Iesus Christ I beleue the forgiuenes of sinnes but his hart beleuyth not that Christe dyed for oure offenses and that by his deth he hath obtayned for vs forgyuenes of all oure sinnes He that waueryth thus can not but despayre in the laste extremite of hys lyfe And yf he dyspayre thā is he damned for he deperteth with an euyl consciēce hath no knowlege of Christ nor beleuyth the gospell Then what hope can he haue of euerlasting lyfe Yet our blynd gydes and seducers in the popes clargy haue taught vs that no man can precisely knowe whether he be in godes fauor or no. They that bene in this error what beleue had they dyd they not wander lyke the wynde nowe hether and thether were they not cleane voyde of fayth had they not a wretched vncertayne and a wauerynge lyfe howe could they knowe whether these workes pleased God or no what coulde this man thynke in hym selfe but thus I am a christened man I haue studyed to lyue well and to do good workes but yet I am vncerteyne whether my workes please God or whether my synnes be forgyuen me or not Myne yll dedes be mo thē my good I haue done mo synnes than vertues Alas what shall be come of me They that thus wauer doubt what hope can they haue in the agony of death what fayth haue they what thynge to trust vpon Satan and his owne conscience accuse hym of synne sayenge he that lyueth yll shall be damned thou neuer fulfylledest yet the cōmaundementes of God No synner can be saued Dothe not Christ saye yf thou wylt enter into lyfe kepe the commaundemētes but thou hast neuer kept thē Mat. 19. Here is no hope lefte but that a man oppressed with suche cogitacions must nedes despayre The blynde papistes haue taught vs poore wretches that the fundacion of oure hope lyeth in the grace of God The doctryne of the prests clargie and in the merytes of our owne workes / so that oure hope shulde be nothynge elles but the expectacion of lyfe commynge of Gods grace and of our owne deseruynges what hope is by the sophisters Item that our hope in no wyse could stande without the helpe of our merites / other of the sophisters doo thus defyne it hope is a boldenes of mynde conceyued of Goddes goodnes to haue euerlastynge lyfe through oure good workes Here thou herest these two grace and deseruynge but these two do yll ioyne together for where is grace there is no meretynge agayne where meretynge is there is no grace Therfore yf a seke persone tempted about his synnes thinke thus that without his owne merites he can loke for no saluaciō then he trusteth not to the grace of God neyther doth he apprehēd it nor grounde hym selfe vpon it for so he hath ben taught and led that it was presumpcion to saye a man myght be assuerid of Gods fauour without the addynge to of his workes and merites And thus haue we be led in this false persuasion so many yeares but in erneste tentacions there is none that can stande vpon his merites or dedes / for here commyth in the law of god accusyng hym and all other men that none of them all haue fulfylled yt Then where be the good dedes wherupō the seke man may truste and hope for saluation therby In our great tentations we all do fele that we be synners and that all oure lyfe is nought and so voyde of all goodnes that it is not able to abyde or stande in the seuere iudgement of god These blynd seducers haue made one fote of oure hope lame mayned which is grace The other fote lame and haltyng which is our owne workes Now howe can oure hope stand fast that we faule not in to desperation To proue than that by oure dedes we can deserue no iustificatiō nether any part therof with al that euer we are able to do Also that it is not in oure pouer to accompleshe the lawe of god The law but that law only seruyth to se our vnablenes oure vices synnes therby it nedyth no great declaratiō We see thys dayly in our selues that our flesh neuer ceasyth feyghtyng agaynst the spiritt doth inwardly gruge at euery good dede we doo so that this noughtines and corruption of ours marryth all wherby our good workes can not be pure nor acceptable that we doo Ro. vii Gal. v. .i. Iohn̄ i. Wherfore wryteth Iohn̄ yf we say we haue no syne 1. Ioh. 1 we deceiue our selues truthe is not in vs. Also all the faythfull saye dayly in the lordes prayer Forgiue vs our trespasses Esa lxiiii Esai 64 we be as vnclene euery one and all our ryghtuusnes lyke a clothe defyled with the flowers of a woman Forthermore yf we dyd fulfyll all commandmentes of god yet dyd we nothyng but which is our bound deuty to doe nether can we loke for any reward therby wytnes to Christe Luc. 17. Luc. xvii Whan ye haue done all that you can yet saye you be vnprofitable saruantes These wordes of Christ verely may plucke downe our glory and make vs all ashamed that we put no affiāce in our selues nor in our owne good workes Good workes Howbeit I speke not this to extenuat the worthynes of good workes or to plucke men backe from wel doyng For the scripture teachith vs that the study of good workes is euer to be employed wylles vs to be folowers of honesty and good workyng But no man muste put affiaunce in hys workes as though by the worthenes of thē he could obtayne grace or put away syn or gett his saluation For yf our ryghtuousnes and iustification before god stand in our myght or merites than dyed Christ in vayne Gal. ii Gal. 2. Good workes in their degree and order haue their valewe and be greatly cōmēded A good man ought to insewe good vertues to th entent he may do the wyl of his lord god whyche commaundyth vs to lyue vertuously and that he may also approue him selfe to his lord god that god our heauenly father may be glorifyed therby Mat. v. Mat. 5. Also we ought to doo good workes to shew our selfes thankfull agayne to God for his infinite benefites and gyftes Phi. ii Phil. 2. Also we must do good workes to exercise oure faith that they may be testimones of oure beleue and thus do they profyt both me and my neybour My neyghbour in gyuyng exāple to encorage hym the better to a christiane lyfe Also in that he is succored by them in his necessite Secundarly they profyt me in that they exercise my fayth and mortefye my fleshe and kepe me truly in my vocation 2. Pet. 1. For why yf I do any benefite to my fryndes and to myne ennemys and perceiue yt to come of a tranke and free hart than may I well assure my selfe that my faith is lyuely and a true faith which makyth of damned sinners the
mercy and grace of God which grace is gyuē vs onely throughe christ and not throughe oure selues Tit. iii. Tit. 3. that notwithstandynge yet these good workes of ours do folowe and sprynge out of this faythe and promyse of God And loke there where as they do not folowe and maye folowe there is no trewe nor lyuely faythe but only a deed and barayne opinion of faythe but where this trewe and lyuely faythe is there is workyd miracles and thynges farre passynge the possibilitie of naturall workynge For as saynt Paule sayth / we receyue the holy goost not by our workynge but by hearing of the gospel Gal. 3. this holy goost wyll not suffre vs to doubte after the papistes fassion or as they wold haue vs nor to fere as their seruyle sprite dothe but with a bolde truste cryeth in oure hartes to God abba father and wytnesseth with oure sperite that we be the chyldren the heyers of God and felowe heyers with Christe that we maye be glorified together with hym And as Paule to the Ephesians sayth Ephe. 1. they that beleue in Christe be sealed vp with the holy spirite of promyse the spirite we haue as a pledge or an ernest peny of our inhereditaunce and possession which we haue got and be redemed vnto The holy spirete is our pleas Therfore with all fayth and trust we muste euer loke vpon the promyses of God and vpon Iesus Christ only And so in this promyse of God our conscience may fynde comfort and peace plentie but in our workes we shall fynde none And therfore marke wel this text of Paule and kepe it well in youre remembraunce where he sayth Rom. 4. Rom. iiii Abraham had this promyse gyuē to hym to his sede that he shuld be the heyre of the worlde not for his workynge after the lawe but for his byleuynge in fayth / for yf they whiche belonge to the lawe be the heyers then is fayth voyde and the promyse of none effecte / for why the lawe worketh angre by reason that yf there were no lawe there were no transgression therfore is the inheritaunce gyuē by fayth as by grace frely bycause the promyse muste stande fyrme stable to all the sede of Abraham Dayly experience and practyse in our trobles and dystresses declareth that no man be he neuer so holy can quyet his conscience by his workes Experience Oure synnes and death be more greuous enemyes vnto vs than that we be able to ouer come thē by oure owne dedes and deseruynges / we must haue an other maner of meanes to that whiche is our faythe receyuynge and holdynge the promyse of God in Christe And so that is able to conquere the mighty fersnes of synne and death This fayth receyueth and styketh to most sure and eternall thynges that can neuer fayle vs and not to oure workynges but to the great grace of God to Christe him selfe to his workes his deseruynges and to the promyse in Christe brefely to all that Christe hathe or is worth / whiche thynges be moch greatter higher more stable and magnificall thā our capacities is able to comprehende Remedy ī tēptaciō Therfore whan any temtacion commeth we must not loke to the lawe and oure workes but settynge all them a syde we must runne and crepe to the crosse of Christ we must seke for helpe and grace by christ hūbli must knowlage oure faultes And thoughe oure synnes be neuer so great or greuous thoughe the feare and temptacion of deathe be neuer so horrible yet we must styll styke to the promyse of God and suerly must trust and doubte nothynge that oure synnes be forgyuen vs for Christes sake accordynge to the promyse of God without any deseruynges of ours that God is oure father and we shall lyue with hym for euer and euer The workes passion of Christ which be of great and infinite and omnipotent power ought more to styre vs vp to truste well on God that he wyll be euermore to vs a mercyful lord than our synnes ought to fraye vs for the grace of God in Christe is moche stronger and more able to deliuer and helpe vs than our synnes be to condempne vs. Roma v. Rom. 5. And this grace of god doth not hang of our workes for than yt shulde be vncertayne but yt standyth fyrme by grace of fayth through Christ with out any regarde or respect of oure workyng And this is done by the syngular prouedence of the great fatherly loue of god toward vs bycause our iustyficatiō shuld stand firme certayne by faythe so that no man nede doubt of the fauor marcy of god toward him yf this grace promise stand in the hand of god than is yt suer so that we can not doubt of the remiscion of our synnes But yf they shuld stād in our owne hand and shuld hang of our selfes thē we shuld always be vncertane by cause we were neuer able to deserue sufficiētly not of sufficient strenght to fulfyll the lawe But after that we returne referre our selfes in Christe alone and in the promise of god through Christe than be we sayfe and suer ynough by cause god hath promised of hys voluntary grace frely and hath founded his promise by the fayth in Christe to th entent yt shall stande fyrme certayne And therfore I sayd the kyngdome of Christ to be a kyngdome of securite and peace Christes kyngdom is a kingdom of securitie Esa 32. as the prophites do descrybe yt In this kyngdom we haue peace and moste suer succur so that there is nowe nether synne death nor hell can feare vs. So dothe Esaias also .ix. call Christe the prynce of peace woose pryncedome is large greate Christ the prynce of peace and whose peace shall neuer haue ende In Ieremie also .xxiii. god doth promise vnto Israell that is vnto all beleuers in Christe a boadde of iustice a kynge whiche shall rule wisely and shal execute iudgemēt and iustice in earth vnder whō Israell shall dwell boldly these thynges be in the spirituall kyngdome of Christ in the which there is true spirituall securitie where as euery christen mans hart hath peace with god through fayth in Christe in the whiche kyngdome nether synne can damne vs nether death cā kyll vs nor hell can swalow vs. For god is with vs and fedyth vs and defēdyth vs as his shepe Therfore who cā be against vs And Esaias agayn .xxxii. Esa 32. whē the holy gooste sayth he shall be powred from aboue that was whan Christ begane his kyngdome thā the worke fruyte of iustyce shall be peace and the kepyng of iustice shall be silens and securite for euer and euer And the peple of god shall dwell in goodlynes of peace and in houses of truste All these thynges do nothyng els but signifie that Christes people ī his kingdome shall be all good quiett at rest and mery which shall
haue a quiet and a glad consciens beyng euermore suer and certaine that god is fauorable to them for Christe which doth delyuer vs from all euyls with out any doubt I pray you what can oure aduersarys bryng aganist this or how caÌ„ they maynteyne their errors in the face of the worlde The conclusion Here I haue prouyd and taught out of the fundation of the worde of god that no faythfull beleuer in Christ can doubt or ought to doubt of the fauor of god and of remiscion of his synnes and that his conscience may thorwly be certefyed that god is fauorable vnto hym which wyll pardone all his fautes for Christ in whom we beleue and whiche wyll iustifye vs and gyue vs euerlastng lyfe without any doubt Obiecters Here our aduersares can haue no thyng to lay agaynst this doctryne or to subuert this foundacion but one refuge they haue and when we brynge scryptures agaynst theÌ„ what saye they the Lutherians saye they brynge scryptures for them but they must expounde scriptures as our fore fathers dyd An aÌ„swer I answere agayne we do not denye so to do for we maye do it well ynoughe And I may saye with S. Cyrillê° Cirillus we kepe the fayth of our fathers of the church so farre as we ought and vse theyr interpretacions so moche as they requyre But the chefest of the auncient fathers of the churche do agree in the same matter no other wyse then we expounde it / therfore what do these holy workers brynge for them the churche Augustine de predest 11 Saynt Augustyne one of the most catholyke and godly doctor of them all in his boke whiche he writeth of the predestinacion in the .xi. chapiter sayth in this wyse Truly where as the apostle in his epystle to the Rom. wryteth these wordes Therfore is oure inherytauÌ„ce gyuen vs by fayth through grace bycause the promyse myght stande fyrme and stedfast I meruell sayth he that men had rather loke on theyr owne infyrmite thaÌ„ vnto the firmite and stedfastnes of Gods promyse But here thou wylt say I can not tell nor do not knowe the wyll of God of me wel theÌ„ doest thou knowe thyne owne wyll of thy selfe yf thou doest beware he that staÌ„deth let hym take hede that he fall not Therfore insomoche thou knowest neuer nother his wyl nor thyne owne wyl then why shulde not a man rather put his trust hope in that which is more certayne than in that whiche is lesse certayne But say they agayne heare where it is spoken yf thou beleuest thou shalte be saued one of these is required of vs the other is offered that whiche is required of vs is in vs the other in God And why I pray you is not bothe in Gods power both that whiche is required and that whiche is offered for do not we as well desyre God to gyue vs that whiche he requyreth as well as that he offereth do not the beleuers also desyre hym to encrease theyr fayth Do they not desyre also for the vnbeleuers that they may haue fayth so that God only must be the begynner and encreaser of fayth In lyke maner is this to be taken Yf thou beleuest thou shalt be saued this yf you mortifie the workes of the flessh with spirit ye shall lyue for in lyke case here one is requyred thother is offered Yf you mortefie sayth he the workes of flesshe with spirite ye shall lyue / then to mortefye the workes of fleshe by spirite this is requyred the other then is offered vs that we shuld lyue / what then therfore shal we not saye that this is the gyfte of God to mortefie the workes of the flesshe bycause it is requyred of vs to be done God forbede that any perteynynge to the grace of God shuld so thynke This is a damnable errour of the Pelagians whom as the apostle in his wordes folowynge doth coÌ„fute sayenge who soeuer be led with the spirite of God they be the chyldreÌ„ of God Lesse we shuld thynke this mortefyeng of the fleshe came by our spirite but by the spirite of God of the whiche spirite of God the same apostle speaketh moreouer All these thynges sayth he worketh one alonly spirite distributynge to euery man his gyftes so as it pleaseth him amongst the whiche gyftes also he rekeneth fayth / so then lyke as this mortefyenge of the flesshe notwithstandynge it be requyred of vs is the gyfte of God euen so is fayth also the very gyft of God though neuerthelesse it be requyred of vs yf we wyll be saued to beleue for these thynges bothe be commaunded vs of God and also be the gyftes of God To the entente we shulde vnderstande that both we do theÌ„ and yet it is the gyfte of God that we doo them / so as the scripture sheweth by Ezechiell the prophet And I sayth almyghty God shal make you that you shall do them what can be more playne Marke ye well this place of scrypture geÌ„tyll brethren and ye shall se that God promyseth he wyll make theÌ„ to do suche thynges that he wyll haue done And there he bryngeth forthe no merites of theyrs but moche wyckednes shewynge and declarynge therby that he geueth good for euyll in that that he maketh them brynge forth afterward good workes causynge them to do his coÌ„maundementes Also in the .lxxxviii. psalme he saythe in lyke maner Lyfte vp your hartes for he whiche promysed wyll performe so as he hathe performed many thinges alredy / for the trust that we haue in hym we haue it not in our merites but only of his mercy No man can be stronge in this lyfe but onely in the hope of Gods promyse / for as concerning our owne merites we be meruaylous weke we be weake in our selues / in Gods promise stroÌ„g but as concernyng the promyse of God we be stronge And in the lxxxxviii psalme he sayth / where is securite peace he answereth agayne truely none in this lyfe but onely in the hope of the promyse of God S. Ambrose Ambrose in the fyrst boke de vocat geÌ„ti c. wryteth yf no man sayth he wyll breake or dispyse a mannes wyll or testament as sayth the apostle nor alter it Then how can it be that Gods wyl and testameÌ„t shulde be broken in any thynge It carieth alwaies and euery day is fulfylled that the lorde promysed to Abraham without any condicion gaue without any lawe By this sayenge of Ambrose it may wel appere that the promyse of the newe testament that is to saye that God wyll be mercyfull vnto vs wyll forgiue our synnes wyll gyue vs the holy goost and wyll make vs safe that thys promyse I say doth not depend of no condition of the lawe for frely yt comith only of grace be cause we shulde neuer doubt of hys grace fauor toward vs. And what other thyng menyth S. Ambrose wrytyng vpon Paul where he sayth so oft that we be sauyd before god by fayth only alonly Loke vpoÌ„ his comeÌ„taris of the Rom. iii. iiii.ix.x Cap. loke also .i. Cor .i. and Gal. i. iii.v Theophilact Theophilactus also Rom. iiii wryteth in lyke sort In somuch sayth he it is euedent that the lawe bryngyth nothynge but angre therfore had Abraham hys Iustice inheritance gyuen hym bycause that all shulde go by grace Wherfore than seyng that all thynges now do stand in the grace and in the mercy of god so that he is bound now not to worke after hys Iustice then what shulde let vs to thynke but that all thynges be certane and stable what so euer he dothe gyue or promyse Now yf blynde hipocrise here obiect again that Paule in his place spekyth only of AbrahaÌ„ therfore that thyng coÌ„cernyth none els but hym but we must seke oure helth and iustification otherwise I answere agayne Not so For therfore Paule callyth Abraham there the father of all the beleuers and in him proposeth to vs all the true meanes how all men bothe before the cuÌ„myg of Christe and after the cuÌ„myg of Christe muste be Iustified And therfore this text of Paule doth as well pertayne to vs all for it is writen and proposed vnto all vs. Rom. 4. Euen as S. Paule in the very same chapiter writeth This is not writen for hym only sayth he that it was imputed to him for Iustice but for vs all to whom it shall be imputed for Iustice beleuyng on hym which reysed vp froÌ„ death oure lorde Iesus Christe which was gyuen for our synnes and reysed vp agayne for oure Iustification Amen