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
put out the handwriting that was against vs. In the The 47. 2. to Timothy the i. chapter Who hath called vs with an holy callinge not accordinge to our workes but according to his purpose and grace which is geuen vs through Christ Iesus Here he speaketh of a calling ful of efficacy by which men are iustified and not of the common calling as touching the preaching of the word of God which is set forth vnto all men And forasmuch as this consisteth not as Paul saith of merites or woorkes neither can iustification also come of them Vnto Titus it is written The 48. The goodnes and loue of God our Sauiour towardes vs hath appeared not by the workes of righteousnes which we haue done but according to his mercy hath he saued vs. Also vnto the Hebrues is but one onely sacrifice and one oblation namely the death The 49. of Christ by which sinnes are wiped away and satisfaction made for men Wherfore iustification is not to be loked for of workes and it ought to suffice vs that the good workes which we do after iustification are sacrifices of thankesgeuing and let vs not make them sacrifices propiciatory by which meanes we should do great iniury vnto Christe But settinge a side the Epistles of Paul let vs séeke testimonies also out of other places of the holy scriptures Christe in the vii of Mathew saith Euery good tree bringeth forth good fruites but a noughty tree bringeth foorth euell The 50. fruites And to the end the nature of those which are not regenerate mighte be the better declared he addeth A good tree cannot bring forth euill frutes nether can an euill tree bring forth good fruits Wherfore seing Christ saith y◠that canot so be how dare these men affirme that it may be for they say that by workes men may be iustified Christ vseth the selfe same reason in the 12. chapiter of Mathew Ether The 51. make the tree good and his fruite good or make the tree euil and his fruite euill for by the fruite is the tree knowen O ye generation of vipers how can ye speake good thinges whē as ye your selues are euill for of the aboundance of the hart the mouth speaketh A good man out of the good treasure of the harte bringeth forth good thinges and an euill man out of an euill treasure bringeth forth euill thinges These wordes of Christ do declare that men which are not yet regenerate are euill trees which neither do bring forth good fruite nor can do ▪ and they testify that the wicked cā not speake good thinges and much les can they worke good thinges and that out of an euill treasure of the harte are euer euill thinges to be looked for And seing the matter is so consider I pray you whither they which are alienated frō Christ ought to be called euill or no Vndoubtedly vnles they be euil none of vs y◠cleaneth vnto Christ can be called good Also in Luke the 17. chapiter But which of you hauing a The 52. seruaunt that goeth to plough or fedeth your cattell that will streight way say vnto hym when he commeth from the field Go and fitte downe and sayth not rather vnto him prepare that I may suppe gyrd vp thy selfe and serue me till I haue eaten and dronken and afterward eate thou and drinke thou doth he thanke his seruaunt bycause he hath done those thinges which he hath commaunded him I trow not So likewise ye when ye haue done all those thinges that are commaunded you say We are vnprofitable seruauntes we haue done that which we ought to haue done These words spake Christ vnto his disciples vnto his Apostles I say and which were now cōuerted to saluation who if they worke vnprofitable works what shall we thē iudge of those which haue not yet receaued the fayth of Christ But the Sophisters haue made the world such fooles that they say that workes before iustification do after a sorte merite it and those workes which follow they say are most profitable wherefore they would now haue men after a sort to make accompt with God and with beades to nomber how many prayers they haue said For what other thing ment they by thē then y◠they would by a certayne nomber recite so many Pater nosters or so many Aue Marias thinking by y◠recital to haue God most assuredly boūd The 53. vnto thē In y◠15. of Iohn Christ is compared vnto a vine tree we to the branches therof wherfore he sayth Euen as the branche can not bring forth fruit of it self vnles it abide in the vine no more also cā ye vnles ye abide in me I am the vine ye are the branches he which abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruite And whosoeuer shal not abide in me they are cast out of the dores euē as the braunches or cuttings of frō the vine they shal gather thē and cast thē into the fire Now that we haue recited these wordes of the lord how agreeth it that men being straungers from Christ not yet regenerate can worke good works by which they may be iustified when as they are called dry braunches which shal be cast into the fire and it is sayd that they only can bring forth fruite which cleane vnto Christ as braunches cleane to the vine And that we should the better vnderstand the will The 54. of Christ there is added Without me ye can do nothing Which sentence some go aboute to darken saying that nothing can be done without Christ in respect that he is God forasmuch as he is the first cause of all thinges as though the Lord disputed then of the generall conseruation of naturall thinges and of that power whereby God bringeth forth all thinges vniuersally Christ came not into the world to teach this philosophye he vndoubtedly entreated of the fruite of saluation and of eternall life and spake of those whiche should cleane vnto hys doctrine or ells should be strangers from it Moreouer the sonne of God commaunded The 55. that the faythfull should in theyr prayers saye Forgeue vs our trespasses Signifieng thereby y◠the faythfull also haue nede of forgeuenes in those things which they do for our workes are vnperfect neyther are they able to satisfye Wherefore if our workes which we doo after our regeneration nede expiation by the merite of Christ And for as much as we pray for the same how can they be propitiatory Much more les then can we thinke of those workes which are done before regeneration that they should be acceptable and pleasāt vnto God Moreouer no man can iustly say that he is out of the nomber of such when as God hath commaunded all men to pray in that maner and his will is not that any man should make a lye in his prayer Yea and Iohn also writeth If we shall The 56. say that we haue no sinne we deceaue
obiecte vnto vs the Gospell younge menne whyche are studious of the Gospel yea euen theyr own senses and humane reason cryeth agaynst them saying are ye not ashamed of thys new doctrine Are ye so blynde that ye see not that by thys meanes good workes are condemned the worshipping of God perisheth the minstery of the church is troden vnder foote the dignity of priesthode is abiected ecclesiasticall riches are vtterly spoyled what patrones or supporters of learned men shall ye haue hereafter Did your elders which went before you both in thys Mecoenate◠vniuersity and in others being both doctors notable men follow these steps Vnto these men also ought we to aunswere we are not ashamed of the Gospell howsoeuer you speake ill of it If so be they wil say we haue the Gospell yours A collatio◠of the doctrine of the Papistes of the Gospell is a new doctrine Let vs answere them agayne In such sort is that the Gospel which ye haue as that is the Gospell to set forth fayned worshippinges of god casting away and dispising the sincere worshipping described vnto vs of God as it is to worshippe stockes and images as is to obtrude vowes whereby such men are drawen away from matrimony which aboue others haue most neede therof as is to go on pilgrimages vnto Images to worshippe the bones of Saynctes to inuocate the dead and an infinite number of such other like Wherefore ye ought to be ashamed of your doctrine and not we of the Gospell of Christ Let it be diligētly examined what we by the same gospel iudge of the What maner of doctrine ours is honour of god We attribute all thinges vnto hym only we wil in all thinges depend of hym only Farther see what our iudgement is concerning the worshippyng of hym We desire to retayne the same pure and holy as it is delyuered vs in the holy scriptures What do we thinke of good works we vrge them continually and requyre to haue them done of vs so perfectly that we thinke alwayes that something remayneth not perfectly done of vs vnto whiche we should leuel and whereunto we ought to direct all our endeuors What iudge we as concerning the holy ministery we trauayle to haue it to be in great estimation as by which God worketh our saluacion What of Sacraments That they should be kept pure and vndefyled and be reduced vnto that vse whereunto Christ instituted them What iudge we of magistrates that they should be obeyed and that we should be subiecte vnto them in all thinges so that they commaund nothing agaynst the word of God What of poore and miserable men that we should helpe and relieue them What of publike peace and tranquillity That it be kept yea euen with the los of our goods What of sciences and good learning That they should be mayntained and aduaunced Why do ye obiect auncientnes vnto vs There is nothing that we more desire then to haue thynges brought to their olde estate Ye haue brought in new thinges we require againe the estate of the primitiue Church and desire to haue againe the institucions of the Apostles Wherefore there is no cause why we should be ashamed of the gospel of which such as complain do rather lament the losse of theyr commodities then that they can accuse our doctrine And if anye Troubles and discommodities are not to be ascribe◠vnto the Gospel troubles or discommodities happen they are not to be ascribed vnto the doctrine but vnto those which vnder the pretence of Christ and of the gospell doo seeke those thinges which are their owne and not the thinges which are Iesus Christes But now let vs see Paules reason why he is not ashamed of the gospell of Christ Because it is the power of God to saluacion to euery on that beleueth It is the power that is the organe and instrument wherby God sheweth forth hys power to saluation For together with the woord of God and the gospell are instilled grace and the holy ghost and especially remission of sinnes by whiche we are renewed and made safe And yet this knittinge together of mans saluation wyth the gospell is not naturall that is of necessitye so that the gospell The Gospell is not a naturall instrument but at the pleasure of God This diffinicion hath the cause efficient end and instrument of receauinge the Gospel A similitube of the Sacraments The sum of the whol controuersy concerning iustificatiō Why in iustification mencion is made chiefly of the power of god The difference betwene the righteousnes of the law and of the Gospel This phrase of speach to take holde by fayth is not strange nor rare in in the holye scriptures beyng geuen and set forth saluation should streight way follow of necessitye For it is needefull that God doo also inwardly moue the harts of the hearers as in the Actes of the Apostles we reade it was doone vnto the woman that sold silke Wherfore the gospel is to be counted an instrument arbitrary which God vseth according to hys will Many thynke that thys definition is taken of the cause efficient For in it is expressed the power of God whiche maketh vs safe Then is added the fynall cause namely that thys power of God is to saluation neyther is that lest vnspoken of whereby we are made able to take hold of so greate a benefyte and the same is fayth For it is added to euery beleuer For they which come to heare the Gospell and wante fayth receaue nothyng but wordes and the Gospell to them is no Gospell Euen as in the Sacraments they which are without fayth do in deede receaue the simboles or signes but they haue not the fruyte and thing of the sacraments Here is now touched the chief poynt of all the controuersy For in that it is sayd that saluacion cometh of the Gospell vnto euery one that beleueth is sufficientlye declared that we are iustifyed by fayth and not by works nor by our owne strength nor by philosophy nor by ceremonies of the law Neither did he without cause make mencion of the power of God For that before we can be saued our enemyes ought to be vanquished that is the deuill death hell and in especiall sinne Hereby playnly appeareth also the difference betweene the righteousnes of the lawe and the righteousnes of the gospell The righteousnes of the lawe is to do and to worke He that shall do these thinges shall liue in them sayd Moyses as it is alleaged to the Galathyans and shall in this Epistle be afterward intreated of in hys place But contrarywyse the ryghteousnes and saluation of the Gospell is by fayth vnto all thē that beleue For it is fayth which taketh hold of the mercye and promes of God although there haue bene some which durst affirme that this kind of speach to take hold by fayth is straung that is not vsed in the holy scriptures But they are excedingly deceaued It is
good or euill we shall obtayne eyther eternall life or eternall damnation But thereby it followeth not that woorkes are the causes of our saluation Our sense iudgeth that these two thinges are repugnant the one to the other that a thinge shoulde be geuen freely and yet neuertheles workes should be required These thinges are not repugnant that blessednes is geuen frely and yet goodworks required But yet is not this iudgement true For they most aptlye agree together as it shall afterward in hys place be declared We haue nowe sufficiently spoken as touchyng this kynde of speache vsed of Paule and of the Scripture And those thinges which we haue nowe alleaged shall in their places be more diligently examined euery one by themselues Vnto them which by patience in well doyng seke glory and honour and immortality eternall lyfe But vnto them that are contentious and disobey the truth and obey vnrighteousnes indignation and wrath Tribulation and anguish vppon the soule of euery man that doth euill of the Iewe first and also of the Grecian But vnto euery one that doth good glory honour and peace vnto the Iewe first and also vnto the Grecian For there is no respect of persons before God Vnto those which by patiēce in wel doing seke glory honor immortality lyfe eternall Ambrose readeth that glory honour immortality shal be rendered vnto them which seke for eternall lyfe Which thyng wycked men do not who rather labour by all meanes to aduaunce themselues vnto the honours riches and pleasures of this world which is to liue wickedly But godly and holy men do seke eternall lyfe that they may redely moue themselues to knowe and to loue God to worship hym and to deserne well of their neighboures Whiche selfe thing is eternall lyfe but yet as now begon and shal be accomplished in an other world The scripture vseth by eternall life to signify the blessednes which Life is a thing excellent we loke for For among other thinges life as Aristotle writeth in hys Politikes hath in it selfe many commodities And therfore men suffer many and greuous thinges to retayne it still vnlesse peraduenture beyng ouercome with the burthen of miseries they wishe for death But this is the playner readyng to say that God geueth eternall lyfe vnto those whiche by patience in well doyng doo seke glory honour and immortality Vndoubtedly the saintes in liuyng well do seke to be renewed vnto the image of God after which followeth glory honour and immortality And immortality is set in the last place lest they should be thought to seke the glory and honor of this world For those things do quickly perish and are offred by those men which are easely chaunged and we which receaue them here haue but a short tyme to lyue here But those thinges which we seke for are euerlastyng and immortall By patience in well doyng This he therefore saith because as he writeth in an other place They which will liue godly in Christ shall suffer persecution And not Why patience is required in wel doyng only the deuill our flesh but also wicked men do withstand good workes And forasmuch as among good workes these are the principallest wherby we helpe our neighbours to the obteynement of true sound and firme good thinges by teachyng admonishing and correctyng them therfore vnto them aboue other thinges we apply our selues But they on the other side doe sometimes take it greuously and do stirre vp persecutions agaynst vs as it happened vnto that Prophetes Apostles and Martyrs But we ought not for all that to cease Augustine in his 50. epistle willed that the Donatistes although they wickedly and cruelly raged against the Catholikes should yet not be forsaken And he bringeth a similitude A similitut◠of horses and mules which kicke and bite when their sores are in curing and yet men cease not from healyng them Which duety if it be performed vnto beastes vndoubtedly much more ought it to be performed vnto men It is assuredly a thing very hard with a valiaunt mynde to suffer lettes and impediments which hinder good workes But all thynges whiche are excellent are harde And forasmuch as we all in a maner desire eternall lyfe we ought to take vpō vs this patience in well doyng And it is not from the purpose to consider howe What is suffering the saintes may clayme vnto themselues this patience forasmuch as we dayly sinne and if we shall say that we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues We aunswere Two kinds of fallinge that there are two kinds of fallings There are certain which are in a manner dayly comming from a wicked lust which is grafted in vs by reasō of original sinne which also therfore is yet of force in the regenerate because they are not yet fully restored neyther do they alwayes behaue themselues according to the principle and ground of regeneration They are by reason of infirmity and vndiscretenes rapt and violently drawen by the enticements of this worlde but it alwayes greeueth them they resiste and desire to be rid therof Therefore they say together with Paul Now not I woorke it but sinne which dwelleth in me Wherfore so longe as they be so affected and that they cease not of from endeuouring themselues to fullfyll the will of God they are sayde to perseuer and to excercise pacience in well doynge But when they fall into more heynouser sinnes as did Dauid and Peter then thys longe sufferynge is somewhat interrupted but because forasmuch as they pertayne vnto the elect they are called backe to repentance they are forgeuen that which they haue committed and God no more imputeth it vnto them Therefore they are iudged according to the good workes which they haue done before the fall and do after the fall so that that cutting of of the perseuerance which is now blotted out by repentance remayneth no more Now we will also entreate of those whiche in the last tyme of Whether they which when they dye do repent shal be iudged according to their workes The thife wanted not good workes their life repent which as it should seeme cannot be iudged according to their good workes whereof before they had none neyther vnto them can be attributed patience and long suffering in well doing But it is to be noted that fayth can neuer be without good workes Therfore these men if they beleue although they repent in the last houre yet vndoubtedly shall they not be without good workes Which thinge the example of the thiefe declareth who repented in a maner at the very poynt of death and was saued For he being conuerted vnto God confessed Christ acknowledged hys sinnes exhorted his neighbour and ernestly prayed for the obteynement of hys owne saluation By all which thinges we may see how diligently ernestly if he had had space to liue he would haue applied himselfe vnto good works What shall we say to infantes which dye in Christ They
vnderstand the mynd of mā compacte of them both being renued by the holy Ghost But the letter signifyeth whatsoeuer is outwardlye set before vs be it neuer so spirituall when it cleaueth not to our minde or vrgeth not Wherefore the circumcision of the flesh is the signe of the circumcision of The circūcision of the flesh is the signe of the circumcisiō of the harte The circūcision of the hart in the bookes of the law Both God woorketh in vs good things and we also woorke The spirite and the letter are discerned by the affect of the mind the harte and of the mind Therfore great care was to be had that it should not be vayn or superfluous This phrase touching the circumcision of the hart Paul borowed out of the olde Testamente In the. 10. chap of Deut commaundement was geuen that they should circumcise the foreskins of theyr hartes and in the selfe same booke the. 30. chapter Moses promiseth that God will one day circumcise the foreskin of theyr hartes to declare that either is true namely that God woorketh in vs the things that are good and that we also worke the selfe same forasmuch as God vseth our ministery to bring forth good woorkes Wherfore so longe as our minde resisteth the woorde of God whiche is set foorth vnto vs althoughe outwardlye it make a shewe of somewhat yet is it occupied in the letter But when it is made prone vnto the commaundementes of God then is it gouerned by the spirite Wherefore as touching the thinge whiche is set foorth and red there is no difference betwene the spirite and the letter but as touching the affect of the minde Which thinge Paule hath declared in his latter Epistle to the Corinthians the 3. cap whē he saith Ye are the Epistle of Christ wrought by our ministery and written not wyth inke but with the spirite of the liuing God not in tables of stone but in tables of flesh Where he manifestlye teacheth that this is the ministery of the spirite whē in the tables of our hart are imprinted those things which God commaundeth and will haue to be of vs beleued and done Neyther let vs meruaile that Paule sayth that such an Epistle was written by him whē as it is the worke of God for he meaneth that he wrote it onely as an instrumēt ioyned with the woorking of God Wherefore they are to be counted ministers of the spirite which do not onely expounde the woordes of God but also do imprinte Who are ministers of the spirite thē into the hartes of the hearers Which thing such as do not althoughe they speake good and healthfull thinges yet are they but ministers of the letter neither of theyr woorke followeth any thinge els then the death of the hearers For they which vnderstand the will of the Lord and do it not shal be punished with many stripes And therefore Paule sayde that the letter killeth but the spirite quickeneth Wherefore it is the duety of pastors and of them that teache to pray vnto God For what thing pastors ought to pray What is the true circumcision moste ernestly to make them ministers not of the letter but of the spirite Paule also vnto the Philippians declared what is the true circumcision when he sayth We are the circumcision which serue God in the spirite we glory in Christ and haue not confidence in flesh By these thre notes he expressed the spirituall circumcision And vnto the Colossians after he had said that we are circumcised in Christ but yet with a circumcision not made by handes he declareth by very many circumstances what that circumcision is namely that we haue put of the body of the sins of the fleshe that through Baptism we are buried together with Christ that we haue forgeuenes of synnes that the hand writing is put out which was agaynst vs by reason of ordinances and the principalityes powers which were agaynst vs are by Christ vanquished ouercome In which place this is not to be passed ouer that baptisme is called the true circumcision so that it be in the spirite and the hart and not in the letter and the Baptisme when it is in the spirite is the true circumcisiō fleshe Wherefore these sentences a Iewe inward and outward the circumcision in the flesh and in the hart are to be taken in respect as they are opposite one to the other that is a part and disseuered one from the other For ioyne them together and then the sentence of Paule pertayneth not vnto them For it is not to be doubted but that there were very many Iewes in the olde tyme which were Iewes both outward and inward and were circumcised not only in the fleshe but also in the harte These thinges may be taken three maner of wayes so that there is one circumcision of the fleshe an other of the spirite and the thyrd ioyned together of them both For it is not to be thought that the olde Testament Many liued vnder the law which therewithall liued also vnder th◠Gospell An 〈…〉 or of the Maniches was so seperated from the Gospell that they which liued in it could not also therewithall haue the Gospell These two thinges are indeede seperated the one from the other but yet in such sorte that they may be ioyned together in one and the selfe same man Manicheus so reiected the olde Testament as though it were vtterly vnprofytable vnto vs. And vsed this kynde of reason Forasmuch as that inheritance of the land of Chanaan pertayneth not vnto me I do reiect also both the Testament and the writinge whereby the bequest was made Yea also though it should bring vnto me the possession of that land yet Christ hath so exalted vs to better thinges that I regard not these thinges These wordes obiected Faustus and they are red in the 4. booke of that worke whiche Augustine wrote against him In which place he thus answereth him Those thinges which are written The olde Testaraent pertayneth vnto vs also in the olde Testament are types of our thinges Forasmuch as Paule in his latter Epistle to the Corrinthians sayth These thinges happened vnto them in a figure but they are written for our correction vpon whome are come the endes of the world And vnto the Romanes we reade whatsoeuer thinges are written are written for our erudition and learning And in the oracles of the olde Testament is promise made of Christ Wherfore he being raysed from the dead and disputing with his two disciples of himselfe cited testimonyes out of Moses and out of the whole scripture And the same Christ sayd that the good father of the houshold brought forth of his treasure both new thinges and olde Wherefore the olde Testament is not so contrary vnto the new as the Manichies fayned it was And therefore Paule when he semeth to speake any thinge Paule whē he semeth to diminish any thing frō the law condēneth not the olde
he haue transgressed his commaundement And if he had beleued him when he threatened death vnto him he would not haue bene so vnaduised to comitte that which was the cause of death And he also if he had loued his neighbour as he was bounde to do woulde not by his transgression haue throwen all his whole posterity into death And if he would haue delt iustly he would in no case haue taken away an other mans fruite which pertayned vnto him These thinges hath Tertullian excellently well noted of the law geuen in paradise vnto the first man and woman And he also affirmeth that after this law succeded that lawe which is called the lawe of nature I will not speake that Noe The law of nature The law geuen vnto Noe. receaued some preceptes which were common vnto all mankind And if God would afterward by Moses more plainly expresse the lawes which he had before geuen there is no cause why the Iewes should contemne the Gētles as though they were left without the lawe For it is most manifest that whē Christ came he did set forth a most perfect explication of the doctrine which was then set abrode amongest all men of all lawes whereby playnly appeareth how fowly The rashnes of the Iewes the Hebrues are deceaued which are so rauished with the loue of theyr owne stocke that they will rather haue God to want of his glory that he should not be the God of all mē nor his prouidēce reach vnto all mē then they will confesse that they alone are not the people whom God hath a care ouer loueth In this Why God is sayd to be the God of some place let vs note that the Apostle bringeth a reasō why God is chiefly called the God of some namely because he iustifieth them For straightway he addeth VVho shall iustify circumcision of fayth and vncircumcision by fayth What is vnderstand by circumcision and vncircumcision we haue elswhere declared they at to be vnderstand by the figure Metonomia so that by the signe Metonomia we must vnderstand those thinges which are by it signified These prepositions of and by in this place signifie one and the selfe same thing They serue to amplifie the matter as in an other place Paule sayd of God All thinges were made of hym and by hym The difference of these prepositions bred sometymes a greeuous contencion betwene the Grekes and the Lattines The Lattines sayd that the holy ghost proceded not only of the father but also of the son On the cōtrary A contenciō of the Grekes the lattines toching the holy ghost the Grekes affirmed that he proceded of the father but by the sonne not of the sonne But after they had long tyme contended they saw that their contencion was only about wordes By these thinges which haue now bene spoken we euidently see that as touching iustification the Gentles are made equall with the Iewes which is a very great comfort vnto vs. Neyther ought we to be any thyng moued that Paule here vseth a verbe of the future tense when he faith Shall iustifye For although in the olde time very many both of the Iewes and of the Gentiles were so iustified yet because that rarely happened and amongst fewe it was counted as not done if we haue a respect vnto the generall benefite which happened after the comming of Christ Neyther is the emphasis or strength of this sentence following to be passed ouer For it is one God vvho shall iustifye c. For thereby is signified that euen as there is but one God so also to iustifye men he will vse but one waye namely By fayth Those thinges which are here spoken ought much to moue vs not to contemne our neighbours For whē we shall cōsider with out selues One God vseth one way to iustefy al men A reason why we◠ought to loue our neighbors An error sprong of the wordes of Paule Woorkes that goe before iustification are excluded not those that follow Why Peter sayd that in Paul are certaine hard thing s. Iames semeth tobe agaynst Paule Conciliation A place of Augustine declared that our God is their God also we cā not but embrace them with a great loue honor beneuolence Neither ought we to flatter our selues touching singular benefites which we haue receaued forasmuch as the holy scriptures do admonishe vs that many are fyrst which shal be last and contrary many last which thalbe fyrst And Augustine in hys booke of 83. questions in hys 66. question admonisheth that this sentence of Paule which is now proued namely that man is iustified without workes of the lawe was peruersly vnderstand of many which thought that men when they beleued and were iustified had no more any nede to liue holily iustly not weighing that Paule here speaketh of works that go before iustificatiō not of those which follow it This indede is true that there go no works before which are the causes why we should be iustified But after we haue once obteined righteousnes it is necessary that good works follow And hereof he saith it came that Peter said that in the epistles of Paul are certaine harde thinges which men would peruerte accordyng to their owne lust Iames also semeth to haue bene led so farre that in a maner he wrote thinges contrary vnto Paule namely That a man is iustified by workes who also required the we should declare our faith by workes Wherunto also Iohn Iudas in their epistles seme to tend But all these things are wel inough neither ar they any thyng repugnant one to the other For Paul speaketh of workes that are done before iustificatiō but Iames speaketh of those workes which ought to follow it These things haue I brought out of the place of Augustine before cited and out of hys booke of faith and workes the 14. chap. Who yet in the 66. question which we haue nowe alleaged hath a certain sentence which must be warely and aptly vnderstanded otherwise it should not be true For he sayth That it is impossible that we shoulde by workes goyng before obteyne iustification but afterward sayth he it is necessarye that they follow so that we remayne in life And if a man beginne to beleue in the last houre of his lyfe whē he shall streight way die he hath nether good works going before nor good workes followyng after but there followeth him onely a righteousnes of fayth and by it he is saued Augustine semeth by those wordes to affirme that it is possible that true fayth which iustifieth may be had without works which in very dede is false For when a manne at the extremitie of death beleeueth it is not possible but that he loueth God and his neighbour and calleth vpon him and is sory for those thinges which he hath before wickedly committed Wherfore these kindes of good workes which at the least haue place in the mynde follow his faith But I
one that it be three and that it begatte a sonne and suche other yet were it a wickednes to thinke that anye externe effecte commeth from him by naturall necessitye when as whatsoeuer he doth he doth it freelye and of his owne accorde and it is free vnto him not to do what he will not Nether do we here put any necessity by supposition of the ende For the saluation of mā mought haue bene wrought by many other wayes and meanes so that hys will had bene so But it was of necessity y◠Christ should dye by supposition of the deuine prouidence and counsell for that God had decreed it should be so And this he did chiefely to declare his infinite loue Much more thē being now iustified by his blood vve shal be saued from wrath through him For if when we were enemies we were reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled vve shal be saued by his life Here is brought a comparison of diuers estates both of Christ and of vs we were before weake vngodly sinners enemies But now our cōdition or estate is changed for we are nowe made frendes we are now iustified and reconciled vnto God Christ by his death wrought much for vs but now he liueth and that an eternal life wherein he raigneth with y◠father It was a greater matter It is a greater matter to iustifye then to bringe to blessednes them that are iustified to restore vs to life to iustifie vs and to reconcile vs vnto God then it is to bring vs being now iustified vnto felicity and the foresayd thinges hath he brought to passe by his death wherefore that which remaineth he shal much more easiely accomplishe being now placed in life and in his kingdome for that whiche remayneth is lesse and Christ to bring this to passe for vs is after a sort mightier then himself Now resteth to declare how men not yet reconciled are called the enemies of God Of this may two reasons be geuen the one is touched in the How before iustification we are called the enemies of God epistle vnto the Hebrues where it is said That it is vnpossible without faith to please God And forasmuche as men that are straungers from Christe wante fayth and seinge that they beleue not the oracles of God they beare witnesse that God is a lier and therefore they can not please him An other reason is for that they are still oppressed with vices and by meanes of theyr naturall luste they all the wayes they canne resiste the will and lawes of God Wherefore they are woorthelye called enemyes But Paule affirmeth that by the death of Christe we are iustified whiche is first vnderstande before God by imputatiō Secondly also bycause dayly is augmented in vs a new righteousnes How we are iustified by the deth of Christ which in liuing holily we get by the instauratiō of our strength which we haue now receaued of the holy ghost Although we must cleane fast only to the first iustification for in it is the stay of our saluation For the other righteousnes for asmuche as it is vnperfect is not able to stande before the iudgement seate of God When the Apostle sayth That vve shal be saued from vvrath By wrath he vnderstandeth not a disturbance What wrath is in God or perturbation of the minde For these thinges can haue no place in God But as Augustine hath wel interpreted in his bokes of the Trinity wrath in God signifieth a iust vengeance And God is sayd to be angry when he sheweth forth the effectes of an angry man which are to punishe and to auenge So he is sayd to repent himselfe that he had made man bycause like a man that repenteth himselfe he would ouerthrow his worke And the reconciliatiō wher of the Apostle here speaketh is referred to this kinde of wrath and signifieth that the vengeāce is now at an end Contrariwise it is sayd in the Gospel of Iohn That the wrath of God abideth vpon him which beleueth not in the sonne of God wherfore we seing we are now recōciled vnto God by the death of his Sonne ought Vpon thē that are iustified is no thing sent of God but with a fatherly mind to be fully perswaded in our selues that for asmuche as the wrath of God is ended and taken away nothing can by him be sent vpon vs but of a frendly and fatherly minde Otherwise afflictions and aduersities mought of theyr own nature driue a feare into vs and perswade vs that God is angry with vs. Which thing forasmuche as by the death of Christ is the reconciliation made can by no meanes come to passe And this reconciliation pertayneth not only to those faythfull which then liued when Christ died vpon the crosse but also to all as The reconciliation made by Christ hath a respecte to all times wel those which from Adams time went before those seasons as also to those which shall be euen vnto the end of the world And so great was the goodnes of God in this sacrifice that whereas therein were committed of men many horrible actes for they both condemned an innocent man and also most spitefully crucified the Lord of glory yet the deuine clemency was nothing at all offended The wickednes of them that crucified Christ diminished not the dignity of that price with this so great iniquity and ingratitude but that it counted as most acceptable the obedience of Christe and his infinite loue and vnmesurable patience accepted it for the redemption of mankinde Now resteth to se what this so great loue of God requireth agayne at our handes for there are many thinges which it requireth For first euen as Christ applied all his will and endeuor to redeme vs so is it our part on the other side vtterly and all whole to addict our selues vnto him And as he setting a side all thinges had a care only of our saluatiō so also ought we to plucke away our minde from all things not any more to seke our owne thinges but only the thinges that longe vnto What thys so great loue of God requireth againe at our hand Christ They may be an example vnto vs which haue returned into fauour agayne with theyr enemies for they lest they shoulde seme to haue done anye thing counterfeately or faynedly leue no dewty vndone whereby to win their new reconciled frendes and of this thing they haue a greate care not to be thought to retaine still any remnāts of enmity or hatred closed vp in the mind as we rede Cicero Crassus Pompeius and many others did Farther also we must take hede that seing by the mercy of God through the death of Christ we are place we doo not through wicked and filthy actes throwe our selues downe hedlong from thence For they which after they haue once ben reconciled cease not to contaminate themselues with vices do not only fall downe hedlonge frō theyr most
excellent estate or condition but also as it is written vnto the Hebrues Do tread vnder foote the sonne of God and do pollute his blood which was shed for them By this place also we are taught to loue our enemies not after the common maner as when men say yâ— they wishe wel vnto theyr enemy it is inough they thinke if they hate him not but yet in the meane time they will take no paynes ether to bring him to amendment or to saluation And which is more haynous they are not onely not beneficyall towardes theyr enemies but also through theyr sluggishnes they suffer theyr weake bretherne to perish they winke at theyr sinnes nether vse they any admonitions or reprehensions that they might be amended There are besides infinite other instructions which The loue of God most plentifully teacheth vs many thinges the loue of God teacheth vs. For we haue no booke stuffed with more plentifull doctrine then the death of Christ whiche if we diligentlye examine we shall be tought in a maner al dueties necessary vnto saluation Lastlye is to be noted that these thinges which Paul in this place meÌ„cioneth are had although indede more briefly yet fully inoughe in the 6. chapter of the Gospell of Iohn So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten sonnes that euery one that beleueth in him should not perish Here also we heare that through the loue of God the sonne was deliuered for vs. And whereas Paule sayth enemies vveake vngodly sinners the same hath the Euangelist signified by this one word vvorld And whereas Paul sayth That thorough him vve are iustified recoÌ„ciled and shal be saued from vvrath that hath the Euangelist expressed in these wordes That he vvhich beleueth in him should not perishe And not only this but vve also reioyce in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by vvhome vve haue novv obtayned the reconciliation This was the third part which the Apostle vsed in making mencion of the benefite of Christ after that he had both layd him forth before vs and also by amplification as it was mete commended him vnto vs. Wherefore Paul sayth that so great is the gift of God that thereof we excedingly reioyce We are not only sayth he certayne that we shall be saued but also we reioyce not in our selues but in God not through our workes but through Iesus Christ by whome we haue obtayned reconciliation When he sayth that we reioyce of this benefite of God he priuely reproueth those which counted it a thinge full of shame to professe Christian religion or to wayte for saluation at the handes of a man crucified and put to a most shamefull death Herein sayth Paul is nothing vile or whereof we should be ashamed yea rather all thinges are most honorable and full of great dignity For here we can looke vpon nothing which testefieth not Reioysinge is opposed to filthines shame vnto vs the singular loue of God towards vs. This sentence of Paul agréeth very well with these words of Ieremy in the 9. chapter Let not the wise man reioyce in his wisedome nor the mighty man in his might nor the rich man in his riches but he which reioyseth let him reioyce in this that he knoweth and vnderstandeth me which What our reioysing is worke mercy righteousnes and iudgement and loue these thinges in the earth The prophet meaneth the selfe same thing that Paul doth namely that no man should reioyce ether for the good thinges of the mynde or of the body or of fortune but only let him reioyce of this that he knoweth the Lord. And the vnmeasurable loue of God can by no other thing be better or clearlyer vnderstand then by the death of Christ This is our fayth this is the chiefest knowledge that we can haue of the goodnes of God Hereby we vnderstand that God hath wrought By the death of Christ is God chiefly knowne mercy when he would by this meanes redeme vs to haue wrought iudgemeÌ„t and righteousnes wheÌ„ as he would not suffer our sinnes to escape vnpunished but hath so seuerely auenged them in Christ But because our fayth ought not to be idle but to repay agayne the selfe same thinges that we haue receaued of Christ therefore the Prophet addeth that God both loueth and requireth the selfe same thinges in the earth that is in vs. VVe reioyce sayth Paul and also the prophete in the knowledge fayth of so great a gift bestowed vpoÌ„ vs by God But they reioyce not which coldly weigh these thinges but they which feale them inwardly in the mynde and so feele them that they are ernestly affected This is to reioyce in the Lord and not in our owne workes Wherefore that which Paul before sayd that the elect reioyce in tribulations herehence dependeth for we Why we reioyce in afflictions do not reioyce of the afflictions as they are of themselues but for that we feele by them that God loueth vs. Last of all our glory herein consisteth that we haue gotten God himselfe to loue vs and to be our father then which felicitye could nothing haue happened vnto vs more to be desired Nether is this to be passed ouer that Ambrose hath noted vpon this place that we ought not only to geue thankes vnto God for the saluation and security which we haue receaued but also that we reioyce in God through Iesus Christ By which words Ambrose avoucheth the security of saluation we gather that he asserteth the security of saluation as well as we to the ende our reioysing mought be concerning such thinges as we haue now assuredly in our hands Farther also hereby it most euidently appeareth that those words of the Apostle which he before spake That the loue of God is shed abroade into our hartes are to be vnderstand of that loue wherewith God loueth vs. For of that loue this sure token we haue in that God hath geuen his son vnto vs. Farther the Apostle entending to make vs certayne of our saluation and to confirme vs in our hope coulde take no argument at all of our loue towardes God for our loue is alwayes mayned and vnperfect And therefore if a mans hope were doubtfull and vncertayne and should by this meanes be confirmed and willed to be of good cheare for that he beareth a loue towardes God he mought answere straight way that he for that cause most of all doubteth for that he seeth his loue to be weake and colde and that he loueth not God so much as he ought to do and by that occasion he can not attayne to so greate a rewarde Wherefore Paul hath appoynted an other way and confirmeth our hope by the gift of God And he thought it not sufficient simply thus to say but excellently amplifieth it by the contraries and opposites Out of this fountayne are to be Wherâ—heÌ„ce are to be sought consolations in afflictions sought consolations for the afflicted when by reason of
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
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
lyeth a sléepe in them as Augustine sayth in his 2. booke of the merites and remission of sinnes following yâ— which is spoken of Paul sayth I liued sometimes without a law not yâ— there was at any time no law prescribed vnto Paul but bycause in his childhode by reasoÌ„ of age he felt it not Wherefore sinne sayth Paul was dead which Augustine interpreteth was on slepe But when the commaundement came yâ— is when I began to know yâ— law sinne reuiued He had sin in him before but forasmuch as it was not felt it semed dead Now appeareth how those thinges which we haue spoken agree with the holye scriptures Yet still Pigghius vrgeth that these thinges nothing An obiection of Pigghius pertaine vnto infantes for they oughte not to haue a law prescribed vnto them which can not be auoyded But in so saying he vnderstandeth not the meaning of the holy scriptures for they sufficiently declare that those things which A law may be geuen eueÌ„â—or those thinges which can not be performed are commaunded in the law can not perfectly be performed of vs when as yet they are most seuerely commauÌ„ded Paul saith in this epistle That which was imposible vnto the law forasmuch as it was weakened through the flesh God sending his sonne c. By these words it most manifestly appeareth that we caÌ„not performe the law â—s it is commaunded For if we could we should be iustified by works nether had Christ neded to haue suffred death for vs. There ar also other offices Vtilities of the law of the Law for which it is written For it is profitable to direct the actions of the godly but it is most profitable to declare sin For by the law sayth Paul coÌ„eth the knowledg of sin Again I was ignoraÌ„t of lust vnles the law had sayd Thou shalt not lust Farther by the law sinne is also increased doth more lead vs greuouslier oppresse vs. For the law 〈…〉 ed in that sin should abound to the Corrint The power of sin is the law And al these things teÌ„d to this end yâ— maÌ„ should as it were by a Scholmaster be brought vnto Christ and implore his ayd and desire to haue streÌ„gth geuen him whereby at the least in some part and with an obedience now begon to performe those thinges which are commaunded and that those things wherin he fayleth might not be imputed vnto him but might be made whole by the righteousnes of Christ Augustine in his first boke against Iulianus reproueth the The pelagians boasted that God commaundeth not those things which can not be done Augustine reherseth the sinnes of infantes Pelagians for that they thoughte that they had taught some great point of doctrine when they taughte that God commaundeth not those thinges whiche can not be doone and he declareth those to be the endes of the lawe whiche we haue now expressed Yea and Augustine also in his bookes of confessions maketh mencion of those sinnes which euen suckinge infantes doo committe Agaynst which no maÌ„ caÌ„ say they could resist And they should not be sins vnles they wer referred to some law which is by them violated Nether doth yâ— any thing helpe Pigghius or put away their sinnes for that they vnderstand them not For that which is filthy although it seme not so to vs yet of his owne nature is it filthy Thinges filthy although they seme not filthy yet ar they neuerthelesse of their owne nature fylthy The opinioÌ„ of Augustine and Anselmus differ not in very deede The definition of Original sinne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is That which is filthy is filthy whither it seme so or no. This opinion of Anselmus concerning the lacke and want of originall iustice doth in very dede nothing differre from the sentence of Augustine wherein he calleth originall sinne luste but that whiche in Anselmus is spoken somewhat more expressedlye is more obscurely wrapped in the word concupiscence But bycause this want of originall iustice may so be taken as though we vnderstoode onely the priuation of the giftes of God with out any vice of nature therefore it shall be good to set forth a more full definition of originall sinne Originall sinne therefore is the corruption of the whole nature of man traduced by generation from the fall of our first parent into his posterity which corruption were it not for the benefite of Christ adiudgeth al men borne therin in a maner to infinite euills and to eternall damnation In this definition are contained al kinds of causes We haue for the matter or subiect all the partes strengthes of man The forme is the deprauation of them al The efficieÌ„t cause is the will of Adam which sinned The instrument is the propagation of traduction which is done thorough the flesh The end and effect is eternall damnation together with all the discomoditis of thys life And hereof sprange sondrye Sondry names of this sinne names of this sinne so that sometimes it is called a defect or want sometimes peruersenes sometimes vice sometymes a disease sometymes contagiousnes sometymes malice and Augustine calleth it an affected quality and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a disorder And that the whole maÌ„ is corrupt hereby appeareth because he was to this ende created to cleaue vnto God as to the chiefe good But now he vnderstandeth The corruption of the partes of man is declared not things pertayning vnto God nor with patience waiteth for the promises which are set forth in yâ— sciptures but with grief he harkeneth vnto yâ— preceptes of God and the paynes rewardes he vtterly coÌ„temneth The affections rebelling agaynst sound reason do wantonly deride the word of God The body neglecteth to obey the soule All these thinges although they be experimeÌ„ts of naturall corruption yet are they also confirmed by testimonies of the holy scriptures Of the corruption of vnderstanding Paul sayth The carnall man vnderstandeth not those thinges which are of the spirite of God yea he can not because they are foolishenes vnto him In which wordes let vs marke by the way agaynst A proofe of the impossibility of the law Pigghius that the lawe was geuen of such thinges which of vs can not be performed For the lawe doth chiefely commaund vs to haue knowledge in things pertayning to God which thinges yet Paul apertly affirmeth that the carnall man can not vnderstand And to our purpose we sée that Paul affirmeth that this blindnes or ignorance is grafted in man and that of nature for we can not imagine that it commeth by reason of tyme or age For the elder in yeares a man is so much the more and more is he instructed concerning God Wherefore in that he is carnall and vnapt to vnderstand thinges pertayning to God it commeth of his corrupt nature And this corruption is of so great waight that Augustine in his 3. booke agaynst Iulianus the 12.
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
of theyr captayne and are so bound vnto him that afterward it is not lawfull for them to be conuersant in the campes of theyr enemies which thing if they doo should be death vnto them so we in baptisme are bound vnto Christe and do sweare that we will neuer afterward fall away vnto the deuill And forasmuch as that honour is dew vnto Christ to be sayd to be baptised in him we ought not be offended when we reade in the epistle to the Corrinth that the fathers wer baptised in Moses Why the fathers were baptised in Moses It is not lawfull to baptise in the name of any man For this is the sence of that place that y◠Israelites passed ouer the sea trusting to those promises which were set forthe of God by Moses Nether ought we thereby to conclude that it is lawfull to baptise in the name of any man as of a mediator and author of our saluation Paul therefore when hee reproued the Corrinth bycause they filthily addicted themselues vnto men so that some of them sayd I hold of Paul others of Cephas others of Apollo said was Paul crucified for you or were ye baptised in the name of Paul which thing he therfore wrote bicause he saw that the Corrinthians transferred the honour of Christ vnto ministers Are baptised into hys death As hee hath nowe made mencion of hys Two principall things which Christ hath done for our sakes death so a little afterwarde hee wyll make mencion of hys resurrection For these are the two principall thynges whyche Chryste hath wroughte for our sakes And vndoubtedlye because in Baptisme we receiue the fruyte of the death of Christ forasmuch as by that sacrifice God is pacefied towardes vs we are iustly saide to be baptised into his death and chiefely because through the death of Christ our sinnes ceasse now to be imputed vnto vs but before God we are counted for dead And the lust which remaineth in vs because by the benefite of Christ it is broken and diminished therefore also we are said to be baptised into the death of Christ And for that Paul would agrauate the death wherby we die vnto sinne and would shewe that it is not a thing slight but waighty he addeth VVe are buried therefore together with Christ by baptisme Now in our dayes also they which are baptised to the ende they may by profession expresse the same thing do by expresse wordes answere that they renounce the deuill An argument wherby to proued that infantes are borne with sinne Sacraments haue the names of the things by them signified The mutacion of the Eucharisticall bread is compared with that mutacion of our selues which is made in baptisme and his pompes Out of this place Augustine gathereth two thinges whereof the one is in the 6. booke against Iulianus the 1. chap wher he proueth the infantes are borne in original sinne For saith he it is a generall sentence of the Apostle that as many as are baptised are baptised into the death of the Lord that is to dye to sinne and as it shall straight way be shewed that the body of sinne should he abolished which sayings can not be true vnies we graunt that infants are borne in sin The other thing is in his epistle to Bonefacius where he sheweth that the Sacramentes obtayne the names of the thinges which by them are signified For Paul sayd not that our sepulture is signified in baptisme but simply sayde that we are buried with Christ into death And after this maner he saith that the Eucharist is called the body and bloud of Christ Thirdly let vs note that the fathers when they will confirme y◠change which is done in the Eucharist for example sake bring the change of our selues which is made in baptisme which change also the Apostle semeth to declare to be very greate For he vseth there the names of life and death Betweene which two thinges of necessity there must néedes be a verye greate chaunge Wherefore seing that the nature and substance of those which are baptised is not changed it is nothing needefull that in the bread and wine should be pure transubstanciatiō The Apostle in a maner speaketh after the same sort of baptisme in the 2. chapter to the Collossians saying In whome ye are also circumcised with circumcision which is done without handes forasmuch as ye haue put of the sinfull body of the fleshe thorough the circumcision of Christ being buried together with hym through baptisme in whome together with hym ye are also risen agayne through fayth that is wrought by the operation of God which raysed hym from the deade And when ye were deade in sinnes and vncircumcision of your fleshe he quickened you together with hym These wordes in all points are agreeable with those things that we are now in hand with whiche still he more plainely expoundeth for he addeth That euen as Iesus Christ was raysed vp from the dead by the glory of the father The power of God was declared in the resurrection of Christ Paule doth oftentymes vse this word newnes so we also should walke in newnes of life The glory of the father in this place signifieth the power of God which was then chiefely declared when Christ rose agayne from the deade and in vs it is manifestly shewed when we casting away sinnes do liue vncorruptly And Paul by this worde newnes doth oftentimes signifie the blameles life of Christians For he saith that we ought to put on the new man And he saith that before God circumcision or vncircumcision is nothing but only a new creature And he admonisheth that as touching the inward man we should be dayly more and more renewed But by A new life hath his degrees this word walking he teacheth that that purenes of life that is to say this newnes hath certayne degrees and we must haue a care continually to profite more and more For if we be grafted into him by the similitude of his death euē so shal we also be pertakers of hys resurrection knowing this that our olde mā is crucified with him also that the body of sinne should be abolished that henceforth we should not be seruants vnto sinne For if we be grafted into him by the similitude of his death euen so shall vve That which was done in Christe by nature ought to be resembled of vs by an analogy be of his resurrection Chrisostome noteth that y◠similitude of death in this place admonisheth vs that that which was done in Christ by nature is in vs done by an analogy proportion For it is not nedefull that we through baptisme shoulde dye by naturall death but that in our maners and life we shoulde resemble the similitude of the death of Christ In the booke of Ecclesiasticus it is written Thou hast set downe at a great table marke what thinges are sit before thee because thou also must performe the like Wherfore when we with the
seruitude had his first beginning of sinne for it is not lawfull to make warre but against those which haue sinned With these wordes of Augustine agreeth Florentinus the Lawyer as it is red in the InstitutioÌ„s and this etimologye right well agreeth with this place which we are now in hand with The deuill assaulting by battayle our first parentes ouercame theÌ„ and tooke them and by that transgressioÌ„ hath made all our nature captiue and hath still in subiection and to be his seruauntes as many as thorough Christ are not set at liberty For so sayth Paule in his latter epistle to Timoth That they may come to amendement out of the snare of the deuill which are takeÌ„ of him at his will But Christ came and hath fought with that strong armed man the gouernor of the world and prince of darkenes and hauing gotten the victory hath redemed vs all Nether vndoubtedly did he it for any other cause but that we should be obedient to his will and vnto righteousnes Wherefore these wordes of Paul signifie as muche as if he shoulde haue sayd Christ hath not therefore deliuered vs from sinne and addicted vnto himselfe to the 〈…〉 e that henceforth we should bee seruauntes vnto sinne but onely Christ hath redeemed vs not vnto sinne but vnto righteousnesse Two contrarye Lordes set before vs. that we should be obedient vnto righteousnes Nowe let vs diligently weighe the wor 〈…〉 Knovve ye 〈…〉 t that to vvhomesoeuer ye geue your selues as seruauntes to obey his ser 〈…〉 s ye are to vvhome ye obey vvhether it be of sinne vnto death or obedience vnto righteousnes Here let vs first note that the Apostle setteth before vs two Lordes the 〈◊〉 is sinne the other is that obedience which we render vnto God By which diuision forasmuch as the partes thereof be contrary it appeareth that I nothing erred from the sentence of the Apostle when before I defined sinne in generall to be whatsoeuer is repugnant vnto the law of God The definition of sinne before alleaged is confirmed For forasmuch as sinne is a priuation it can not be known but by his opposite or contrary forme or quality which it remoueth away and what the forme is Paul here expresseth by the name of Obedience Wherfore that is sinne ought so to be called which is repugnant vnto such an obedience By which it is most manifest that that corruption which is still remaining in vs and the motions which are by it stirred vp are sinnes forasmuch as they are apertly repugnaÌ„t vnto obedience which is opposite and contrary vnto sinne Moreouer this diuision This particion comprehendeth all men of the Apostle if it be sufficient comprehendeth all men so that euery man is of necessitie either the seruant of sinne or els of righteousnes The seruauntes of righteousnes are these which are now deliuered to be obedient vnto the forme of the doctrine of the gospel Wherfore in this place are ouerthrown those workes An argumeÌ„t against workes preparatory which they call preparatorye for they can not be placed in any members of this deuision For if thou wilt say that they pertaine vnto them which are seruantes of righteousnes they are now alredy regenerate and do beleue the Gospel wherfore those workes can not now be preparations but fruites of the Gospell But if thou wilt stand in contencion and say that they pertain vnto them which are seruantes of sinne they haue no fruite of their workes but only death wherfore their workes turne vnto them vnto destruction so farre is it of that they can be preparations vnto grace We say in dede that God oftentimes vseth our sinnes and by them appointeth as it were certain degrées by which we may come vnto Christ But this thing our workes haue not of themselues neither in respect that they are done of vs for in that respect spring forth damnable and odious fruites as it The two Lords do destribute contrary rewardes were out of a corrupt trée Vnto these two Lordes are appointed two maner of rewardes namely vnto sinne is appointed death and vnto obedience righteousnes But it semeth that Paul ought otherwise to haue disposed these things and especially as touching the second member for righteousnes is opposite or contrary vnto sinne Wherfore euen as vnto sinne answereth death as a rewarde so vnto righteousnes also ought eternall life to haue aunswered as a reward But this ought we assuredly to thinke that Paul erred not but by this disposition would teach vs wherein the righteousnes of woorkes consisteth namely in this that we shoulde be obedient vnto GOD for there is nothynge either holye or iust There is nothing holy or iust but that which God hath commaunded The beginnâ—ng of eternall life is to liue iustlye They whiche liue iustly are not miserable although they are greuously vexed but that which he hathe commaunded for the inuentions of men pertayne not to righteousnes but rather vnto lust Wherefore the Apostle to the end he would the more manifestly instruct vs of this thing hath set the definition in place of the thing defined And it is not to be meruailed that he putteth righteousnes in the place of reward for the beginning of blessednes and of eternal lyfe is to liue iustly and hereof it coÌ„meth yâ— in the holy scriptures eternall life is a coÌ„tinuall coÌ„panion of righteousnes And Chrisostome vpon this place sayth that by righteousnes ought to be vnderstand whatsoeuer followeth righteousnes And yet oughte no man therefore to perswade himselfe that they which liue iustly are miserable although sometymes they are greuously vexed with aduersityes For with Paul righteteousnes and innocency of life do signifie the self same thing that eternall felicity signifieth Death also which is ascribed vnto sinne as a reward is not only the dissolution of the outward body but therewithall comprehendeth also eternall infelicity wherewith both body and soule shal be punished And â—y this worde Synne which thing also I haue before admonished Paul vnder 〈…〉 the luste which remayneth in the beleuers and also the corruption of nature 〈◊〉 therefore They which are sory for sins are chiefly sorye for the roote of theÌ„ An example of Dauid the godly when they are sory for any faulte that they haue committed do chiefely complayne of this corrupt nature and of the rotten roote thereof Dauid when he lamented the murther and adultery which he had com 〈…〉 ed ranne chiefely vnto this as vnto the fountayne of all euils sayinge Beâ—old in iniquities was I conceaued and in sinnes hath my mother conceaued me And when we pray vnto God to deliuer vs from sinnes for this thinge we chiefelye praye that by his spirite he would breake and weaken this domesticall and familiar enemy Thys thing the Apostle ment when he cryed out Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death Paul after he had thus deuided seruitude that of necessity we must be seruauntes
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
had chance to haue died in yâ— meane tyme therfore I thinke with Chrisostome that the Apostle speaketh not of yâ— Gospell but of yâ— law of Moses Wherunto also I am so much the rather moued for the Paul afterward expressedly maketh mencion of the commaundement of not lustyng which without all doubt is contained in the decaloge or tenne commaundementes But in these wordes The law beareth dominion ouer a man so long as he lyueth there is some ambiguitie whether this word liueth ought to be referred vnto the maÌ„ or vnto yâ— law Which thing I thinke yâ— apostle did of purpose A profitable aÌ„biguitye of speach wheÌ„ it may in euery sence be true For at th 〈…〉 st he con 〈…〉 th that not only we are dead vnto the law but also yâ— the law it selfe is dead a 〈…〉 〈…〉 olished And therfore to whether part so euer that word liueth be referred i◠〈…〉 éeâ—h very well with his purpose Chrisostome thynketh yâ— this reason is concluded of an argument taken à minori that is of the lesse For if the death of the husband deliuer the wyfe from the yoke of matrimony then shall there happen much greater liberty if the wyfe her selfe also die Wheras there were two wayes of liberty yet Paul it should seme persecuteth onely one of them For he addeth VVherfore my brethern ye also are dead vnto the Lavv by the body of Christ But he inferreth not wherrefore the Law is dead The Apostle did that for the infirmity of the Iewes howbeit in the meane time he sayth that which is al one as if he had sayd the Law is dead But it is necessarye to consider what Paul What to be vnder the law is What it is to be dead vnto the law meaneth by to be vnder the Law And that is nothing ells but to be obnoxious vnto sinne For the Law thorough sinne coÌ„demneth vs as guilty but to be dead vnto the lawe is nothing ells but to haue that extinguished in vs by which the law accuseth and condemneth vs. And that is the olde man the flesh naturall lust and corruption of nature When these thinges be once deade in vs and that Christ liueth and raigneth in vs we can by no meanes be coÌ„demned of the law But forasmuche as so long as we liue here sinne can not be plucked vp by the rootes out of our flesh therfore it is most likely that the Apostle had a respect vnto that which we hope shall one day come to passe althoughe he so write as though we had alredy obteyned it howbeit in the meane time he setteth before The scope of our 〈◊〉 How much euery men is free from the law our eyes a marke whereunto we ought to leuell in all our actions namely perpetually to represse this lust grafted in vs. Wherefore euery one ought so farforth to iudge himself deliuered froÌ„ the law how farforth he caÌ„ mortefy his lusts and alwayes more and more contend to go forward that at the length he may attayne to that end whervnto we are predestinate namely to be made like vnto the image of the sonne of God being made pertakers of his death and of his resurrection And wheras there is set forth a double death namely of the law and of vs Paul expressedly prosecuteth our death only whereof also followeth the death of the law For the law prouoketh not compelleth not accuseth not nor condemneth them that are dead nether can by any meanes be troublesome or odious vnto them And they which are dead and ioined together with Christ do in no case wayte to be iustified by it partly for that the law can not performe that and partly for that they haue alredy by the grace of Christe obteyned true righteousnes And we are sayd to be mortified by the body of Christe ether for that being now made the members of the Lord we followe our hed that as he was crucefied and died as touching this mortall and corruptible life so we also must dye vnto sinne or ells for that the body of Christ was an oblation and sacrifice wherby God being now pacefied and merciful geueth vnto vs hys spirite The deliueÌ„ry from the law is to be preached vnto those onely that are dead vnto sinne The commaundements oâ— the law pretaine not vnto the dead The law was notable to do the office of a husbande by whome the power of sinne is weakened And sithen Paul preacheth not this liberty but vnto them that are dead vnto sin thereby we vnderstand that there is no danger least men should by reasoÌ„ of this liberty geue themselues to vices For they that are dead caÌ„ not be stirred vp to sinne Farther we should be vnder the law if we should liue vnto sinne and vnto the flesh But being dead we are not holden vnder it vnles we will say that the commaundementes of the Law pertayn also vnto the dead Forasmuch as Paul in this place vseth a metaphore taken of matrimony we ought to marke that it is the office of the husband to gouern his wife But when as the lawe had long time possessed the rome of the husband nether could execute his office namely to gouern men and to call theÌ„ backe from sinne for so is it afterward written That it was vnpossible vnto the law in as much as it was weakened thorough the flesh therefore the Apostle when he teacheth that we are deliuered from the lawe as from an infirme and weake master teacheth also that we are led vnto the spirite as vnto a better mightier master who alone hath that force to change a man â–ª and that that whiche letted the law from doing of this came not thorough t 〈…〉 〈…〉 efault of 〈◊〉 law but thoroughe our defaulte Here is to be noted howe gr 〈…〉 confor 〈…〉 ye there In matrimony there is a great conformation betwenâ— the man and the wife ought to be betwene the man and the wife in matrimony rightlye instituted For the proprieties of the husbaÌ„d ought to be coÌ„municated wâ—th the wife Wherfore euen as Christ died so also ought we to dye vnto sinne And as Christ rose againe to an incorruptible and immortall life so also ought we to rise agayne The end of our new coÌ„iunction with Christ The law made not men fruitefull to beginne workes of eternall life Wherefore Paul when he had made mencioÌ„ of death added That ye should be vnto an other namely vnto him vvhich rose agayne from the dead He setteth forth an example also of the resurrectioÌ„ of Christ in which wordes as sayth Chrisostome he ment to stirre vs vp to the desire of a new matrimonye by reason of that excellent estate of Christe vnto whome we shall be ioined And the end of this new coniunction is expressedly put in those wordes which follow That vve should bring forth fruite vnto God In the first matrimony we were baren for the law of good workes can not make men fruitfull But men
being filled with the spirite of Christ streight way aboundaÌ„tly bring forth fruit And this is it whiche God promised by Esay shoulde come to passe in hys 53. chapter If he shall geue his life for sinne he shall se his sede for a long time And the lord sayth in Iohn when I shall be lifted vp from the earth I will draw all thinges vnto my selfe This is it which Paul sayth to bringe forth fruite vnto God And this at the length is brought to passe when not only we our selues doo good works but also we bringe others vnto Christ These two ends are not seperated a sonder For nether caÌ„ we winne others vnto Christ if we consider the matter as it most commonly hapeneth vnles an example of an vpright life be correspondent vnto our sound doctrine Nether is it rashely done that the Apostle chaungeth the person For before he vsed the second person when he thus wrote ye are mortefied vnto the law by the body of Christ that ye should be vnto an other And straight way he addeth That we should bring forth fruite vnto God When rather according to nature of the consequente he should haue sayd that ye should fructifie vnto God There is none so holy but he hath nede of these fruites But he changed the person to declare that this is a generall sentence least any maÌ„ should thinke himselfe to be so holy that he now hath no nede of these fruites For that cause the Apostle putteth himselfe also among theÌ„ Chrisostome exellently well noteth that it happeneth not in these thinges as it commonly happeneth in ciuill matters For there the husband being dead the widow if she wil may absteine from the second matrimony But we when sinne is dead thorough the holy ghost must of necessity be brought vnto Christ as vnto a new bridgrome When we are dead vnto sinne we cannot be without a new husband For we are not now in our own power For he hath redemed vs with a price as Paul sayth vnto the Corrinthians and for that cause we are not our own Wherefore we ought to glorifye and to beare Christ in our bodies And in the latter to the Corr One died for all that they which liue should now not liue vnto theÌ„selues but vnto him which died which rose agayn Wherfore seing we ar now maried vnto Christ we ought to imitate vertuous wifes which whatsoeuer they do haue not a regard what may please theÌ„selues but what may be acceptable The office of an honest wife Against workes preparatory vnto theyr husbands Agayne by these words is ouerthroweÌ„ that middle estate wherein some are dreminglye imagined to be Whiche are nether deade vnto sinne nor borne agayne in Christ and yet worke certayne good workes which are acceptable vnto God and prepare them vnto iustification Paul here manifestly teacheth that they which are not grafted into Christ are bound vnto the law and doo liue vnder sinne and bringe forth fruites vnto death only so that whatsoeuer they doo the same is wholy vnto them deadly But they which are maried vnto Christ they I say bring forth fruite vnto God For God by them as by his members and instrumentes sheweth forth his fruites and good works For when vve vvere in the flesh the affects of sinnes vvhich vvere by the Law had force in our members to bring forth fruite vnto death In these wordes is The diffeâ—â—nce â—◠〈…〉 wene the old matrimonâ— and the new What is to be obserued oâ— preachers set forth the Antithesis betwene thys newe matrimony and that olde And the sence is Now we ought to bring forth fruite vnto God For hitherto we haue brought forth fruite vnto death Our olde estate also is here described namely that we were in the flesh He doth not say wheÌ„ we were in the law For he would eschew offence not necessary which thing teachers and preachers ought also to imitate yâ— nether they kepe in sileÌ„ce the things yâ— are necessary to be hard nor also by speaking out of ceason alienate the myndes of the hearers When we were sayth Paul in the fleshe the affectes of sinnes which were by the law c. In these wordes he semeth so to speake of sinnes and of wicked affectes as though before the lawe they were not in vs. But that we shoulde not erre from the meaning of Paul we ought to know that we all haue from our birth a corruption and lust naturally grafted and planted in vs which continually stirreth vp in vs wicked motions and rages and sundry kindes of vices And these motions and violences Paul calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For there is a difference betwene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are called moderate and laudable affections But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 are more vehementer affectes which are caried with a greater force These strong affections are sayd of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by an inward force mightely to worke And therefore there is sayd to be in the sede and likewise in the minde of man 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a certayne power which although it be hidden yet is it of most great efficacy Now these 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or vehement affectes are sayd to be by the lawe not that they were not before but partlye because by the lawe they are made open and partlye for that when as the lawe withstandeth them as a let in their waye they are made much more vehement And therefore Augustine in his questions vnto Simplicianus Vehementâ— affects why they are sayd to be by the law the first question Sinne sayth he is increased by the lawe fyrst because by it it is knowen secondly because by it it is the more prouoked For we contend to that that we are forbidden And he addeth that sinne by the lawe is made more greeuous for the lawe being once put we are made transgressors When he sayth that these vehement motions are of efficacy in our members by members he vnderstandeth all the powers and faculty both of the soule and of the body Neither yet ought we to thinke Paul accuseth not the nat 〈…〉 coÌ„stitution of the body that Paul accuseth the naturall constitution of the body and of the members Only he condemneth the wicked affectes which range abroade through these partes Chrisostome applieth this repreheÌ„sioÌ„ to the thoughts But this vice is spred abroad through out all the powers both of the soule and of the body The Marcionites Valentinians and Manichies which condemned the lawe as proceding from an euill God tooke occasion out of this sentence of Paul and certaine other like places Vnto whome Augustine maketh answere in his 4. Sermon De verbis Apostoli For he sayth That they beguile Christians not such as are simple but such are negligent For it is no hard matter sayth he euen of these selfe same thynges which the Apostle hath
after one the same manner killed of sinne Why sinne is said to reuiue without the law is neither knowen nor any thing moueth vs. But the other deth of sinne is the true death when as it is slayne of Christ and crucified together with him But this is to be noted that wheras sinne reuiueth and killeth meÌ„ some are killed to saluation as are those which flye vnto Christ and are by him reuiued but others are killed to destruction as Iudas Cain and such other lyke which when they knew their sinne dispaired of saluatioÌ„ Sinne is sayd to haue reuiued bicause it was in vs before and as sayth Augustine and other interpreters bicause it had from the beginning sone after the fall of Adam liued in the nature of man but by little and little all the féelyng therof was cleane blotted out But bicause these meÌ„ seme by the law to vnderstand the commaundement geuen vnto the first parents in Paradise which as I before declared is strange from the purpose of Paul therfore we must simply say that sinne reuiued for that it now began to poure forth his strengths which before it did not when it semed to be dead And the commaundement which was ordeyned to lyfe c. He sayth yâ— Howe the commaundement is sayd to be instituted vnto life the commaundement was instituted to lyfe not that it gaue lyfe but for that it teacheth those thinges which serue vnto lyfe and seuerely requireth them and vnles they be done threatneth destruction He sayth not that the commaundement is death but only turned to death for otherwise the scope of the law is to shew and aduance lyfe as much as lieth in it But that it cannot performe it it commeth through our default For sinne toke an occasion by the commaundement and deceiued me by it slew me He repeteth that which he before sayd that sinne tooke an occasion by the commaundement to encrease in vs transgressions This repeticion as the The repeticion declareth the necessitye of the doctrinâ— Gréeke Scholies note declareth that this doctrine is very necessary For so great was the authority of the law amongst the Iewes that they could not be persuaded that they were through Christ deliuered from it But in this repeticion Paul addeth certayne thyngs which before he spake not of For before he wrote that sinne takyng an occasion by the commaundement wrought in him all maner of lust Now he declareth also how it wrought it namely by deceauyng Farther also he addeth what followed after al this lust beyng thus wrought By it sayth he it slew me In summe he sheweth thrée things which sinne being stirred vp by yâ— law worketh in vs. First it deceaueth Secondly in them that are deceaued it engendreth The effects of sinne irritated by the lawe What is the deceate of sinne manifold kindes of sinnes which is to worke all manner of lust last of all it slayeth But what this deceauyng is all men are not of one opinion Some which by sinne will haue to be vnderstand the deuill referre these things to hys temptyng wherby they say that he deceaueth vs takyng an occasion by the law But séeyng this exposition is not as we haue sayd to be allowed therfore we must of necessity séeke for an other Augustine thinketh that here is vnderstand a double deceauyng for first by the prohibition of the law is stirred vp our lust so that sinnes forbidden vs are more pleasant vnto vs we take greater delight in them Farther if there be any thyng done of vs rightly the same we wholy attribute vnto our own strengths and thynke that we haue fully satisfied the law Others say that our corrupt and vitiate nature herein deceaueth vs for that it fayneth it selfe gladly to admitte and wyth great reioycing to allow the law For we wyll all seme to be We will alâ— seme to be louers of vertue louers of the vertue And hereof it commeth that so many so soone as they heare the Gospell preached wyth great reioycing receiue it but when a life correspondeÌ„t to the Gospell is required at their handes straight way they step backe froÌ„ it So sinne grafted in vs although it fayn it self to fauour the law of God yet it continually draweth vs from it so far is it of that it truly consenteth vnto it Although all these things be true worthy of noting yet vnto me this semeth a more playner What is the true deceate of sin exposition to say that sinne therfore deceaueth vs for that it persuadeth vs that those things which are against the law are profitable and for that it turneth away our thought from the punishments which the law threatneth vnto vs and biddeth vs to trust that those punishments may either be auoyded or els shall not be so greuous as they are there set forth And so in all sinnes which we committe is mingled some ignoraunce which is poured into vs by the deceate of our naturall lust VVheâ—fore the Lavv is holy the commaundement is holy iust good The conclusion of thys part Paul followeth Dauid Here haue we the conclusion of this part The Lawe is acqnited from all that suspicion whereby it was sayd to be the cause of sin For it sayth he is holy The Apostle semeth to haue taken these properties of the Law out of the 19. Psalm where the Law in the Hebrew is sayd to be Torah Iehouab Temimah meschiuah nephesch that is perfect vpright and pure And when he had pronounced that the Law is holy he addeth touching the commaundement that it also is holy iust and good He so sayth as I thinke for no other cause but for yâ— he would commend the Law and whatsoeuer is coÌ„tayned in it Chrisostome vpoÌ„ this place proueth that the Apostle speaketh these thinges of no other Law but of the law of Moses which thing seing we also before proued there is no nede here to rehearse again his reasons And although the Law by very good right be setforth with these prayses yet ought we not therefore to thinke that we are by it iustified For Paul most manifestly sayth that it was ordeyned to life but it turned vnto vs to death Was that then which is good made death vnto me God forbid but sinne that it might aypeare sinne wrought death in me by that which is good that sinne might be out of measure sinnefull by the commaundement For we know that the Law is spirituall but I am carnall being sold vnder sinne VVas that then vvhich is good made death vnto me God forbid but sin that it might appeare sinne vvrought death in me by that vvhich is good Hither to he hath cleared himselfe of the sclaunder which was raysed vp agaynst hym by his aduersaries as though he should teach that the Lawe is the cause of sinne Now he dischargeth himselfe of an other crime wherof he was publiquely accused as though he should say that the Law is the cause
of death For forasmuch as death and sinne are so ioyned together that the one is alwayes engendred of the other therefore Paul when he had confuted the first obiection touching sin goeth to the other obiection concerning death For before he denied that the law was of it selfe the cause of sinne now he also denieth it to be the cause of death And euen as before he defended the Law by translation when as he sayd that As the law by it selfe is not the the cause of sinne so also is it not the cause of death the lust naturally grafted in vs is the true and proper cause of sinne So now also he vseth the selfe same translation and ascribeth death not vnto the Law but vnto the vice grafted into vs by nature If a man demaund what commodity hereof followeth that our lust beinge irritated by the Lawe committeth more haynouser wicked facts and bringeth death he answereth that we are thereby brought opēly to the knowledge of the malice of our naturall prauitye which prauity herein chiefely consisteth that it perniciously abuseth the most excellent Law of God so that y◠which was ordeyned to good doth now bring vnto vs destructiō And yet must we not sticke stay in this knowledge of our misery For the more we know that we are in perdition with so muche the greater endeuor We must not stay in the knowledge of our misery The scope of the whole scripture Why the law is not the cause of death ought we to flye vnto Christ at whose hands alone we must looke for saluation and who is the only remedy of our so greate misery And this is the skope of the whole scripture For euery where in it is ether declared our prauity or ells set forth the mercy of God thorough Christ The reason whereby Paul proueth that the Lawe is not the cause of death is this That whiche is spirituall and ordeyned vnto life can not bring death But the Law of God is spirituall and or deyned to life wherefore it can not properlye be the cause of death The Maior or first propositiō hath two parts the first is that the Law can not bring death for that it was ordeined vnto life This sentēce is proued by the nature of things contrarye For death and life forasmuche as they are thinges contrarye can not at one time be found in one and the selfe same subiect For it is not possible that of one and the same Law should in the selfe same men together at one and the same time be engendred both life and death The second part is that the law is spirituall and therefore can not bring death And that is hereby proued for that the nature of the spirite is to quicken and not to destroy VVas that then which vvas good made death vnto me Thys he therefore What is the nature of the spirite obiecteth vnto himself for y◠before he semed to speak things repugnant namely y◠the commaundemente was ordeyned vnto life but yet turned to him to death These thinges seme at the first sight not well to agree It semeth that he should rather thus haue sayd What then Is the Law which bringeth life made vnto me death But Paul to set forth the obiection more vehemently comprehendeth the Law vnder this word Good or this pronowne which is referred to y◠which was before spoken namely ordeyned to life For before he had affirmed both namely that the Law is both good and also ordeyned to life Wherefore he now not without cause obiecteth vnto himselfe Was that then which was good made vn to me death God forbid But Sinne here vnderstād vvas made vnto me death For so is the sentence to be made perfect Now he declareth what vtility the Lawe which was geuen broughte For he sayth that sinne abused it and by it slewe vs that sayth he it mought be knowen and appeare that sinne by that which was good wrought vnto me death God would haue vs to vnderstand that our corruption is greate that by the Law that is by a thing most good it bringeth death Paul speaketh not here chiefely of the death of the body althoughe it also What death Paul here meaneth doo follow but rather of that death whereinto we incurre when we ernestlye fele our sinne by the knowledge of the Law For hereby we see that we are obnoxious vnto the wrath of God adiudged to hell fire Which thinge when we A taste of ēternall condemnation A similitude with efficacy seriously consider we fele in our selues some tast of eternall condēnation By which meanes it commeth to passe that although in body we liue yer we are sayde to be slaine of sinne by the Lawe And as they which are kept in prison after that they know that sentence of death is geuē vpon thē although they are permitted to liue two or three dayes to take their leue of theyr frends yet are they filled with incredible heauines and horror and euery houre haue a tast of theyr death so that al that time they may seme rather to dye then to liue An other similitude And euē as they which are sure to be very shortly rewarded with a greate and looked for reward although in the meane time they take greate paynes yet do they nothing weighe that trouble for that euen in theyr labors they seme to thē selues to haue after a sort the fruition of theyr hoped for reward and to haue it in a maner in theyr hands So they which by the Lawe see fele that they are now condemned to eternall death take no pleasure at all in the delights of thys life For euen now they fele in themselues that those paynes are begon But many maruell that Paul should say that this came to passe in himselfe and especially when as he writeth vnto the Galathians that he had profited in the religion of the Iewes aboue all the men in his time And vnto the Phillippians That he had How Paul was decraned and slaine of sin bene conuersant in the righteousnes of the Law without blame And vnto Timothe That he had from his elders serued God with a pure conscience But Augustine in hys first booke agaynst the two epistles of the Pelagians in the 8. and 9. chapiters diligently dissolueth this doubt He mought sayth he be honestly conuersant in outward workes so that before men he mought without blame performe the righteousnes of the Lawe But before God and as touchinge the affectes of the minde he wa◠not free frō sinne For it mought be that he thorough feare of men or through feare of punishmentes which God threatneth vnto transgressors was moued to liue vprightly but as touching Paul acknowledged himself◠obnoxious vnto the lust grafted into him by nature lustes and inward motions agaynst which men would not that God had made any Law he also was obnoxious vnto vice sinne Nether was h◠by faith and charity as he
them spirite and in nature whatsoeuer Why the law is sayd to be spirituall is moued of it selfe and hath in it by any meanes life it hath it by the benefite of the spirite Wherefore if the lawe should of it selfe bring death doubtles it should do it against the nature of the spirite And the lawe is called spirituall for two causes First because it was not deuised of mans vnderstanding as ciuil laws are but was written by the ministery of Moses in mount Sina God himselfe by his spirite being the inditer thereof Wherefore comming of the spirite being the author thereof it is call spirituall It is called also spirituall for that not being content with outward actions it perseth euen to the will and to the minde and to the inward motions senses and spirites of a man and commaundeth vs to obey it with all the soule and with all the spirite Wherefore they are fowly deceaued An error in distinguishinge the law from the Gospel which so distinguishe the olde lawe from the new that they thinke that the olde lawe only restrayneth the hand but the new pertayneth also to the affectes of the minde For they are not to be counted to satisfy the olde lawe which obserue only an outward righteousnes And if they do not that which the lawe commaundeth that which they do doubtles pleaseth not God yet rather it is to be counted sinne The lawe of God forasmuch as it dealeth not with vs after a ciuill maner is not The law of God dealeth not with vs after a ciuill manner content only with an outward honesty of maners Wherefore nether Socrates nor Aristides by their righteousnes satisfied the lawe though they be neuer so much commended of writers And when the Pharisey had geuen thankes vnto God for that he was not as other men but fasted twise in the weke and did many other thinges which mought please men Christ pronounced that he went not to his house iustified But without al doubt he should haue obtayned righteousnes if by those his workes which he made mencion of he had satisfied the meaning of the lawe This excellency and perfection of the commaundementes of God carnall men vnderstand not so that the Israelites when Moses came downe from the mountayne could not looke vpon the brightnes of the countenance of Moses neither could they abide it And we also so long as we vse this vayle of humane reason The law of God is not vnderstand by the force of humane reason shall not be able to behold the spirituall light of the lawe Origene thinketh that the lawe is therefore called spirituall for that it is not to be expounded according to the letter as commoÌ„ly it is sayd but by allegoricall senses But seing Paul here entreateth of the ten commaundementes as that precept which is of him rited Thou shalt not lust plainly declareth this interpretation ought vtterly to bee counted from the purpose For in this part of the law we may not deale with allegories Neither doth Paul therfore say that he is carnal for that he vnderstood not In the Decaloge allegories haue no place allegories but for that he felt in himself affections striuing against the law of God Now then forasmuch as the law is spirituall in that manner that we haue now declared it followeth of necessitie that it of his owne nature bringeth not death but rather lyfe For so Moses in Deut. the 30. chap. sayth that he had set forth vnto The law of it selfe bringeth life the Israelites life and death good and euill blessing and cursing For the perfect obseruation of the law draweth with it blessing life and good and yâ— violating therof bringeth cursing euil and death And the law commaundeth not transgression It lieth not in our will and choise in as much as we are corrupt to chose life but obseruation But yet it lieth not in our choyce or will of our own accorde to chuse good life and blessing For the commaundemeÌ„ts of the law are displeasaÌ„t vnto vs vntill the spirite of Christ come And Christ sayth If thou wylte enter into lyfe kepe the commaundements And Dauid in the 19. Psalme saith That the law restoreth the mynde Which testimonies if they be rightly vnderstanded teach this selfe same thing But if a man demaund whether these proprieties of the law at any time attaine to their effect We aunswer that they do but yet euen then wheÌ„ The law sheweth forth his effects in the regenerate the law is written not only in tables but also in our hartes and bowels For theÌ„ although the law be imperfectly expressed in our workes yet are not the promises therof made frustrate which in the elect of God are performed not thorough merites but thorough grace and mercy After yâ— the Apostle had in such sort coÌ„mended the law he rendreth a reason why of it he drew not life but death Bicause saith he I am carnall sold vnder sinne Here the crime of slaying the increase of sinne is transferred from the law to the corruption of our nature And there is nothing more gratefull vnto God then for vs to accuse our selues with due prayses to set forth his worde It was not possible to deuise a more apte commendation of the law For Paul doth not only set forth the singuler dignitye therof but also speaketh that which he saith is well knowen and vnderstande of all the godly We know sayth he that the law is spirituall And to make this the more playne he setteth against it our vncleannes I sayth he am carnal and sold vnder sinne The law is the maistresse of vertue and enemy of all vices I abhorre vertue and folow vices euen against my will When he sayth that he is carnall he meaneth that he was infected with Why Paul saith that he is carnal originall sinne and corruption For that euill is deriued from Adam by the flesh whiche yet containeth not it selfe in the fleshe but possesseth the whole man and all his strengthes And the better to declare what this worde carnall signifieth he Why we are said to be solde vnder sinne addeth sold vnder sinne For euen as bondmen are oftentimes drawen and impelled of their masters to that which they would not so are we by originall sinne drawen to many things which we allow not Neither are we only vnder the bonds of Originall sinne but also through our owne will we adde therunto a great hepe of sinnes Wherfore we are bouÌ„d with many kindes of snares By this metaphore Paul notably setteth forth our captiuity The Iewes were oppressed with greuous seruitude when they were captiues in Egipt neither were they any gentler delt with in Babilon but most cruelly of all were they handled vnder Antiochus But there can no seruitude be compared with this wherof Paul now speaketh for in No captiuiâ—ye can be compared with seruitude of sin those seruitudes was only an outward enemy and the
hooke de Ciuitate Dei the. 12. chapiter which we before cited For he sayth that when as the empire was first in the East God would that at the length the kingdome of the Romanes should be the chiefe to tame the wicked doinges of other nations But many suspect that by this doctrine is opened a window vnto many vices For if the doings of ciuil men whilest they seme to liue vertuously be sinnes they maye easely be pulled away from those notable good workes Hereunto I answere that we teach not that ciuill discipline is to be neglected Ciuill discipline is not to be neglected of instdeâ—s for it by the prouidence of God is as it were a certayne bond wherby is preserued all ciuill fellowship God can suffer cities and commonweales so long as in them florisheth integrity of maners and vertue and honestye but when those things be vtterlye vitiated and corrupted then is GOD so prouoked to wrath that he will punishe those thinges whiche he before had long tyme wincked at Men so long as they are without Christ sinne yea when they do notable The Ethikes when they kept ciuill discipline sinned lesse then wheÌ„ they contemned it All sinnes ar not like workes but farre lesse then if casting away al ciuill dueties they vtterly abandone themselues to all manner of sinnes For we are not Stoikes to thynke that all sinnes are lyke Farther if these men omitte to do those workes which by the very light of nature they know to be honest they striue against their own conscience And if we will more plainly see whether sentence namely ours or our aduersaries open a greater window vnto vices let vs compare them together Our aduersaries and not we open a window vnto sinnes Verily they when they preache that wicked men may doe good workes able to please God and by them to merite grace as they speake of congruitye what thing els do they then foster and nourishe poore misers in their damnable estate For they make those men to delight in themselues for such workes I know not what and to hope that at the lest at the ende of their lyfe they shal for those workes sake obteine of God to be truly and earnestly conuerted But in yâ— meane tyme they liue securely neither do they with a iust and true repentaunce turne away from their wicked factes But we contrariwise when we daily admonishe them to come vnto Christ and by true repentaunce to be reconciled for otherwise good workes will nothing profite them when as though they be neuer so godly to the shew yet before God they are sins do we not vse very sharpe spurres that leuing impietie and their corrupt kind of life they should conuert themselues vnto the righteousnes of god These things if thou diligently weigh thou shalt easily perceiue whether of vs more make open the way vnto wicked lustes This doubtles may all they iudge which are touched with any affect of truth and pietie For besides that which we haue now said they shall easely see that all the good workes which are attributed vnto men not regenerate are a The aduersaries put a way much froÌ„ the grace of God derogacion and a robbery vnto the grace of God For if without the grace of God we maye performe many thyngs which are acceptable and grateful vnto hym it followeth that we are not wholy redemed renewed of him which is so wicked so straÌ„ge froÌ„ the catholike truth yâ— nothing can be deuised more impudeÌ„t or more wicked For what piety is there remaining wher Christ is robbed of hys honour Or what honor is left vnto Christ if we teach yâ— he hath not brought vnto vs all abilitie to liue vprightly Some vaunt that many things happen and are done before regeneration which are as certaine meanes to the obteinement therof and seyng oftentimes it commeth to passe that by them we are iustified they cannot be counted sinnes We graunt in déede that these are sometimes certayne meanes wherby God bringeth vs to iustification but therby is not proued Goodly workes are sometimes occasions of destruction that vnto them that do them they are not sinnes And doubtles as touchyng the nature of the workes themselues vnto some they are occasioÌ„s of greater destruction For there are many which by reason of such their works wonderfully puffe vp themselues and haue a plesure in themselues and preferre themselues before others and beyng now full and satisfied with the opinion of themselues although they be impelled and inuited yet they refuse to go any farther In these men such workes are preparations to eternall death But as touching the elect God gouerneth and temperateth their workes and maketh them to worke together to saluation although of their owne nature they are sinnes and ought to be counted vicious as long as the light of iustification shineth vpon theÌ„ Wherfore we confesse yâ— workes are certain preparations vnto a healthfull conuersioÌ„ but yet to none but The workes which are done before regeneration are samtimes preparation vnto it but yet onely in the predestinate vnto the predestinate and vnto the elect whom God sometymes by these workes leadeth to iustification not that they of their owne nature haue this strength to prepare vnto iustification for vnto the castawayes reprobate they serue vnto condemnation But now let vs sée what those workes be which our aduersaries so highly prayse in men not regenerate There is in them say they a certaine acknowledging of sinne therof springeth a terrour wherby they are vehemently smitten after that is stirred vp a sorrow for the losse of the kingdome of heauen and then they are moued with a lesse desire to wicked actes and they take lesse pleasure in sinnes and in the inticementes of the world They séeme also with some zeale to heare the word of God How can these thinges say they be counted sins Although they are not say they of such efficacy that a man can by them be conuerted and forsake the olde state of his corruption Here I would demaund of these men what maner knowledge of sinne that is which is so had that in the meane tyme we preferre it before the righteousnes of God Verely seing that it wanteth his true and proper ende it cannot be but sinne For to this end is that knowledge That knowledge of sinne which wanteth his proper end is sinne The end of the knowledge of sinne appointed that when we know sinne we should forsake it and embrace the righteousnes of God Which ende if it be away the worke is corrupted and made sinne All morall writers confesse this that that action is sinne which is depriued of hys dew ende Farther what maner feare of hel fire is that when as they daily throw themselues hedlong into it And what sorrow is that for the losse of the kingdome of heauen when they continually refuse it beyng offred vnto theÌ„ by the holy scriptures and by the preachers If
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
that by his spirite the iustification of the law might be fulfilled in the elect Neither did he for any other cause take flesh vpon him but to helpe and succor the infirmity of our flesh Of this purpose and councell of God the Apostle here entreateth By this place it manifestly appeareth how one and the selfe same worke One and the selfe same worke is both sin and vetue as it commeth either from vs or from God as it commeth from men is sinne and as it commeth froÌ„ God is good The Iewes sought nothing els in the death of Christ but to exatiate and fulfill their hatred to reiect the worde of God and to repell and put away the chastisements and corrections of the Lord and also to kepe still their dignities and honors These endes forasmuch as they are very wicked the action also could not but be very wycked But God forasmuch as he had a regard to the setting forth of his goodnes and procured the health of mankinde in that he deliuered his sonne vnto the death accomplished a worke of most singuler charity Wherfore if we will speake properly God if we speake properly ought not to be counted the cause of sin God can not be called the cause of sinne although it cannot be denied but that he is the cause of that thing which in vs is sinne for that which in him is praise worthy and procedeth of vertue is oftentimes by vs defiled for that we our selues ar vncleane In that he saith That which was impossible vnto the law he teacheth both that the law is weake and by the contrary that the spirite and faith are strong But that infirmity of the law appeareth not vnles the weakenes of our frée will be throughly known For therof commeth it that the law is weak because it lighteth vpon a corrupt nature For otherwise the law it selfe so far forth as it is written is nether weake nor strong But man is iudged weak so long as he is left vnder the Law and is not holpen by the spirite of grace This place most strongly An argument of iustification that it is not had by workes proueth that iustification is not of workes and that there are no workes preparatory for works which go before iustification either do agrée with the law of God or els they defect or want of it If they agrée with the law theÌ„ of necessity we must graunt that the law is not weak as that which without the spirit and grace may be performed Paul in this place affirmeth that thing to be vnpossible But if such workes faile of the rule of the law â–ª which can not be denied then must we nedes graunt that they are sinnes But by sinnes no man can be iustified Here also are reproued the Pelagians which tooke vpon them to say and teach that a man by The Pelagians are in this place ouâ—râ—hrown the strengthes of nature is able to fulfill the commaundements of the Law For Paul teacheth contrariwise that the law was so weakened by the flesh that it behoued vs to be deliuered by an other helpe But where as he sayth yâ— the law was weakened by yâ— flesh no man ought therfore falsely to suppose yâ— here is condeÌ„ned yâ— substance of the flesh or nature of yâ— body for these things God created good But by flesh he vnderstaÌ„deth yâ— naughtines corruption which by reason of the fall of AdaÌ„ passed through all mankind Which corruption forasmuch as it is still remayning euen in men regenerate they can not vndoubtedly perfectly and fully accomplish the lawe of God vntill they haue vtterly put of this fleshe And as Chrisostome noteth the lawe of God is not by these wordes condemned but rather commended because it commaundeth right and iust thinges but it can not bring them to the ende Wherefore the comming saith he of Christ was necessary which might minister helpe and succour vnto the lawe for the lawe in dede taught vprightly There are two things which the law cannot performe what ought to be done and what ought to be auoyded But besides this there were two other thinges necessary which the lawe could not geue first that those thinges might be forgeuen which are committed against the commaundements thereof an other is that the strengthes of man might be corroborated whereby to performe the commaundementes of the lawe Without these two thinges whatsoeuer the lawe teacheth touching the doing or eschewing of thinges it can not profite but rather serueth to condemnation For he which knoweth the will of his Lord and doth it not is gréeuouslyer punished then he which knoweth not the will of his Lord. Those commentaryes which are ascribed vnto Ierome do vpon this place expressedly affirme that the Apostle here speaketh not of the lawe of ceremonies for he speaketh here of that lawe whereof is written in the 7. chapter of Mathew The thinges which ye wyll that men should do vnto you the same do ye vnto them of which lawe it is straight way sayde Thys is the lawe and the prophetes Wherefore there is no cause why any man shoulde cauell that that whiche Paul saith It was possible vnto the lawe is not to be referred vnto the morall lawe Three thinges are here enquired for but vnto ceremonyes But there are in this place thrée thinges to be obserued first what moued God to geue his sonne secondly what Christ being geuen vnto vs did for vs. Lastly what fruite we obtayne by his worke As touching the first the Apostle saith that this was the purpose of God when he gaue his sonne that the infirmity of the lawe should not be a let to our saluation For he sawe that it was God gaue his sonne that the infirmity of the law should not be a let to our saluation so weake by reason of the infirmity of our fleshe that by the ministery thereof we could not attaine vnto saluation which he had appointed for vs. Which sentence if our aduersaries would consider they should sée that they can neither maynetaine workes of preparation nor yet iustification by workes vnles paraduenture they thinke that this counsell or purpose of God was not necessary And these men vndoubtedly do as much as lieth in theÌ„ to diminishe the benefite of Christ neither acknowledge they the perfect and full loue of the father towardes vs. Paul saith that the lawe without Christ is weake these men say that before we are made pertakers of Christ we be able to worke good workes and to obey the lawe of God And although Paul here teacheth the impossibility of the lawe yet the fathers haue sometimes accursed such as dare say that God hath commaunded Whether God haue commaunded thinges vnpossible thinges vnpossible Although if a man rightly vnderstand our doctrine he shall easely sée that we teach not that the commaundementes of God are vtterly vnpossible but only as touching those which are strangers from Christ For men now regenerate haue
debters dnto the fleshe he playnly declareth how necessary good workes are And he stoppeth their mouthes which spake ill of his doctrine as which opened a window vnto vices For he threateneth death and that eternall death vnto theÌ„ which liue according to the fleshe They which draw the wordes of the Apostle vnto the liberty of the fleshe vnderstand not that he teacheth that men iustified are absolued from the condemnation of the lawe and not from the obedience therof For that obedience lasteth in the Saintes for euer For if ye liue after the flesh ye shall dye but if by the spirite ye mortefie the deedes of the fleshe ye shall liue He here by an other reason proueth A reason from that which is profitable vnprofitable yâ— we ought to liue holily which reason is taken froÌ„ that which is profitable and vnprofitable Two thinges he setteth forth namely life and death neither entreateth he here of temporall thinges but of eternall It is true in déede that it is not comely that we should follow as captaines of our life the prauity and corruption of nature which is signified by the name of fleshe neither do the debts which we owe vnto God by reason of his benefites bestowed vpon vs suffer vs so to do But yet fewe are moued with this comlynes and the nature of man is by reason of sinne to much blockish to heauenly thinges Wherefore it must haue the stronger spurres to pricke it forwarde And therefore Paul added this reason of lyfe and death If by the spirite ye mortefy the deedes of the fleshe ye shall liue Hereof two thinges we gather First that there are still déedes of the fleshe in the godly And who doubteth but that they are sinnes especially seing they ought to be mortefied The second is that these déedes are mortefied by the spirite for mans inuentions will nothing helpe thereunto For whatsoeuer is done by vertues described of the philosophers is sinne which can not through Christ be forgeuen them Wherefore the true and perfect cause of mortification is to be sought for at the handes of the spirite And to mortefy is nothing els but for a man to be violent against himselfe and to withstand and resist wicked lustes Here agayne also the Apostle séemeth to touch the difference betwéene deadly sinne and veniall What is to mortâ—fy sinne not that all sinnes are not of their owne nature deadly but for that through the death and spirite of Christ they are forgeuen therefore they are called veniall Those are called deadly sinnes which are not mortified in vs when we geue our selues to lustes and liue without repentance and sinne against our conscience neither resiâ—â— lustes but follow on our trade of liuing wickedly neither in the meane tyme regard we the spirit or death of Christ These are those sinnes which Paul writeth They which do such thinges shall not obtayne the kingdome of God and for which as it is written vnto the Ephesians The wrath of God commeth vpon the children of distrust For as many as are led by the spirite of God are the sonnes of God By two reasons it hath bene proued that men godly regenerate ought not to liue after the fleshe either bicause they are now debters so to do or els bicause the same shall turne them to great commodity namely for that they shall liue for euer Here is added the third reason for that they are now adopted into the children of God In which place we are taught two things at once the one is that they ought We must liue vprightly for that we are adopted into children Three maner of wayes it is shewed that we are the sonnes of God fréely and of their owne accord to worke as which are endued with the spirit not of bondmen but of children the other is that they which so leade their life shall liue for euer namely for that they are the sonnes of God For he is eternall immortall And that they are the children of God he proueth thrée manner of wayes First for that they are led by the spirite of God Secondly for that they call vpon him by the name of father lastly for that the spirite so testifieth vnto theÌ„ Wherfore the reason may thus be knit together As many as are the sonnes of God liue not after the flesh for they are led by the spirite of God and they call God their father and they haue the holy ghost in their hartes a witnes of the adoption whiche they haue obteined Such ones are all we which beleue in Christ wherefore we ought not to liue after the flesh When they are said to be the sonnes of God which The beginning of our adoption is thâ— spirit of God are led by the spirite of God therby is signified that the beginning of our adoptioÌ„ coÌ„meth only through the sprite of God by which the faithfull are so drawen that they are sayd of Paul to be led that is without violence and any coaction bowed They which want the spirite are holden with ignorance and are tossed by the impulsion of lustes But the spirite of God so leadeth that it both teacheth what is to be done and also ministreth a will minde and strengthes to performe the same It is not inough to know what we ought to do vnles we haue also strengthes geuen vs to do it and strengthes should be in vaine geuen vs if there should want knowledge These two thinges bringeth the spirite of God with it and by that Two thinges the spirite of God bringeth with it meanes leadeth the elect with pleasure After we are once sealed with this spirite we haue obteyned the earnest peny of eternall life and the adoption of the sonnes of God And forasmuch as we are not compelled to do any thing against our wils we enioy most excellent fréedome For we are stirred vp vnto those thinges which we excedingly desire For ye haue not receiued the spirite of bondage vnto feare But ye haue What is the spirite of feare and what of adoption receiued the spirite of adoption wherby we cry Abba father The apostle by a certaine distinction expresseth what that spirite is wherby the sonnes of God are led For he maketh one the spirite of feare an other the spirite of adoption which is no otherwise to be vnderstand but that one and the selfe same spirite of God bringeth forth two effectes which are by a certaine order knit together For first by the law and by threatninges it maketh afeard those men that are to be iustified and breaketh and vexeth them with scourges and stripes of the conscience that vtterly dispairing of themselues they may flye vnto Christ vnto whom wheÌ„ they are come and that they embrace him by faith they are not onely iustified but also are fréely of their owne accorde stirred vp to iust vpright and holy workes Wherfore Paul admonisheth yâ— Romanes that they are now come vnto this latter
are elected That should not be true if calling should haue that force to chaunge the will Here we say that the calling of God is of two sortes the one is common whereby men in déede are after a sorte stirred vp but they are not bowed For that those thinges which are offred please them not but the other is a conuenient apte and mightye calling whereby the mindes are touched and trulye chaunged After this manner was Iacob called and not Esau therefore the one was beloued the other hated the one drawen the other forsaken Neither doth this any thinge further thée to say God wanteth not a meane wherby to bow the wâ—â—s of men It is repugnant to the wil to be compelled God poured not malice in to Esau but he gaue not vnto him grace wherby he might be made good What two thinges are hâ—â—e to be hâ—ld fast although humane reason cannot make theâ— to agree that the willes of men are sometimes hardened for it is not to be thoughte that God wanteth a meane whereby to bow and chaunge them if he will Wherefore if we make God omnipotent then can there be no obstinacy of men so greate but that he can ouercome it not by compulsion which is vtterly repugnante vnto the nature of will but by persuasion Neither was it néedeful that God when he hated Esau should poure into him any new malice whereby he mought be made euil for he had that aboundantly of himselfe and by the corruption of nature It was sufficient yâ— he gaue not vnto him grace whereby he mought be made good Wherfore there are two thinges which we oughte constantlye to holde faste firste that there is no iniquitie wyth God secondlye that he hath mercye on whome he wyll and whome he wyll at hys pleasure he hardeneth Whyche two thynges althoughe humane reason can not easelye make to agrée the one with the other yet Augustine to the ende the iustice of God moughte after a sorte the easilier be vnderstanded addeth a similitude of a creditoure who hath two debtoures whome if vnto one he remitte his debte and require his debte of the other no no man can iustly accuse Wherefore if humane iustice had his originall of the iustice of God it is wonderfull that men can take this vpon theÌ„ to reproue that in God which they confesse to be iust in men And Iacob and Esau were obnoxious vnto the condemnation of originall sinne Wherefore God did nothing vniustly if he pardoned the one and vouchsafed to bestow on him his fauour and grace and by his iust iudgement punished the other Debters shoulde not haue a proude and rashe iudgement of the minde of their creditor especially when he requireth of theÌ„ no more then his dew But how importunatly men séeke to hinder God that he should not at his pleasure geue the thinges that are his to whome he will Christ God cannot be letted but that he geueth his thinges as semeth good vnto hym How this is to be vnderstanded thou hast hatâ—d none of the thinges which thou haâ— made declareth in the Gospel vnder the person of the good man of the house Is it not lawfull saith he for me to do wyth myne owne what I wyll Is thyne eye euill I am good Take that which is thyne owne and go thy wayes But it is written in the booke of wisedome the 2. chapter Thou hast hated none of the thynges which thou hast made Wherefore seing Esau was made of God it semeth that he could not â—e hated of him Augustine answereth that we must make a distinction betwene nature and sinne and so he maketh answere that God loued Esau as touching nature but hated him by reason of sinne But with this answere the minde can not be quieted for euen by this selfe same reason God may seme to haue hated Iacob for he also was no les obnoxious vnto originall sinne then was Esau Vnto thys Iacob was nâ— lesse obnoxious to original sinne theÌ„ Esau God hateth the sinnes of all men but after a dâ—ueâ—s maner the sinnes of the elect he w 〈…〉 pardon but will punishe the sinnes of the reprobate How Iacob was loued Esau hated when as they both were in sinne Three things to be considered The nature oâ— man sinne â–ª and the punishment God â—â—eth sinne as it is a punishmeÌ„t obiection Augustine maketh answere that God hated the sinne of eche but yet not after one and the selfe same maner For he would haue sinne to be in Iacob extinguished by forgeuenes And for that he had clered him of that debt he is sayd to loue hym But he hated sinne in Esau and would haue it punished And so for that he left Esau obnoxious vnto sinnes which he would not forgeue he was sayd to hate him Finally he thus interpretateth this sentence Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated namely that yâ— one was deliuered from sin but the other was left in sinne But how man and sinne do either please or displease God he thus declareth First he saith we must set before our eyes nature secondly sinne and thirdly the punishemeÌ„t wherwith God chastiseth the crime First of all he saith God loueth nature neither at any time hateth he it of himselfe But sinne of his owne nature he hateth although sometimes when it is inflicted of him in respect of a punishement forasmuch as it is an instrument of the iustice of God it vtterly displeaseth him not for then by that sinne others of the elect are kept vnder that they should not in like sort committe sinne And this he declareth by an excellent similitude A Iudge saith he when a thefe is brought before him hateth not the thiefe in respect that he is a maÌ„ but the theft he condemneth Neither doubtles hateth he the punishement whereby he commaundeth hym to be banished and to be put to the workes of the mines yea rather he inflicteth it vnto him as good By which sentence of Augustine by the way we note that at that The Romane lawes made not theâ—â— death tyme the Romane lawes condemned not a theefe to be hanged but only condemned him to the mines Wherefore seing sinnes haue oftentimes the nature of a punishement as we gather by the first chapter of this epistle it is euident that God in this respect hateth them not But in what sort he willeth sinnes all Whether god willeth sinne men are not of one and the same mynde For some thinke that God onely permitteth sinne and not properly willeth it least they should seme to make God the author of sinne and for that cause vniust if he woulde punishe that in man which he himselfe would haue to be done But if a man diligently weigh this permission he shall at the length finde that it is a certaine will of God For if he permitte sinne he doth it either willingly or agaynst his wyll but against Nothing caÌ„ be done against gods will The opinioÌ„
euery side defiled and filthyly wrapped in bloud I passed by sayth the Lord and when I saw thee in that case I had compassion of thee Farther let vs remember what is the scope of the Apostle in this epistle For if we will iudge vprightly of controuersies we must not cast our eye of frō the scope This was the scope of the Apostle by all maner of meanes to commend the grace of Christ And to this purpose can nothing more be a let then to affirme that the predestination of God that is the head and fountaine of grace commeth of the workes of men And if it be counted a fault in orators if in their oration they paraduenture inculcate things which should much hinder the cause which they toke in hand how can we suspect that the holy ghost presisted not in that which he began but speaketh thinges strange from that which he purposed Neither doubtles can there be any other reason geuen of the members then of the hed which is Christ Iesus Seing therefore that no man can doubt but that the sonne of God tooke vpon him humane nature freely For if the question should The son of God toke vpō him frely humane nature be asked why he rather tooke vpon him man of the virgen Mary then any other man there can no reason be geuen but for that it so pleased him For as tooching wookes any other man borne of an other virgen mought haue had them no les then he which was borne of Mary For whosoeuer had had the diuinity as Christ had he should doubtles haue done the selfe same workes which Christ did Seing therfore that that humanity was taken of the son of God fréely of the pure mere mercy of God euen after the self same maner whosoeuer are the members of Christ are elected fréely and without any merites of workes Finally all those reasons which proue that iustification consisteth not of workes the same As iustification is not of workes ▪ so neither also is predestination Christ and his death is the first effect of predestination Christ as touchyng his humane nature and death ▪ is not the cause of predestination also proue that predestination dependeth not of workes Now resteth to declare whether Christ and his death may be sayd to be the cause of predestination Here we answere that Christ and his death is the first and principall effect of predestination for amongst those thinges which are of God geuen vnto the elect is Christ himselfe and the fruit of his death For whatsoeuer is geuen vnto vs is deriued vnto vs from God by this way and as it were through this pipe And forasmuch as it is certaine that the effects of predestination may so be compared together that one may be the cause of the other but vnto none of them agréeth to be the beginning of predestination therefore we deny that Christ as touching his humanity or death is the cause of our predestination although he be the beginning and cause of all good thinges which come vnto vs by the purpose of God I know that there haue bene some which haue gone about to conciliate the sentences of the fathers with this most true doctrine which we haue now by many reasons proued For they say that the fathers when they write that predestination is of workes foresene by the name of predestination do not vnderstand the worke or action of God whereby he electeth or predestinateth any man ▪ but rather the end and certaine meanes for as touching them nothing can let but that workes may be causes Sentences of many of the fathers agree not fully with this doctrine For it is without all doubt certayne that the last damnation commeth of workes as of the cause and good workes spring of fayth as of their beginning I sée in dede that the entent of these men is not to be discommended which labour to apply the sentences of the fathers vnto the truth as much as is possible But yet that which they auouch I can not affirme to be true For there are certaine sentences of the fathers so hard that they can by no meanes be drawen to this meaning For they to defend the liberty of our will will not haue all thinges to depend of the predestination of God And of purpose say that all whole is not of God It is not true that they say all whole is not of God It is not true also that God electeth because of faith foresene but somewhat also is required of vs. And they expressedly write that God electeth some for that he foresaw that they should beleue They haue also here and there many other such like sayinges so that I by no meanes can sée how their sentences can agrée with our doctrine in this point Howbeit Augustine fully agreeth with it Ierome also disagréeth not from it although oftentimes in many places he agrée with Origen and others But against the Pelagians he highly commendeth the sentence of Augustine touching this matter and excedingly alloweth his writinges against this heresy Seing therefore that Augustine oftentimes vsed thys argument against the Pelagians it must nedes be that the same very well pleased Ierome now being olde Ciprian also as we haue before sayd manifestly writeth that there is nothing which is ours Wherefore it followeth of necessity that all whole is of God But howsoeuer it be there is no nede that we should at this present much reason touching the fathers For when I interpretated the text it selfe I aboundantly spake of them as the opportunity of the place serued As in all other things which pertayne vnto faith so also in this question we must geue We must geue sentence according to the scriptures not according to the fathers sentence according to y◠scriptures and not according to the fathers And this self thing euē the fathers thēselues required at our hands Which I thinke we to our ability haue performed in alleadging of reasons Amongst the latter writers Pigghius being forced by the vehemency of the scriptures graunteth vnto vs that works are not causes of predestination for he cōfesseth that it consisteth fréely and of the mere mercy of God with a respect yet saith he vnto works which thing I suppose he sayd least he should séeme in vaine to haue with so many words contended But if predestination be frée and do depend of the mere goodnes and mercy If election be free why is there added a respect vnto works of God as the scriptures testifie why durst this man of his owne hed imagine this new respect of works For the holy scripture and especially Paul vtterly excludeth workes from this matter But Pigghius the more to bewray that his vile desire of contending bringeth certaine arguments which make vtterly nothing at all to the matter That saith he which as touching election happened in the blessed virgen the mother of God ought in others also to take place but she
â–ª mencioneth laboureth to wrest against the Christians for they saith he sacrifice in gardens for they haue their grene enclosed places hard by their temples wherein whilest they are abiding they boast that they there worship God they burne incense also vpon brickes for they haue their alters whereupon they sayâ— they do sacrifice and they dwell in graues for they runne from place to place to dead carkases and such other like thinges he obiecteth vnto vs. This Iew doubtles in my iudgement is to be commended not for that he wrongly interpreteth Esay and wresteth to the Gentiles those thinges which are spoken against 〈…〉 Iewes but for that he saw that those things are superstitious which are reâ—ayned still in the Papacy for a singular worshipping of God and perceaued that those thinges are in the scriptures reproued in his brethern the Iewes which ouâ— religious men and sacrificing priests count for most high holynes For they say come not nere to me I am holier then thou art For if a man come vnto them â–ª to admonish them out of the word of God they make him afeard and vtterly 〈…〉 him away neither wil they heare him This Hebrew word Sodar that is â—ebellious the 70. interpreters and Paul agreeing with them haue turned by 〈…〉 wordes namely by 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is vnbeleuing and gainsaying For these two thinges are proper vnto them that fall from God not to beleue and to gaynesay his commaundementes as contrariwise they come vnto God and geue themselues vnto him which beleue his wordes and obey The summâ— of impiety â–ª his commaundementes In these two wordes is comprehended the summe of al impiety With which although the fathers of the Iewes were infected yet their childreÌ„ wheÌ„ they crucified Christ filled it vp vnto yâ— toppe for which cause they are most greuously punished loÌ„g time haue ben punished so yâ— Christ said truely That vpon you may come all the righteous bloud which hath bene shed from the bloud of Abell vnto the bloud of Zacharie the son of Barachias This place most manifestly teacheth that it is vtterly necessary that yâ— grace of God do preuent vs It is necessary that the grace of God do preuent vs. forasmuch as of our owne streÌ„gths we are not first able to seke to recouer saluatioÌ„ lost First we are sought of God who offreth himselfe vnto theÌ„ yâ— are in hand with other matters not only with other matters but also cleane contrary matters yea and to such which vtterly resist him Neither is it possible that of vs being corrupt should spring forth the beginninges of goodnes The shepherd seketh Examples the shepe gone astraye and not the shepe the shepherd The woman seketh the grote and not the grote the woman We are fallen into so deepe a pit that of our selues we can by no meanes get thereout And forasmuch as by reason of sinne we are now dead we are not able to rayse vp our selues I would gladly therefore demaunde of those which defend workes preparatory whether they Agaynsâ— workes of preparation will confesse that men by reason of sinne are dead or no If they wil not confesse this they haue Paul against them who saith that the stipend of sinne is death and they shal be thought to be of this iudgement that sinne is not so greuous an euil that it bringeth with it vtter destruction And if they confesse that they which sinne are dead before God then must there be looked for some streÌ„gth from els where whereby they may rise agayne and reuiue I woulde know of them also whether Abraham were moued of himselfe to depart out of his owne contrey and to forsake idolatry And whether the Israelites deliuered theÌ„selues out of Egipt or no And if the efficacy and goodnes of God were of force in all these why contend they that a man being now dead through sinne can prepare himselfe to grace he prepareth himselfe rather to greater corruptioÌ„ then to saluation But what nede we so many wordes in a matter not doubtful howbeit Sinners prepare theÌ„ selues to greater corruptioÌ„ â–ª anâ— not to sa 〈…〉 tion this I say that they which defend workes of preparation haue their feete so fast tâ—ed with testimonies of the scriptures that the more they stirre themselues the faster are they bound and lesse able are they to escape away Moreouer hereby it is manifest why the Ethnikes so long as they were strangres from God were called not a nation and fooles for that they sought not God nor asked after God The first and principall steppe to saluation is that God do declare The principall step to saluation himselfe vnto vs and that manifestly for vnles he manifestly and plainly reuele himself vnto vs our mind wil alwayes leape backe for that by reason of oâ— the corruption grafted in it it abhorreth from things diuine If GOD be found of him that seeke hym not and do appeare vnto them that aske not after â—im saluation then commeth vnto them by chance not that there is any fortune or chance as touching God but as touching them For they are in hand with â—ther deuises their purposes and ententes be farre diuers when they lighte â—ppon saluation yea oftentimes they manifestly labour to bryng themselues to destruction For Paul when he was taken persecuted the members of Christ and entended to put in prison and in bounds as many as he found addicted to that way Wherefore let vs acknowledge those thinges which are of God â—o â—ee Gods neither let vs attribute his giftes to our preparations But vnto Israell he sayth Thys proposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth vnto may also aptly signifie agaynst and peraduenture also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is touching but thys is not of much waight Paule vseth here manifestly the figure Apostrophe which is when a man turneth hys speach to an other person when as in Esay â–ª as we haue sayd the person is couertly chaunged I haue stretched out myne handes all the day long By the gesture of the handes he declareth the beneâ—olence of God in what sorte it was euer towardes the Iewes They which call any man vnto theÌ„ do vse to stretch out theyr hand vnto hym and they also which What to stretche ouâ— the hande signifieth doe allure by giftes oftentymes shewe them forth in theyr handes Wherfore to stretch out the handes is by an allegorye nothyng ells then to call to allure by giftes although God also be sayd to stretch forth hys handes to worke miracles and wonders as it is written in the Actes Stretch forth thine hand to thys end that healynges wonders and signes may be wrought through the name of thy holy sonne Iesus Wherefore if after thys maner also we shoulde vnderstand that sentence the Apostle spake most aptly for there was neuer any tyme wherin God did not with great miracles and wonderfull workes call vnto hym
is due throughe the worthines of the good worke but because it followeth good workes by a disposition and order instituted of God And after good workes followeth the reward of felicity and after euill the rewarde of eternall death althoughe hell fire be in verye déede due to the desertes of sinnes Grace saith he is not grace For that it is turned into a recompense due to workes And worke should not be worke if that which is geuen and rendred vnto works should be counted to be geuen by grace for it is the nature of worke to claime the ende of duetye and not fréelye Some cauell that we are not saued and iustified by the workes which we our selues haue done but if they be the workes of God which are done in vs by them we are iustified herebye entendinge that by the receiuing of the sacramentes is conferred grace as the terme it but they are farre deceaued For no man in receiuinge the sacramentes receaueth any grace but that which he receiued by faith When as we receaue the sacramentes as sealinges The sacramentes do not thorow the worke wrought coÌ„ferre grace Wherunto the receauing of the sacraments â—s an helpe of grace and of the giftes already obteyned neither is any thing gotten by them by vertue and strength of the worke wrought as they vse to speake For he which receaueth the sacramentes commeth either worthely or vnworthely if vnworthely he thereby getteth nothing but hurt and losse if worthely then bringeth he a liuely faith wherby he receaueth grace represented by the wordes of God and the sacramentes The woorke it selfe is an helpe whereby faith being somewhat weake is thorough the holy ghost stirred vp and forasmuch as there is celebrated the memory of the Lord and his name is called vpon therfore many good things are obtained and by those obsignations and seales the mindes of the beleuers are confirmed but that the worke it selfe conferreth grace we can in no wise graunt They say also that workes which follow iustification forasmuche as they are not An other â—â—â—llatioâ— ours but come of grace do merite many thinges But althoughe that the grace of God do helpe vs in doing good workes and the thinges which we do are therefore acceptable vnto God and that he will reward those workes yet notwithstanding therein is neither duety nor merite as we haue tought but onely an order and a certaine consequence by the institution and goodnes of God And in summe according to Pauls doctrine where mencion is of grace there muste woorkes néedes be banished as touching that they should be causes eyther of saluation or of iustification And although the proposition which is now proued do pertaine as well vnto the Gentils as vnto the Iewes yet notwithstanding therein are chiefly reproued the Iewes who peraduenture would easely haue graunted that the Gentils grafted into Christ were saued by grace when as before they had liued wickedly and in ydolatry But they which were Israelites and were as they boasted obseruers of the lawe craked that saluation came vnto them throughe the merite of workes Which opinion as it was erronious and iniurious vnto Christ so is it euery where confuted by the Apostle What then Israell hath not obtained that he sought but election hath obteined it and the rest haue bene made blinde According as it is written God hath geuen vnto them the spirite of pricking that when they see they shoulde not see and when they heare they should not heare vnto this day And Dauid saith let theyr table be made a snare and a net and a stomblinge blocke euen for a recompense vnto them Let theyr eyes be darkened that they see not and bow downe theyr backe alwayes What then Israel hath not obteyned that he sought but the election hath obteyned it He concludeth his argument thus that not all the Iewes are The Iues sought not rightly saued but those onely whome God foreknew the elect I meane If they sought how found they not because they sought not rightely They sought a Messias which in glory and pompe should raigne ouer the whole world which should enriche them and subdue all nations vnto their Empire They sought their owne aduauntages namely to be féede with bread at Christs hand They sought to worshippe Messias and God otherwise then was prescribed in the holy scriptures They sought Christ to kill him as it is written in Iohn the 7. chapiter Yet a litle while I am with you and I go vnto my Father ye shall seeke me and shall not finde me Wherfore seing that they sought not rightly it is no meruaile if they found not Wherfore Christ also when he sayth Seke ye shall finde aske and ye shal receaue knocke and it shal be opened vnto you we must adde thereunto this aduerbe rightly namely that we aske rightly that we seke rightly that we knock rightly otherwise we shall do all in vayne The Iewes sought saluation preposterously when as they sought to get it by workes That they sought saluatioÌ„ it is not to be doubted when as Paul attributeth vnto them zele although he take away from them vpright iudgement and true knowledge They applied them selues to sacrifices and ceremonies for no other cause but by them to be saued But forasmuch as that was not to seke a right they attayned not to their purpose Chrisostome truly saith that they therfore were frustrated for that they stroue agaynst them selues For in seeking of saluation they repelled it being offred vnto them frealy by Christ but to seke a thing â–ª and to reiect it when it is offred is manifestly for a maÌ„ to resist that which he purposeth Election sayth he hath obteined it Here he toucheth the true cause yea The chiefest cause of saluation and the chiefest and the assured cause of saluation otherwise they which are saued had by nature nothing of more excellency or woorthines then those which perish Election according to the Hebrue phrase signifieth the elect as circumcision doth What election is after the Hebrew phrase the circumcised And Israel is called the sanctification of God for that it was sanctified by him They are also called Gods possession for that he possesseth them And this kind of speache not a litle furthereth the purpose of Paul for he ment to drawe vs agayne to the consideration of the very cause that we might with the more attentiuenes consider of it But the rest are made blind Here he deuideth Israell into two partes into â—srael is deuided into two partes the elect I say and into the reprobate And affirmeth that the promises are accomplished in the elect which were indefinitly set forth vnto all men Wherefore this proposition is to be proued that the rest which are not comprehended vnder election are by God made blind the cause of which blinding if a man enquire some aunsweres wickednes or sinne But thereby is not the question dissolued What is the efficient cause of excecation
God no man knoweth but only the spirite of God And if we vnderstand How we may vnderstand some secretes of God any thing of them that commeth as it is there sayd for that God hath reueled vnto vs his spirite And we haue the mind of Christ which we haue drawē chiefely out of the holy scriptures spiritually vnderstanded as it is mete Augustine entreateth of this place towardes the end of his booke de gratia libero arbi trio and sayth That Paul before sayd That God hath shut vp all vnder infidelity that he might haue mercy of all And shewed also that so long as the Iewes beleued the Gētiles were vnbeleuers but when the Iewes were made blind the Gentiles came vnto the true fayth and from the serching out of these secretes mē are iustly forbidden for that they are not able to perse into them yea oftentimes they haue thereby hurt and they fall into absurd Reason ought not to persuade vs to do euill thinges that good may ensue By these sayinges is nothing taken away frō the certainty of fayth opinions For when mē heare that God hath shut vp all vnder beliefe that he might haue mercy of all streight way they adde therefore are euill thinges to be committed that good thinges may ensew when as rather they ought to say We haue done euill thinges and the lord hath thereout thorough his mercy brought forth good thinges let vs therfore doo good thinges that better may ensew No man hath bene Gods counseller for he is the chiefe wisedome Howbeit by these sayinges is nothing taken away from the certainty of fayth for that it commeth not vnto vs by humane strength or by our owne vnderstanding but by the breathing of the spirite of God And whosoeuer do rightly and diligently weighe those thinges they shall neuer be able any maner of way to complayne of God as though he should deale with them vniustly when as he as it is manifest is in debt to no man Neyther can this be true that predestination is of workes foresene when as it is sayd that no man hath Predestination is not of workes foresene geuen vnto him first that he should be recompensed For what ells is this God to predestinate according to woorkes foresene then to render vnto them his appointing to eternal life Merites also are herby most manifestly excluded which can not properly consist vnles we affirme that we geue somthing that is our Merites at excluded owne which thing this sentence which we now entreate of suffreth not Wherfore let no man cry out that he hath done many thinges and therfore many and greate thinges are dew vnto him when as no man hath any thing that is hys owne And although it be written that God will render to euery man according to his Our good workes are the workes of God workes yet is that so to be vnderstanded that if they be good workes they are for no other cause called any mans workes but for that they are wrought in hym namely by the power of the spirite of God whereby they are in very dede the workes of God And Augustine most truly sayth that God crowneth in vs his gifts For as touching vs we deserue nothing but death Finally let vs hereout gather that forasmuch as no man can by hys owne wisedome or strengths attayne vnto thinges diuine the best remedy is that we all suffer our selues to be led by the spirite and word of God For of him and thorough him and for him are all thinges to him be glory for euer Amen That we can in no wise be Gods counsellers hereby it is euident for that all thinges depend of him as it manifestly appeareth in the creation of all thinges and also in regeneration whereby we are iustified where all whole is attributed vnto him and finally we are no otherwise in his handes then the vessell is in the hand of the potter Wherefore we may conclude that he hath ful right to do with vs whatsoeuer he wil and it is our part not to be to much inquisitiue but to geue the glory vnto him and to direct all our doinges vnto him Frō which thing both idolatrers and also they which attribute iustification vnto theyr workes are most farre distant Origen noteth as also he before When it is said that no man can be Gods counseller the sonne nor y◠holy ghost are not excluded for the whole blessed Trinitie knoweth all thinges Origens exposition vpon this epistle suspected The things which are created consist not of the nature of God How God created all thinges by the sonne Instrumentes are not to be made equal vnto hym that worketh with them Why God created all thinges for himselfe did that this sentence None can be Gods counseller ought to be vnderstanded of thinges created and not of the sonne or of the holy ghost And to proue that the holy ghost knoweth the father he bringeth this sentence No man knoweth the thinges which are of God but the spirite of God Wherefore he admonisheth that from this proposition is to be exempted the blessed trinity which thing I therefore mencion for that it is thought that he was of this opinion that the sonne knoweth not the father and that the holy ghost knoweth not the sonne Wherfore this commentary of Origen vpon the epistle to the Romanes is not without iust cause suspected The Apostle when he sayth Of him meaneth not that the thinges which are created doo consist of the nature of God as of a certayne mater but they are of God as of the efficient beginning neyther neded there any matter in theyr creation for they were made of nothing And all thinges are therefore thorough him for that God neded not an helper for he is endewed with a full power of his own he is sufficiēt of himselfe And he created all things by the sonne not as by an instrumente but as an artificer by wisedome excerciseth his arte For instrumentes haue not any such force that they are to be counted equall to the artificer But the sonne is in all poyntes equall vnto the father And all thinges were created of God for him for that he hath nothing more perfecter then himselfe and therefore for him selfe he created all thinges for he is the end of all thinges Augustine in his booke de Natura boni agaynst the Maniches in the 27. and 28. chapiters at large intreateth how these thinges are to be vnderstanded neither varieth be from the exposition now brought I omit to speake of them which referre these thinges vnto the father the sonne and the holye ghoste for as it is not of anye greate wayght so semeth it to be to muche constrayned Amen is a word of confirmation For the maner of the Apostle is so often as he hath made an end of entreating of those thinges which pertayne vnto the glory of God to burst forth into this affirmation which thing we also ought to
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
ye not heare what the lawe saith For it is written that Abraham had two sonnes one of an handemayden an other of a free woman and he whyche came of the handemayden was borne accordynge to the fleshe but hee which came of the free woman was borne acoording to promise which thinges are spoken by an allegorye for these are two testamentes the one from the mounte Sina which gendreth vnto bondage which is Agar for Agar is mount Sina in Arabia is ioyned vnto the city which is now called Ierusalem and is in bondage with her children But Ierusalem which is aboue is free which is the mother of vs all In these words this thing is chiefly to be noted yâ— the law gendreth not but as Agar did vnto boÌ„dage But if by the workes therof it could iustifie it should gender to liberty for what thing els is iustification then a certain liberty from sinne But forasmuch as it is both called a seruant and gendreth to bondage we ought not then by it to looke for iustification In the .v. chapter it is written If ye be circumcised Christe shall nothing profite The 39. you And he bringeth a reason of the said sentence For saith he he which is circumcised is debter to kepe the whole law So much doth Paul take iustification from circumcision and woorkes that he saith that Christe nothing profiteth them if in case after they beleue they will be circumcised And still he more stronglye confirmeth that which was said Christ is become in vaine vnto you for if ye haue iustification as the fruite of your woorkes then the comming death and bloudsheding of Christe should not haue bene necessary And I if I yet preach circumcisiom why do I suffer persecution Then is the offence of the crosse abolished the offeÌ„ce and slaunder of the crosse The 40. is that meÌ„ being wicked and otherwise sinners are counted of God iust throughe Christ crucified and faith in him here the flesh is offended here doth reason vtterly resiste whiche thing happeneth not when iustification is preached to come of workes whether they be ceremonial or morall But God would haue this offence The 41. to remaine bicause it pleased him by the foolishenes of preaching to saue them that beleue Vnto the Ephesians the. 2. chapter it is written And ye when ye were deade to trespasses and sinnes in whiche in time passed ye walked accordinge to the course of thys world euen after the gouernor that ruleth the ayre and the spirite that now woorketh in the children of vnbelief among whome also we all had our conuersation in time past in the lusts of our flesh and fulfilling the will of the flesh and of our thoughts and as it is in the Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and were by nature the children of wrath euen as others are Let vs note in these woordes yâ— men at the beginning before they come to Christ are dead in sinnes and therfore are not able to moue themselues to this that they should liue and be iustified who euer saw that a deade man coulde helpe himselfe Further by those wordes is shewed that they were in the power of the Prince of darkenes which worketh and is of efficacy in the children of vnbelief Seing therfore they are gouerned by him how then can they by their workes tende to iustification And because we shoulde not thinke that he spake onely of some other certaine vngodly persons he addeth All we comprehending also the Apostles a 〈…〉 them saith he were we And what did we then we were conuersante in the lustes of our flesh And to the end we might vnderstand that these lustes were not onely the wicked affections of the grosser part of the soule it foloweth we doing the will of the flesh and of the minde or of reason did follow also the thoughtes or inuentions of humane reason If we were all such from whence then commeth saluation and iustification But God which is riche in mercy for his exceeding loue sake wherwith he loued vs yea euen when we were dead in sinnes hath quickened vs together with Christ But The 42. what instrumente vsed he to geue vnto vs our saluation For by grace saith he were ye saued through faith and that not of your selues For it is the gifte of God not of workes least any man should boast Could workes be more manifestly excluded In what place then shall we put them Certeinely they follow iustification For the Apostle addeth For we are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath prepared that we should walke in them but before they could not be The 43. in vs which thing is very well thus described Ye were at that time without Christe being alienated from the common wealth of Israell straungers from the testamentes of promise hauing no hope and being without God in this world Who can in this state faine vnto himselfe good woorkes by which men may merite iustification And to the Phillippians the. 3. chapter If any other man maye seeme that he hath whereof he The 44. might trust in the flesh I haue more being circumcised the eight day of the kinred of Israell of the tribe of Beniamin an Hebrue borne of the Hebrues as concerning the law a Pharisey as touching feruentnes I persecuted the church of God as touching the righteousnes which is of the law I was vnrebukeable Seing that Paul had so manye and so great thinges before his conuersion and that he had whereof to â—rust and boast in the flesh let vs heare what he at the lenth pronounceth of all these thinges These thinges saith he if they be compared vnto the true righteousnes whiche is throughe the faith of Christ I count losse vile and dounge If we should thereby obteine righteousnes should so profitable thinges be counted for losses so precious and holy things for vile thinges and thinges acceptable and pleasaunte vnto God for donge Let Paul take héede what he saith here or rather let the readers take héede that they beleue not Sophisters rather then Paul And to the Colossians the first chapter And The 45. you which were sometimes farre of and through euill workes enemies in your harts hath he yet now reconciled in the body of his flesh through death Here ought euery word diligently to be noted that we may sée that they which are farre of from God ought not to haue a regarde to those thinges thereby to come into fauor Peace which is ioyned with iustification can not be obteined of those which are enemies in mind there can not come good woorkes from those whiche before they be chaunged are saide to be full of euil workes But what manner of workes those were is described in the ii chapter when as it is there written And ye when ye wer dead through sinnes and through the vncircumcisioÌ„ of your flesh hath he quickned together with him The 46. forgeuing all your sinnes and hath
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
bicause of vnbeliefe they were broken of but thou standest by faith Here is geuen the reason of the fall and destruction of men and on the other side of saluation and constancie namely vnbeliefe faith And of the Iewes which should one day be restored he addeth And if they abide not stil in their vnbeliefe they shal be againe grafted in for God is of might to graft thē in Héere we sée that by departing from vnbelief which consisteth in beleuing Hereby is proued that the restoring of thē that fall cōmeth by faith men that haue fallen are restored This maketh very muche against the error of those which although they after a sort confesse that the first iustification is giuen fréely without any workes going before yet vnto men that haue fallen they graunt not restitution vnto iustification but by satisfactions and many workes preparatory These things haue I gathered out of the Epistle vnto the Romanes now will we in order prosecute the other Epistles In the first Epistle to the Corinthians the first Chapter it is thus written bicause the world in the wisedome of God knew not God by wisedome it pleased God by the folishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleue Bicause the wise men of this world saith the Apostle by their naturall searching out could not take hold of the wisedome of God whereby they might be saued God of his goodnesse hath instituted a contrary way namely the preaching of the Gospell which vnto the flesh séemeth foolishnesse that by it saluation should be geuen vnto men but yet not to all sortes of men but to those only that beléeue Wherfore in the .ij. to the Corinthians the. 1. chapter it is thus written by faith ye stand by which wordes we vnderstand that the foundation wherby we are confirmed and established in the way of saluation is faith Farther Paule to the Galathians the .ij. Chapter where he reproueth Peter for his dissimulation wherby he séemed to lead the Gentiles to obserue the Ceremonies of the Iewes thus speaketh If thou being a Iewe liuest after the maner of the Gentiles and not as doe the Iewes why compellest thou the Gentiles to liue as doe the Iewes For we which are Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowe that a man is not iustified by the workes of the law and we beleue in Christ that we might be iustified by the faith of Christ not by the workes of the law because by the workes of the lawe shall no fleshe be iustified Héere we sée that the Apostles therefore folowed Christ y◠they might be iustified by faith which they could not obtaine by works And afterward the life which I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne of God which is all one as if he should haue said As yet in déede sinne sticketh in my fleshe and in it I cary death about but yet notwithstanding I haue life not through mine owne merite but by the faith of the sonne of God In the .iij. chap. he thus wryteth I would know this of you receiued ye the spirite by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith And straight way he addeth he which ministreth vnto you the spirit in you worketh miracles doth he the same by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith By these words we sée that it is faith and not works wherby we take holde of the gifts of God and he addeth ye know that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham and that vndoubtedly for no other cause but because in beleuing they imitate him Wherfore sayth he the scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles by faith shewed before hande glad tidings vnto Abraham saying in thee shall all nations be blessed This blessyng spred not abrode vnto them bicause they had their beginning of the flesh of Abraham but bicause they followed the steppes of his faith Otherwise of Abraham as touching the fleshe came not as farre as we can read any other nations then the Ismaelites Edomites and Israelites Then foloweth the conclusion Therefore they which are of faith shal be blessed with faithfull Abraham But to be blessed in the Hebrew phrase is nothing else then to receiue the gifts of God amōgst which iustification is the principallest Wherefore it followeth That vnto the Gentiles through Christ might come the promise made vnto Abraham that we might receyue the promise of the holy Ghost through faith We sée therefore that the promise of the holy ghost is not taken hold of by workes as many faine it is which thing euen reason sufficiently declareth For seing the Lord as it shall a litle afterward be declared had by promise geuen this blessing vnto Abraham we must se what is referred vnto the promise as a correlatiue Which as we haue sayd cā be nothing ells but fayth for fayth setteth forth vnto it selfe the promises of God as an obiect Paul furthermore addeth that the scripture concludeth all thinges vnder sinne that the promise by the fayth of Iesus Christ should be geuen to them that beleue Thys is the cause why y◠holy scriptures so diligently shew vnto men how they be guilty of sinnes namely that they should be the more stirred vp to embrase y◠promises of God at the least way by fayth when as they haue not good workes by which they may take hold of them And this vnderstand we by that which is afterward written The law is our schoolemaister vnto Christ that we should be iustified by fayth These wordes signifie nothing els but that y◠law therfore sheweth sinnes setteth forth vnto mē their infirmity and stirreth vp theyr lustes wherby sinnes are more and more encreased that they being thus admonished should returne vnto Christ and might from him thorough fayth receaue righteousnes Which thing they vndoubtedly did of whome it is sayd Ye are all the children of God by the fayth of Iesus Christ For what is it to be the sons of God but to haue now obteyned adoption which we obteine only by regeneration or iustification And in the 4. chapiter Brethern sayth he we are after Isaake children of the promise But to be children of the promise is nothing ells but to beleue those thinges which God promiseth wherby we are made his children according as he hath promised we should be For so was Isaake borne vnto Abraham not by the strength of nature but by the benefit of the promise of God In the 5. chapter he writeth We in the spirite looke for the hope of righteousnes by fayth In this place are two thinges touched the sprite of God whereby we are new facioned and renewed vnto saluation and fayth wherby we apprehēd righteousnes Wherfore in this matter of our iustificatiō although there be in our minds many ther workes of the holy ghost yet none of them except fayth helpe to iustification Therfore the Apostle concludeth Circumcision is
repeteth the selfe same promises fayth But why God would repeate the self same promises it is not hard to see For so weake is our minde that except the wordes of God be repeted and agayne and agayne inculcated it easely starteth backe frō fayth Neyther is iustification only once taken hold of but so often as we truly and mightely assēt vnto the promises of God For forasmuch as we continually slide and fall into sinnes we haue nede euermore that our iustification should be repeated Afterward he maketh a caueling that in the epistle vnto the Hebrewes are many thinges had touching fayth and many wonderfull factes made mencion of which haue bene by it obteyned but yet not one word spoken that iustification is to be ascribed vnto it But this man with an vniust payr of balance weigheth the words of the holy scripture neyther sufficiētly considereth him what those words meane The iust haue by fayth ouercome kingdomes haue wrought righteousnes haue obteyned the promises For these are so to be resolued that from the last effect we must returne vnto the first The last is to ouercome kingdoms the next to worke In the 11. chap. to the Hebrewes saith is said to iustify righteousnes the first is to obteine y◠promises amongst which promises are reckoned blessing life remission of sinnes and such other like which serue to iustification Wherfore that which is first made mencion of sayth apprehendeth by it we are iustified afterward follow good workes therfore it is sayd and they wrought righteousnes lastly by the selfe same fayth we obteyne also temporall good thinges and for that cause it is sayd They haue ouercome kingdome Wherfore Pighius falsely affirmeth that in the Epistle vnto the Hebrues among the effectes of fayth is no mencion made of iustification For although that word be not there read yet is it of necessity and manifestly gathered of those thinges that are there written For neyther are we Arrians as some wickedly belie vs that we will graūt nothing but that which is by playne and expresse wordes read in the holy scriptures For we graunt those thinges also which are by euident and playne arguments gathered out of them But Pighius afterward demaundeth why we take away from workes the power of iustifieng Vnto this we could make answere with one word that we do it bycause the holy ghost in the holy scriptures so teacheth vs namely that men are iustified by fayth without workes But to the end we should not so briefely dispatch it he hath layd a blocke in our way for he answereth vnto him selfe that the cause therof is for y◠our works are imperfect neither satisfie they y◠law of god nether also can they stand sure before the iudgment of God But by this meanes also sayth he we may affirme that iustification is not of sayth for it also is imperfect Faith as it is a worke iustifieth not For there is no man that beleueth so much as he should doo But vnto this we answere as we haue in other places oftētimes answered that fayth as it is a worke iustifieth not For that effect commeth vnto it not by any his owne power but by his obiect For from the death of Christ and promises of God is righteousnes deriued into vs. So a beggar receaueth almes with a leprous weake and sore hand and yet not in that respect that his hand is in suche sorte weake and leprous But thou wilt say why doo not other good workes also by theyr obiect namely by God for whose sake they are done apprehend righteousnes as well as fayth I answere that fayth was to this vse made and iustituted of God For so also in the body of a man although it haue diuers and sondry members yet the hand only taketh hold and receaueth And so is casely dissolued that common paralogisme we are iustified by fayth Fayth is a worke ergo we are iustified for worke sake Here in the conclusion is stuffed in this word For which was not in the premisses and therfore the collection is not good Farther the forme of the reason is ab Accidenti For it is accident or happeneth vnto sayth to be our worke in that it iustifieth vs. Wherfore it is a fallacie or deceite as they call it of the Accident Farther Pighius obiecteth that charitie iustifieth rather then faith for y◠it is the nobler excellenter vertue But this reasō we haue before confuted as ridiculous The nobilitie of the vertue serueth nothing to the power of iustifieng charitie is more nobler thē faith therfore it iustifieth rather thē faith For nobilitie or dignitie serueth nothing to iustification For it is al one as if a man wold thus reason The eyes are more excellenter then the mouth and the hands Ergo meats are to be receiued with the eyes and not with the mouth or the hands Which also we sée happeneth in naturall things that things which follow are of more perfection although they geue not life In the childe conceiued nature ascendeth as it A similitude were by degrées from the power of vegitacion to the power of féeling and from the power of féeling to the power of vnderstanding And yet doth it not therof folow that y◠powers of vnderstanding or of féeling for that they are more noble thā the power of vegitacion doe therefore geue life vnto the childe And that to iustifie It is declared by reasō that faith iustifieth not charitie rather pertaineth vnto faith then vnto charitie besides that the holy scriptures doe teache the same it may also be shewed by good probable reason For the power of knowledge which pertaineth vnto vnderstāding consisteth in perceiuing And therfore they which are taught any thing after they once vnderstand it are accustomed to say Accipio or teneo that is I take it or I holde it For in very déede by knowledge a thing is after a sort receiued into the minde Wherefore it ought not to séeme marueilous if by faith we are sayd to take holde of the promises of God and the merites of Christ But charitie consisteth in pouring out bestowing and communicating our goodes vnto others Which thing ought to follow iustification and not to go before For before that we are regenerated we are euil neither can we vprightly or in suche sort that God should allow it communicate any good thing vnto others Hereunto Pighius addeth that if that faith which iustifieth suffreth not with it hainous sinnes which may trouble the conscience and which may alienate a mā from God it must néedes follow that if a man which beleueth doe chaunce to fall into any greuous wicked crime he is straight way destitute of faith and ceaseth to beleue that there is a God when yet notwithstanding we sée that wicked men doe not only beleue that there is a God but also doe confesse all the articles of the faith This argument at the first sight séemeth to be very
put But Pighius sayth farther that God requireth these woorkes that he may◠fréelye impute vnto vs iustification Whosoeuer is but euen slenderlye exercised in the holye Scriptures shall easelye sée that thys man is euen directlye repugnaunt vnto Paul For he in the Epistle to the Romaines sayth Vnto hym whych worketh not a reward is imputed accordyng to grace But Pighius sayth vnto him which worketh God imputeth righteousnes fréely But to impute fréely and not to impute fréely euery childe may sée that they are contradictories But mark gentle Reader this reason of two members These workes which he speaketh of either profite vnto iustification or else profite not If they profite not why calleth he them preparations For amongst causes are reckened also causes preparatory But if he will say that they profite are in very déede causes preparatories with what mouthe can he affirme that he plucketh away nothing from the honoure of Christ but appoynteth him to be the whole and absolute cause of our iustificatiō But peraduenture this two membred argument a man will turne vpon vs touching those works which follow iustification For he wil say either they are profitable to obtaine saluation or they are not profitable If they be not profitable Wherunto good works profite after iustificatiō why are they required and why are their promises setforth vnto thē But if they be why doe we not allowe merite to be in them I answer that suche workes are profitable vnto men regenerate for that they liuing vprightly and orderly are renewed and made more perfect But that is nothing else but a certaine inchoation and as it were a participation of eternall life Farther it hath séemed good vnto God by suche meanes or rather by suche spaces to bring men vnto eternal felicitie But we can not cal these workes merites For Paul expressedly teacheth that the stipend of sinne is death but eternall life is grace But that which is giuen fréely vtterly excludeth merite And in the meane time we ought to remember that That which is geuē frely excludeth merite there is a great difference as we haue oftentimes taught betwene their works which are as yet straungers from Christ and from God and their workes which are now by grace grafted into Christ and made his members Afterward also he goeth about to confute that which we say that a man is iustified by that faith which hath a respecte vnto the promises of Christ and of the remission of sinnes as though we holde that faith is the proper correlatiue of such promises For he saith that faith hath equally a respect vnto all the thinges which are set forth in the holy scriptures Yea saith he he doth vnto God a thing no les acceptable which beleueth that he created the world or beleueth the thre persons of the diuinitie or the resurrection to come then he which beleueth that Christe was giuen to be our mediator and that by him is to be obtained the remission of sinnes For that faith is of no lesse worthinesse then the other And if we be iustified by faith he contendeth that that faith no lesse pertaineth to the other articles then to the remission of sinnes by Christ And this he thinketh may be proued by that which Paul wryteth in the. 4. chapiter vnto the Romaines And not for him only were these things written but also for vs vnto whome it shal be imputed so that we beleue in him which hath raised vp Christ from the dead Beholde saith he that faith is imputed vnto vs vnto righteousnesse whereby we beleue that God raised vp Christ from the dead and not that faith whereby we beleue that sinnes are forgiuen vs by Christ First here we confesse that our faith assēteth vnto all the things which are contained in the holy scriptures But forasmuche as amongste them there is but onely one principall and excellent truthe vnto which all the other truthes are directed namely that Christ the sonne of God suffred for vs that by him we might receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes what meruail is it if our faith haue a respect vnto this one thing chiefly For this our assumpt Paul proueth For he saith that Christ is the end of the law Wherfore séeing he is the end of al the scriptures he is also the summe and principall obiecte of our faith although otherwise Christ is the principal obiect of our faith by our faith we also embrase all other thinges which are contained in the holy scriptures And whereas he addeth that the faith which is of the other articles is no lesse acceptable vnto God then this faith which concerneth Christ and the remission of sinnes we may first say that that is not true if a man rightly way the dignitie of the action of faith For the dignitie of faith as also the dignitie of other suche like kindes of powers is measured by the obiects For as those obiects differ one from an other in excellency and dignitie so the assētings of faith ought according The dignity of faith is mesured by the obiect to the same to be counted inferior or of more excellency Séeing therefore God would in suche sort haue his sonne to die and that men should be by him reconciled that for this he hath instituted all the other things to be beleued which are set forth in the holy scriptures we can not put any doubt but that this pleased him much more then the other For that the other are directed vnto this as vnto their end And this is a common rule amongst the Logicians Euery thyng is such a thyng by reason of an other wherfore that other thyng shall much more be such Wherfore this actiō of faith wherby we assēt vnto this most noble truth ought to excell al other actiōs of faith whatsoeuer they be And so it is not by a thing like acceptable vnto God whither a man beleue this or that If we should vse this answere I know Pighius were neuer able to confute it but we say moreouer that he in vain contendeth about the greater or lesse dignitie of faith as touching this or that article For we are not iustified by the dignitie of faith For it is in euery mā weak◠and féeble But we therefore say that we are iustified by faith bicause by it as by We are not iustified by the dignity of fayth an instrument vnto this ende giuen vnto vs and by God appointed we apply Christ vnto vs and take holde of the forgiuenesse of sinnes Wherefore the worthinesse or vnworthinesse therof is to no purpose considered But that which he bringeth out of the. 4. Chapiter of the Romaines he bringeth cut of and maimed For if a man read the ful and perfect sentence he shal easely sée that plaine mention is there made of the death of Christ and of the remission of sinnes which by it we haue obtained For Paul saith that vnto vs it shall be imputed as it was vnto Abraham if
sacrifice 451 Almes are a blessing 452 Almes geuing what is to be sene vnto there in 453 Altares ought not to be vsed in this time 335 Allegoryes what they are 83. 327. 345 Amen what it signifieth 245 Anathema what it is 237. 238 239. 240. 241 Angels may not be prayed vnto 231 Angels some are good and some are euil 235 Angels are subiect to vanitie 213 Angels gouerne diuers regions 359 Anselme his saying vpon free will 28 Antithesis 74 Antiquitie of papisticall churches 244 Apostles and Bishops are not of like authoritie 3 Arguments of the deuinity of Christ 5 Arme of God what it is 325 Arrogancy is a pestileÌ„ce vnto brotherly loue 424 Artes of speaking are not to be condempned 232 Augustine vpon free will 26 Augustine vpon predestination 26 Augustine against Iulianus 27 Auntient fathers how they shold be read 76 Auriculer confession is wicked 382 B BAal what it signifieth 334. 337 Baptisme what it is 52. 86. 143. 145. 146. 147. 148 Beasts were worshipped 25 Beleuing what it is 38 Blasphemy what it is 46 47 Blessednes what it is 75 Blindenes of the heart is sinne 125 Blindenes of the minde 345 Boniface a proud and arrogant Pope 432 Brethren to praise them is profitable for vs. 446 C Câ—uses why Christ offred him selfe vnto death 210 Cerimonyes what they are 69. 70. 71. 152 Circumcision what it is 47. 48. 85. 86. 87. Charitie distinguisheth true faith from false 225 Chaunge of things in the ende of the world 216. 217 Children of wrath who they are 278 Christ excelleth philosophers 10 Christ to dwell in vs how it is to be vnderstand 199 Christ â–ª howe we receiue him and are ioyned vnto him 200 Christ is still the minister of oure saluation 230. 231 Christ is the ende of the law 90 Christ is the heyre of al the world 88 Christ why he is called Lord. 6 Christ had a true body 4 Christ is the head of the promises of God 18 Christe had not his soule from the virgine Mary 110 Christes church shal neuer pearish 235 Christes diuinitie 246 Christes fleshe eaten in the sacrament is not the cause of our resurrection 201. 202 Christs death why it was acceptable to his father 107 Christians what things ought to moue theÌ„ to loue one an other 454 Chrisostome is expounded 16 Chrisostome and Ambrose fail in memory 17 Churches ought to be shut when there is no congregation 31 Church what it is 236. 237. Commaundements of God expounded 46 Concupiscence is not lawful 32. 33. 150 Constantine the great 16 Contention what it is 40 Cornelius iustified 181 Creatures why they are said to mourne 214 215. 216 Creatures are signes that set forth God 21 Crosses are aduersities 209 D DEath is not naturall vnto man 112 Death hath no right wher sin is not 121 Deathe is improprely called a rewarde 157 Degrees to saluation 356 Deuell is a prince of this worlde 337 Differences betwene wryting and painting 30 Difference betwene Dulia and Latria 162 Difference betwene the law and the gospell 61 Dignity of almes 451 Dscord in the church of Rome 415 Disobedience what it is 113 Distinctions 346 Diuorcement vsed among the Iewes 160 Dumme Bishops 13 E EFfects of honour and of contempt 219 Egiptians Idolaters 25 Election what it is 229. 335 Election is the cause of saluation 246. 247. 248. 249. 250. 251. 252. Election of grace what it is 253 Election and reiection depend on the will of God 257 Election and reprobation how they differ 258. 274. 275 Enemy what he is 196 Epistle to the Romains when it was written 451 Epicures error 20 Error of the Maniches 197. 173 Error of the Pelagians 197 Eternal life is called a reward 157 Ethnickes vpbrayd the gospell 14 Ethnickes excel in sharpnes of iudgemeÌ„t 36 Execrations 345 F FAith chiefly glorifyeth God 23 Faith and the gospell may not be taken from Philosophy 19 Faith deâ—ined 20. 40 Faith may not be seperated froÌ„ the gospel 19 Faith is oures and also Gods 18 Faith what it is to liue by it 18. we are iustifyed by it 19 Faith compared with philosophy 98 Faith only iustifieth 63. 64. 75. 87 Faith hath a double signification 16 Faith what it is wherof is a large discourse from the. 62. leafe vnto the. 98. Faith hope are distinguished 220. 22â— 222. Faith is called obedyence 325. and is also called law ibidem Faith excelleth feare 355 Faith must goe before the receiuing of the Sacraments 362 Fire that shall consume the world in the last day 217 Figures are necessary in scriptures 198 Feare is defined 207. 208 Felicitie and blessednes what it is 15. 150 Freewil what it is 26. 171. 172 176. 177. 178. 254. 255. 361. Frendship is a necessary thing 343 Frustrate what the nature of that worde is 23 Fruit of almes 451 Fruit of preaching wherof it cometh 452 G GEneration what is the nature thereof 271 Gentiles conuerted to Christ are Israelites 282 Giftes of the holy ghost 223 Glory and glorifying of God what it is 23. 63. 211. 212 Glotony what it is 434 God is the searcher of our heartes and why it is so sayd 224 God of Sabaoth what it signifieth 283 Gods glory consisteth in all things 24 God suffereth long 37 God forbid what it signifyeth 53 God nedeth no aduocates 24 God tempteth not to euill 28 God willeth that is good 256. 257 God doth things contrary to his lawes 25â— God of coÌ„trary things worketh like effects 232 God is called a Lyon a Bear and a fire 274 God tempted the fathers 169 God seeth all men 55 God ought not to be expressed by images 30 God how he deceiueth 268 God hath not commaunded things vnpossible 194 God worketh in men 151 God worketh not by chaunce 278 God is faithful in his promises 106 God why he is called the God of hope 446 God is wise 456 God confirmeth his by the gospell 456 God is witnessed to be God by any thing in the world how vile so euer the same be 22 Gods reuengement for Idolatry 25 Gods gifts vnto men 13 Gods knowledge is attributed to the vngodly 22 Gods knowledge is speâ—ially knowne in two things 22 God is iudged of men 51 God in dede loueth and in dede hateth 252 God is not the author of sinne 28 God forsaketh the Ethnickes 19 Gods word is the foundation of faith 326 Good workes are not to be reiected 18. 90. 158. 159. Gospell per accidens is the instrumente of death 192 Gospell what it is 3 43. 61. 62 Gospell is no new doctrine 456 Gospel who are they that are ashamed there of 14 Gospel is preferred to al men indiffereÌ„tly 16 Gospel is not new and when it began 4 Gospel is more common then Philosophy 13 Grace what it is 115. 116. 117. 140. 141 Grace is not common vnto all men 335. 336 Grace and life cleaue together 139 Grace is not bound to the Sacraments 83 Grafting in of the GeÌ„tils â–ª truth had