is to walke before God whiche thinge as Abraham was commaunded to do so is the same most oftentimes required at our handes And to walke before God is nothing els then to thinke that he doth moste intentiuelye behold whatsoeuer thinges we do But alas it is wonderfull to see howe this To walke before the Lord. thinkinge vpon the iudgemente to come is taken awaye from the sighte of the vngodlye VVho shall render vnto euery man according to his woorkes When he sayth that vnto euery manne shal be rendred it plainelye signifieth that none shall escape this iudgemente In the iudgementes of men it oftentimes happeneth that one is punished and an other is not so muche as accused He addeth According to their workes to geue vs to vnderstād that there shal be no acception of persons There shal be consideration had of the causes onelye and not of God hath a consideration vnto the cause and not vnto men Moses vnderstoode that the mercy of God is tempered wyth iustice men Of what state or condicion so euer they be they shal be iudged
be saued they must nedes confesse that he was predestinated But forasmuch as in him followed no good workes God doubtles could not foresee them Yea rather this he forsaw that he should by his free will doo nothing But y◠is more absurd which they obiect that God foresaw what he would haue done if he had happened to liue longer For humane reason will not so be satisfied For reason will complayne for some that are ouerhipped and reiected for those sinnes which they haue not done and especially therefore for that they should haue committed those sinnes if they had liued For ciuill iudges punishe not any man for those sinnes which they would haue committed if they had not bene letted And that God is nothing moued with those workes which men would haue done Christ playnly declareth whē he entreateth of Corosaim and Bethsayda and Capernaum If sayth he the thinges which haue benedone in thee had bene done in Tire and in Sydon they had doubtles repēted and those cities had bene at this day remayning Behold God foresaw that these nations would haue repented if they had sene and heard those things which were graunted and preached vnto these cities Seing therefore that they perished it is manifest that God in predestinating followeth not those workes which men would haue done if they had liued Neyther yet ought any man to gather out of this sentēce of Christ that they by themselues euen by the strēgth of free will could haue repented For as we haue in other places taught repentaunce God vnto some addeth not such means whiche mought moue thē to saluation As touching nature there is no difference minē is the gifte of God But the meaning of that place is that God added not those means to conuert these men wherby they mought haue bene moued These men suppose y◠euen by nature is a distinction in men which the election of God foloweth Neither consider they y◠all men are borne the sonnes of wrath so that as touching the masse or lompe wherout they are takē there can not be put in thē any difference at all for whatsoeuer good cōmeth vnto vs y◠same with out al doubt cōmeth frō God from grace And the in the nature of mē is not to be put any difference the Apostle declareth euē in this selfe same chap. For when he would declare that the one of the two brethern was taken and the other reiected only by the frée will of God First he vsed an example of Isaac and Ismael But when in these two it mought be obiected that there was some difference for that the one was borne of a free woman and the other of a handmaydē afterward he brought two brethren that were twines Iacob and Esau which had not onely one and the selfe same parentes but also were brought for the both at one and the selfe same tyme and in one and the selfe same trauaile And as touching workes there was no difference at all betwene them For as the Apostle sayth Before they had done eyther good or euill it was sayd The elder should serue the younger Agayne Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated What nede was there that Paul should so diligently alledge these thinges but to make those two brethern equall in all poyntes as touching nature Which doubtles had bene to no purpose if still there had remained so much difference in works foresene Wherfore it foloweth that whatsoeuer difference is in men the same dependeth only of the will of God For we all otherwise are borne obnoxius vnto sin Further if there should be any thing of our selues which mought moue God to predestinate vs that should chiefely be fayth For Augustine also when he was yet young neither so greatly nor thorowly acquainted with this question thought that God in predestination and reprobation hath a respect vnto faith and vnto infidelitye whiche sentence Ambrose before him and Chrisostome had embraced But in very deede neither also can it be attibuted vnto faith For faith also cōmeth of predestination For it is not of our selues but is geuen of God and that Faith foresene can not moue God to predestinate vs. not rashly but by his appoynted counsel which may easely be proued by many places of the scriptures For Paul vnto the Ephesians writeth By grace ye are saued through fayth and that not of your selues for it i◠the gifte of God leaste anye man should boast And againe in the selfe same Epistle Charity and fayth from God the father through Iesus Christ. And in this Epistle vnto the Romanes As God hath deuided By the scriptures it is proued that faith is of God vnto euery man the measure of fayth And vnto Timothy I haue obteyned mercy that I might be faythfull Vnto the Phillppians Vnto you it is geuen not only to beleue in Christ but also to suffer for his sake In the Actes God opened the hart of the woman that sold silkes that she mought geue hede to those things which wer spoken of Paul And in the 13. chapiter They beleued as manye as were ordeyned vnto eternall lyfe Christ also sayth in the Gospel I confesse vnto thee O father of heauen and earth that thou hast hidden these thinges from the wise and prudent and hast reueled them vnto infantes Euen so father bycause it hath so pleased thee And in an other place Vnto them sayth he I speak in parables that when they feare they should not heare and when they se they should not se But vnto you it is geuen to vnderstand And vnto Peter he sayd Blessed art thou Simon Bariona for fleshe and bloud hath not reueled thys vnto thee And there are many other testimonies in the holy scriptures wherby is proued that fayth is geuen and destributed of God only Wherefore it can not be the cause of predestination And if fayth can not thē doubtles much les can works Moreouer no man can deny but that the predestination of God is eternal For If faith be not the cause of predestination much les other works Paul to Timothe sayth That God hath elected vs before the times of the world And vnto the Ephesians Before the foundacions of the world were layd But our works are temporall wherefore that which is eternall can not come of them But they vse to cauell that those workes in whose respect we are predestinated are so to be takē as they are foresene of God and by this meanes they can not seme to be temporall Graunt that it were so let them be taken after that maner Yet can it not be denied but that they are after predestination for they depend of it and are the effectes thereof as we haue before taught Wherefore after these mens doctrine that which commeth after should be the efficiente cause of that which went before Which thing how absurd it is euery man may easely vnderstand Further the efficient cause is of his owne nature more worthy and of
piety and vnto the true worshipping of God yâ— she sought vtterly to destroy all the Prophetes Whose fury yet the piety of Abdias at that time resisted and hid an hundreth Prophets in caues fifty in one caue and fifty in an other They seeke saith he my lyfe For at what time he fled Iesabell had threatoned to kill him the next day I haue reserued vnto my selfe When God thus maketh answer he manifestly declareth that others which had bowed their knées vnto Baal had kissed him pertayned not vnto him And in that he saith I haue reserued vnto my selfe he declareth that that was his gift that these men also went not astraye Neither All whole is of God sayth he yâ— his helpe was the chiefest part of their staying from idolatry but plainly saith I haue reserued them vnto my selfe Hereof Paul concludeth that not all the people of the Iewes are reiected neither yet are all chosen And in that example which he bringeth when he so plainly and largely handleth it he most sharply accuseth the Iewes For by the doings of their elders he declareth what maners ones they also presently were For if they had said we crucified Christ as a deceauer and we persecute his Apostles as seducers What did your fathers saith he vnto Helias What did they to the Prophetes This place declareth in what sort the Iewes alwayes behaued themselues against the messengers of God The accusation as saith Chrisostome is after a sort transferred is as if he should haue said Now Paul accuseth you not nor Peter nor Iames nor Iohn but Helias who shut vp heauen whom the rauen fed who slew the Balites and obtayned fire from heauen with whom the Lord as ye haue heard spake so familiarly They haue cut downe thine alters These were the high places in which High places the Father 's Abraham Isaacke and Iacob in the old time offred sacrifices their alters erected in the name of the Lord were yet remayning and it was lawfull to sacrifice on them vntill the temple was built But the Israelites namely the ten tribes were such enemies vnto the name of God that they could not abide so much as his alters to remayne for they would haue no sacrifices done but vnto their golden calues or to Baall and to other idols and could not abide that any monuments of the true God should be left remaining But as touching alters Alters ought 〈◊〉 to â—â— vsed in this time â–ª they haue no place in the tyme of the Gospell For forasmuch as the only sacrifice of our saluation is accomplished by the death of Christ Iesus our sauior vpon the alter of the crosse and the oblations of sacrifices are vtterly taken away therefore alters also haue ceassed But we erect a table in the congregacion of the faithfull vpon which we celebrate the supper of the Lord. And now at the length to make an end of this place I thought it good to admonish that we in examining of the scriptures vse the like diligence that Paul did for vnles he had with great attentiuenes red these thinges he coulde not with such dexterity haue entreated of them Euen so at this present tyme is there a remnaunt according to the election of grace And if thorough grace then not of works Or els were grace now no more grace But if it be of workes it is no more grace or els were worke no more worke Euen so also at this present time is there a remnaunt according to the election of grace He applieth the example which he hath now entreated of to the state of his time When he sayth a remnaunt he thereby signifieth that that part which perisheth is farre greater as he before had sayd Though the multitude They that shal be saued are called a remnaunt for that they are few of the children of Israell be as the sand of the sea a remnaunt only shal be saued Againe Vnles God had left vnto vs seede we had bene as Sodom and had ben like to Gomorrha Wherefore if in Helias time when the lesse part was saued the promises fell not away so now also in so great a blindnes of Israell they are not made voyde And the more to abate the Iewes pride he saith that this remnaunt is remayning vnto vs not of merite or of workes but of grace Wherefore we haue here a new proposition whose first part is not proued namely that they which are saued are saued by grace for that thing all men graunt but this he declareth that this saluation is not of workes which neded a demonstracion or profe The Iewes would not denie the first part as our Sophisters also at this day deny it not but either of them haue alwayes gone aboute to mingle therewithall the merites of men The Apostle expresseth what he chiefely ment by grace Merites caÌ„ not be mingled with grace Election is the chiefest grace What election of grace is namely the election of God for that is the first chiefest of all graces giftes Election of grace in yâ— Hebrue phrase is a gracious or free election which is not of merites Howbeit Chrisostome and the Greke Scholies thought that by this word election is after a sort corrected or contracted the name of grace that whersoeuer election is added we should vnderstand that grace is geuen according to approbatioÌ„ But what they vnderstand by approbation it is not so playne but that one of these two wayes we se it must of necessity be vnderstanded namely that they take approbation either actiuely or passiuely Actiuely that the remnauntes haue grace for that they elect and approue the thinges which are vpright sound and iust Or passiuely that they are approued of God as men godly iust and beleuing The first way can not be admitted for it is manifest that here is not entreated of the election of men wherby as it pleaseth them they elect good or euill thinges but of the election of God for Paul manifestly saith that God had not cast away his people whome he foreknew or as Augustine saith predestinated Neither can the other be graunted for election dependeth not of our workes foresene as we haue before declared Origen hath in a maner the selfe same sentence for he saith that all in dede are saued by grace but Here is not entreated of ceremoniall workes when election is added thereby are signified perfecter soules which vnto purenes and holynes of workes added a singular endeuor and diligence Moreouer he would fayne haue the workes which are heare excluded of Paul to be vnderstanded only of ceremoniall workes which can not be when as Paul as we shal sâ— addeth an vniuersall reason that vnto the nature of grace it is repugnaunt to be of workes and this is true what kinde of workes so euer we put But it semeth that he therefore taketh such great paynes in this matter for that he is aferd least if workes should be excluded from the cause of
our saluation they should haue no place at all left Howbeit afterward when he after a sort sawe that he neded not so much to be aferd of this matter he saith workes in deede are not required but yet they are to bee had that grace be not in vayne For Paul saith And his grace was not in vayne in me Wherefore good works saith he are to be had that we be not ingrate to the grace of God And if thorough grace it is not of workes Or els were grace now no grace Chrisostome not vnaptly knitteth this parte together with that whiche went before The Iewes saith he mought haue said vnto Paul It is true indede that we haue bene called of God not only by his word but by benefites miracles irritaciō but so greuous and hard thinges were required at our hands that we were not able to beare thē and therfore we folowed him not when he called vs. Not so saith Paul Grace was set foorth vnto you without woorkes and to séeke woorkes to the ende to attaine vnto grace had bene to darkē it But God suffreth not nether at any time hath suffred his gifts so to be darkened Wherfore workes are not required of you After that he moueth this question Why then are not all men saued Bicause saith he all men will not neither are anye saued but onelye those whiche will These thinges in déede are true if they be warelye vnderstanded otherwise they may deceaue the Reader It is true that they whiche It lieth not in our power to assent vnto the Gospell Grace is not commō vnto all mē How none are saued but they that will repell the Gospell will not beleue it and will not geue assente vnto the truth offered vnto them but yet muste we not therefore imagine that it lieth in their hand to will and to assent They will and beleue whose minde God boweth and whose hart he softeneth Neither muste we thinke that grace is common vnto all men Farther when it is sayd that they are saued whiche will two thinges are to be taken heede of The one is that we thinke not that this will is the cause why we are made pertakers of grace when as rather that assente of the will commeth of grace Againe we must beware that we ascribe it not vnto humane strengthes and vnto frée will as they call it and these two errors being excluded we graunte that none are saued but such as will for no man beleueth againste his will nor is Workes ar not to be◠counted as causes of saluation An argument taken of contradictoris compelled by any violence to receaue the Gospell The second part of the proposition namely that workes are to be excluded from being causes of saluation Paul proueth by an argument taken of opposites And for that the nature of opposites is manifold he vseth those kindes of opposites which are called contradictories which can by no meanes be true both at one time For then saith he grace shoulde not be grace and worke should not be worke But who séeth not y◠it is impossible y◠one and the self same thing should at one and the same time and in respect of one and the selfe same thing be called grace and not grace woorke and not woorke Doubtles this is the nature of contradictories that the one being put the other is destroyed the one being taken away the other followeth Paul also before proued this self thinge although not so manifestly when he sayd Beinge ignoraunte of the righteousnes of God and seeking to stablish their owne righteousnes they are not subiecte vnto the righteousnes of God In which wordes also we were then taught that they which went about to be saued by theyr owne righteousnes that is by workes fell away from the righteousnes of God which is the perfect and true saluation Moreouer by this reason of Paul is most strongly proued that that moste high grace of the election of God consisteth not of workes which God from eternally foresaw for that knowledge of God or as they cal it foresight causeth not but that a work is a worke And Paul when he here maketh mencion of election in plaine wordes declareth and testifieth that it is not had by workes Which being true as in very déede it must néedes be true neither can iustification be of woorkes when as the A rule of the Logicians If election were of workes we should by them also be iustified An argument taken a maiori rule of the Logicians which euen children knowe is this That whatsoeuer followeth of the consequente followeth also of the antecedente Wherefore if election should depend of workes forasmuch as vocation and iustification depend of electi◠it should of necessity followe that iustification commeth also of workes Neyther doth the difference of the time anye thinge helpe our aduersaries yea rather the proofe may be made a maiori that is of the greater If woorkes whilest they are extant and present haue not the power to merite either iustification or election much les can they do it when they are not yet extant but are onely foreséene For who can deny but that a thing which is is of more efficacy to bring forth a worke then when yet it is not Peraduenture vnto Ethnikes it is lawfull by workes to séeke righteousnes and by them to establish the fauor and election of God and so is it also for these Sophisters which as touching this doctrine little or nothing at all differ from Ethnikes But we which follow the oracles of the scriptures and wil cleaue fast vnto them ought by no meanes to graunte that the election of GOD dependeth of our woorkes The foundation of the Apostles reason is Thinges The foundaciō of the reason now brought whiche are rendred vnto woorkes are rendred of duety but thinges whiche are of grace are not of duety where we plainly sée that duety and not duety haue manifest contradiction And this roote of this argumente the Apostle before declared vnto vs in the. 4. chapter when he said If Abraham were iustified by works he hath in deede glory but not with God for vnto him which worketh reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt But of Abraham it is written that he beleued and it was imputed vnto him to righteousnes Wherefore Pauls argument leadeth to an absurdity or as they vse to say to an impossibility And doubtles they sinne greuously which acknowledge not the grace of God and they more gréeuouslye which séeke to obscure it but they intollerably and most gréeuously of all which vtterlye ouerthrow it Of this it followeth not but y◠God rewardeth good woorkes which How felicity may be called a reward are done of his faithfull but hereby followeth that merite is taken awaye is denied that the things which are geuen are due by the force of the worke Wherfore eternall life may indéede be called a rewarde but not that it