of that rocke of faith onely in him wold haue it called a bare foundacion al this your extenuacion of faith to make it youre material shaples faith I tell ye wyl not serue your popishe purpose the almighty power of gods euerlastinge worde preaseth to sore vpon ye for onely faith iustifyinge Ye coud neuer haue coÌ„tended in a more difficile yea impossible argument and mater to proue then not oneli faith to iustifye but charite to be concurrant ye shulde haue red it Hebreus .x. how Paul declareth his mynde and order of these giftis sayiÌ„ge and affirminge vs to come to our great priste Christ with pure herte in the certaintie and asseweraunce of faithe ourr hertis sprincled and theuil conscience put a waye the body wasshed with pure water we holdinge the confession of hope not waueringe for he is â—aithful which hath promised consider we one another into this enâ—e that we maye prouoke vs to loue to do good workis where ye see in what place fayth first standeth with hir proper seueral operacion wher hope with hirs and laste of al charite placed with hir workes whiche order of these .iii. giftis the scripture euery where obserueth placinge faith as the foundacion and rote of hope and charite of al other vertews so y t as Paule saithe what soeuer is not of faith is synne And here aftir your longe vain bablinge of faith y e bringeth knowlege and faith that hath not charite as though trwe faithe and knowledge contrarye to Isaye were not all one or were withoute charite and faithe not to geue lyfe but loue to be y e lyfe of y e iuste coÌ„trary to all the scriptures then ye wold haue youre onely onely ioyned to onely god not to faith As thoughe when the scriptures with y e doctors saye by onelye faith man is iustified thei wolde exclude god the principal cause efficient from our iustiâ—ication and remission whiche plasphemye to think who is so madde and brutish And to confirme your deuillish drift ye adde stoughtly And this iâ— the plaine teachinge and agreable with scriptures whiche muste be vnderstanden as one parte be consonante w t another without siche hacking as ye make of it But not one worde of scripture bring ye for your teaching ne agreablenes but lordly ye say Thus we must vnderstand them as though ye had y e same falsly vsurped autoritie ouer y e scripture our faith as hath your aÌ„tichristeÌ„ father of roÌ„e to coÌ„pel coÌ„mauÌ„d vs to beleue to vnderstaÌ„d what ye list which is y t vsurped powr honor aboue god wherof daniel and Paul speke For when Christ euer referred his doctryne to the lawe and prophetis yet will this blody beaste and hir whelpes compel men to beleue their false doctryne falser faithe for their owne popishe persons vsurped false autorite only God gaue abraham faith where with to beleue in him and charite wher with to loue him And abraham as he beleued in God so he loued him bothe to gither Ioy It is trwe if he coud do bothe at once with one acte Here haue ye condemped your self For fyrst ye saye God gaue Abraham faith to beleue in him And now as touchinge this firste gifte what saith the scripture credidit AbrahaÌ„ deo et imputatum est ei ad iusticiam Abraham beleued in God and it was imputed him vnto rightwisenes here ye se that same only acte of beleif in God to be rekened to him for his rightwysnes ere loue procedeth to hir proper worke for loue presupposeth the thinge knowne by faithe ere she canne loue it As your selfe saith within .xii. lyues before and that faith briÌ„ging knowledge must nedes procede loue and yet blyndely ye forgetting your self harpe still of this your onely vntewned stringe Charitie loueth ergo charitie iustifieth your selfe see it ye say and write it that faith loue being two distincte giftes muste nedes tende into two sondrye and distincte effectes and yet be ye so blynd that ye wolde violently make them concurrant into the one effecte of iustification And ye saye charitie iustifieth which speche of faith as to saye faith iustifieth offendeth your dilicate eares because I speake it As thoughe all lyke speches saue suche as come out of your mouth thorowe malyce and arrogancy yea and that so proudly shuld stinke as saith the psal lxxii vpon you I maruell ye sweat so sore with so many wordes for charitie to iustifye and haue so litle charite your selfe and lesse loue to faith iustifienge whiche is truth And as often as Paule nameth faith not speaking of loue so ofte and oftener speaketh Ioan in his pistles of charitie without mencion of faith If the often speaking of a thinge shulde proue so do Ioan speake as often of synne withoute mencion of faith as doth Paul of faith without mencion of loue I wonder ye shame not thus fondly to reason But shew vs where saith Ioan charitie iustifieth as oft as Paule saith by faithe we be iustified who seeth not by these your vain shiftes and febler weak arguments how falce is your parte when ye can neither by scripture nor reason proue it howe oft saith Paul in one chapter By faith all oure fathers haue deserued the testimonye of rightwisenes Then wolde ye by as fâ—nde a profe make it appere that charitie iustifieth because christ saith The father drawethe vs to him by faith which to make it somwhat like ye falsely expowne christs words by putting to your owne dreame saing that by loue we be drawne to Christ. But and if ye had red but two lynes forther ye shuld haue sene Christ to haue expowned himself sainge vs to be drawne and to come to him onely by faith thus concludinge Euerye man therfore that hath herd of my father and is lerned of him he cometh to me To hear of y e father the scripture expowneth it to beleue and to haue faith geuen vs of him as christ affirmed it to peter and as Paul declareth it faith to come of hearinge And therfore to hear of god and to be lerned of god and to beleue in him thorow christ be alone Paul calling it auditum fidei that is the hearing of faith or faith had by hearinge And turne to y e pistle to the hebrews and loke whether we come not first to God by faith ere we loue him ye had nede go studie the scripturs yet beter lerne to conferre y e places not thus to allege theÌ„ at rouers Ye say a litle before Thei muste be vnderstanden as one parte be coÌ„sonant to the other without hackinge as I make of theÌ„ but in so saing ye twich your selfe by the nose Yt here openli chop your hackinge knyfe into your own sower herbes with a false glose hackt into your owne potage For ye neuer obserued the context ne conference of the places which is a token but of a popish lerned
to vs all remission vppon this onelye condicion that we beleue in Christ and not vpon your condicion of works as I haue iustly by scriptures hytherto proued it Nether therfore folowth it That then with out any endeuer almen shuld haue it Is not faith an harde condicion think ye Shal euery maÌ„ beleue in Christe when he lestethe and haue faith when he wil without the sharp assawtis of hir contrarie enimies as of infidelite desperation sin deuil and dubitacion shal euery man haue it encreased at his idle pleasyre loke vpon Abrahams faith so sore tempted vppon Iob Dauyd and of his that saide lorde I beleue but help my vnbeleif and loke vpon the apostles faith tempted vpoÌ„ the seas and in other places Faith is a rare and mighty gifte geuen not without the merits and intercession of our sauior Christ. And if euer ye shal fele y e batails of sin death hel the deuil the iugement of god and desperacion preassinge agenst the spirit of faith in you and wrestlinge with your spirit and litle faith to dryue you in to vnbeleif and dubitacion of forgeuenes desperacion whilis ye beholde your sinnes only in the lawe in your own conscience and iugemeÌ„t of god your aduersary accusing you not in the death of chryst with a constant and manly saith in him but to be brought into this desperat state to see your self wetingly and willingly of a set malice to haue resisted and thrusted the worde of saluacion from you when it was so benignely offred you to haue closed vp your eyes agenst the light to persecute the gospel to wryte and speke ayenst it to impugne y e trwthe and with your dampnable doctryne to haue seduced so many soulis into hell and with your false enstruccioÌ„s to bringe many into damnable errours and with your cruel vngodly actis and articles to be the autor of somiche innocent bloudshedinge w t infinite moo accusacions ayenste you ye shal fele them to be to laboriouse and hard an endeuer and harder a fre choise of you to assent with your faith to breke thorow and smit of and auoid all these heuye accusacions If this shal be so hard and heuey a batail ayenste the trwe faith loke neuer then that your false faith with your fre choise and assent to it when ye list shal stand sustain and abyde it ye shal fynde it no smal endeuor ne lyght batail to hold faste your faith in Christ if ye hade it as litle as the mustard sede Many an holy man felinge this stryff temptacion haue cryed Lorde geue me faith lorde encreace my faithe Lord strengthen my faith for christis â—ake lord lede me not into this temptacioÌ„ If ye had red the psalmes with faith and the story of Iob and trwly vnderstode them ye shulde haue sene how iuste menis faith hath ben tempted tried and ouerthrowen and how thei be first slayne ere thei be quikened in spirit first drouen down into hell ere thei be reduced into heuen first to tast of desperacion damnacion ere they tast of any strong faith and saluacion This is y e souldyers lyfe and Hercules labor by faith to fele remission and saluacioÌ„ assiewred vs in oure soulis and not so easye a pleasant passetyme as ye yet dreamâ— in your idle worldly welthines anâ— sinful securite Trewe faithe is nâ— idle assent ne acquisite qualite as yâ— list to haue it with your dremed endeuor But as y e course of y e wynd is not knowne so know ye not yet what faith is as your bok is playnly shewe your ignorance But here I omitte y e accusacion brought ayenst you for not doinge your pastorall office accordinge to godis vocacioÌ„ and lyke the successour of any one of the apostles in whiche office if any one of your floke be founde to haue perished for want of the very fode of godis worde purely faithfully and frely not preched of you his bloude shal be required at your haÌ„dis Now say on We muste take godes benefit as it is offered and not as we wold haue it ye saye trw For the benefit of our remission and saluacion is euerye wher offred vs in the scripture For our faith into christ and not as ye wolde haue it for the fulfillinge of your condicioÌ„s shewinge your selfe therin to be wiser then god and to inuent a nother and better way as ye beleue to heauen then by Christe as god hath decreed and ordined ye wolde belyke sette god to scole as ye did take vpon you to teache doctour Barnes better lerned then you Ergo by the gift of god I may do wel before I am iustified your handlynge of this my conclusion declareth plaine that ye vnderstande not what ye saye For ye â—ondely improue a conclusion that mighte stande and be true Ioy. yea after your truth with your â—onde paradox of onelye faith iustifieth onlesse in teachiÌ„g ye wil so haÌ„dle y e mater as Barnes dyd Thaia man is iustified before he beleueth For if beleue goth before iustificacion as a cause dothe theffect then seinge in scripture beleif is called a dede and procedinge from the gift of god must nedes be a good dede it foloweth necessarely ergo I may by gods gift do a good dede before I am iustified A wise argument lo as though to beleue in Christ were the dede of maÌ„ not as christ affirmeth it the work of god Ioa. vi saieng This is the work of god y t ye beleue in him whoÌ„ he hath sent ye shall know that by y e handlyng of your conclusion I vnderstand it better then ye wetesaffe haue iustly confuted it in my former boke as euery reder may se it your self know it if arrogaÌ„ce malice had not blyndned you to not se faith in christ iustifieng to be y e rote fouÌ„tain of al good works and what is not of this faith purifieng the hert to be sin I haue hitherto remoued al your coÌ„dicions as your penance baptism c from the place before iustificacion haue compelled you by scriptures to place them after faith iustifieng And now ye be brought to thê narow shift as to seme to proue beleif to go before iustification which ye say is a good dede ergo But I shal driue you as euery reader shall se it openly from this your last shameles shifte that al meÌ„ shal se you to stand naked of al euasions without any mo sterting holes First ye must graunt that faithe into christ is the gift of god now ye speak of beleif and ye set it confusely tantum as y e sophisters say without any thing into which y e accioÌ„ work of y e verbe shulde passe And if ye wil haue it stand so absolutely nothing added so is it as good a dede as y e deuil doth y e same For as Iames saith The deuils beleue the turkes and Iewes beleue But speake you like a
to fede to comfort to helpe and to forgeue as hym selfe But this our loue to our selues is so depely roted in our hertes that we can hardely depart from it to geue it to our frendes muche lesse to oure enemies Also for the forgeuenes of my neyghbour whiche procedethe of loue I am commaunded of god to haue so perfyt loue and to be so affected towarde hym as was christe towarde me when I was his enemye whiche then dyed for me yea who is glad to die when he hathe deserued to dye yea a man wyll skante dye for hys frende This precepte therfore of loue and forgeuenes was once onely in one Iesu Chryste perfytlye fulfylled when bothe the preyst and the leuite the holyest order amonge you and the Iewes slypte by their wounded neyghboure lyenge halfe deade and neuer turned theyr faces towarde hym In our common forgeuenesses lurketh there no synne Shrewd subtyle false and vnserchable is the herte of man who knowth it who seeth his owne sinful secret nature Fro my secrete vnsene synnes to my selfe clense me lorde sayth the prophete who forgeueth without litle or miche of these affectis ether because he wold haue him stil to frende to do him seruice or pleasure or for a vauntage or for feare of displeasure or for shame or hatered or feare to be noted as no chrysten man with many moo then one man can serche out of a nother or espye in himself Also sith fayth loue be imperfit in maÌ„ corrupt with his concupiscence what perfit loue can procede into the forgeuens of his neyghbour The lawe is bothe holy iuste spirituall and perfet and requireth euen so persitly spiritually and euen of siche one to be fulfilled Be ye persit saith chryst as your heuenly father is perfit if we shulde saye that this worke of loue and forgeuenes were so perfitelye done that there remained in vs no synne but that y e dignitie of the dede deserued forgeuenes so neded that man not to praye in his pater noster forgeue me my dettes but suche a man Iâ—an calleth a lyer But admit the fulfillyng of thys your secâ—nde condicion after faith yet it foloweth not that this your forgeuer hath also fâ—lfilled all the other preceptes of the lawe as the loue of God aboue aâ—l with all his herte soule minde c. and the last precepte Thou shalt haue no concupiscence He is accursed saith the lorde that perfetly perfourmeth not ne abideth in al the precepts writeÌ„ in y e law wherfore a man is not iustified for fulfyllyng of one or two of youre condicions but he must fulfyll all written in the booke of the lawe or els he is accursed Nowe when you or anye other wyll come forthe and dare saye ye haue so perfitely as gods mynde is fulfilled this your condicion and all the rest of yours and all the lawe then wyl I dispute with you of your conclusion whervnto ye hasted so swiftly whether the fulfillyng therof dymynysheth the glory of Christes passion In the mean season I wyll tell you as Paule sayth If you or anye other coulde gette ye remission for y e dedes of the lawe workynge so were Christ dead in vayne for suche men God acciteth the man that wil be iustified by his workes vnto hys iugemeÌ„t seat and pleadeth with him thus sayenge Isay .xliii. Put me in mynd and we wyll reason the cause in iudgement Shewe me that thinge or worke wherby thou wilte trust to be absolued and iustified And here god beginneth with the firste man so commeth to the most holy fathers as Abraham and Moses and concludeth all men vnder synne none to haue deserued their forgeuenes by any of their workes but faith Thou haste made me thy seruaunte to bere awaie thy sinnes and thrustedst me downe ladeÌ„ with thy iniquities Man is therefore iustifyed saith Paul frely by grace thorow faithe in Iesu christ wherfore your condicion of workes cannot be placed in the accion of iustificacion I exclude therfore with Paule by this exclusiue Sola fide all the workes of the lawe from the said accion affirming constantly with him That by fayth man is frely iustifyed without the workes of the lawe where is nowe your gloriacion in your confuse condicon exclusa est It is excluded saith Paule and yet ye wil haue no exclusiue as to say sola fide But skof it out wth your karoll alone alone Qua lege or quo iure by what autorite or condicion by the condicion or reason of workis No no saith Paule Imo per legem fidei But by the autorite of faith And therfore he concludeth Man by fayth to be iustifyed without the workes of the law what can be spoken more playnly agenst your condicion and merits for our free iustificacion by only faith all the workes of the lawe excluded from fayth in the accion of our iustificacion Thus ye see your operose condicion clene excluded froÌ„ this accion And now to your second Article that is to vse playn speche They that wil enioye the remission of their sins must beleue for faith ye saye is your firste condicion And because ye fantazie so many faithes and knowleges and belyke haue as many beleifes I wil restraine you to the only beleife in Iesu Christe to haue suffred for our sinnes And nowe let vs adioyne your next article in as playn wordis banishing youre effecte and this terme condycyon Sayenge thus The fulfillinge of faith for as yet I medle with no more of youre other condicions but with onely faithe youre firste condicion requireth the knowledge of faithe whiche knowledge say you we haue by faith And thus haue we your paradox That faithe is knowne by faythe Is not this a proper naked mouse wherof so great a gronynge mountaine hath so long traueled Who laughe not at this naked sayenge faythe is knowen by faith This is lo your confuse artycle wrapped in so many perplexe termes when it is resolued into playne speache and sifted from youre combrose condicions and derke effectes If you and your doctrine feared not the lyght it shulde neuer haue ben inuolued in such obscure vayne and perplex speache The symple playne truthe knoweth no deceytful coloured sophems ne any perplexed persuasions wherby as the serpent deceiued Eue so wold you deceiue the simple of whiche wyly deceite and deceitful wylines in suche teachers Paule diligently warned the EphesioÌ„s and abhorred it in the simple veritie to be myxed It may appeare in you euidently howe malice blyndeneth you when rehersynge my wordes ye aske me whether fayth goeth before workes c. Beware malyce hath not so blyndened you that when as once before ye were promoted ye sawe and professed the truth but now drowned with the worlde ye be so blynde that ye see not the sonne in the cleare myddaye Malyce blyndened me not for I perceiued your craftye iugglynge with your confuse condicioÌ„ therin
might be expressed as it cannot be of man yet to pointe vs vnto it as it were a farrof the lerned in the tongues insinuat it by this latyn nowne existo existonis as one might saye I am that essenciall beinge as I said before So that ye haue declared your ignorance in dede to take gods essenciall ineffable name for the verbe Sum es fui a verbe of the present tence makinge no difference betwixt the first Sum and the last in this sentence Ego sum qui sum For ye may tyme and tence the first Sum but so canne ye not the later Sum. whiche god vsed when he bode Moses tell them Sum hathe sent me vnto you and Chryste vsed the same his essenciall name here vnto the Iewes in this texte Antequam Abraham nasceretur ego sum Before abrahaÌ„ was borne I had my beinge of my selfe and al creaturs their beinge by me This is the trwe englishinge ther of as we maye w tours to skaÌ„t a spech declare it And therfore saith Austen Appende verba agnosce mysterium c. Antequam AbrahaÌ„ fieret Intellige fieret ad humanam naturam Sum veroad diuinam pertinere substantiam way these words and aknowlege the mystery Before Abraham was made vnderstande thou this worde was made to pertayne to his humane nature But y e worde Sum to pertaine to the diuyne substance But it wold aske to greate a boke to refute all your errours and ignorances in this pese and in other of your boke and therfore I towche but some of them and haste me ayen to your sainge in your xlvii lefe folowinge coÌ„cerninge our firste proposed mater of iustificacioÌ„ A controuersie there is howe god worketh this iustificacion in man whether to iustifye he giueth him one gifte of faith or two giftes of faith and charitie And in this coÌ„trouersie one thiÌ„g is very peruerse that these which saye that god iustifiethe man with one gift of faith onelye will be sene more to extoll god in his fauour vnto man then they that saye god geueth thre giftes in the iustification I saye with Christe sainte Paule and with all the olde holy doctours that god to iustifye man geueth but onely the one gifte of faith beleuing into Christe vnto the onely accion of his iustificatioÌ„ albeit there be three giftes in the man iustified as faithe hope and loue not idle waiters to be sette a worke as ye raile and ieste of goddes holy giftes Neither Paule taught of god bringing but the one gifte of faith excludynge all the other from the acte of iustificacion doth peruersely as ye saye in extollynge god therby when he bryngeth in Abraham onely by faith iustified and therfore to geue all the glory vnto god Rom. iiii and likewise of euery man by faith onely iustified and not of workes Ephe. ii howesoeuer it lyketh you to skof it oute I know of howe fonde a dreame and false a grounde ye argewe agaynst me and maister Bucer to proue your charite to be concurrante with faith in the act of iustification or els as ye full wisely saye charitie to stand by ydle tyll she be sette a worke For ye haue dreamed it with frier dunce that there is a material shaples faith and a formall fashioned faith And that your material faith must stand idle as ye teste of Charite canne do nothinge without hir shape and formalitie whereby she is formed and shaped into accion formed with charite By whiche fonde dreame ye wolde make I say your shapeles faith to stand idle tyll youre colde charitie had set hir a worke A goodly godly frierly dreame lo. But the scripture teacheth vs that faith in hir owne essenciall selfe and consideration is as actual effectuouse and as formally fashioned as is charite in hir essencial selfe For the syngle spirituall giftes of god admitte no suche phisicke composition as ye dreame And as effectually as charitie loueth god knowen firste by faythe in Chryste so effectually and as formally worketh onely faythe firste hir proper accions as to beleue in god apprehendinge his promises in christ and there is no idlenes in eyther of the gyftes for as God geueth none of your materiall shaples giftes so geueth he no idle giftes as ye blaspheme hym and his giftes we teache therfore with gods word faith hope and charitie to be essencyally distincte but not diuided in sondry And we knowe and teache it that saythe in her selfe hathe hir owne proper formal accions as to purifie hertes to certyfye the soule of hyr forgeuenes in CHRISTE faythe knoweth god in Christ faith setteth y e conscience at reste faith apprehendeth the fre promises in christ faithe seethe god and thinges inuisible faith pleaseth god faith goeth vnto god with many mo hir owne peculiar workes expressed Heb. xi Faithe declareth hyr selfe effectuouselye by the workes of charitie of hope of pacience almose c. But by whiche of al these hir proper workes doth faith iustifye verely the scripture saith by hir beleuinge in god thorowe christe Iesu hym to be geuen hyr to haue suffred and satisfied for hir sinnes made of god the father hir rightewisenes holynes wisedome and redempcion By this onely act of faith is man iustified before she declareth hir selfe by hir workes of loue for the thinge loued muste be firste knowen by faith Faith iustifieth in that she worketh by beleife into christ certifieng and inducyng vs into the coÌ„munion and doing Christes ryghtwysnes vppon vs to be oure owne vesture comon to him and to vs coueringe vs thus beleuinge in him as it was wel fygured in Iacob couered with hys elder brothers clothes and vestures so well sauoringe in his fathers nose whervpon he receiued his blessinge in that blessed sead contrary to the curse and malediccion This word onely faith hath and doth maintaine muche bablinge when ye ioyne it to faith sayenge onely faith iustifyeth defendinge y â— ye trouble the people c. It mainteineth the more bablyng and gendereth the mo erroures by your popishe Antichristen doctryne teaching with other heritiques that faithe and workes together must iustifie It is your popishe Pelagians bablynge for your workes daÌ„pning christe and saint Paule in the places I alleged against you and ye haue not yet soluted them ye accuse of sich bablynge Austen Ambrose Hierom Uulgarye Chrisostom Hugh Cardinall Erasmus so ofte in his learned godly worke of his Paraphrase vpon y e newe testament with many mo bothe godly and learned men afformynge onely faith to iustifye Reade Origene and ye â—yste vppon this place Arbitramur hominem fide iustificari c. and call hym and the other reherced mainteiners of muche bablynge If to saye onelye faâ—th iustifyeth mainteyneth so muche bablynge as ye bable and blustre for your synfull workes so haue all these said great learned and holy men interpretinge the scriptures done muche hurt and troubled their readers It is no meruayle ye bable so boldely and
and seke that profite in his seruice with the perell of your lyfe as didde Christ and his apostles with their true successours forsaking all that they had to folow hym in his seruyce of faythfull and free preachinge his gospel Paule in his vocation euer sought the profit of the other to be saued with the great paines presonmentes and perel of his owne lyfe so that he said it were more profit for him selfe to be with Christe then here stil. Where ye se that Christes seruauntes serue not for their own profit as ye saye in youre false exposition but for other mens profyt for charitie seketh not her owne but other mens profyt Then ye saye the state of mens seruauntes is to do their masters profyt and not their own But I thinke euery good faithfull seruaunt to rekē his maisters profit to be his own and so shulde ye teache them if ye wil haue good seruantes Let vs se whether this seruaunt in the parable beinge all the daye in the felde doinge his maisters profytte contrarye to your exposition didde not also his owne Had he not all his liuinge of his maister whiche was no smal profit to him selfe Then ye bring in for your tother seruaunt that profitethe hym selfe and not his maister christ this text Si uis ab uitam ingredi serua mandata If thou wilt enter into lyfe kepe the commaundementes as thoughe he keping the commaundementes shulde haue therfore deserued heauen And then as Paule saythe Christ hadde dyed in vayne for that seruaunt But ye knowe to what seruaunte Christe spake those wordes euen to the yonge ryche lawier and pharisaies scoler taughte of them to go to heauen by doinge good dedes not by faith in christe The person of the speaker and hys question induced Christe so to temper his aunswere to his mynde For this lawier was so sene noseled in the law workes that he was as ye be persuaded by the pharisais to go to heauen by his owne doinge and not by christes suffringe and thus went he forth blyndened with the cōfidence of workes Nowe I praye ye what profit gote this your yonge pharisaicall scoler who ye say so profited him selfe and not his maister by his seruice althoughe he sayde he hadde kept all the reherced commandementes from his youth he had no profite by that seruice as ye saye he had for euen here he forsoke his maister and went his way heuely christ pronouncynge howe impossible it was for suche a seruaunte to come to heauen Wherefore this texte with all the former exposition of the the first text make plaine againste your selfe and against all your seruauntes and their seruices so wisely brought in for your fonde and false purpose and are all your own kayes to cleaue your logges and your own hatches to open your lockes Euen the processe and conference of the text before from the beginning of the chapter wherof christ was moued to tell his disciples this parable of that bonde seruaunt not to worke for wages but because it was his aboundē deutye wold leade you into the true vnderstanding therof had ye grace so to obserue your owne so oft reherced rule For Christ had geuen his disciples in the beginninge of that chapter all to harde and impossible to man a precepte of iniuries and hurtes so often to be forgeuen and bodde them beware and take hede to them selues seynge that nedes muste suche sclaunders and offendicles come This precept of pacience and loue to forgeue their enemies sclaunderers and hurters so oft as they offende vs they knowinge it to be so impossible to the nature of man to corrupt with the naturall loue of him selfe and againe seinge faith to be so mighty a gift whereby the law is fulfilled when loue is to weake to do it praied him to encrease strengthen their faith Then Christ telleth them the power and might of faith being as lytle as the musterde seade yet therby shuld they do things impossible to the nature of man to do euen to commaunde the depe roted great wylde fygtree to rende vp hyr rotes and to be transplanted in the sea declaringe therby that the lawe impossible to man to be fulfilled yet by faith we beleuinge christ to haue fulfilled it for vs do remoue his fulfillynge so transplanted in vs that we by fayth fermelye haue his fulfillinge of the lawe as oure own he beinge made of his father oure ryghtwisenes in whiche his ryghtwysenes and not in our owne we appearinge before his seat presence haue not our synnes imputed to vs so iustified obteyning that laste and perpetual blessinge geuen to all his blessed chosen children To confirme this doctrine and to destroye your false popish supererogiciō workes and merites Christe knytteth to the parable Sayenge which of you hauinge a bonde seruante al gods elect be his bonde seruauntes to do his commaundementes of deutye to serue him lokynge for no wages ploughinge and fedinge your catell in the felde wyll saye to him as sone as he come home come sit downe eate but will rather byd him saieng go and prepare for my souper and dresse the to serue me till I haue eaten ▪ which done eat thou and drink wyll he commende or geue hym any thanks for doinge but his dewtye No I thinke Here ye see how Chrsti expoundinge hym selfe destroieth youre merites to be loked for youre dedes of deutye and bond seruice And euen so saith he saye ye and thinke it in dede we be seruauntes vnprofitable for that we haue done but our abounden deutye Now go to and tell you vs your other tale monkishe dreame that we be seruaūtes vnprofitable because god is so riche that he nedeth not our seruice a faier reason and goodly glose for your merits ye be a riche and valeaunt byshop and be able to sette vp wype and curry your owne horse ergo ye nede no seruice but maye do it your selfe Do not the obediente ministration of his aungels and the obedience and seruice of his creatures al make for the glorye of god to be celebrated amonge vs althoughe we knowe hym omni sufficiente Here thou seest christen reader how impudently and arrogantlye this byshop dare render another and cōtrary cause and exposition of the text then Christ him selfe hath left vs in plaine wordes and then saye that I in expressynge and alledginge iustely Christes wordes do violentlye wreste and wryte them But what is it that Antichriste dare not do and saye agaynst christe and his veritye to falsefye the scriptures to th entent he myghte wreste them to seme to serue hys deuyllyshe doctrine We knowe that god is almighty infinite riche and nedeth not our goods but yet as he commaunded the firste frutes of euery thinge to be offered vp vnto him so wolde he all his giftes in vs yea and all oure dedes seruice wordes and thoughtes to be cōsecrated into his glory and honour and into the
nedes be receiued by faith onely For our iustificacion were promised in vayne if we our selues might deserue it by works For not by the works of the lawe saith Paul cometh the promise to Abraham or to his seade him to be the ayer of the world but by the rightwysenes of faith For if they that wyl be iustified by the workes of the law be therefore made the heyres so is faythe and beleife in vayne and the promise voyde and frustrate For the lawe worketh wrathe and where as is no lawe there is no transgression Wherefore out of faith is y e heretage geuen as out of grace that the promyse shuld be the more ferme sewer vnto all the seade not to it onelye that is oute of the lawe as be the Iewes but also to it that is oute of the faythe of Abraham euen to the gentyles whyche Abraham is the father of vs all yf we resemble him in lyke fayth Into this playne peese when this bysshoppe hadde broughte hym selfe so wrapped and masshed as it were in a nette so accombred that he coulde in no wyse wynde oute hym selfe then beginneth he to mocke to rayle and to ieste vppon Paules wordes with Ideo ex fide saye you and these wordes hath the scripture saye you ut firma sit promissio saye you And ye saduces tell vs phariseis we wolde oppresse the trueth The promyse of God is all saye you And ye Saduces wolde extolle the strengthe of the trueth Ioye It is Paule the vessell of God that saythe all these wordes and not we And why shulde not we Christianes extol gods trueth and defende it agaynste you popishe Pelagians and with the scriptures confirme it agaynste you Antichristes Be ye angrye that we extoll honour and prayse trewe faythe ioyned to gods promyses agaynste you rancke phariseis peruerse popyshe pelagians Be ye not contente that we take gods parte to defende his honoure and magnifye his glorye agaynste your deuyllyshe doctrine oh antichristen papistes And nowe ye wyl percase bring in Melancthons correlatiues of faith and promise And that y e cause why we be iustifyed by charite saith he is because the promise cannot be receyued but by faith It is not Melanch that sayth the promyse of god in christ is not receiued but by faith onely It is Paul it is Christ that say it For what auaileth a promise and no man beleue it Be not faith and gods promises correlatiues in the faithfull beleuers to whom god maketh his promises CaÌ„ ye separate the faith of the iuste from gods promises or his promises froÌ„ their faith Can ye confute Melan. doctrine in so teaching ye scorne his lerning and iest vpoÌ„ his doctrine of all the learned men this daye whiche write in Germany And why verely because with their pennes and by goddes worde they haue geuen your gostly father of rome his deadly heade wounde ye may mocke Melanchton and scornefullye skof and ieste of the lerned Germaines as ye do but confute their doctrine iustly ye cannot ne attaine to their knowledge and learninge ne come nighe their cleare iudgement But it is the propertye of all arrogante papistes to contempne and mocke them whose bokes they be not able to beare after them And thus they reason Seing our saluacion dependeth vpon gods promise and a promyse cannot he apprehended but by faith onely we must nedes saye onely faith iustifieth And to make the matter playne they bringe in a similitude If one man promyse another xx.li how can he to whoÌ„ the promyse is made apprehende the promyse but onely by beleuynge him that promyseth And this is the newe scole of germany where sophistrye is not banysshed but hath a newe garmente and is clothed with pretence of simplicite For in this teachinge is a maruelous apperaunce of plainnes and thorowly coÌ„sidered it containeth a mere deceyte And note well reader that thou maiest perceaue this iuglynge sophistrye where it deceaueth the. It is not denied but onely faith apprehendeth the promyse therin is no controuersy If ye this graunt what deceitful sophistrye what iuglinge call ye it man to apprehende gods promise by his faith only God promiseth me remission in christes death affirminge him to be iustified and to haue lyfe eternall that beleueth in hym and by faith apprehendeth this promyse of god Call ye this iuglynge sophistry and mere deceite to beleue gods promyse Here lo reader maist thou see whother this popish byshop is caried of his arrogante affectes so blasphemousely to raile of onely faythe apprehending gods true promises He graunteth him selfe onely faithe to apprehende gods promise and yet he impugneth onely faith to iustifye to make god false of his promise as though Christe neuer sayde As thou beleuest so come it to the. Now let vs see how ye can wynde your selfe oute of the bryars But marke well this when god iustifieth man god ministreth mercy to vs whiche was the thinge god promised to geue vs as zachary ê“phecied God to geue him selfe to vs who â—s all mercy whervpon is grounded our saluacion In this prophecy of zachary it is playne that God of his merciable goodnes and not of any mannes desertes had made a promise to AbrahaÌ„ and to our fathers to sende vs that blessed seade Christe oure sauyoure which promise who so beleued had remission of their synnes Of mercye was the promyse made and the thing promised was remyssion of synnes in Christ. And who so beleued the promyse was iustified wherefore onelye faith iustifieth now what can ye iugle or discant vpon this Sing on a goddes name Wherin we must considre distinctly and apart the promise of god and the thinge promised which is mercy I thought as mich ye wold iugle w t mercy which in zachary is taken as euery maÌ„ may se by the conference of the text for the fre merciable fauour goodnes wherof without any merits of man god was moued thorough Christe to promyse and now ye wold make it the thinge promysed wyth whiche alteringe yet am I concente yf ye take mercye as the scripture oft taketh it in other places for the forgeuenes of sinnes in christe to the beleuers But yet go to procede iÌ„ your wycked porpose tyll ye haue haltred your selfe againe As â—n their example for I dare make no newe when one frende promiseth another xâ— li. the promyse is the bonde the thinge promysed is the xx.li In whiche example though I graunt that I apprehende my frendes promyse with beleuing hym yet I apprehende not that is contayned in my frendes promise with beleuinge hym For I apprehend that with my handes if it be paid me And so althoughe we apprehende gods promyse with our beleâ—f yet the eâ—hibicioÌ„ of the mercy of god whiche is the thinge comprehended in goddes promyse we apprehende that with al sich partes of vs of bodye and soule as be conforted and healed by that mercy Be not here ioly