Selected quad for the lemma: death_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
death_n	law_n	sin_n	threaten_v	4,607	5	10.0030	5	false

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08833	The benefite of Christs death, or the glorious riches of Gods free grace which euery true beleeuer receiues by Iesus Christ, and him crucified. First compiled and printed in the Italian tongue: and afterwards translated and printed in the French tongue: and out of French into English, by A.G.; Beneficio di Christo. English	Benedetto, da Mantova, fl. 1534-1541.; Flaminio, Marco Antonio, 1498-1550.; Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606, attributed name.; Paleario, Aonio, 1503-1570, attributed name.	1633 (1633)	STC 19117; ESTC S107303	48,174	106

Abraham in whose seede hee promised to blesse all Nations and accepted his off-spring for his peculiar people vnto whom after their departure out of Egypt and deliuerance from the bondage of Pharao he by the meanes of Moyses gaue the Law which forbiddeth all lusting and commandeth vs to loue GOD with all our heart with all our soule and with all our strength in such wise as our whole trust be reposed in him and we ready to leaue our life for his sake to suffer all torments in our members and to be bereft of all our goods dignities and honours for the loue of our God choosing to dye rather then to doe any thing that may dislike him be it neuer so little and doing all things in that behalfe with a merry heart and with all forwardnesse and cheerefulnesse Moreouer the Law commandeth vs to loue our neighbour as our selfe meaning by the Neighbour all manner of men as well friends as foes and it willeth vs to doe to euery man as we would be done vnto and to loue other mens cases as our owne And so by looking in this holy Law as in a cleere looking glasse man doth out of hand espy his owne great imperfection and vnablenesse to obey Gods Commandements and to render him the honour and loue which he ought to yeeld to his Maker The first office of the Law then is to make sinne knowne as Saint Paul affirmeth And in another place he saith I had not knowne what sinne is but by the Law The second office of the Law is to make sinne increase forasmuch as we being quite gone from the obeying of God and become bond-slaues to the diuell being full of wicked workes and inordinate affections cannot abide that God should forbid vs to lust which increaseth so much the more as it is the more prohibited by reason whereof Saint Paul saith that sinne was dead but the Law came and raised it vp againe and so it became out of measure great The third office of the Law is to shew the wrath and iudgement of God who threatneth death and euerlasting punishment to such as keepe not the Law throughout in all points For the holy Scripture saith Cursed is hee that performeth not throughly all the things that are written in the booke of the Law And therefore Saint Paul saith That the Law is a ministery and that it bringeth forth wrath The Law then hauing discouered sinne and increased it and shewed forth the wrath and indignation of God who threatneth death executeth his fourth office which is to put a man in feare who thereupon falleth into sorrowfulnesse and would faine satisfie the Law but forasmuch as hee seeth cleerely that he is not able he waxeth angry against God and would with all his heart that there were no God because he feareth to be sore chastised and punished by him according as Saint Paul saith That the wisedome of the flesh is the enemy of God Because it neither is nor can be subiect to the Law of God The fifth office of the Law which is the principall end and the most excellent and necessary office of it is to constraine a man to goe vnto Iesus Christ in like wise as the Hebrewes being dismayed were constrained to appeale vnto Moses saying Let not the Lord speake vnto vs lest we dye but speake thou vnto vs and we will obey thee in all things And the Lord answered Verily they haue spoken exceeding well Yea they were not praised for any other thing then for their desiring of a Mediator betwixt God and them which was Moses who represented Iesus Christ that should be the Aduocate and Mediator betweene God and man In respect whereof God said vnto Moses I will raise vp a Prophet among their brethren like vnto thee and I will put my Word in his mouth and he shall speake vnto them all the things that I shall command him and I will punish all those that will not obey my Word which he shall speake in my name CHAP. III. How the forgiuenesse of our sinnaes our iustification and our saluation depend vpon Iesus Christ VVHen as our God then had sent the said great Prophet which he had promised vs who is his only Sonne to the end that he should set vs free from the curse of the Law and reconcile vs vnto our God that he should make our will fit for good workes healing our free-will and repairing in vs the foresaid Image of God which we had lost through the fault of our first parents forasmuch as we know that vnder heauen there is none other name giuen vnto men whereby we may be saued but the name of Iesus Christ Let vs runne vnto him with the feet of liuely faith and cast our selues betweene his armes sith he allureth vs so graciously crying Come vnto me all you that labour and are heauy laden and I will refresh you What comfort or what ioy in this life can be comparable to this his saying there when as a man feeling himselfe oppressed with the intolerable waight of his sinnes vnderstandeth so sweet and amiable words of the Sonne of God who promiseth so graciously to refresh and rid him of his great paines But all the matter lyeth in acknowledging our owne weakenesse and misery in good earnest For he shall neuer know what is sweet who hath not tasted of the sowre And therefore Iesus Christ saith If any man thirst let him come to me and drinke as if he had meant to say If a man know not himselfe to be a sinner nor thirst after righteousnesse he cannot taste of the sweetnesse of Iesus Christ how sweet it is to talke of him to thinke of him and to follow his most holy life But when we once throughly know our owne infirmitie by meanes of the Law let vs hearken to Saint Iohn Baptist who pointeth vs to the Soueraigne Physician with his finger saying Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the world For hee it is that deliuereth vs from the heauy yoke of the Law abrogating and disanulling the curses sharpe threatnings of the same healing all our infirmities reforming our free-will returning vs to our ancient innocency and repayring in vs the Image of our God insomuch that according to Saint Pauls saying like as by Adam wee bee all dead so by Iesus Christ wee are all quickened And it is not to be beleeued that the sin of Adam which wee haue by inheritance from him should be of more force then the righteousnesse of Christ that which also we inherit by faith It seemeth that man hath great cause to complaine that without any reason why he is conceiued and borne in sinne and in the wickednesse of his parents by meanes of whom death reigneth ouer all men But now is all our sorrow taken away inasmuch as by a like meane without any occasion giuen on our behalfe

righteousnesse and euerlasting life are come by Iesus Christ and by him death is slaine whereof Saint Paul maketh a very godly discourse which I purpose to set downe here following Wherefore saith he like as by one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne euen so death went ouer all men forasmuch as all men haue sinned For vntill the Law sinne was in the world but sinne was not regarded as long as there was no Law Neuerthelesse death reigned from Adam vnto Moses euen ouer them also that sinned not after the like manner of the transgression of Adam who was a figure of him that was to come But yet the gift is not so as is the offence for if through the offence of one many be dead much more the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one man Iesus Christ hath abounded vnto many Neither is the gift so as that which entred in by one that sinned For the fault came of one offence vnto condemnation but the gift is of many offences to iustification For if by the offence of one death reigned through one much more shall they which receiue the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousnesse reigne in life through one that is Iesus Christ Likewise then as by the offence of one that fault came on all men to condemnation so by the righteousnesse of one the benefit abounded toward all men to the iustification of life For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be also made righteous Moreouer the Law entred thereupon that the offence should abound neuerthelesse where sinne abounded there grace abounded much more that as sinne had reigned vnto death so might grace also reigne by righteousnesse vnto eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord. By these words of St. Paul we manifestly perceiue the thing to be true which we haue said heretofore that is to wit that the Law was giuen to make sinne knowne which sin we doe also know not to be of greater force then Christs righteousnesse where-through we be iustified before God For euen as Iesus Christ is stronger then Adam was so is his righteousnesse more mightie then the sinne of Adam And if the sinne of Adam was sufficient inough to make all men sinners and children of wrath without any misdeed of our owne much more shall Christs righteousnesse be of greater force to make vs all righteous and the children of grace without any of our owne good works which cannot be good vnlesse that before we doe them wee our selues be made good as Augustine also affirmeth Hereby a man may know in what errour they be who by reason of some great offence despaire of Gods good will imagining that he is not willing to forgiue couer and pardon all sinne hauing already punished and chastised all our sinnes and iniquities in his owne onely begotten and dearely beloued Sonne and consequently granted a generall pardon to all mankinde which euery body enioyeth that beleeueth the Gospell that is to say which beleeueth the happy tydings that the Apostles haue published through the whole world saying We beseech you for Iesus Christs sake Be ye reconciled vnto God for he that neuer knew sinne was made a sacrifice for our sinne that we might become righteous in him The Prophet Esay foreseeing this great goodnesse of God writeth these heauenly words which doe so well paint out the passion of our Lord Iesus Christ and the cause thereof as it is not to be found better described euen in the writings of the Apostles Who saith he will beleeue our report and to whom is the arme of the Lord reuealed But he shall grow vp before him as a branch and as a root out of a dry ground he hath neither forme nor beautie when we shall see him there shall be no forme that wee should desire him Hee is despised and reiected of men he is a man full of sorrowes and hath experience of infirmities we hid as it were our faces from him he was despised and wee esteemed him not Surely he hath borne our infirmities and carried our sorrowes yet we did iudge him as plagued and smitten of God and humbled but he was wounded for our transgressions he was broken for our iniquities The chastisement of our peace was vpon him and with his stripes we are healed All wee like sheepe haue gone astray we haue turned euery one to his owne way and the Lord hath laid vpon him the iniquity of vs all he was oppressed and hee was afflicted yet did hee not open his mouth He is brought as a sheep to the slaughter and as a sheepe before the shearer is dumme so hee openeth not his mouth O great vnkindnesse O thing abominable that wee which professe our selues Christians and heare that the Sonne of God hath taken all our sins vpon him and washed them out with his precious blood suffering himselfe to be fastened to the Crosse for our sakes should neuerthelesse make as though we would iustifie our selues and purchase forgiuenesse of our sins by our owne works as who would say that the deserts righteousnesse and bloodshed of Iesus Christ were not enough to doe it vnlesse we came to put to our workes and righteousnesse which are altogether defiled and spotted with self-loue selfe-liking selfe-profit and a thousand other vanities for which we haue neede to craue pardon at Gods hand rather than reward Neither doe we thinke of the threatnings which S. Paul vseth to the Galatians who hauing beene deceiued by false Preachers beleeued not that the Iustification by Faith was sufficient of it selfe but went about still to be made righteous by the Law Vnto whom Saint Paul saith Iesus Christ shall nothing profit you that iustifie your selues by the Law for you be falne from Grace because that wee through the Spirit of faith waite for the hope of righteousnesse Now if the seeking of righteousnesse and forgiuenesse of sinnes by the keeping of the Law which God gaue vpon Mount Sinai with so great glory and maiesty be the denying of Christ and of his Grace what shall wee say to those that will needes iustifie themselues afore God by their owne lawes and obseruances I would wish that such folkes should a little compare the one with the other and afterward giue Iudgement themselues God mindeth not to doe that honour not to giue that glory to his owne Law and yet they will haue him to giue it to mens lawes and ordinances But that honour is giuen onely to his onely begotten Sonne who alone by the sacrifice of his death and passion hath made full amends for all our sinnes past present and to come as S. Paul and S. Iohn declare Wherefore as often as wee apply this satisfaction of Iesus Christ vnto our soules by faith out of all doubt we obtaine forgiuenesse of our sinnes and become good and righteous before God through his righteousnesse

And therefore after that S. Paul hath said that as touching the righteousnesse of the law he had liued vnblameable he addeth And yet whatsoeuer I haue gained by it I haue accounted it in all respects to bee but losse for the loue of Christ And specially I esteeme all things to be losse for the excellent knowledge of Iesus Christ my Lord for whom I haue counted all things to be losse and deeme them but as dung so I may win Christ and be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnesse which is of the law but the righteousnes which is by the faith of Iesus Christ which righteousnesse is giuen of God I meane the righteousnesse of faith that I may come to the knowledge of Iesus Christ O most notable words which all Christians ought to haue ingrauen in their hearts praying God to make them to taste it perfectly Loe how S. Paul sheweth plainely that whosoeuer knoweth Christ aright esteemeth all the works of the law to be hurtfull forsomuch as they make vs to swarue from our trust in Iesus Christ to whom euery man ought to impute his saluation and to trust only vnto him alone And to inforce this sentence the more he addeth further that he esteemeth all things but as dung so hee may gaine Christ and be found incorporated in him declaring thereby that whosoeuer trusteth in his owne works and pretendeth to iustifie himselfe by them getteth not Iesus Christ neither is ingrafted into him And forasmuch as the whole mystery of our faith consisteth in the truth hereof to the end we might the better vnderstand what he meant to say he addeth and repeateth oftentimes that he had nothing to doe with all the outward iustification and all the righteousnesse that is grounded vpon the keeping of the law but that he would clothe himselfe with the righteousnesse which God giueth by faith to all them that beleeue that all our sins are fully chastised and punished in Iesus Christ and that Iesus Christ as S. Paul saith is made our wisedome righteousnesse holinesse and redemption to the end as it is written that he which will glory should glory in the Lord and not in his own works Very true it is that in the holy Scriptures there are some texts to be found which being misunderstood seeme to gainesay this holy doctrine of S. Pauls and to attribute iustification and remission of sinnes vnto workes and to charity But those authorities haue already beene well expounded by some who haue shewed plainely that such as haue vnderstood them in the sense aforesaid vnderstood them not aright Wherefore my deare-beloued brethren let vs not follow the fond opinion of the bewitched Galatians but rather let vs follow the truth which St. Paul teacheth vs and let vs giue the whole glory of our iustification vnto Gods mercy and to the merits of his Sonne who by his owne bloodshed hath set vs free from the Soueraignty of the Law and from the tyranny of sinne and death and hath brought vs into the Kingdom of God to giue vs life and endlesse felicity I say yet further that he hath deliuered vs from the dominion of the law insomuch as he hath giuen vs his holy Spirit who teacheth vs all truth and that he hath satisfied the Law to the full and giuen the same satisfaction vnto all his members that is to wit to all true Christians so as they may safely appeare at Gods Throne because they be cloathed with the righteousnesse of his Christ and by him deliuered from the curse of the Law Then can not the law any more accuse vs or condemne vs nor mooue our affections or appetites nor increase sinne in vs. And therefore S. Paul saith that the obligation which was against vs is cancelled by Iesus Christ and discharged vpon the tree of the Crosse insomuch as he hath set vs free from the subiection of the Law and consequently from the tyranny of sinne and death which can no more hold vs oppressed because it is ouercome by Iesus Christ in his resurrection and so consequently by vs which are his members in such manner that wee may say with Saint Paul and with the Prophet Osee Death is quite vanquished and destroyed O death where is thy sting O Hell where is thy victory The sting of Death is sinne and the strength of sinne is the Law But God be praised who hath granted vs victory by our Lord Iesus Christ Hee is the blessed Seede that hath crushed the head of the venemous Serpent that is to wit of the diuell insomuch that all those which beleeue in Iesus Christ reposing their whole trust in his grace doe ouercome sinne death the Diuell and hell as Christ hath done He is that blessed Seede of Abraham in the which God hath promised blessednesse to all Nations It behooued euery particular person to fight with the said horrible Serpent and to deliuer himselfe from that curse But that enterprize was so great that all the force of the whole World knit together was not able to goe thorow with it Wherefore our God the Father of mercy being mooued with compassion of our miseries hath giuen vs his onely begotten Sonne who hath deliuered vs from the venime of the Serpent and is himselfe become our Blessednesse and Righteousnesse conditionally that we accept the same renouncing all our owne outward iustifications Then my deare brethren let vs imbrace the righteousnesse of our Lord Iesus Christ and let vs make it ours by meanes of faith let vs assure our selues that we bee righteous not for our owne workes but through the merits of Iesus Christ and let vs liue merrily and assured that the righteousnesse of Iesus Christ hath vtterly done away all our vnrighteousnesse and made vs good righteous and holy before God who beholding vs ingrafted into his Sonne by faith esteemeth vs not now any more as the children of Adam but as his owne children and hath made vs heires of all his riches with his owne begotten Sonne CHAP. IIII. Of the effects of liuely faith and of the vnion of mans Soule with Iesus Christ THis holy faith worketh after such a sort in vs that he which beleeueth that Iesus Christ hath taken all his sinnes vpon him becommeth like vnto Christ and ouercommeth sinne the diuell death and hell And the reason thereof is this namely that the Church that is to wit euery faithfull soule is Christs wife and Christ is her husband For we know how the law of marriage is that of two they become one selfe-same thing being two in one flesh and that the goods substance of either of them become common to them both by means wherof the husband saith that the dowry of the wife is his and likewise the wife saith that her husbands house and all his riches are hers and of a truth so they are for otherwise they should not be one flesh as the Scripture saith After the same manner hath God married

am as sure that I haue obtained it and that I haue his fauour as I am sure that hee which hath made the promises and couenants cannot lye nor deceiue and through this stedfast faith I become righteous by Christs righteousnesse where through I am saued and my conscience quieted Hath he not giuen his most innocent body into the hands of sinners for our sinnes Hath hee not shed his blood to wash away my iniquities Why then doest thou vexe thy selfe O my soule put thy trust in the Lord who beareth thee so great loue that to deliuer thee from eternall death it hath pleased him that his only Sonne should suffer death and passion who hath taken vpon himselfe our pouertie to giue vs his riches laid our weakenesse vpon himselfe to stablish vs in his strength become mortall to make vs immortall come downe vnto the earth to aduance vs vp to heauen and become the Sonne of man with vs to make vs the children of God with himselfe Who is he then that shall accuse vs God is he that iustifieth vs and who shall condemne vs Iesus Christ is dead for vs yea and risen againe for vs and he sitteth at the right hand of God making Intercession for vs. Wherefore say with Dauid Why art thou heauy O my soule and why doest thou trouble mee doest thou see nothing but the Law sinne wrath heauinesse death hell and the diuell Is there not now to be seene Grace remission of sinnes Righteousnesse Consolation Ioy Peace Life Heauen Christ and God Trouble mee no more then O my soule for what is the Law what is sinne what is death and the diuell in comparison of these things Therefore trust in God who hath not spared his owne deare Sonne but giuen him to the death of the crosse for thy sinnes and hath giuen thee victory through him This is the sweet doctrine of the Gospell which I desire that all Christians could receiue with Thanksgiuing and an assured faith for then would Christ be nothing but Ioy and sweetnesse to them then would they take heart in the victory of Christs death who indeed was made a curse for vs subiect to wrath putting vpon him our person and laid our sinnes vpon his owne shoulders and he hath made with vs this happy change that is to say hee tooke vpon him our sinfull person and gaue vnto vs his innocent and victorious person wherewith wee being now cloathed are free from the curse of the Law And therefore may euery poore sinner say with an assured confidence Thou Christ art my sinne and my curse or rather I am thy sinne and thy curse and contrariwise thou art my Righteousnesse my Blessing and my Life my Grace of God and my Heauen And thus if wee by faith doe behold this brazen Serpent Christ hanging vpon the Crosse wee shall see the Law sinne death the diuell and hell killed by his death and so may with the Apostle Paul sing that ioying heart Dittie Thankes be to God who hath giuen vs victory through our Lord Iesus Christ And so with these Thankesgiuings with these or such other like thoughts must wee receiue the Sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord Iesus Christ After this manner is all fearefulnesse driuen out of the soule of the Christian and charitie is increased faith strengthened the conscience quieted and the tongue neuer ceaseth to praise God and to yeeld him infinite thanks for so great a benefit This is the vertue efficacie and only trust of our soule This is the Rocke whereupon if the conscience bee builded it feareth neither tempest nor the gates of hell nor Gods wrath nor the Law nor sinne nor death nor the diuels nor any other thing And forasmuch as the substance of the Lords Supper and Table consisteth in this diuine Sacrament When the Christian is at it he must hold his eyes fastened continually vpon the passion of our gracious Sauiour beholding him on the one side vpon the crosse loden with all our sinnes and GOD on the other side punishing chastising and whipping his owne onely begotten and deare beloued Sonne in stead of vs. O happy is that man that shutteth his eyes from all other sights and will neither heare nor see any other thing then Iesus Christ crucified in whom are laid vp and bestowed all the treasures of Gods wisedome and diuine knowledge Blessed say I is he that feedeth his minde with so heauenly a food and maketh himselfe drunken in the loue of God with so sweet and singular a liquor But before I make an end of this matter I will first aduertise the Christian that Saint Austin hath ordinarily beene wont to terme this holy Sacrament the bond of charitie and the mystery of vnitie And hee saith that whosoeuer receiueth the mystery of vnitie and regardeth not the bond of peace receiueth not the Sacrament to his owne behoofe but as a witnesse against himselfe Therefore wee must vnderstand that the Lord hath ordained this holy Sacrament not only to make vs sure of the forgiuenesse of our sinnes but also to inflame vs to peace vnitie and brotherly charitie For in this Sacrament the Lord doth after such a manner make vs partakers of his body as hee becommeth all one thing with vs and wee with him By reason whereof forasmuch as hee hath but one body whereof hee maketh vs partakers it is meet that we also should by such partaking become all one body together among our selues And this vnion is represented by the bread of the Sacrament which as it is made of many graines mingled and kneaded together in such wise as one of them cannot bee discerned from another So also must we bee ioyned together after such a sort and so vnited together into one agreement of minde as no diuision may creepe in And this doth Saint Paul shew vs when he saith Is not the cup of blessing which wee blesse the communion of the blood of Iesus Christ is not the bread that wee breake the communion of the body of Iesus Christ whereas we be many yet are wee but one bread and one body forsomuch as we be all partakers of one bread By these things we vnderstand that when we receiue his most holy communion wee must consider that wee are all of vs ingrafted into Christ and are all become members of one selfe-same body that is to wit of Iesus Christ in such wise as we cannot offend defame or despise any of our brethren but we must therewithall offend defame and despise our said head Iesus Christ neither can we be at variance with any of our brethren but in like wise we must be at oddes with him Also we cannot loue him except wee loue him in our brethren Looke how much care we haue of our owne body so much must we haue of our Christian brethren who are the members of our body And like as no part of our body feeleth any griefe which spreadeth not it selfe into

Abraham beleeued God and it was reckoned to him for righteousnes And therfore he saith a little before We beleeue that a man is iustified by faith without the deeds of the Law And in another place he saith So then in that time shall the remnant be saued according to the election of grace and if they be saued by grace then is it not by workes for then were grace no grace And to the Galatiaus he saith It is a manifest matter that no man becommeth righteous before God by the Law because the righteous liueth by faith And the Law consisteth not in beliefe but he that performeth the things that the Law commandeth shall liue by that performance And further he saith that a man cannot become righteous by the deeds of the Law but onely by beleeuing in Iesus Christ Againe a little after he saith that if a man can become righteous by the Law Iesus Christ dyed in vaine Moreouer to the Romanes making comparison betweene the righteousnesse of the Law and the righteousnesse of the Gospel he saith that the one consisteth in the doing of workes and the other in beleeuing For if thou confesse our Lord Iesus Christ with thy mouth and beleeue in thy heart that God hath raised him vp from death thou shalt be saued For the beliefe of the heart maketh a man righteous and the confession of the mouth maketh him safe Loe how this good teacher Saint Paul sheweth euidently that faith maketh a man righteous without any workes And not only Saint Paul but also the holy Doctors that came after him haue confirmed and allowed this most holy truth of Iustification by faith among whom Saint Augustine is the chiefe who in his booke of faith and workes and in his booke of the Spirit and the Letter and in his booke of fourescore and three questions and in his booke which he did write to Boniface and in his Treatise vpon the xxxj Psalme and in many other places defendeth this article shewing that we become righteous by faith without any helpe of good workes howbeit that good workes are the effects of righteousnesse and not the cause of it And he sheweth that the words of Saint Iames being soundly vnderstood are nothing contrary to this article Which thing Origen doth also affirme in his fourth booke vpon the Epistle to the Romans saying that Saint Pauls meaning is that faith onely is sufficient to make men righteous insomuch that a man becommeth righteous onely by beleeuing although he haue not done any good worke at all For so it is that the thiefe became righteous without the workes of the Law forasmuch as the Lord sought not what good workes he had done in time past nor waited vntill he had done any after he had beleeued but hauing accepted him for righteous vpon his onely confession tooke him for his companion euen when he should enter into Paradise Likewise that so renowmed a woman in the Gospel of S. Luke while she was at the feete of Iesus Christ heard it said vnto her Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee And a little after he saith vnto her Thy faith hath saued thee goe thy way in peace Afterward Origen saith In many places of the Gospel a man may see how our Lord Iesus Christ hath spoken in such wise as he sheweth that faith is the cause of the saluation of the beleeuers Then is a man made righteous by faith and the workes of the Law further him nothing at all On the contrary where faith is not which faith maketh the beleeuer righteous although a man doe the workes which the Law commandeth yet notwithstanding forasmuch as they be not builded vpon the foundation of faith albeit that to outward appearance they seeme good yet can they not iustifie him that doth them because he wanteth faith which is the marke of them that are become righteous before God And who is he that can boast himselfe to be righteous when he heareth God say by his Prophet Esay that all our righteousnesse is as a defiled cloth of a menstruous woman Then can we not iustly glory in our selues but in the onely faith of the crosse of Iesus Christ Saint Basil in his Homily of humility saith that the Christian ought to hold himselfe for righteous through beliefe in Iesus Christ and his words are these The Apostle saith that he which glorieth should glory in the Lord in that God hath made Iesus Christ to be our wisedome righteousnesse holinesse and redemption to the end that he which would glory should glory in the Lord because that the perfect and sound glorying is to glory in the Lord. For in so doing a man presumeth not vpon his owne righteousnesse but acknowledgeth his want of the true righteousnes that he is made righteous onely by beleeuing in Iesus Christ And S. Paul gloryeth of the despising of his owne righteousnesse and of his seeking of Christs righteousnesse by faith which commeth of God Saint Hilary in his ninth Canon vpon the exposition of St. Matthew saith these words The Scribes considering Iesus Christ but onely as man were troubled that a man should forgiue sins and pardon that thing which the Law could not doe because that onely faith iustifieth Saint Ambrose in expounding these words of Saint Paul Vnto him that beleeueth in him which iustifieth the vngodly his faith is accounted for righteousnesse according to the purpose of Gods Grace like as David also saith That the man is blessed whom God accounteth righteous without workes writeth thus Saint Paul saith that vnto him which beleeueth in Iesus Christ that is to wit to the Gentile his faith is imputed for righteousnesse as it was vnto Abraham In what wise then thinke the Iewes to become righteous by the workes of the Law and yet to be righteous as Abraham was seeing that Abraham became not righteous by the deeds of the Law but onely by faith Then is not the Law needfull forasmuch as the sinner becommeth righteous before God through only faith according to Gods gracious purpose as David saith The Apostle confirmeth that which he hath said by the Prophets example saying Blessed is the man whom God accepteth for righteous without workes whereby David meaneth that those men are very happy whom GOD hath determined to accept for righteous before him by onely faith without any paines-taking or obseruation of the Law on their behalfe Thus sheweth he the blessednesse of the time wherein Christ was borne insomuch as the Lord himselfe saith Many righteous men and Prophets haue coueted to see the things that you see and to heare the things that you heare and haue not heard them The selfe-same thing saith St. Ambrose in expounding the first Chapter of the first Epistle to the Corinthians affirming openly that whosoeuer beleeueth in Iesus Christ is become righteous without workes and without any desert and receiueth forgiuenasse of his sinnes by faith alone