vvordes and iudgement I make no small account of but aftervvard entring into deeper consideration of the matter and vveying on the one side the great ignorance of many euen in matters of saluation togither vvith the dayly dishonouring of God by vngodly life and on the other side the diuine doctrine and most vvholsom exhortations vvhich these Sermons conteine I vvas more forcibly stirred vp thereunto and thought that the painefull perusing of them and frutefull follovving of that vvhereof they entreat vvould be a souereigne salue to help to cure such daungerous diseases For by them may they learne to knovv one onely true God and vvhom he hath sent Iesus Christ and the infinit riches vvhich are comprised in him and offered vnto vs through him of God his Father that he humbled him selfe to exalt vs that he became a seruaunt to set vs at libertie that he vvas empouerished to make vs rich that he dyed for our sinnes rose again for our iustification that through his meanes mercie hath svvallovved vp miserie and bounty hath ouercome all euill finally that vvithout him there is no ioy nor consolation no peace nor quietnes no felicitie nor saluation but that he is the onely meanes by vvhich all good thinges are attained so that they vvhich enioy him receiue not one gift alone as vvith Salomon vvisedom vvith Samson strength vvith Iob patience vvith Paule zeale c but for pouertie they receiue riches for vveakenes strength for folly vvisedom for seruitude freedom for griefe ioy for sinne righteousnes for death life yea all good thinges vvhatsoeuer VVherefore if the faithfull man be pressed vvith pouertie he may here learne that by Christ he is adopted to be the Sonne of God and so may be comforted saying to him selfe Hovv can he be poore vvhich hath God to his Father vvho both is able to giue all thinges necessary for his is the earth and all that therein is and also vvill giue the same because he is most louing and gracious to his children Againe if he feele in him selfe vveaknes he may learne here that he is not able of him selfe to attaine vnto strength but that it is the gift of Christ vvho strengtheneth such as beleeue in him so may be stirred vp by harty prayer to aske the same of him that he vvill vouchsafe by his holy spirit to strengthen and confirme him that he may be able to performe that by grace vvhich by nature and of him selfe he shall neuer be able to doe as mightely to subdue the rebellious flesh strongly to resist and at the last valiauntly to ouercome the tentations of Satan patiently to beare the troubles of the vvorld and constantly to contemne the allurements of the same Moreouer if he thirst after diuine and heauenly vvisedom vvhich is to knovv God aright and those thinges that are necessary to be knovvne to the attaining of saluation he may finde here largely and liuely set forth that Christ came his Fathers Embassadour and Messenger to men that by him they might be brought to the right knovvledge of God and into all truth so that by him vve are enlightened vvith the knovvledge of God by him vve are instructed in all truth and consequently by him vve obtaine diuine and heauenly vvisedom Here also shall he learne that Christ vvas made vnder the lavve that he might redeeme them vvhich vvere in bondage vnder the lavve of seruile bondmen make them free sonnes euen the children of God Furthermore if griefe and heauines come vpon him he is here taught vvhere true ioy may be had euen in Christ Iesus alone that in him onely he may fynde sure comfort souereigne medicines present remedie true ioy of heart and quietnes of conscience Finally vvhereas vve are synnefull and haue by our synnes iustly deserued Gods eternall vvrath and most heauie vengeance he shall here learne that Christ hath payed the ransome for our synnes and pacified Gods most grieuous vvrath and displeasure iustly conceiued against vs. And because it is not sufficient that due satisfaction be made for synnes and Gods vvrath appeased but vve must also appeare righteous before God it is here shevved that as by one mans disobedience many vvere made synners so by the obedience of one namely of Iesus Christ as many as beleeue in him shal be made righteous inasmuch as his righteousnes is imputed to them as their ovvne vvhereby they appeare perfectly righteous before God and are accepted of him so that vvhereas they had of themselues deserued eternall death they are through Christ accounted vvorthie of euerlasting life But vvhat doe I goe about to rehearse the infinite treasures vvhich the faithfull enioy through Christ it shall be sufficient to conclude vvith the Apostle Paule and say If God spared not his ovvne Sonne but gaue him for vs all to death hovv shall he not vvith him giue vs all thinges also Novv forasmuch as these thinges and the right meanes to attaine vnto them are in these Sermons of that most learned Diuine Martin Luther most learnedly yea euen diuinely set forth they may vndoutedly be a singular meane not onely to instruct them vvhich be ignorant in matters of saluation but also to increase and confirme the knovvledge of such as haue already vvell profited in Christian religion Hovvbeit there is annexed hereunto sound and absolute doctrine concerning good vvorkes and godly conuersation as being most necessary to be of all Christiās perfectly knovvne and effectually follovved For Christians through Christ being become the Sonnes of God hovv vnmeete yea hovv abhominable a thinge is it that they should resemble Satan in their doinges being novv made the members of Christ hovv detestable a thing is it that they should be instruments of iniquitie being novv the temple of the holy Ghost hovv beastly a thinge vvere it to defyle the same vvith the filthines of synne Finally hauing receiued so many and so great benefites of God through Christ hovv vvicked and shamefull a thinge should it be to be vnthankefull to so gracious a God to be disobedient to so louing a Father in any vvise to displease so mercifull a Sauiour But it shal be needelesse much to stand vpon this point seeing it is not vnknovvne to the faithfull vvith hovv great endeuour they ought to auoyde that vvhich is euill and embrace that vvhich is good and therefore shall syncere perfect doctrine concerning good vvorkes be vnto them no lesse commodious and profitable then needefull and necessarie For the causes aboue specified especially among other I haue right VVorshipfull though not finely yet faithfully translated these Sermons into our vulgar tounge and haue done myne endeuour for the publishing of the same vvhich I doe humbly dedicate to your VVorships protection by your zealous godlines and godly zeale chiefly moued thereunto vvhereby I am induced to thinke that you vvill vvell accept of them For as the godly do vvith Dauid delight in the Arke of the Couenant in the Tabernacle of the Lord in
the holy Mount Sion that is in the Church of God so doe they vvith the same Dauid desyre the building of this house of God the florishing of this vine the peace and prosperitie of this heauenly Ierusalem and therefore that vvhich is a meane and furtherance hereunto they doe not onely loue and like but also hiely esteeme and hartily praye for VVherefore right VVorshipfull I thinke it altogether superfluous to goe about vvith vvordes to procure your vvell liking and accepting of these Sermons forasmuch as they tend onely to this ende that the Church of God may by them be edified as in the premisses is of me declared VVhereas in translating them I haue vsed a plaine kynde of stile yet such as sufficiently expresseth the meaning of the author and not studied for curious vvordes eloquēt phrases the cause thereof is for that I preferre plainnesse vvith profit before much curiositie vvith smaller commoditie so that I nothinge at all feare that in this respect they shal be misliked of the godly vvhose misliking onely I endeuour to auoide Thus as it seemes vnto me hauing intreated sufficiently of those thinges vvhich I thought pertinent to my present purpose I doe here conclude desyring the Lord God that he vvill by his holy Spirit alvvayes gouerne and direct you in the true obedience of his blessed vvorde to the glorie of his diuine Name to the profit of your neighbours and comfort of your conscience so shall you assuredly haue prosperous successe in all your affayres and at the last obtaine euerlasting ioyes and endlesse felicitie by the onely meanes of Christ Iesus our Sauiour Your Worships humbly at commaundement W. GACE AN ADMONITION TO THE CHRISTIAN READER FOR the commendation of this worke and the Author thereof there shall not neede I trust at this present any great discourse to be made forasmuch as so many good bookes of the same writer be already set abroad whereby may sufficiently be coniectured what is to be thought of this also Againe because the worke it selfe is such conteining such matter of heauenly consolation that without any further commendation of other it yeldeth cause sufficient to commend it selfe Onely this then remaineth to intreat and exhort the reader but to peruse reade the same who in so doing shall fynde I doubt not neither to lacke great cause in vs to set forth these Sermons nor lesse necessitie in the readers to bestow paines in perusing and reading them for the dignitie of the matter and singular frute therein to be found For what more worthie matter can be thē to set forth Christ in his right glorie in his full riches and royall estate to the hearts and soules of men especially such as are heauie laden and distressed in spirit what more comfortable hearinge or doctrine more true then of forgiuenes and remission of synnes so graciously purchased so freely offered by our Sauiour so cleerely preached by his ministers or what riches more excellent then faith fixed in Christ and hope stablished in the promises of life or what studie more frutefull then to seeke the kingdome of God For where the frute of all other studies decayeth and hath his ende the frute of this study abydeth for euer And therefore not without cause we be so willed by our Sauiour him selfe first to seeke for this kingdome and righteousnes thereof promising withall in an other place that he which seeketh shall fynde In the seeking of which kingdom two special notes we haue to learne and search first the glorie grace of the King secondly the welth and felicitie of the subiects In which two partes as the whole summe of all our spirituall comfort most principally consisteth groūded in the holy Scriptures so of all expositors of the same Scriptures I know none or fewe in these our dayes more liuely to open these comforts vnto vs out of Gods worde then this Doctor and Preacher of these Sermōs here following which as he hath done most effectually first in his owne tounge to his contry people then in Latin to the learned so this translator hath no lesse plainly and faithfully englished the same for the commoditie and vse of our contryfolke of England By whose meanes and industrie this vantage we haue now gayned that we haue gotten vnto vs one good preacher in England more then we had before to the comfort and edification of all such as be disposed to read and learne So that in such townes and villages wherein before were mute ministers 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 this Preacher now may supplie the lacke and there be receiued as their person if they please preaching now in their owne speech vnto them and putting them to no charges of any tythes And in other places where more plentie of learned teachers is yet notwithstanding no hurt shall come to admit this stranger as a coadiutor or felow helper vnto them Whereby I nothing dout but in so doing all such as shal be willing to giue eare to this Preacher as well they that be learned shall fynde wherein to growe in more perfection as also the vnlearned wherein to be instructed sufficiently to their soules helth in Christ Iesu In whom I wish to thee and to all true Christian readers all spirituall grace and heauenly wisedom to blesse thy studies to prosper thy labours to stablish thy faith to multiplie thy consolations to direct thy wayes and finally to glorifie thee both body and soule in his blessed kingdome for euer Amen I. FOX T. V. A SERMON OF D. MARTIN LVTHER OF THE NATIVITIE OF CHRIST Luke 2. Verse 1. ANd it came to passe in those daies that there came a decree from Augustus Caesar that all the world should be taxed 2. This firste taxing was made when Cyrenius was gouernour of Syria 3. Therefore went all to be taxed euery man to his owne citie 4. And Ioseph also went vp from Galile out of a citie called Nazareth into Iudea vnto the citie of Dauid which is called Bethlehem because he was of the house and linage of Dauid 5. To be taxed with Marie that was giuen him to wife which was with childe 6. And so it was that while they were there the dayes were accomplished that she shoulde be deliuered 7. And she brought forth her first begottē sonne and wrapped him in swadling clothes layed him in a manger because there was no roome for them in the Inne 8. And there were in the same countrey shepeheards abiding in the field and watching their flocke by night 9. And loe the Angell of the Lord came vppon them and the glory of the Lorde shone about them and they were sore afrayd 10. Then the Angel sayd vnto them Be not afraid for beholde I bring you glad tydinges of great ioy that shall be to all people 11. That is that vnto you is borne this day in the citie of Dauid a Sauiour which is Christ the Lord. 12. And this shall be a signe to you ye shall finde
thee whatsoeuer he is able do thou likewise to thy neighbour Wilt thou worke workes deriue them to thy neighbour who is compassed with troubles miseries Thou must doe nothing for this cause that Christ hath neede thereof whereby thou maist enrich him for neither was he bountiful to this ende that he might any thing profit his father thereby or that he might receiue any commoditie of him but he did it onely for this cause that therein the father might be well pleased inasmuch as he submitteth him selfe wholy to his fathers will and loueth vs with so great affection After the same sort we also must doe in our works toward our neighbour which we ought therefore onely to doe that we may giue thanks to the father that he sheweth his fauour vnto vs for that he hath giuen his beloued sonne vnto me to bestow vpon me whatsoeuer he hath When I beleue this vndoutedly I burst forth and say If God sheweth vnto me so great benefits and fauour in his beloued sonne that he suffereth him to bestow all things vpon me I also will doe the like againe and bestow all thinges whereby I may doe good to my neighbour and loue him And so I doe not lift vp myne eyes vnto heauen but I go thether where my neighbour is oppressed with aduersitie pouertie sicknes sinne or errour and I helpe him wherein soeuer I am able Thus doe thou whosoeuer thou art which mindest to do true good works as thou wouldest haue done to thy selfe if thou were troubled with pouertie so doe thou to thy neighbour being poore Againe if thy neighbour be a sinner and thou seest it but thou thy self art without sinne and hast a holy natiuitie goe preach vnto him whereby he also may be deliuered But thou must doe all these things freely in euery respect as Christ hath done for thee without all workes and merits of pure grace loue and mercy Such workes see thou doe if thou wilt doe good and Christian workes in deede God hath no neede of them neuertheles thou must doe them in respect of him inasmuch as it so pleaseth him and he will haue it to be so This onely is rightly to doe good workes which those hypocrites do not which will merit heauen by their chastity pouertie obedience Vnto whom I pray you are such works of theirs good I my selfe neede them not neither doe they profit my neighbour wherefore it is mere deceit whereas a name is giuen to workes as though they did merit heauen when as they are nothing worth neither profitable to others Laye vppe these thinges in your hartes and do also according to them In all this text being discussed from the beginning to the ending ye haue these two thinges namely faith and loue If ye shall keepe these then both the holy natiuitie of Christ shall be a helpe commoditie and comfort vnto you and also ye shall be spiritually the children of his mother as Christ Iesus is her childe carnally An exposition of the song of the Angells Glory be to God on high c. Glory be to God on high and in earth peace good will towards men Forasmuch as this song is very common and there be fewe that rightly vnderstande it when as notwithstanding it contayneth many thinges in it I thinke good to handle it somewhat at large The Angells in this hymne apply three things to three glory to God peace to the earth and good will vnto men The first is the honour or glory of God Glory due to God alone with which we must beginne that in all thinges prayse and glory may be asscribed to God as to him which doeth giueth and hath all thinges so that none may chalenge any good thing at all vnto him selfe neither ought to count it his owne Glory is so due to God onely that no part therof may be deriued to any other Adam being perswaded of Satan went about to take this glory to him selfe whereby all men fell into the displeasure of God haue that vice so throughly fixed in their mind that no other thing can be so hardly pluckt away from them Euery man pleaseth him selfe no man can abide to seeme that he is nothing or is able to doe nothing whereof come almost all euills so many contentions warres and innumerable other discommodities This glory Christ gaue to God his father teaching that all our thinges are nothing before God but sinnes which deserue his wrath and indignation and nothing lesse then glory Wherfore there is no cause that we should euen neuer so litle please our selues or glory in them but rather that we should be ashamed and feare being set in so great perill and confusion that so all our glory and pleasing of our selues may passe away and come to nothing and we may reioyce being destitute of our owne glorie that we may be found saued in Christ alone The second is peace in earth For Where true peace is and where it is not as where the glory of God is not and where euery one seeketh his owne glory there can not be peace according as Salomon sayth Prouerb 13. Among the proude there is euer strife so contrariwise where the glory of God is knowne there true peace also must needes be For why should they contend why should they disagree which doe know euery one of them that they haue no good thing of their owne but that all thinges which are which they haue and which they are able to doe come from God to whose power also they commit all thinges they in the meane season being very wel content that they haue God fauorable vnto them Howe also can it be that when one counteth nothing of him selfe and the thinges that be his he should be so carefull of him selfe and his thinges that he should moue contention with any because of them Such beleeue that Christ onely is made all thinges vnto them him they thinke on and for him alone they contend Hereupon it certainly followeth that there can be no contention or discord at al among true Christians The peace of Christians described by Esai Esai 11.9 which maner of peace of Christians Esay declareth sayth No man shall doe euill vnto an other no man shall destroy an other in my holy hill that is in the Church of Christ The cause hereof he addeth next after The earth is full of the knowledge of God that is for all know God as to whom all good thinges doe belong and all their owne things they confesse to be nothing but sinnes they may easily therefore haue peace among them selues Esai 2.4 Wherefore the same Esay sayth in an other place They shall breake their swordes into mattocks their speares to make sythes and one shall not lift vp a weapon against an other neither shall they learne ro fight from thence forth Hereupon Christ is called the king of peace or the prince of peace of whom Salomon was a figure who
do not for one lost shepes sake who leauing ninetie and nine in the wildernes that is in the field and at the fold do runne to seeke that which is lost neither do ye leaue of seeking vntill such time as ye haue found it and brought it home And you count it to be well and commendably done for which if any should finde fault with you without dout ye would reproue him as mad and beside himselfe And should not I as a Sauiour of soules do likewise with men as you do with a lost shepe seing there is no comparison euen of one soule to all the creatures liuing breathing in the earth Why therefore are you not vtterly ashamed of your doings presuming to reprehend me in this worke which you your selues commend and are forced to commend Wherefore if ye reproue and finde fault with me you your selues are first to be reproued and found fault with This is rightly to haue aunswered and with honour to haue stopped the mouthes of these controllers fault finders the causes being sufficiently shewed why they ought not here to finde fault with him or controlle him They haue well surely yeelded vnto him with shame enough as it is meete and haue gained nothing els by their maistership and controllement then vtter shame and ignominie For it is a shame to such maisters yea and an exceeding great abomination that they sticke not to arrogate so much vnto themselues as to teache that man and admonish him of his dutie who of God is appointed a maister ouer all But it ought so to fall out as I haue said that he which will rule and iudge a Christian by his maistership and endeuoureth to bring him from his baptisme and the article of Christ to be ruled by his wisedome or law doth not onely become a foole but is also the author of extreme abomination and homicide For he worketh shame to the temple and sanctuarie of God and with deuelish rashnes inuadeth his kingdom where he alone with the holy Ghost must reigne Wherefore he verie well deserueth that God againe bring him to shame and ignominie before the whole world seing that he taketh to himselfe maistership in that place where only Christ ought to be maister and not vnworthely to his great euell he kicketh against the pricke Wherefore it is not good to iest with Christians for they are Sainces and let him that is wise not be too busie with that man whose name is Christ for he can get no gaine thereby for Christ is most impatient of all their maistership and doctrine So also a Christian must by no meanes suffer them or if he suffer them giuing place to such suggestions to wit thou oughtest to haue done this or that or as yet thou oughtest to do it then is his case become exceeding ill We must in any wise cleaue fast vnto Christ inasmuch as he hath fallen from Christ Therefore we must endeuour to hold Christ fast hauing no regard although all the world shall teach vs. For if we shall abide with him and hold the true vnderstanding of the article concerning him we shall easily ouercome all such maisters and teachers For this Christ wil be most free from all controlement maistership contending to be the onely maister and controller of all men that either in fauour they may reuerently acknowledge him for the Lord and maister and themselues for fooles or in furie and indignation being subiect to the reproch of all men may vtterly perish But I haue said before that the present doctrine for the verie exceeding goodnes sweetnes and consolation thereof is not to be set forth to the rude blockish and vnrulely common sort to whom we do not preach it but to those onely which striue with terrour and anguish of conscience or stand in perill and daunger of death and dispute with the deuell cōcerning their sinnes committed whereby he would driue them vnto desperation Before these this amiable image is to be set whereby they may receiue comfort and cheerefulnes of minde As for others which liue with a secure mind and do litle know what anguish and spiritual sorowfulnes is they are to be ledde to Moses to the tormentour For it is an image most pleasaunt and amiable and more artificially painted then any Apelles is able to paint with his pensill Neither doth any man excell in such eloquence of speeche that he is able sufficiently to declare comprehend it in wordes Wherefore it is to be apprehended in the hearte by fayth as much as may be Neuertheles we must speake something of it that we may giue cause and occasion to other to thinke and consider more earnestly thereof I also sayth he haue an hundred sheepe that is that litle flock of all Christiandom of which number one is lost and fallen from the communion of Christians Now therefore doest thou desire to know the affection of my minde then must thou bestow thy diligence to paint out well and cunningly both the shepeheard and the lost sheepe For that shepeheard which is but a man and guideth the flocke which is created to be slaine hath great regard to preserue it in safetie and is not a litle carefull how he may finde the sheepe when it is lost and bring it home againe How the sheep is affected towarde his shepeheard and with no lesse desire the sheepe longeth after the shepehearde Whom if it vnderstand to be his owne shepeheard as by nature it doth vnderstand it feareth him not but runneth vnto him with great confidence and being full of good hope goeth before him Yea as soone as euer it heareth his voice it aunswereth by bleating The affectiō of the shepeheard toward his sheepe On the otherside also the shepeheard hath greate care and desire to finde againe the lost shepe which hath strayed frō him Both he himselfe seeketh sendeth forth seruaūts to seeke there whithersoeuer he thinketh it is strayed neither doth he leaue seeking vntill hauing found it he hath brought it home For he is not ignoraunt how miserable a liuing creature a solitary sheep is whose life consisteth onely in the helpe and safe keeping of the shepeheard inasmuch as it can nothinge at all helpe it selfe but being destitute of a shepeheard is constrayned to perish Moreouer it is also fearfull and ready to goe stray and as soone as it hath wandered out of the way and from the shepeheard forthewith commeth into perill of life can not tary although being brought it commeth to an other flocke and a straunge shepeheard calleth it neuertheles it goeth on through thornie and sedgie places through waters and fennes vntill it come in daunger of the woulfe or wasted by some other mischiefe vtterly perisheth And although it be brought into by wayes and deserts and is now thought to be lost notwithstāding it hath this hope as much as nature hath put into it that if it might heare his shepeheard it should forthwith
Angels should alwayes haue to do with vs there should not be so much fayth neither should it be so pleasaunt as when we are taught and guided by them that are partakers of our nature whom we do better know and with whom we do more familiarly associat our selues And so that there may be some by whom other also may be conuerted both by doctrine and good examples it is not meete that we should by and by after Baptisme be taken into heauen wherein notwithstanding we are already admitted citizens A practize of Satan Antichrist to delude mē with Purgatory Hereupon if one weye all things rightly it can not be douted that it is a practize and miracle of Satan and Antichrist that so much is spent for Purgatories sake such faith as this being put quite out of mens myndes For men are taught by their workes to saue themselues from Purgatorie or at the least to deliuer themselues out from thence as though saluation were not yet giuen vs and it were necessarie to come vnto it by other meanes then by faith alone which howe it disagreeth with the Scripture and a Christian life there is no man that doth not see but he that seeth nothing in the Scripture For thus the holy Scriptures do teach euerie where that who soeuer doth not receiue saluation by meere grace through fayth before all workes he shall neuer be partaker thereof And that who soeuer referre their good workes not to the profite of their neighbours but to their owne commoditie being more carefull of their owne saluation then of their neighbours haue no good workes at all All the workes of these are voide of fayth and infected with pernitious errour It had bin greatly to be wished that Purgatorie had neuer bin inuented and neuer mention made thereof in the pulpit for it hath bin cause of such hinderance to Christian veritie and syncere truth as can not be recouered For we see it now brought to passe by the meanes of Satan that almost al prayers are directed to onely Purgatorie with this vngodly and pestilent opinion whereby miserable men thinke that they shal be redeemed from thence and obtaine saluation by the workes of men Whereby the riches of Baptisme and fayth are had in no reputatiō and they at the last of Christians become Heathen O most pernitious abomination Christians should be taught as Christ and Paul teach them that after Baptisme and absolution from synnes they should so liue that they should be ready euery houre to receiue death with desire looking for the reuelation of saluation already receiued Now by the opinion of Purgatorie they are made secure and slothfull so that they differre the study of godlines euen to their death and thinke by contrition and confession they shall amend all things as though there were some synnes remaining for which they must go into Purgatorie they hope that by Masses for the departed and other bequests that they are persuaded to make in their testamēts or last willes they shal be redeemed out of purgatorie but these miserable men are in these things vtterly deceiued and shall at length trie them to be farre otherwise By the washing of the new birth He setteth forth the grace of God giuen to vs in Baptisme with wordes verie full of praise and commendation He calleth Baptisme a washing whereby not the feete and handes but the whole man is at once washed purified and saued so that to the summe and inheritaunce of saluation there is neede of nothing but onely fayth in this grace of God that it may remaine and be acknowledged the worke of grace alone that we are saued without all our workes and merits and so also there may remaine in vs pure loue praise giuing of thankes and glorie of the diuine mercie without all glorie and pleasing of our selues in our owne strength and endeuour as it hath bin already sayd often and at large Humane righteousnes is also a washing but not whereby the whole man is so washed but that Pharisaicall washing whereby onely the apparell and vessells which are outward are made cleane whereof it is spoken Matth. 23. Whereby it commeth to passe that men seeme vnto themselues pure but inwardly neuertheles they remaine ful of filthines Baptisme what maner of washing it is Therefore he called Baptisme not a corporall or outward washing but the washing of regeneration or new birth by which not those thinges that are outward are washed and onely the outward man made cleane but the whole nature of man is altered and changed into an other nature that is the carnall natiuitie is thereby destroyed with all the inheritaunce of synnes and perdition Saluation cōmeth not by workes Whereby he againe witnesseth that our saluation is giuen vs at once so that it is not to be gotten by workes For not one or two members are wont to be borne as the handes or feete but the whole man which can not worke this that he may be borne a man but is first borne that he may worke Likewise our workes do not purifie or saue vs but when as before we are pure iustified and saued we worke freely those things which may be profit to our neighbour and honour to God And this is the simple and pure knowledge of the diuine grace whereby a man learneth to know both God and himselfe to praise God alone to humble and cast downe himselfe to trust in God to despeire of himselfe This doctrine of saluation they maruelously hinder which vrge men with lawes precepts and workes and teach them to seeke thereby to be saued He that is truely baptized is become a new creature And the renewing That this washing and new birth may be more fully vnderstood he hath added the renewing that thou maiest vnderstand that he that is truly baptized is become a new man and a new creature endued with a new disposition which now is farre otherwise affected loueth liueth speaketh and doth farre otherwise thē he was wont or could before So the Apostle sayth Gal. 6 In Christ neither circumcision auaileth any thing nor vncircumcision that is no workes of the Lawe are of any value or importaunce but a new creature As if he should say Saluatiō can not be perfected by ioyning togither certaine good workes but the whole man must be at once renewed and his nature chaūged whereupon true good workes will follow of themselues not by peecemeale but togither with great plentie Of this new birth whereby the whole man is renewed Christ speaketh Ioh. 3 He that is not borne againe can not see the kingdome of God Here againe it manifestly appeareth that nothing is here done by our workes but that it behoueth that man how great soeuer he be must die and be chaunged into an other which is done in Baptisme if we beleeue The cōdemned shal be borne again but not renewed The condemned also shal be borne againe in the last day but they shal not
he hath before most exactly satisfied the commaundemēts of God Though we coulde and should fulfill the commaūdementes of God yet should we merit nothīg of him Now it hath bin spoken at large that our workes are nothing before God whereby we can not fulfill so much as the least commaundement of God how much lesse shall we be able so to satisfie the iustice of God that we may become worthie of his grace Moreouer if we were able to fulfill all the commaundements of God and in all thinges to satisfie his iustice notwithstanding we had not as yet deserued grace and saluation neither should he therefore owe it vnto vs for that he may by the right of creation require as due seruice all those things of vs his creatures created to liue vnto him Wherefore it should yet come of grace and mercie what soeuer should come from him to vs. This Christ declared verie well Luke 17. speaking in a parable VVhich of you hauing a seruaunt plowing or feeding cattell would saye vnto him by and by when he were come from the field Go and sit downe at the table and would not rather say to him dresse wherewith I may suppe and girde thy selfe and serue me till I haue eaten and dronken and afterward eat thou and drinke thou Doeth he thanke that seruaunt because he did that which was commaunded vnto him I trowe not So likewise ye when ye haue done all those things which are commaunded you say VVe are vnprofitable seruaunts we haue done that which was our dutie to do Seing then that heauen is giuen of grace and for no merit euē vnto those if there were any such which haue done all things that were commaunded them according to that promise If thou wilt enter into life keepe the commaundements what shall we boast of our good workes which although they were most absolute yet should they be vnworthie of heauen but inasmuch as it is giuen vs by the free and mercifull promise We had need of one who should satisfie the diuine iustice for vs. Hereupon for that we must so satisfie the diuine iustice and yet notwithstanding our workes are not able to attaine thereunto whereunto if they should attaine yet should they deserue no grace or saluatiō for that they are before due God first gaue vnto vs a man which should satisfie the diuine iustice for vs in all thinges Againe he hath by the same man bestowed this grace and bountifulnes vpon vs that albeit we without our owne merit and worthines Not by our owen merit but by the merit of Christ are we saued yea hauing euel deserued and being vnworthie do receiue grace yet it commeth not vnto vs altogither freely and without all merit for we haue it through the merit and satisfaction of Christ Whereupon Paul sayth Rom. 5 As by the offence of one sinne came on all men to condemnation so by the iustifying of one that is of Iesus Christ the benefite aboūded toward all men to the iustification of life That is As without all our merit and owne worke we fell into synne being borne synners so againe without all our merit and meanes we are redeemed from sinnes by the washing of the spirit borne againe the sonnes of God partakers of grace and saluation And this is the cause why the Apostle where he speaketh of faith and grace is wont to adde by Iesus Christ whereby surely he would giue vs to vnderstand that none should count it sufficient if he say I beleeue in God Christ being neglected He that truly beleeueth must acknowledge that his faith can not be acceptable to God yea that it can be no faith at all if all the commaundements of God be not before fulfilled which seeing it is aboue thy abilitie and if it were not yet notwithstanding thou hadst perfourmed nothing but that thou oughtest and hadst as yet merited nothing hauing fulfilled euen all the commaundements of God thou hast neede of an other which in all thinges may satisfie the diuine iustice for thee and may also merit heauen for thee Now this other is our Lord and Sauiour Iesus Christ who hath for thee fulfilled the whole Lawe and merited for thee that God now according to his iustice can not but giue heauen vnto thee and in all thinges acknowledge thee for his sonne and heire And this is a true and sound faith which trusteth in God by Christ and is certaine that by his merit it hath already receiued of God saluation which shortly after shal be reuealed with blessed aboundance of felicitie Christian faith Neither can any other be called Christian faith but that whereby it is beleeued that by Christ do come vnto vs both satisfaction which we owe to the iustice of God and the gift of saluation which we our selues by no meanes if the Lawe could euen be fulfilled of vs can merit Whereupon Paul Rom. 4. sayth We haue all things necessary to saluation not by any merit of our owen but by the merit and meanes of Iesus Christ Christ was deliuered to death for our synnes and rose againe for our iustification That is by Christ we haue receiued not onely remission of synnes but moreouer also that before God we are accounted righteous the sonnes of his grace To the same effect also tendeth that which he sayth Rom. 3 Whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his blood Where againe we learne that it is true faith which trusteth in the blood of Christ and beleeueth that thereby it shall obtaine grace Whereas thou beleeuest that he hath shed his blood for thee thou receiuest satisfaction in that thou acknowledgest him the reconciliation thou confessest that by his merit the diuine grace and saluation do come vnto thee We haue all things without our owne merit and meanes but not without the merit and meanes of Christ who hath for this cause shed his blood Wherefore that we may allude vnto the parable of Christ we must containe our selues vnder his winges and not vpon trust in our selues flie out and contend to come vnto God otherwise we shal be a praye to the hellish kite For as it hath bin oftē sayd our righteousnes our merits yea and our faith shall preuaile nothing without this our mediatour Christ And therefore he sayth Ioh. 14 No man cōmeth vnto the Father but by me And in the whole Gospell what other thing doth he but endeuour to take vs out of our selues and to transferre vs to himselfe vnder his winges that we may trust onely in his satisfaction and merit The same the Apostle also teacheth in the wordes following That we being iustified by his grace should be made heires according to the hope of eternall life We are iustified by the grace of Christ Iesus He sayth that we are iustified not by our owne workes but by the grace of the same Iesus Christ That is we are therefore iustified for that Christ hath the grace of
certaine that my hart is not pure and yet in the meane season I doe the works of a ruler so that the world can not complaine of me neither Cesar or the Lawyers can blame or finde fault with me by their lawes Euen as neither a seruant seruing onely for wages can be reprehended of the world whether he seeketh his owne thinges or not Surely the worde of God is not regarded in the office of a ruler that doth so but his owne idoll his owne glorie money and power c. But if this affection be in his hart How the hart of a godly Magistrate ought to be affected because I am occupied in this office wherein God hath placed me and the word commaundeth him that beareth rule to be carefull it is meete that I doe execute the same with all faithfulnes and diligence to the praise and glory of my God The execution of the office of such a ruler endued with such a mind commeth out of a pure and sincere hart wherewith both God and good men are delighted There is moreouer in him loue which doth not cleaue to the person or outward things but beginneth in the hart which the worde of God maketh manifest which forasmuch as it is pure cleane doth also purifie the hart And so his gouernment and works are the meere seruices of God most acceptable sacrifices vnto him seeing that they are done onely according to the word of God and for God his sake But our talkers can not teach this neither are able to iudge of it only crying out when they teach best of all that we must be honest They bring a certaine iuridiciall sermon out of the lawes of men as Cesar and his Clerkes teach But how the hart is purified they haue neuer so much as vnderstoode or thought any thing thereof or how loue is to be deriued to all states and conditions of men according to the word of God Thus must thou say moreouer euen in spiritual offices states also If I or any other shall preache to get some good benefice whereas otherwise I would easily ceasse from doing this office I may preache the Gospell but my hart is not pure but most plainly polluted Therefore although I doe longe and much affirme that it is a good worke and a weighty office yet doe I not performe it aright forasmuch as I doe it not from the hart How the hart of a true Preacher Minister ought to be affected But then onely it is rightly done when the hart hath this affection albeit I must get my liuing thereby yet this ought not to be the chiefe ende thereof but because God hath called me vnto it and hath committed it vnto me diligently to be done it remaineth that I doe with all diligence labour therein to the glory of God and saluation of soules which I doe otherwise also for the loue of the word willingly and from my hart Hereby I seeke neyther loue or friendship nor honours nor thankefulnes of men but my workes come from the hart which I first doe before I obtayne any honour glorie rewarde money or fauour although if those come and followe I may haue and receiue them without sinne Lo thus the word is the cause foundation ground fountayne and springe of loue comming out of the hart of all good works that please God which he can by no meanes away with God requireth the hart if the hart be not pure before for neither are workes acceptable to men which are done without the hart by dissimulation Nowe it Cesar and men require the hart although they can not see it of howe muche greater estimation is that hart before God which doeth all thinges for the wordes sake Therefore he also suffereth his word to be preached that we may order all our life according to the prescription thereof And let not vs suffer our selues to be hindered frayed from it or discouraged with the let or hinderance of any thinge although for it we shall suffer all kinde of losses vnthankefulnes contempt c but let vs breake and goe through all brunts with a boulde and manly courage and say thus we beganne nothinge for any mans sake neither will we leaue of any thinge because of any man but that we may doe that which is acceptable to God we will goe on stil howsoeuer thinges fall out with vs. They which doe thus become men excellent and most highly to be esteemed who are ready to doe all duties and serue God with all readines of minde and loue not feyned For the fountaine and springe is good not deriued and brought in from without These thinges I thought good briefly to speake of the first part howe the hart is purified by the worde alone and not as the Munkes haue dreamed by a fight taken vpon them against euill cogitations by feyning of good thoughts For what thoughts soeuer thou shalt feyne the hart shal remain vncleane if the word of God be not in it although it pretende a great shewe of a godly life as Paule witnesseth But this purenes wherof he speaketh doth extend farther then outward corporal purenes doth which the Iewes did vse eating drinking their hands being oftenwashed which our religious men also vse in their fasting diuersitie of apparel orders and rites c for this is called purenes of the spirit which we then haue when being instructed by the word of God we know thereby how he is to be serued in euery state calling and endeuour to frame our liues according thereunto The second part Nowe followeth the seconde parte concerning a good conscience whereof also we must intreate to wit that loue must come from such a hart as hath a ioyful quiet conscience both toward God A good and quiet conscience toward men and also toward men Toward men so as Paule glorieth of him selfe that he liued so that he offended no man troubled no man was an euill example and burden to no man but all that did see and heare him must needes witnes that he indifferently serued all helped all counselled all delt friendly and gently with all Such a conscience Moses also glorieth of against the seditious Numb 16 Thou knowest that I haue not taken so much as an asse from them neither haue I hurt any of them And Ieremie chap. 18 Remember O Lorde how that I stood before thee to speake good for them and to turne away thy wrath from them Likewise doth Samuel 1. King 12 I haue walked before you from my childhood vnto this day beholde here I am beare record of me before the Lord before his anointed whose oxe haue I taken or whose asse haue I taken whome haue I done wrong to whom haue I hurt or of whose hand haue I receiued any brybe and so forth as followeth in the same place Such boasting glory euery Christian must attaine vnto that he do so liue toward euery man and
him albeit he hath deserued his wrath diuers wayes he doth all thinges with a glad and cherefull minde Moreouer he liueth so also toward men that he is louing and beneficiall toward all although they be not worthie of loue He is quiet toward God through Christ the Mediatour who will not throw him downe hedlong into hell but doth louingly fauour him and lifteth him vp into heauē And this is the chiefe quietnes and principall point and foundation of our saluation Afterwardes he doth in his life shew himselfe dutyfull also toward his neighbour doing all the best thinges he is able vnto him what soeuer his state or dutie commaundeth or requireth And when he doth lesse then is meete he asketh pardon of his negligence before God and men so that there is left occasion neither to him nor to the world afterward to rebuke him power also to deuoure him is taken from hell to teare him in peeces from the deuell Thus a man is saide to be in all things perfect How we become perfect toward men by loue and toward God not by the lawe but by Christ whom he apprehendeth by his faith as the mercy seat Which gageth his holines for the beleeuers or rather giueth it to them so that in him they haue all thinges that are necessary to saluation Now this is right and pure doctrine which should be exercised and taught vnto men distinctly that they might know how they may be able to stand both before God and men that faith and loue be not mingled togither or life referred both to God and men This ought to haue bin perfourmed of those glorious and arrogant teachers seeing that they wil be counted maisters of the law that the difference of the law and faith might be well knowen vnto all Very hard to learne the true doctrine of faith For although it be taught and repeted with neuer so great diligence yet notwithstanding it is very hard to be wel and throughly learned especially to vs which haue bin instructed and trained vp in the doctrine of workes and led onely to the lawe and our owne workes To these may be added our nature also verie prone and ready by it selfe hereunto and now brought into a custome whereby it is confirmed and in continuaunce of time turneth the heart also into exercise and vse so that we can not abstaine nor thinke otherwise but that God wil be fauourable vnto vs which haue done so great workes and haue led our life so without blame or fault Therefore we must striue against both our nature custome For surely it is a very hard thing to thinke or be perswaded otherwise and so purely to put a difference betweene faith and loue the filth still hanging vpon vs and cleauing vnto vs albeit we be now in faith so that our heart can scarce rule it selfe that it say not so long time haue I taught the Gospell so haue I liued such great workes haue I done c. And we would very willingly haue God to regard our life and turne his mercy seat for our cause into a iudgement seat Thou mayst vse this boasting toward men I haue done well to all as I haue bin able and if any thing be wanting I as yet wil endeuour to make a recompense But if thou be minded to go vnto God I aduise thee to ceasse from such arrogant boasting and thinke to appeale from iudgement to grace Let who will begin and proue this thing he shall at length see and trie A hard thing to trust nothing to our owne workes and holines how grieuous and heard it is for a man that hath bin occupied all his life time in the workes of his owne holines to escape out and with all his heart by faith to cleaue to this one Mediatour I my selfe haue now preached the Gospell almost twentie yeares and haue bin exercised in the same daily by reading writing so that I may wel seeme to be ryd of this wicked opinion Notwithstanding I yet now and then feele the same old filth to cleaue to my heart whereby it commeth to passe that I would willingly so haue to do with God that I might bring some thing with my selfe because of which he should for my holines sake giue me his grace And I can scarce be brought to commit my selfe with all confidence to meere grace which I should doe for we ought to flie onely to the mercie seate forasmuch as God hath set it before vs for a sanctuarie which must be the refuge of all them that shal be saued Wherefore it is not to be merueled at if it be grieuous vnto others so purely to apprehend and lay holde of faith but especially to such as be yet hindered and entangled of deuelish preachers of whom Paul speaketh which crie out against the doctrine of faith and in these wordes vrge the workes of the Lawe Doe this and thou shalt liue Also if thou wilt enter into life keepe the commaundements c. Which in deede are true and right if thou didst also rightly vnderstand them Declare vnto me the true meaning of these wordes otherwise I know sufficiently already that I ought to be righteous and keepe the commaundements But how must I attaine hereunto or what is it to be righteous If thou saiest that it is to haue a good conscience and a pure heart and to doe all thinges that God hath commaunded Well be it so but heare ye then goe to performe me that or at least shew one that dareth say that he hath perfourmed it For thou shalt not yet so purifie my heart and conscience with thy doctrine that God can not accuse and condemne me But now the Lawe as it hath bin sufficiently declared requireth such a heart as hath a good conscience before God How therefore do we obtaine such a conscience This is the question and the cause whereof the controuersie is Truly it commeth not hereof How we obtaine a good conscience because thou teachest the iudgement seate that is the Lawe but from hence for that we haue a pure and vnfained faith which layeth holde of Christ in whom it most fully obtaineth all thinges which the Lawe requireth So at length all thinges are brought to passe in me hauing a good conscience inasmuch as I am now made righteous and iustified before God For although that many things be as yet found wanting in me yet he standeth on my side who hath so much righteousnes as wherewith he is able to supplie both mine and all mens defects Thus we shew the way whereby we are made righteous before God when as they when they teach best of all Teachers vrgers of the Lawe shew onely the waye to attaine to honestie and righteousnes which is of force and value before men contending that it ought to be of force before God also mingling together all thinges in one inasmuch as they haue no certaine knowledge thereof vnderstanding not what
and manifest wordes declare Rom. 13 Let euery soule be subiect vnto the higher powers for there is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordained of God VVhosoeuer therefore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinance of God and they that resist shall receiue to them selues condemnation For Magistrates are not to be feared for good workes but for euill VVilt thou then be without feare of the power doe well so shalt thou haue prayse of the same For he is the Minister of God for thy wealth but if thou doe euill feare for he beareth not the sword for nought for he is the minister of God to take vengeance on him that doth euill VVherfore ye must be subiect not because of wrath onely but also for conscience sake For for this cause ye pay also tribute for they are Gods Ministers applying them selues for the same thinge Giue to all men therefore their dutie tribute to vvhom ye ovve tribute custome to vvhom custome feare to vvhom feare honour to vvhom ye ovve honour And therefore also are Magistrats ordayned of God that they may defende maintaine publike peace which alone exceedeth all worldly good thinges we felt a litle in the last cōmotion of the common people what losse miserie calamitie and grieuous sorrow conspiracie and sedition bringeth in the world God graunt that it may so continue that we trie it no more Thus much shall suffize to haue bene spoken for the exposition of this text A SERMON OF D. MARTIN LVTHER TEACHING THAT SALVATION COMMETH by Christ alone Ioh. 6. Verse 44. NO man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him I will rayse him vp at the last day 45. It is written in the Prophets And they shall be all taught of God Euery man therefore that hath heard and hath learned of the Father commeth vnto me 46. Not that any man hath seene the Father saue he which is of God he hath seene the Father 47. Verely verely I say vnto you He that beleueth in me hath euerlasting life 48. I am the bread of life 49. Your fathers did eate Manna in the wildernes and are dead 50. This is that bread which cōmeth downe from heauen that he which eateth of it shoulde not die 51. I am that liuing breade which came downe from heauen if any man eate of this bread he shall liue for euer and the breade that I will giue is my flesh which I will giue for the life of the world The summe of this text 1 CHrist is knowne of none but of him whom the Father draweth that is except the Father teache vs that knowledge inwardly in the hart Therefore Christ sayth to Peter Matth. 16 Flesh and blood hath not reuealed it vnto thee but my Father which is in heauen 2 Christ is the wisedom of God which is of more price then precious stones and whatsoeuer can be wished is not to be compared vnto it Pro. 8.11 as Salomon sayth in the Prouerbs 3 The old heauenly bread that is the righteousnes of the lawe doth not iustifie But Christ if we beleeue in him iustifieth for euer The exposition of the text THis text teacheth vs nothing els but christian faith and stirreth it vp in vs as surely Iohn through his Gospel doth almost no other thing but instruct vs how we must beleeue in the Lord Christ And such a faith as is grounded on the true promise of God made vnto vs in Christ Onely faith in Christ saueth vs. shall saue vs as this text plainly declareth Also they are here all proued fooles which haue taught vs an other way and meanes to obtaine righteousnes Whatsoeuer mās minde cā inuēt although it be holy although it haue a fayre shew before men it must needes vtterly fal if that he wil haue saluation to come thereby For albeit that man is exercised with the duties of godlines he shall not be able to attaine vnto heauen vnles God preuent him with his word which may offer his diuine grace vnto him and lighten his hart that he may walke in the right way Now this way is the Lord Iesus Christ Christ the right way he that will seeke an other way as the most part of men with their outward workes commonly doe hath now erred from the right and high way For Paule sayth Gal. 2 If righteousnes be by the law that is by the workes of the lawe then Christ died without a cause Therefore I saye that a man must by the Gospell be as it were brused and broken humbled euen from the bottom of his hart as being fraile weake which can moue neither hands nor feete but onely lyeth prostrate and cryeth Helpe me O omnipotent God merciful Father I am not able to helpe my selfe Helpe O Lord Christ myne owne helpe is nothing That so against this corner stone which is Christ al may be broken as he saith of him selfe in Luke when he asked the Pharisees and Scribes Luke 20.17 VVhat meaneth this then that is written The stone that the builders refused that is made the head of the corner VVhosoeuer shall fall vpon that stone shall be broken on whomsoeuer it shall fall it wil grinde him to pouder Wherefore either let vs fal vpon it by our imbecillitie and weakenes by denying our selues so be broken or els he will breake vs for euer in his straite iudgement But it is better that we fall vpon it then that it fall vpon vs. Vpon this foundation Christ sayth here in this text No man can come vnto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and I will rayse him vp at the last day Now he whom the Father draweth not shall surely perish It is also concluded that he which commeth not to this sonne shall be damned for euer He is the onely Sonne giuen vnto vs which may saue vs without him there is no saluation if he helpe not Without Christ there is no saluation our case is most miserable Of him Peter also speaketh to the same effect in the Acts of the Apostles chap. 4 This is the stone cast aside of you builders which is become the head of the corner neither is there saluation in any other for amonge men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby vve must be saued Whither would our Diuines and Scholemen turne them selues here which haue taught vs that by many workes we must attaine vnto righteousnes Here is that high Maister Aristotle confounded who hath taught vs that reason endeuoureth to doe the best things is alwayes ready to the better But this Christ doth here deny for vnles the Father possesse and drawe vs we shall perish for euer Here all men must confesse their imbecillity and slownes to good thinges If so be that any perswade him self that he is able to doe any good thing by his owne strength truely he hath reproued Christ of falshood and with great arrogancie presumeth
morning and the daye of the power of Christ wherein we are conceiued and borne the children of God as deaw to wit without the labour of men by the onely grace of the holy Ghost from heauen The most pleasaunt and comfortable sunne Iesus Christ maketh this daye whom the Scripture hereupon calleth the sunne of righteousnes Christ the sunne of righteousnes God sayth Mala. 4 To you that feare my name shall that sunne of righteousnes arise and helth shal be vnder this winges For as many as beleeue in Christ do receiue of him the beames of his grace and righteousnes and doe obtaine saluation vnder his winges Whereupon it is saide Psal 118 This is the daye which the Lord hath made we will reioyce and be glad in it as though he saide This corporall sunne maketh the corporall daye but God himselfe maketh this daye euen he is that sunne from whence those beames and that daye come wherewith the whole world is enlightned Finally hereupon he calleth himselfe the light of the world Ioh. 9. And Psal 19 The heauens declare the glorie of God that is euen as these bodily heauens do bring the sunne and the day and the sunne is caried in them so the Apostles haue in themselues and bring by preaching the true sunne which is Christ c Whereupon it followeth In the heauens he hath set a tabernacle for the sunne which commeth forth as a bridegrome out of his chamber and reioiceth as a giant to runne his course His setting forth is from the vtmost part of heauen and his circuit vnto the vtmost part thereof and there is nothing hid from his heat All this is said of the exceeding pleasaunt beginning or rising of this day that is of the Gospel which the Scripture euery where meruelously setteth forth For it is a word which quickneth maketh glad willing cheerefull and ready to do good workes and finally it bringeth with it all good thinges Wherefore it is called the Gospell or glad tydinges for that it is a pleasaunt and prosperous message of the grace of God and of all good thinges The Gospell reuealeth vnto vs all thinges that are needfull for vs to know But who is able to rehearse all those thinges which this day reuealeth maketh manifest vnto vs For it teacheth all things what God is what we are whatsoeuer is past and to come of heauen hell the earth Angels and Deuels By this lampe is shewed vnto vs how we ought to behaue our selues in all these thinges and toward all from whence we are and whither we go Yet neuertheles Satan hath deceiued vs miserable creatures that neglecting such a day whereby all thinges might be cleere and manifest vnto vs we seeke the truth of Philosophers and heathen men who haue not so much as by a dreame knowne any whit of these thinges and so we haue suffered our selues to be blynded with mens traditions and to be thrust backe againe into the night For it is not light whatsoeuer is not this day otherwise Paul and the whole Scripture should in vaine extoll this day alone and call all other beside it the night Surely the burden of Gods displeasure must needes be most grieuous for that contrarie to so plaine and manifest places of Scripture we haue sought an other light although the Lord himselfe calleth himselfe the light and sunne of the worlde And if other proofes were wantinge this one is sufficient that vniuersities doe so impudently both set vp and glorie of Aristotle as a light vnto them in whom they exercise themselues much more then in Christ yea nothing in Christ but altogither in Aristotle Let vs therefore cast awaye the workes of darkenes and let vs put on the armour of light As Christ is the sunne By light is here signified and ment faith and the Gospell the daye so fayth is the light whereby to see and watch in this daye For it would not profit albeit the sunne did shine and make the day if the eyes did not perceiue the light Wherefore although the Gospell be begon and preached in the whole world yet none are lightened but they that receiue it and by fayth being made capable of the light doe arise out of sleepe But to them that as yet sleepe this sunne and daye bring no profite of which they receiue no light no more then if no sunne or daye had shined And this is that season and hower whereof he speaketh VVelbeloued brethren forasmuch as we know this that it is now time that vve should arise out of sleepe c. It is a spirituall time and season although begun in this outward time as it doth daily also come wherein we ought to arise out of sleepe and lay aside the workes of darkenes Whereby Paule sheweth that he doth not speake to them which are yet voide of fayth for as it is saide he teacheth not faith here but the workes and frutes of fayth when as he saith We know that the time is come and that the night being passed the daye is at hand they which beleeue not can not know these thinges Now if thou obiect and saye what reason or cause is there that he should write these thinges to the faithfull inasmuch as they know that it is time c. Thou must call to mynde that in the beginning of the exposition of this text of the Apostle we haue saide that the office of preaching is of two sortes one of teaching We haue neede of cōtinuall exhortation an other of exhorting and mouing Now a man can not attaine vnto that knowledge that it should not be needefull that he be alwayes moued and kept in a continuall and fresh meditation of those thinges which he hath learned least the deuell the world and the fleshe which are enemies that neuer graunt truce neither slacke their assault doe make him wearie and slouthfull that he maye at the last sleepe and become altogither negligent in good thinges For the deuell sayth Peter is such an enemie as goeth about continually like a roring Lion seeking whom he maye deuoure Wherefore he sayth VVatch and be sober Paule also will haue vs doe the same thinge here For seeinge that the Deuell the fleshe and the worlde keepe no meane nor make no ende of fightinge against vs neither must there be any meane kept or ende made of exhortinge prouokinge and mouinge vs to watche and worke Hereupon the holie Ghost is called an exhorter inasmuch as he inuiteth and moueth vs vnto good Paule calleth the workes of light armour and why For the same cause Paul also vseth here chosen wordes the workes of darkenes he calleth not armour but the workes of light he calleth armour not workes vndoutedly that he might shewe that there is a fight that labour and trauell is required and that it can not be obtained without perill to watche and liue well forasmuch as so mightie enemies the deuell the flesh and the world do without ceassing
differeth nothing from a seruaunt though he be Lord of all 2. But is vnder tuters and gouerners vntill the time appointed of the father 3. Euen so we when we were children were in bondage vnder the rudiments of the world 4. But when the fulnes of time was come God sent forth his Sonne made of a woman and made vnder the Lawe 5. That he might redeeme them which were vnder the Lawe that we might receiue the adoption of the sonnes 6. And because ye are sonnes God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Sonne into your hearts which cryeth Abba Father 7. Wherefore now thou art not a seruaunt but a sonne if thou be a sonne thou art also an heire of God through Christ THis text toucheth the very pith of Paules chiefe doctrine the cause why it is well vnderstood of so few is not for that it is so obscure and hard but because there is almost no knowledge of faith left in the world without which it can not be that one should rightly vnderstand Paule who euerie where intreateth of faith with such force of the spirit as he is able I must therefore speake somewhat that this text may be made plaine and that I may more conueniently bring light vnto it in expounding it I will speake a few wordes in maner of a preface First therefore we must vnderstād that that treatise wherein is intreated of good workes doth farre differ from that wherein is intreated of iustification as there is verie great difference betweene the substance and the working betweene a man his worke Now iustification is of man and not of workes for man is either iustified and saued or iudged and condemned and not workes Neither is it in controuersie among the godly that man is iustified by no worke but righteousnes must come vnto him from some other where then from his owne workes For Moses writeth of Abel after this sort The Lord had respect vnto Abel and to his oblation God first regardeth the man and thē the worke First he had respect to Abel himselfe then to his oblation because that Abel was first counted righteous entire and acceptable vnto God and then for his sake his oblation also was alowed and not he because of his oblation Againe God had no respect to Cain and therefore neither to his oblation where againe thou seest that regard is had first of the worker thē of the worke Of this place it is verie plainly gathered that no worke can be allowed of God whereas he which worketh that worke was not first acceptable to him and againe that no worke is disalowed of him vnles the authour thereof be disallowed before I thinke that these thinges wil be sufficient concerning this matter in this place of which it is easie to vnderstand that there are two sortes of workes some going before iustification and some following it and that these last are good workes in deede but that those other do onely appeare to be good Hereof commeth such disagreemēt betweene God and those counterfect holy ones for this cause nature and reason rise and rage against the holy Ghost this is that whereof almost all the whole Scripture intreateth The Lord in his word defineth that all workes that goe before iustification are euell and of no importaunce and requireth that man himselfe before all thinges be iustified Againe Man before he is regenerate can doe nothing that is good he pronounceth all men which are not yet regenerate and haue not chaunged that nature which they receiued of their parentes with the newe creature of Christ to be vnrighteous and wicked according to that saying Psal 116 All men are lyars that is vnable to performe their dutie and to doe those thinges which by right they ought And Gen. 6 The heart of man is alwayes ready vnto euell whereby vndoutedly it commeth to passe that he is able to do nothing that is good which hath the fountaine of actions that is his heart corrupted And if he do many workes which in outward shew seeme good God hath regard first to the worker then to the worke reason doth quite cōtrarie affirming that by his workes the worker is iustified they are no better then the oblation of Cain Here against commeth forth reason our reuerend maistres seeming to her selfe meruelous wise yet in deede is vnwise and blynde and is not ashamed to gainsay her God to reproue him of lying she being furnished with her follies and verie strawie armour to wit the light of nature free will the strength of nature also with the bookes of the heathen and with the doctrines of men She dareth with her euell sounding stringes make a noyce against God that the workes of a man euen not yet iustified are good workes and not workes like vnto Cains which God pronounceth yea and so good that he that worketh them is iustified by them For so Aristotle hath taught that he that worketh well is made good Vnto this saying she leaueth and sticketh vnmoueably and wresteth the Scripture cleane contrarie contending that God will haue respect first to the workes thē to the worker Such verie deuelish doctrine beareth the sway now euerie where in scholes colledges monasteries wherein no other saincts then Cain was haue rule and authoritie Now of this errour an other immediatly springeth They which attribute so much to workes do not accordingly esteeme the worker and sound iustification go so farre that they ascribe all merit and soueraigne righteousnes to workes done before iustification making almost no account of faith alleaging that which Iames saith that without workes it is dead Which sentence of the Apostle when they litle vnderstand they attribute almost nothing to faith they alwayes sticke to workes whereby they thinke they do merit exceedingly of God and are perswaded that for their workes sake they shall obtaine the fauour of God and by this meanes do they continually disagree with God shewing themselues to be the right posteritie of Cain God hath respect vnto man these to the workes of man God aloweth the workes for his sake that worketh these require that for the workes sake the worker may be crowned Now God goeth not from his sentence as it is meete and iust and these will seeme nothing lesse thē to erre in any respect They will not haue their good workes contemned reason to be nothing esteemed free will to be counted vneffectuall or surely if thou doest here striue against them they beginne to be angrie with God and count it a small matter to kill their brother Abel But here perhaps thou wilt say what is needfull to be done by what meanes shall I first of all become righteous and acceptable to God How shall I attaine to this perfect iustification The Gospell aunswereth preaching that it is necessarie that thou heare Christ and repose thy selfe wholy in him denying thy selfe distrusting all thine owne strength By this meanes thou shalt be chaunged from Cain
they are void of faith whereby it moueth them to seeke helpe some other where and not to presume of their owne strength to satisfie it For it requireth a ready will and hartes of sonnes which alone can satisfie it it vtterly refuseth seruaunts and them that be vnwilling But these of Cains broode doe not onely of their owne accord confesse that they want this faith which maketh the sonnes of God but also they persecute it they feele and know also ful wel how vnwillingly they beare the lawe and had rather to be free from it neuertheles they thinke that they shal become righteous by these their vnwilling and constrained workes They will continue seruaunts will not be chaunged into sonnes and yet they would enioy the goods of a straunge father They do all thinges cleane out of order wheras by the law they ought to learne that they are seruaunts and vnwilling to doe that which is good and therefore should by faith aspire to the state of sonnes notwithstanding they goe so farre that they seeke to satisfie and fulfill it by their owne works onely And thereby they doe altogither hinder the ende of the law and striue against faith and grace whereunto if they were not blind the law would direct and driue them And so they continue alwayes a blinde blockish and miserable people These thinges Paule teacheth Rom. 3. and 7. and doth freely pronounce that no man is iustified before God by the works of the lawe No man is iustified by the lawe adding no other cause hereof then this for that the knowledge of sinne only commeth by the law If thou wilt know howe this commeth to passe consider well some one of Cains brood and thou shalt by and by see it verified First he worketh his workes according to the lawe with great griefe and labour and yet he therewith confesseth that he is vncertaine whether he be the sonne of God and holy Yea he condemneth and curseth this faith as the most pernitious arrogancie and errour of all other and will continue in his douting vntil he be made certaine by his workes Here thou seest plainly that such a man is not good or righteous seeing that he wanteth this faith and beleefe that he is counted acceptable before God and his sonne yea he is an enemie of this faith and therefore of righteousnes also Wherefore neither can his workes be counted good although they pretend a faire shew of fulfilling the lawe And thus is it easie to vnderstand that which Paule sayth that no man is iustified before God by the workes of the lawe For the worker must be iustified before God before he worketh any good thing although before men which esteeme a man by outward thinges and not by the mind they are counted righteous which apply them selues to the doing of good workes For men iudge the worker by the works God iudgeth the workes by the worker Nowe the first precept requireth that we acknowledge worship one God that is that we trust and rest in him alone which in deede is the true faith whereby we become the sonnes of God But how easie is it by this precept to know that sinne is both in him of Cains brood in thy selfe inasmuch as both of you want such a faith euen by your owne nature which thou couldest not know but by meanes of this law And this is that which Paul meaneth when he sayth That by the law commeth the knowledge of sinne Rom. 3.20 Now thou canst be deliuered from this euill of infidelitie neither by thyne owne power nor by the power of the lawe wherefore all thy workes whereby thou goest about to satisfie the lawe can be nothing but workes of the lawe of farre lesse importance then that they are able to iustifie thee before God who counteth them only righteous which truly beleeue in him for they onely acknowledge him the true God are his sonnes and doe truely fulfill the law But if thou shouldest euen kill thy selfe with workes yet is it so farre of that thy hart can obtaine this faith thereby that thy workes are euen a hinderance that thou canst not knowe it yea they are a cause that thou doost persecute it Hereupon it is that he that studieth to fulfill the law without faith is afflicted for the deuils sake and not for Gods sake and continueth a persecutour both of faith and of the lawe vntill he come to him selfe and doth plainly ceasse to trust in him selfe and in his owne workes doth giue this glory vnto God who iustifieth the vngodly acknowledgeth him selfe to be nothing and figheth for God his grace whereof he doth now know being taught by the law that he hath neede Then faith and grace come and fil him being emptie satisfie him being hungry by and by follow good workes which are truely good Neither are they now the workes of the law but of the spirit of faith and grace and they are called in the Scriptures the workes of God which he worketh in vs. For whatsoeuer we do of our owne power strength All that we doe of our selues being not assisted by the grace of God is euill and is not wrought in vs by his grace without dout it is a worke of the law and auaileth nothing to iustification but is both euill and hated of God because of the infidelitie wherein it is done Againe whatsoeuer he of Cains brood worketh he doth nothing from his hart nothing freely and with a willing mind except he be as it were hyred with some reward or be commaunded to doe some such thinge whereunto he ought otherwise to be ready of him selfe Euen as an euill and vnthriftie seruaunt suffereth him selfe to be brought to no worke vnles he be hyred with a reward or commaunded whereunto he ought otherwise to be willing of himselfe Nowe how vnpleasaunt is it to a man to haue such seruaunts But they of Cains brood be plainly such they would do no good worke at all if they were not either compelled by the feare of hell or allured by the hope of present good thinges Whereby againe thou seest that these haue no mind to the law they gape only for gaine or are moued with feare whereby they bewray them selues that they doe rather hate the law from their hart and had leuer that there were no law at all Wherefore it is plainly manifest that they are not good and consequently that neither their workes be good for how should euill men worke good workes Moreouer those their workes which in apparance shew seeme to be good are either wrested from them by feare or are bought with promises An euill hart can doe nothing that is good But this naughtines of the hart vnwillingnes to doe good the lawe bewrayeth when it teacheth that God doth not greatly esteeme what the hand doth but what the hart doth which seeing it hateth the law that is good who wil deny it to be most euill Surely it
9. this offence commeth because of our faith and can not be auoided of vs and therefore the blame thereof ought not to be layde vpon vs. Howbeit there is an other offence which proceedeth hereof for that our loue is not sufficient dutifull this commeth through vs inasmuch as our workes are the cause thereof because they do not so shine by faith that they wâ—iâ—h are conuersaunt with vs may thereby be prouoked to serue God as it is meete This offence is giuen through our fault whom it be commeth so to liue that the Iewes Heathen Princes of the world might haue no occasion to say Beholde how light and naughtie these men are yea and verie wicked wretches the doctrine of life which they follow must needes be euell and pestilent So our infamie and crimes are occasion of offence to others and of hatred and detestation of the most holy word of God For whereas we ought so to know preach and folow it that thereby both our neighbours might be brought vnto God and to the leading of a godly life and also the glorie of God set forth we by our naughty and slouthfull life bring to passe that it doth not onely bring no profit and commodity to our neighbours but is brought into hatred and made detestable through our meanes bearing our ignominie and reproche Now it is a most horrible synne and wickednes by our naughtines to make the word of God which is most holy and bringeth saluation to make it I say so odious and to repell and driue men from it to our owne and their most certaine destruction But in all thinges let vs behaue our selues as the ministers of God in much patience in afflictions c. Here he describeth in order the signes proper tokens of a Christian life wherewith it ought to be adorned in outward conuersation Not meaning that one is made a Christian and godly hereby but as he sayth that by these as by proper frutes and signes of Christianitie we should shew our selues to be both and behaue our selues as the ministers of God that is as Christians godly men And marke well that he sayth as the ministers of God It may seeme very straunge that the ministerie of God consisteth in these in many afflictions in necessities in distresses in stripes in prisons in tumults in watchings in fastings c. Among these he numbreth not Masses and prayers for the dead or other trifles of fained worship of God He rehearseth those things that pertaine to the true and right seruice of God whereby the body is chastised and the flesh tamed Which is well to be noted lest that any neglect fastings watchings and labour and make us count of them for that they do not iustifie They bring not righteousnes in deede yet are they frutes of righteousnes being obtained wherein thou mayst be exercised and whereby thou mayst keepe thy flesh in subiection and enforce it to do his dutie In tumults He rehearseth tumults or seditions among the rest not that it becommeth vs to teach or moue them who ought to obey Magistrates and with quietnes to liue obedient vnto all in that which is good as Paule teacheth Rom. 13 and Christ Matth. 22 Giue vnto Cesar those thinges that are Cesars but that we must beare tumultes of others as also necessities distresses stripes and imprisonments which we must cause or procure vnto none but suffer being procured and layde vpon vs by others Wherefore in the first place he setteth much patience which surely moueth no sedition or tumult but rather suffreth it and appeaseth it if it can But in the meane season it singularly comforteth vs at this time Christians commonly accused to raise sedition and tumults wheÌ„ they suffer the same being raised of other when as tumults are commonly imputed vnto vs for that this is incident to a Christian life that for the preaching of the Gospell it is accused to raise sedition which it rather suffereth being raised of other against the word of God For as in time past Achab accused the most holy Prophet Elias of sedition affirming that it was he that troubled Israell when as he himselfe in deede did trouble it so is it neither a shamefull nor new thinge for vs to be accused of the same when we preach the same word Let vs thinke when the enemies of God lay this reproche and sclaunder vpon vs that not onely Elias not onely the Apostles but Christ himselfe was counted of the Iewes a seditious felow crucified a title being writteÌ„ in three languages and put on the crosse that he should of all be counted as a seditious king of the Iewes which would haue moued that people against Cesar and adioined them to himselfe who in deede by word and example of his life taught nothing more themsubmissioÌ„ and obedience and liued so that he was ready to profit and minister vnto all As for the rest whereof the Apostle here maketh mention as patience affliction necessitie distres stripes prisons labour watchinges fasting puritie it is easie to vnderstand how they pertaine to the ministerie of God who truely disdaineth to haue slouthfull idle gluttonous and drowsie ministers and such as can not abide aduersitie and trouble â–ª But he specially reproueth our delicate ones which quietly enioy reuenues and rents and take their delight and pleasure thinking that it is an vnworthie thinge that they should labour for they are shauen weare long gownes and crie out in temples c. Howbeit these shall not be able to approue themselues before God God will haue none to be idle but also labour and so eate their owne bread who will haue all to labour and eate their owne and not other mens bread as it is written by Paule to the Thessalonians Who therefore teacheth here also that God is serued by labour and not that onely but that we also are thereby proued and commended to be the ministers of God In knowledge Paule taketh knowledge here for that which we call prudence or wisedom wherby we vse things with reason behauing our selues with discretion and comelines Of which knowledge the saying also of Paul Rom. 10. is vnderstood They haue the zeale of God but not according to knowledge that is they beare a zeale to the lawe not prudently not weying and coÌ„sidering all things well that they might do no vndecent thing Wherefore whereas he here expressely requireth knowledge in the ministerie of God Christians must frame their life prudently and with sufficieÌ„t discretion he thereby admonisheth vs that we frame our life with reason and order it prudently in all things keeping a meane and hauing an aduised rehard of our neighbours lest that in any thing we offende the weaker sort with vnseasonable vse of Christian libertie and that we do all thinges to the edifying of all So we must labour fast watch and applie our selues to chastitie and such other thinges not aboue measure that either the body may be
But this tentation doth not easily happen in these outward thinges as are bread apparell houses c. Thou mayst finde in deed some rash heads which for no cause do put their life goods good name in great daunger as they doe which goe on warfare of their owne accord which leape rashly into most deepe waters or goe voluntarily into other no small daungers Of whom Iesus the sonne of Syrach sayth Eccle. 3.27 He that loueth perill shall perish in it Whereof the Germanes haue a prouerbe Selfe do self haue what euery one followeth that he commeth vnto So is it almost vsuall that none are oftner drowned then they that are most exercised in swimming and none fal more perilously then they which vse to attempt hie matters We are seldō brought to tēpt God by not taking the vse of outward things which he hath giuen vs. But he shall be hardly founde which hauing a false and ouermuch confidence in God attempteth any such thing or vseth not the thinges present as bread apparell house and such like loking with perill while God prouide otherwise for him by miracle We read of a certaine Heremite who because he had vowed to take bread of no men brought him selfe into perill by hunger and so perished and vndoutedly went strait vnto hell because of that false faith and tempting of God which he learned no other where but of that deuill so that his madnes was altogither like that whereunto Satan here persuadeth Christ to wit that he shoulde cast him selfe downe from a pinnacle of the temple Howbeit thou shalt finde very few which doe follow this Heremite and doe differre to enioy corporall thinges present for that they hope that God will giue them other from heauen But in spirituall things which concerne the nourishment We are easily and often by the tentation of Satan brought to refuse the true spiritual foode of our soules and to seeke other contrary to the will and word of God not of the body but of the soule this tentation is wont to be both mighty and often In these God hath appoynted a certayne maner wherby the soule may be fedde nourished and strengthened both most commodiously and also most blessedly so that no good thing at all can be wanting vnto it This nourishment this strength this saluation is Christ our Sauiour in whom the Father hath most abundantly offered and giuen all good thinges But there are very few which desire him the moste parte seeke some other where whereby their soules may liue obtaine saluation Such are all they which seeke saluation by their works These are they whom Satan hauing sette on a pinnacle of the temple biddeth them cast them selues downe and they obey him They descende where as is no way that is they beleeue and trust in God yet so as they trust also in their owne works in which is no place at all for faith and trust no way or path vnto God wherefore throwing them selues downe headlong they breake their necke falling into vtter desperation Now Satan persuadeth miserable men vnto this madnes as also he persuaded Christ to cast him selfe downe from a pinnacle of the temple by places of Scripture peruerted and misapplied wherein workes are commaunded whereby he maketh them beleeue that the Angells shall keepe them that is that they shall be approued of God when as in deede they can by nothing so offend him as by that madde trust and confidence in workes For they acknowledge not that the Scripture doth no where require works without faith or that it doth euery where require a sound liuely faith from which works proceede We haue at large declared who are such namely incredulous hypocrites which are giuen to workes without faith which falsely boast of the name of Christians chalenging to them selues to be chiefe in the flock of Christ For this tentation must be in the holy citie Now these two tentations and the causes of them doe greatly differ In the former the cause why men doe not beleeue is neede and hunger for they are thereby moued to distrust God and despeire of his goodnes In the latter the cause why they doe not beleeue is ouermuch abundance for that miserable men are full of most plentifull and abundant treasure so that they loath it coueting to haue some other speciall thinge whereby they may procure the saluation of their soules So our case standeth ill in both respects If we haue nothinge we despeire and distrust God If we haue plentie of thinges we loath them and require other being then also voyde of faith Concerning the first we flie and hate scarsitie and seeke plentie concerning the latter we seeke scarsitie and flie plentie Howsoeuer God dealeth with vs we are not content our incredulitie is a bottomles pit of malice and vngodlines Againe the deuil tooke him vp into an exceeding high moūtaine Tentation by vaine glory pleasures and delights of the world Here he tempteth with vaine glorie power of the world as by the wordes of the deuil doth plainly appeare who shewing Christ the kingdoms of the world offered them to him if he would worship him By this tentation they are ouercome which reuolt from faith that they may enioy glorie and power here or at least doe so temper their faith that they lose not these thinges In the number of these are all heretikes and troublers of the Church which do therfore either leaue or oppugne the sinceritie of faith that being exempted out of the common number they may be extolled on hie So we may place this tentation on the right hand as the first assaileth vs on the left For as the first tentation is of aduersitie whereby we are moued to indignation impatiencie diffidence so this third tentation is of prosperitie whereby we are prouoked to delights glory pleasures and whatsoeuer is excellent and delectable in the world The second tentation is altogither spirituall whereby Satan by deceit and meruelous secret suttlery goeth about to withdraw man from faith For whom he can not ouercome with pouertie scarsitie necessitie misery them he tēpteth with riches fauour glorie delights power c so he assayleth vs on either side yea when he preuaileth by neither way he goeth about as Peter saith attēpteth all meanes that whom he can ouercome neither by aduersitie that is by the first tentation nor by prosperitie that is by the thirde tentation he may ouercome either by errour blindnes or false vnderstanding of the Scripture that is by the second tentation which is spirituall and therefore most hurtfull By which if he preuaile against any they are also ouercome both on the left side and on the right For whether they suffer such pouertie or enioy plenty of thinges whether they contend or yeelde vnto all thinges both is nothing while they are in errour either patience in aduersitie or constancie in prosperitie can be of no importance For in both euen heretikes
vncleane couetous persons vncleanes couetousnes c. This our light witnesseth that for such things the wrath of God commeth vpon vnbeleeuers whom he calleth the children of disobedience and therefore can not abide to beleeue the word of God to giue them selues to the obedience of faith This Paule declareth 1. Cor. 10. by many examples where he sayth that a great part of the people was slaine for fornication of which deede is spoken also Num. 25. For violence also couetousnes and vncleannes the whole world was destroyed by the flood Wherefore a sufficient sharpe yea and a certaine vengeance abideth them that are infected with these wickednesses Now he calleth them the children of disobedience that is of incredulitie which is as much as if he had sayd of them that haue reuolted from the faith and haue renounced Christ Hereby therefore we see and learne that he that doth not approue his faith by workes is no better then a Heathen yea worse inasmuch as he hath renounced Christ and denied the faith once receiued For this cause therefore the vengeance and wrath of God shal come vpon them that are such as we Germanes do now trie vnto whom God sendeth abundantly the pestilence famine cruell warres Let men take heede they giue no eare to those deceiuers which with vaine words promise that those sinnes shal escape vnpunished Let those slacke and slothfull Christians beware who although they be not blinde Heathen but know well that vncleannes and couetousnes are sinnes and thinke or teach no otherwise do neuertheles liue wickedly resting vpon faith whereby they hope that they shall obtaine saluation without workes forasmuch as workes do not saue Yea albeit they verie well know that faith without workes is a fained faith and that worthie frutes and good workes must needes follow where a true and sound faith is yet notwithstāding they liue securely in their synnes presuming of the grace and mercy of God nothing fearing God and his iudgement when as notwithstanding it is certaine that God doth require the mortification of the olde Adam and good frutes of good trees Although perhaps Paule speaketh not here properly of these but of thē which thinke and in vaine wordes teach that fornication couetousnes and such like are not synnes as the blynde Heathen did many do at this day vnder the name of Christians yet is it to be feared seing they liue no better then the heathen do be themselues fornicatours couetous persons that they shall feele the like vengeance of God with them yea so much more grieuous vēgeance as they doe know more certainly that those are synnes according to that saying Rom. 2 Thinkest thou this O thou man that condemnest them which do such thinges and doest the fame that thou shalt escape the iudgement of God after thine hardnes and heart that can not repent thou heapest vnto thy selfe wrath against the daye of wrath of the declaration of the iust iudgement of God c. Be not therefore companions with them For ye were once darkenes but are now light in the Lord walke as children of light So Peter also sayth that it is sufficient for vs that we haue spent the time past of our life after the lust of the Gentiles but from hence forth should haue nothing common with them but spend the rest of our life in the seruice and worship of God They which are not yet lightned by Christ are blinde and ignorant but they whom he hath lightened doe know both God their duty toward him When we were Gentiles we knew not that these were synnes we were so blynded through incredulitie and ignorance of God But after that we are made light in the Lord that is lightned by Christ we do not onely well vnderstand what God is and what he requireth of vs what synne and iniquitie is but are also able now to be in steede of light vnto others and to teach them those things which we haue learned Such Paul said the Philippians were that they shined as lights in the world in the middes of a naughtie crooked nation So before we were not onely darke but darkenes it selfe inasmuch as we were not onely ignorant and erred but did also bring other into the same darkenes both by wordes and deedes Let vs be thankefull therefore to him which hath called vs out of this darkenes into his meruelous light walking as the children of light which Peter also admonisheth vs to do For the fruite of the Spirit is in all goodnes and righteousnes and truth Forasmuch as he hath here spoken of light it had ben more agreable to haue added for the frute of light as the Latin editions haue then of the Spirit as it is read in the Greeke Who knoweth whether the greekes coppies were here chaunged vpon this occasion for that Paule in the Epistle to the Galathians entreateth of the frutes of the spirit But this skilleth litle Goodnes of the Spirit and of light are all one in this place Goodnes therefore is a fruite either of the Spirit or of light contrarie to couetousnes whereby a Christian man is good that is profitable and beneficiall to others Righteousnes ready to gratifie and do well to his neighbours Righteousnes being a frute of the Spirit is contrarie to couetousnes For it maketh that no man doth take awaye from an other that which is his either by violence either by craft or guile Truth but that he endeuour rather to giue vnto euerie man that which is his owne Truth is a frute of the Spirit contrarie to hypocrisie lying which requireth that a Christian be true and vncorrupte not onely in wordes but also in his whole life that he doe not glorie of the name of a Christian without workes that he be not called a Christian yet liue after the maner of the Heathen in fornication vncleannes couetousnes and other vices c. **** A SERMON OF D. MARTIN LVTHER WHEREIN IS DECLARED HOW GOD CARETH and prouideth for them that be his Luke 5. Verse 1. THen it came to passe as the people preased vpō him to heare the word of God that he stood by the lake of Gennesaret 2. And saw two ships stand by the lake side but the fishermen were gone out of them were washing their nettes 3. And he entered into one of the ships which was Simons and required him that he would thrust of a litle from the land he sate down and taught the people out of the ship 4. Now when he had left speaking he said vnto Simon lanche out into the deepe let downe your nettes to make a draught 5. Then Simon aunswered and sayd vnto him Maister we haue trauailed sore all night and haue taken nothing neuertheles at thy word I will let downe the net 6. And when they had so done they inclosed a great multitude of fishes so that their net brake 7. And they beckened to their
fayth And this is the cause why Christ is of all the Euangelistes set forth to be so louing and gentle for although the doings and workes described of them doe oftentimes varie neuertheles the simplicitie of fayth remayneth alwayes alike Moreouer this text doeth so liuely set forth Christ vnto vs in his colours that it may be manifest and well knowen vnto euerie one of vs what we ought to promise our selues concerning him to wit that he is mercifull bountifull gentle who succoureth all that flie vnto him for helpe And such ought to be the image of fayth By the Lawe we are terrified and cast downe but by the Gospell we are comforted raised vp For the Scripture setteth before vs a double image one of feare which representeth to our eyes the horrible wrath of God before which no man is able to stand but rather we are all enforced to be cast downe in minde when we see it vnles we be strengthned by fayth Howbeit against this is sette the other image namely of grace which fayth doeth attentiuely behold and taketh from hence principles of comfort and conceiueth trust and confidence in the fauour of God hauing this hope that man can not promise to him selfe from God so manye good thinges but that he hath infinite moe treasures in a readines for him Ye haue now oftētimes heard The temporall and outwarde blessings of God ought to be as meanes to make vs hope and trust in him that he will also bestow vpon vs spirituall and eternal good thinges that there are two sorts of good thinges spirituall and corporall The Gospell by these temporall and corporall good thinges teacheth vs the faith of children and they are vnto the weake as a certaine meane or helpe whereby they may learne the goodnes of God how bountifull he is in bestowing his riches vpon vs and that we ought in spirituall thinges also to place all our hope and trust in him For if we be now instructed by the Gospell that God will giue foode to our bellie we may thereupon account with our selues that he will nourish cloath our soules with spirituall good thinges If I can not commit my body vnto him that he may feede it much lesse can I commit my soule vnto him that he may alwayes preserue it Or if I can not be brought to beleeue that a crowne of golde shal be giuen vnto me of him how I pray you shall I hope for tenne of crownes of golde of him from whom I dare not promise to my selfe so much as a peece of bread truly much lesse shall I be perswaded to beleeue that he will giue a fearme vnto me or his whole inheritaunce Now he that is not able to atteine vnto this tender and as it were as yet sucking faith to him surely it is verie hard to beleeue that God will pardon his synnes or preserue his soule for euer Forasmuch as we are perswaded that the soule is by infinite degrees to be preferred before the bellie toward which notwithstanding he is touched with compassion as this our present text teacheth Wherefore Saint Peter hath righly admonished 1. Pet. 2. Beloued brethren as new borne babes desire that sincere milke of the word that ye may grovv thereby For it is not enough that the infant being put to the teate doe sucke but he must also wax greater and gather strength that he may accustome himselfe to feede on breade and stronger meate Now to eate milke is to tast of the fauour and grace of God which is then tasted of when a triall thereof is had in our life For although I should preach an hundred yeares of the bountifulnes fauour liberalitie and gentlenes of God toward vs it would profit me nothing vnlesse I haue a triall and taste of those commodities neither could I learne rightly to trust in God thereby Hereof also thou mayst coniecture how rare a Christian man is There are many which say that they commit their bellie to God but that sticketh onely in the tounge and lippes when as rather it ought to perce to the heart Let vs nowe consider an example teaching vs the qualitie and nature of faith The qualitie and nature of faith The Apostle Heb. 11. hath written thus Faith is the ground of thinges which are hoped for and the euidence of thinges which are not seene which is thus much in effect faith is the foundation whereby I looke for that good thinge which is neither seene with the eyes nor heard with the eares but which I must onely hope for Euen as in our present text it plainly appeareth wherein we reade that there were about foure thousand men who togither with their wiues and children had now suffred hunger three dayes was not this a notable kynde of fasting yet were not famished with hunger being farre from their houses and destitute of those necessaries whereby the bodie is susteined Now Paule sayth that faith is a thinge whereby a man hopeth for those thinges which appeare not to the eyes Such a fayth had this multitude which although they see no meate neuertheles they trust in God that he will feede them What doeth Christ here he is moued with compassion he demaundeth of the disciples with what vittailes or with what thinge their hunger may be taken away To whom his disciples aunswere whence can a man satisfie such a multitude here in the wildernes Here ye see how mans reason and fayth agree togither that the wiser reason is so much lesse can it submit it selfe to the workes of God For this cause therefore did he aske his disciples that euerie one of them might trie their owne reason and learne how much the capacitie of man and faith do differ one from an other Here it appeareth vnto vs how reason is blynde and how Reason must giue place to faith when faith commeth it ought to giue place Whereof let this be as an example If I were a maried man hauing a wife and a companie of children and had nothing wherewith to nourish them neither would any man giue me any thinge yet should it be my dutie to beleeue and hope that God will prouide for me But when as I see my hope to be in vaine and that I am not succoured by and by with nourishment and cloathing then if I be faithles I yeeld vnto desperation and goe and purpose an other thinge with my selfe I applie my mynde to vnhonest trades that I may get somewhat thereby as theft deceit and other such practizes and by all meanes that I am able I passe through the stormes of aduersitie See what filthie incredulitie bringeth vnto man But if I be endued with faith I shut mine eyes and say Most gentle father I am thy creature and thy worke it can not be denied but thou hast created me I will put all my trust in thee which hast greater care of my welfare then I my selfe Thou wilt well nourish feede cloath and
she iudged her selfe more vnworthie then that she might either talke with him or looke vpon him for she knew that she had deserued nothing and that she had bestowed no good thinge vpon the Lord hereupon it is that she so behaueth her selfe she cōmeth behynde his backe she falleth downe at his feete and toucheth onely the hemme of his garment In a summe here is nothing but meere bashfulnes and want of merit here is no preparation here is no worke and yet the miserable woman promiseth her selfe much goodnes from the Lord namely that he would heale her She had bin diseased with an issue of blood twelue whole yeares what could she merite thereby how could she therefore be worthy of any thinge Neuerthelesse being vnworthie and hauing merited nothing she notwithstanding looketh for helpe of Christ feeling her selfe to haue great neede thereof And this is a true preparation both to the grace and goodnes of Christ when I feele my selfe to stand in neede thereof and then doth it verie well fall out when these two come togither the rich and the poore Christ and the synner But it is no small matter for men to be perswaded that they are poore and stand in neede of grace For that commeth to passe verie hardly Satan also doth not suffer it but alwayes draweth men backe to workes that they may not come so farre as to thinke that they haue neede either of the grace or mercy of Christ The text affirmeth that the woman was diseased with an issue of blood twelue whole yeares The woman diseased with an issue of blood and had spent all her substaunce vpō phisitians and that the more medicines she tooke the worse alwayes she was Luke and Marke do not a litle exaggerate and amplifie it whereby they both signifie that the more workes be preached so much the worse is it with vs and that there commeth nothing vnto vs thereby but a continuall multiplying of our euell Our conscience can not be quieted with workes for albeit some synne be driuen out of the conscience forthwith there is an other yea the remedy and work oftentimes do make synne in vs where there is no synne vntill suche time as we come to Christ euē as it was with this woman which had bin sick so long neither had she bin euer helped if she had not come to Christ of whom she obtaineth helth without any workes giuing him nothing but receiueth onely of him Continuall preaching of the word of God verie necessarie and suffreth to be giuen vnto her Nowe here is also declared how the worde of God is dayly to be handled and without ceassing to be vrged for there are as yet alwayes found such men as haue verie troubled and afflicted consciences For this woman is a type or figure of all men which are diseased with an issue that is which feele there synnes the issue whereof doeth alwayes runne neither can it be stayed for flesh and blood doeth no otherwise then it is caried with it owne lust and desire Nowe if that feeling of synne be great those wretches come forth and endeuour to helpe themselues then one taketh this worke in hand an other that and yet preuaile they nothing from hence so many orders so many monasteries haue sprong hereupon so many and so great works haue bin inuented that they are almost without number What was the cause of all these surely euen the synnefull conscience For we haue thought to saue our soules by these and to be deliuered wholy from all synnes But Christ was not there present for we would giue and not receiue Wherefore our case became alwayes worse as it fell out also with this woman who if she had tried the helpe of all Phisitians neither yet so could she fynde whereby she might be holpen So we also beleeued all Phisitians for whatsoeuer euerie one brought that we by and by receiued And was it any meruell for we desired to be healed and to haue a glad conscience The Phisitians are the preachers of the Lawe nowe if any desired to be deliuered from synnes what did they vnto him they gaue him whereby he became onely weaker and feebler which surely we haue seene and felt to our great euell namely how they would haue men to be iustified by workes by them to be deliuered from synnes But it profited nothinge for we were alwayes made more weake against synne and death so that there is neuer found in the earth a more desperate sorte of people then Sacrifycing Priestes Monkes and Vestall virgines and they whatsoeuer they by that trust in workes if there did but a litle byle arise vpon them byandby they must runne to the Poticarie then is suche tryinge of medecine suche running and hast as though they had nowe breathed their last Neither is any so afrayd of the last iudgement as this people Which then they verie well shew when they so deale with workes that they rest onely vpon them neither doe perseruer constant in any worke and the more workes they doe so much worse is their case so much more are they cast downe in mynde and become more desperate so that it falleth out with them as with this woman It is a verie goodly similitude which may most fitly be applied to vs for we do not onely bestow temporall thinges but our body also by fasting chastising and bearing other hard and intolerable burdens so that some haue thereby become mad and destitute of all strength yea at the last lost their life And I my selfe haue bene such a one and haue without dout more resorted to medicines then many other I could not atteine so farre as to leaue the Popes law It seemed a hard and a sore matter vnto me to eate flesh on the friday O good God A hard thing to forsake papistrie being once entangled therewith how hard a thing was it to me before I durst attempt to doe that Wherefore if any will be deliuered from such thinges and contemne the traditions of the Pope truely he must haue a stronge foundation of faith which if he shall not haue let him looke about him againe and againe before he attempt it For if faith be wanting it will fal out with vs as with this woman who had spent all her substance vpon Phisitians amending nothing but rather waxing worse and worse In like maner all our workes labours endeuours shall be lost all our obedience with all orders or religions and whatsoeuer we haue bestowed therein shall be in vaine Howbeit if we haue faith we shall at the last see the decrees of the Pope and popish Bishops to be nothing because of which before we trembled and were troubled all which did helpe vs so much as the Phisitians did that good woman which had bestowed all her substance and riches yea and her body also that she might be healed How many kindes of medicines and syrrups thinkest thou did that woman vse how weake
this prayer he shewed his faith which faith being perceiued the Lorde could not but graunt his desire wherefore rising forthwith he went with him in this going this historie of the woman came to passe which had bene diseased of an issue of blood twelue yeares as we haue now hearde When therefore the Lorde was entred into the Rulers house he sawe the minstrells and the multitude making noyse which were there according to the lawe of Moses and did sounde the trumpet and pipes as in our cuntrie they ringe the bells to gather the people togither But he commaunded the multitude to go forth saying The child is not dead but sleepeth And they laught him to scorne and mocked him Which giueth vs to vnderstand The preaching of the Gospell is contemned and counted foolishnes of the world that when it is preached that Christ is he which saueth that our works preuaile nothing then the world can not conteine it selfe but that it scorneth mocketh for it can not be persuaded that Christ doth helpe and succour euen as this people without all dout sayd after this sort Beholde what an excellent Maister and a goodly Phisitian he is what could he haue holpen which knoweth not yet what it is to sleepe and what to be dead This title must needes remayne to the Gospell in the world that the preaching thereof is counted foolish and contemptible For Satan can not abide that honour should be giuen to this Gospel before the world for it bringeth but smal commoditie to his kingdom which forasmuch as he perceiueth full well he practizeth all craftes and wiles that he may either altogither hinder it or at the least make it to preuaile litle with them that be his whose hartes he hath wholy blinded and possessed that the light of the glorious Gospell of Christ shoulde not shine vnto them as S. Paule sayth 2. Cor. 4. Neither yet can it be that this preaching of Christ should not be frutefull forasmuch as it is not vttered in vaine for albeit it be receiued but of a few that doth not greatly skill When therefore Satan perceiueth any thing to be taken from him and that that preaching is ordained plainly against his kingdom Satan a most grieuous enemie to the preaching of the Gospell he doth without delay pursue it contemne it and assaile it on euery side that euen now he is fierce and rageth in the whole world For the Gospell of Christ ouerthroweth whatsoeuer the world and Satan delight in and whatsoeuer to the worlde seemeth most holy goodly For the worlde imagineth to it selfe such a God as hath regard to our good workes and will be pleased with the erecting of Masses and vigiles for them that are departed with Rosaries as they call them habit shauing and whatsoeuer other trifles are vsed in the Papacie Now if there come any which bringeth the Gospell and inueyeth against these vaine toyes of the Pope and sayth that they are nothing worth but are meere delusions inasmuch as they are repugnant to Christ and the Scripture he is counted a most wicked felow and therefore must be punished he is reproued as an heretike and a seducer of the people so that they burst forth into great wordes and say wilt thou gouerne all the whole world doost thou thinke thy selfe the wisest man that is and were our forefathers foolish and without all vnderstanding many holy men haue done these workes and haue preached of them and wilt thou come and turne them all to nothing thou shalt not doe it Then rage and furie beginneth yea persecution slaying and murdering and the Deuill will seeme to haue a iust cause howsoeuer the matter goeth Thus much shall suffize at this time concerning this text Now ye must take especial heede that out of the Gospells ye learne throughly how all things consist in the onely person whose name is Christ and lay vp this in the depth of your hart that a Christian hath his name of Christ For I know how much it auaileth both in tentation and in aduersitie to hold that fast Let vs now by prayer call for the grace of God that at the last we may with most earnest zeale and harty affection embrace true Christianitie Amen **** A SERMON OF D. MARTIN LVTHER VPON THE GOSPELL ON SAINCT THOMAS DAY CONCERNING THE VVORKS VVHICH Christ hath wrough for vs wherin is contained a most sweete consolation against the Law Sinne Death and Satan Ioh. 20. Verse 24. THomas one of the twelue called Didimus was not with them whē Iesus came 25. The other Disciples therfore sayd vnto him we haue seene the Lord but he said vnto them Except I see in his hands the print of the nayles and put my finger into the print of the nayles and put mine hand into his side I will not beleeue it 26. And eyght dayes after agayne his Disciples were within Thomas with them Thē came Iesus when the dores were shut and stoode in the middes and sayd Peace be vnto you 27. After sayd he to Thomas Put thy finger here and see myne handes put forth thyne hand and put it into my side and be not faithles but faithfull 28. Then Thomas aunswered and sayd vnto him Thou art my Lord and my God 29. Iesus sayd vnto him Thomas because thou hast seene me thou beleeuest blessed are they that haue not seene and haue beleeued The summe of this Gospell 1 THomas doth not beleeue that Christ is risen from the dead but when he seeth and feeleth him 2 The Disciples beleue not without manifest signes But blessed are they that haue not seene but doe beleeue the word onely 3 It is a great matter to know Christ God and man He which attaineth to this knowledg of Christ feareth neither sinne nor death neither the deuill nor hell briefly he is quiet from all anguish tentation For he hath a greater and mightier then he which is in the world as Iohn sayth in his first Epistle chap. 4. The exposition of this Gospell I Know nothing more certaine concerning S. Thomas then that which this Gospell mentioneth of him Other things which are written of him in the booke of Legends are most impudent lyes And albeit they were partly true yet haue they no authoritie neither make vs any thing the better Wherfore we will leaue them vntouched speake something of this Gospel which shal be more profitable necessary for vs then all those Legends The former part of this Gospell fell out about the euentyde of the Passeouer when two had returned from Emmaus shewed vnto the other Disciples that the Lorde was risen againe The latter part fell out the eight day after the Passeouer It is meruelous how comfortable this Gospell is shewing vnto you the frutes of faith namely peace and ioye as Paule sayth Rom. 5 being iustified therefore by faith we haue peace toward God through our Lord Iesus Christ But now we will entreat in few wordes
me That is ye beleeue that God loueth you and will glorifie you beleeue that he will do it after that sort that ye see me glorified and beleeue that this my death is life to the glorifying both of me and of my whole body that is of all Christians and that this death satisfieth for the synnes of the world as the Apostles afterward witnessed of him in their writinges 1. Iohn 2.2 Thus Iohn sayth Christ is the reconciliation for our synnes and not for ours onely but also for the synnes of the whole worlde Wherefore thou seest that Christ here will haue heartes confirmed by faith and by no other outward thinge He sayth moreouer In my Fathers house are many dwelling places These dwelling places haue bin prepared from euerlasting neither is there any neede that they should be prepared of him Why therefore doth he say I go to prepare a place for you This is nothinge els but that he goeth and is made Lord of all whereby he may prepare vs vnto such dwelling places For as long as we are not prepared neither are the dwelling places prepared for vs although they be ready by themselues Wherefore Christ meaneth thus much There are dwelling places but not yet prepared rightly and as they must be Howbeit then shal they be rightly prepared and appointed whē as I haue taken away the kingdome of death by my death and am now gone to reigne and that by the holy Ghost which by fayth shall prepare and wholy make ready you also vnto such dwelling places So that this is the simple and plaine meaning of these wordes There are dwelling places to wit where the Father glorifieth but those dwelling places are not yet prepared for that the kingdome of death is not yet taken away This Christ signifieth when he sayth If it were not so I would haue told you I go to prepare a place for you And if I go to prepare a place for you I will come againe and receiue you vnto my selfe that where I am there may ye be also In these wordes the Lord declareth how these dwelling places be prepared namely by the death of Christ as it is sayde by which he came vnto glorie and ruleth ouer all thinges which are in heauen and earth By which death he hath obtayned the holy Ghost for vs which as is before sayde may prepare vs vnto these dwelling places For through his operation and working in vs he maketh vs beleeue the Gospell by which beleeuing or faith we are prepared Which could not be done if Christ should not depart and dye and so possesse a kingdome ouer all This therefore is the summe of this text They are foreseene whome the Father will glorifie but they can not be glorified but by Christ who vnles he take away death and sinne all shall be in vaine Here thou seest that all tend vnto this that Christ is he which prepareth the dwelling places and that we can not be glorified but by Christ so that the whole drift of this text is that we are not iustified by mans strength nor by our owne merits but by Christ which the whole Epistle to the Romanes effectually declareth as also that which is written to the Galathians almost all that Paule doth in his Epistles tendeth to the same ende It followeth moreouer And whither I goe ye knowe and the way ye knowe For ye beleeue in me and haue shewed signes in my name whereby ye ought nowe to be certaine who I am and what I doe and wherefore I am come Ye haue also seene and heard the testimonie of the Father of me Wherefore ye may nowe knowe that the Father will glorifie me and beleeue that I and the Father are one it shoulde be therefore superfluous to speake more of these thinges But the Disciples albeit they were well instructed of the Lorde him selfe and had seene his miracles yea and they them selues also had preached the Gospell and wrought miracles were notwithstanding as yet somewhat grosse in vnderstanding neither did they perceiue whereof he here spake and what was that way and whither the Lorde did prepare to depart Wherefore Thomas bursteth forth into open wordes and confesseth freely that he is ignorant hereof and sayth thus vnto the Lord Lord we knowe not whither thou goest hovve can we then knovve the vvay Here ye heare and see that albeit there was faith in the Disciples notwithstanding they were not as yet persuaded that Christ shoulde be crucified and by his death shoulde enter into his kingdome and that the same kingdom should be spirituall which they did not vnderstand euen after the resurrection of the Lord Act. 1.6 Lorde say they wilt thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israell Those good men were as yet persuaded that it should be a carnall worldly kingdom Such grosse things may here and there be found in the Gospels by meanes whereof the Disciples did sometime notably stumble and erre Comfort for them that be weake in faith and sometime through infirmitie fall All which were committed to writing for our comfort confirmation that we should not be by and by discouraged when we haue sometime stumbled in faith and can not at the first apply our selues to the workes and word of the Lorde If this happened to these great mē which afterward shoulde become pillers of Christianitie there is no cause truely that any should meruell if we also sometime faint in faith yea and let no man be afrayd although it falleth out that sometime through infirmitie he so doe It is the worke and matter of the Lorde he will amend these thinges when it seemeth good vnto him Now of the wordes we mind to entreate somewhat at large Not much before when Christ would confirme his Disciples in faith he promised them that they should be glorified Here he addeth and declareth how and by what meanes they must be glorified affirming that that must be by his departure that is by his death that by that meane he must obtaine his kingdome This he had often repeated vnto them so that now it did become them to know and vnderstand it Therefore he sayth VVhither I goe ye know and the way ye knowe but they did not yet throughly vnderstand it as the wordes of Thomas doe declare Now it is certaine that there was faith in the Disciples which the wordes of Peter proue who aunswered Christ in steede of the rest when he asked them whether they also would goe away Peter sayd Maister to whom shall we goe Ioh. 6.68 Thou hast the wordes of eternall life and we beleeue and knowe that thou art Christ the Sonne of the liuing God This appeareth also by the wordes of the Lord which he had sayd to them a litle before at his supper Ye are cleane which he would not haue sayd if they had not beleued they knewe Christ therefore that he is the way to the Father So they knew the Father
Father is knowne in the Sonne there doth yet happen a grosser thing in Philip who bursteth forth and will not be content with faith but will knowe the thinge assuredly by feeling and seeing Wherefore he sayth vnto the Lord Lord shew vs thy Father and it sufficeth vs. As though he would say if thou wilt also shew vnto vs a signe then will we beleeue Philip counteth it not sufficient to beleeue the worde but goeth about to come to the knowledge of the Father by an other meanes then by the word For seing that reason can not beleeue he requesteth to be certified by an other meanes and way By the interrogation therfore of Christ that followeth it is shewed that the conscience is made certaine and quiet by no other thing then by faith for that we must cleaue to the bare worde and looke for no other signe But Philip thought here that he should be much more certified if he did see the Father then if he beleeued the simple and bare word This incredulitie Christ reproueth somewhat sharpely and sayth Haue I bene so long time with you hast thou not knowne me As though he should say I teach and preach and yet thou knowest me not Doost thou not knowe that the Father will be knowne by me that my word is the worde and power of the Father by which alone he will be knowne and by nothing els For thou hast heard the voice of the Father from heauen after this sort This is my beloued Sonne in whome I am well pleased heare him Doost thou not yet vnderstande howe the Father is knowne The Father is not seene with carnall eyes as Iohn in his first chapter sayth Ioh. 1.18 No man hath seene God at any time the onely begotten Sonne which is in the bosom of the Father he hath declared him Wherefore the Lord sayth to Philip Philip he that hath seene me hath seene the Father This saying is like vnto that former when he sayth If ye had knowne me ye should haue knowne my Father also That is forasmuch as the Father will be knowne by me seeke no other way to knowe him but beleue my word that I am he which sheweth vnto you the Father and will make you to know him in me Beleeue that by me thou hast accesse to the Father by this meanes thou shalt knowe the Father by faith thou shalt vnderstande the power and mercie of the Father and shalt feele him to be comfortable and gracious The Father will haue my word to be beleeued and them that beleeue it to be saued and obtaine eternall life Seeing therefore that these thinges be thus that we can not know the Father but in the Sonne and when we know the Sonne we know also the Father the Lord sayth moreouer vnto Philip How then sayest thou Shewe vs thy Father Beleeuest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father is in me As if he would say Forasmuch as there is no other way to know the Father but that which I haue shewed why I pray thee doost thou not beleeue my wordes seeing that I haue taught that I am the way the truth and the life Doost thou not beleeue that I am in the Father and the Father in me Beleeuest thou not that my diuinitie and the diuinitie of the Father is one and that the Father will be knowne by me But why is the Father knowne by the knowledge of the Sonne euen therefore for that the Sonne is in the Father and the Father in the Sonne For the word by which the Sonne is knowne is the power of the Sonne and of the Father Wherefore seing the Sonne is knowne by his word it necessarily followeth that the father also is knowne thereby Beleeue me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me at the least beleeue me for the very works sake Here he doth as it were appeale to workes that they may giue testimonie of the word As if he should say Seeing that ye can not be content to beleeue the word at the least beleeue the signes which beare witnes of the word and whereby the Father hath giuen testimonie of me For the works and signes are testimonies of the word By these words Christ meaneth nothing els but to confirme the consciences of his Disciples and of all vs against the offence of the crosse For consciences wil know and not beleeue the bare words of God but doe alwayes dout and say What if God careth not for thee and haue such like cogitations Holy godly men seeme for the most part to be neglected as abiects and most contemptible men inasmuch as the world according to the will lust thereof rageth and practizeth tyrannie against them and doth almost what it list Hereupon they are in anguish in daunger of faith desire to know the will of God toward them These Christ comforteth that they may seeke no other comfort but in him and in his death and beleue that he is life that he beareth rule and maketh aliue them that be dead And that they should nothing dout hereof he maketh them yet more certaine and sayth Verely verely I say vnto you he that beleeueth in me the vvorkes that I doe he shall doe also and greater then these shall he doe As if he should say Dout not any thing but that ye shall know the Father by me and that my word is the power of God that by my word ye shal be sustained although I be euen crucified Ye shall haue triall hereof in your selues for if ye beleeue in me ye shall not onely worke such workes and shew such signes as I doe but euen greater Which came to passe after the ascention of Christ when the Apostles wrought greater miracles as well among the Iewes as Gentiles then Christ him selfe But what is the cause hereof The Lord him selfe addeth it saying For I goe vnto my Father That is I will begin a kingdom where I will fulfill all thinges Here the Lord annexeth the conclusion of all the questions and consolations going before For a litle before Christ had taught that the Father is known by him and that is because he is in the Father he therefore is shewed by that worde by which the Father is shewed But that he might confirme this to wit that his worde is the power of the Father he added and sayd He that beleeueth in me the works that I do he shall doe also That is by faith in me ye also shall doe those works and know that my word is the vertue and power of God But why doth he say I goe to the Father I aunswere Because Christ is in the Father therefore doth he the workes of the Father but we doe them not also therefore but for that Christ who is in the Father is now in vs. For to goe to the Father is to fulfill all thinges as Paule according to the saying of the Psalme declareth to giue giftes vnto men to lighten and to sanctifie For this is the kingdom of Christ whereby he reigneth in earth in the hartes of the beleeuers and sitteth vpon the throne of his Father Dauid The Lord also speaketh these wordes I goe to the Father to comfort his Disciples For as he did before beginne to confirme them that they should not be troubled and offended although he should dye but courageously cleaue to him and beleue in him So here he promiseth them that they shall be glorified for he goeth to the Father who shall deliuer all thinges into his handes that he may mightely obtaine a kingdom ouer all things that are in heauen and earth Wherefore they ought nothing at all to feare He yet comforteth them more and sayth And whatsoeuer ye aske in my name that will I doe As if he should say As soone as I come to the Father there is no cause why ye should be carefull For those thinges that ye haue neede of and aske ye shall obtaine I wil doe this for you because I obtaine a kingdom And he peculiarly addeth in my Name whereby he excludeth all our merits For by Christ we are heard as also in Christ we are loued by whom also we are Priestes as Peter sayth to offer vp spirituall sacrifices and acceptable to God All these thinges sayth Christ I will doe for this cause That the Father may be glorified in the Sonne The Father is then glorified when glorie is giuen and ascribed vnto him not vnto vs. That is whē we acknowledge the we are saued not by our owne merits not by our owne wisedom and righteousnes but do put our trust in his mercie For he hath giuen his Sonne for our sinnes and whatsoeuer we purpose to aske we must aske it by this Sonne and we shall obtaine it Wherfore he repeateth these wordes and sayth If ye shall aske any thing in my Name I will doe it These wordes tend to this ende that he may make vs certainely beleue his wordes and cleaue vnto him This therefore is the summe of this conclusion He biddeth his Disciples and vs therefore beleeue for that he goeth to reigne Before he affirmeth that he wil shew forth a signe and testimonie of his kingdom so reigne that he will declare a notable token of his gouernment that we may feele and perceiue it to wit that he will doe so great works by vs as he him selfe hath done yea and greater also Also that he will heare vs when we pray and whatsoeuer we pray for vnto the Father in his name By these promises the hart must be confirmed made courageous against the gates of hell For Christ reigneth by his word wherefore it is needefull that we exactly know the vertue of the word for the kingdom of Christ is the power vertue of God These things I thought good to entreat of concerning this Gospell Let vs call vpon God for the ayde of his grace that we may be able to vnderstand them by them to strengthen our weake faith **** FINIS