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B00888 The Christian manuell, or of the life and maners of true Christians. A treatise, wherein is plentifully declared, how needefull it is for the seruaunts of God to manifest and declare to the world: their faith by their deedes, their words by their works, and their profession by their conuersation. VVritten by Ihon VVoolton minister of the Gospel, in the Cathedral church of Excetor. Woolton, John, 1535?-1594. 1576 (1576) STC 25976; Interim Tract Supplement Guide G.1999[2] 81,916 210

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wandereth in Ignoraunce and darknesse and can do no true and sinceere vertue but happelye nowe and then some vayne maske and shewe of vertue and thus much of the works of Paynyms and Infydels Thirdly and lastly those good works are to be consydered which are done of those who from the bottome of theyr harts embrace true holynesse and righteousnesse And it were requisite if a man woulde prosecute euery thing exactly dyligently to consider the signifycation of the word VVorkes but because that matter in Englysh would rather séeme to be vaine ostentation then serue to edification I wyl omit the same for this tyme and wyth some description open the meaning or signification of good workes Good workes are actions which are don of men regenerat by the ayde of Gods spirit through fayth according to the rule of Gods worde hauing their respectes as chéefe vses and endes to wyt The honor and glory of God the ornament and honestie of our lyues and the profite and commodity of our neighboures I wil open euery part of this discription largelye after I haue shewed howe earnestly almighty God in his word requireth of his seruants good works which are established and not reiectted by fayth Fyrst therefore al sincéere and faythfull professors of the gospell ought most certainly to perswade them selues that they are adopted fréely by God and alreadie iustifyed through Christ by faith and regenerate and sanctifyed by Gods spyrite that they might in worde and deede expresse and somewhat resemble the nature and disposition of their heauenly Father and therewithall declared vnto the worlde by theyr workes that they are the sonnes of god For that cause I haue againe againe repeted before that a Christian faith ought to be garnished with al kind of good works And therfore as the Apostle S. Paul after that propositiō VVe gather therfore that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Lawe In the waye of questioning sayth VVe make the Lawe therefore in vaine through faith He answereth by by God forbid Naie we establishe the Lawe Euen so I presently affirme that we do not now a daies dissolue good workes by the doctrine of faith Iustifiynge but we rather establishe the same For without faith there can be no good works and faith cannot be vnfruitfull or ydle in those that are iustified Moreouer almighty God him selfe requyreth of his seruants the good works of a true fayth and greeuously accuseth cōdemneth by the Prophets Apostles those that are neglygent and slouthfull Moyses sayth in the Lawe And nowe Israell what doth the Lorde thy God require of thee but that thou should feare thy God and walke in his waies and loue him and serue the Lord thy God with al thy hart and with al thy soule and keepe the commaundementes of the Lord and his ceremonies which I commaund thee that it maie bee well with thee What should I speake of that that the Law of God is geuen from heauen that it may shew vnto them theyr infirmitie and offences their natural corruption and iust condemnation and so leadeth vs as it were by the hande from trust and confidence in our selues to depende vppon Christ And yet that is but one scope or vse of the Law which was geuen to the ende that it might be a rule of mans life exhybiting a perfyte dyscipline to those that are iustifyed by fayth So sayth the Prophete in the booke of Psalmes Blessed is that man whome thou O Lorde instructest in thy lawe And againe Hee hath geuen a testimony vnto Iacob and a lawe vnto Israell that the posteritye maie knowe and put their trust in God and not forget the workes of God but keepe his commaundements The Prophetes euery where teache a true fayth in God his sonne Christe and also call for good workes of the true worshyppers of god Blessed is he sayth Ieremie that trusteth in the Lorde hee shall be like a tree planted by the waters whiche sendeth his moysture vnto the rootes and he shall not feare when sommer commeth And his leafe shall bee greene and he shall not be in daunger in the tyme of drought neyther shall he ceasse to bring forth fruicte Which worde he translated no doubte out of the first Psalme And in Esai the Prophet mencion is made of a Vineyarde that was planted to bring forth fruicte And Iohn Baptist the foreronner of the Lord appoynted dyscipline and order of lyfe to those that asked of him what they shoulde doo and amongst other thinges he spake thus to the Pharisees and Saduces Yee generacion of vipers who hath taught you to flye from the vengeaunce to come bring forth the fruites of repentaunce And Zacharie his father songe and sayde before That vve being vvithout feare and delyuered out of the handes of our enemies might serue him in holynes and righteousnes all the daies of our lyfe Our Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christ in that his Sermon made vnto his Disciples in the Moūtaine exhorteth them in them all the faithfull to good works but especiallye in the ende concluding with these wordes Not euerie one that sayth vnto mee Lorde Lorde shall enter into the kingdom of heauen but he that doth the vvyll of my Father vvho is in heauen And immediatly after he subioyneth two Parables of one that buylt his house vpon a fyrme Rock and of him that layd his foundation vpon the sande The hearers and doers of the worde of God are lyke vnto them the hearers only resembled vnto the others And when a woman cryed out saying Blessed is the vvombe that bare thee and the paps that gaue thee sucke Our sauiour answered But blessed are they that heare the word of God and keepe it And euen the lyke answere he gaue vnto the Iewes bosting that they were Abrahams sonnes If ye vvere Abrahams children ye vvould doo the vvorkes of Abraham you are of your father the Deuyll and fulfyll the desires of your father And againe I am the true vine and my Father is the husbandman hee cutteth off euerie braunche that doth not bring foorth fruite in mee and euerie one that bringeth forth fruite he purgeth that he maye bring forth fruite more plentifully In lyke manner the holy Apostles commending the doctrine of theyr Maister to all Nations doo most earnestlye call for good workes As obedient chyldren not fashioning your selues vnto the former lustes of your ignoraunce But as he vvhich called you is holy euen so be yee holie also in all manner of conuersation And if so bee that yee call on the Father vvhich vvithout respecte of personne iudgeth according to euerie mannes vvorke see that yee passe the tyme of your dwelling heere in his feare For asmuch as you knowe howe that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as syluer and golde from your vaine conuersation which ye receiued by the tradition of your Fathers But
with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lambe vndefiled and without spot And in his latter Epistle after the rehearsall of certayne vertues he addeth For if these thinges be among you and be plenteous they wyl make you that ye neither shall be idle nor vnfruictefull in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ But hee that lacketh these thinges is blinde and can not see farre of and hath forgotten that hee was purged from his olde sinnes VVherefore brethren geue the more dilligence for to make your calling and election sure for if ye do such thinges ye shall neuer fall Saint Paule in lyke manner wryting to the Thessalonians sayeth VVee beseeche you brethren and exhorte you by the Lord Iesus that ye increase more and more as ye haue receiued of vs how you ought to walke and please god For you knowe what commaundements wee gaue you by the Lord Iesus For this is the wyll of God your holinesse that yee shoulde abstaine from fornication That euerie one of you shoulde knowe howe to possesse his vessell in holinesse and honour c. And in his Epistle to Timothie This sure foundation of God endureth hauing this signe the Lorde knoweth who are his and let euerie man that calleth vpon the name of the Lorde depart from iniquitie If a man therefore purge him selfe from these thinges hee shal be a vessel sanctified to honor applied to the vse of the Lorde and prepared to all good workes But speaking of the hyppocrits he sayth thus They professe that they know God but in their deedes they deny him being abominable disobediēt and reprobate to al good works The blessed Apostle and Euangelyste sayth thus If we saie we haue fellowship with him and walke in darknesse wee lye and doo not the trueth And if wee walke in the light as he is in the light wee haue mutuall fellowship with him And S. Iames Be you doers of the word and not hearers onely deceyuing your selues For if a man heare the worde and expresse not the same in his deedes he is lyke a man that beholdeth his face in a glasse For beholding him selfe he goeth his waye and forgetteth his similitude Iudas also the brother of Iames Apostle of Christ is very angry with those that abuse the grace of our God to wātonnes and sayth That such haue already manifestlie denyed God and his sonne Christ This doctrine of good workes I haue specifyed and collected out of the holy Prophetes and Apostles Least some myght report of vs that we are very copious in the doctrine of Iustification by faith But bare and barren in the other part of Christiā doctrine cōcerning good workes principally least Sicophantes myght cauell that we are despysers and enemyes to good workes The Apostles of Christ the Lord and namely S. Paule the doctour of the Gentyles and vessell of election haue notablye set out Gods grace And very often inculcate that men are iustified before God by faith not by the law by grace not by works and yet notwithstāding they vrge most ernestly the works of faith Ye were somtime darknesse but now are you light in the Lord vvalke as children of light For the fruite of the spirite is in all goodnes righteousnes and truth approuing that vvhich is acceptable vnto the lord And haue no fellowship vvith the vnfruitfull vvorks of darknes but rather rebuke thē And as the preaching of Gods grace is nowe a dayes obiected vnto vs as a reproch euen so was it in the tyme of Paul the Apostle when many obiected sayd that the Apostles taught men to do euyl the good might come thereof There were moreouer Hippocrits false gospellers who abused the preaching of grace faith Christian lyberty to satisfy their carnall lustes yet the Apostles continued most constātly and earnestly in teaching that doctrine neyther dyd they inhybite the doctrine of iustifycation because the some men had no regarde of good workes But they sharply rebuked such and admonished the faythfull to beware of such peruerse lybertie In consideration whereof S. Peter is thought to haue vttered these words And suppose that the long suffering of the Lord is saluation euen as our dearelie beloued brother Paule also according vnto the wisedome geuen vnto him hath written vnto you speaking of suche thinges amongst which are many things harde to vnderstande which they that are vnlearned and vnstable peruert as they doo also the other scriptures vnto their owne destruction Ye therefore beloued seeing ye be warned aforehand beware least ye also being ledde awaie with the error of the wicked fall from your owne stedfastnesse And the same Apostle in another place For so it is the wyll of God that with well doing ye maie stoppe the ignoraunce of foolishe men As free and not as hauing the libertie for a cloake of naughtinesse but euen as the seruauntes of God. Herevnto agréeth the saying of Saint Paule Brethren ye haue bene called into libertie onelie let not libertie bee an occasion vnto the flesh but by loue serue one another And almost the lyke was vttered before of our Sauiour Christe Verelie verelie I saie vnto you that whosoeuer committeth sinne is the seruaunt of sinne And the seruaunt abideth not in the house for euer but the sonne abydeth for euer If the sonne therefore shall make you free then shall you bee free in deede Wherefore Chrystians who are made free in true Christian liberty are delyuered from the Deuyll synne condemnation that synne may not rule in their mortall bodies albeit the dregges and remnaunts of naturall corruption remayne in them neyther are they subiect to the sentence of eternall death albeit they deny corporally and to be short that they may not serue synne and Dyuell but Grace and Christ And hauing spoken thus much of the necessity of good workes It consequently followeth that I returning to the definition of good workes shoulde shewe what workes are allowed or disalowed in Christes Church And fyrst we do not deryue the same out of the decr●es of men but acknowledge God to be the fountayne and aucthour of the same For all men by nature are lyers corrupt and synfull and howe can that which is euill bring forth good therefore from God onely who alone is good all good workes do spring The blessed Apostle Saint Iames sayth Euerye good gift and any persyt gyft is from aboue descending from the Father of lights Saint Peter also writeth to the same ende The God of all grace who hath called you to his eternall glory through Iesus Christ strengh then and confirme you And Saint Paule It is God that worketh in you both the wyll and the deede Our Lorde and sauiour Iesus Christ sayth He that abydeth in mee and I in him the same shall bring foorth much frute And in another place Hee that doth truth commeth vnto the light