aduersities they suspect that they are hated of God Here ought they to call to remembrance what ones they were before they came vnto Christ what God did for their sakes whē they were yet enemyes which for their saluation woulde haue his sonne crucified And that they haue to their head Iesus Christ in heauen whose members and partes they are And let it be demanunded of them whether Christ can hate himselfe and destroy hys owne members Wherfore they ought to thinke that their afflictions conduce to eternall saluation and are profitably inflicted of their louing father Wherefore euē as by one man sinne entred into the world and by sinne death and so death went ouer all men for that all men haue sinned For euen vnto the law was sinne in the worlde But sinne is not imputed whilest there is no law But death raigneth from Adam to Moses ouer thē also that sinned not after the like maner of the transgression of Adam which was the figure of that which was to come But yet the gift is not so as is the offence VVherefore euen as by one man c. Some thinke that Paul therefore writeth these thinges for that after he had by most firme reasons proued that we are not iustified by our owne workes or merites but only by faith in Christ and by grace now he mindeth more largely to set forth the principall pointes of which all these argumentes which he hath hetherto brought depend namely sinne the lawe and grace And therefore maketh this treatise aparte wherby to declare the strength and force of the former argumentes Which whether it be so or no let other men iudge In myne opinion vndoubtedly these thinges may very well be knitte together with the thinges that haue bene alredy spoken The Methode of Paules treatise For a man mought thinke that the passion of Christ and his death was profitable vnto Christ himselfe only and not also vnto vs for that it mought be thought that the righteousnes of one man can not redound vnto an other But Paul will declare that euen as the fall of the first man was spred abroade ouer all men so the righteousnes of Christ hath redounded vpon all the beleuers and that his benefite is of no lesse force then was the sinne of Adam And by thys meanes he declareth the way whereby by the death crosse of Christ we may be iustified and obtayne saluation nether is this a small helpe to confirme our hope when we perceaue that if we cleue vnto Christ we shall through hym be no les endewed with the chiefest good thing then we haue bene by Adam infected with the extreamest euill thing Many thinges are in this place not without greate consideration set forth touching sinne For the knowledge thereof worketh this in vs to cause vs not to be ingrate for the benefite which we haue receaued The knowlege of sinne how it is profitable For he which séeth out of what and howe great euils he hath bene deliuered séeth also how great is the liberality and goodnes of the deliuerer and of him that hath set him at liberty The knowledge of sinnes setteth forth also the worthynes of the iustification receaued by Christ Wherefore Paul enquireth What thinges are reasoned of touching sinne from whence sinne had his beginning what it brought how it was knowen and last of all by what meanes it was driuen away Wherefore he declareth that sinne entred in by Adam that it brought death that it was knowen by the lawe that it was driuen away and ouercome by the death of Christ and fayth in hym Euen as by one man sinne entred into the world and by sinne death Here semeth to be vsed the figure * Anantapodoton is a figure in writing where some little clause is left out ether in the beginning middle or ende Anantapodotō so that on the other side there should haue bene added So by one Iesus Christ entred in righteousnes and by righteousnes lyfe And Origene affirmeth that Paul would not adde thys for feare of making men slouthfull and sluggishe as though they hauing now obteined righteousnes and eternall lyfe should thinke that they now nede no farther to consider vpon eternall lyfe And for that cause he sayth that the Apostle in an other place added this selfe same sentence in the Future tempse and not in the preterperfect tempse as when he writeth vnto the Corinthians Euen as in Adam all men die so in Christ all men shall be quickened But this reason is of no great force For the holy scripture is not wont to be moued with so light daungers to kepe in silence the benefites of God yea rather it euery where setteth them forth al whole and in ample maner as they are and doth not gelde them nor shorten them of as Origene thinketh But as for slouthfulnes and sluggishnes they are by infinite other places of the scipture sufficiently shaken of For there are in the holy Scriptures exhortations by promises and threatninges wherby to stir vs vp to holines of life and to the endeuour to do good workes And Origene also himselfe confesseth that that which the Apostle here omitteth he afterward faithfully addeth whē he thus writeth Wherfore euen as by the sinne of one man euill was spread abrode ouer all men to condemnation so by the righteousnes of one man was good sprede abrode ouer all men to iustification of lyfe And a little before For if by the offence of one man many haue died much more the grace of God and the gift by grace whiche came thorough one man Iesus Christe hath abounded vnto many Erasmus thinketh that this discommoditie may by an other way be holpen so that the parte aunswering be set after this coniunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is and. And the lyke kinde of speakyng he bryngeth out of Mathew in the Lordes prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In these words semeth to be wanting this coniunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is So. So that the sence is Euen as in heauen so also in earth And after this selfe same maner he thinketh is to be made perfect this sentence of the Apostle Wherfore euen as by one mā sinne entred into y◠world so also by sinne entred in death But I rather thinke that here is vsed y◠Figure Anantapodoton For I sée that Paul is after a sorte rapte by the force of the spirite to expresse y◠great destruction brought in by sinne Which being done he most manifestly as Origene confesseth in the second interpretation putteth that whiche wanted in the other But the better to vnderstand these wordes of the Apostle we haue thrée thinges by him set forth which are diligently to be peised first what the Apostle meaneth by sinne Secondly what that one man is by whom sinne entred This word sinne how ample it is into the world Thirdly by what meanes sinne is spred abrode As touching y◠first the Apostle amply
something which is of his owne nature sinne which yet is not imputed of God as we sayd commeth to passe in the beleuers as touching the corruption of nature and pronesse vnto sinnes These thinges are of them selues sinnes although for Christes sake they are not imputed as the Apostle in this The imputation of sinnes of two sortes ether as touching God or as touching men The tyme of the lawe is not excluded from sinne place sayth that before the Law there were many sinnes which yet were not so imputed or counted of men Although herein is some difference for there the imputation is by the mercy of God remoued way but here it is remoued away thorough the ignorance of man Farther although it be said Euen vnto the law yet is not thereby the time of the law acquitted free from sinne For the Law is not of that strength to abolish sinnes And this was of no smal force to abate the hautines and pride of the Iewes For they counted themselues more holye all thē other nations for that they had receaued a law from God The like kinde of speach is vsed of the Ethnikes when they write that euen vnto the tenth yere did the Greacians fight agaynst Troy for in so saying they doubtles excluded not the tenth yeare So when Paul sayth Sinne was in the world Euen vnto the law he excludeth not that time which was vnder the law And this wōderfully Only grace ouercommeth sinne setteth forth the grace of Christ which alone was able to vāquishe and to driue away sinne when as sinne was of so greate force to destroye and had so farre and so long ranged abrode that it could not be restrayned no not by the Law Paul when he sayth That death raigned vseth the figure Prosopopaeia nether ought we therfore to thinke y◠by this word Kingdome is ment any healthfull gouermēt Howbeit Why the power of of death is called a kingdome therefore he calleth the power of death a kingdome to show that the power thereof was exceding great wherunto all thinges gaue place that it was of a wonderfull mighty force which had brought all tlhinges vnder his subiectiō The selfe same forme of speaking he vseth agayne in this epistle saying Let not sinne raigne in your mortall body as if he should haue sayd Although ye cannot prohibit sinne to be in you yet permite not vnto it the kingdome and chiefe dominion it all your endeuors and counselles should geue place and be obedient vnto that And he therefore added that death raygned from Adam euen to Moses to declare that there was sinne in the world For death and sinne follow one the other Agaynst them that deny originall sinne in children inseperably and Sinne and death inferre and bring in one the other Hereby are confuted those which contend that infantes are without sinne and say that for that cause they dye for that by reason of the sinne of Adam they are vnder the condition of mortality being otherwise themselues innocent and cleane from sinne For if this were true the Apostle should then in this place conclude nothing For it mought easely be answered that althoughe men died before the law yet sinne at that time had not his being Wherfore let vs say with Paul Sinne and death are so ioyned together that they cannot be parted a sonder Ambrose suspected the Greke bookes that these two things are so ioyned together that they cā not be parted asonder Ouer them also that sinned not after the like maner of the transgression of Adam These wordes were in some copies set forth affirmatiuely by taking away this word not And of this reading doth Origen make mencion and so farre is Ambrose of from dissalowing it that he thinkethn one but it to be natiue And he hath a large discourse of the variety of the Greke bookes and semeth for that cause to haue them in suspicion as corrupted in many places after that the contencions of the heretikes grew strōg But in the expositiō of that reading which he followeth he semeth to speake but slenderly to the matter for he will haue death to haue rayned ouer those onely which in sinning were like vnto Adam and this he saith happened in idolatry For he affirmeth that the sinne wherein Adam fell was in a maner of this sorte that he beleued himselfe to be God and preferred Sathā before God more esteming his coūsell then the cōmaūdemēt of God But as for others which keping still their faith in the only Creator did notwithstāding sometimes fall he thinketh not that they fell after y◠like maner that Adam fell and therefore he writeth that they died the death of the bodye Ambrose held that some had in hell a free custody but not eternall death were kept in hell in a free custody euē to the cōming of Christ but in those which had imitated the sinne of Adam ternal death wholy raigned These things as euery mā may easely se are both farre fetched also do much weakē the argumēt of the Apostle wherefore if this text should be red affirmatiuely peraduēture we mought picke therout this sentēce to vnderstād y◠death raigned ouer al mē which sinned after the like māner of the transgressiō of Adam for that he hauing sinned it was all one as if all men had bene present and sinned together with him But let vs leaue this readinge and follow the common readinge and especially seinge Chrisostome Theophilactus and the Greeke Scholies pronounce these woordes negatiuely And so this is the sence that those menne which were before the lawe although they sinned not after that manner that Adam fell who besides the lawe of nature had also a certain commaundement prescribed him yet they also were obnoxious vnto death But Augustine applieth these wordes vnto infantes which die and haue sinne although they sinne not after the selfe same manner that Adam sinned And so Not to sinne after the like manner of the transgression of Adam is nothing els but not to haue sinne actuall and personall as they call it But I woulde thinke that in these woordes may be comprehended both infantes and others that are of age both those before the law and those after the law and those vnder grace Rude and blockish 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 sinne not after the same manner that Adam did as many as are so rude and blockishe that they are vtterlye ignorante of the commaundementes of God of whiche kinde of men it is not incredible but that there maye some be founde in the worlde And in this case vndoubtedlye all men dye although they know not the commaundement prescribed them of God as Adam did Which was the figure of that which was to come By y◠which was to come we may vnderstand all that which afterward happened in all men which procéeded from Adam which were aswel as he obnoxious vnto the curse and vnto death So the first father was a figure and
nature of euill Whatsoeuer euill and infelicity there is in vs the same is wholy deryued from synne Farther he commaundeth vs to deryue our actions from the groundes and principles taught of God The philosophers affirme That actiō is most perfect which springeth of the most◠noblest vertue that action to be most perfect which springeth of the most noblest vertue Wherefore forasmuch as we doo confesse that al our strengths and faculties are moued and impelled by God that is by the most chiefe goodnes of necessity it followeth that the workes which springe thereof are of most perfection For God is farre much more perfect then all humane vertue Wherefore if whatsoeuer we doo we do it by his impulsion thē shal we attain vnto a good end vnto most high felicity Paul speaketh of sinne by the figure * Prosopopaeia and exhorteth Proposopeia that is by fayninge of personages vs not to suffer it to raigne in vs. Which selfe forme of speaking he before when he sayd that death raigned from Adam euen vnto Moses By the mortall body sayth Ambrose is vnderstand the whole mā euen as sometimes the whole man is signified by the soule For confirmatiō whereof he citeth these words of Ezechiell The soule which sinneth it shall dye And he affirmeth that that is to be vnderstand of ether part of man Chrisostome thinketh that therfore the body is called mortall to teach vs y◠this battayle which the Apostle exhorteth vs vnto against sin shall not dure any long time but a shorte time Which battayle he supposeth is therefore commended bycause that sithen Adam although he had abody not subiect vnto death yet refrained not from sinne It shoulde be much more laudable and excellēter for vs if we in this mortal body should eschew sins But I thinke y◠this particle In your mortall body signifieth nothing els then if it should haue bene sayd after the maner of the Hebrues Through your mortall body Forasmuch as that naturall cōcupiscence or lust which the Apostle would not haue to raigne in vs is through the body deriued from Adam into vs receaueth in vs nourishements and entisements For by generation and sede as we haue before at large proued originall sinne is traduced And he addeth this word mortall to encrease a contempte and to lay before our eyes that such a frowardnes is condemned vnto the punishement of death whereby to feare vs away the more from the obedience thereof For it were very wicked to preferre a thing condemned vnto death before the word of God and his spirite He straight way declareth what this meaneth namely sinne to raigne in vs. Which is nothing ells then to be obedient vnto sinne Wherefore he addeth That ye should therunto obey by the lustes of it He saith in the plural number Lustes bicause out of the corruption of nature which he a little before called sinne in the singular nomber doo continually spring forth an infinite nomber of lustes Paul admonisheth vs that we should not obey them He can not prohibite but that lust whilst we liue here will exercise some cirāny ouer vs euē although it be against our willes Wherfore this thing only he requireth that we should not of our owne accord and willingly obey it For thys is to permitte vnto him the kingdome Members in this place signifye not onely the parts of the bodye but also the parts of the minde Why members are called weapons Nether apply your members as weapons of vnrighteousnes vnto sinne He still more plainly declareth what it is to obey sinne And that is to geue our mēbers as weapons vnto it By members he vnderstandeth not only the parts of the body but also all the faculties or powers of the soule All these forbiddeth he to be applied of vs vnto sinne He could haue vsed an other word namely that we should not geue our members organes and instrumentes to lustes But by the name of weapons he would the more aggrauate the thing For that signifieth the they which apply theyr members vnto sinne do fight make war against God do with all the strengths both of their body of their soule withstād his will law Out of this place is gathered the differēce betwene mortall sins veniall The difference betwene veniall mortal sinnes sinnes For when we withstand and resiste the lustes those troublesome motions and entisementes bursting forth of our naturall corruption forasmuch as they are repugnaunt vnto the lawe of God are vndoubtedly sinnes but yet bycause they are displeasaunte vnto vs and we resiste them and doo leaue some place vnto fayth and vnto the spirite of God therfore they ar forgeuē vs neither are they imputed vnto death but contrariwise when we obey thē and do repell the mocion of the spirit of God and worke against our conscience or at the leaste waye with a conscience corrupted so that those thinges which are euil we count good or iudge good things euil thē vndoubtedly we sinne deadly for therby we make sinne to raigne in vs. Paul whilest he vrgeth these things semeth to admonish vs that we should not receiue grace in vayne or without fruite as he also admonished the Corinthians in his latter epistle Hereby we gather that the mēbers and powers of them that are regenerate ought to be so prompt and redy vnto the obeysaunce of God as are the powers and members of the vngodly prone redy to commit sinne And we are plainly taught that we ought to fight And in the Epistle vnto the Ephesians we are commaunded to fight not only agaynst flesh and bloud but also against naughtines and wycked celestiall spirites For they are mighty and of efficacy against vs thorough the body flesh and bloud For euen as weapons may serue both to a good and also to an euill vse for sometyme a théefe occupieth them against his countrey and sometimes a good citizen vseth thē Weapons may serue both to a good and also to an euill vse to defend his countrey so the members of our body powers of our mynde may fight on righteousnes side and also against sinne We sée moreouer what differēce there is betwene a kingdome and a tyrannous gouernment We obey tyrannes against our willes but vnto kings we obey willingly for by their good and iust lawes the publike wealth is established Wherfore there are two things which folow in a iust and lawfull kingdome For first all men of their own voluntary wil accord obey the king vnles peraduēture there be some wicked or seditious persons Moreouer they are redy to fight for his sake But it is farre otherwise where tyranny raigneth for none will gladly and willingly obey tyrants neither wyll they fight in their quarels Wherfore Paul although he cannot prohibite in vs the Two proprieties o◠a iust kingedome tiranny of sinne but that of it we suffer many things against our willes yet he for biddeth that it should
the corne which groweth in theyr fieldes true corne Augustine confuteth them and sheweth that this is no apt similitude for the bodies of infidels forasmuch as they are made of God are true bodies their corne also for y◠it is his worke is true corne but theyr chastitie forasmuch as it procedeth out of their corrupt vitiate wil can by no meanes be counted true chastitie And he addeth that vniuersal sentence wherof we haue much spoken before Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne The same Augustine vpon the 30. Psalme expounding these wordes Deliuer me in thy righteousnes who is he saith he which is saued freely Euen he in whome our Sauiour findeth not any thing worthy to be crowned but findeth much worthy to be condemned in whome he findeth not merites of good thinges but merites of punishments Hereby we sée what is the nature of humane workes before iustification The same father in his first booke 30. question to Simplicianus saith that we are commaunded to lyue vprightly and that by a reward set before vs namely that we may merite to liue blessedly for euer But who saith he can liue vprightly and worke well vnles he be iustified by faith Here we are taught that there mought be in men a merite and deseruing of happy and eternall life if they could accomplishe that which is commaunded But forasmuch as that is impossible for vs to do therefore we fall away from merite The same Augustine in his Enchiridion ad Laurentium the 121. chap. The end saith he of the commaundement i◠of charity out of a pure hart a good conscience and an vnfayned fayth The ende of euery precept is charity and is referred vnto charity And whatsoeuer is done without such charity is not done as it ought to be done Wherefore if it be not done as it ought to be done it can not be denyed but that it is sinne Chrisostome expounding these wordes of Paul The ende of the law is Christ If the Chrisostom ende of the lawe saith he be Christ it followeth that he which hath not Christ though he seeme to haue the righteousnes of the lawe yet hath he it not in very deede By these wordes we gather that he which is without Christ may indéede haue workes which may séeme good which yet in very dede can not be iust And straight way he saith Whosoeuer hath fayth the same also hath the end of the law and whosoeuer is with out fayth is farre from either of them Hereby we gather that they which haue not faith are straungers not only from Christ but also from the righteousnes of the lawe which herein consisteth to do that which is commaunded And straight way For what desireth the lawe To make a man iust but it can not For no man hath fulfilled it But because a man might obiecte although a man not regenerate can not fulfill the lawe yet if he take paynes therein and go about and trauaile he may attaine vnto righteousnes this thing also Chrisostome excludeth And a litle before when he expounded these wordes Being ignoraunt of the righteousnes of God and willing to establishe their owne righteousnes they became not subiect vnto the righteousnes of God This sayth he he calleth the righteousnes of God which is of fayth because it is altogether of the heauenly grace wherein we are iustified not by our labours but by the gift of God This selfe same thing also writeth Ambrose whē he expoundeth these words Ambrose of Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen and whose sinnes are couered He calleth saith he them blessed of whome God hath decreed that without labour or any obseruation they shal be iustified by fayth only And vpon those words of Paul Being iustified freely by his grace They are iustified freely sayth he because by the gift of God they are iustified by faith only they themselues working nothyng nor making any recompence The same Ambrose vpon these words of Paul Wherefore death hath raigned vpon them which haue not sinned after the similitude of the transgression of Adam He wrote this saith he because it is impossible for a man not to sinne Which thing seing he peraduēture spake of men regenerate what is to be thought of mā that are straungers from Christ Cyprian also ad Quirinum We ought saith he to boast in nothing because we Cyprian haue nothing of our owne I suppose it sufficiently now appeareth that that is true which we affirmed namely that men before iustification can not frame their workes according to the prescript of the law and therfore are they sinnes neither can they merite iustification But if our aduersaries will obiect and say that they affirme not that those works which they call preparatory do merite iustification but only are certayne preparations by which men are made more apt to attayne vnto iustification we may thus aunswere them If they merite not why fayne ye vnto them that your merite of congruity Farther why call ye them good whē as as we haue taught they neither please God nor are done according to y◠prescript of the lawe Lastly forasmuch as they want their end and not only are but also by good right are called sinnes how teach ye that men by them are prepared vnto righteousnes when as they should much rather by them be prepared vnto punishmentes Wherfore let them once at the length ceasse to adorne them wyth these goodly titles For though peraduēture God somtimes by these workes bringeth men to saluation he doth it because of his mercy towardes men which is so great that he will vse workes whiche are of themselues euill and sinnes to their good Now let vs sée if iustification be not geuen vnto works how it is then geuen fréely and it wholy dependeth of the mere grace of God For no manner of way it dependeth of merites Which thing Origen saw for he vpon this Epistle expounding these wordes of Paul Vnto him which worketh the reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt But I saith he when I desire excellency of speach whereas he sayth that vnto him that worketh is rendred a debt can scarsely perswade my selfe that there can be any worke which can of duety requyre a recompence of God forasmuch as euen thys that we can do or thinke or speake any thing we do it by hys gift and liberality What debt then shall he owe vnto vs whose grace preuenteth vs A little afterward he rendreth a reason of hys saying which reason Augustine oftentimes vsed For he bringeth that place of Paul The stipend of sinne is death But the grace of God is eternall life For here the Apostle added not But the stipend of righteousnes is eternall life which yet the nature of the Antithesis required For Pauls meaning was to declare that our wicked workes of duty deserued death and that euerlasting death but eternall life is not geuen but only by grace wherefore in
instrument is as touching God and the same is Christ whome the goodnes of God hath vsed for a sacrifice the other instrument as touching vs is faith whereby we take hold of the mercy of God and of his promises Now speaketh he of the ende The end of iustification God would to no other end in such sort iustifie vs but to declare his righteousnes which commeth not to passe but by communicating it with others For theÌ„ doth a man declare his riches when he enricheth others then declareth a man his knowledge when he enstructeth others then also sheweth he his strength when he streÌ„gthned others as Ambrose also saith That the righteousnes of God is made manifest in iustifieng of vs because he rendreth according to his promises which he hath made But there is no smal emphasis in this that vnto righteousnes he addeth this word His Iustification by faith hath tâ—o commodities to declare that there is vtterly no righteousnes of ours Chrisostom vpon this place saith Be not afearde for this righteousnes consisteth not of workes but of fayth and he addeth that in it are two excellent commodities First for that it is easy secondly because God by it declareth his owne proper righteousnes By the remission of the sinnes that are passed I knowe not what moued A strang reding and interpretation of Ambrose Ambrose not to read remission but purpose And in his interpretation he saith because God purposed to deliuer not onely those which dwell in heauen but also those which were in hell Whch thinges seme not to serue for this place Erasmus supposeth yâ— he red not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth remissioÌ„ but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth purpose this reading also doth Augustine follow in his boke de spiritu litera the xiij cha But it is best we rede as the coÌ„moÌ„ readyng hath it For so is expressed vnto vs in what thyng chieflye consisteth iustification namely in the remission of sinnes Whiche thyng Dauid setteth forth expressedly when he saith Blessed are they whose iniquities In what thing chiefly consisteth iustificatioÌ„ are forgeuen It commeth in deede by the benefite of the holy ghost that besides the forgeuenes of sinnes followeth an instauration or renewing of the whole maÌ„ But in the first principall pointe consisteth the summe of iustification namelye the forgeuenes of sinnes This particle which is added Of the sinnes passed accordyng to the opinion of some is put to take away licentiousnes of sinnyng that men should not thinke that after they haue obteined righteousnes at Gods hand they should then liue losely But it is to be thought rather that the Apostle would hereby shew the infirmity of the lawe and of philosophy of humayne strengthes as thinges which were not able to put away sinne Sinne vndoubtedly continueth and abideth vntill righteousnes be by faith communicated vnto vs. And that it did still abide we shall afterwarde heare of Paule when a little after he sayth that sinne raigned from Adam euen vnto Moses and that he therby proueth for that death did spread abrode into all meÌ„ And yet caÌ„not by this place be proued that men after iustification can not fall which falles through After iustification we still fall An error of the Nouatians fayth must be forgeuen by iustification agayne obteined Wherfore the NouatiaÌ„s did hereof vnaptly gather that after baptisme forgeuenes of sinnes should not be geuen vnto them that fell Althoughe they beyng compelled by the force of arguments confessed that God in dede can geue remission of wicked actes after baptisme but to vs in the church it is not lawfull to exercise or to promise any suche forgeuenes But they very ill weighed what was said to Peter that he should forgeue his penitent brother not onely seuen tymes but also seuenty tymes seuen tymes Paules meanyng in this place is to declare the state of man before he attayneth vnto iustification namely that he is altogether in sinne Iustification embraceth What maner ones we be when the righteousnes of God first findeth vs. Against woorkes preparatorâ— Christ is perpetually one and the selfe same mediator vs when we are in that state that we bring nothyng vnto God from our owne selues but onely sins to be forgeueÌ„ Which vndoubtedly wheÌ„ they are forgeuen it followeth of necessity that they went before Wherfore by this place are rather coÌ„futed workes as they call theÌ„ of preparatioÌ„ theÌ„ that it maketh any thyng on Nouatus side And without doubt theyr opinion is vtterly to be reiected which thinke that the first iustification in dede commeth vnto vs fréely and the we should be by baptisme regenerated are not required good workes to go before But if we chaunce afterward say they to sin then is it necessary that we make satisfaction As though Christ were not the self same mediator at one tyme the he is at an other time Iohn most manifestly coÌ„futeth those meÌ„ saying Little children these thinges I write vnto you that ye sinne not but if we sinne we haue an aduocate wyth the father Iesus Christ whom he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is our propitiation By which wordes we gather the after baptisme also if we chance to fal Christ is our iustification and not our workes Neither is it conuenient to thinke that the estate of them whiche by greuous falles haue turned away from Christ is better then theyrs which are not as yet coÌ„uerted vnto him so that though before they could not iustifie themselues they are afterward able to do it Wherfore we must nedes thinke that by repentaunce is againe obtained the selfe maner of iustificatioÌ„ the was before in baptism or to speake more vprightly wheÌ„ we were first regenerate by faith Wherfore I The same maner of iustification after baptisme which was before can not inough wonder what came in their heds of Cullen those moste great defenders of abuses in that their booke called Antididagma where they gooe about to put a difference betwene that repentaunce which we preach vnto infidels and yâ— repentaunce which is to be done of ChristiaÌ„s that haue falleÌ„ into greuous crimes They graunt the as touching infidels we should by the law of Moses vpbraide vnto theÌ„ those wicked factes which they haue committed and then set forth Christ vnto them as a remedy and medicine of so great euils But they affirme that vnto those which being Christians haue contaminated themselues with sinnes are to be inculcated the giftes and benefites from whiche they haue fallen and to be set forth vnto them the exercises of the spirite by which they may be agayne holpen And for this their sentence they cite certaine places of the Scripture First that which is written in the Apoc. Remember from whence thou hast falleÌ„ and do the first workes Otherwise I come vnto thee And vnto the Galathians Paule saith O ye foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey
corruption and prauity of whole nature dependeth I haue now declared so much as I thought should be sufficient for this present purpose how the Apostle taketh this word sinne by whome he sayth it hath sprede ouer all mankinde and what the ecclesiasticall writers haue left in writing touching the maner how it passeth from one to an other Now is this thing only to be added that by the world is to be vnderstand all mankinde For I like not to playe the Philosopher as doth By the world is vnderstand all mankinde Origene by the world to vnderstand only those men which liue according to the affections of the fleshe For so should we séeme to exclude from the meaning of the Apostle originall sin which thing the very nature of the woords will not suffer And by sinne death and so death hath gone ouer all men Here he declareth what sinne hath brought which was the fourth part of our deuision Sinne brought death but what maner of death he meaneth can not better be vnderstaÌ„d then by the contrary therof namely by life And this life is of two sortes the one Life of two sortes is wherby we are moued to spirituall deuine and celestiall good things and this taketh place so long as we are ioyned together with God for vnlesse we be led by the spirit of God we can not frame our selues to those thinges which passe our nature The other life is wherby we are moued to follow those good things which Sinne toke away â—ther life serue to preserue nature to defend the state of the body And both these kindes of liues hath death which is inflicted for sin takeÌ„ away For death is nothing els but priuation of lyfe For so soone as euer man sinned he was turned away froÌ„ God so left destitute of his grace and fauor yâ— he could not afterward aspire againe vnto eternall felicity This corporall life also may be said to be taken away by sinne for straight way so soone as sinne was committed the force of death and his souldiors Our first parentes died euen straightway so sone as they had sinned did set vpon man Such as are hunger thirst diseases wasting away of moystures and heate a daily quenching of the lyfe For all those thinges lead men vnto death â–ª And Chrisostome vpon Genesis at large entreatyng of this matter sayth That the first parentes so soone as euer they had sinned streight way died For the Lord streight way gaue sentence of death vpoÌ„ theÌ„ And eueÌ„ as they which are coÌ„deÌ„ned vnto death although they are kept for a tyme on lyue in prison yet are they counted for dead so our first A similitude parentes although thorough the goodnes of God they liued longer yet they were in verye dede straight way dead after that God began accordyng to his sentence to punish them Ambrose saith that they were sodenlye oppressed with death for that they had afterward no day or houre or moment wherin they were not obnoxious vnto death Neither We haue not one houre wherin we are not subiecte vnto death is there any man in the worlde which can assuredly promise himselfe that he shall liue one houre Wherfore by these thinges it is manifest that both kindes of death were brought in by sinne Wherefore we must beware that we assent not vnto them which vse to say that death is vnto a man naturall and as a certayne rest whereby the motion of the life is interrupted Such opinions are to be left vnto the Ethnikes For all the godly affirme that in death is a féeling of the wrath of God Death is not natural vnto a man In death is a feeling of the wrath of God and therefore of his owne nature it driueth into men a certaine paine and horror Which thing both Christ himselfe when he prayed in the garden and many other holy men haue declared And if there chaunce to be any vnto whom it is pleasaunt and delectable to dye and to be rid of their life that they haue from els where and not from the nature of death And Paul to the Corinthians sayth That death is the sting of sinne For death otherwise could be able to do nothing against vs but that by sinne it destroyeth vs. Wherfore they which affirme that originall sinne is only a certaine weakenes which can not condemne a man do neither vnderstande the nature of sinne nor this sentence of the Apostle which we are now in hande with Farther if of sinne commeth death all sinnes are of their owne nature to be All sinnes are of theyr own nature to be called deadly called deadly For in that God imputeth not some sinnes vnto vs that commeth not of the lightnes of the sinnes but of his mercy For there can be no sinne so light which bringeth not destruction vnles the mercy of God helpe And yet doo we not say with the Stoikes that all sinnes are alike For we know that Paul describeth vnto vs certaine sinnes which are so greuous that they exclude men froÌ„ the kingdome Sinnes are not a like of heauen For that all men haue sinned This mought haue seemed very sharpe and harde that for the sinne only of the first man all men should dye But Paul sheweth that this is iustly done bicause all men haue sinned About this particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which properly signifieth in quo that is in which and is englished For that is no small controuersie how it ought to be takeÌ„ Some will haue it to be referred vnto sin But the Greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which weÌ„t before it semeth to be against that For it is the Feminine gender Howbeit it may be that Paul had a respect vnto yâ— other worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is the newter geÌ„der which word he afterward ofteÌ„times vseth although it be counted a fault in speache to referre the relatiue to things coÌ„ming after Others thinke that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ought to be referred vnto Adam But against these men is the signification of this preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which when it is ioyned with a datiue case as Erasmus sayth is not amongst any good authors founde to signifie all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in Wherfore it semeth that the Latine interpreter was deceiued which turned this sence thus In whome all men haue sinned Howbeit the A similitude Gréeke scholies vnder the person of Phocius vary not from the Latine interpretation For they expounde thys sentence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in whiche Adam by by which Adam But touching this matter I wil not much coÌ„tend For I thinke that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a particle causall so that the sence is Therefore hathe death gone ouer all men because all men haue sinned For Chrisostome sayth That when Adam fell all other men also which did not eate of the fruite were touched
made manifest the power and efficacy of Christ against sinne First for that he bringeth to passe that the haynous wicked actes which we haue committed are not imputed Secondly for that through the holy ghost he geueth vnto vs strengths wherby we are restored and the rages of our naturall lust are broken Christ fought againste sinne wherfore we must nedes make him either superior vnto sinne or equall or els lesse To say that he was lesse is both false and impious for then it should follow that he was ouercome of sinne If we make him equall then will it follow Proues that Christ is of more might then sinne Two kingdomes to be considered that sinne is not yet vanquished for then should they haue left leuing the victory vncertaine But seyng it is said that sinne is ouercome then followeth that which Paul saith namely that Christ was mightier then it Two kingdomes are to be set before our eyes yâ— kingdom of Christ the kingdom of Sathan That Christes kingdome got the victory Christ himself declareth in the Gospel where he sayth That the stroÌ„g armed maÌ„ so long time liued quietly and peaceably til such time as a stronger then he came vpoÌ„ him For then was he ouercome and the other which was mightier theÌ„ he caried away his spoiles armor Wherfore we must warely take hede lest being to much intentiue to those sins which we haue coÌ„mitted we desperatly say with Câ—in Our sinne is greater theÌ„ that it can be forgeuen For this were contumelious blasphemy against Christ to say that there is some sinne to be found which can The desperation of Cayn is coÌ„tumelious blasphemy against Christ Here is not spoken of sin against the holy ghost The sinne which remaineth in the regenerate declareth the might of Christ not be ouercome of him But here is no mete place to declare why sinne against the holy ghost is not forgeueÌ„ nether also maketh it any thing to the purpose for we speake of them which are conuerted vnto Christ which can haue no place in those which sinne against the holy ghost Nether doth this a litle helpe to the acknowledging of the victory of Christ that sinne still after a sort abideth in the regenerate For although there be sinne in them yet Christ by his power ouer whelmeth it so that it can not hurt For sinne is now taken prisoner and brokeÌ„ as somtimes enemies are takeÌ„ on liue of emperors or Captaines reserued on liue against a triuÌ„ph yâ— one the selfe same day may be both vnto yâ— Emperour for a triuÌ„ph vnto the enemies coÌ„quered vtter destructioÌ„ Christ shall come to iudge shal in yâ— sight of yâ— who le world triumph And as it is writteÌ„ vnto yâ— Cor. The last enemy death shall be destroyed and together with him sinne his continuall companion But that in the meane time we haue sinne in vs it is nothing preiudiciall vnto our saluation And it is the Gosple to beleue that sinne is remitted and forgeuen vs although it still abide in vs. Howbeit nether the wisedome of The philosophers vnderstand not that there is sin in vs and yet we are iust the fleshe nor philosophy can attayne to the knowledge of this For philosophy pronounceth none to be iust strong wise and temperate but he which hath gotten these vertues by often actions and vpright workes But we contrariwise in the kingdome of Christ affirme that a sinfull man though he be neuer so wicked so sone an he is conuerted vnto Christ and with a true faith taketh hold of him is streaight way before God iust By 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the Apostle in this place vnderstandeth iustification of this verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to be pronounced iust to be acquited Although in this selfe same epistle in the 1. chapter we rede which when they knew the righteousnes of God how that they which committe such thinges are worthy of death yet doo not only the same but also consent vnto them that do them That which is there turned in latine Iusticiam and in englishe Righteousnes is in the Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifieth in that place a law prescribed of God Nether is it to be meruayled at that these significatious are so changed for they are not vtterly differing one from the other For some times they are compared together as the cause and the effect For therefore amongst men is a man acquited of the iudge for that he hath done thinges iust and hath bene obedieÌ„t vnto the lawes But thus can not we be before God For we are not absolued from him for that we haue fulfilled his commaundements Only Christ hath fulfilled them Wherfore not only he himselfe is iustified but also his righteousnes performance of the law is adiudged vnto vs forasmuch as we are counted amongst his members Here he beginneth to expresse yâ— which was the third part of our diuision by what meanes Christ hath placed in his elect those good thinges which he hath brought vnto vs and these good thinges are in them most plentifull and also most firme and stable This he gathereth of the Antithesis for euen as Adam brought in sinne and death and so brought them in that they haue raigned so Christ hath geueÌ„ vnto his life grace and righteousnes not after any common sort but most liberally and aboundantly For if thorough the offence of one death raigned thorough one much more shall they which receaue the aboundance of grace of the gifte of righteousnes raigne in life thorough one Iesus Christ For if thorough the offence c. This reasoÌ„ is thus to be declared If Adam could so poure in sin death into men that they raigned in them much more is This amplification is to be noted the same to be graunted vnto Christ And the amplification of the woordes is in this sort It is a greater matter of more efficacy to say pleÌ„ty aboundance of grace theÌ„ simply to say grace And this hath a greater emphasis to say yâ— gift of righteousnes theÌ„ if he had sayd righteousnes simply For wheÌ„ it is called yâ— gift of righteousnes there is signified that it coÌ„meth freely Farther it is of more efficacy to raigne in life then after a sort to obteyne life But what force this word of raigning hath one eche side may thus be vnderstand Let vs set before our eyes a man that is a straÌ„ger from Christ In him doth sinne not only abide Sinne to raigne what it signifieth but also mightely raigne that although he sometimes haue excellent endeuors and now and then doth some morall workes in shew most goodly yet he can by no meanes shake of that tirrany but whatsoeuer he doth it worketh vnto him vnto death and condemnation This is sinne and death to raigne in a maÌ„ On the other side let vs set before vs a godly man and one grafted into Christ This
Righteousnes to raigne what it signifieth Life a companion of righteousnes man hath life and righteousnes and so hath them that they raigne in him wherfore although his nature be vncleane and his affections corrupted and he some times falleth yet notwithstanding standeth he agaynst all these thinges and is brought to saluation Moreouer by this place we are tought that life followeth righteousnes as before we learned that death followeth sinne And thereof it coÌ„meth that the scriptures very oftentimes ioyne life with faith for by faith we take hold of righteousnes And this order of the scripture Paul confirmeth wheÌ„ he so often reherseth this sentence of Abacuck the Prophet The iust man liueth by fayth Christ also sayth He that beleueth in the sonne of God hath eternall life And this is eternall life to acknowledge thee to be the true God Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent The Apostle hath now in a maner in these wordes finished the comparison which he set forth betweene Adam and Christ In which place this is not to be passed ouer to put you in minde of a certaine reason which the Greke Scholies vse to proue that Christ was of more might to helpe men then Adam was to destroy men Bycause death say they taking his begininng at Adam had as a fellow worker with it the sinne of vs all to preuaile against vs all for otherwise it could not haue preuayled if men had kept themselues pure from all vncleanes But the grace of Christ hath come vnto vs all euen without our helpe of working And they say that this thing is made playne by the grace of the Resurrection which shall extend his effect not only vpon the faithfull which may indâ—dâ— seme to haue brought fayth but also vpon the vnbeleuers namely vpon Iewes and Grecians which had no fayth But that is of greater force which requireth no helpe at our handes then that which nedeth vs to worke therewithall to make it of efficacy These thinges are set forth vnder the name of Oecomenius but they are in any wise to be auoyded For it is false that yâ— sinne of AdaÌ„ should The sinne of Adam hurteth euen without our working together with it not hurte maÌ„kinde vnles men had wrought together by reason of theyr sinnes For an infant when he is borne by what meanes can he helpe that original sinne which cleaueth vnto him But if he dy in yâ— sinne he incurreth daÌ„natioÌ„ and perisheth euerlastingly Farther whereas they say that yâ— grace of Christ pertayneth vnto meÌ„ although they worke not together with it this may after a sort haue place in yâ— coÌ„uersioÌ„ of a sinner For a sinner calleth not vnto himselfe yâ— grace of god but rather by his impiety resisteth it But wheÌ„ grace is once come he is not moued of it agaynst his wil. For of an vnwilling persoÌ„ he is made willing But the Greke Scholies wrest not this sentence this way but apply it to the last resurrectioÌ„ wherein yâ— vngodly shall without any their merite or working together be raysed vp from the dead But this if it be rightly waighed of vs pertayneth vnto the most gréeuous punishment of them and not to a benefite or grace For seing Christ sayd truly of Iudas It had ben good for him that he had neuer ben borne It should be good for the wicked that they neuer rise agayne we also of them may say most truely that it should be good for them that they neuer rise agayne from the dead Wherefore let vs leaue this reason and follow that which Paul bringeth as a reason most firme and most true Wherefore euen as by the offence of one man euill came on all men to condemnation So by the righteousnes of one good was spred abroade on 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 also be made righteous Here he bringeth a conclusion of those thinges which he before spake Nether doth he only coÌ„clude and repete the thinges which he had before spokeÌ„ but also expressedly declareth what that one sinne is which was brought in by one man and one the other side what that righteousnes is by which Christ hath made vs iust And hereunto tend all these thinges to make vs to vnderstaÌ„d that we are iustified not by workes but by faith and by that meanes are we made more certaine and assured of our saluation And in this seÌ„tence there is a want which must be supplied For thus he speaketh EueÌ„ as by the offence of one man on all men to condemnatioÌ„ here is to be vnderstaÌ„d euill or hurt was spred abroade And when he addeth So by the righteousnes of one on all men to the iustification of life here also is to be vnderstand Good was spread abroade or saluation Here againe we haue these coÌ„traries 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is offence righteousnes Of which the one pertaineth vnto Adam and the other vnto Christ Nether waÌ„teth this an emphasis that he sayth Iustification of life For it is as much as if he had sayde The vitall or liuely iustification For the Hebrues vse oftentimes to pronounce nownes adiectiues by the genitiue case of the substantiue This thing also is to be noted in this sentence that Paul expressedlye sayth that sinne hathreddunded vpon all men vnto condemnation Wherebye it is manifest that when he before sayd That thorough the sinne of one man many haue died by this word many he vnderstoode All men Which word also he did expressedly put in the beginninge of this comparison Whiche I therefore speake because Ambrose and Origene seme to affirme that death and sin haue not raigned ouer all those that haue come of Adam for that many of them acknowledged God and were deliuered from the tiranny of sinne But this is to confound the benefite of Christ with the hurt of Adam For in that some were deliuered from death that could not haue happened vnto theÌ„ but by the death of Christ which they beleued should come which benefite although they obtayned yet doth it not thereof follow that they before they were deliuered by Christ had not as touching their nature and themselues perished in Adam But these fathers séeme therefore to haue inclined this way for that they weighed the matter according to the number of men For when they saw that all men are not saued by Christ least he should séeme inferior vnto Adam they denyed that in Adam all had perished Therfore they held that on ech side are some to be exempted that both Christ may haue his number apart by himselfe and also Adam his by himselfe And it is possible that this also moued them that Paul hath before and also in this place sayd not All but many But this maner of exposition is vtterly agaynst Paules sentence for he euen as he putteth death common vnto all men that are borne of
kingdome of heauen suffring many discommodities which are deriued from the groundes of our nature Wherefore we may coÌ„plaine of our first parent but not of God For he was most liberal towards him especially seyng he called vs againe vnto himselfe which is the chiefe felicitie by hys onely sonne and would haue hym to suffer death for our saluation But against this opinion maketh that chiefly which we haue already twise before Death hâ—th no right where no sinne is rehersed namely that infantes do die For death hath no right where as is no sinne vnles we will say that God punisheth the innocent And this reason is confirmed by that argument of Paul wherby he proued that sinne was before the law Because death saith he raigned from Adam euen to Moses But by Pigghius opinion this might be counted a very weke reason For a maÌ„ might say although they died yet therby it followeth not that they had sinne For death happened vnto The Apostle confesseth that sin dwelleth in himselfe We haue not the principles of natuâ—e perfect but vitiated The consideration of man and of brute bests is not alike them thorough Adam for whose sinne they became mortall Farther doth not Paul confesse that there is sinne in nature when he affirmeth that sinne dwelleth in himself and confesseth that the law of the members draweth him captiue and such other like And that is nothing which Pigghius obiecteth namely that those thinges come of the principles of nature for these principles are not of nature being perfect but of nature corrupte and vitiated Neither ought he in this thyng to bring a similitude from brute beastes For man is created to be farre excellenter then brute beastes to beare rule ouer theÌ„ Man had in dede in himselfe principles to desire things pleasaÌ„t profitable but not against reason the worde of God For to haue those affections outragious and violent belongeth not to men but to brute beasts Farther our soule being immortal geuen by the inspiratioÌ„ of God required a body méete for it namely such which mighte be preserued for euer that the soule should not any time be compelled to be without it Wherfore we ought not to flye The bodye ought to be agreable vnto the soule It is blasphemy to make God the author of wicked affections vnto the principles of nature for it was not framed such as now we haue it Now if Pigghius do fayne that God created in vs these lustes and wicked affections theÌ„ is he blasphemous and contumelious againste him whiche faultes he vnworthely goeth about to lay to our charge For forasmuche as God is good and moste wise and moste iuste and hath also created man vnto the highest felicity he woulde not haue geuen him those thinges whereby he should be withdrawen from that felicitie which should entise him to do against his commaundementes whiche of theyr owne accord are filthy and should lead vs captiues into the law of sinne of death For these thinges if they ought to be mortified and crucified as vndoubtedly they ought we must néedes graunt that they are vices and hatefull vnto God Neither E 〈…〉 l affections forasmuch as they ought to be mortified at sins is that of so great force that he fayth that they are not properly sinnes vnles euen as colde is called slouthfull because it maketh menne slouthfull so these thinges because they allure men to sinne may therefore after a sort be called sinnes Or euen as the scripture calleth that a hand which is made with the hand or speach is called the tonge because it is pronounced by the ministery of the tounge so these thinges may be called sinnes because they proceede from sinne These similitudes do nothinge helpe Pigghius cause for althoughe Augustine vsed sometimes so to speake yet he would haue it to be vnderstand of those defaultes and vices which are in maÌ„ after Baptisme In which thing how farre we agrée with him we haue els where declared and peraduenture afterward will farther declare But Augustine plainely affirmeth that before baptisme they are sinnes Yea the holy Ghoste also in Paul calleth theÌ„ sinnes and the nature of sinne agreeth wyth The nature of sinne is extended to al things that are against the law of God â–ª Wherein iniquity coÌ„â—sisteth them For so we haue defined sinne that it pertayneth to all those things whatsoeuer they be that are againste the lawe of God For as Iohn sayth sinne is iniquitie And who seeth not that it is a thing vniuste that the fleshe should haue the spirite subiect vnto it and that our soule should not be obediente vnto the woorde of God Wherefore forasmuch as all these thinges do stirre vs vp to transgresse and to rebell against the woord of God they are both vniust also ought to be called sinnes Farther the wordes of Dauid are most plainely against Pigghius when he sayth Beholde I was conceaued in iniquityes and in sinnes hath my mother conceaued me If wicked lust and these vices were the woorkes of nature vndoubtedly that holy maÌ„ woulde not haue complained of them And what other thinge mente the Apostle Paul when he wrote vnto the Ephesians That we are by nature the childreÌ„ of wrath but that there is sinne in euery one of vs Howbeit Pigghius doth by a peruerse interpretacion go about to wrest this testimonye from vs. For he saith that to be by nature the children of wrath is nothinge els but to be the children of wrath by a certayne course of birth because we are so borne into the worlde And he bringeth this similitude that some are called bondmen by nature which is nothing els then that they were borne in that state to be bond But we neither can nor oughte to be contente with this fained deuise for the anger of God is not prouoked but iustly For it is not such that it can be incensed either rashely or by chaunce Wherefore The anger of God is not prouoked but iustly there must nedes be some wicked thinge in our nature to the auengement wherof the anger of God is stirred vp And that similitude of his serueth not to hys purpose for they which are sayd to be borne bondmen by nature haue also by nature some thing in them which is apt for bondage For if we geue credite vnto Aristotle Seruantes by nature haue something in theÌ„ that is apte for seruitude writing in his politiques bondmen by nature are they which excell in strength of body but are dull and slow in reason and thereof it commeth that they are more meete to serue then to beare rule ouer others or to liue at liberty The Apostle also sufficiently declareth why he calleth vs by nature the children of wrath namely because by nature we séeme prone and readye to stirre vp the anger of God and walke according to the prince of this world and because the Deuell is of efficacy in our hartes by reason of
children are holy Wherefore it is not probable that they haue contracted originall A place of the first Epistle to the Corrinthians sinne for holines agreeth not with sinne Some expounde that sentence thus namely that the children of Christians are holy as touching a ciuill consideration namely for that they are to be counted for legitimates and not for bastardes But that is not sufficiente For by that meanes the matrimonye of Christians shoulde in nothinge excell the matrimonye of Infydelles for theyr chyldren also borne in lawefull matrymonye are legitimate and are The children also of infidels begotten in lawfull matrimony are legitimate A godlye education ma◠also happen vnto bastards Adeodatus the sonne of Augustine Some holines redoundeth from the parents into childrē by the power of the couenāt of God What is the promes that we leane vnto when we deliuer our infants to be baptised made heyres Other expound holynes for a godly education For if the godly yoke fellow should depart from the vngodly paraduenture the children should be left with the vngodly and so be led away from Christ but if they dwell together the godly parent will euer instill some piety into the children But this exposition also semeth not to make much to the purpose of Paul for a godly education may happen also vnto thē which are born in adultery or fornication Which thing we see came to passe in Adeodatus the son of Augustine Wherefore the Apostle semeth rather to signifie that some holynes redoundeth from godly parentes into their children which yet dependeth not of the fleshe but of the promise geuen in the couenant For God promised Abraham that he would not only be his God but also the God of his sede Wherefore God in the prophetes calleth the infantes of the Iewes his and complayneth that his sonnes and daughters were sacrificed vnto Moloch And we in the hope of this promise do offer our infantes vnto the Church to be baptised because they pertaine vnto God and vnto Christ that the promise which we haue now spoken of might be confirmed with some outward seale But thou wilt say thou mayst be deceaued for that paraduenture thy sonne doth not pertaine to the number of the elect Hereunto I answere that the like difficulty is there in those that be of full age for it may be that a man professeth faith with a fayned hart or may be led only by humane perswasion or may haue but a faith for a time so that in very dede he pertayneth not vnto the elect But these thinges the minister regardeth not but only considereth the confession which he that is to be baptised professeth and will say that the election of God is hidden vnto him therefore is he not carefull thereof he can appoynt nothing of perticular thinges but only considereth the generall promesse from which although many are excluded A place to the Rom. yet longeth it not to him to define who they are So Paul speaketh of the Iewes If the roote be holy the branches also shal be holy if the first fruites be holy the conspersion or masse also shal be holy By which wordes he declareth that the loue of God was bent vnto the Iewes because of the promise and for their fathers sake and for that cause saluation was due vnto them Although therefore this promise The promes of God is indeterminate and true be indefinite and many are excluded from it yet neuertheles it remayneth vnshakē and firme For alwayes some of them are conuerted vnto Christ and shal be conuerted euen vnto the ende of the world Which thing is manifest in Isaake vnto whose seede although God promised he woulde be mercifull yet An example of Isaak that promise tooke place only in Iacob not in Esau And yet was that no cause why Esau should not be circumcised So we graunt that the children of Christians which pertayne vnto the election of God are holy but yet they are spotted with originall sinne because by nature they are the children of wrath as others are And if God do put away the guiltines and impute it not vnto them to the ende they may be saued that commeth vnto them of the grace of God of his mere mercy not of the purenes of their nature Seing therefore they Infants elect when they are borne are both holy the children of wrath in diuers respectes are borne of a corrupt masse and also they pertaine vnto the number of the elect we affirme ether both that they are holy and that also by nature they are the children of wrath Wherefore it plainely appeareth how this argumente may be dissolued But they adde moreouer that in infantes is found nothing spoken done or thought against the lawe of God and therefore they haue no sinne at all How fowly they are herein deceaued plainely appeareth by those thinges whiche we haue alredy sayd For this is as much as if they should thus reason say They haue no actuall sin Ergo they haue no sin For to reason frō the species to the A false argument generall word by a negatiō is an ill kinde of reasoning But they are deceaued for that they follow not the vniuersall nature or definition of sinne whiche we haue so before described that it cōprehendeth all things that are by any meanes repugnant vnto the lawe of God They obiect also that it is not wel sayd that originall sinne is spred abrode by the sede and fleshe because they haue an insensible and brutishe nature and therefore can not receaue sinne But we haue alredy taught that sinne is not in them but by inchoation as in the roote But then the nature of sinne is finished when the soule is now ioyned to it We haue declared also what is to be aunswered vnto the Pelagians when they contend that these thinges which Paul speaketh in this place ought to be Against the Pelagians vnderstand as touching imitation For first that can not stand with all the sayinges of the Apostle For he sayth that all men haue sinned and that by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners and which is more firme he hath proued that therefore sinne was in the world before the lawe because death raigned from Adam euen vnto Moses There are also other reasons which Augustine vseth against the Pelagians which are not nedefull now to be repeted Farther they adde that humane afflictions and death it selfe are naturall for they haue in vs principles of nature from whence they do flowe But hereunto we answere that these principles were not so framed when the nature of man was first instituted but they were afterward vitiated and corrupted as we now see they are The philosophers resolue the effectes which they see into these principles which are now extant but Christians do rather resolue them into the word of God Seing therefore that the scripture teacheth that death entred through sin and that man as
the merites of the parentes For they can not by procreation of the body poure grace into the children forasmuch as it is a thing altogether spirituall nether hath it any naturall fellowship with the fleshe Wherefore forasmuch as goodnes holynes are the mere and pure giftes of God God doth in dede promise that he will doo good vnto the posterity of godly men euen to a thousand generations But that is not to be vnderstand as though there were put any merit in the parentes God was of his mercy moued to make this promise and not by the merites of men And to declare his libertye herein he suffereth it sometimes to happen otherwise and by that meanes teacheth that holy parentes are not so holy but that they haue still much wickednes and corruption in them which they may se to be naturally grafted in theyr children Whereby we may manifestly se the corruption of our nature which also followeth the sayntes euen to the death And for the more establishing also of thys sentence some bring out of the Psalme a curse of the Churche agaynst the children of the vngodlye That they shoulde be orphanes that no man shoulde haue compassion on them that they shoulde begge theyr liuinge If the children of the vngodly be innocents then is this no iust prayer Wherfore it semeth by these words of necessity to follow that they are partakers of the wyckednes of their parentes And bicause they are infantes it can by no other meanes be done but by propagation I know there are some which will haue these wordes of Dauid to be prophesies of thinges to come wherin the holy ghost hath foretold that these misfortunes shall come vnto them But graunt that they be prophesies Yet can it not be denied but that there is in them both the forme the affect of a prayer But a prayer Whether the latter mē be more miserable then the first ought to be iust for otherwise it should be no prayer But where as they say that that is most absurd which followeth of this doctrine namely that the last men also should be more miserable then all others bicause they should beare the synnes both of Adam also of all their elders it may be answered two maner of wayes For first not all thinges which seme absurd vnto vs are also absurd before God The things that are absurde vnto vs are not absurd before God For not to depart from this selfe same matter Christ threatneth the Iewes that all the murther of the godly from Abell euen to Zacharias the sonne of Barachias should come vpon them And who séeth not that the estate of the children of Israel which were led away into captiuity was much more miserable then very many generations of their elders which had defiled themselues with the selfe same sins Farther we aunswer that that should in dede be absurd if the sinnes of the elders should continually passe into the children But seyng we haue declared that that is not alwayes so but that the prouidence of God hath appointed an end and measure To the reasons of the scholemen Affections of the mind◠are communicated frō the parents vnto the children vnto this euil and hath therfore determinately pronounced onely of the third and fourth generation there is no cause why it should seme absurd vnto any man But the reasons of the scholemen wherwith they withstand this propagation are very weake First they alledge that the qualities of the minde are not communicated from the parentes vnto the children which thing euen experience teacheth to be false For we sée oftentymes that of angry persons are borne angry children and of sad parentes sad children Neither doth this similitude serue thē to any purpose when they say that of a Grammarian is not borne a Grammarian nor of a Musician a Musician For these are artes which are gotten by precepts and exercise not affections which are naturally grafted in men And yet by experiēce we sée that it somtymes commeth to passe y◠in what arte the father chiefly excelleth he hath children very prone vnto the same whither if be husbandry or the arte of war fare or els some liberall science Farther we in this place principally speake of those affections which are the groundes and beginninges of actions In the other Sinne defileth both soule and body argument they say that sinne in the parentes doth vitiate only the soule which is not true For as we haue before taught their body is also defiled And therfore it is no meruaile if fathers do communicate such a body vnto their children Wherfore as touching this matter I gladly agrée with Augustine that it is probable and agreable with the scriptures and this sentence Martin Bucer a man no lesse lerned then holy hath allowed that priuate sinnes are deriued from the parents vnto the children But we must note that that commeth by chaunce and is not of necessitie For God sometimes stayeth the sinnes of the parentes and of his goodnes suffreth not the nature of men vtterly to be destroyed But when he will either represse this traductiō of sins or els suffer it to take place he himself only knoweth Howbeit vnto vs it is sufficient to consider these two things First the sinne is poured from the parentes into the children Secondly that the same is by the benefite of God sometimes prohibited which yet can by no meanes be spoken of Originall sin For we al are borne infected with it Now let vs returne vnto the words of the Apostle which we haue so long tyme intermitted Moreouer the lawe entred in by the way that sinne shoulde abounde But where sinne abounded there grace abounded muche more That euen as sinne hath raigned in death so might grace also raigne by righteousnes vnto eternall life through Iesus Christ Moreouer the law entred in by the way that sinne should abounde But The Methode of Paule where sinne abounded there grace abounded much more We muste call to memory that the Apostle began to reherse the effectes of iustification namely that by it we haue peace with God and that we do reioyce not onely bicause of the hope of that glorye but also we reioyce in tribulations bicause we are assured of oure saluation For the confirmation of whiche hope he hathe declared that GOD hathe geuen his sonne vnto the deathe and that when we were yet sinners enemies vngodly And that it should not be obscure by what meanes the righteousnes of Christ could saue vs he sheweth by a comparison that euen as by the sinne of Adam all men haue perished so by Christ all men haue reuiued And in this comparison he teacheth that the effect of sinne is death And that men are deliuered from it only by Christ Now bycause a man might aske whether the law hath any thing profited to the attayntment of that saluation he answereth by preuention that it rather augmented the disease so farre was it of
First that it is not vtterly vnprofitable no not euen without regeneration for it may serue to some ciuile discipline The office of the law For if mē do the outward workes of the law in such sort as they may although vnto them which doo them they are sinnes yet by thē may be obserued a ciuile order For where there is no obseruation of these thinges all thinges are confoūded iniuries are committed filthy lust rāgeth abrode the wrath of God is kindled so that he suffreth not publike welthes being in such maner corrupt verye long to continew There is also an other worke of the lawe which is inwarde which pertayneth vnto the conscience that it should perpetually accuse vrge scourge and condemne it And by this meanes God as we haue sayd bringeth a man at the length to iustification Which iustification being obteyned nether then doth the law lye idle but is like a glasse wherein the regenerate do behold After regeneration the law is not idle what fruites they ought to bring forth how much they ought dayly to profite what they haue to geue thankes for and how muche they want of the iust instauration to y◠end to obtaine it they may the more ernestly call vpon God The law also putteth before theyr eyes y◠marke wherevnto they ought to leuel in al theyr actions Vnto which although they can not attayne in this life yet they must doo theyr diligence not to depart far from it By these thinges it manifestly appeareth how much the law helpeth in outward workes what it worketh in the conscience and how much it helpeth them that are regenerate Now resteth this to marke that this sentence of the Apostle pertayneth not only to ceremonies Vnder this sentēce are comprehended not onely ceremonies but also the morall precept but also to the morall preceptes For sinne is by them most chiefely increased and it is of more greater wayght to stray from them then from outward ceremonies But now let vs returne vnto the Apostle That euen as sinne hath raigned in death so might grace also raigne by righteousnes vnto eternall life through Iesus Christ Here he sheweth a reason why grace in the elect after the increases of sinne abounded namely that by it we should obteyne righteousnes and so at the length come to eternall life For euen as sinne brought death so grace also and righteousnes which must be ioyned together haue brought eternall life The argument is taken of contraries An argument taken of contraries For seing that sinne which is opposite vnto righteousnes brought death it is meete that of grace and righteousnesse shoulde followe life Neyther is it in vayne that righteousnesse is ioyned wyth grace For thereby we are taughts that our righteousnesse consisteth not of woorkes but of grace The wonderfull order also of thynges is here to be noted In the firste place is put the A very godly gradation law then the increase of sinne and then the aboundance of grace afterward righteousnes last of all eternall life and all these things by Iesus Christ As touching the wordes sinne is sayd to haue raigned in death bycause sinne could not be taken away by the law and death was for his cause inflicted as a punishmēt In the 1. to y◠Corrinth Paul hath in a maner the selfe same sentence saying that the dart of death is sinne For nether could death otherwise wound mankind but by sinne Ether of them are sayd to raigne both grace and sinne when we are moued and stirred vp by them for in Publike welthes kinges raigne and gouerne How grace and sinne a◠sayd to raigne as it pleaseth them In godlye men righteousnes raigneth for they after they haue receaued remission of sinnes study to geue theyr members weapons vnto righteousnes and holines as before they had permitted them to sinne And this is called the kingdome of Christ which is therefore ascribed vnto grace by Why this kingdome is called the kingdome of Christ The rootes of death and life A similitude Grace and life cleaue together of necessity cause it consisteth freely and without workes In this place as Chrisostome noteth are set forth vnto vs the rootes of death and life The fountaine of life is grace and righteousnes the foūtayne of death is sinne And he addeth that death is like a souldier whiche is aypointed armed of sin as of his king wherfore take away the king then death being vnarmed can not destroy mē for euer Farther he admonisheth that forasmuch as haue alredy obteyned grace we should not doubt of the obteynement of life For these things cleaue of necessity the one to the other But why the Apostle bringeth this similitude we may easely shew Bicause grace was of more force to make new agayne then sinne was of force to kill And in that it is added by Iesus Christ we must call to rememberance the Analogy or proposition set at the beginning betwene Adam and Christe For euen as from Adam came sinne and death so from one Iesus Christ came grace and life This place admonisheth vs somwhat to speake of grace Nounes which as the Logicians say are put abstractly are vsually declared by their cōcrets whose significations Of Grace Abstractes are knowne by theyr concretes What is to be gracious are more present vnto the sence Wherefore let vs first sée what this worde Gratiosus that is gratious signifieth with the Latines And he amongest men is called Gratiosus whome all men fauour and whome the common people do loue So in the holy scriptures men are called gratious which haue found grace with God For so the scripture vseth to speake of those whom God fauoureth and We are one way gracibefore God and an other way before men whom he loueth But yet as touching this there is great differēce betwene God men For men fauour none but them in whome they finde those things whereby they may be allured and drawen to loue them It behoueth therfore that he which will be beloued of men haue in himselfe the causes of loue and beneuolence But God contrariwise found in men nothing worthy to be beloued wherby he mought be led to loue them For he hath loued vs first and out of that loue he bestoweth vpon vs whatsoeuer we haue that is acceptable vnto him Wherfore the name of The grace of God is taken too o◠manner of wayes grace is in holy scriptures taken two manner of wayes first and principally it signifieth the beneuolence of God towardes men and the frée fauour which he heareth towards the elect Secondly bicause God endueth his elect with excellēt gifts Grace sometymes signifieth also those giftes which are fréely bestowed vppon vs by God This two fold signification of grace beyng well noted declareth with how great diuersitie our aduersaries and we affirme one and the selfe same sentence for either of vs say that a man is iustified by grace But in this is
same light of the sonne which nourisheth and prepareth the earth to receaue séedes and which when they are committed vnto the earth causeth them to spring and being now sprong vp so norisheth them that they bring forth fruite so also is it vtterly one and y◠selfe same Grace of God both that which preuenteth our will and also that which followeth after Wherefore Augustine sayth Grace preuenteth that we should be healed the same followeth after that we should be nourished It preuenteth that we might be called it followeth after that we might be glorified Wherefore they iudge not well which thinke that Grace preuenting is a certaine common motion wherewith God striketh the hartes of men in stirring thē vp to doo well as though it were in their power ether to come vnto him that calleth them or to reiect him And no les doo they erre which bable in the Scholes that there is one Grace freely geuen All grace ought to be geuen frely We are not by gifts and habits made acceptable vnto God but by his meere grace and mercy There are many free giftes wherby the godly cannot be discerned from the vngodly Certaine giftes are peculier vnto the saintes Some called naturall giftes grace What grace the churche mēt against Pelagius A similitude Nothing maketh vs acceptable vnto God but his mercye and an other which maketh vs acceptable For euery grace ought to be geuen freely for otherwise as Paul sayth it should be no Grace And forasmuch as by Grace that maketh acceptable they vnderstand an habite as we haue before taught they doo wickedly in affirming that men are by such giftes made acceptable vnto God For before hym we are receaued into fauor by hys onely mercye and for Chrystes sake and it is not conuenient to attribute that vnto creatures which belongeth only to Christ and to the goodnes of God Farther we are first acceptable vnto God by his free election before that any suche giftes be geuen vs. I graunt indede that there are many free giftes whereby the godly can not be discerned from the vngodlye as are the gifte of tounges prophecying the gift of healing and such other like which happen as wel vnto the euill as to the good Contrarily fayth hope and charity belong onely to the godly Naturall giftes also are somtymes called graces as sharpenes of wit strength of body And after this maner the Pelagiās craftely confessed that men nede grace to liue vprightly But by grace they vnderstood frée choise reason and wil. We deny not but that these things are fréely geuen of God But yet we deny that they are graces which happen vnto the elect through the redemptiō of Christ And whē the church confuted the error of Pelagius it ment not this kind of grace but that grace wherby we are regenerate and iustified without which no man can either be acceptable vnto God or liue vprightly Sometymes the will of man is compared with a horse and grace with him that sitteth vpon the horse which comparison as touching many conditions is not to be misliked But this is chiefly to be takē héede of that howsoeuer we take grace we alwayes appoint it to be geuē fréely and not of workes Neither doth it by any meanes make a man acceptable but so far forth as it is taken for the good will of God And thus much as touching grace The sixte Chapter WHat then shall we say shall we continue in sinne that grace may abounde God forbid How shall we that are dead to sinne liue any longer therein Knowe ye not that all we which are baptised into Iesus Christ are baptised into his death We are buried then with hym by baptisme into his death that euen as Christ was raised vp from the dead by the glory of the father so we also should walke in newnes of lyfe What then shal we say shal we continue in sinne that grace may abound Paules methode Paul was accused as though he taught that we shoulde sinne Towardes the ende of the former chap. Paul mencioned two thinges namely that the law entred in that sinne should abound and where sinne abounded there also grace did much more abound These two things were offensiue vnto the mindes of many bicause he semed to much to depresse the law to geue men an entisemēt to sinne Wherefore by preuention he repulseth these false accusations In the 7. chap. he plainly teacheth that that which he hath in this place written concerning the law happeneth not vnto it of his owne nature but through our default Now presently he cleareth his doctrine of that wherof he was accused namely that he should teach that men should sinne to the end the grace of God might the more abound That offence which Pauls doctrine semed to brede euen then when he was The same thing is layde to our charge yet on lyue is also now a dayes layd to our charge For when we teach that iustification is promised by faith only without workes they cry out euery where that workes are condemned the law made vnprofitable a way opened to lyue losely so by that meanes all discipline of maners vtterly perisheth This may be a most sure token that we haue attayned vnto the naturall and true meanyng of the doctrine of Paul when as we know that the selfe same accusations are layd to our Our sentence excedingly stirreth vp mē to do well charge which we are assured were layd vnto his But that these are mere false slāders hereby it may easely be manifest bicause there is nothyng more profitable to stirre vp men to lyue godly and well then to shew that so great is the goodnes of God that he fréely geueth righteousnes vnto vs without our desertes For who would not endeuour himselfe to be answerable to so great goodnes And it should It should be miserable if felicity should begotten by woorkes be a miserable case if felicitie and blessednes should be geuen vs accordyng to our workes For forasmuch as the imperfection of our actions cannot be hidden from vs vndoubtedly we should dispayre of the thing y◠we séeke for Then whiche thyng there can be nothyng more miserable The Apostle sheweth how great a griefe of minde it was vnto him to sée his doctrine drawen into so euill part and that of so true principels should be gathered such absurdities But this is the corruption of Men corrupt do of true principles gather thinges absurde mans nature that if there be neuer so litle an occasion offred it will straight way snatch those things which are rede or heard in the holy scriptures ether to the fulfilling of the lust of their owne desires or els to the confidence of their owne strengthes Wherefore Paul to withstand these euils when he had hetherto with many reasons confirmed the healthfull doctrine of iustification doth now on the other side vrge good workes and vehemently exhorteth vs not to abide any longer in
knowe our selues neither doo we abhorre so much as it behoueth vs from our naturall corruption and from the sins which do spring therof Yea rather there are very many which vnder the pretēce of the prayse of nature and of the workes of God do highly commend many things which by very good right ought to be condemned especially when they are sinnes The meaning therfore of this place is that now by the grace of Christ and profession of baptisme the old man is crucified and that it ought continually so to be kept vnder that the body that is the multitude of sins which spring out of it should be abolished And although in this lyfe we can not obteine to be vtterly frée from fallyng An excellēt comparisō sometimes yet ought all our endeuor to tende to this ende that euen as Christe gaue not himselfe partly but wholy vnto the crosse for our sakes so also ought we to die not onely to one or two kindes of sinnes but vtterly to all kindes of sinnes And this crucifieng if we haue a respect vnto the first communion which we haue with the death and resurrection of Christ commeth first of the holy ghost and frée mercy of God But when we are once through faith regenerate and are translated from Adam vnto Christ it behoueth vs to put to our labour endeuour and diligence And therefore Paule vnto the Galathians writeth that they whiche are of Christe haue crucified theyr fleshe wyth the lustes therof And that worthely For sithen they are y◠members of Christ it is mete that they be conformable vnto their The Deuil is crucefied with the flesh hed And Ambrose noteth that we together wyth the fleshe do crucifie the Deuill because he by the meanes of it is of efficacy in vs. That henceforth we should not be seruants vnto sinne He stil more plainly declareth what this meaneth the body of sinne to be abolished And this is the meanyng that we should not obey our naturall lust thorough committing of diuers wicked vices And by the worde of bondage or seruitude he sheweth that he layeth before vs not thinges vnprofitable but things that aboue all other are to be desired namely that we might be set at liberty Neither spake he that to this end The end is that we should not be seruants vnto sinne that sinne should by no maner of waye remayne in vs for that is vnpossible so long as we liue in this world But therfore he so admonisheth vs that we shoulde not be seruantes vnto sinne For he that is dead is iustified from sinne Wherfore if we be dead with Christ we beleue that we shal also liue with him Knowing that Christ beyng raysed from the dead dieth no more Death hath no more dominion ouer hym For as touchyng that he died he died concernyng sinne once and as touchyng that he lyueth he liueth vnto God Lykewyse consider ye also that ye are dead as touching sinne but are aliue vnto God through Iesus Christ our lord For he that is dead is iustified from sinne The reason why we should not be seruantes vnto lust is this namely because we are by death deliuered from it For to be iustified from sinne is as much as to be deliuered from it so that henceforth it hath no more power ouer vs. And Paul seemeth here to speake not of the death of nature but of mortification wherof I haue so oftentimes spoken And iustification may be here taken properly for that mortificatiō may be the effect therof For we cannot attain vnto it vnles we be first iustified Although some not vnaptly vnderstand this place of the vsual and natural death For they that are dead do cease of from the wicked workes in which they before liued And we vse to say of a thefe 〈◊〉 is now hanged that he will steale no more and the prouerbe is a deade man 〈…〉 teth not Wherefore if we followe this sence then shall it be a metaphore that euen as they whiche are naturallye deade do forsake and finishe the sinnes which whilest they liued they committed so we forasmuch as we are dead vnto Christ and haue professed that we will dye vnto sinne oughte vtterlye to A place of Iohn cease from synne These woordes of Paul are no otherwyse to bee vnderstande then are these wordes of Iohn He whiche is borne of GOD synneth not That is in that euerye one lyueth and woorketh oute of the principle and grounde of the heauenlye natiuitye And this principle or grounde is the holye Ghoste The principles of the heauenly regeneratiō and the worde of GOD. So he is saide to be loosed from sinne and not to doe any thing by the impulsion thereof which is dead vnto sinne and is crucified together with Christ in that he is dead and fastened vnto the crosse And euen so teacheth Peter in his first epistle the 4. chapter Forasmuch as Christ hath suffred for vs in the fleshe be ye armed with the selfe same cogitation For he which is deade ceaseth to sinne neyther liueth he in the desires of men but in the will of the Lord God Wherefore if we be dead with Christ we beleue that we shall also liue with him To the ende we should not be afrayd at the name of death which he hath before so often made mencion of he presently addeth a consolation declaring that vnto this death which he hath spoken of is annexed the life of Christ so that After regeneration we leade the life of God if we dye together with Christ we shall also liue together with him And this life is not only that which we looke for in the world to come but also it is euen that life which we now leade which in very dede is one and the selfe same with the life to come but that this is only a life begonne and vnperfect but the other is perfect and absolute For we which beleue in Christ and are iustified do also euen now presently leade the life of God For we are driuen and moued not of our selues but of the spirit of God But what maner of life this life of Christ is which is in the meane tyme communicated vnto vs whilest we liue in this world the Apostle straight way declareth Knowing that Christ being raysed from the dead dieth no more death hath no more dominion ouer him As the life of Christ is neuer extinguished by any death so the life of the children of God and brethren of Christ oughte not to be quenched by sinnes But why Christ dyeth no more this is the cause for Why Christe dieth no more that he hath ouercome death and taken away sinne by whose meanes only death was vpholden and bare dominion For vnto the Corrinthyans it is written The sting of death is sinne and in this epistle death raigned by sinne Wherefore they which are pertakers of the death of Christ neither ought nor can any longer be subiect ether vnto sinne
this place also are ouerthrowen workes preparatory For Paul sayth When ye were seruantes of sinne That is not yet regenerate but were still strangers from Christ ye were free vnto righteousnes that is ye were wholy disagreeed from it And if such men haue no fellowship with righteousnes how can they worke good workes which should of congruity merite grace What fruite had ye then in those thinges whereof ye are now ashamed For the ende of those thinges is death But now being freed from sinnes and made seruauntes vnto God ye haue your fruite in holines and the ende euerlastyng lyfe For the stipende of sinne is death but the grace of God is eternall lyfe through Iesus Christ our Lord. What fruit had ye then in those thinges wherof ye are now ashamed He confirmeth his exhortation from the place of honesty and dishonesty Ye ought to An argumente from honesty and filthines abstaine saith he from your old workes for they were vile and filthy vnto you so that if they should now be called to remembraunce ye should be compelled to be ashamed of them Shame is an affection which springeth by reason of some filthines and it may be either a feare or els a griefe for if a man be afraid lest of yâ— What shame is which he doth or which he taketh in hand should happen any dishonesty vnto him he is made ashamed as we sée happeneth in yong men which when they they are ether demaunded or bidden to do any thing they blush because they are afraid lest they should not aunswer aptlye or should not very well be able to do that thyng which they are bidden to do But if an old man or a young man be put in remembraunce of any thing which semeth not to be well done they blush bicause of the sorrow of the dishonesty wherinto they sée themselues to haue incurred And why Why the Ethnikes 〈…〉 to be 〈…〉 of th 〈…〉 â—ast the Romanes ought to be ashamed of those thinges which they had committed before they came vnto Christ there may be two reasons namely the vnpurenes of lyfe or 〈…〉 vnpurenes of religion which they professed that is either filthines or fool 〈…〉 And their former lyfe Paul describeth in his first epistle vnto yâ— Cor. Be not ye 〈…〉 ed saith he neyther fornicators nor worshippers of images nor adulterers nor e 〈…〉 te persons nor abusers of nature nor theues nor couetous personnes nor drunkar◠〈…〉 sed speakers nor raueners shall receaue the inheritaunce of the kingdome of God And thâ—se thyâ—ges were ye sayth he but ye are washed but ye are sanctified And as touching 〈…〉 vncleanes of religion the Ethnike writers aboundantly testifie And Am 〈…〉 vpon this place maketh mencion of the sacred seruices of Cybeles yâ— goddeâ— of Phrygia also of other such like most filthy sacred seruices And Chrisostome saith that this commeth through a singuler benefite of God that meÌ„ are ashamed of the wicked actes which they haue before committed For they were nothyng ashamed of them so long as they were conuersant in them As dronkards and mad folkes are nothyng ashamed so long as they wallow in that offence This place also teacheth Holy men aâ— alweyes gâ—ued and ashamed for the sinnes whâ—ch theâ— haue commâ—tted In our dâ—ou 〈…〉 country grief that be taken away There is in very dâ—ede 〈◊〉 fruite of sin vs that although sinnes before committed are forgeuen yet the shame and griefe for them can not be taken away yea rather godly men can not remember them without detestacion But yâ— shall not be so in our heauenly countrye There in dede the elect shall detest sinnes but the greatnes of the felicity shall swallow vp al féeling of shame griefe For as we rede in yâ— Apocalips God shal wipe away all teares from their eies He séemeth in mockage to call it Fruite especially of those thinges whereof they should be ashamed For in such thinges there is no fruite but rather losse For the ende of them is death WheÌ„ he had demaunded of them what fruit they had there could nothyng els be aunswered but that they had none And he addeth a reason bicause death is the ende of them So Paul because he would yâ— more vehemently moue theÌ„ addeth waight to his speach and to losse he ioyneth shame Some by this worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vnderstand tribute or tole as though it should haueben sayd Vnto sinne is recompenced nothing els but death But if we will rather Vnto sinne to recompeÌ„sed nothing but death Tâ—o significations of thâ—â— worde end haue that worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to signifie an end the same as the Philosophers also affirme may be taken two maner of wayes First for the last ende or terme and so death may be called the end of lyfe Secondly it may be taken for that for whose cause any thing is takeÌ„ in hand which thyng forasmuch as of necessity it ought to be good cannot agrée with death For there is no man yâ— sinneth with this purpose yâ— therfore he would dye Wherfore in the first signification death is called the ende of sinnes bicause in it is the ende of sinnes But now beyng freed from sinne and made the seruantes of God ye haue your fruite in holines and the ende eternall lyfe In these wordes he finisheth the Antithesis or contrariety and against sinne he setteth God against shame holines Paul speaketh in the passiue signification and against death eternall lyfe Againe also in this place he vseth verbes of the passiue signification sayeng Ye are freed from sinne and made seruauntes vnto God But before he sayd when ye were seruauÌ„tes of sin ye were free vnto righteousnes In these verbes there is no nede of the passiue significatioÌ„ For we are of our selues apte inough to sinne but so are we not to be deliuered from sinnes and to serue God But in that Paul in this reddition or coÌ„parison writeth not that we are made seruants vnto righteousnes but vnto God it is a matter of no greate waight For God is only the cause of our righteousnes Ye haue fruite sayth he namely holynes God the cause of all our righteousnes and the end eternall life Here Chrisostome noteth that by this it appeareth that we possesse not all thinges by hope only but that in very dede there is much geueÌ„ vnto vs And forasmuch as we haue alreadye sayth he attayned vnto iustification our hope is excedingly confirmed for the obteynement of that thinge which is yet behind For the reward of sinne is death but the Grace of God is eternall life thorough Christ Iesus our Lord. In these wordes he closeth vs his exhortation and proueth that the end of filthy workes is death For it sayth he is the reward of sin Which thinge forasmuch as it is well knowen of it selfe he would not stand aboute to proue For rede euery where in yâ— holy scriptures that God
sinnes And therefore for them for that they are sinnes they are not vniustly subiect vnto death Wherefore seing it is by most firme reasons proued that the wicked lusts which remayne in vs after baptisme are sinnes now remayneth to se to what kind or part of sinnes they belong Sinne may thus be Luste grafted in vs. the first mâ—tioÌ„s to what kind of sinne they belong Distinction of sinne deuided that there is some kind of sinne which may be forgeueÌ„ and other some whiche can not That transgression agaynst the Lawe of God which is neuer forgeuen is sinne against the holy ghost But if the sinne may be forgeuen that maye be two manner of wayes For eyther it is so forgeuen that we muste of necessity vtterly depart from it which we se to come to passe in fore and greauous sinnes which Paul sayth seperate vs from the kingdome of God and are commonly called deadly sinnes Or ells they are so forgeueÌ„ that we depart not from them partly by reason of the ignorance that is grafted in vs and partly by reason of the infirmity wherwith we are infected And these are called smal and veniall sinnes without whiche no man can here lede hys life Paul as we haue before declared hath betwene these sinnes put a notable difference when he exhorted vs not to suffer sinne to raigne in vs. And of this third kinde of sins the same Apostle complayned when he sayd Vnhappy man that I am who shall de liuer me from the body of this death And of these sinnes doo we meane when we teach that the workes of men thoughe they be neuer so holye are not without deadly sinne for that we doo nothing without this kinde of defects And those defects are called deadly for that of theyr owne nature they deserue death For Luste the first motions are of theyr owne nature dead lye the stipend of sinne is death Farther also for that so long as we cary aboute with vs these spottes of corruption we can not haue the fruition of eternall life For so longe are we excluded from it vntill by death wee haue putte of all corruption Moreouer it is written Cursed be euerye one whiche abideth not in all the thinges which are written in the wordes of this Law And he whiche complayneth with Paul that he doth not the good whiche he would performeth not all the things which the Law requireth nether is vtterly free from the curse although the same thorough the mercy of God be not imputed vnto him vnto eternal destruction And we doo so speake of the good works of the sayntes not that we ether Thorow the mercye of God they are not imputed to daÌ„nation deny good workes or that we thinke not that the good workes which are done of the regenerate are pleasing vnto God but to make vs to acknowledge our vncleanes and vnpurenes to the vnderstanding whereof we are blockishe and more then blinde Wherefore putting apart sinne agaynst the holy ghost other sins are deuided into three degrees First is yâ— lust which is grafted in vs secondly out of it spring continually the first motions and impulsions vnto sundry kinde of wicked actes Thirdly commeth the conseÌ„t of the will and brusteth forth into act Paul did before set forth these thre degrees wheÌ„ he sayd Let not sin raigne in your mortall body that we should obey the lusts thereof The sinne whereunto we ought not to permitte the rule or dominion is lust grafted in vs and prauity of nature The first motions are the lusts which it bringeth forth and we are admonished not to obey them Then addeth he thereunto obedience which consummateth and maketh the sinne perfect which is commonly called actuall sinne It is not to be doubted but that the prauity of nature pertayneth to originall sinne Agayne that sinne whereunto commeth the consent or the will they call actuall But there is a doubt touchinge those first motions by meanes of Prauity of nature pertaineth to Originall sinne Sin where it raigneth is called actuall which yet thorough Christ we are not obnoxious vnto a new giltines and bond of the iudgement of GOD whither they be to be referred vnto originall sinne or to actuall sinne Vndoubtedlye they are betwene both and of eche part take somewhat For so farre forth as we by them worke couet or desire anye thynge they haue some consideration of actuall sinne And Paul vseth these wordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which without al doubt signify some action On the other side for that we against our will suffer this kinde of motion therefore therein they communicate with originall sinne For that sinne is not taken by election and of our owne accord Ierome vpon the 7. chapter of Mathew maketh a distinction betwéene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he saith signifieth the first motioÌ„s after that the consent of the will is now come vnto them 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is when they first moue and stirre vp at the beginning And he addeth that although they be in faults yet are they not counted for great faultes and yet is the passion to be counted for a sinne Here is to be noted that Ierome confesseth that the first motions haue the blame of sinne although they be not counted for crimes that is although by the benefite of Christ they are not imputed vnto the death or els although in mans iudgement they be not counted for a crime And sinne is againe deuided into that which is only sinne and also into that which is both sinne and also the paine of An other distinction of sinne sinne Of which distinction Augustine maketh mencion vpon the 5â— Psalme For he sayth that the first fallyng away from God is sinne only but those sinnes which follow All sinnes eâ—cept the first sinne are both sinne and also punishments of sinne are both sinnes and also punishementes of sinnes vntill they draw vs vnto hell fire Wherefore whatsoeuer euils are committed betwéene the first falling away hel fire the same are both sinnes and also punishementes taken for other sinnes Which thing Paul to the Romanes hath very well declared For first he saith that the Ethnikes in déede knew God but they glorified him not as God And therefore he addeth that they were deliuered vp into wicked desires being full of all malice couetousnes c. And at the last he maketh mencion of the condemnacion to hell fire saying but thou accordyng to thyne hardnes and vnrepentant harte heapest vp vnto thy selfe wrath in the day of wrath and of the reuelatioÌ„ of the iust iudgment of God wherein he shall render vnto euery man accordyng to hys workes But there are many which thinke not that these sinnes are punishementes of sinnes for that men do of them take no small pleasure But they vnles they were blind mought easely vnderstand by the Apostle that they are punishementes and such in dede
in this place saith when he writeth And they shall say vnto Sion Thy God raigneth Hetherto hath sinne raigned Wherfore Paul in this Epistle said Let not sin raigne in your mortall body Death also hath raigned For the same Apostle Death hath raigned from Adam euen vnto Moses The Deuill also hath raigned whom the Lord calleth the Prince of this world and Paul the gouernour of this worlde and the God of this worlde All these thinges haue hitherto miserably exercised their What maner of princes the Hebrues had tyranny ouer vs But nowe the Lorde raigneth For as touching outwarde kingdomes the Iewes indéede had many iudges and many kings few good some tollerable but a greate many moste wicked tyrannes And they whiche were good as Dauid Ezechias Iosias and suche like were yet notwithstanding weake neyther coulde they eyther defende the people from calamities or make them good Wherefore the Iewes were oftentimes oppressed of theyr enemies led away into captiuitye and being therout deliuered were in reste for a while But after Alexander the greate came the Macedonians and most grieuously afflicted Iewry After theÌ„ came Pompeius Crassus Herode and last of all Vespasianus and Titus whych vtterly ouerthrew all The church also of Christ had hys outward Princes partly wicked and partly good as touching ciuill righteousnes but yet very Then shall we bee in good estate wheÌ„ Christ raigneth in vs. Wherein coÌ„sisteth the kingdom of God weake Wherefore our estate can neuer be in good case vnlesse Christ raygne in vs. Thys as Daniel sayth in hys seconde chapter is the kingdome of heauen which is neuer corrupted in it is peace not during for a time but an euerlasting peace For in the Psalme it is sayd In his dayes shall aryse righteousnes and aboundance of peace vntill the moone be taken away And in Esay And of his peace there shall be no ende But herein consisteth hys kingdome that we be directed by the word and spirite of God After these two maners Christ raygneth in vs. The woord sheweth what is to be beleued and what is to be done The spirit impelleth and moueth vs to doo these thinges Thys is the euerlasting kyngdome of God whereunto when he wil adioyne any people or any nation he visiteth them by hys ambassadours whych are Preachers of the Gospell and them wyll hee haue to be receaued cherefully yea he sayth He which receaueth you receaueth â—e and he which despiseth you despiseth me We haue now the iudgemeÌ„t of God â—ouchyng Ministers wherewith the beleuers ought very mutch to comfort themselues although the world iudge otherwyse and count them for mad men and 〈…〉 castes and estéeme them as paringes and chips so long as there is a world thâ—y shall be so iudged of But for as much as the iudgement of the world is foo 〈…〉 and vnderstandeth not the thinges that pertayne vnto God therefore we 〈…〉 st not leane vnto it but rather embrace the most firme and most pleasant sen 〈…〉 ce of God Nahum the Prophet in hys fyrst chapter hath the lyke saying of 〈…〉 beutifull féete of such as preach the Gospell so that that whych was foretolde of Esay he also foresawe shoulde come to passe But at Rome in our dayes men At Rome they fall downe to kisse the fete of the Pope drawen by thys testimony of the Prophet doo fall downe and kisse the féete of the Pope as though he preached the Gospell going about the whole worlde preachyng peace when as rather he is a sworne enemy of the Gospell and maketh open warre agaynst the true doctrine thereof neyther at anye tyme ceaseth to disturbe peace betwene Christian Princes The Pope as a sworne enemy of the Gospell not a preacher therof But all obeye not the Gospell For Esay sayth lorde who hath beleued our hearing vnto whom is the arme of the lord reuealed Then faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God But all obey not the Gospell This séemed to bee agaynst that so great dignitye of the Apostles whych hath now bene proued both by the authoritye of God which sent them and also by theyr ambassadge that very fewe and especially Of preaching doth not always follow the faith of the hearers of the Iewes beleued which came to passe by no other meanes but for that outward preachyng is not alwayes of necessity ioyned wyth the fayth of the hearers For it is possible that for as much as the power of God is not bound vnto instruments a man may beleue wythout a Preacher and on the other syde a man may heare preaching yet not haue fayth As in thys selfe same epistle he ioyned foreknowledge together wyth predestination although manye are foreknowen of God which yet are not predestinated vnto eternall life he ioyned vocation also together wyth iustification although verye manye are called whych yet are not iustified The Apostle in thys place describeth fayth by the name of obedience and that not wythout iust cause for in it is contayned obedience twoo maner Faith is iustly called obedience of wayes For fyrst it is necessary that the minde or humaine reason do geue place vnto the reuelation of God simply consenting thereunto whych thing pertayneth to a redy obedience for otherwise there are many thinges which let and after a sort call vs an other way There is also an other obedience for they which truly beleue endeuor themselues to obey the commaundementes of God whiche thing before they neither did nor could do The Apostle vsed this selfe same phrase in the first chapter of this epistle By whome we haue receaued grace and Apostleship to be obedient vnto fayth In the Actes of the Apostles also it is declared that many of the priestes were obedient vnto faith and in this sence is faith somtimes Why faith is called a law called a law not for that it bringeth with it blessing or cursing but because that it likewise as the law doth requireth obedience howbeit diuerse For the law requireth obedience euen of them that will not and yet in the meane tyme doth it not geue strenthes to performe it but faith forasmuch as it most fully persuadeth piety stirreth vs vp to liue according to the profession thereof And for that thys doubt touching the fewnes of the beleuers chiefely moued the Iewes therefore to quiet their mindes he bringeth a testimony of Esay whose doctrine they durst not reiect whereby they mought vnderstand that God had long tyme before prouided for this skarsity of the beleuers For Esay sayth who hath beleued our hearing The Prophet before those wordes brought in God the father which commaunded that his sonne should be preached and that his reproches which he should suffer for the saluation of mankind should be tolde abroade vnto whome the company of the Prophetes aunswered who hath beleued our hearing And to whome is the arme of the Lord reuealed As if they should say we indéede haue
this is a great aduauncement vnto piety therfore Paul setteth it forth to the end to commend those weake ones to the better sort Howbeit lest in this matter he shold attribute more vnto them theÌ„ to the freer sort as though he shold think that the stronger in vsing liberty had not a consideration of the law of God he pronounceth the sentence which he setteth forth coÌ„mon to ech part They sayth he which obserue dayes obserue theÌ„ to the Lord they which obserue theÌ„ not obserue theÌ„ not vnto the Lord. And they which eat eat to the Lord they which eat not eate not to the Lord. And those datiue cases which Paul here vseth to obserue to the lord to eate to the lord to liue to the lord to dye to the lord signifie nothing ells but that we ought in all our actions in all our life and euen in death to depend of the lord And geueth thanks to God Hereby we may iudge yâ— eyther of those what soeuer they did had a regard vnto God for that either part gaue thanks vnto him Of what great force geuing of thanks is Wherefore geuing of thankes is of no small force For it is as it were a certaine healthfull sawse and maketh that which otherwise of it selfe should haue bene hurtefull commodious and healthfull vnto vs. Therefore Paul to Timothe writeth Euery creature is good and nothing is to be cast away which is receaued with thanks geuing For none of vs liueth to him selfe neither doth any die to himselfe For whether we liue we liue to the Lord or whither we die we die to the Lord. This may thus be applied to be a reason wherby the stronger sort are feared away from contemning the weaker namely for yâ— they both liue dye vnto the lord It may also be a general cause why they are sayd both to obserue not to obserue dais vnto yâ— lord either to eate or not to eate to the lord for that vniuersally they liue vnto the Lord and dye vnto the Lord. By these woordes we are aptly and manifestly The scope of our lyfe and of all â–ª our actions instructed touching the scope of our life and of all our actioÌ„s I would to God this might neuer slippe out of our mind but mought with most depe rootes be fixed in our hartes Life and death I thinke in this place are to be vnderstanded as touching the body For I se not very wel what consideration they haue which referre these thinges to the life of fayth and to the death of sinne For there is none which sinneth to the Lord. For that can not pertayne to the honor of God Vnles paraduenture they meane that this is all one with that which was before spoken He standeth to his Lord or falleth But the first exposition semeth in my iudgement more playne and agréeth with those thinges which Paul writeth to the Phillippians And Christ shal be magnified in my body whether it be by life or by death VVhither therefore we liue or die vve are the Lordes This in sum ought to be of greate force with them for that not only our life and death depende of the lord but also for that we all both as touching life and as touching death are hys proper possession And if this be so who can contemn his neighbour escape vnpunished This is in a maner all one with that which Paul before sayd Why iudgest thou an other mans seruaunt That fault was reproued in the weake ones and this is now layd to the charge of the stronger sort that they reiect and contemne not euery kind of men but these which are the Lords Paul sayth to the Corinthians Ye are not your owne men For ye are bought with a price Glorifie God now in your body and in your spirite which belong to God Agayne ye are bought with a price be not ye made the seruaunts of men For Christ therfore died rose agayne and reuiued that he might be Lord both of the quicke and of the dead Here he ascribeth a cause why we ar by good right the Lordes For he hath redemed vs by his death by his resurrection hath deserued Whether Christ if he had not dyed for vs shold haue had vs to his proper possession life for vs. Wherfore he is Lord both of our life and of our death But here paraduenture thou wilt demaund whither if Christ had not died we should haue bene his proper possession or no As touching his diuine nature eueÌ„ without his death and resurrection he is our lord For we are created of him whatsoeuer we haue we haue it thorough him But bycause he is in very dede maÌ„ he hath by his death and resurrection iustly and worthely gotten vnto him selfe this dominion which yet the father could haue geueÌ„ vnto him freely but to set forth his glory he would rather geue it to his merites Wherefore Paul to the Phil. sayth for which cause God hath geuen vnto him a name which is aboue euery name namely for that he had humbled himselfe to death euen to the death of the crose OrigeÌ„ very largely entreteth of this doubt Howbeit I thinke that this solution which I haue here brought is more playne more true But there ariseth also an other doubt For Paul semeth to speake agaynst that sentence of the Lord in 22. chapiter of Mathew He is not the God of the dead but of the liuing For if he be not the God of yâ— dead how is he here sayd to be Lord of the dead But if the matter be more narrowly examined there is not herein contrariety For there the Lord would hereby proue the resurrection of the dead for that God could not be truly the God of AbrahaÌ„ of Isaac and of Iacob vnles he would haue them to be saued and that wholy both as touching soule and body For it is the propriety of GOD to saue thâ—se whose GOD he is And the Scripture in Exodus pronounceth that GOD is the GOD of those patriarches Wherefore they liue and shall more fully liue in the blessed resurrection Hereby it is manifest that Christ spake of those which were thought to be vtterly dead both in soule and in body But God can not be their God For he can not suffer such a death to preuaile against his But here Paul sayth that Christ is Lord of of the dead which are dead in body only but liue in spirite and when tyme commeth shall rise agayne Wherefore we sée that betwene these places there is vndoubtedly no contrarity But because we are by the way lighted vpon those words of the Lord there are as I thinke in them two thinges to be obserued First that although of them is properly concluded the resurrection of the godly whose God God confesseth himselfe to be yet followeth it that of the selfe same words may be concluded the resurrection of the wicked For if God of his goodnes do so
And he thinketh A similitude that Paul as a wise Phisition hauing the disease set before him abideth not in those thinges which be circumstances about it or do follow it but cunneth to the principall ground and first cause therof Therefore do all men die bicause all men haue sinned Neither ought we to thinke that here is ment that all men do sinne by some certaine action for that can haue no place in children But it is all one as if he had said Now they are bondslaues vnto sinne and are counted guilty therof And when we read these thinges we ought alwayes with the eye of our minde to consider wherunto they tend namely that we should receiue consolation and be made assured of our saluation knowing that the death of Christ hath preuayled against all these thinges By those things also which are written vnto the Hebrues may be declared how we haue sinned in the fall of Adam For there we read that Leui paid tenthes in the loynes of Abraham After the selfe same maner also may here be vnderstand that we were polluted in the loynes and in the masse of Adā The Scholies which are ascribed vnto Ierome interpretate that sinne is committed by the imitation of Adam which is commonly called actuall sinne And they say moreouer that this sinne of Adam went not ouer Abraham Isaac and Jacob which liued a holy life But bicause they sée that this is against them y◠Paul saith That all haue sinned this vniuersalitie say they is to be vnderstand with an exception Which thing they also affirme of other such kinde of sentences as Euery man is a lier Also There is none which doth good no not one when as yet there were in the world many true and holy men when those thinges were written But whosoeuer was the writer of that boke his authority ought not to cause vs to departe frō y◠truth For that which Paul spake vniuersally that all haue sinned hereby is proued Paul with our exception affirmeth that all haue sinned Here is not spoken of sinne spred abrode by imitation for that all men without exception dye For experience teacheth that to be vniuersally most true Wherfore here is to be set no exceptiō Neither ought those such like kinde of speaches which they bring to moue vs for that those sentences also are true if we speake of men not regenerate they are true also euen in the regenerate if we will speake according to their corrupt and vitiate nature Farther that here is not ment only imitation it is manifest by the Antithesis for Christe hath not only set forth vnto vs his righteousnes to imitate but also by the power of the holy ghost spredeth it abrode poureth it into the hartes of the beleuers Origene semeth to expound this place very warely For he at y◠beginning setteth forth certain things which euen Erasmus confesseth to signifie Originall sinne For he affirmeth that in Adam we were all corrupted as it were in a common ground and that we were all in his loynes as in the Epistle vnto the Hebrues Leui is sayd to haue bene in the loynes of Abraham Then addeth he certayne thinges which pertayne vnto the sinnes of perticular men which are called personall and exhorteth vs to cary about with vs the image of the celestiall man These thinges are so taken of Erasmus as though they were an interpretacion of that which went before when as in very deede they wholy confirme our sentence wherein we say Paul here taketh the name of sin in most ample sort Difinition of actuall sinne An vniuersall difinition of sinne that Paule in this place taketh sinne most amply so that it comprehendeth both the roote and all the fruites thereof But I meruayle how these men go aboute to plucke away originall vice from the nature of sinne For sinne according to the common definition they say is whatsoeuer is spoken done or thought agaynst the lawe of God and this can haue no place in children But they consider not that in this definition is not all sinne vniuersally contayned And therfore we before signified that sinne is otherwise to be defined so that that is sayd to be sinne which any maner of way is agaynst the law and will of God These men go farther and say if this were the definition of originall sinne namely the withdrawing of grace or pronesse to sinne these thinges ought rather to be counted paynes of sinnes then simles But they should haue remembred that God doth not alwayes punishe sinnes by outward scourges and aduersities God sometimes punisheth sins by sinnes but sometymes also by other sinnes Wherefore although the corruption of nature and that lust and pronesse to sinne grafted in vs all may after a sort be called paynes of sinnes yet do we affirme that they are also in very dede sinnes But they say that these thinges remayne in vs after baptisme and therefore can not be sinnes vnles we will say that sinnes are not remitted through baptisme and fayth in Christ But to this we answered before that the guiltynes The guiltines is forgeuen through fayth but the corrupt substance abideth Agaynst Erasmus indede is forgeuen vnto the beleuers howbeit the corrupt substance remaineth which if Christ were not a helper vnto vs should of his owne nature condemne vs. For seing it turneth vs away from the rule of the law of God it ought to be taken to be in very dede sinne Nether is it true which Erasmus sayth that the discourse of Paul will not suffer these thinges to be expounded of originall sinne for the thing it selfe teacheth otherwise For the entent of the Apostle is to shew from what euils the death of Christ hath deliuered vs. But that can he not do vnles he take sinne so largely that it also comprehend originall sinne But whereas Paul addeth that euen vnto the law sinne was in the world it maketh nothing agaynst this sentence For we say with Erasmus that sinne is in this place taken in the selfe same sense that it was in the sentences going before by reason of this coniunction causall For. Howbeit it is playne that those thinges which are spoken pertayne as well to originall sinne as to actuall sinnes For Nothing is counted to be sinne but in consideration of the lawe nether of both these kindes if the law were away is ether imputed or acknowledged although otherwise they both are sinnes in very dede and also wrappe vs in death wherfore let vs not suffer this place to be wrested out of our hands as well for that it is a good sure defence for vs as also for that it very well agréeth with Pauls purpose and notably setteth forth the benefite of Christ For euen vnto the law was sinne in the world But sinne is not imputed when there is no lawe Now declareth he that which was set forth in the third place Wherdof commeth knowledge of sinne namely wherehence commeth
forme of all his posteritye Howbeit we maye more simply and more aptly referre this vnto Christ For in that comparison Paul Adam a figure of Christ wonderfully much delighted Chrisostome also leaneth thys way and sayth that the Apostle with great conninge and manifold and sondry wayes handleth these woordes Of one and one to make vs to vnderstande that those thinges are to be compared together which haue come vnto vs by one Adam and by one Christ And this is very worthy An analogy betwene Adam and Christ An excelleÌ„t coâ—parison of Chrisostome A strong argumente against the Iewes of nothing in Chrisostome that he sayth Euen as Adam was the cause of death vnto al men although they did not eate of the tree so Christ was made vnto his a conciliator of righteousnes although they themselues had wrought no righteousnes In which place he moste manifestly declareth that we are not iustified by our woorkes He sayth moreouer That by this discourse of the Apostle we are throughlye fensed againste the Iewes if they chaunce to deride vs for that we beleue that by one Christe was redeemed the whole world For we wyll obiect agayne vnto them that they also confesse that by one Adam was all thinges corrupted which semeth to be a great deale more absurde if we looke vpon humane reason then to say that by one Christ all men haue bene holpen In this place the Apostle beginneth to entreate of that whiche was the fourth parte of this diuision namely by whome sinne was excluded And this he declareth was brought to passe by Christ whome he maketh like vnto Adam This similitude is The similitude betwene AdaÌ„ and Christe is to be taken generally to be taken generally that euen as all men depend of Adam so all also in theyr order depende of Christe and as the one merited for all his so also did the other But perticulerly and speciallye there is greate difference For Adam broughte in sinne death and damnation but Christe broughte in righteousnes life and grace There is difference also in yâ— propagation For Adam by the generation of the flesh powreth his euels into men but Christ by fayth And therefore Paul when he had sayd that Adam was a tipe of that whiche was to come as it were by way of correction added But yet the gifte is not so as is the sinne Wherefore betweene Adam Betwene Christ and Adam is not a true similitude but an analogy or proportion and Christe is to be put rather a certaine analogye and proportion then a true similitude But to make those thinges which follow more playne we will deuide in to thrée partes al this whole comparison which consisteth of similitudes of contraries and of thinges compared together Firste the Apostle plainelye teacheth that the sinne of Adam is not so as is the gifte for the gifte many wayes excelleth and passeth the sinne Secondly he expresseth wherin consisteth this victory namely in this that whereas Adam had by one sinne corrupted all mankinde Christe hath not onely abolished that one sinne but also a greate many other sinnes whiche we haue since committed Last of all he declareth what that aboundaÌ„ce of good things is which Christ hath brought vnto his elect As touching the firste this we muste know that Christ is so compared with Adam that he is alwayes made the superiour Neither is this to be passed ouer that Paul expresseth sinne by two names Christ is so compared with AdaÌ„ that he is alwayes made the superior They which sinne do first â—â—re and afterward fall 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 By which names this we learne that they which sinne doo first erre and afterward fall For these two are thorowly knitte together Wherefore the coÌ„mon saying is he that followeth a blind man must néedes fall This also let vs obserue that Paul in this comparison continually in a maner vseth these woordes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is gift to declare that our saluation commeth not vnto vs of any of our owne dignity or of works but onely of the meere mercy of God The wordes are thus For if thorow the offence of one many be dead muche more the grace of God and the gifte by Grace whiche is by one man Iesus Christ hath abounded vnto many For if through the offence of one When he sayth that thorow the sinne of one man many haue died he taketh not away or altereth that whiche he before wrote namely that death had gone ouer all For this worde Many oughte in thys place to be of asmuch force as if he had sayd All euen by the testimony of Origene also Wherfore that abideth firme which was before auouched That all men haue sinned that all are therefore subiecte vnto death By Grace he vnderstandeth the fauour of God whereby sinnes are forgeuen This woord Gift peraduenture What grace is with the scholemen signifieth the holy Ghost and other good thinges which men by the holy Ghost obteyne But the schoole men say that Grace is a quality powred into our hartes by God whereby we lead an holy godly life and by this grace saye they is a man iustified But that kind of iustification shoulde pertaine vnto the law For it shoulde consist of those thinges which are in vs. Wherefore the true iustification whereof is now intreated commeth from Christe of whome thorough fayth and the grace or fauour of God we take holde not that we deny the other kinde of grace For we put both kinds namely both the instauration of the beleuers to liue vprightly and also the imputation of righteousnes by Christ whereunto whole and perfect iustification cleaueth that that might be true which we reade in Iohn that we haue receaued grace for grace and by that grace wherby Christ was of valew before the father we are receaued into his grace The nature of yâ— Antithesis required yâ— euen as he had sayd that thorow the offence of one maÌ„ many haue died so he should on the other side haue sayd that through the righteousnes of one the fauor of God hath abounded vpon many But he would rather put Grace and gifte for that these two thinges are the fountaines and rootes of righteousnes and of euery good thinge whiche we by righteousnes obteyne And he therefore saith that it abounded whiche in the Greeke is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to geue vs to vnderstand that there We haue more grace then is sufficient to extinguishe sinne was more grace bestowed vpon men then should be sufficient to extinguish sinne For for that we haue obteyned forgeuenes of sinnes wee are also borne againe and we rise againe wyth Christe and are sanctified and adopted into the children of God and are made the bretherne of Christe and fellow heyres wyth hym are grafted into his members are
carnall generation Paul in the 6. chap to the Rom. sayth That therefore we must not abide in sinne bicause we are now dead vnto it And that thing he proueth by Baptisme For whatsoeuer we be sayth he that are baptised in Christ Iesu we are baptised in his death to this end that we should dye vnto sinne and that our old man should be crucified and the body of sinne abolished And for as much as children are baptised euen thereby we haue a testemony that there is sinne in them For otherwise the nature of Baptisme as it is there described of Paul should not consist The same reason hath he also in his epistle to the Colossians where he sayth that we are Circumcised with circumcision not made with handes in making cleane the sinfull body of the flesh beinge buried together with Christ in Baptisme He compareth Baptisme with CircumcisioÌ„ saith that they which are baptised are made cleane froÌ„ the body of sinne Nether is it to be doubted but yâ— they which are baptised are baptised into the remission of sinnes And assuredly the circumcision which in the old law was geuen vnto Children was correspondent vnto our Baptisme And as touching circuÌ„cision it is written The soule whose flesh of the foreskinne is not circumcised the eight day let it dye the death Wherefore seing children haue nede of the sacrament of regeneration it followeth of necessitye that they are borne subiect vnto sinne Paul to the Ephesians sayth That we are by nature the children of wrath But our nature could not be odious vnto God vnles it were contaminated with sinne And in the same place Paul doth with most greuous wordes describe the sharpnes of this wrath how that we walke after the prince of this world who is of efficacy in our harts bycause of stubbernes and for that cause we do the will of the flesh and of our mynde Augustine also citeth a place out of the first epistle to the Corrinthi that Christ died for all men Wherefore it followeth that all men were dead and had nede of his death But it is a wicked thing to exclude childreÌ„ out of the nomber of them for whome Christ dyed If thou demaund what maner ones they were for whome Christ died the Apostle hath sufficiently declared that in this epistle when he sayd that they were weake enemies of god vngodly and sinners Amongest whome also we ought to reken young children if we will say that Christ died for them Farther it semeth that Originall sinne is most manifestly taught by the 7. chap. of this epistle For there it is thus written The law is spirituall but I am carnall sold vnder sinne And it is added The good thing which I would I doo not but the euill which I would not that I doo Neither doo I worke that but sinne which dwelleth in me He maketh mencion also of the law of members wherewith he complayneth that he was drawen captiue and agaynst his will And in the 8. chap. he sayth that the wisdome of the fleshe is enmity against God neither is it subiect vnto the law of God yea neither can it be The death also which young children dye doth sufficientlye testefye that there sticketh sinne in them except we will say that God punisheth them without desert Farther this selfe place which we are now in hand with conteyneth a most manifest testemony of Originall sin For thus it is written that by one man sinne entred into the world that all meÌ„ haue sinned none excepted and that the sinne of one man is spred abrode amongst all men and that for the disobedience of one man many are made sinners Farther they which are grafted in Christ are toward the latter end of this epistle called wild oliue trees by which metaphore is signified that man had degenerated from yâ— good institution of nature And if so be that we haue departed from our nature vndoubtedly we are spotted with originall sinne And before Paul so accused all mankind that he sayd There is none iust there is none that vnderstandeth or seketh after God All haue declined and ther with all are become vnprofitable there is none that doth good no not one c. All which thinges sufficiently declare the corruptioÌ„ of mans nature By these testimonies of scriptures it is manifest inough as I thinke that there is Originall sinne Now in order I should confute the argumentes of the aduersaries But first I thought it good to declare the definition of originall sinne For it being diligently marked and knowen many thinges shall by the way be vnderstanded which serue much to confute their reasons First we will recite the opinions of other men then will we declare what we thinke thereof The Pelagians The Pelagians say that the sâ—n of Adam was spred abroade only by imitation Adam brought not forth the first example of sinning but the deuill affirmed that the sinne of Adam hath not spred abroade into his posterity but only by imitation Augustine striued vehemently agaynst these men and proueth by many argumentes that originall sinne is not only the imitation of the sinne of Adam For if Paul would haue sayd that the first sinne was after that maner spred abroade he would not haue sayde that it came froÌ„ Adam but rather from the deuill For he was the first that gaue a forme and example to sinne Wherefore Christ in Iohn sayth that the Iewes which boasted that they came of their father Abraham were rather the children of the deuill because they did his workes For the deuill was a manqueller euen froÌ„ the beginning and they sought to kill hym which had not euill deserued at their handes And to this Augustine citeth that which is written in the 2. chapter of the booke of wisedome that through enuy of the deuill death entred into the world and that they do imitate him which are on his side Vnto which sentence neuertheles I do not much attribute partly because that booke is not Canonicall and partly because in the Greke text there is some ambiguity For this verbe do imitate is not there written but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is haue experience of that death Howbeit the reason is firme that of the deuill came the fyrst example of sinning Farther this opinion is hereby coÌ„futed because Paul maketh an Antithesis betwene Christ and Adam But the righteousnes of Christ is not only set forth vnto be to be imitated but The righousâ—es of Christ is not only set forth to be imitated also that they which beleue in hym should be changed in mynde corrected in spirite and amended in all their strengthes Wherefore it is agayne required on the other side by the nature of the Antithesis that besides the euill example which Adam gaue vnto his posterity he hath also corrupted their nature and as Augustine writeth in his booke of the merites and remission of sinnes tabe quadam tabificauerit that is hath with a certayne corruption
incredulitie and also because we do the will of the fleshe and of our minde These are the thinges which make vs by nature the children of wrath And how can it be denied that there is sinne in our nature when as Christ will haue vs to be regenerated For vnles we were broughte foorth wicked what should we nede to be made new again Farther in the 8. chap of the booke of Genesis it is manifestly said That the imagination of mans harte is euell euen from hys verye childehoode And how dare Pigghius say that that is the woorke of God and a good That which the holy Ghost calleth euell is not the worke of God thynge whyche the holy Ghoste expressedly calleth euell But least he shoulde seme to say nothing he fayneth that God spake that of mercy as thoughe he would by that meanes excuse men and testefye that he would no more destroy the earth with water bycause men were so brought forth and theyr cogitations tended to euill and that euen from theyr very childhode But in taking this for an excuse he is much deceaued For the better and more natiue sence of thys A declaration of a place of Genesis place is thought to be this that God would make a couenant with Noah that he would neuer destroy the world agayne with water although otherwise men were such that they deserued it and the imagination of theyr hartes is euill euen from theyr childhode These wordes excuse not mans nature from sinne but rather note it to be vicious and corrupt which yet God of his mercy would spare Lastly we learne of Paul that by the disobedience of one man many are made sinners which declareth that in those which are borne of Adam there is sinne by reason of which they ought to be caled sinners But Pigghius thinketh to auoyde this bycause they are sometimes called sinners by reason of the guiltines although the acte of the sinne be past and be no more extant Although it He that is called a sinner either hath sinne actually in him or els he hath before committed sin Pigghius maketh a middle estate betwene the damned the blessed be so yet he can neuer shew out of the scriptures that any is caled a sinner but ether he hath sinne in himselfe or ells vndoubtedlye he hath before committed sin vnles he will say that God maketh men guilty without any sin committed of them Farther Pigghius considereth not that by this his fayned inuencion is brought in a middle sentence touching the state of them which dye only in the guiltines of dAam when as the scriptures doo manifestly teach vs that in the last iudgement there shal be no meane But men shal be ether committed to eternall fire or ells haue the fruition of eternall felicity And it is rashenes to procede farther in those thinges then is reueled in the holy scriptures Wherefore they deale more moderately and worke more wisely which leaue all this matter to the deuine prouidence But it is a sporte to se what solemne reasons they are which moue Pigghius They shall not be punished sayth he with any sensible payne bycause they haue not contaminated themselues with any wicked will in this life What is this to the purpose For it is sufficient that they haue a wicked nature for they were prone to sinne although by reason of age they could in acte not sinne The young wolfe is killed of euery man who yet might excuse To condemnation it is mough to haue a corrupt nature if a man be without Christ it self for that it hath not yet killed any shepe or done any harme vnto the flock Yet is it iust that it should be killed bycause it hath the nature of a wolfe and would doo these thinges if it were permitted to liue To this Pigghius addeth an other argumēt for y◠for original sin grief or contritiō is not required But how can he proue this For all holy men haue greuously mourned for that they were oppressed with this vice Dauid the selfe same time when he was most The saints do greuesly sigh and morne for that they a◠oppressed with this sinne Examples repentant did burst forth into these wordes Behold I was conceaued in iniquities Paul so bewailed this vice that he cried out O vnhappye man that I am who shall deliuer me frō this body subiect vnto death whē Pigghius saith y◠these shal be cōtent with theyr estate he bringeth none other reason then that if they should striue against the will of God and be sory for the sentence denounced vpon them they should sinne which thing we ought not to deme of them forasmuch as in thys life they committed no sinne But here ought to be demaunded of Pigghius whether infantes haue an vpright will in this life This must he of necessity deny forasmuche as by reason of age they coulde not haue it Which if it be so how dare he ascribe it vnto them in the life to come It is much more probable that they shall there haue an euell will wherof there was here in them a beginning thē that they shall haue there a good will of whiche there was here in them no sparcke at all But that similitude which he bringeth of the liberal prince which did not only make his seruant free but also exalted him to great honours is not of his owne inuention For Egidius of Rome a schole deuine hath the same who yet together with vs acknowledgeth the vice of nature the wickednes that is Egidius a schole deuine planted in vs from the beginning Howbeit this thing we ought to examine and try out lest like as costly hangings couer the faultes of a wal so this argument by his shew and outward payneture doo hide some error dangerously deceaue vs. He setteth forth vnto vs Adam as a bondeman who from the beginning was made free by God and enriched with most excellent giftes and so enriched that they should come also to his posterity if he had obeyed the commaundement of God and the law but if he neglected to doo that he himselfe with all his posterity should returne to his old estate of seruitude In this lieth hid the error of Pigghius for he faineth vnto himselfe a man which from the beginning had a nature Man had not at the beginning a corrupt and vicious nature subiect to corruptions and bound to the seruitude of vnreasonable affections which thing is not true For God made man perfect not that he should be like a brute beast He had in dede lusts to thinges pleasant and preseruatiue but yet not such as should allure him agaynst the worde of God and right reason And he had a body geuen him which mought haue endured for euer Wherefore when he sinned he fell not into his olde estate but broughte vnto himselfe a new infelicity This shall suffice at this present as touching that second opinion The thirde opinion is
we are so prouoked to sinne that none can flatter hymselfe of hys owne innocencye For who can boaste that he hath a chaste harte For as Iohn sayth If we saye we haue no sinne wee deceyue our selues and the truth is not in vs. Agayne Cyprianus in hys Epistle to Fidus teacheth that infants oughte to be baptised that they peâ—rishe not for euer Augustine also citeth the Bishop Reticius whose wordes we haue before rehearsed He citeth also Olympius a bishoppe of Spayne who saith That the sinne of the first man was so dispersed in the budde that sinne is borne together wyth man He also citeth Hilarius who writeth thus of the fleshe of Christ Therfore seyng he was sent in the similitude of sinnefull fleshe so had he also sin But because all flesh is of sinne namely of the sinne deryued froÌ„ the first parent Adam he was sent in the similitude of sinnefull flesh so that there was not in hym sinne but the similitude of sinnefull flesh The same father in an other place expounding the xviij Psalme vrgeth this sentence of Dauid Behold in iniquities was I conceiued and in sinnes hath my mother conceaued me Also in his Homilie vppon the booke of Iob he saith That the body is a matter of malice whiche can not be sayd to haue bene so from the first constitution And Ambrose vpon Luke saith that the body is a stinking puddle and an harbor of sinnes but by the benefite of Christ it is chaunged into the temple of God and made a holy place of vertues The same father against the Nouatians saith that our byrth is in sinne and in his apologie of Dauid he saith that before we are borne we are blotted wyth contagiousnes and before we haue the vse of lyght we receaue originall iniustice are conceaued in iniquity And of the Lord he saith It was mete that he which should not haue in his body the sinne of falling should fele no naturall contagiousnes of generation Wherefore worthely did Dauid be wayle in him selfe the corruptions of nature forth at that filthines begaÌ„ in maÌ„ first before life The same Ambrose of the Arke of Noah Whome then hath he now pronounced a iust man but hym which is free from these bondes whome doth the bondes of common nature not hold Also vpon the Gospel of Luke he sayth That the infants which are baptised are by the washinges of the healthfull ministery reformed from maliciousnes Ierome vpon Ionas the prophete sayth that litle infantes are subiect vnto the sinne of Adam And yâ— it should not be thought that he speaketh it only of guiltines vpon the 18. and 41. chap of Ezechiell he vrgethe that not euen a child which is but a day old is without sinne He vrgeth this also Who can make that cleane which is conceaued of vncleane sede Gregorius Nazianzenus saith The image of God shall pourge the spot of bodely inundacion afterward Haue in reuerence the natiuity whereby thou art deliuered froÌ„ the boÌ„des of thyne earthly natiuity And intreating of baptisme by thys sayth he the spotes of the first natiuity are purged by which we are conceaued in iniquities and our mothers hath in sinnes begotten vs. Augustine defeÌ„deth Basilius Magnus For the Pelagians Augustine defendeth Basile would haue him to seme to be one theyr side For he writeth against the Manichies that euill is not a substance but a conuersation which coÌ„meth only of the will which saying he vnderstode of those which haue gotten the infection of conuersation by their owne will which conuersation he sayth may easely be seperated from the will of them that be sicke For if it could not be seperated from it euil should be a substantiall part thereof All these thinges Augustine affirmeth to be vprightly spoken For the Manechies affirmed that euil is a certaine substance In opinion of the Manechies Euell may be seperated from vs thorougâ— the mercy of God The perfect seperation from euell is hoped for in the life to come and that that euill was the beginning of all thinges in the world But Basilius one the contrary side sayth that that euill is in a good thing and that it happened to be euill thorough the will of the man and woman which sinned But in that he sayth that it may easely be seperated from the will he ascribeth it not to our streÌ„gths but to the mercy of God And wheras he sayth that there shal be left no tokens therof that also doo we hope for but not in this life but in the life to come But that he acknowledged originall sinne his sermon concerning fast sufficiently testifieth For thus he sayth If Eue had fasted from the tree we should not now haue neded this fast For they that are whole haue no nede of a phisitioÌ„ but they that are sicke We haue bene sicke thorough that sinne let vs be healed by repentance But repentance without fasting is vaine By these wordes Basilius affirmeth that by reason of the sin of Adam we are not whole Moreouer he citeth the 12. Bishoppes of the East which condeÌ„ned Pelagius Vnto which ought Origen also to be added who wheÌ„ he interpreceth yâ— senteÌ„ce of Paul which we haue rehearsed namely Death hath gone ouer all men saith that Abel Enoch MathusaleÌ„ and Noah sinned But as for other fathers he sayth he will not recken bycause they haue euery one sinned For there is not one cleane from filthynes although he haue liued but one day only But he speaketh more manifestly vpon the 6. chap. of this epistle wheÌ„ he sayth that Baptisme ought to be geuen vnto infantes by the Apostolicall tradition bycause the Apostles knew that there were in all men naturall corruptions of sinne which ought to be washed away by water and the spirite And Chrisostome vpon Genesis entreating this question why men are now afrayd of beastes and are hurte of them when as they were created to be lordes ouer them thys thinge he sayth happeneth by reason of sinne and by cause saith he we haue fallen from confidence and honour And therby Augustine proueth that the nature of infantes is fallen bycause beastes doo not spare them The same Chrisostome expounding yâ— place which we are now in haÌ„d with sayth That that sinne whiche came thorough the disobedience of Adam hath coÌ„taminated all He hath also many other places which serue for the confirmation of thys sentence And yet the Pelagians were not ashamed and especially Iulianus to cite The Pelagians went about to draw Chrisostome vnto them thys father for a witnes as thoughe he made with them bycause in his sermon of those that are baptised rehearsing many giftes of Baptisme namely that they which are Baptised doo not onely receaue remission of sinnes but also are made childreÌ„ and heires of God brethern of Christ and his fellow heires members and temples of God and instrumentes of the holy ghost addeth at the last Seest thou howe manye are the giftes of Baptisme And
as we are able and to the end we should not be faint harted he comforteth vs in promising vs an easy victory bicause we are not vnder the law but vnder grace What then shal we sinne bicause we are not vnder the law but vnder grace God forbidde Knowe ye not that to whomesoeuer ye geue your selues as seruantes to obey hys seruaÌ„ts ye are to whome ye obey whether it be of sinne vnto death or of obedience vnto righteousnes But God be thanked that ye were the seruants of sinne but ye haue obeyed from the harte vnto the forme of the doctrine wherunto ye were deliuered But beyng made free from synne ye are made the seruauntes of righteousnes What shall we therfore sinne bicause we are not vnder the law but vnder grace Now coÌ„meth he vnto the second reason wherby he entendeth to proue yâ— we ought not to abide in sinnes none otherwise theÌ„ he came at yâ— beginning of this chap. vnto his first reasoÌ„ For euen as before he depressed yâ— law coÌ„mended grace wherupon the aduersaries toke occasioÌ„ of speking slaundrous words saying shal we abide in sinne that grace may abound So coÌ„cludeth he yâ— reason now brought forth by these wordes For ye are not vnder the lawe but vnder grace At whiche wordes the false prophetes cried out saying that many were offended and accused the doctrine of Paul And therefore he oftentymes obiecteth vnto himselfe such Antipophora is â— figure interrogations For his doctrine for that cause was euery where euill spoken of Wherefore here is vsed the figure * Antipophora If it be so as thou sayst that we are deliuered from the lawe then may we sinne and that without punishement But they which make this obiection are wonderfully deceaued For the deliuery from the lawe is not geuen to liue licenciously but rather for a more perfecter absolutenes Wherefore Paul addeth God forbid signifiing that he excedingly abhorred from such kinde of doctrine And this absurdity mought haue followed if Paul had affirmed only that we are deliuered from the lawe and had added nothing els But in that he addeth But ye are vnder grace he sheweth Grace is a more excelleÌ„ter scholemaster then the law that they are so deliuered from the lawe to the ende they should lyue vnder a more excellenter schoolemaster for by grace and the holy ghost we are not only so illustrated that we sée what thinges we ought to do but also we are excedingly stirred vp and pricked forward to execute the selfe same thinges Wherefore the Apostle doth not so leaue the godly without the lawe that he woulde haue them let loose the bridle vnto wicked lustes but he setteth forth grace which through the benefite of the Gospell succeded the lawe And forasmuch as men are much better gouerned by grace and by the holy ghost then they are by the lawe it easely appeareth how weake the argument of these men is For in their disputation they take as it was said at the beginning that for the cause whiche is not the cause But so farre is it of that that which Paul sayth is the cause of sinne that of it rather the contrary followeth For they which are vnder grace and are gouerned They which are gouerned by the conduite of grace sinâ—â— not by the conduite thereof sinne not yea rather forasmuch as Christ 〈…〉 gh grace liueth in them they can not sinne so farre forth as by hym they are â—tirreâ— vp to any kynd of worke For Paul saith vnto the Galathyans I liue but not I now but Christ liueth in me But they sinne which liue vnder thâ— Lawe which 〈…〉 seth and condemneth them as Paul writeth vnto Timo. The law is not geuen vnto a righteous man but vnto the vngodly and vnto sinners to 〈…〉 holy and 〈…〉 the prophane to murtherers of fathers and mothers to manslears to whoremongers and to abusers of nature and if there be any other thing that is contrary to wholsome doctrine By thys place we sée that they which are infected with these wicked vices are vnder the dominion of the lawe namely by it to be accused and punished But the Gospell suffreth vs not to remayne in sinne for it doth not only preach the remission of sinnes but also vnto theÌ„ that beleue it bringeth the spirite of God whereby they are wonderfully inflamed and stirred vp to holy workes Neither is this reason of any force We are not compelled by threatninges and punishements of the law to withhold our selues from sinne therefore we are by none other meanes impelled By what reasons the regenerate are bound to liue holilye They which liue vndergrace oughte to obey God A similitude of seruauntes to lyue innocently For we are bound of dewty piety and fayth to lyue honestly and holilye which things vndoubtedly are of greater force and doo more vehemently stirre vs vp then any bond of the Lawe This is the effect of the reason aleadged They which liue vnder grace ought to obey God but to make the thyng more playne we will expresse it by a similitude of seruants for they ought in all things to be obedient vnto their masters and to be comformable vnto theyr willes thus therefore he reasoneth It is mete that seruaunts obey their Lords But ye are now made the seruauntes of righteousnes wherefore vnto it oughte ye to do seruice and not vnto sinne Farther to strike vs more sharpely he addeth to this reason a double spurre to pricke vs forward firste he sayth that they came into this seruitude not against their willes or by compulsion but willyngly and of theyr owne accorde secondlye as muche as lyeth in hym he layth before theyr eyes the haynousnes of synne and geueth thankes vnto God who deliuered them from it and made them the seruauntes of righteousnes If a man demaunde at what tyme we addicte our selues to be seruauntes vnto righteousnes Chrisostome answereth that we then do it when we are baptised So by the sacrameÌ„t of baptisme he declareth both this reason and also the other wherby he proued that we are dead vnto sinne This similitude of seruauÌ„tes and Lords is confirmed by that right or law whereby seruauntes are bound vnto theyr Lordes which law whither it be the law of god or the law of man maketh theÌ„ bound to obey theyr Lords and this thinge may be knowen by the finall cause if we consider the property of the name Augustine in this 19. booke De ciuitate Dei the 15. chap writeth that Serui that is seruaunts were so called of the Latine meÌ„ Why Serui that is seruants are so called Seruio in lattine signifyeth to saue or to keepe Seruitude sprange of sinne We are born slaues vnto Sathan bycause being taken in warre they were saued of theyr enemies For they which were taken were not alwayes slayne by them that ouercame them but sometimes were reserued one liue for this purpose that they should be seruauntes vnto them that tooke them And
pertakers of the resurrection namely when by mortification we are Howe we are pertakers of the resurrection The spirite of God will do the selfe same thinge in vs that it hath done in Christ made like vnto his death The reason of Paul leueth vnto this foundation that the spirite of God will worke the selfe same effecte in vs that it did in Christ For of one the selfe same cause are to be looked for yâ— selfe same effectes And God forasmuch as he is euery where like vnto himselfe by the selfe same meanes bringeth forth the selfe same workes Wherefore the consequence followeth well And seing when Christ was raysed from the dead ther was rendred vnto him a pure eternall and diuine life such a life also shall one day be rendred vnto vs which life we wayte for in the blessed resurrection when our bodyes shal be raysed vp being perfectly renued and now also we beginne the same when as by new motions Our resurrection is now begon of the spirite we are stirred vp to good workes Wherefore by these wordes are we admonished to mortefie the affectes of the flesh as Paul in an other place saide They which are of Christ haue crucified their fleshe with all the lustes thereof And vnto the Colossians Mortefie saith he your members which are vpon the earth and thys is the body to be deade Neither is it to be meruailed at that by the name of the body is vnderstand sine for sinne is named of that part whereby it had entrance into vs. For the soule saith Ambrose is not traduced from the parentes but only the body Now to dye vnto the body or vnto sinne is nothing els then to do nothing at the commaundement of lustes This is all one with that which we had What to dy vnto the body or vnto sinne signifieth before in the 6. chapter That we are now in baptisme dead with Christ and are buried together wyth hym And the Apostle commonly when he writeth of mortification and newnes of life taketh argumentes of the resurrection of the Lord by which Christ layd away mortality and did put on eternall life Which selfe thing shall also come to passe in our resurrection For in it shall we lay a side all oldenes of error and of corruption Which although before that tyme we shall not perfectly haue yet nowe also in this life we beginne to possesse in some sorte alreadye Wherefore Paul saith in the 2. epistle to the Corrinthyans Euen as our olde man is dayly destroyed so on the other side is our new man dayly renewed And vnto the Collossians If ye haue risen together whith Christ seeke the thynges that are aboue And vnto the Phillippians Paul saith That he alwayes endeuoreth himselfe to the thinges that are before neglecting and setting aside those thynges which are behynde that he mought by any meanes attayne vnto the resurrection of the Lord beyng already made pertaker of hys suffrynges And thus much as touching the first interpretacioÌ„ which Chrisostome followeth which if we more narrowly consider we shall sée that it containeth that which we a litle before spake namely that it is the proper duty of Christians not to liue according to the fleshe but according to the spirite For what other thinge is this but to mortify the body of sinne and to rise againe vnto a new life with Christ as though eueÌ„ now beginneth to shine forth in vs the resurrectioÌ„ which we hope shall in the last time be made perfect The second interpretation which Augustine foloweth is to vnderstand the body properly that is for this our outward substaunce And this body he saith is through sinne dead for that vppon it by reason of sinne was sentence long since geuen And he teacheth that by Christ By Christ we haue recouered a better nature then we lâ—st hy by Adam we haue recouered a better nature then we lost by Adam For he had a body not obnoxious vnto the necessity of death howbeit mortall for if he sinned he shoulde die But we by the resurrection of Christ shall receiue a body so frée from the necessitie of dying that it can not any more dye So according to this interpretatioÌ„ Paul declareth that we besides the benefite of the death of Christ haue an other benefit also of the spirite of Christ so that we are now by him pertakers of immortality Wherfore as touching the resurrection of the bodies eche interpretation is agreable But about this particle The body is dead they agrée not for Augustine taketh the body properly but Chrisostome by it vnderstandeth the vice and corruption of nature Wherfore according to this second interpretation Paul semeth to aunswer vnto a priuy obiection For against those thinges which haue hitherto bene spoken mought some man make this obiection This spirit whome thou so highly commendest as though it deliuereth vs from sinne and froÌ„ death doth yet stil leue vs in death and obnoxious vnto many aduersities diseases and calamities Paul aunswereth that this is true only as touching the body by reason of sinne which is still left in it For there hence come those euils Howbeit he willeth vs to be of good cheare for that spirite of God which is in vs hath now taken away condemnatioÌ„ that sinne which is remainyng in vs should not be imputed vnto vs vnto eternal death and will also bring to passe that euen as Christ which was dead was by him raised vp againe from the dead so also our bodies which are yet mortall shall be repayred vnto true immortalitie This sence is easy and plain and very wel agreing with those things which haue bene spoken therfore I allow it although in yâ— other exposition I know there is no absurditie or discoÌ„moditie Here are two things to be noted first that yâ— lust which is remayning in vs is of Paul called sinne and such a sinne also that after it followeth death Which cannot be denied The luste which remayneth in vs is sinne after which followeth death Why God sendeth aduersities vpon his elect in infants that are baptised and yet die for if in them sinne were vtterly taken away death could haue no place Although in the elect which are nowe reconciled vnto God death and such other afflictions are not inflicted as paines but rather as a crosse sanctified of God and that by a fatherly chastisement we should vnderstaÌ„d how highly God is displeased with sinne and should be more and more called back vnto repentaunce and that death mought be in vs a way wherby should be extinguished whatsoeuer sinne is remainyng in vs. Wherfore although by reason of sinne death be said to haue place in vs for vnles it were death could by no meanes be yet followeth it not that it is inflicted vpon the godly and elect as a payne And God retayneth not anger againste those whoÌ„â— he receiueth into fauour An example of Dauid It lieth not in the sacrifisinge priestes
Pigghius moreouer cauilleth againste our doctrine as though we stirre vp meÌ„ to hate God For Christ thus speaketh of Iudas Wo be vnto that man it had bene better for him neuer to haue bene borne He being reiected and a reprobate it must néedes follow that he hated God when as God first hated him And forasmuch as the nomber of the reprobate is the greater nomber Whether is had bene better for Iudas that he had neuer bene borne euery man say they might easly surmise that he is one of that nomber And so it should come to passe that many should abhorre from God But we aunswere that Christ said wel that it had bene better for that man if he had not bene borne For euery one of vs ought rather and gladlier to desire either neuer to haue bene or to be brought to nothing then that by committing of sinne we shoulde offende God Wherefore Christ sayd truly and plainely that it had bene better for Iudas that he had neuer bene borne Howbeit simply as touching God it had not bene better for by him both the counsell of God as touching our redemption was fulfilled and also by the punishment which was inflicted vpon him both the iustice and power of God appeared the more manifest And it is vaine that they say that many fall into suspition of their reprobation For out of the holy scriptures no man can No man hath a certaine and in fallâ—ble argument of his reproâ—atioÌ„ An example of Frances Spiera gather any argumentes of efficacye that he is a reprobate And if God will sometimes reueale it by a certaine secret iudgement yet cannot that be made a common rule In our time in déede it happened that a certaine man in Italy called Francis Spiera inwardly felt that God had inflicted vpon him this euill But this I suppose was done to the terror of others For he after that he had at the beginning knowne the truth of the Gospell and openly professed it being broughte to Venice before the legate of the Bishop of Rome publikely abiured it Afterwarde being striken with a gréeuous wounde of conscience he perswaded himselfe that he had sinned against the holy Ghost By meanes whereof he was throwne into so greate a desperation that he woulde neuer afterwarde receiue any consolation though he were assisted euen by notable and religious men which exhorted him to haue a good hope of Christ and of his death And he would saye that these thinges serued well to be spoken vnto others but vnto him they nothing at all preuailed for that he knew most assuredly yâ— he had sinned against the holy Ghost and yâ— there was no remedy remaining to deliuer him from damnation and so remaining in this desperation he died God would in this man by a certayne singuler and vnaccustomed dispensation feare away others from the like wickednes and impietye Howbeit this neither customably happeneth as farre as we can gather out of histories neither also can any man by the holye scriptures gather this desperation And peraduenture God did not put this into the heade of Spiera but the Deuill whose bondslaue he was hauing now renounced piety to the ende to driue him to vtter desperation Wherefore we must make a distinction as we before admonished that either we speake of them that are vtterly without all feeling of piety or els of the godly and of them that are now called If we speake of those that are straungers they either nothing regarde these counsels of GOD or els they are The godly suspect not that they pertaine to the number of the reprobate alreadye in dispayre of themselues If we meane of the godly they will not suffer themselues to be any longer tormented with this suspicion for that they now sée that they are called that they haue obteyned faith and therefore are iustified all which thinges moue them to haue confidence and to hope that theyr names ar in the roule of the elect Lastly Pigghius imagineth that we speake things absurd for that we teach that men were first in a masse vitiated and corrupted wiâ—â— originall sinne before that they were predestinated of God as though we would here by iustifie the purpose of God when yet notwthstanding we in the counsell of predestination put condemnation and eternall infelicity before sinnes and our corrupt nature and so we iustefy that which is first by that which commeth after he addeth also that hy this meanes as touching the purpose of God euen by our owne doctrine the ende is first appointed and those thinges also whiche bring vnto the ende Wherefore forasmuche as originall sinne is one of the meanes whereby we are condemned it cannot as we imagine go before reprobation when as it falleth and is comprehended vnder it is a meane vnto eternall condemnation But these thinges declare that this man vnderstoode not what we say Neyther Augustine Pighius vnderstandeth not our senteÌ„ce nor we euer sayd that originall sinne goeth before predestination when as predestination is before al eternity but Adams fall was in time Nether is it so absurd as he imagineth that sinnes should fall vnder reprobation not indéede as the cause therof but as the cause of condemnation and of eternall misery And whereas he Originall sinne gâ—eâ—h not before predestination Sinnes how they fal vnder reprobation saith that if it were so it should follow that God willeth sinnes we haue before declared how this is to be aunswered vnto Neyther can he deny but that God vseth sinnes which are continually committed to those endes whiche he himselfe hath appointed And forasmuch as this is not done of him rashelye but by his appointed counsell how can it be that after a sort sinnes are not comprehended vnder reprobation Nowe if he contende that God willeth not sinnes neither is the cause of sinnes in such sort as he willeth good works is the cause of good works we also affirme the same But yet in the meane time let him cease to count it for a thing absurde that both the ende and also the meanes either of predestination or of reprobatioÌ„ are coÌ„prehended vnder the purpose of God although after a diuerse manner And as touching originall sinne we also affirme that it goeth not before predestination or reprobatioÌ„ but of necessity followeth it for that God would not produce men out of any other stocke or matter but out of the progeny of Adam by meanes wherof we are al borne infected with the spot of corruption And forasmuche as this was not hidden from God therefore Augustine and we also with hym saye that God from eternallye purposed to haue mercye on those whome he loued and not to haue mercye on others whome hee loued not so that if they whiche wante that mercye whyche is bestowed vpon others do leade theyr life in originall synne and when they are come to age and to the vse of reason do adde vnto it many other sinnes then are they iustly and
them vnto others seing that we are commaunded to loue our neighbours as our selues So Helias shut vp heauen So God brought home againe some of his elect which went astray for there are some kind of men so blockish the they can not be brought home againe but by this meanes Wherfore the Psalme saith Fill their faces with ignominy and they will seeke after thy name And therefore we may wish the crosse and affliction both vnto our selues and also vnto others for amendment and correction sake In which cause yet nothing ought to be done In this matter we must go discretely warely to worke rashly for oftentimes it happeneth that some by afflictions are not amended but rather made worse Wherfore the better way were to pray vnto God to correct them and not to wish vnto them aduersities except it be with this condition to conuert them or that the glory of God should thereof ensew And so as saith Augustine we should not pray against them but for them But this is to be knowen that amongst men there are some which are the ambassadors of God which are Why it is lawfull for prophets to curse not as priuate men but execute an extraordinary ministery And they by the spirite of prophesying doubt not of the will of God for in their prayers they talke together with God and in that talke they see and vnderstand many thinges as touching the mind and are wonderfully affected Wherefore seing that God sheweth vnto them that sinners shall be brought to amendment by some kinde of punishementes and that he hath appointed to punishe them or that some are now past all hope of saluation and shall without all doubt be punished with eternall misery seing I say that God sheweth vnto such holy men such things and they in no wise doubt but that such things are decreed of the most mighty God which forasmuch as he appointeth them must of necessity be good how can they not but allow them how can they not but wishe them when as they continually pray thy will be done Wherefore when they see those thinges they pray they make imprecations they poure out such execrations and cursings as we reade in the Prophetes and in the holy histories Whereout the godly What consolation is gathered out of the cursings of the Prophetes take consolation which thereby vnderstand in what sort wicked men shall at the length be handled and the weaker sort and they which go astray which pertaine vnto the flocke of God are by these thinges corrected and take hede vnto themselues that they deserue not the like Wherfore Gregory vpon those words of Iob wherein he cursed the day of his birth warely wrote that the execrations of the Saintes procede not of ranker that is of the affect of the flesh and hate of the world but of good consideration namely whereby they se that these things are allowed through the will of God But saith he they pray not for those thinges of a desire and an affecte vnto which his last saying I can not assent for as I haue now sayd the saints can not but allow and ernestly wishe those thinges which they se God willeth so that they be assured that God hath thus firmely decreed In this maner Paul made blinde Elimas y◠sorcerer Peter slew Ananias and Saphira so also the same Peter said vnto Simon the sorcerer thy mony and thou be destroyed together Paul deliuered vnto Satan him that had committed incest and said also I would to God they were cut of which trouble you And in the same sort also Helias commaunded fire to come downe from heauen which deuoured the captains ouer fifty with their fifty souldiers Heliseus also cursed the children which derided him they were rent in sonder of beares What difference is there whether God doo a thing by himselfe or by others whome he hath appointed out to be his ministers They which will imitate the Prophetes must take hede that they haue their spirit The sword of vengeāce and execration cōpared together Wherefore that which he doth by himselfe he can in like sorte do by the Saintes and Prophetes Farthermore if any man be moued to curse others and do pretend the imitation of the Prophetes and of the Apostles let them first well consider whether he haue their spirit or no. For euē as no man ought to vse the sword but only the magistrate so let none vse these execrations but they which are most fully assured of the will of God and which are moued by the spirit to inflict them This place is of nigh affinity yea rather all one with that place which is of vengeaunce Priuate vengeaunce is forbidden but so is not publique vengeaunce and that which is done by Princes so they which are of the common sort let them abstaine from execrations especially let them no◠wishe any crosse vnto any man as touching eternall condemnation vnles it be of condition that it may do good and let them assuredly knowe that they are bound to obey this common rule blesse and curse not agayne pray for them which persecute you And they which by the impulsion of God vse any execratiōs or imprecations let them alwayes haue before their eyes the amendment of sinne or at the least way the diminishing of the maliciousnes thereof by paynes and punishmentes that the righteous may not be hindred from the worshipping of God and also may not extend their handes vnto iniquities and finally let them seeke onely that the will of God may haue place and let them not be desirous of their owne commodities Neither ought it to seme vnto any man wonderfull that that common rule wherein is prescribed vs to blesse and not to curse and to wishe well vnto them that persecute vs admitteth any exceptions for that thing happeneth also in other commaundementes Are we not in an other place commaunded to pray for all men And vnto Timothe a reason is added for that God will haue all men to be saued And yet Iohn saith that some sin vnto the death We must not alwaies pray for our enemies and for them he saith we ought not to pray which yet we ought to vnderstand when we are fully assured that they haue sinned vnto the death Wherefore as touching that trope or figure of Augustin wherein he saith that these imprecations of the Saints were predictions or foretellinges as we vtterly reiect it not We must not pray for them that sinne vnto the death so also do we say that it is not of necessity Neither do we graunt that in the execrations of the Prophetes and of the Apostles were not ernest requests and desires for how could they not desire that which they saw God had willed and decreed vnles paraduenture by request or desire he ment the sence of the fleshe or of reason as it is led by humane counsels Last of all this is to be noted that it is not absurd that in
the end the promise should be firme as if he should haue sayd our mynde should continually wauer if the promise should depend vpon workes none could appoynt any certainty of his owne saluation for his conscience would euermore accuse him that he had not performed those workes vnto which the promise should be made to the end therefore we should not in such sort wauer God would that our iustification should consist of faith and grace that the promise might be firme The same thing also is gathered out of that which is declared of Abraham how that contrary The thirtenth to hope he beleued in hope He is sayd to beleue in hope contrary to hope which either in himselfe or in nature séeth or féeleth no maner of thing which might perswade him to hope As Abraham was an hundreth yeares of age his body was in a maner dead his wife an old woman and barren all which thinges naturally feared him away from hoping and yet preuailing against them all he hoped But we if we should haue merites or good workes by which we might obtaine righteousnes then should we not hope contrary to hope but in hope and accordyng to hope Wherefore our iustification is to be appointed no otherwise thē we read that it was in Abraham For he is the father of vs all as it was imputed vnto him so shall it also be imputed vnto vs. But now let vs come to the 5. chapter There The fourtenth agayne Paul plainly expresseth in what case men are before they be regenerate for he sayth For Christ when we were yet weake according to the consideration of the tyme dyed for vngodly ones And straight way But God setteth out his loue towardes ve in that that when we were yet sinners Christ dyed for vs And he addeth For if when we were ennemies we were reconciled to God by the deathe of his sonne muche more being now reconciled shall we be saued by his life Hereby we gather that before regeneration men are weake sinners vngodly and the enemies of God Who then can ascribe vnto such men power to attayne vnto iustice when they will by bringing forth good workes Others may beleue it but the godly will neuer be so perswaded This is moreouer an other profe in that he setteth forth the cause of so greate The fiuetene an euill when he sayd Therfore euen as by one man synne entred into the world and by sinne death and so doath went ouer all men forasmuch as all men haue sinned as if he should haue sayd we were euen thē from the first beginning by the first man lost and condemned And lest thou shouldest thinke that infantes are to be excepted he sayth Yea death hath raigned from Adam euen to Moses ouer them also which haue not sinned after the similitude of the transgression of Adam The Masse or lompe of perdition comprehendeth all those that are borne from whiche corruption the holy scriptures teach that it is not possible for men to escape by their workes to claime vnto themselues iustification Afterwarde in the 6. chapter thus speaketh The sixtene our Apostle What fruite had ye then in those thinges whereof ye are now ashamed For the end of them is death But now being deliuered from sinne and made the seruantes of God ye haue your fruit to sanctification and the end euerlasting life What other thing meane these woordes then that all thinges whiche men do before they beleue in Christ deserue nothing els but ignominy and shame And there is no fruit of sanctification but that which followeth regeneration And who will say that we are The seuentene iustified of those thinges whiche are full of ignominy and shame But now let vs heare what is said in the beginning of the seuenth chapter Knowe ye not bretherne for I speake to them that know the lawe how that the lawe hath power ouer a man as long as it endureth For the woman which is in subiection to a man is bound by the law to the man as long as he liueth but if the man be deade she is loosed from the lawe of the man Wherfore if whilest the man liueth she coople herselfe with an other man she shal be counted a wedlocke breaker but if the man dead ▪ she is free from the lawe of the husband so that she is no wedlocke breaker though she coople her selfe with an other man Euen so ye also my bretherne are dead vnto the law by the body of Christ that ye should be coopled to an other namely to him which is risen againe from the deade that we shoulde bring foorth fruite vnto God Paul would by this reason declare that we before our faith in Christ were as it were to husbande 's coopled to the law and to the flesh of which copulation could come no fruites but those that are pernicious and deadly But now being deliuered by the grace of God we are coopled vnto Christ by the spirit vnto Christ I say being raysed from the dead by which copulation we shal now bring forth fruite vnto God and not any more to death and damnation And the selfe same thing he affirmeth or rather expoundeth when he addeth For when we were in the fleshe the lustes of sinnes which are by the law were of force in our members to bring forth fruite vnto death Here let vs note that so long as we were in the flesh we were subiect vnto wicked affections whiche by the lawe were of force in our members how then could we be iustified by our workes Further in the same chapter is written For that which I do I allow not For what I woulde that do I not The eightene but what I hate that do I. If now I do that which I would not then is it not I that do it but sinne that dwelleth in me For I know that in me that is in my flesh dwelleth no good thing Here as it manifestlye appéereth is entreated of the bodies of men and although in interpreting these wordes I am assured that they are to be vnderstande of those workes which are done of the godly which haue already obteined iustification yet now I leaue it fre vnto the aduersaries to take whether part they wil and if they graunt that these things ought to be vnderstand of works done before iustification then forasmuch as they are neither allowed nor good how shall they deserue righteousnes for they are called euil no man is iustified by an euil actiō But if we vnderstād works which are here described to be the works of those that are iustified then wil I make mine argument a maiori that is frō the greater If those workes which rather séeme to be acceptable vnto God iust holy are called euil by the iudgement of reason now renued are not allowed howe can we affirme thē that those works which are done of sinners are such that they are able to iustifye And lest any
after the seuenth day there commeth vnto the infant newly borne so much strength that he is able easely to abyde the payne of circumcision But let vs leaue vnto them these The eyght day betokeneth the resurrection of Christ fayned toyes and let vs rather thus thinke that in the eight day was betokened the resurrection of Christ and therewith all ours which thing may easely be perceaued by Paule for he sayth that in circumcision was signified the cutting of of the sinnes of the flesh But the sinnes of the flesh can neuer be perfectly cut of from vs vntill we are come to the holy resurrection All the whole tyme of this world and the tyme of this whole life representeth a weeke of dayes But the eight day signifieth the resurrection There is moreouer an other reason The tyme of thys life is a weeke not worthy to be contemned namely that a childe being so newely borne is able to do nothing of hymselfe as touching the attaynement of righteousnes Wherfore hereby we be admonished y◠iustification cōmeth not of our workes And although it were so in the rite of Circumcisiō yet are not we in Baptisme bound to any certayn nomber of dayes For Christ hath made vs fre from this In baptisme we are not compelled to an◠certayne nomber of dayes Circumcisiō mought in the primitiue church be retayned for a time kinde of obseruation Howbeit there haue bene some which haue gone aboute in Baptisme also to compell Christians vnto the eyght day But those the Counsell held by Cypriam hath condemned In the primitiue Church Circumcision was for a tyme obserued Augustine also vpon the epistle vnto the Galathians saith that not euery circumcision after Christ was condemned but only that circumcision wherin was put hope of saluation but that circumcisiō which was receaued for this cause only to retaine peace in the Church and the more to aduaunce the preaching of the Gospel mought well be borne with all For this cause Paul suffred Timothe to be circumcised But if it be required to be done as necessary vnto saluation it is by no meanes to be permitted And therfore Paule ernestly resisted and would not suffer Titus to be circumcised as it is written in the epistle to the Galathians They say that euē now very many Churches Many churches of the christians retaine still circumcisiō in the East or in the South retayn still to this day Circumcision together with Baptisme How rightly they do it let them see vnto that Doubtles it is most likely that forasmuch as they haue retayned it so long and that so stifly they put some hope of theyr saluation in it Wherefore they should do much better if they would vtterly omitte it But it shal be good in the meane time to declare Why circumcision bound men to obserue the law how Paul to y◠Galathians sayth that he which is circumcised is debter to obserue the whole law For when Abraham receaued Circumcision the law was not yet geuen Wherefore it semeth that Circumcision had not that of his owne force and nature to binde men to obserue the law But we ought to remember that that whiche the Apostle sayth proceedeth out of an other principle namelye that Circumcision represented Christ as which should come and geue himselfe vpon the crosse and the law should so long be of force vntil Christ came Wherfore seing by Circumcision they testified that he was not as yet come it must nedes follow that they were kept still vnder the law when as the law could only by the comming of Christ be abrogated And with how greate an obseruation God would haue that sacrament to be kept hereby it is manifest for that in the booke of Genesis the 17. chapter he testefieth That the soule which is not circumcised the 8. day should be cut of from his people Ambrose in his booke of Abraham the Patriarch semeth to wonder at this so greate seuerity For God sayth he appoynted How it is sayd that the soule of the vncircumcised should be cut of cities of refuge that if any had by chance or vnwares killed a mā he mought haue a place whether to go that the frendes and kinsfolke of the party slayne should not kill hym so that he had not of set purpose and willingly but by chaunce and vnawares committed the murther Wherfore seing infants did not by their owne will refuse circumcision what reason was there they should bee cut of He answereth that therefore peraduenture God would haue the children depriued of theyr corporall life that in them the parentes might be punished for theyr impiety But he sayth that there were other which were of the opinion that this sentence pertayned not vnto the infants but vnto those in whose power they were as if it had bene sayd that they should be cut of But the very words of the scripture are agaynst this sentence wherefore he turneth himselfe to an allegoricall exposition as though that threatning should pertayn to those which circūcise not the mind which is the strongest most excellentest portion of the soule But suche allegories satisfie not this question Wherfore I thinke that two thinges are necessary to the absoluinge of this doubte The firste is that that threatning pertayned vnto him when he came to full age if he should then allow the negligence of his parents not receaue Circumcision vnto which he was by the law bound The second is that God is not to be accused of iniustice if somtimes he killed the infant being so brought vp vncircumcised For such seuerity mought be of force to admonish mē in how il part God taketh it to haue his sacramentes contemned And if paraduenture thou demaund what is to be What is to be iudged of children that perished without circumcision iudged of the soule of a child so killed hauing not as yet receaued the sacramēt I answer that we ether as touching his saluation or condemnatiō can affirm nothing on neither side For if he pertayned to the number of the elect so that he was predestinate to eternall life there is no cause but that he may be saued forasmuch as grace is not bound vnto the sacraments But if he were a vessell to that end made of God to shew forth in him his wrath and so to be condemned what can we complayne of the seuerity of God especially seing we are all borne the children of wrath and of condemnatiō Howbeit in my iudgmēt we ought to hope well of him for that forasmuch as the promise was geuen vnto the sede of Abraham and he being an infant hath not by any actuall sinne of his owne withdrawen himselfe from the promise it is most likely that he is admitted vnto the kingdome of God Neither oughte we to thincke that he was slayne of God to eternall condemnation but rather to saluation that he shoulde not by mallice change his hart and that by hys death he mought testifye
vnto hys parents vnto his elders vnto others how greuously they sinned in neglectyng hys circumcision and might profite the whole Churche being a manifest token of the wrath of God against the contemners of the sacramentes Farther it is Before circumcision were some signes of the sacramentes Whether the sword wherewith they circumcised were made of stone Circumcion spread abroade to outward nations not hard to beleue that godly men which liued before Circumcision was instituted had other certayne notes wherby theyr righteousnes which was had by fayth was sealed For we read that they both offred fyrst fruites and also sacrificed But by what signe they signifyed theyr fyrst regeneration the holy scriptures mencioÌ„ not And the Hebrues in Circumcising their children vsed a knife made of stone which thing yet God commaunded not But they were moued so to do by the example of Zippora the wife of Moses whiche vsed suche a knife in circumcising of her sonne when he was in danger to haue bene slayne of the angell And although this sacrament was diligeÌ„tly obserued and kept amongst the Iewes yet it spred abrode also to forren nations For if we may geue credite to Ambrose in his 2. booke of Abraham the patriarch the Egiptians Arabians and Phenicians were circumcised And he thinketh that they for this cause did it for that they thoughte that by suche firste fruytes of their bloude are driuen The deuill as much as lieth in him vitiateth the sacraments of God A foolish manner of the Iewes in circumcâ—sing of their children The Egiptians circumcise their children in the 14. yeare awaye diuels to the ende that they shoulde not hurte hym which is circumcised So the deuill hath alwayes gone aboute to vitiate the sacramentes of God For it was supersticion to ascribe the power of saluation or of the deliuery from Sathan vnto the nature of bloud shed forth And at this day the Iewes seme not to be farre from this kinde of foolishenes For whilest they circumcise the infante there standeth one by with a little vessell full eyther of earth or of duste where into they thruste the foreskinne beyng cut of as though the Deuil seemed by that meanes to haue his meat For the Lord said vnto the serpent euen straight way at the beginnyng Vppon thy breast shalt thou creepe and earth shalte thou eate They séeme to thinke that the deuill hauing thus gotten his meate departeth from the child and wyll not afterward trouble him any more Amongst the Ethnickes also as the same Ambrose affirmeth was circumcision corruptly obserued after an other maner for the Egiptians circumcised not in the eight daye as God had commaunded but in the. 14. yeare for that Ismael at that age receiued circumcision Which maner also it is most likely the Arabians followed For at this day the Turkes also are circumcised at that age Although the Egiptians as the same Ambrose affirmeth were wont also to circumcise theyr women The Egiptians circuÌ„cise women kynde and that in the. 14. yeare as they did their males And of this thinge they gaue this reasoÌ„ that they would by this signe signifie that lust is to be restrained which in eyther kinde at that age beginneth chiefly to be kyndled But God commaunded that onely the male kindes should be circumcised and yet were not the women of the Hebrewes therefore counted either straungers froÌ„ the Church The womeÌ„ of the Hebrewes though they were not circumcised perished not An obiection against circumcisi â–ª or from the couenaÌ„t For they are alwaies numbred together with the men they that were vnmaried with their Father and the maryed with their husbandes There haue bene some which haue by deceitfull arguments spoken yll of circumcision and after a sorte reproued the God of the olde Testament For first they sayd that the foreskinne that was cut of is eyther according to the nature of the of the body or els it is against the nature thereof If it be according to nature why would God haue it cut of If it be agaynst nature why doth God suffer it to be brought forth Ambrose in his 77. epistle to Constantius answereth That that foreskinne is according to the nature of our body but it is not absurd that those thinges which are agreable with our body or our flesh be cut of if the spirite may thereby be holpen Which thing we see done in fastings and other mortifications of the fleshe and in bearing the crosse which God hath layd vpon all the faithfull In whych we are compelled to suffer many thinges which are against the fleshe Farther they said that God feared away the other nations from the law of Moses when An other obiection he layd vpon them this yoke of Circumcision Which if it had bene away many straungers and outward nations would haue come vnto the religion of the Hebrewes But after the selfe same maner also they mought cauell against Christ him selfe for that he seemed to feare away the world from his religion partly by reason of the seuerity of his doctrine and partly by reason of the persecutions and martirdome which in the first time the most part of the faithfull were lyke to suffer But they which truely pertaine vnto the number of the elect doo in no wyse leape backe because of the difficultie of the calling But they which go backwarde were not of vs and therefore they are fallen away They maruayle also why God would in so tender age haue such a ceremonie excercised which mought oftentimes bring weake litle bodies into danger As touching age saith Ambrose Euery age meete for the sacrament Few children died by occasion of circumcision as euery age is subiect vnto sinne so also is it mete for the sacrament And that Infants are subiect vnto sinne theyr diseases weepings paines and deathes aboundantly declare And if peraduenture they were brought in daunger of their lyfe yet was there no cause why they should complaine for as much as they ought the same all whole vnto God And yet as they write very few haue by that occasion died And that payne and daunger brought some vtilitie For euen as valiant soldiours when they remeÌ„ber that they haue before suffered many thinges for that they would not flee away are the more animated to stand by it least they should dishonor those skarres and woundes which they before suffered rather then they would forsake theyr place and standing So would God that Why God would haue the children afflicted with such a wound and with paine the hebrues being now of full age and at mans state should defend the profession of theyr law euen agaynst all dangers when they called to remembraunce that for religions sake they had bene wounded euer from theyr infamy But now he sayth CircumcisioÌ„ is worthely refused of Christians for that forasmuch as Christ hath shed his bloud the price of our redemption there is now no neede that euery particular man should priuatelye shed
yet as we haue now taught we are bound vnto the Ten commaundementes as touching the obedience thereof Hereunto I answere that no man fullfilleth the Ten commaundementes though he be neuer so holye for all our workes are so vnperfect that they answere not vnto the prescript and rule thereof Howbeit bycause the precepts which are there contayned are agreeable vnto the law of nature and are grafted and printed in our mindes it commeth per accidens that is by chance that the good workes vnto which the children of God being now regenerate thoroughe the holy ghost are stirred vp are one and the selfe same with those workes which are written in the Ten commaundementes For it is mete for them whome God hath adopted to be his childreÌ„ that they apply themselues vnto good workes and to such workes as are acceptable vnto God And those workes are vtterly one and the selfe same with those which nature rightly enstructed bringeth forth of his owne accord and which the Ten commaundementes appoynted by God contayneth But so is it not of ceremonies and ciuile or iudiciall lawes for they are not so knowen of all men that they appeare vnto all meÌ„ vpright and iust if they should iudge of them by the light of nature only Paul to encourage them that fight putteth them in remembraunce to consider that they liue vnder grace and not vnder the lawe For two wayes are the mindes of men accustomed to be stirred vp vnto battayl firste by the goodnes Two thinges do chiefly encourage theÌ„ that fighte What grace in this place signifieth of the cause secondly by the certaynty of victory and rewards As touching the goodnes of our cause there is alredy spoken sufficiently for in it we exhibite our selues vnto God and for righteousnes sake we fight agaynst sin and death And now he promiseth also an assured victory for he sayth the grace of God is â—ne our side Grace as touching this place signifieth two thinges First the forgeuenes of sinnes by imputing of righteousnes thorough Christ secondlye the gifts of the holy ghost the renuing of our strengths This latter part bicause it is receaued in vs corrupt and fylthy vessels althoughe it somewhat wythdrawe vs from sinning yet it is not such that we ought to leane and trust vnto it For our workes though they be succored and holpen by these aydes yet are they not so perfect that they can stand in the iudgement of God But by the first kinde of exhortation we receaue greate consolation in our consciences For although in our fight sinne doth thrust in it selfe whither we will or no yet ought we not to be discouraged forasmuch as we assuredly knâ—w that it is not imputed vnto vs for Christes sake For sithen thorough Christe we are receaued of God into fauor our workes although otherwise they be â—nperfect yet for hys sake are acceptable vnto God But Paul encourageth his souldiers with bothe these kindes of exhortation when as he admonisheth them both that they are vnder grace and also that they haue the holy ghost a stay and an helpe vnto them so that sinne which is naturallye planted in them shall not be able to destroye Differences betwene grace and the law them But it shall be good to note certayne differences betwene the Lawe and betwene Grace which Chrisostome also noteth The law sayth he setteth forth a crowne but first requireth workes and battayles grace firste crowneth and afterwarde bringeth vnto the battayle By this difference he teacheth that the righteousnes whiche is set forthe of the Lawe is obteyned by workes For we can not be iustifyed by the Lawe vnlesse wee haue accomplished all the thinges whiche are commaunded in the lawe But that other righteousnes whiche we haue by grace thorough faith doth first crowne vs with a new generation and adoptioÌ„ to be the children of God and then we being regenerate it bringeth vs forth vnto battailes and vnto good workes Hereunto Chrisostome addeth The law reproueth sinne but loseth not from sinne grace loseth from sinne and reproueth not The lawe reprouing sinne encreaseth it grace forgeuing it suffereth vs not to be vnder sinne These things are true and very agreable with Pauls saying but that which he addeth not long afterward namely That before the commyng of Christ the body of man when he lyued vnder the law was such that it might easely be ouercome of sinne bicause the helpe of the holy ghost was not yet present neither also Baptisme nor mortification but maÌ„ for that the law shewed only what was to be done but nothing helped therunto went at raÌ„don and erred lyke an vnbrideled horse This I say if it be vnderstand vniuersally of al men is not true For who dare presume to say that Dauid Esay Ieremy Daniell and a great many moe holy fathers wanted the holy ghost or the grace of regeneration which was sealed by Circumcision as ours is by baptisme Or who will thinke that they wanted mortification wherby they brake the wicked appetites and lustes springing in them Wherfore those wordes of Chrisostom are to be vnderstand of the vngodly which had vtterly reiected Christ from them and liued only vnder the letter of the law and fayned vnto themselues a Messias which should come to bring only an earthly kingdome and procure worldly riches and pleasures vnto the people of the Iewes of which manner of men there were many among the Iewes And since the comming of Christ we haue no small number not much vnlike vnto these which onely in name are Christians But to returne A facili Hereby is proued that we ought to be assured of our saluation vnto Paul he comforteth them by reason of easines and promiseth vnto theÌ„ the victory bicause they are vnder grace In this place are reproued those which commaund vs perpetually to doubt whether we be in the fauor of God or no. For they which in such maner doubt do receyue no fruit of this consolation of Paule For thus they thinke with themselues how can we certainly know that we are vnder grace For peraduenture we are straungers from God and are by reason of our sinnes odious vnto him for how can we be assured that they are for Christ his sake forgeueÌ„ vs But by this meanes the reason of Paul is vtterly ouerthroweÌ„ Wherfore it behoâ—eth that with an assured fayth and an vndoubted hope which confoundeth not we certainly appoint that God loueth vs hath through Christ receiued vs into fauour And so shall we out of these wordes of Paul receiue wonderfull great comfort Now haue we finished yâ— first part of this chap. wherin Paul hath proued that we ought not to abide in sinne bicause we are now dead vnto it And this hath he confirmed by the sacrament of baptisme And when he had many wayes set forth this reason he at the last added an exhortation that we should not suffer sinne to raigne in vs but should earnestly resist it as much