and Paul here chiefely reproueth the Iewes We may also hereby learne how farre we are of from the perfection of God He suffreth long tyme beareth with men God is more patieÌ„t then men that will not beleue in him but all men are high mynded and can not abide that either their wordes or writinges should be contemned Then faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God Here again is repeted the commeÌ„dation of the ministery that by it faith is diuulged amongst CommendacioÌ„ of the ministery men Faith is by hearing this sentence must be rightly and soundly taken that is when God will worke therewithall and put to his ayde Some haue thought that by hearing is here to be vnderstanded the inward word for that in it is the full and perfect cause of faith Which thing as I deny not so also I sée that Paul speaketh not of the inward hearing that is of the motion that is done by the holy Here is entreated of the outward worde The worde of God abideth firme though it be not beleued ghost but of the outward preaching to the office whereof the Apostles were sent And although faith can not after the ordinary and accustomed maner be without the word of God yea and that without the outward word yet the word of God abideth still although faith be not geuen vnto it for knowledge hath relacion as they vse to speake to the thing knowen but that which may be knowen is not on the other side referred to knowledge when as there are many thinges which may be knowen are not knowen After which selfe maner very many thinges are to be beleued which yet are not beleued Wherfore faith forasmuch as it is an asseÌ„t WhereheÌ„ce faith taketh his differences geuen vnto the word of God although it take not his differences of the subiect or of his forme yet taketh it them not either of the efficent cause or of the obiect for it is occupied aboute those things which haue bene reuealed by God neither commeth it by the light of nature but by the illustracion of the holy ghost But as touching the subiect it is placed in the minde as wisdome prudence and other sciences are and the nature thereof is a quality as other knowledges also are qualities Furthermore if hearing whereof springeth faith be by the word of God it is manifest that the foundacion of faith is the word of God only Wherefore the ministers of the Church and preachers ought hereby to learne what is to be preached Onely the worde of God is the foundacion of faith Humane traditions are not the worde of God namely the word of God only and not humane traditions although now they are so bold to call them the word of God which yet they are not by any meanes able to proue when as they are vncertaine and repugnant the one to the oâ—her and are oftentimes abolished or renued which in no wise agrée with the word of God Basilius in his sermon de confessione fidei saith that it is a falling away from faith and a great pride either not to admitte the thinges which are written in the holy scriptures or to adde any thing vnto them Which sentence he confirmeth by the testimony of Paul to the Galathians where he saith The testament although but of a man when it is once ratefied no man maketh voyde or addeth any thing thereunto which thing ought much more to be taken hede of in the testament of God set forth in the holy scriptures But here a riseth a doubt For if onely the woorde of Whether we must beleue miracles God is to be beleued why sayd Christ that if they woulde not beleue him they shoulde yet at the least beleue his workes For it séemeth by thys sentence that we shoulde also beleue miracles But we aunswere that miracles are as testimonies by which men are the easelier brought to beleue so that they are thinges by meanes whereof men beleue not that fayth is directed vnto them as vnto his obiect although as touching the miracles of Christ and of the Apostles we must beleue that they were done by God and not by Belzebub or by the deuill as the Pharise is sclanderously reported and this is conteyned in the worde of God for it geueth testimony that these miracles should be wrought and that they were wrought in theyr due time namely in the preaching of souÌ„d The Sacramentes are beleued doctrine The Sacramentes also are beleued but they are nothing ells but the visible words of God wherunto also is adioyned yâ— word of God which is heard as Augustine fayth The worde commeth vnto the element and it is made a sacrament Howbeit there is discretion and iudgmente to be had when we beleue the word of God that we picke not thereout any wicked or corrupt sentence there is also requisite good triall and examination to discerne miracles and in the sacrameÌ„ts Whether we must beleue with iudgementâ— or without iudgement â–ª is to be considered that they be orderly ministred that is as they were instituted of God And by sound iudgement we must remoue away and set aside the inuencions of men that we beleue not them as we would beleue the wordes of God And when Basilius or other of the fathers doo say that we must beleue with out examination or iudgemeÌ„t which semeth to be taken out of that which Paul sayth in this epistle that Abraham beleued neyther iudged he that word in greke Distinction of iudgement is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 To answer to this doubt this is to be vnderstanded that iudgement is of two sortes â–ª The one is when we take counsell of the sences and humane reason and this is vtterly to be remoued from fayth for it alwayes resisteth the word of God The other is the iudgment of the spirite which is of necessity to be had And this is it which Paul sayd Proue all thinges and that which is good hold fast And vnto the Corrinthians Spiritual thinges are compared with spirituall thinges and by this iudgment it is necessary to conferre one place in the holy scriptures which is more obscure with an other whiche is more manifest The authority of the Church hath not dominion ouer faith as some wickedly thinke The office of it is to preach to admonishe to reproue to testifie The autority of the church hath not dominioÌ„ ouer fayth to lay the holy scriptures before mens eyes neyther requireth it to be beleued but so farre forth as it speaketh the wordes of God Paul before he here made mencion of the worde by which fayth is brought forth made mencion of them that preach the Gospell that is of the ministers which are sent of God in whoÌ„ he described the ministery of the Church namely that it consisteth in preaching of the Gospell Moreouer if fayth as it is here written come by hearing that is as it is added by
no reputacion yet was it taken to be geuen for Christes sake And therefore in all the promises of the olde Testament the myndes of the godly ranne vnto this foundation and ground Then let vs consider the finall cause Wherefore would God haue the publike wealth of the Iewes preserued to the ende but only that Christ should be born therehence Why prouided he that the stock of Dauid should contynue safe euen to the ende but onely that the sonne of God should of it take humane fleshe Why brought he agayne hys people from captiuity but only that the Messias should at length be borne at the tyme promised in the place appointed and of a stocke assigned This vndoubtedly was the cause of all those promises vpon this cause did all the fathers bend their minds as many as vnderstood a right Wherfore Paule wresteth not the testemonyes of the prophetes neyther doth he rashely abuse them And let this be vnto vs a sure and faythfull rule for the perfect vnderstanding of the promises of the olde What it is to lyue by fayth testament whereas he sayth that the iust man shall lyue by fayth he meaneth that he shal be able to moue hymselfe to all good thynges as to beleue to hope to contynue in hope and to loue of charity vnto which thynges by the power and strength of our owne nature we canne by no meanes attayne And that by faith we obtaine eternall life it very well agreeth with those thinges which The knowledge whiche commeth by fayth and the eternall lyfe which shal be in heauen are one and the selfe same thyng as touching the matter Wherein the righteousnes which is receaued by fayth consisteth We are not firste iuste and then afterward lyue by fayth Differences betwen the righteousnes of the Gospel and of the lawe Christ spake This is the life eternall that they should acknowledge thee to be the only true God and him whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ These thinges shall we playnly and openly knowe in heauen our countrey and that with a cleare and manifest sight But now haue we these selfe same thinges with a very obscure knowledge that is through fayth This is not an other lyfe from that But then shall that be made perfecte which we haue now but only begon And the righteousnes which by this fayth maketh it selfe open consisteth herein especially that from the tyme we are reconciled vnto God we leade our life in such sorte that both we render vnto hym his due worshipe and also vnto our neighbour our bounden due offices or dueties And whereas the Prophete writeth that the iust man lyueth by fayth his wordes must not so be taken as though he should affirme that we are fyrst iust and that then afterward we liue by fayth But this thyng he teacheth that by fayth do come vnto vs two commodityes both that we should be iust and also that we should obtayne life we see here also set forth vnto vs the difference betweene the righteousnes of the law and of the Gospell The righteousnes of the law is a perfecte obedience of the commaundementes of God But the righteousnes of the Gospell is an imputacion thereof The righteousnes of gospell God geueth vnto vs but the righteousnes of the law we geue vnto God The righteousnes of the law leaneth vnto workes For it is written The man which doth these thinges shall liue in them and cursed be he whiche abideth not in all the thinges whiche are written in the booke of the lawe also If thou wilte enter into lyfe keepe the Commaundementes Also doo thys and thou shalte lyue But here it is sayd The iuste manne shall lyue by fayth Wherfore looke what difference there is betwene to do and to beleue so much seeme these places to be repugnaunt one to the other But these thinges A conciliation of places repugnant shall easely be made to agree by making a distinction of righteousnes For forasmuch as the righteousnes of the Gospell is one and the righteousnes of the lawe is an other some testimonyes speake of the one righteousnes and some teach of the other Now by that which hath bene spoken the Apostle setteth forth three good By fayth we obtayne saluation righteousnes and life thinges and those most principall which by fayth we obtayne namely saluation righteousnes and life For thē Gospell is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleueth agayne the righteousnes of God is reuealed by it from fayth also the iust man shall liue by fayth If there be anye that requyre more then these good thinges then is he ouer curious Further euen in the very first entrance into the cause we see how strongly he affirmeth by these three sentences now rehersed that by fayth these good thinges happen vnto vs. Here also maye be noted in what estimation Paul hath the holy scripture for vnto it he ascribeth the chiefest authority to proue the question takē in hand namely that the righteousnes of god is reuealed by fayth And if both the Apostle and also the Prophet do so manifestlye pronounce that we are iustified by fayth then is it not meete that our aduersaryes should so crye out agaynst vs for that we affirme the very selfe same Wherefore if they be herewith offended then let them grudge agaynst the scriptures agaynst Paule and agaynst What remedy we must vse when it is sayd that we reiect good woorkes the Prophet and not agaynste vs. And agaynst them which crye out that we spoyle good workes of theyr dignity and honour there is no presenter remedy then to lyue vprightly and holyly that thereby we may aboundantly haue testemonyes of good workes and say to our aduersaries if any confydence were to be put in good workes then should we in no case geue place vnto you forasmuch as in them we farre excell you And all that whiche we say and teach of iustification which commeth through fayth tendeth only to this that the truth should by the word of God be defended This was Paules meaning when he sayde vnto the Phillippians If any man may put confidence in the fleshe I also may much more and by many thinges he declareth how much in this kinde of glory he excelled others But he afterward addeth that all these things he counted as dongue and losse that he might wyn Christ and that he mought be found in him not hauing his own righteousnes namely which is of works but that which is by the fayth of Iesus Christ This excellent example of the Apostle ought we to imitate that although we attribute not iustification vnto workes yet ought we plentifully to abound in them aboue other men For if we leade an vnpure lyfe and on the other syde boaste of iustification through fayth then shall we be laughed to scorne of our aduersaryes as though we for that cause professed this doctrine to lyue without punishement 〈…〉 ly and without all order For
neither make those thinges doubtfull which are hoped for In which wordes he sheweth that two principall thinges are to be auoyded The one is that we be not with to much curiositie Two principal things to be taken hede of stirred vp to seeke out the proofe of thinges which we ought to beleue which proofe so long as we lyue here cannot be had the other is that though they be obscure we shoulde not yet doubte of the truth of them And the same writer entreating of the confessiō of fayth thus writeth It is manifest a falling away Basilius sayth that they erre from the faith which adde any thing to the scriptures from the fayth and a poynt of pride either to refuse anye of those thinges which are written or to bring in anye thing that is not written forasmuche as our Lorde Iesus Christ sayd My sheepe heare my voyce and before that he sayde but a straunger they will not follow but wyll flee from him because they haue not knowen his voyce The Apostle also hath by an humaine example straightly forbidden either to adde or to diminishe any thing in the holy scriptures when he sayth And yet no man disanulleth the Testament of a man when it is confirmed neither addeth any thing thereunto In which place a man may perceiue how warely this man affirmeth that as touching fayth nothing ought either to be added or diminished in the holy scriptures Which maketh chiefely against those which obtrude inuencions and traditions of men as necessary to be beleued Farther the same writer plainlye setteth forth the certaintie of fayth when he declareth the propertie thereof in Moralibus the. 80. Summe and 22. chapiter Where he writeth What is the propertie of fayth He aunswereth An vnseperable certaintie of the truth of the wordes of God which is not attayned to by any kinde of reasoning nor any naturall necessitye neyther being framed to pietie can euer be shaken And he addeth That it is the duty of one that beleueth to be in such a certaintie affected according to the power of the woord Basilius sayth that whatsoeuer is with out fayth and the holy scriptures is sinne spoken and not to presume either to dissanull or to adde any thing For if whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne as sayth the Apostle and fayth commeth of hearing and hearing by the word of God then whatsoeuer is not of fayth being not contayned in the scripture inspired by the spirite of God the same is sinne This Father confirmeth together with vs the certaintie of fayth and sheweth wherehence it dependeth when he calleth it inseuerable for that when we beleue we doo not examine by our own reasons what is possible or what is not possible to be done And he semeth to allude to those wordes which Paul speaketh of the fayth of Abraham that he doubted not through incredulitie where he vsed this verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherfore certaintie is contrarie to doubting which commeth of the examination of humane reason Moreouer that which in an other sentence he had spoken he agayne playnly repeateth namely that those things which are out of the scriptures are not to be beleued And this place of Paul Whatsoeuer is not of fayth is Note how Basilius vnderstandeth whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Fayth differeth from opinion and suspicion sinne he vseth in his natiue and proper sense as we also vse it which thing our aduersaries can not abide Faith differeth from opiniō for opinion although it make vs leane vnto one part yet it doth that both wyth reason and also not without feare of the truth of the other partie And suspicion doth engender yet a weaker assent then opinion doth for that it both wanteth reason and also leaueth men doubtfull of the truth of the other part It is true in deede that science engendreth a firme assent but that is brought to passe by adding of demonstrations Seing now we sée playnly both what fayth is and also howe it differeth from opinion science and suspicion let vs sée howe manye wayes fayth is taken For there is one kinde of fayth which is mightie perfect and of efficacie whereby we are iustified there is an other which is voyde without fruite during but for a time vayne which bringeth not iustification Which thing is manifest by the parable of the Gospell where the séede the woorde of God I say is written to fall sometymes vpon good ground and sometimes vpon stony ground vpon thornes and by the high way side where it is lost and Fayth which iustefieth is not in all men equal bringeth forth no fruite Agayne that fayth which is good and profitable is not in all men a lyke for according to the greater or lesser infirmitie of the fleshe it hath degrées Wherfore Paul saith Euen as God hath deuided vnto euery man the measure of fayth And in the selfe same parable the seede falling on the good ground bringeth not forth fruite alyke in all partes For in some place it bringeth forth thirty fold in other some place lx folde and in other some an hundreth folde In sūme the entent of Paule in this place is to make the righteousnes of God whereof he entreateth in this place proper vnto fayth to the ende he myght vtterly take it away as well from our merites as from our workes But I meruayle that forasmuch as this is his scope how the Greke Scholies affirme that we are not so iustified that vnto the obtaynment of righteousnes The Greke Scholies and Chrysostome are noted we bring nothing our selues Fayth say they is brought of vs for that to beleue it behooueth vs to haue a valiant mynde And this selfe thinge signifieth Chrisostome These thinges must be vnderstanded warely neyther can they be admitted in that sense as though fayth proceded from vs when as vnto the Ephesians it is playnly declared that it is the gift of God neyther if it were of our selues could all boasting be excluded For we should bring much if out of our selues should come the power to beleue And this place playnely teacheth that it is not so to be vnderstanded for the Apostle addeth Being iustified freely But it should not be fréely if fayth as it is our worke should bring righteousnes I graunt indede that our vnderstanding and will do assent vnto the promises of God But that it doth or maye do the same it muste of necessity come of God Vnto all and vpon all that beleue There are three thinges now put in this proposition which the Apostle entendeth playnly to declare The first is this That the righteousnes of God is made manifest the second that it is without the law the third that it is by fayth As touching the first he sayth that thys righteousnes of God is declared vnto all and vpon all Which is not so to be Righteousnes is not in all men but only in the elect and in the beleuers ▪ vnderstanded
hath of it felfe a certayne naturall integritye whereunto were added those supernaturall giftes geuen vnto the first parent But after sinne whē those gifts were taken away man fell into his olde estate But this is a mere dreame for the nature of man was instituted of God in such sort as was conuenient for it Therefore the giftes being taken away it is corrupted and hurt and forasmuch as it strayeth from his constitution it is subiect vnto sinne Farther we say not that originall sinne is only this priuation but also it comprehendeth thinges positiue as pronesse to euill violence of nature agaynst the worde of God and such other like And therefore Bernhardus sayth that in the coniunction of the soule with the body it is euen as if it shoulde fall vpon an heape of most sharpe poteshardes and hurting stones But among y◠Schoolemen Gulielmus Parisiensis in his booke called Summa de vitiis virtutibus bringeth this similitude That the soule is in such maner let down into the body as if a man should fall into a myry depe and stony place and so shoulde both be drowned be arayed with myre and also be hurt So saith he by originall sinne we are drowned into the darkenes of ignorance we are defiled with lustes and as touching the powers and facultyes of the mynde we are wounded But in that Pigghius saith that both the body and the soule are good things and haue God for their author I graunt that And when he afterward demandeth how thē should they be corrupted I answere with Paul By one man which fell and that by procreation as a little here afterward shal be declared But whereas he sayth that they can by no meanes be corrupted for that God is the author of them to is no strong reason For they which are of full age haue both body and soule which are the workes of God and are continually preserued by his power but yet may they be vitiated and corrupted If he say that that commeth of mans will and free choyse so also answere we that the same may A false argument of Pigghius It is false that men cānot be corrupted but by will and free electiō come of other causes namely through propagation sede Wherfore Pigghius argueth frō that which is not the cause as though it were the cause For this is his meaning if men be corrupted y◠can not be done but by will free election whiche thing is not true All the argumentes which he obiecteth agaynst vs do springe of this that he sayth that he vnderstandeth not how this corruption should be deriued into our posterity and how it is possible that infantes should be bounde by any lawe and how there can be a law geuen of that thing which we can not auoyd But forasmuch as the holy scriptures do speake testefy and teach these thinges it is no matter how much Pigghius ether vnderstandeth or not vnderstandeth For we beleue many thinges which we perceaue not nor know by any sure reason Which yet ought not to be of any such force that euery man shoulde obtrude vnto vs thinges to beleue whatsoeuer they thinke good vpon this pretence because although they can not be vnderstand by reason yet they ought to be cōprehended by faith forasmuch as God can bring to passe farre greater thinges For first that thinge which we seke to be beleued ought to be proued by the holye scriptures And then althoughe we can not attayne vnto In humane nature and in Ethnikes there is left some goodnes it yet let vs leane to fayth and laye aside reason And by our difinition it followeth not that in nature or in Ethnikes there is left no goodnes Only thys we affirme that this vice woulde destroye all if God by Christ brought not a remedye in the regenerate Also in those whiche are not regenerate God is sometymes present and illustrateth them with excellent and heroicall vertues wherwith original sinne is brideled and publike wealths God suffreth not Originall sin to wast and destroy so much as it might or so much as Sathan de desireth Empires are retained at the leaste in some ciuill order Socrates woulde not goe out of prison when he moughte Aristides when he was exiled wished vnto his citisens that they might neuer be in such euill case to haue any cause to remember him Phocion euen now going to his death and being demaunded if he would any thing vnto his sonne I would said he that he neuer remember the iniury done to me The publike wealth of Rome had Curtians Scipios Catos men full of ciuill honesty and great louers of vertue Which dueties although as they were in men which knew not God they were sinnes yet were they bridels of originall sin of nature corrupted lest all thinges should be turned vpside down good lawes should fall to ruine and the lighte of nature in a manner shoulde be extinguished Now séeyng we haue confirmed Originall synne by the testimonies of the scriptures and haue confuted the opinion of Pigghius and haue reiected their opinion which thinke originall sinne to be onely a guiltines and obligation contracted thorough the sinne of Adam and seing we haue alleaged Augustines definition that originall sinne is the concupiscence of the flesh and Anselmus definition that it is the want of originall iustice and lastly seing we haue proued our definition largely and by many testimonies now resteth for vs to prosecute those thinges which we put forth in the thirde place namely of the conditions and proprieties of originall What are the conditions and proprieties of original sinne sinne how it is spred abrode how it is abolished in what sorte the remnants therof are in men regenerate and what payne is due thereunto And concernyng the maner how it spreadeth into our posteritie we haue before rehersed sundry opinions The first of those opinions was of the traduction of soules which we shewed by Augustines iudgement to be easier then the rest althoughe it be not receiued of all men An other opinion was which Augustine followeth namely that originall sinne is traduced by the lust and inordinate plesure of such as procreate This opinion hath two errours First because it putteth this euill in procreation as if it were of necessity which yet may be seperated from it And euen the scholemen thēselues graunt that he which should be begotten without the corrupt affection of y◠parentes should yet neuertheles contract originall sinne For to it they say it is sufficient that he was in Adam as in his first séede An other error is for that then originall sinne should consist onely in the filthy affection of lust when as in verye déede as it is saide it comprehendeth the corruption of the whole nature Others thought that God created the soule euill because it should be a part of a man execrated and set vnder the curse But because this semeth to be repugnant vnto the nature
be saued they must nedes confesse that he was predestinated But forasmuch as in him followed no good workes God doubtles could not foresee them Yea rather this he forsaw that he should by his free will doo nothing But y◠is more absurd which they obiect that God foresaw what he would haue done if he had happened to liue longer For humane reason will not so be satisfied For reason will complayne for some that are ouerhipped and reiected for those sinnes which they haue not done and especially therefore for that they should haue committed those sinnes if they had liued For ciuill iudges punishe not any man for those sinnes which they would haue committed if they had not bene letted And that God is nothing moued with those workes which men would haue done Christ playnly declareth whē he entreateth of Corosaim and Bethsayda and Capernaum If sayth he the thinges which haue benedone in thee had bene done in Tire and in Sydon they had doubtles repēted and those cities had bene at this day remayning Behold God foresaw that these nations would haue repented if they had sene and heard those things which were graunted and preached vnto these cities Seing therefore that they perished it is manifest that God in predestinating followeth not those workes which men would haue done if they had liued Neyther yet ought any man to gather out of this sentēce of Christ that they by themselues euen by the strēgth of free will could haue repented For as we haue in other places taught repentaunce God vnto some addeth not such means whiche mought moue thē to saluation As touching nature there is no difference minē is the gifte of God But the meaning of that place is that God added not those means to conuert these men wherby they mought haue bene moued These men suppose y◠euen by nature is a distinction in men which the election of God foloweth Neither consider they y◠all men are borne the sonnes of wrath so that as touching the masse or lompe wherout they are takē there can not be put in thē any difference at all for whatsoeuer good cōmeth vnto vs y◠same with out al doubt cōmeth frō God from grace And the in the nature of mē is not to be put any difference the Apostle declareth euē in this selfe same chap. For when he would declare that the one of the two brethern was taken and the other reiected only by the frée will of God First he vsed an example of Isaac and Ismael But when in these two it mought be obiected that there was some difference for that the one was borne of a free woman and the other of a handmaydē afterward he brought two brethren that were twines Iacob and Esau which had not onely one and the selfe same parentes but also were brought for the both at one and the selfe same tyme and in one and the selfe same trauaile And as touching workes there was no difference at all betwene them For as the Apostle sayth Before they had done eyther good or euill it was sayd The elder should serue the younger Agayne Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated What nede was there that Paul should so diligently alledge these thinges but to make those two brethern equall in all poyntes as touching nature Which doubtles had bene to no purpose if still there had remained so much difference in works foresene Wherfore it foloweth that whatsoeuer difference is in men the same dependeth only of the will of God For we all otherwise are borne obnoxius vnto sin Further if there should be any thing of our selues which mought moue God to predestinate vs that should chiefely be fayth For Augustine also when he was yet young neither so greatly nor thorowly acquainted with this question thought that God in predestination and reprobation hath a respect vnto faith and vnto infidelitye whiche sentence Ambrose before him and Chrisostome had embraced But in very deede neither also can it be attibuted vnto faith For faith also cōmeth of predestination For it is not of our selues but is geuen of God and that Faith foresene can not moue God to predestinate vs. not rashly but by his appoynted counsel which may easely be proued by many places of the scriptures For Paul vnto the Ephesians writeth By grace ye are saued through fayth and that not of your selues for it i◠the gifte of God leaste anye man should boast And againe in the selfe same Epistle Charity and fayth from God the father through Iesus Christ. And in this Epistle vnto the Romanes As God hath deuided By the scriptures it is proued that faith is of God vnto euery man the measure of fayth And vnto Timothy I haue obteyned mercy that I might be faythfull Vnto the Phillppians Vnto you it is geuen not only to beleue in Christ but also to suffer for his sake In the Actes God opened the hart of the woman that sold silkes that she mought geue hede to those things which wer spoken of Paul And in the 13. chapiter They beleued as manye as were ordeyned vnto eternall lyfe Christ also sayth in the Gospel I confesse vnto thee O father of heauen and earth that thou hast hidden these thinges from the wise and prudent and hast reueled them vnto infantes Euen so father bycause it hath so pleased thee And in an other place Vnto them sayth he I speak in parables that when they feare they should not heare and when they se they should not se But vnto you it is geuen to vnderstand And vnto Peter he sayd Blessed art thou Simon Bariona for fleshe and bloud hath not reueled thys vnto thee And there are many other testimonies in the holy scriptures wherby is proued that fayth is geuen and destributed of God only Wherefore it can not be the cause of predestination And if fayth can not thē doubtles much les can works Moreouer no man can deny but that the predestination of God is eternal For If faith be not the cause of predestination much les other works Paul to Timothe sayth That God hath elected vs before the times of the world And vnto the Ephesians Before the foundacions of the world were layd But our works are temporall wherefore that which is eternall can not come of them But they vse to cauell that those workes in whose respect we are predestinated are so to be takē as they are foresene of God and by this meanes they can not seme to be temporall Graunt that it were so let them be taken after that maner Yet can it not be denied but that they are after predestination for they depend of it and are the effectes thereof as we haue before taught Wherefore after these mens doctrine that which commeth after should be the efficiente cause of that which went before Which thing how absurd it is euery man may easely vnderstand Further the efficient cause is of his owne nature more worthy and of
alwayes counted the Ethnikes for brute beastes and fooles Ambrose vpon this place very well noteth that God vsed this griefe and enuy for a tormenter God was the author of th 〈…〉 y as it wa◠a punishmēt whereby to auenge the sinne and idolatry of the Iewes This enuy doubtles was sinne but God was not the author thereof but as it was a punishment And it hath oftentimes bene declared that he punisheth sinnes by other sinnes and as sinnes come from him they haue the nature of good and not of ill But how he prouoked them to enuy or zeale may thus be declared First he did set outwardly before thē things wherby he knew they would be moued and prouoked After y◠peraduenture according to Augustines minde he moued theyr hartes as they had deserued vnto such an affect not that he powred in thē that affect of new but stirred it vp which paraduenture otherwise had lyen stil By what manner of means God prouoked the Iewes These thinges are to be vnderstanded of the last captiuitie But this his prouoking if the Hebrues had bene wise men mought haue bene vnto thē in stede of a monitiō or warning to returne vnto God and to embrace the Gospell which they despised Neyther was the reiection of the Iewes the whole and proper cause of our saluation but only ministred an occasion there vnto The only and perfect cause of our saluation is the mercy of God thorough Christ And although the Iewes were oftentimes afflicted with greauous captiuity yet are not these wordes of Moses to be vnderstanded but of this last captiuity for in the other captiuities God tooke not to be hys people the oppressors of the Iewes neyther adorned he them with those spirituall giftes wherewith the Iewes were before endewed yea rather deliuering the Iewes he left those nations in theyr blindnes and idolatry But now the Hebrewes are turned out of all wander abrode naked the Christians haue succeded into the adoption of God ▪ and are enriched with spirituall gifts Moreouer their other captiuities were very short but of this is neither measure nor end He calleth the Ethnikes not a nation as a people most vile which deserued not so much as the name of a nacion And in very dede there can be no societye ioyned together and firmely knitte which is framed together without God and Christe for there want the sinnues and bounds of charity and the farther a city of common wealth is from The morall workes of the Ethnikes ouerthrowen ▪ vnitye so much the weaker and febler alwayes becommeth it This place not a litle ouerthroweth the opinion which the common people haue of moral workes and of the philosophy and wisedome of the Ethnikes We wonder at the knowledge of the Grecians and at the grauity of the Romanes when we reade their histories But God calleth these mē not a nation or a folishe nation what greater The Ethnikes were in very dede fooles folishenes could there be then for a man to make an Image of wood stones or mettall and to worship it for God Or who will deny but that folishnes is priuation of true wisedome Seing therfore that the Ethnikes wanted the wisedome reueled of God which is the true wisedome they were in déede fooles Neyther entend I here to reason with Origen who sayth that it may peraduenture séeme to be contumelious agaynst the nation whō God elected through merite of their faith and deuotion when as he disdayneth to call it a nation and moste manifestly nameth it a foolishe nation And he aunswereth that these thinges are thus to be vnderstanded that the Church is not one nation as are the Egyptians Scythians Assirians Chaldeans ▪ c. For it consisteth of all nations neyther is it perticularly any one nation Further it is called foolishe for that it would not be made wise but he which will be made wise in the Lorde must first be made a foole This is wide from the sense of the Apostle for as it is manifest he speaketh not of the Church now established but speaketh of it as it was before it was receaued of Christ and made the Church and then it is sayd not to haue bene a people In what state the church was before it was taken of God as it is writen in the 2. chapter of Osea And it shall be in the place where it was sayd ye are not the people of God there ye shall all be called the sonnes of the liuing God and verely they which are not the people of God are not a people and the Ethnikes were fooles in asmuch as they wanted the true wisdome which is Christe Let vs sée what the same Paul pronounceth of the Church before it was conuerted vnto Christ In the epistle to the Ephesians he sayth Y◠were somtymes without Christ◠straungers from the publique wealth of Israell aleants from the promises without hope and without God in the world And vnto the Corinthians when he had mencioned that dronkerds euil speakers thieues idolatrers and abusers of mankind shall not enter into the kingdome of God he added and such were ye once but now ye are washed ye are sanctified But whē by the sentēce which he alleadgeth out of Moses he reproueth y◠idolatrous Hebrues which prouoked God by reasō of those idols which were no Gods it may séeme not to touche the Iewes which liued in hys tyme and in Christes tyme for at that tyme idolatrye was not in vre in Israell Vnto this obiection we aunswere that the Iewes of that tyme most manifestlye prouoked and reiected God when they reiected his sonne Christ and did put him to death vpon the crosse For so great is the coniunction betwene the Father and The Iews both in the latter tyme were ▪ also at this day are idolatrers the Sonne that they which reiect the Sonne can not kéepe still the father Moreouer as touching idolatry for asmuch as they offred vnto him sacrifices without fayth and repentāce God detested their oblations as the scriptures euery where testifie And so farre had their impietye proceaded that they more estemed their owne traditions then they did the commaundements of God But no God will so be worshipped And forasmuch as the true God is not in such sort worshipped and yet notwithstanding they worshipped somewhat it followeth that that was an idoll which they fained to be their God which delighted in these rites and worshippinges Neyther skilleth it whether such an idoll be in the minde or in stone or in wood Wherfore the Iewes agaynst whome Paul dealt are no les comprehended and reproued in this sentence of Moses then their fathers were Yea rather Hidden idolatry is oftentymes more hurtful then op◠idolatry if we shall vprightly weigh the matter the more couert this idolatrie of the Iewes was the more hurtfull it was for they counted themselues godly and iust for that they were not ensected with outward grosse idolatry
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
without any merite much more are we without any merite either of cōgurity or of worthines receaued into It is not in our power to be touched with that sight wherby the will may be moued vnto faith adoption And vnto Simplicianus in the first booke and 2. question who sayth he can lyue vpryghtly and worke iustly except he be iustified by fayth Who can beleue except he be touched by some calling that is by some testification of thyngs who hath in hys power to haue hys mynde touched wyth such a sight whereby the wyll may be moued vnto fayth And in his 61. sermon vpon Iohn All sinnes sayth he are comprehended vnder the name of infidelity And he addeth That fayth can not be wythout hope and charity Which thing also he most playnly teacheth vpon the 31. Psalme The same father in his 1. booke and 19. chapiter against the 2. epistles of the Pelagians at large entreateth after what maner we are drawen of God and amongst other thinges sayth that the Pelagians would to much triumph ouer the Christians if they had not the worde of drawing in the holy scriptures But forasmuch as that word is expressed euen in the Gospell they haue now vtterly no place whereunto to flye There are infinite other places in Augustine which confirme thys sentence whiche nowe for briefenes sake I thinke good to ouerpasse Cyrillus agaynst Iulianus in his 1. booke and 14. page sayth The fayth of Abraham and ours is vtterly one and the same And the same author vpon Iohn in the 3. booke and 31. chapiter expounding this sentence This is the worke of God that ye beleue in hym whom he hath sent For fayth sayth he bryngeth saluation and grace iustifieth but the commaundements of the lawe rather condemneth Wherefore fayth in Christ is the worke of god In these words we ought to note that faith is it wherby is brought saluation and that we are iustified by grace And he declareth these things more plainly vpon John in his 9. booke and 32. chapiter vpon these words The fathers were iustified by the fayth of those promises which we beleue And whether I go ye know and ye know the way For we are iustified by fayth and are made pertakers of the diuine nature by the participation of the holy ghost Leo in his 13. Sermon of the Passion of the Lord The fathers sayth he beleued together wyth vs that the bloud of the sonne of God should be shed Wherefore there is nothyng dearely beloued straunge in Christian religion from the old significations nor at any tyme from the iust men that haue gone before vs but that saluation is in the Lord Iesus Christ which was hoped for This and many other like testimonies confute those chiefe which dare say that Abraham was indéede iustified but not by in Christ but by faith touching earthly promises But the same author may séeme to make agaynst vs in that that we say that true fayth is not found without charity For in his Sermon de Collect eleem he thus writeth of Sathā He knowing that God is denied not onely in wordes but also in deedes hath taken away charity from many from whome he could not take away fayth and possessing the field of theyr hart with the rootes of couetousnes he hath spoiled of the fruit of good works those whom he hath not depriued of the confession of their lippes These wordes if they be déepely considered make nothing at all agaynst vs. For we speake of a true sound and liuely fayth But Leo vnderstandeth onely a certaine outward profession of faith For when he would render a reason whereby it might appeare that fayth was not taken from them he setteth forth onely an outward confession of the lippes which we also graunt may consist without charity is oftentimes boasted of of many men which yet are most wicked And after this maner I suppose are to be expounded such like testimonies if any happen in the fathers Gregory Byshop of Rome in his 19. homely vppon Ezechiell We come not sayth he to fayth by workes but by fayth we attayne vnto vertues For Cornelius the Centurian came not vnto fayth by workes but by fayth came vnto workes For it is sayd Thy prayers and almes But how prayed he if he beleued not But that he now knew not that the mediator was incarnate by workes he came vnto a more fuller knowledge Hereby I would haue our aduersaries to know y◠fayth necessarily goeth be fore al good workes For they contend y◠morall works which are done of Ethniks and of men not yet beleuing in Christ are good Which thing is in this place of Gregory confuted The same author in his 2. booke and 25. chapiter de moralibus speaking of the same thing thus writeth Vnles fayth be first gotten in our harts all other thynges whatsoeuer they be can not in deede be good although they seeme good Bede vpon the 2. chapiter of Iames He onely beleueth truely which by working excerciseth that which he beleueth For fayth and charity can not be seperated a sender And this shall suffice as touching the Fathers But what these counsels Aphricanum Mileuitanum and Arausicanum teach concerning iustification fayth grace and workes we haue before at large declared in the first article This onely wil I now adde that our aduersaries when they say that God offreth his grace vnto all men and geueth his giftes vnto men that desire them and take hold of them and forgeueth sinnes to them that do that which they ought to do forasmuch as in the meane tyme they omit the breathing of the holy ghost and the power of God which draweth vs and the inward perswasion of the mynde and all those things which are most chiefly required in this matter are most manifestly against those coūsels which we haue now cited Howbeit I can not leaue vnspoken y◠in the counsell of Mence which was celebrated vnder Carolus Magnus in the 1. chapiter is cited Gregory who thus writeth He beleueth truely which by working excerciseth that which he beleueth Forasmuch therefore as we haue now hetherto spoken as touching this article namely that men are iustified by fayth in Christ and haue confirmed the same by scriptures haue ouerthrowen the obiections of our aduersaries and alleadged testimonyes of the Fathers to confirme our sentence let vs nowe come vnto the third article Wherefore we say that iustification consisteth of fayth only Which sentence The third article We are iustified by faith onely all those places of scriptures proue which teach that we are iustified fréely and those which affirme that iustification commeth without workes and those also which put an antithesis or contrariety betwene grace and workes All these places I say most truely conclude that we are iustified by fayth onely Although this word Onely be not red in the holy scriptures But that is not so much to be weighed for the signification of that word is of necessity
thinges which in the time of the fathers before Christ came were good and we beleue that they were instituted by the selfe same God which is the father of our lord Iesus Christ But to make the discourse of the first part more Abrief content of the whole Epistle playne and vniuersally the vtility of the whole epistle we will briefely touch the summe thereof that it being in that maner layd before our eyes the whole epistle may haue the more light In the first chapiter is set forth vnto vs how that neyther naturall knowledge The first chapiter nor ciuill offices could by any meanes iustifie men for that it is euidently shewed that men endewed with them liued drowned in most horrible sinnes whiche thing shoulde not haue happened if by these thinges they had bene iustyfied In the second chapiter the Iewes are made equall with the Gentiles whose The second chapiter life accused as most corrupt for that they preached that a man should not steale and yet stole that a man should not commit adultery and yet committed adultery that a man should not committe sacriledge and yet committed it thēselues By which it is manifest that the law which they had receaued brought them not to iustification In the third chapiter lest he might seme to deface the law he confesseth that that The third chapiter it was an excellent gift of God but yet not of that kind that it could iustifye He attributeth vnto it other offices namely to bring forth the knowledge of sinne And so he reduceth both the Iewes and the Gentiles to one Christ as to the fountayne and author of all righteousnes And yet notwithstanding he doth not by thys meanes he sayth violate or ouerthrowe the law but most of all establishe it In the fourth chapiter he proueth the selfe same thing which he had before The fourth chapiter put forth by the example of Abraham who before workes and before he had receaued circumcision was for this cause pronounced iust for that he beleued the promise of God This doubtles was imputed to him to righteousnes And to confirm that same he bringeth a testimony of Dauid who saith Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man to whome the Lord hath not imputed sinne Which chapiter if be diligently peysed we shall find that in it the Apostle in a maner tē times vseth this word of Imputacion Wherfore it ought not to seme so strange if we also vse it when we affirme that concupiscence lest in vs after baptisme is sinne although it be not imputed vnto sinne and although we are not able to get vnto our selues that righteousnes which is the true righteousnes before God yet if we beleue in him the righteousnes of Christ is imputed vnto vs. In the fift chapiter after that this righteousnes of Christ is apprehended by The fifth chapiter fayth many thinges are declared touching it that is that it is firme and embraseth Christ who died for the weake for enemies wicked men and sinners And in it is set forth a comparison of Christ with Adam For euen as by him all our kind was vitiated and corrupted so by Christ are all the elect renewed yea rather Christ is sayd to ouer passe Adam For he by one sinne infected al men but infinite sins were not able to resist Christ but that he performed that redemption which his will was to performe Yea he so vsed this euill that he gaue the plentifuller grace where the greater plenty of sinnes raigned In the sixt chapiter he ouerthroweth the importunate obiection of diuers The sixth chapiter which hereof inferred that we should sinne freely and liue loosely if as the Apostle had sayd greater grace should there be rendred where were found more sinnes The Apostle answereth that theyr collection was not good forasmuche as we are dead vnto sinne and grafted into Christ we ought vndoubtedly to liue vnto him and not to iniquity In the seuenth chapiter he declareth the maner how we are exempted from The seuēth chapiter the law And that is that forasmuch as in vs whilest we liue here is not a full perfect regeneration and corrupt affections do continually resist the lawes of God by the grace of Christ is brought to passe that we are deliuered from sin although it perpetually inhabite in our members and in our flesh Whereof he concludeth in the eight chapiter that there is no condemnation The eight chapiter to those whih are in Christ Iesus neyther walke they according to the flesh For they haue the spirite of Christ whereby they both liue and also are made pertakers of the resurrection to come they mortifye the deedes of the flesh and in themselues they haue witnes of the selfe same spirite that they are the children of God and by the selfe same spirite they are confirmed in aduersities to suffer them with a constāt and valiant mind and they haue this spirite making intercession for them which draweth them to expresse the similitude of the image of the sonne of God and at the last bringeth to passe that they can neyther be accused nor condemned before God In the ninth chapiter he answereth vnto the Iewes which contēded that these The ninth chapiter promises were bestowed vpon theyr nation only and were not powred vpon the Gentiles Vnto whome he sayth that touching this matter all thinges are done by the election of God whereby he hath mercy on whome he will and whome he will he hardneth And he compareth God to a potter who of one and the selfe same clay maketh some vessells to honour and some to contumely In the tenth chapiter he entreateth of the effectes of thys election namely that The tenth chapiter some embrace fayth and other some reiect it And he also declareth that Christ is the end of the law and that the law requireth this that we should beleue in Christ And hereby he proueth that the Iewes attayned not to righteousnes for that they went about to obtayne it by their owne merites and by their owne workes but the Gentles attayned vnto it for that they claue vnto fayth And all those thinges he confirmeth by the oracles of God that the Iewes I say were made blynde and that the Gentiles were receaued In the eleuēth chapiter he mitigateth that hard reprobation of the Iewes which The eleuenth chapiter he had set forth and declareth that not all vtterly were reiected but putteth them in good hope that for asmuch as their roote is holy many also of that nation shal be holy howbeit they are in the meane tyme excluded as touching vs which were wilde Oliue trees that we might be grafted into the good Oliue tree And after that this is accomplished they shall agayne be receaued And so he knitteth vp this discourse that God hath shut vp all vnder sinne and he is compelled at the lengh to cry out O the
though they coulde finde no remedye wherby to auoyde reprobation or ells doe put so much confidence therin to liue losely and at pleasure saying that it maketh no matter for that seing they are predestinate they can not be condemned what doe they els but most wickedly abuse a good thing Euery thing ought to be taken by that part wherby it may be holden For a sworde is not drawē by the edge or by the blade but by the Euery thing must be taken by that part wherby it may be holden hafte neyther is a vessell taken by the middest of the bellye but by the handle or eare So predestination ought to be referred to the commodities now declared and not to those thinges which may engender destruction These notes and these titles hath Paule affixed vnto hys name that we shoulde not thinke hym to be a wandryng man which rashlye sowed contentions concernyng religion and that we shoulde vnderstand that there is a great difference betwene Apostles and other common ministers although there be some which dare teach that we must no lesse beleue the Byshop of Rome then Paule the Apostle I graūt in deede that eyther of them do both thunder and lighten but yet after a farre diuers and sundrye manner The Pope thundreth and lightneth with bulles belles gunnes and weapons of warre but Paule hath by the worde of God The Pope and Paule do diuersly thunder and lightē by admonitions rebukinges wholesome doctrine by miracles thundred and lightned in the Church But let vs see by what reason these men defend theyr opinion They say the byshops succeded the Apostles wherefore both haue one and the selfe same authoritie and to both ought we to obey a lyke But we aunswere them thus It is true that the Apostles departyng out of thys world left Byshops to be gouernours ouer Churches but we vtterly deny that Apostles Byshops are not of lyke authoritie Byshops succeding the Apostles are endued with the selfe same or lyke authoritie and that thyng we proue after thys sorte Fyrst because we see that the Apostles were to thys end chosen to constitute the religion and dignitie of the Gospell and to publishe vnto the beleuers the thynges which they had heard of The difference betwene the Apostles Byshops Christ But byshops are to this ende instituted to defend those thynges which are conteyned in the Gospell and in the holy Scriptures which they must so take in hand to defend that they adde no newe thynges vnto them nor fayne any new traditions at theyr owne will and pleasure Farther the holy fathers which were Byshops when they gaue them selues to wryting do confesse that they are onely intreaters or interpreters of the holy Scriptures and will not that those thinges which they write should be had in so great authoritie as we attribute vnto the Canonicall Scriptures yea rather they forbidde that any credite should be geuen vnto them if they speake any thyng agaynst the holy Scriptures Thyrdly to the Apostolicall doctrine were adioyned many miracles wherby theyr authoritie is confyrmed which thyng we see is not done in these traditions of the elders Farther we are sure that the Apostles wrote by the inspiration of the holy ghost which thing vndoubtedly we dare not affirme of our Byshops Wherefore we conclude that the Apostles could not erre in those thynges which they wrote But we see that the Byshoppes very often tymes made vngodly decrees as touchyng rules of religiō as it appeareth in the Counsell of Ariminum and also in the seconde Synode of Ephesus and also in many other yea and they also erred very much in their actes At Chalcedon and Chrysostome deposed Constantinople were Synodes gathered together in which Chrysostome was condempned and deposed which thyng also was done in the name of those Byshoppes which were of a ryght and perfect fayth And there myght be alleaged many examples of the lyke sorte Paule also writing vnto Timothe prayeth hym to saue that which is geuen hym to keepe declaryng that he ought neither to adde nor to diminishe any thyng of the doctrine of the Gospell receaued that is to keepe iustly the thyng committed vnto hym Let thys also be added that the Apostles be so vnto the Bishops and Ordinarye pastours as in the olde time were the Prophetes vnto the high priestes and priestes For they myght write bookes and adioyne them vnto the Canonicall Scripture For Samuell added hys bookes vnto the Scripture Esaie Ieremie and the other Prophets added theyr Monuments vnto the Scripture which thyng the Scribes Priestes and high Priestes could not doe The Apostles called the Gentiles and abrogated the ceremonies of the lawe which thing was aboue the power of the high priestes and priestes The Apostle doth therefore set forth hym selfe by these titles that Why Paul ascribed vnto hym selfe these titles when we read hym or heare hym we should thinke that we heare not the wordes of a man but oracles from heauen Here is also put in the prayse of the Gospell which must bee read by a parenthesis and the same extendeth euen vnto thys place where he sayth To all which are at Rome c. The Gospell to speake brieflye is the preachyng The grosse definitiō of the Gospell takē of the matter of Christ offred vnto vs to saluation accordyng to the promises made in the olde tyme. Thys commendation is taken of the matter which is entreated of in the Gospell because euery science and facultie hath hys dignitie of the thyng that it intreateth of Afterward is geuen an other definition and that is An other definitiō of the Gospell takē of the efficient cause taken of the strength of working namely that the Gospell is the power of God vnto saluation that is the instrument wherby Christ would haue vs saued Definitions takē of these causes ought to be ioyned together to the end to haue the more full knowledge of the Gospell In that it is sayd VVhich he had before promysed c. It is a preuenting whereby hee declineth the enuious name of newnes For the Gospell was counted a new doctrine For they which heard Paule thus reasoned with them selues The olde Patriarches and the Prophets had saluation and a Church and yet they wanted your Gospell therefore thys doctrine is not necessary yea rather more then needeth Here Paule confesseth that the elders were saued but The doctrine of the Gospell is not newe not without the Gospell For in as much as God had before promised it by the fayth of thys promise they were all made safe But now it appeareth new doctrine vnto you because ye haue ouerwhelmed thys promise with humane traditions and haue made it obscure with your owne inuentions Thys selfe same argumēt may we at this day make against our aduersaries which cry out that we bryng in new doctrine Vndoubtedly we go about no new thyng but they haue vtterly brought in straunge and new
Here is declared that the Gospell is The Gosple is setforth to all men indifferently How the Iewes are preferred before the Gentils set forth vnto all in generall neyther doth the preaching thereof exempt any kinde of men The Grecians he taketh here generally and vnder that worde comprehendeth all nacions besides the Iewes And in that he sayth First he signifieth order but not greater aboundance of fruite as though the Iewes should haue more commodity or vtility by the Gospell then the Ethnikes Of which thyng Chrisostome hath a trimme similitude when they of full age which were conuerted vnto Christ were baptised at the tyme of Easter or Whitsontyde they could not be baptised all together yet they which were fyrst washed did not more put on Christ neyther receaued they more grace then they which wer last Wherfore there is here signified an Analogy or proportion of order An analogy of order as touchyng tyme betwene the Iewes and the Grekes The calling of the Iewes was first Paule preched first vnto the Iewes before he preched vnto yâ— Gentila The definicion geuen is proued by the effecte The effect of the Gosple is that we shoulde be iustefied The end of the Exordium and of the entent of hys treatise The propositioÌ„ which shal be proued euen to the 12. chap. A soft transition the Iewes are put in the first place For Christ was the Apostle of the Iewes and minister of Circumcision For he sayd that he was not sent but vnto the lost sheepe of the house of Israell And when he fyrst sent hys Apostles he commaunded them the they should not go vnto the Gentils nor enter into the cityes of the Samarytans But in hys last ambassadge when he was redy to ascend vp into heauen he commaunded that they should be witnesses vnto hym in Ierusalem in all Iewry and Samarya and then he added euen vnto the vttermost borders of the earth Yea and Paule also obserued this order For first when he entred into any cities he preached in the Synagoges And together with Sylas and Barnabas he sayde vnto the Iewes vnto you oughte Christ first to be preached whome because ye haue refufed beholde we turne vnto the Gentiles The Iewes oughte to haue beene the fyrste whiche shoulde be called because they had the prophesyes and Prophetes and tables in a manner sealed wyth the promise of Christ Wherefore fayth was fyrst required of them He proueth thys defynicion now set not indeede by things before or by the cause for that is vnpossible but by the effect and as they say by the latter when he sayth For the righteousnes of God is reuealed in it from fayth to fayth That is the effect of the Gospell and of fayth is that we should be iustified Now the Apostle endeth hys Exordium and commeth to the entreatyng of hys disputacion and thys is the principall proposition which in sum containeth that which he goeth about to proue through eleuen chapters that is that a man is iustified by fayth Wherefore this proposition serueth for two thinges for first it is broughte in as a reason of the difinicion set And agayne as the principall proposition of the whole disputacion And so the Apostle by a soft pleasant and couert transition leadeth the attentyue hearer from the exordium vnto the confirmacions and confutacions which follow When we heare the righteousnes of God named in this place let vs not thinke that he entendeth here to speake of the seuerity of Gods iugdements for that seuerity is not called of the Hebrues Nedech but rather Tischpat that is iudgement and Tsedtreth which our men turne righteousnes signifyeth goodnes clemency and mercy whereby God declareth hymselfe good vnto vs. And because he doth this chiefely in geuing vs righteousnes therefore I thinke How this word righteousnes is to be vnderstand that that word was so commonly turned and that word in this place if a man marke it wel aunswereth vnto saluation which he sayd before commeth vnto vs by the gospell And the Prophetes many tymes craue the righteousnes of god which can not easely be taken euery where of the seuerity of hys iudgement For there is none that is wyse woulde haue god to deale wyth hym according to that Ye rather the saynctes crye Enter not into iudgement with thy seruaunt And god declareth thys his righteousnes or goodnes towardes vs by The meanes whereby God declareth hys goodnes to wards vs. three thinges chiefely First he receaueth vs into fauour forgeueth vs our sins imputeth not vnto death those sins which we commit but contrarily imputeth rather vnto vs the obedience and holynes of Christ Secondly he kindleth in our myndes an endeuor to lyue vprightly reneweth our will illustrateth our reason and maketh vs all whole prone to lyue vertuously when as before we abhorred from that which is iust and honest Thyrdly he geueth vs pure and chast maners good actions and a sincere lyfe All these thinges doth that righteousnes comprehend which is reueled in the Gospell But the first of these thrée is the head and chiefe because it comprehendeth the other and it is sayd to be the righteousnes of God because it commeth from him to vs. For we attayne not vnto it by humane strengthes Wherefore Chrisostome here calleth it righteousnes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is from aboue because it is geuen vnto vs as he speaketh without our sweate and labours Howbeit he addeth one thyng whiche must be warely red namely that we ought to bring 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is from home and from our selues fayth whereby to receaue thys righteousnes In which sentence if he vnderstande that fayth hath hys ofspring of our owne strengthes and nature we ought not to geue eare vnto hym forasmuch as the holy scriptures apertly testifye that it is the gift of God and commeth not of vs which thinge is expressedly read in the epistle to the Ephesians But I thinke not that this father was so farre out of the way wherefore I interprete hym after this The interpretation of ChrysostoÌ„e â—â—nefied maner when he saw that this imputacion of god is after a sort set without vs hys mynde was to declare that if we will apply the same vnto vs it behoueth that we haue fayth in vs whereby we may drawe it vnto vs. But he contendeth not by that sayinge that fayth springeth of our selues as of the first roote Is reuealed in it Some haue vnderstanded that these giftes of the goodnes of god which we haue rehearsed are reuealed in the gospell because they are reade and contayned in it which thyng I deny not but I thinke that there ought to be added after the Hebrew maner that In it is all one with Paule as if he had sayd by it So that the sense is in that the participation of thys righteousnes and goodnes of god is exhibited or geuen vnto vs the same commeth by the gospell so that we receaue
it with fayth Wherefore in this word Reuealed let vs marke two maner of comparisons one is as touching the godly Twokinds of reuelacioÌ„ of the Gosple which receaue these thinges of god that they myght by that meanes acknowledge feele and by suxe experience vnderstand those thynges as touching all the three partes of righteousnes of which before we spake distinctly For they are not so moued of God as though they felt not nor knew by experience such thinges as are done But they which are only lookers one and not doers of the matter neyther see the fyrst part of righteousnes nor yet the second for that they are but naturall men and the god of this world hath blynded their myndes that they shoulde not be able to attayne to these spirituall thynges But the third portion of righteousnes which bursteth forth into act and is set in outwarde woorkes will them or nill them is seene of them and they are euen agaynste theyr will compelled to beare witnesse vnto it as we reade that Pline the yonger wrote vnto Traiane of the innocent life of the Christians Pliny wrote vnto Trayane in the christians behalfe For holy men shewed examples inough whereby the vngodly if they had bene wyse mought haue considered that they were altogether renewed in mynd and that this kinde of menne is more acceptable vnto god then other men are But in these thynges humane wisedome is wonderfully blynded whiche can geue no iudgement of spirituall thinges and yet these partes of righteousnes are of their owne nature so ioyned together that the one depeÌ„deth of the other In thys sense Paule writeth afterward of the righteousnes of God If our vnrighteousnesse commendeth the ryghteousnesse of God where we manifestlye see that the righteousnes of God signifyeth his goodnes and clemency But now let vs consider thys addition From fayth to fayth There be so many expositions vpon these words that if I should rehearse them all time would not serue me I will touch only a few of them and wyll iudge whyche of them seemeth to me more probable and nyer vnto the truth Some vnderstand from the fayth of the elders to the faith of their posterity Others froÌ„ a weaker faith to a stroÌ„ger fayth Others from the fayth of one article to the fayth of an other And to make an end of rehearsing opinions I wil come to that which in my iudgement is best to be allowed A double significatiâ— of fayth It appeareth that Paule taketh fayth two maner of wayes One waye for that assent which we geue vnto God when he promiseth vs any thing an other way for the constancy of wordes and promises And after that maner the fayth of God is commended as we reade afterward in the 3. chapter What if some of them haue not beleued Shall their incredulytie make frustrate the fayth of God By which woordes he signifyeth that God faythfully performed that which he had promised According to this distinction we may say that this reuelation or exhibition of the righteousnes of God towardes vs is brought to passe by faith namely our fayth whereby we geue credite vnto God making promise to vs and that our fayth is both strenghthened and also confyrmed by the fayth of god namely because we see that he hath coÌ„stantly performed the things which he had promised And this interpretacion Ambrose toucheth in this commentaryes and in my iudgement it semeth very agreeable It followeth As it is written The iust shall lyue by fayth Paule laboreth to proue that we Chrisostom sayth that we are iustefied by faith onely are iustified by fayth and Chrisostome when he interpreteth this place testefyeth that by it only we obtayne remission of sinnes For he sayth we way not hope for it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is from any other where If thou aske why scripture is in thys place cited of the Apostle the same Chrisostome aunswereth for that vnto humane reason it seemeth a thing vnlikely to be true that he whiche was euen now an adulterer a murtherer and a committer of sacriledge should straight way be counted iust so that he beleue and receaue the Gospell of Christ These An history of Constaâ—tine seeme to be thinges passing coÌ„mon capacity neither can they easely be beleued For we reade in the Tripartite historie the first booke 6. chapter that Constantyne the great which was the fyrst emperour that publikely receaued the Gospell slew many that were of his affinity and kinred and was the author and procurer that his owne sonne whiche was called Chrispus was murthered Of which wicked actes when he began to repent to hym he asked aduise of Sopater the philosopher who in teching succeded Plotynus whether there might be any expiacion or satisfaction made for these greate haynous crimes Vnto whom the Philosopher aunswered that there could be none Afterward he asked counsell of Christian Bishops and they aunswered that all those sinnes might be expiated so that he would beleue in Christ and with a syncere fayth receaue his Gospel Hereby it came to passe that that Emperour embraced our religion The author of this history reiecteth this narration as a thyng fayned and by diuerse argumentes proueth that it was inuented of malicious men which fauoured not Christian religion But what soeuer it were this thynge onely haue I a respect vnto that they tooke thys occasion to fayne this lye for that both Philosophers and also ciuile men iudged it absurde that a man being vnpure and laden with sinnes should streight way be counted pure iust before God so soone as he receaueth the fayth of Christ Paul therfore lest he should seme to be the author of this wonderfull doctrine from which humayne reason so much abhorreth citeth a place out of the holy Scriptures and by it plainly proueth that it is eueÌ„ so The testimony which he bringeth is taken out Chrisostome Ambrose sayling in memory of Abacuk the prophet the 2. chapter althoughe Chrisostomes interpretation as it is in the Greke citeth the name of Sophonias But that is not to be merueyled at because paraduenture his memory failed him For the fathers as they were men might sometymes erre For Ambrose also when he entreated of this place a little before put To the Iew first and to the Greeke sayth that the Iewes were so first named of Iudas Machabeus which did set at liberty his nacion when they were by the Grecians brought into bondage Which saying how vntrue it is the second booke of kinges testefyeth in the 25. chapter and also Ieremy in hys 40. chapter and Hester in the 3. chapter and Esdras Nehemias Daniell Zachary and other such like places wherein the surnames of the Iewes is most manifestly rede long tyme before Iudas Machabeus was ruler ouer them Neyther do I therefore speake this that I would malepartly contemne the authority of the We must not attribute to much vnto the fathers fathers But that we should
the wrath of God appeareth from heauen agaynst an vngodlines and vnrighteousnes of men whiche withhold tâ—e truth in vnrighteousnes seing that it which maye be knowen of God is manifest among them because God hath shewed it vnto them For hys inuisible thinges that is to say his eternall power and godhed are seene forasmuch as they are vnderstand by the workes from the creation of the world For the wrath of God is reuealed from heauen To the ende he would coÌ„firme The first reason whereby is proued that we are iustified by the sayth of the Gospel Take away the Gospelâ— and then remayneth the wrath of God and most vnpure sinnes do raunge abroad the proposition nowe proposed namely that by the fayth of the Gospell we are iustefied he bringeth many reasons The firste is when the Gospell is receaued by fayth there springeth forth righteousnes But take away the Gospell and fayth and then the wrath of God waxeth hotte and men are defiled with most vnpure vices and sinnes Wherefore it is manifest that the cause of our righteousnes is the Gospel taken hold of by fayth The minor or second proposition that where the Gospell is away there are both wicked actes and the wrath of God he proueth by a diuision as well towardes the Iewes as towardes the Gentiles Of the Iewes he will speake in the next chapiter now he entreateth of the Gentiles And that the wrath of God is powred vpon them he proueth by the horrible and filthy vices which he numbreth and declareth that those men deserued so to be forsaken of God and hedlonge to be thrust into those sinnes because when they knew him they dishonoured hym and gaue his honour vnto creatures And that they knew God he proueth for that his creatures enstructed them thereof And he maketh mencion of so grosse and filthy vices that they were not able to deny theyr owne peruersenes For if he had spoken of those enormious sinnes whiche pertayne vnto the mynde for that in them there is not so much shame it would not so much haue moued the readers But after this maner may the reason of the Apostle be resolued A resolutioÌ„ of the Apostle his reason They were thus filthyly contamynated therefore were they not reformed within neyther renewed through the spirite and grace Wherefore they were neyther acceptable vnto god nor yet reconciled vnto him And we sée that Paule by this reason hath not only confirmed that which he entended but also by the selfe same laboreth instituteth a most holesome exhortation which This is a good exhortacioÌ„ where is preached repentance he began of repentance For he setteth before their eyes their most haynous wicked actes and sheweth them that eternall punishementes are at hand vnto them and that they suffer these thinges through the anger of god towardes them And to the ende he would make them the more afrayd he taketh away from them all maner of excuse affirming that they knew right well after A place of Iohn declared what sorte they should leade theyr life And the summe of this reason is red in the gospell of Iohn the 3. chapter He which beleueth in the sonne hath eternall life but he which beleueth not shall not see eternall life and the wrath of God abideth ouer him There it manifestly appeareth that by fayth which is geuen vs in Christ we do obtayne righteousnes and life and contrariwise it being taken away righteousnes is also taken away and the wrath of god remaynteh kindled Take away the gospell and fayth from philosophy and good artes and what Take awaye fayth and the gospell from Philosophy and then in it shal be left nothynge that is found Why god in such manner forsooke the Ethnikes sound thing shalt thou sée then in those meÌ„ which so chalenge them vnto themselues Vndoubtedly all things shal be contamynated as Paule paynteth them out in colours Here paraduenture a man will aske why god so forsooke men that they should be wrapped in so greate wicked actes Hereto may be answered he did it both for that they deserued this thing by reason of the idolatrye which they committed when as they had the knowledge of the true god and also chiefely to the ende we should vnderstand the necessary helpe had of the comming of Christ For if men had bene but in a tollerable case they woulde scarfely haue iudged that they had any neede of the Mediator Christ But where sinne aboue measure abounded there also was grace made more illustrous of so greate force I say that it was able to breake in sonder the most greuous yoke of sinne The wrath of God from heauen By wrath he fyguratiuely vnderstandeth vengeance Augustine writeth to Optatus in his 157. Epistle that wrath What is wrath in God is not in god a perturbation of the mynde as it is in men but only a iust and fyxed vengeance Which selfe same thing he writeth in his booke de Trinitate Wherefore it is a fygure much vsed in the holy scriptures that for the vengeance of God we rede anger or wrath And Aristotle in his Rethorikes defineth it to be an appetite of vengeaunce for negligence or contempt For when a The defynition of wrath according to Aristotle man seeth himselfe to be conteÌ„ned his desire is straight way inflamed to seeke to auenge Wherefore the Apostles meaning is that these most wicked vices were a reuenge proceding from god being angry From heauen These wordes haue a greate Emphasis or force For they signify that this vengeance is manifest largely spred abroad and most mighty as are showers of rayne and tempestes which fall from heauen vpon the earth And it is as much as if he should say that this wrath or vengeance of God was inflicted by his deuine might or power For we are sayd to receaue those thinges from heauen which seeme to be sent by the power of God as in Satyra the Poete sayd Tertius è coelo cecidit Cato et tanquam Sacculus è coelo discendit 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which is in English The third Cato discended from heauen and as a sacke fell this sentence from heauen Knowe thy selfe And Cicero also sayth of Pompey that the prouince saw him not as one sent from a city but as one fallen from heauen So Paule fayth that this vengeance may in no case be counted as a thing naturall but as a plague inflicted of God For as it shall afterward be declared God deliuered them into a reprobate mynde And although the corporall calamityes wherewith God striketh vs are greuous yet far more greuous is this when we are deliuered into a reprobate mynde For in that case men seeke destrucion vnto themselues and are euen their owne slaughtermen Neyther contrarywise can we obtayne any good thyng more to be wished for then to attayn vnto an holy mynd and a right vnderstanding For euen as this is a singular gifte so is the other
as it became theÌ„ neyther praid they for theÌ„ so much as they oght to haue done Wherefore the holy prophets acknowledging in themselues such a communion of sinnes sayd with others We haue sinned we haue done iniquity Vnto thee belongeth righteousnes vnto vs confusion of face Now he reÌ„dreth a reason why the Iewes haue nothing wherein they excell the Gentils Because sayth he vve haue alredy proued and shevved causes that asvvell the Ievves as the Gentils are vnder sinne And now besides his accusations he alledgeth testimonies also of the scriptures in which were most manifestlye comprehended the Iewes For it is not likely that the prophets and the scriptures would reproue the sinnes of other nacions and speake nothing of theyr sinnes vnto whome they chiefely pertayned Whensoeuer the Gentils are reproued in the scriptures thou shalte see them expressed by name The burthen of Damascuâ— sayth Esay The burthen of Egipt the burthen of Tyrus and such like There is none iust no not one This testemony is written in the. 14. psal and in the Hebrew is redde En esah tob non facieÌ„s bonum not doinge good The Greeke interpreters haue turned it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to do a good dede or a thinge profitable to our neyghbour Therin he playnely sheweth that they were without loue and charitie It followeth There is none that vnderstaÌ„deth ther is none that seketh after God These words are red in the. 53. psal And it is a generall oracle as well against yâ— Gentils as against the Iewes For before these wordes it is there writteÌ„ The Lord looked down from heauen vpon the sonnes of Adam to see whether there were any that hadde vnderstanding and sought after God Which thinges are spoken per Anthro popathian as though God were affected with the selfe same proprieties as men are wonte to be And this serueth to driue an efficacy into those thinges which are spoken otherwise God seeth all thinges neyther needeth he ether to beholde or to sâ—rche How God is sayd to looke vpon men out any thinge By this kinde of figure in the booke of Genesis he is sayd to haue descended vnto the Tower when it was in buildinge and in the same booke he sayth that he woulde go to Sodome to se whither the thinge were so as the cry fame had declared vnto him Althoughe Augustine entreatinge vpon this place writeth that God beholdeth and looketh vpon menne when he stirreth vp those whom he hath inspired with his holy spirite to do any thinge according to those phrases of speache whereby he is sayd to tempte or txye to knowe whither he be beloued or no. For he knoweth also with out any trials but yet by them he bringeth to passe that we are admonished and do know that which before we knew not So Paule sayth that the spirite searcheth out the profound thinges of God For forasmuch as the holy Ghost is God he nedeth no searching out for the knowledge How the spirite searcheth out the profounde thinges of God of any thing But yâ— Apostle so speaketh because by his impulsion we are stirred vp to serch out those things which pertaine to God But because there is added From heauen least that should be a let Augustine affirmeth that no man can vnderstand this corruption of men vnlesse his mind be conuersaunte in heauen and inspired with the spirite of God But the first interpretacion is both easier redier And in that men are said not to vnderstaÌ„d God it is not ment of the simple Whether men are truly said not to vnderstande God If God be euerye where why is it sayd that he must be sought for Faith is not natural in men and vulgare knowledge but of the mighty knowledge and whiche is of efficacy so that to vnderstaÌ„d is as much to say as to feele and to sauour God Nor seking after God Although all thinges are full of God yet is he to be sought for of godly men by reason of the darkenes which coÌ„passeth our mynds through originall sinne For both the fleshe and the senses and earthly affections do let vs from knowing of hym yea though he be present And by this second testimony all men are proued to be without fayth It followeth All haue gone out of the way and are made altogether vnprofitable There is none that doth good no not one Those thinges are spoken as it were out of the mouth of God after that he had beheld from heauen the maners of men And this vndoubtedly is a consequent that they which are destitute of fayth and charity do go backward and do depart from God For so soundeth this word in the Hebrue which is here sayd They haue gone out of the way And that which is here written They are become vnprofitable is in the Hebrue they are become rotten and haue brought forth a stinking sauor which commeth to passe when sinnes are publikely and dayly committed There is none no not one Some by this word one vnderstand Christ because he alone was free from sinne Which sentence although it be true yet is not their interpretation agreable with these woordes when as in the Hebrue it is En gam eched that is no not one And by that meanes this sentence is of great force to exaggerate and amplify the customable wickednes of men Paraduenture this semeth strange why the holy prophetes as Dauid and such other like are not excepted Some aunswere that herein is vsed the figure hiperbole because the greater parte of men was so infected But in my iudgement this semeth to be more agreeable with the truth that the holy ghost speaketh of the nature of men as it is of it selfe For they which were comprehended in Christ were exemted out of this number which thing yet was geuen theÌ„ not by their owne strengthes or in respect that they were men but because they were regenerate and renued by Christ Their throte is an open sepulchre They haue vsed their tongues to deceite These wordes are read in the v. Psal Hetherto he hath shewed that they were not profitable to their neighbours neither sought they after God But now he declareth that both in tonge and also in dedes they were hurtfull toward their neighbours He compareth their mouth to a sepulchre because it spake filthy things and stanke as a sepulchre doth A sepulchre also sendeth not agayne the The Metaphore of a sepulchre deade whome it hath once swallowed vp So these men with their tongues and vncleane mouth vexe men without measure ende Further a sepulchre is sayd neuer to be satisfied So these meÌ„ are not content with the destructioÌ„ of one or two but are redy if it lay in them to deuour all men In soÌ„me he affirmeth them to be such maner of men that whosoeuer is once wrapped with the nettes of their words is as vtterly cast away as they are which are already layd in the sepulchre or graue Neither wanteth this
instrument is as touching God and the same is Christ whome the goodnes of God hath vsed for a sacrifice the other instrument as touching vs is faith whereby we take hold of the mercy of God and of his promises Now speaketh he of the ende The end of iustification God would to no other end in such sort iustifie vs but to declare his righteousnes which commeth not to passe but by communicating it with others For theÌ„ doth a man declare his riches when he enricheth others then declareth a man his knowledge when he enstructeth others then also sheweth he his strength when he streÌ„gthned others as Ambrose also saith That the righteousnes of God is made manifest in iustifieng of vs because he rendreth according to his promises which he hath made But there is no smal emphasis in this that vnto righteousnes he addeth this word His Iustification by faith hath tâ—o commodities to declare that there is vtterly no righteousnes of ours Chrisostom vpon this place saith Be not afearde for this righteousnes consisteth not of workes but of fayth and he addeth that in it are two excellent commodities First for that it is easy secondly because God by it declareth his owne proper righteousnes By the remission of the sinnes that are passed I knowe not what moued A strang reding and interpretation of Ambrose Ambrose not to read remission but purpose And in his interpretation he saith because God purposed to deliuer not onely those which dwell in heauen but also those which were in hell Whch thinges seme not to serue for this place Erasmus supposeth yâ— he red not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth remissioÌ„ but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth purpose this reading also doth Augustine follow in his boke de spiritu litera the xiij cha But it is best we rede as the coÌ„moÌ„ readyng hath it For so is expressed vnto vs in what thyng chieflye consisteth iustification namely in the remission of sinnes Whiche thyng Dauid setteth forth expressedly when he saith Blessed are they whose iniquities In what thing chiefly consisteth iustificatioÌ„ are forgeuen It commeth in deede by the benefite of the holy ghost that besides the forgeuenes of sinnes followeth an instauration or renewing of the whole maÌ„ But in the first principall pointe consisteth the summe of iustification namelye the forgeuenes of sinnes This particle which is added Of the sinnes passed accordyng to the opinion of some is put to take away licentiousnes of sinnyng that men should not thinke that after they haue obteined righteousnes at Gods hand they should then liue losely But it is to be thought rather that the Apostle would hereby shew the infirmity of the lawe and of philosophy of humayne strengthes as thinges which were not able to put away sinne Sinne vndoubtedly continueth and abideth vntill righteousnes be by faith communicated vnto vs. And that it did still abide we shall afterwarde heare of Paule when a little after he sayth that sinne raigned from Adam euen vnto Moses and that he therby proueth for that death did spread abrode into all meÌ„ And yet caÌ„not by this place be proued that men after iustification can not fall which falles through After iustification we still fall An error of the Nouatians fayth must be forgeuen by iustification agayne obteined Wherfore the NouatiaÌ„s did hereof vnaptly gather that after baptisme forgeuenes of sinnes should not be geuen vnto them that fell Althoughe they beyng compelled by the force of arguments confessed that God in dede can geue remission of wicked actes after baptisme but to vs in the church it is not lawfull to exercise or to promise any suche forgeuenes But they very ill weighed what was said to Peter that he should forgeue his penitent brother not onely seuen tymes but also seuenty tymes seuen tymes Paules meanyng in this place is to declare the state of man before he attayneth vnto iustification namely that he is altogether in sinne Iustification embraceth What maner ones we be when the righteousnes of God first findeth vs. Against woorkes preparatorâ— Christ is perpetually one and the selfe same mediator vs when we are in that state that we bring nothyng vnto God from our owne selues but onely sins to be forgeueÌ„ Which vndoubtedly wheÌ„ they are forgeuen it followeth of necessity that they went before Wherfore by this place are rather coÌ„futed workes as they call theÌ„ of preparatioÌ„ theÌ„ that it maketh any thyng on Nouatus side And without doubt theyr opinion is vtterly to be reiected which thinke that the first iustification in dede commeth vnto vs fréely and the we should be by baptisme regenerated are not required good workes to go before But if we chaunce afterward say they to sin then is it necessary that we make satisfaction As though Christ were not the self same mediator at one tyme the he is at an other time Iohn most manifestly coÌ„futeth those meÌ„ saying Little children these thinges I write vnto you that ye sinne not but if we sinne we haue an aduocate wyth the father Iesus Christ whom he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is our propitiation By which wordes we gather the after baptisme also if we chance to fal Christ is our iustification and not our workes Neither is it conuenient to thinke that the estate of them whiche by greuous falles haue turned away from Christ is better then theyrs which are not as yet coÌ„uerted vnto him so that though before they could not iustifie themselues they are afterward able to do it Wherfore we must nedes thinke that by repentaunce is againe obtained the selfe maner of iustificatioÌ„ the was before in baptism or to speake more vprightly wheÌ„ we were first regenerate by faith Wherfore I The same maner of iustification after baptisme which was before can not inough wonder what came in their heds of Cullen those moste great defenders of abuses in that their booke called Antididagma where they gooe about to put a difference betwene that repentaunce which we preach vnto infidels and yâ— repentaunce which is to be done of ChristiaÌ„s that haue falleÌ„ into greuous crimes They graunt the as touching infidels we should by the law of Moses vpbraide vnto theÌ„ those wicked factes which they haue committed and then set forth Christ vnto them as a remedy and medicine of so great euils But they affirme that vnto those which being Christians haue contaminated themselues with sinnes are to be inculcated the giftes and benefites from whiche they haue fallen and to be set forth vnto them the exercises of the spirite by which they may be agayne holpen And for this their sentence they cite certaine places of the Scripture First that which is written in the Apoc. Remember from whence thou hast falleÌ„ and do the first workes Otherwise I come vnto thee And vnto the Galathians Paule saith O ye foolish Galathians who hath bewitched you that ye should not obey
Christ for no other cause so long tyme differred his comming in the flesh but to kepe downe mans proude Pecoks tayle For if he had come straight way at the beginning vnto vs men would easely haue sayd that Why the sonne of god diffeâ—red his comming so long they had not then so great neede of hym that without him they could not be saued wherefore he would that mankinde should so long tyme be oppressed with the seruitude of sinnes and burthen of the lawe vntill they should vnderstand that they had vtterly nede of a redemer But why God so much laboreth to destroy our glory the holy scriptures aboundantly inough declare namely that Why God will haue our glory to be repressed his glory might the more brightly sinne forth Wherefore it is manifest that whatsoeuer glory we claime vnto our selues all that do we robbe from the glory of God Neyther nedeth it any greate exposition what Paule meaneth by the lawe of workes For by that word he vnderstandeth as well the lawe of nature as the lawe of Moses and also mans lawe For that all these lawes do engender glory if a man can vaunt that he can fulfill them VVe conclude therefore that man is iustefied by faith without the vvoorkes of the lavve Those thinges which he before sayd he confirmeth with a briefe conclusion which by a reason thereunto annexed he will afterward proue And where as he sayth Arbitramur that is we think in Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth not to thinke or to suppose but in this place it is to conclude to inferre and certaynly to demonstrate namily of those thinges which before were spoken In which signification it is taken in the 6. chapter when the Apostle sayth So thynke ye also that ye are dead vnto sinne but are alyue to God in Iesus Christ our Lord. Where this word thinke ye is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that which is thereby signified is to haue for certayne And as touching this thyng Ambrose is of our mind and he vnderstandeth these words man is iustified without works of the Gentiles But Chrisostome contrary wyse thinketh that by this word man is ment nature to make the seÌ„tence of the Apostle more ample and large whose iudgement I mislike not for it agreeth as well with the Iewes as with the Gentiles not to attayne vnto sound righteousnes by workes but by fayth Further seing the Apostle so expressedly sayth that man is iustified without the workes of the lawe hâ—reof is inferred that which we before also tought namely that it is fayth only which iustifieth which thing not only Origine vpon this place but also Chrisostome acknowledgeth who fayth that fayth only Faith only iustifieth as OrigeÌ„ and ChrisostoÌ„e vpon thys place confesse is required to obtayne this righteousnes But I heare our aduersaries say that wheÌ„ we reade in the fathers That fayth only iustifieth that word only is to be vnderstanded principally for that it hath in iustification the chiefest partes And they bringe a place or two where this word only so signifieth But vndoubtedly if a maÌ„ weigh Pauls words well they wil not agree with this interpretatioÌ„ For he putteth righteousnes without the works of the law which is not true if works do so follow fayth that with it they bring forth iustification in the elect of God An obiectioÌ„ of the aduersaries Simple men sometimes herein gaue place vnto the papists but when they vnderstood theyr guile they returned againe into the rightway Dangers may be anoyded by an vprighte interpretation The aduersaries cry out that if we teach meÌ„ after this sorte we then open a window vnto sluggishnes and flouthfulnes Vnto which their coloured preteÌ„ces some of our men haue sometimes simply and without guile consented who when they saw that true faith whiche iustifieth hath alwayes ioyned with it good works absteyned in their sermons from that worde Onely But afterward when they vnderstoode the fraude of the aduersaries whiche obtruded this deuise to the ende they might at the length teach the people according to their owne fayned inuentions that men are not onely by faith but also by workes iustified they returned vnto their olde forme of speaking that the people should not be any more deceiued And seyng Paule most warely alwayes eschued flaunders and offences of the hearers so much as he might by the truth of the scriptures and we sée that he most manifestly teacheth those things wherof most plainely followeth That fayth onely iustifieth we ought not to be afeard of such daungers which may easily be auoyded if we aptly adde an vpright interpretation of that which we speake They agayne obiect vnto vs that workes of the law in this place signifie ceremonies Vnto whoÌ„ we aunswer as we haue before already said that the question in dede began about ceremonies but Paule dissolueth it vniuersally and answereth in suche sorte that he concludeth of all kinde of workes Wherfore the reason which he bringeth in in the first place That God is the God not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentiles hath a respecte vnto ceremonies For the Ethnikes had not receiued the ceremonies of It is proued that here is entreated also of morall workes the Iewes But afterward when he addeth that by faith the lawe is not abolished but rather established he declareth that his exposition is chiefly to be vnderstanded touchyng morall workes which faith abolisheth not but rather confirmeth Which thing we cannot affirme of ceremonies whiche we sée are by Christ and his fayth taken away Farther in that he before sayd that all men haue sinned and were destitute of the glory of God and by that meanes euery mouth is stopped and the whole world made guilty vnto God it sufficiently declareth of what law he speaketh And so doth that also where he sayth that the law sheweth sinne and that also which he citeth out of Dauid No liuing creature shall be iustified in thy sight and many other thynges which afterward in their places we shall sée do sufficiently shew that the wordes of the Apostle comprehend also morall preceptes Wherfore workes are excluded Woorkes ar excluded from the cause of iustification but not froÌ„ the effect therof but they are excluded as from the cause of iustification but not as from the effect And Christe to declare this to be true in Luke sayde When ye haue done all these thinges say ye we are vnprofitable seruantes vnto whom neither is this in deede due to haue thankes geuen vnto vs. But if by workes we should attayne vnto iustification then should we not be vnprofitable in doyng well and vnto vs should be farre greater things due then geuing of thankes God is he the God of the Iewes onely and not of the Gentles also Yes euen of the Gentles also He proueth now his proposition namely that men are iustified without the workes of the law For if righteousnes should depende of them
the law is two maner of wayes cōfirmed by fayth First because by it we obtaine the holy ghost whereby are ministred vnto vs strengthes to obey the lawe But a man may paraduenture doubt how this can be that by fayth we haue the holy ghost when as of necessity he alwayes goeth before fayth For fayth The holy ghost goeth before fayth in vs. Betwene causes and effects are certayne circuites The holy ghost both goeth before and also followeth fayth The Law maketh vs vncertaineof the good will of God The Law with out fayth is weake and can not consiste is both his gift and also commeth from him to vs. But we answere that betwene the causes and the effectes seme to be certayne circuites as it is manifest by cloudes and showers From cloudes discend raynes out of waters which are in the inferior places are taken vp vapors by the heate of the heauēs which are thickened into cloudes out of which againe discend showers vpon the earth But in this circute we must alwayes haue a recourse to the first according to the order of nature which is whē there is supposed an humor of which cloudes may encrease So also must we do here We will graūt that fayth by the benefite of the holy ghost springeth in vs. By which fayth is increased the aboundance of the selfe same spirite whose encrease the former fayth hath preuented and of a greater fayth is still made a greater encrease of the spirite But yet notwithstanding we constantly affirme that there is but one thing chiefely from whence all these good things flow namely the holy ghost Secondly saith Augustine the lawe is by the helpe of fayth otherwise confirmed Because by fayth we pray and calling vpon God with prayers we do not only obtayne remission of sinnes but also so greate a portion of the spirite and of grace that we haue strengthes to obey the lawe Vndoubtedly the lawe if it be taken by it selfe maketh vs both vncertayne of the good will of God and after a sort bringeth desperation vnles fayth come and helpe which both maketh vs assured that God is pacefied and mercifull towards vs and also by grace obtayneth the renuing of strengthes And the Apostles phrase whereby he sayth that by fayth he establisheth the lawe is to be noted For thereby he signifieth that the lawe if it be left vnto it selfe and without fayth is weake so that it can not consiste And therefore vnles it be vpholden by fayth it shall easely fall And The woonderful sharpnes of wit in Paule The Law and sayth helpe one an other this is the poynte of a singular artificer not only to depel from him that which is obiected but also to declare that the selfe same maketh most of all for hys purpose The lawe and fayth helpe one an other and as the common saying is geue handeseche to other For the lawe doth as a scholemaster bring men vnto the fayth of Christ and on the other side fayth bringeth this to passe that it maketh them after a sort able to accomplishe the lawe For strayght waye so soone as a man beleueth in Christ he obtayneth iustification and is liberally endued with aboundance of the spirite and with grace The entent and purpose of the lawe was that a man should both be made good and also be saued But this thing it was not able to performe Then succeded fayth and did helpe it for through it is a man renued so that he is able to obey God and his commaundementes Chrisostome sayth that Paule here proueth three thinges First that a man may be iustified without the lawe Secondly that the lawe can not iustify Thirdly that fayth and the lawe are not repugnant one to the other Ambrose teacheth that therefore by fayth is the lawe established because that those thinges which by the lawe are commaunded to be done are by fayth declared to be done And we haue alredy before heard that this righteousnes which Paule here commendeth hath testemony both of the lawe and of the Prophetes And if any man obiect that therefore the lawe is made voyde by fayth because by it ceremonies are abolished he answereth that this thing therefore so happeneth because the lawe it selfe would haue it so and foretold that it should so come to passe In Daniell we reade that after the comming of Christ and after that he was slayne the dayly sacrifice should be taken away and the The Law Would and fortold that ceremonis should be made voide Testimonis witnessing that the ceremonis of the Hebrues should cease holy anoynting and such like kinde of ceremonies Wherefore Christ did not without cause saye The lawe and the Prophetes endured vnto Iohn baptistes tyme. Ieremy also most manifestly sayd that an other leage should be made farre diuers from that which was made in the olde tyme. The epistle vnto the Hebrues thereby concludeth that that which was the olde leage and was so called should one day be abolished Zachary the Prophet in his 2 chapter sayth that the city of Ierusalem should be inhabited without walles Which signified that the Church of the beleuers should so be spred abroade and dispersed through out the whole world that it should not be enclosed in by any borders or limites Which selfe same thing Esay semeth to testefy when he sayth That mount Sion and the house of the Lord should be on the toppe of the hilles so that the Gentiles should come vnto it out of al places And Malachy the Prophet pronounced that the name of God should be called vpon frō the rising of the sunne to the going downe of the same so that vnto God should euery where be offred Minchah which many haue transferred vnto y◠Eucharist as though it were a sacrifice when as yet the prophet thereby vnderstādeth prayers and the offring vp euen of our selues as Tertullian testefieth in his booke agaynst the Iewes and also Ierome when he interpreteth that place Wherefore when the Prophets seme to affirme that ceremonyes should be transferred vnto the Ethnikes they are so to be vnderstād as though by the signes they ment the thinges themselues The Ethnikes being conuerted vnto Christ receaued that which was represented by the ceremonies of the elders But they reiected the How the Ethnikes receued the ceremonis of the Hebrues outward signes and thys was by fayth to confirme the lawe And forasmuch as the Prophetes foretold that ceremonyes should be abolished the same is to be taken as if it had bene spoken of the lawe for that the Prophetes were interpreters of the lawe And that Christ when he should come should chaunge the ceremonies euen the Iewes them selues doubted not whych thing is manifest by Iohn Baptist shewed that ceremonis should bee abrogated the historie of Iohn Baptist which we reade in the Gospell For when he would purge menne conuerted vnto God he sente them not vnto sacrifices and vnto the ceremonies of Moses by
whiche sinnes were sayd to be purged but baptised them into repentaunce to the forgeuenes of sinnes adioyning therunto doctrine wherein he made mention of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Gost Which thing vndoubtedly the high Priestes and Scribes and Phariseys coulde in no case abyde that he reiecting the ceremonies which were receaued shoulde put in their place a new maner of purging Wherefore they sent a Messenger vnto him to aske of him whither he were the Messias or Elias or the Prophet as it were confessing that vnder the Messias it should come to passe that the ceremonies of the law should be abolished the the same was not lawfull for other mē to doo And if a man demaūd why God gaue ceremonies which should afterwarde be abolished Chrisostome hath thereof a very apt similitude If a man haue a wyfe very prone to lafciuiousnes he shutteth her vp in certayne places in chambers I say and parlers so that shee cannot wander abroade at her pleasure He appointeth vnto her moreouer Eunuches wayting maydes and handmaides most diligentlye to haue an eye vnto her So delte God with the Iewes He tooke them vnto him at the beginnyng as a spouse as it is said in the Prophet I haue wedded thee with mercy and with loue And by this natiō his wil was at cōueniēt tyme to enstruct the whole world Which thing he did by the Apostls when Christ was now departed frō the earth But that people was very weake and feble and aboue measure prone to adulteries of idolatry Wherfore God seperated them from other nations and would haue them to dwell in the land of Chanaan aparte by themselues and to be kept in on euery side with ceremonies and rites as it were by scholemaisters vntill this spouse was so strengthened and confirmed that her fayth was no more had in suspicion Which thing when husbandes perceiue in their wyues they suffer them to go at their pleasure whither they will and to be conuersant with menne neither do they any more set any kepers to watche them So God when he had nowe by Christ geuen vnto the church the holy ghost he remoued away from it the custodye of ceremonies and sent forth his faithfull to preach throughout the whole world The selfe same father proueth in an other place that the ceremonies and rites of the Iewes were not instituted of God of a principall entente and purpose For God woulde haue a people which should worship him in spirite and in truth But the Israelites which had bene conuersant in Egipt and had contaminated themselues with idolatry woulde needes in any wise haue both sacrifices and ceremonies so that if these sacrifices and rites had not bene permitted vnto them they would haue bene redy to turne to idolatry Wherefore God so A similitude delt with them as the maner of a wise phisition is to do who lighting vpon one sicke of a burnyng agew whiche by reason of his wonderfull great heate requireth in any wyse to haue some colde water geuen him and if he haue none geuen him he is redy to hang himselfe or by some other meanes to destroy himselfe in this case the phisition beyng by necessity cōpelled commaundeth to be brought a viole full of water which he himself hath prepared and geueth the sicke man leaue to drinke but yet with suche a charge that he drinke out of nothing els but out of that viall So God graunted vnto the Hebrewes sacrifices and ceremonies but yet so that they should not exercise them otherwise then he himselfe had commaunded them And that this is true he hereby proueth For that God gaue not ceremonies vntill alter they had made the golden caife God prescribed not ceremonies but when he had made open his wrath against the Israelites who hurling in theyr braselets earinges and ringes caused a calfe to be made for them which they worshipped And seyng it is so Paul saith rightly when he sayth that the law is not by faith abolished although those ceremonies be taken away Which sentence Christ also confirmeth when he saith that he came not to take away the law but to fulfill it The sence of which wordes may easely be gathered out of those thinges which we haue before spoken The reasons which afterward follow are brought to confirme this proposition now alledged namely That man is iustified by faith and that without the workes of the law Hetherto when as at the beginning Here is repeated the methode or order which the Apostle hath hether to kept the Apostles had set forth that by the Gospell and the faith of Christ commeth saluation and righteousnes he vsed this reason that whersoeuer the Gospel and faith want there is most great vnrighteousnes and vncleannes of life but on the contrary side where these haue place there is both righteousnes and true holines Therfore by them saith he come saluation and iustification The Minor or second proposition was proued chiefly as touching the first parte For first the Gentles liued most filthely although they knew God by the nature of things Farther the Iewes were not in their conuersation one whit better then the Gentles And this done he declareth wherehence the true righteousnes should be sought for t namely of faith without workes Which thing before he would proue he thought it good to confute an obiection namely that by faith he ouerthroweth not the law but rather by faith confirmeth it This selfe same thing is obiected vnto vs in our dayes that by faith which with the Apostle we affirme to iustifie we ouerthrowe all honest and holy workes Of this thing do they cry out which defend the worke wrought in the sacramentes which boast of workes of supererogation whiche defend purgatory inuocation of saintes and obtrude vowes and sole life What shall we answer to these things Paul sayth y◠he by faith abrogateth not the law but rather confirmed it In which wordes he geueth a reuerence to the ceremonies instituted of God which for their tyme were of necessity obeyed especially for the they were founded vpon the word of God But we can not so say as touching those things which we are accused to haue ouerthrowen Bicause they are abuses and mere superstitions In this disputacion the condition of Paul and ours is diuerse which are vtterly repugnaunt vnto the worde of God Wherfore we confesse that these thinges we ouerthrow by the fayth of Christ and doctrine of the Gospell Now haue we heard the purpose and state of the question which shall be entreated of which we ought continually to haue before our eyes so that vnto it must we referre whatsoeuer is sayd in this whole discourse And this shal be with fruite to heare those thinges which the Apostle writeth The fourth Chapter VVHat shal we say then that Abraham our Father hath found concerning the flesh For if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath wherein to reioyce but not with God
the vncircumcision For we say that fayth was imputed vnto Abraham vnto righteousnes How was it then imputed when he was Circumcised or vncircumcised not when he was circumcised but wheÌ„ he was vncircumcised Afterward he receiued the signe of circumcision the seale of the righteousnes of fayth which he had when he was vncircumcised that he should be the father of all them that beleue not beyng circumcised that righteousnes mighte be imputed vnto them also And the father of circumcision not vnto them onely which are of the circumcision but to them also that walke in the steppes of the fayth of our father Abraham which he had when he was vncircumcised Came this blessednes then vpon the Circumcision or vpon the vncircumcision The Latine interpretation hath this worde Manet that is abideth added to this sentence which is not in the Greke bookes Neither doth yâ— verbe which the Latines haue much agrée with the phrase which is by the accusatiue case and by the Greke preposition 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rather as Theophilactus admonisheth we must vnderstand this verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth lighteth it or beloÌ„geth it or some such lyke thinge Neither do I disalow the coniecture of Erasmus who thinketh that insteade of this verbe Manet was first written Manat whiche signifieth to come or to spread abrode And thus muche as touching the woordes But this is the meanyng A man might thinke that although Dauid made no mention of workes when he set forth the blessednes of those whose sinnes are forgeuen yet because he himselfe was both circumcised also vsed sacrifices he thoughte that this forgeuenes of sinnes is obteined by these things although he expressed them not And for that cause Paul taketh againe the example of Abraham which he at the first vsed And so returneth Why Paul returneth againe to Abraham to the ground and beginning of circumcision and considereth the very time wherin Abraham receiued it and proueth that long time before he was circumcised he was both iustified and also pronounced the father of many nations that is of all them which beleue Wherof it followeth that we without ceremonies and other workes shall by faith be counted iust and be admitted into the people of God and placed among the meÌ„bers of Christ This argument may thus be made more The forme of the Argument The order of the causes and the effectes in the iustificaâ—ion of Abraham Of what greate waight is the diligent marking of the scriptures Circumcision was had in greate estimation euident That which yet was not coulde not bring righteousnes vnto Abraham But when Abraham was pronounced iustified circumcision was not yet Wherefore it could not iustifie Abraham Let vs in this maner set the order betwene the causes and the effectes First God did set forth vnto Abraham his promises Secondly followed faith And thirdly iustification Lastly came obedience which caused him to circumcise himselfe and to do many other excellent good workes We may not peruert this order that by obedience and circumcision whiche are the last effects we should bring forth iustification which went before Againe in thys place yâ— Apostle teacheth vs with how great study and diligence the Scriptures are to be red and the times and moments in stories are throughly to be considered He entreateth of circumcision bicause all that controuersie sprang first by reason of ceremonies and bicause also they had circumcision in no lesse estimation theÌ„ we now haue baptisme For they counted it for a noble worke and an excellent worship pyng of God Wherfore we may inferre or conclude that if we be not iustified with that kind of workes wherin consisted the worshipping of God vndoubtedly much lesse shall we be iustified by other workes For these are counted more excellent more acceptable vnto God then are other workes For we say that faith was imputed vnto Abraham vnto righteousnes These wordes serue wonderfully to depresse the pride and hautines of the Iewes which continually cried that righteousnes could by no meanes stand without circumcision But Paul contrariwise affirmeth that it was in Abraham before he was circumcised For Abraham was as yet vncircumcised when he was pronounced iustified Wherfore it is no meruaile if many mo of the vncircumcised then of the Iewes were saued after the comming of Christ Here it semeth that there are set before our eyes two fathers the one of the vncircumcised the other of circumcision And if we more depely consider the matter we shall see that the father of the vncircumcised is set in the first place For Abraham was not yet circumcised when he was of God counted iust What theÌ„ is there remayning for the Iewes that they should so aduance themselues aboue the GeÌ„tles Nothing vndoubtedly but the signe And eueÌ„ as Abraham is not the father of the vncircumcised for yâ— cause only bicause they haue vncircumcision but bicause of faith so also is he not the father of the circumcised bicause they are circumcised but bicause they beleue By these things it is manifest Circumcision and vncircumcisioÌ„ are conditions comming by chaunce that both circumcisioÌ„ also vncircumcision are conditions coÌ„ming by chance and of theÌ„selues helpe nothing to the obteinment of iustification Very aptly doth the Apostle bring in these two men Dauid and Abraham Of which the one that is Dauid being now circumcised bare testimony of iustification And Abraham being not yet circumcised obteined neuertheles iustification Wherfore it sufficiently appeareth that Circumcision is not a meane necessarily required to obtain righteousnes And he receaued the signe of circumcision He receaued I say circumcision which was a signe The seale of the righteousnes of fayth This is a preuention for they which heard these thinges mought thus haue thought with themselues If Abraham were iustified before circumcision then was circumcisioÌ„ superfluous vnto this obiection Paule answereth saying that circumcision was not vayne or vnprofitable for it was the seale of the righteousnes of fayth In this sentence Paule Circumcision was not a thing geuen in vain hath two woordes namely 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a signe and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a seale which woordes althoughe they be of very nighe affinitie the one to the other yet ar they not both of one the selfe same significatioÌ„ For this woord 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a sign is more general then his word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is a seale An image is a signe but it can not be a seale But we vse to put seales vnto such things as we wyll haue with greate fidelity kept and remayne vnuiolated And therefore are letters sealed letters patentes of princes are confirmed with seales yâ— no man should doubt of the authority or truth of theÌ„ So God deliuereth vnto vs sacramentes Sacramentes are not onely signes but sealinges What circumcision signifyed what it sealed as seales of his promises Wherfore circumcision signified two
And before in this epistle by the law is said to come the knowledge of sinne Wherfore a man may not without iust cause meruaile what moued Paul to write so like things so oftentymes of the lawe But we oughte to consider that it is moste What was Paules entente when he wrote of the law lykely that in the primitiue church when Christ beganne euery where to be receued the deuill craftely inuented an other new deuise to extol the law by all manner of meanes that it mought be had in estimation not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentles that in the mean time Christian religion mought be weakened and cleane taken away And he blinded the eyes of men that none should haue an eye vpon Christ which was the end of the law And lest any man should by often reading of the law attaine to any commoditie he found the meanes that mē gaue themselues to brawling about wordes and old wiues questions Wherefore Paul was brought to this point that either he must reiect the lawe of God or els haue wincked at the lettes of the Gospell Wherfore by great aduise he teacheth thrée thinges For first considering the law of God by it self and in his owns nature he with worthy praises extolleth it and therewithall sheweth what euils by it come vnto vs thorough our owne default Secondly he teacheth that Christ is the ende of the law last of al he cutteth of brawlings contencions disputations and vnprofitable questions and which make nothyng to the purpose These self same things in a maner happen also in our tymes Our aduersaries cry out Good workes good workes as though we were agaynst them Farther they wyll not that the people As the false Apostles pretended the defence of the law so do our aduersaries now pretend the defence of good works What we must teache concerning good woorkes What they are that are the instrumentes of the deuell should vnderstād the mercy grace of God benefite of Christ Lastly they continually braule contend to hinder the iust reformation of the church so continually prolong the tyme to the ende nothyng shoulde be put in execution But let vs learne of Paul how we may warely and wisely resist them Let vs leaue vnto good workes their dignitie but yet not in such sorte to attribute more vnto them then either the truth and holy scriptures will suffer or els is agreable with our weake nature Farther let vs as plainly as we can out of the holy scriptures declare the grace of God and benefite of Christ Lastly let vs abstayne from superfluous and contentious questions By these wayes and meanes may we well withstand the deuill Neither doth the diuell these things by himselfe but alwayes findeth instrumentes apte for his wicked purpose whome Paule calleth deceitfull workers which transforme themselues into aungels of light and euery where sowe discordes and offences bewitching mē that are in the ryght course and leadyng men from Christ to estimation of themselues He calleth them moreouer thynges cut of dogges enemies of the crosse of Christ whose God is the belly and end destruction which wyll be teachers of the law and yet in the meane tyme know not what they affirme and speake whiche by a fayned modesty and affliction of the flesh and worshippyng of angels and religion of themselues deuised take away from men the reward of saluation which after they haue fallen away from the loue which procedeth from a pure hart a good conscience and an vnfeined faith turne themselues to vayne speaches and range and creepe abrode like a canker which although in wordes they say they know God yet in dedes they deny hym With these coulours doth the Apostle paint forth false ministers against whome he had muche to do Vnto whome they are not vnlike which in our dayes withstand the restoryng of religion Hitherto he hath vsed reasons ab absurdo that is driuing to an absurditie If the inheritaunce should consist of the law then should faith be vayne and the promise of none effect and to affirme either of them were very absurd His argument he hereby proued for that the law worketh anger and is alwayes ioyned with some transgression Now he proueth by a direct reason that the inheritaunce consisteth of faith namely that it might be of grace to the ende the promise should be firme As if he should haue sayd it behoueth that the nature of Gods promises be kept For such is the nature thereof that it be certayne and come fréely But it can not be certayne and come fréely vnlesse we be made heyres by fayth and not by the lawe Therfore is the inheritaunce geuen by fayth that it might come by grace and that the promise might be firme to all the sede not to that onely which is of the law but also to that which is of the fayth of Abraham who is the father of vs all as it is written I haue made thee a father of many nations accordyng to the example of God whome he beleued who restoreth to lyfe the dead and calleth those thinges which are not as though they were Whiche aboue hope beleued vnder hope that he should be the father of many nations accordyng to that which was spoken vnto hym So shall thy seede be And he not weake in fayth considered not his owne body which was now dead beyng almost an hundreth yeare olde neyther the deadnes of Saraes wombe Neither did he doubt of the promise of God through vnbeliefe but was strengthned in faythe gaue glory to God beyng full assured that he which had promised was also able to do it And therefore it was imputed vnto hym for righteousnes Therfore is the inheritaunce geuen by faith By this place we sée that to To haue a thing by fayth is to haue it freely attaine to any thing by faith is with Paul nothing els but to haue it fréely Wherfore it ought not to seme meruailous that we haue oftētimes inculcated that to be iustified by fayth is to be vnderstande of the obiect of fayth that is of the mercy and promise that we may be iustified fréely Chrisostome sayth if the promise should come of the law we should not nede that saluation which we obteyne by fayth and grace But In Abrahā a double posterity now where as the Apostle saith that the promise oughte to be firme vnto all the sede of Abraham that ought to be vnderstanded both of the Iewes and also of the Gentles as though in Abraham were a double posteritie And this is chiefly to be noted which here is alleaged of the certaintie of the promise For that may not either be wauerynge or doubtfull For that whyche we apprehende by fayth Besides the holy scriptures there is nothing that can wyth a true fayth be beleued He declareth that whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne oughte to be certayne Whiche is onely the worde of GOD whereunto onelye faith ought to leane
reade in the scriptures was restored strength to beget children Nether is it any meruaile that By fayth we renounce the best part of our selues by y◠worke of faith is aduāced y◠glory of God forasmuch as in it for Gods sake we deny the best part of our selues which is our mynde and reason wherby we ether assent or not assent vnto thinges set forth vnto vs. Wherefore it is manifest that there can nothing more excellent be offred of vs vnto God For this is a wonderfull testification of the power and goodnes of God for his sake to seme to quench in our selues the sense of nature But I wonder at those which so diligently commend workes and so highly extoll chastity sole life and other workes and yet are so colde in setting forth the commendation of fayth when as by it commeth the victory whereby we ouercome both our selues and also the whole world For so Iohn sayth this is the victory which ouercommeth the world euen our fayth Which thing We are not iustified by fayth as it is a worke Faith meriteth not vnto vs iustification Fayth as it is a worke excelleth all other workes Proues that fayth cannot be without good workes The vertues of the vnderstanding are not repugnant to vices I speake not as though I ment that we are iustified by fayth as it is a worke For it is defiled by sundry blottes of our infirmity And Augustine sayth that this sentence is by no meanes to be admitted that fayth meriteth vnto vs iustification For fayth is not sayth he of our selues but as Paul to the Ephesians expressedly testefieth it is the gift of God Howbeit as it is a worke it many wayes excelleth all other workes Nether can it be expressed how far wide the scholemen erre when they imagine that fayth can consist without good workes For by their sentence fayth should not attayne vnto the dignity of prudence which both as the Philosophers write and also they themselues confesse can not be had without the rest of the vertues What maner of thing then shall Theologicall fayth be if it attayne not vnto the perfection of prudence Farther forasmuch as vertue suffreth not vice to be ioyned together with it and they themselues contende that fayth is a vertue how wil they haue true fayth to be in sinners and such as are strangers frō God But they will say that they put fayth to be a vertue of the vnderstanding vnto which kind of vertues vices are not repugnant For that we sée sometimes that the most wickedst men that are haue in them excellent sciences But nether will this any thing helpe them their owne fayned imagination is a let thereunto For they imagine that those thinges which are set forth vnto our vnderstanding are obscure and nothing euident and that we geue not assent vnto them but because the wil cōmaundeth the vnderstanding to geue his assent in that thinge to geue place to the truth of God Wherefore I will demaunde of these men whether the worke of y◠wil wherby it cōmaundeth y◠vnderstāding to geue place to assēt vnto the words of God be good or euell Vndoubtedly whether they wil or no they must The vnderstandinge cannot be commaunded to beleue without charity Fayth depēdeth not of the commaundemē◠of the wyl◠be cōpelled to say it is good But without charity it is not possible that the will should bring the vnderstāding to embrace y◠things that are to be beleued Wherefore these fonde deuises of theirs are repugnaunt the one to the other But we teach no such thing that fayth should depend of the commaundement of the wil For how should it be moued to commaund things that are to be beleued to be receaued as good and worthy of credit except it had first receued it by vnderstanding In dede we confesse that those things which we beleue are obscure and not very euident vnto humane reason But they are made plaine vnto the vnderstanding by the light of the diuine reuelation and illumination of the holy The deuine reuelation maketh those thinges playne which otherwise were obscure ghost Wherfore they are by the iudgment of reason apprehended and admitted with a singular certainty which thinges being so knowen and receaued as it must nedes follow the wil delighteth it selfe in them so earnestly embraseth them that it commaundeth vnto the other faculties of the mind workes agreable vnto that truth whiche the mind hath beleued And by this meanes of faith springeth charity and after it followeth hope For the things which we beleue and ernestly loue with a valiant and patient minde we wayt for which thing pertayneth chiefely vnto hope Nether let any man thinke that this is ether against reason or extinguisheth the nature of mā for that in beleuing we sem◠to renounce humane sence as though this were in vs a madnes as Agrippa the king sayd vnto Paul when he preached the fayth of Christ Much lerning hath driuen thee to madnes The matter is not so but rather by faith is brought to passe Fayth neyther extinguisheth the nature of man nor reason The foundacions of our resurrection that our reasō maketh it selfe subiect vnto the doctrine of God and vnto the reuelation thereof rather then to inferior reasonings and perswasions which being inferiors vnto the holy scriptures man is by them rather exalted then deiected And if a man should say that men in beleuing are madde we will adde farther it is aboue all things done with reason The Apostle maketh mencion that God rayseth to life the dead and that the body of Abraham was dead and also the wombe of Sara By which wordes Chrisostome sayth are layde the foundacions of our resurrectiō which we beleue shal come For if god could do these things then can not he wante ether meanes or power whereby to restore againe to life the deade And vndoubtedlye I am perswaded that this fayth was no small helpe vnto Abraham to moue him to sacrifice his sonne as God had required at his handes For although hee had receaued the promise that he should haue posterity by Isaake yet he saw that although he were slaine yet there was What faith confirmed Abraham to obey God still remayning place for that promise For he beleued y◠God was able to rayse him vp although he were slayne and make him to liue agayne And how commendable the fayth of the patriarch was Paul declareth when he sayth that he had not a regard to his dead body or to the dead wombe of Sara but gaue the glory to God being most assuredly perswaded this that God was able to performe and bring to passe whatsoeuer he had promised Ambrose by an Antithesis or contrary position declareth the excellency of this fayth for he compareth it with the incredulity of Zachary vnto whome when the angel shewed the birth of Iohn Baptist yet he remained still in vnbeliefe and therfore he was reproued of the
time The sonne which is in the bosome of the father he hath declared him For neither the prophets in the old time nether we ourselues could by any other meanes then by Christ haue knowen that this is the will of God that by him he is made mercifull and fauorable vnto vs. Farther there is no mā ignorāt but that there was nede of a sacrifice and price to purge vs from our sinnes Wherfore seing both the death of Christ and the sheding of his bloud hath performed these thinges vndoubtedly they ought not to be kept in silence But here ariseth a doubt by what meanes the Apostle may seme to seioine and to put a sonder these things one from the other namely the forgeuenes of sinnes and iustificatiō and one the other side the faith of the death from the fayth of the resurrection when as it semeth that by the fayth of ech part of his death I say and of his Resurrection is geuen not only remission of sins but also iustification Augustine against Faustus in his 16. boke semeth to geue his interpretacion That our fayth is chiefly directed vnto the resurrection of Christ That Fayth is directed chiefly vnto the resurrection of the Lord. he died euen the Ethnikes also confesse but that he rose againe they vtterly deny And therfore forasmuch as fayth is sayd to be that whereby we are iustified Paul would make menciō of that thing wheron it chiefly cōsisteth And to cōfirme his sentēce he citeth a place out of the 10. chapter to the Romanes If with the mouth thou confesse the lord Iesus Christ and with thy hart beleuest that he was raysed from the dead thou shalt be saued By which wordes it appeareth that saluation and iustificatiō are attributed vnto the fayth of the resurrection of Christ But these things are not so to be taken as Our fayth is directed also vnto the death of the Lord. though our fayth should not also be directed vnto y◠death of y◠Lord. It is true in dede that the Ethnikes confesse that Christ was slayn but they do not beleue that this was done for the sinnes of men but for some offence he had committed or ells wrongfully but we beleue that he was crucified for the saluatiō and redemptiō of mankind wherfore our fayth is exercised as wel in y◠death of Christ In the fayth of the resurrectiō is comprehended the faith of the death Besides the payinge of the price ▪ it was nedefull that the redempcion should be applied vnto vs. as in his Resurrection And that which he bringeth out of the 10. Chapter vnto the Romanies maketh nothing agaynst our sentence For who vnderstandeth not that in the fayth of the Resurrection of Christ is also included that fayth which we haue of his death and crosse wherfore there are yet behynd two other very likely interpretations of which the first is that in very dede by the death of Christ was payd the price of our redemption But that it might be applied vnto vs there nedeth the holy ghost to moue vs to beleue and Christ to geue vnto vs this holy ghost rose againe from death sent abrode his Apostles to preach into all partes of the world now also before the father executeth the office of an intercessor and high priest therefore is he sayd to haue risen agayne to helpe vs that we might obteyne iustification Chrisostome semeth to lene vnto this sentence The second exposition is that the fayth of the death and of the resurrection bringeth iustification but Paule seioyned them aptly to declare the analogy and proportiō betwene them Vnto the death of Christ answereth very wel the forgeuenes of sinnes for by reason of them death was dewe vnto vs. And as Christ as touching this corruptible life died so also ought we when we are iustified to dye vnto sinne Agayne bycause iustification semeth herein to be declared in that we beginne a new life therfore is it referred vnto the resurrection of Christ for that he then semed to haue begonne a celestiall and happy life Paul vsed in a maner the selfe same form of words in this same epistle when he saith wyth the harte we beleeue vnto ryghteousnesse and wyth the mouth is confession made to saluation For the faith of the harte both worketh righteousnes and also bringeth saluation but bycause saluation and instauration are chiefly declared in action therfore he ascribed it to confession But whither of these expositions is the truer nether will I contend nor also now declare Of those things which haue now bene spoken we gather a most swete consolation for therby we doo not only know the waight of sinne but also we vnderstand that God bare a singular good loue towards vs as one which gaue his only begotten son and y◠vnto the death to deliuer vs from sinnes Farther seing Christ is sayd to haue risen from the dead for our iustification we easely se that we are by him called backe to a new life vnto which yet we cā not aspire except we be of him elected The fift Chapter VVHerefore being iustified by fayth we haue peace towardes God through our Lorde Iesus Christ By whome also we haue accesse through fayth vnto this grace wherein we stand and reioyce vnder the hope of the glory of God Nether do we this only but also we reioyce in afflictions knowing that affliction bringeth forth patience and patience experience and experience hope And hope maketh not ashamed because the loue of God is shed abroade into our hartes by the holy ghost which is geuen vnto vs. Wherefore being iustified by faith we haue peace towardes God Here the Apostle beginneth by way of rehersall to conclude that whiche he had before The effectes of fayth and of iustification proued and together therewithall set forth the effectes of faith and of iustification For that vndoubtedly is an absolute or perfect doctrine which sheweth not only the nature of thinges but also declareth the effectes Now then the chiefest effect of iustification is to deliuer vs from the terrors of death and of eternall damnation And this is it which Paul calleth To haue peace towardes God Farther he sheweth that of this peace springeth a certayne reioysing not only for the felicity which we shall obtayne but also euen for afflictions that therefore we are sure of the good will and loue of God towardes vs because we see Christ died for our saluatiō but much more are we confirmed as touching the same by reasō of his life which he now liueth with the father Moreouer he compareth Christ with Adam and sheweth that he hath brought farre greater benefites vnto mankinde then did Adam bring losses Seing we are now iustified by fayth sayth he we haue peace towardes God Sinne had seperated vs from him and God to auenge sinne draue man out of Paradise by meanes wherof we are become miserable and full of calamitye And agayne seing our owne conscience accuseth vs
church can not releâ—se the afflictions of the godly these punishementes which God inflicteth vpon vs whilest we liue here are not in the power of the Church that it can at pleasure and as it listeth it selfe alter or lenifye or mitigate them as our aduersaryes haue fayned of the paynes of purgatory Which their fayned deuise they can not confirme by any reason taken out of the holy scriptures We must diligently also weigh the wordes of the Apostle For as when he fayth That we stand in grace by fayth he declareth that the property of fayth is to erect and to confirme our mindes Which property vndoubtedly it hath not but by that it cleaueth vnto the woord of God For so by it are broken the rages and tempests that rushe agaynst vs so are we established not to wauer with euery wynde of doctrine nor to change our opinion for euery chance of fortune The philosophers when they woulde amply set foorth the constancye of a iust man compared it with a fower square stone which howsoeuer it falleth falleth right But A comparison of fayth with philosophy fayth much more truely accoÌ„plisheth this theÌ„ doth philosophy Chrisostome addeth That the good thinges of this world whatsoeuer they be are nether firme nor constant For they are oftentymes assayled with many dangers and not seldome ouercome And although whilest we liue here we lose them not yet when we dye will we or nill we we must nedes forsake them But these spirituall things whereof we now intreate are both firme and shall after death be made more ample But the same Chrisostome vpon this place is of vs warely to be red For he sayth that Paul in making mencion of those thinges which we receaue of Christ rehearseth many thinges But when he commeth to those thinges which we haue of our selues he setteth forth only one thing namely fayth â–ª which sayth he we our selues bring of our owne But we must surely sticke fast to thys ground that fayth also is the gift of God and is deriued from him into vs. Out of this place also may be gathered a most firme argument that we are iustified by fayth only Which shall be made playne by the effect after this maner That by An argument wherby is proued that we are iustified by faith one lye which we are iustified ought to make vs quiet before God This thing can not workes bring to passe but fayth only Ergo we are iustified by fayth and not by workes The maior is very playne that we are not iustified vnles we haue such a quiet mynde that we abhorre not nor flye from the fight of God And that our workes are not able to performe this theyr vncleanes and vnpurenes declareth Wherefore Dauid hath not without cause written Enter not into iudgement with thy seruauntes Lord. We reioyce in the hope and glory of God Here is declared the nature of this peace and tranquilitie of the minde namely that it maketh vs most assured and sure of perpetuall felicity for we reioyce not but for that which we now possesse And that we euen now also possesse eternall lyfe Christ manifestly declareth We posses eternall life euen now also when he saith He that beleueth in me hath eternall lyfe But bicause it is not yet ful neither as yet appeareth therfore Paul addeth In the hope of the glory of God This glorye whiche we hope for is a coniunction with God that he maye wholye dwell and worke in vs which thing when we shall haue attayned we shall be adorned with the last and highest point of felicitye neither shall there be left any place vnto misery But when he sayth In the hope of the glory of God He séemeth to speake that by preuention For that as touching those which beleue the common opinion of men is excedingly deceiued For the Ethenikes commonly deride Christians for that they count themselues to be happye when yet in the meane tyme they want not wicked affections and are vexed with tribulations and aduersities They thinke yâ— we should weigh our felicity by those things which we haue Our felicity is not to be weighed by those thinges which are in vs. of our owne But we are of a farre other opinion for we so far forth counte our selues happy as we are so counted of God and that he imputeth vnto vs righteousnes not that we are not in the meane tyme renewed both in minde and in bodye although we are yet vnperfect And euen this selfe same righteousnes whiche we haue now obteyned and the renouation which is in vs we in no case thynke to be of that force that by it we can attayne vnto the rewardes of eternall lyfe Thys peace and felicitie and reioycing of which the Apostle now intreateth is yâ— which confirmed the Martirs when in Christes quarell they did shed both their lyfe and What is this peace which is had by faith bloud This is that hundreth folde which is rendered also in this lyfe is of more value then all the riches and pleasures of this world Wherefore when the Ethnikes deriding vs do boast of their riches and pleasures and power we ought not to be moued For we easely perceaue that they with al these their goods are miserable and wretched but on the other side we féele our selues happy when we haue possession of this one good thyng although we want all those thinges whiche they so highly estéeme And here is to be marked the order that the Apostle vseth in rehersing the effectes of iustification First he setteth forth peace wherby is declared The methode or order of the effectes of iustification that the battaile that sin had stirred vp against vs is now at an end For sin beyng by the death of Christ blotted out and the righteousnes of christ beingimputed vnto vs of God through faith of enemies we are made frendes whereby is made opeÌ„ vnto vs an entrance vnto his manifold grace and to the obteinement of innumerable benefites For so long as yâ— warre endured we were a great way of froÌ„ God and strangers from the promises but now that the peace is made by the mediator we are brought nearer there is geuen vs frée accesse vnto God which accesse yâ— Apostle worthely putteth in the second place as which could not haue come vnto vs vnles we had first obteyned peace Farther thirdly followeth reioycing in the hope of the glory of God For who will not now hope that he shal be adorned with the glory of God Whome will not so assured an expectation of so great a thyng of the glory I say of God make ioyfull and glad And of how great force and power this reioycing in the hope of the glory of God is that which followeth declareth And not that onely but also we reioyce in afflictions Of so greate force is this reioycing that those thinges which men especially wicked men count for a dishonor and from which they abhorre
aduersities they suspect that they are hated of God Here ought they to call to remembrance what ones they were before they came vnto Christ what God did for their sakes whē they were yet enemyes which for their saluation woulde haue his sonne crucified And that they haue to their head Iesus Christ in heauen whose members and partes they are And let it be demanunded of them whether Christ can hate himselfe and destroy hys owne members Wherfore they ought to thinke that their afflictions conduce to eternall saluation and are profitably inflicted of their louing father Wherefore euē as by one man sinne entred into the world and by sinne death and so death went ouer all men for that all men haue sinned For euen vnto the law was sinne in the worlde But sinne is not imputed whilest there is no law But death raigneth from Adam to Moses ouer thē also that sinned not after the like maner of the transgression of Adam which was the figure of that which was to come But yet the gift is not so as is the offence VVherefore euen as by one man c. Some thinke that Paul therefore writeth these thinges for that after he had by most firme reasons proued that we are not iustified by our owne workes or merites but only by faith in Christ and by grace now he mindeth more largely to set forth the principall pointes of which all these argumentes which he hath hetherto brought depend namely sinne the lawe and grace And therefore maketh this treatise aparte wherby to declare the strength and force of the former argumentes Which whether it be so or no let other men iudge In myne opinion vndoubtedly these thinges may very well be knitte together with the thinges that haue bene alredy spoken The Methode of Paules treatise For a man mought thinke that the passion of Christ and his death was profitable vnto Christ himselfe only and not also vnto vs for that it mought be thought that the righteousnes of one man can not redound vnto an other But Paul will declare that euen as the fall of the first man was spred abroade ouer all men so the righteousnes of Christ hath redounded vpon all the beleuers and that his benefite is of no lesse force then was the sinne of Adam And by thys meanes he declareth the way whereby by the death crosse of Christ we may be iustified and obtayne saluation nether is this a small helpe to confirme our hope when we perceaue that if we cleue vnto Christ we shall through hym be no les endewed with the chiefest good thing then we haue bene by Adam infected with the extreamest euill thing Many thinges are in this place not without greate consideration set forth touching sinne For the knowledge thereof worketh this in vs to cause vs not to be ingrate for the benefite which we haue receaued The knowlege of sinne how it is profitable For he which séeth out of what and howe great euils he hath bene deliuered séeth also how great is the liberality and goodnes of the deliuerer and of him that hath set him at liberty The knowledge of sinnes setteth forth also the worthynes of the iustification receaued by Christ Wherefore Paul enquireth What thinges are reasoned of touching sinne from whence sinne had his beginning what it brought how it was knowen and last of all by what meanes it was driuen away Wherefore he declareth that sinne entred in by Adam that it brought death that it was knowen by the lawe that it was driuen away and ouercome by the death of Christ and fayth in hym Euen as by one man sinne entred into the world and by sinne death Here semeth to be vsed the figure * Anantapodoton is a figure in writing where some little clause is left out ether in the beginning middle or ende Anantapodotō so that on the other side there should haue bene added So by one Iesus Christ entred in righteousnes and by righteousnes lyfe And Origene affirmeth that Paul would not adde thys for feare of making men slouthfull and sluggishe as though they hauing now obteined righteousnes and eternall lyfe should thinke that they now nede no farther to consider vpon eternall lyfe And for that cause he sayth that the Apostle in an other place added this selfe same sentence in the Future tempse and not in the preterperfect tempse as when he writeth vnto the Corinthians Euen as in Adam all men die so in Christ all men shall be quickened But this reason is of no great force For the holy scripture is not wont to be moued with so light daungers to kepe in silence the benefites of God yea rather it euery where setteth them forth al whole and in ample maner as they are and doth not gelde them nor shorten them of as Origene thinketh But as for slouthfulnes and sluggishnes they are by infinite other places of the scipture sufficiently shaken of For there are in the holy Scriptures exhortations by promises and threatninges wherby to stir vs vp to holines of life and to the endeuour to do good workes And Origene also himselfe confesseth that that which the Apostle here omitteth he afterward faithfully addeth whē he thus writeth Wherfore euen as by the sinne of one man euill was spread abrode ouer all men to condemnation so by the righteousnes of one man was good sprede abrode ouer all men to iustification of lyfe And a little before For if by the offence of one man many haue died much more the grace of God and the gift by grace whiche came thorough one man Iesus Christe hath abounded vnto many Erasmus thinketh that this discommoditie may by an other way be holpen so that the parte aunswering be set after this coniunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is and. And the lyke kinde of speakyng he bryngeth out of Mathew in the Lordes prayer 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 In these words semeth to be wanting this coniunction 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is So. So that the sence is Euen as in heauen so also in earth And after this selfe same maner he thinketh is to be made perfect this sentence of the Apostle Wherfore euen as by one mā sinne entred into y◠world so also by sinne entred in death But I rather thinke that here is vsed y◠Figure Anantapodoton For I sée that Paul is after a sorte rapte by the force of the spirite to expresse y◠great destruction brought in by sinne Which being done he most manifestly as Origene confesseth in the second interpretation putteth that whiche wanted in the other But the better to vnderstand these wordes of the Apostle we haue thrée thinges by him set forth which are diligently to be peised first what the Apostle meaneth by sinne Secondly what that one man is by whom sinne entred This word sinne how ample it is into the world Thirdly by what meanes sinne is spred abrode As touching y◠first the Apostle amply
only begon and not finished vntill the body and fleshe are vtterly dissolued To dye vnto sinne after Pauls meaning is not to obey sinne And by sinne he vnderstandeth naturall lust and corruption of nature which we haue contracted of the fall of our first parentes The meaning therfore of Paul is that Christians should nothing be moued at this sinne so grafted in vs by nature if at any time it stirre vp and enflame them to do euil The dead are moued by no perswasions Although we be dead vnto sinne yet we fighte againste it but should be as it were dead vnto it and not suffer themselues either by pleasures to be deceiued or by any terrors to be turned away from pietie For they which are dead are moued by no persuasions Let them which professe Christ and in the meane time die not vnto lustes but rather with all their endeuor follow them marke in this place how well they aunswer vnto their name duty Farther although the godly die vnto sinne yet they neuer cease to make warre against it for they are not so dead vnto sinne that they feele not the mansions therof Yea rather they are very much greued that they are vrged of it and thei weaken the violence therof with all the endeuour of the spirit as much as they are able The other proposition wherin we said that they whiche belong vnto Christ are dead vnto sinne is proued by the communion which thorough faith The communion which we haue with Christ is noted in baptisme we haue with Christ which cōmunion for y◠it is inuisible is outwardly known by the sacrament of baptisme wherin as Paul saith is signified both that we are dead vnto sinne and also that we are raised vp vnto the life of Christ This is the repentance which is set forth in this sacrament that we shoulde departe from sinne and by all meanes detest it with a sure faith of the remission of sins through Christ and with a full purpose of amendment of life Whiche repentance although in baptisme it be sealed both by wordes and also by signes yet is it all our life time neuertheles necessary For y◠phisition vseth not so to heale A similitude the sicke person that he afterward should abuse his health through his intemperancie cast himself into a more greuous disease Wherfore we must imitate wise and temperat men which being restored from a perilous disease vse afterward diligently to take hede of those things which might hurt their health Chrisostome So do they in these dayes at the end of Lent in his Homilies vnto the people of Antioche accuseth many which apointed out vnto themselues ten or xx dayes or a whole month all which time they would fast and as they vse to speake do penaunce but afterward as though they had accomplished all manner of dewties of pietie they fell to their former vices as if they had neuer shaked them of but onelye for a tyme had layde them a syde Thys kynde of men Paule in thys place accuseth in that they professyng themselues to be deade vnto synne wyll yet lyue agayne vnto it and he confirmeth hys sentence by Baptisme For the The natur◠of the sacraments was in the olde time very wel known vnto al mē What is the cause that the nature of the sacraments is at this day vnknowne of the commō people The sacramēts ought to be ministred in the common tounge and that publikely How in baptisme we are signified to die vnto sinne Sacramentes in these firste and purer times of the Churche were commonlye knowen vnto all men whiche at this day whiche is muche to be lamented are vnknowen vnto the greatest part of Christians But this misery hath the vse of a strange tounge brought in which Antichrist hath added to all sacred righte and ceremonies whereby is come to passe that forasmuch as the people vnderstand nothing they are amased only at certayne outwarde gestures and ceremonies and vnto them doo affixe all theyr confidence and saluation And for the most part also hereof sprang this mischiefe that infantes are oftētimes baptised ether at home or ells in the temple where none in a maner are present where is had no declaration at all of so greate a sacrament Wherefore that this most lamentable discommodity may be amended the Sacramētes ought to be ministred in the mother tounge perspicuously and the time to baptise ought to be appoynted when the congregation is most frequent to the end there may be many witnesses of so greate a thing and that they may with common prayers commende vnto God the childe whiche is to be baptised and also that they may be edefied by that holy action being admonished of a new brother adopted to be the sonne of God But in what maner we are in Baptisme sayd to dye vnto sinne Chrisostome teacheth vpon the first epistle to the Corrinthians the 15. chap. when he expoundeth these wordes of Paul what doo they which are baptised for the dead For he sayth that they which are baptised doo beleue and confesse that Iesus Christ is dead and raised vp from the dead and professe also that they will dye together with him and be raysed vp together with him and the minister by his outward acion signifieth the same when he dippeth thē into the water and taketh them out again That therefore which death was vnto Christe on the crosse and his rising vp agayne The Apostles chaunged not the forme of baptisme as touching the words In this woorde Christe are comprehended the thre persons from the sepulchere the same is Baptisme vnto vs. But in y◠it is written All we that are baptised in Christ Iesus we can not thereby gather that the Apostles changed the forme of words prescribed of Christ which thing some suspecte both by this place and by the Actes of the Apostles amonge whome is Ambrose who to excuse the acte sayth that in Christ as touching the name are comprehēded the three persōs For forasmuch as this word Christ signifieth anointed we must nedes by it signifie both him which is annoynted and also him which annoynteth that is the father and the sonne also the oyntmēt that is the holy ghost Wherefore he saith that to baptise in Christ Iesus it as much as to baptise in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost But forasmuch as this sentence leaneth not vnto firme testemonies of the scriptures therefore in my iudgement it is not so muche What it is to be baptised in Christ to be regarded But we say that to be baptised in Christ is nothing ells then according to his commaundement and institution to be initiated And by thys forme of speaking is signified that we doo passe into Christ to the end we may be most straightly ioyned together with him in fayth hope and charity For euen A similitude as souldiers doo sweare to the name and obedience
might more plainly more expressedly know the thinges which he had before intricately beleued of Christ Of this mynde was Gregory in his 19 homely vpon Ezechiell For he sayth That faythe is the entry wherby we come to good workes but not contrariwyse that by good workes we can come vnto fayth And so he concludeth that Cornelius first beleued before he could bryng forth workes prayse worthy And he citeth that place to the Hebrues VVythout fayth it is impossible to please God Which sentence as it is very playne by that selfe place cannot be vnderstand but of that faith which iustifieth Bede declaryng the x. chap. of the Actes is of the same mynd and citeth yâ— wordes of Gregory Neither is the maister of the sentences of any other iudgement in hys 2. booke and 25. distinction But our aduersaries obiect vnto vs Augustine in hys 7. chap. De predestinatione sanctorum where he reasoneth against those which taught that faith Faith is not of our selues is of our selues wheÌ„ yet in the meane tyme they confessed yâ— the works which follow are of God but yet are obteyned by fayth Augustine in déede confesseth that the workes which follow fayth are of God but he denieth that fayth is of our selues For he saith that Paul writeth vnto the Ephe. By grace ye are saued through fayth and that not of your selues for it is the gyft of God But that is a harde saying which he addeth that the prayers and almes of Cornelius were accepted of God before he beleued in Christ But we must here weigh the thinges which follow For he addeth And yet prayd he not neyther gaue he almes wythout some fayth For how dyd Cornelius had faith in Christ but not a distinct and plaine fayth he call vpon hym in whome he beleued not These wordes plainly declare that Augustine tooke not away from Cornelius all maner of faith in Christ but only an expressed and distinct fayth Which thing that place most of all argueth which is cited out of the epistle to the Romanes Howe shall they call vpon hym in whome they haue not beleued For those wordes are written of the fayth and inuocation of meÌ„ regenerate as the next sentence following plainly declareth Euery one whych calleth vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued For we cannot attribute saluation but Peter came to Cornelius to edify him not to lay the foundation in hym vnto them that are iustified But Peter was sente vnto Cornelius to buylde vp not to lay the foundation For the foundatioÌ„s of fayth were before layde in hym But those things which Augustine addeth séeme to bring greater difficulty For he saith But if he could without the faith namely of Christ be saued that singuler work man the Apostle should not haue ben sent to edifie hym But seyng he already before attributed vnto him fayth and inuocatioÌ„ after which of necessity followeth saluation wherof the Apostle speaketh in this epistle how can he take away from him saluation vnles we peraduenture vnderstand that fayth and saluation is in men The saluatioÌ„ which we haue in this life is not perfect iustified not perfect so long as they liue here For our saluation commeth not in this lyfe to that degrée nor to that greatnes which Christ requireth in hys elect For no man doubteth but that we shal not attayne to perfect saluation before our resurrection and eternall saluation althoughe we now after a sorte haue the fruition therof beyng begonne Paul to the Ephesians affirmeth that we are now saued by fayth And yet Paul to the Philippians exhorteth vs Wyth feare and wyth tremblyng to worke our owne saluation Which places cannot be conciliated together vnles The saluatioÌ„ begonne by iustification is dayly to be made perfect we say that saluation begonne in vs thorow iustification is daily to be made perfect in vs For we are always more and more renued and fayth is made more full more expressed and of more efficacy These wordes of Augustine vnles we thus interprete them it must néedes be that either they are none of hys wordes or els that he is repugnaunt vnto himselfe But that that booke is Augustines we can not deny But that he is repugnaunt vnto himselfe it is not very likely But if thou say that these things may well agrée together if we graunt that Cornelius was not yet iustified when as notwithstanding he had done some woorkes gratefull and acceptable vnto God I aunswer that this can by no meanes agrée with Augustines sentence For he in his 80. treatise vpon Iohn and in his 4. boke and 3. chap. against Iulianus and vpon the 31. psalme by most firme reasons proueth that all the workes which are done before we are iustified are sinnes But that fayth is more expressedly set forth and made more perfect in them that are iustified may easely be vnderstand by yâ— which Christ sayd vnto hys Apostles Many kings and prophets desired to see the things that ye see and saw theÌ„ not And yet notwithstanding were those kinges and prophetes men godly and iustified although they knew not all the mysteries of Christ so expressedly as dyd the Apostles And Christ when he prayed thus pronounced of hys Apostles The wordes which thou gauest me haue I geuen vnto them those haue they receaued and haue knowen that I came forth from thee and that thou hast sent me These thinges declare that the Apostles beleued in Christ and therfore were iustified And yet the very history of the Gospell plainly declareth that they were ignoraunt of many thinges For oftentimes it is declared that ether they had their eies closed that they should not sée or Note the interpretation of the wordes of Augustine els that they vnderstood not the thinges whiche were spoken Wherfore Augustine denieth saluation vnto Cornelius before Peter was sent vnto him not vniuersally but onely denieth that he had a perfect and absolute saluation But they obiect moreouer the same Augustine in his questioÌ„s to Simplicianus in the 2 â–ª booke and 2. Question where he plainly teacheth that faith goeth before good workes After that he putteth a certaine meane betwene grace and the celebration of the Sacramentes For he saith that it is possible that Catechumenus that is one newly Catechumenâ— wer such which were receâ—ued into the church to be instrucâ—ed before baptisme conuerted vnto Christian Religion and that he whiche is conuersaunt among the Catechumeni may beleue and haue grace and yet the same man is not yet washed by Baptisme Moreouer he saith that after the Sacramentes is poured into vs a more fuller grace by which wordes he signifieth yâ— it is one the selfe same grace but is afterward made more plentifull And that thou mayst know that he entreateth of that faith which iustifieth he citeth a place out of the Epistle to the Ephesians By grace ye are saued through faith and that not of your selues for it is
although they be adorned with goodly and precious garmentes yet haue they no feeling of theÌ„ neither by them do they gather any heate or be defended from corruption So saith he Infidels although they séeme sometymes to liue vprightly yet of their workes they receaue no commodity at all He addeth moreouer euen as it is necessary that a man first be before he can receaue meate to be nourished withall so is it necessary that there be first fayth then yâ— afterward it be nourished by good workes Touching the workes of Cornelius he saith A similitude that they were wonderfull and pleased God the chiefe rewarder of workes All these thinges are spoken both truly and also agréeably vnto our doctrine But afterward he addeth that Cornelius wheÌ„ he wrought those works which ar praysed beleued not in Christ which although it be hardly said yet may it by an interpretatioÌ„ be lenefied to vnderstaÌ„d him as we did August namely yâ— Cornelius beleued not distinctly expressedly wheÌ„ yet he beleued in Christ after yâ— selfe same maner as yâ— elders did of whoÌ„ it is to be douted but yâ— they wer saued by the sauior whoÌ„ they loked should come And this kind of faith was sufficieÌ„t vnto saluatioÌ„ vntil yâ— gosple was published abroad But afterward he addeth yâ— Cornelius could not haue obteined saluatioÌ„ vnles faith had bene offred vnto him which yet may after a sort be admitted so yâ— that saying be taken of the perfect saluatioÌ„ whervnto Christians are called and shall one day come But that which he addeth can by no meanes stand for he sayth that these workes of Cornelius were dead Here now Chrisostome beginneth not to be Chrisostome For howe was it possible that the Chrisostome herin against himselfe workes of Cornelius should be wonderfull and please God the chiefe rewarder if they were dead But if we will know the true opinion of Chrisostome hymself touching this matter let vs se what he writeth vpoÌ„ this history in the. 9. chapiter of the Actes For there he playnly testefieth that Cornelius beleued and Chrisostome vpon the Actes affirmeth that Cornelius be leued before the comming of Peter Of the excellent workes of the Romanes was a godly man and not being content with this he addeth that his life was honest and that he had sound groundes of doctrine Here he affirmeth that he had both fayth and also the fruites of fayth Finally he addeth that he had both fayth and righteousnes and all maner of vertue And thus muche touchinge Chrisostome But they obiect vnto this our sentence the excellent workes and notable enterprises of the Romanes which God recompensed with the reward of a most ample impery And to that purpose they cite Augustine in his 51. booke de Ciuitate Dei the. 15. chapiter For there he sayth that God vnto them vnto whome he would not geue eternall life gaue an earthly glory of a most excelleÌ„t empire which thing vnles he had done there should not haue bene reÌ„dred any reward to good arts yâ— is to vertues wherby they endeuored theÌ„selues to attaine to so greate glory But that we may the better vnderstand thys compensation God gouerneth the world orderly without confusion whereof Augustine speaketh we must remember that God in the gouernment of the world will haue all thinges done by a certayne order and without confusioÌ„ that effects should follow theyr causes and properties should be adioyned vnto thinges whereunto they belonge Fruites are by the heate of the Sonne made ripe witty men by industrye and study attayne vnto good artes After winter commeth the spring agayne after the springe commeth sommer and atter sommer commeth the autum Plants bring forth first leaues afterward flowers and then fruites After this maner doth God prouide for the nature of thinges and for rites and famelies And for that vnles common welthes florishinge in Lawes and vertues shoulde attayne vnto dominion all humane Vnto what vertues is naturally adioyned greate dominion thinges would sone come to nought therefore by the commaundement of God and by a naturall institution it followeth that where florisheth discipline of warre obedience towardes the magestrate obseruation of Lawes seuere iurisoiction modesty of princes abstineÌ„ce fortitude and loue of the couÌ„râ—ey there also followeth a greate empire Whiche yet proueth not that these thinges are not sinnes so far forth as they procede from men without fayth For they are Why the godly workes of the Ethnikes were sinnes not directed vnto the glory of God which ought to be the end of al meÌ„s doings wherefore thys glorye and largenes of dominion for that by the institution of God it followeth morall and ciuill vertues is both taken of ciuill men as the end and fruite of theyr labors and also is called a reward And that these works Augustine teacheth that those workes were sinnes of the Romanes were sinnes Augustine himselfe affirmeth in yâ— selfe same boke de Ciuitate Dei the 12. chapiter For thus he writeth Touching the Romanes for that for honor prayse and glory sake they studied to preserue theyr contrey wherein they sought glory and doubted not to preferre the safety thereof before theyr owne safety for thys one vice sake that is for the loue of prayse and keping vnder the gredy desire of money and many other vices Here the ambitioÌ„ of the Romanes he calleth vice Who then can say that God truly or properly rewardeth sinnes wherefore it remayneth God is not sayd properly to reward sinnes that this rewarding be taken in that sence that we before spake of namely that it followeth by the order of thinges appoynted of God and that of them vpon whome it is bestowed it is counted as a reward and fruite of theyr labors For this kinde of speach the scripture also not seldome vseth of the scribes and hipocrites the Lord sayd Verily I say vnto you they haue receaued theyr reward And Paul touching them which when they knewe God worshiped him not as God but being deliuered vp vnto filthy desires polluted theyr bodies with ignominy and shame They receaued in them selues sayth he theyr reward as it was meete And Ezechiell in his 29. chapiter sayth That God would geue a reward vnto Nabucadnezar for that he had serued him in the ouerthrowing of Tire and for a reward promised vnto him the spoyle and distruction of Egipt And there is no doubt but yâ— the works of hipocrites which couloured theyr faces that they mought seme vnto men to fast and that the superstitious and detestable worshippinges of idolaters and those cruell factes which Nabucadnezar did to satisfy his ambition were sins and that greauous sinnes And yet we reade that all these thinges had theyr reward And that God in appoyntinge of kingdomes had a respect vnto an other Why God by his prouideÌ„ce so transferreth kingdomes from nation to nation end then to pay vnto those men a reward euen Augustine playnly declareth in his 5.
implore some tast of the mercy of God and of the righteousnes which is bestowed vpon them And this is the very naturall meaninge of such godly prayers Nether must we thinke that yâ— publicane prayed any otherwise He did not in that sense calâ— himselfe a sinner for that he was minded to abide still in sinnes for he was not so minded that he would still retaine his old purpose to sinne but he was truly and from the hart coÌ„uerted vnto God But our aduersaries faine that they whiche still perseuer in theyr sinnes nether haue in minde to change theyr life do yet notwithstanding some good which pleaseth God But we are taught by the holy scriptures that he which beleueth in God hath eternal life and therefore is iustified but other things are nether good nor yet please God Wherefore seinge that the publicane prayed and with fayth prayed it is moste certayne that he had eternall life nether wanted he iustification But to make What thinges are required to workes which are acceptable vnto God al these things the more planly to be vnderstaÌ„d it shal not be froÌ„ yâ— purpose to declare what things are required vnto a good worke to make it acceptable vnto God First he which doth a good dede must nedes be moued by yâ— spirit of God for otherwise in vs that is in our flesh dwelleth nothing that is good and they which are led by the spirite of God are doubtles the sonnes of God Secondlye it behoueth that fayth be present whereby we may certaynly vnderstand that that worke which we take in hand is of those kindes of things which God willeth and by his law commaundeth to be done For whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sin Nether ought we so to handle the matter that our hart should accuse vs in that thing which we doo Thirdly whatsoeuer we doo must wholy be directed vnto the glory of God that hereunto we chiefly and aboue all things haue a regard that the prayse and glory of God be illustrated by our workes Whither ye eate or whither ye drinke or what soeuer other thing ells ye do doo all things to the glory of God saith Paul Fourthly forasmuch as by reason of the infirmity which is grafted in vs there alwayes wanteth somewhat in our workes yea euen in those which seme to be most vprightly done it is necessary that the grace and mercy of God thorough Christe be wyth vs whereby that defect or want maye be compensed Wherefore Dauid sayth Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen Blessed is the man vnto whoÌ„ the Lord imputeth not his sin And Paul sayth There is now coÌ„demnatioÌ„ to those which are in Christ Iesus Again That which was impossible vnto the Law in asmuch as it was made weake thorough the flesh God sending his sonne c. These testimonies playnly declare that both our workes want of perfection and of theyr dew end and that also it commeth thorough Christ and the mercy of God that that blame mingled with our workes is not imputed vnto vs. Lastly thys also is required that no man glory of that which he vprightly doth but in God only and that he acknowlege that that which he doth he hath of his goodnes and WhereheÌ„ce the definition of a good worke is gathered The vngodlye are farre distant from the conditioÌ„ of good workes not of hys owne strengths For who hath seperated thee sayth Paule to the Cor. What hast thou that thou hast not receaued But if thou haste receaued it why boastest thou as though than haddest not receaued it When all these thinges whiche I haue reckoned are obteyned then the workes without all doubt shall be good and acceptable vnto God The diligent reder may here out of these câ—ditions of a good worke gather the definition thereof Contrariwise if we consider the nature of a man not yet regenerate we shal easely perceaue that those conditions which we haue sayd to be necessary vnto a good work can not be found in theÌ„ For he is vtterly voyde of the spirite of God and of fayth and is so infected with selfe loue so yâ— whatsoeuer he doth he referreth it not vnto God but vnto hys owne commodity Farther forasmuch as he is a stranger from Christ it must nedes be that he is left vnder the Law Wherfore whatsoeuer defect or fault is in his workes which must nedes be much the same can not by any meanes be compensed Finally if he haue done peraduenture any notable or goodly worke he glorieth not in God but in himselfe for he is ignoraunt both of Christe and of the grace of God By these two descriptions of a good worke and acceptable vnto God and of a man that liueth without Christ I thinke it is now manifest that those workes can not be good and acceptable vnto God which procede from an infidel But our aduersaries contend to wrest from vs two most strong places which we vse for the confirmation of this matter The first is that we say that A Metaphore of the good â—â—ell tree an euil trée can not bring forth good fruite The second is That whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Of whiche sentences we will in this place somewhat speake That metaphore of the euill trée which can not bring forth good fruite Christ vsed not only in the. 7. chapiter of Mathevv but also in the selfe same Mathevv the 12. chapiter And thereof he inferred Ye generation of vipers howe can ye speake good things when as ye are euill But before I make open this cauillation I thinke it good to declare how Augustine agaynst Iulianus the Pelagian in his 4. booke and 3. chapiter contended for this selfe same place He setteth forth a godly worke of a man being an infidle namely to cloth a naked man and demaundeth whether this worke may be called sinne Verely vnles this worke be Without fayth to cloth a naked man is sinne of that kinde that pleaseth God I se not what other workes infidells can doo which can be acceptable vnto him And Augustine contendeth and playnly proueth that it is sinne And that lest he should seeme to speake this without reason he sayth that it is therefore sinne for that he which doth that so godly a worke glorieth of hys worke for he doth not by fayth acknowledge ether God or Christ nor thinketh that he hath receaued the same at his handes Farther he sayth that to auoyd the nature of sinne it is not inoughe that a good thinge be done but also that it be well and vprightlye done Shall we then say that an infidell hath done a good worke and wrought vprightly If we graunt not this then must we confesse that he sinned but if we graunt it then must we confesse the fruit to be good notwithstanding an infidell without Christ is an euill tre So shall we graunt that an euill tree can bring forth good fruite which thing yet Christe expressedly denieth Now
of God neither are their hartes changed What good treasure then can there be in them whereout may budde forth workes acceptable vnto God But because we will not go from their similitude for as much as they say that they are plants which bring forth bowes and leaues although they haue no fruite they should haue remembred that Christ as we before said accursed such trées and when in the figge trée he had sought fruit found only leaues he smote it with so a vehement curse that it withered away We doo not denye but that of men may be done some moral and ciuil good thing which is brought forth by that power of God whereby all thinges are preserued For as the Ethnikes also confesse In hym we lyue are moued and haue our being But that power wherby God gouerneth and moueth al thinges nothing helpeth vnto eternall life men not regenerate But the issue of our cause is whether they which be aleants from Christ can do any thing which is allowed and accepted of God Which thing we deny and they affirme And how much the place which we haue brought of the euill trée which can bring forth no good fruite maketh on our side we haue sufficiently declared Now let vs examine the other place which our aduersaries go about to wrest from vs namely whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne This place Augustine alwayes in a manner obiected vnto Pelagius Augustine obiected vnto â—â—lagius that whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne Pelagius made aunswere that that is only a perticular reason which was spoken only of meates for that cause ought not to be extended vnto other works and especially vnto the works of infidels We confesse in déede that that question sprang first by reason of meates But after what maner that reason is alleadged let vs consider by the wordes of Paul He whiche iudgeth saith he that is whiche putteth doubt in ech part and eateth is condemned This was to be proued The reason which he gaue was for that it is not of faith But because this saying is but particular neither could that which he had spoken haue bene reduced to a Silogismus vnles there shoulde be added an vniuersall proposition therefore he added We must be assured that that which we do is acceptable vnto God whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne By which sentence Pauls meaning is that so often as we attempt any thing we should be thoroughly assured that the same is pleasing vnto God and is of him required by some commaundemeÌ„t of the law Which certainty if it want whatsoeuer we do saith he is sinne And Pauls firme argument may thus be knit together Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne to eate meates prohibited in the lawe with a doubtinge whether the same be lawefull or no is not of faith wherefore it is sinne The Apostle although he proueth Paul by an vniuersall proposition proueth a perticuâ—er proposition a perticular proposition yet he vseth an vniuersall reason Which as it is applied vnto meates so maye it also be applied vnto all other actions so that all those actions what so euer they be which want this faith are sinnes Wherefore nether we nor Augustine abuse that sentence when we applie it vnto the workes of infidels But now a dayes many cry out that faith in this place signifieth a perswasion of the conscience and that Paul had not a respect vnto that faith which we say iustifieth vs. But these men take too large a scope which bring in a new signification of faith without any testimony of the holy scriptures Wherefore we moughte wel denie vnto them this But for that although we graunt vnto them that which they would haue yet are they still coÌ„pelled to returne to our sentence therefore therein we will not much contende with them Be it so as they would haue it Suppose that fayth be the conscience But how ought the conscience to be perswaded of woorkes to vnderstande whiche are good and whiche are euill Verelye if we bee godlye we can haue no other rule but the lawe of God For The law of God is the rule of the coÌ„science it is the rule wherebye good and euill oughte to be iudged Therehence oughte to come the perswasion of our conscience that by faith it vnderstand that that worke which it taketh in hand is good and contrariwise that it is euill if it be agaynst the lawe of God And this is nothing els but that which we before spake of faith Wherefore let vs leue these men which when as they will be sene to speake thinges differing from vs do vnwares fall into one and the same sentence with vs. But we are here tought that whatsoeuer we take in hand we oughte chiefely to sée vnto that we be assured of the will of God And yâ— same thing tought Paul when he saide Let vs trye what is the good will of God And as the same Paul writeth vnto the EphesiaÌ„s let vs not walke as vnskilful which vnderstaÌ„d not what is the will of God And the thou shouldest not thinke geÌ„tle reader yâ— this interpretacioÌ„ is of our own deuising looke vpoÌ„ Origen Primasius yâ— disciple of Augustine those commentaries which are ascribed vnto Ierome And thou shalt finde that they are The commentaries ascribed vnto Ierome of the same iudgement when they interprete that place which we haue now alleaged For they acknowledge no other faith then that faith which all men acknowledge But when we shall come to that place we will declare what the rest of the fathers haue taught and held touching it But now to come to the principal point of this controuersie we thinke that we haue aboundantly out of yâ— holy scriptures confirmed That all the workes of infidels are sinnes Of whiche sentence is not only Augustine against Iulianus but also Ambrose in his booke de vocatione Ambrose saith that the workes of infidels are sinnes Basilius of the same mind gentium the 3. chap. For he saith That wythout the worshippyng of the true God the thynges that seeme to be vertues are sinnes Basilius in his 2. booke de baptismo the 7. chap. of purpose moueth this question and maketh on our side And he citeth places out of the scriptures As out of Esay A sinner when he sacrificeth it is all one as if he should offer vp a dogge and when he offreth swete cakes it is all one as if he should offer vp swines flesh And moreouer He which doth commit sinne is the seruant of sinne and serueth it onely Againe No man can serue two lordes God and Mammon And againe What fellowship hath lyght wyth darkenes God wyth Beliall Finally he citeth also that testimonye whereof we before largely entreated An euill tree can not bryng forth good fruites Of all these testimonies he concludeth the same thing which we teach By these things I thinke it is now plaine what is to be thought of the state of
which are most gréeuous For he saith that their hart was blinded and that they were made fooles although they boasted that they were wise men and yâ— they were deliuered vp of God into a reprobate seÌ„ce to defile their bodyes with ignominy Sinnes may be called punâ—shmeâ—tes although they be pleasaunt What are all these but most gréeuous punishementes If when a man hath committed theft straighway ether his handes should fall away or els hys eyes should be plucked out we would say that he is gréeuously punished of God Paul sayth that these meÌ„ were depriued of their minde that their hart was made foolishe and that they most ignominiously contaminated their owne bodies and shall not these séeme to be punishementes How can we thinke that our minde can be safe whole and vncorrupt if sinne raigne in it Salomon saith Can a man nourishe fire in hys bosome and not burne hys garmentes Or can a man go vpon hot Why sinne is called a punishment burning coales and not burne hys feete And therfore sinne is called a punishment for that it hurteth and corrupteth nature For the prauity of originall sinne hath so corrupted nature that now it can skarsely séeme to be halfe on liue And the corrupt motions and violent rages which spring out of that prauity â–ª do vnlesse they be kept vnder and mortefled make it more fierce Finally if thou consent vnto them they are continually made of more more force so that nature alwayes becommeth worse and worse All these thinges hereto tend to geue vs to vnderstand that lust grafted in vs and corrupt motions which are still remaining in our mindes belong to this kinde of sinnes but yet in such sort that they are punishmentes As touchinge the hurting of nature the first sinne also may be called a punishment of an other sin going before namely of originall sin if it be not also a punishemeÌ„t of an other more gréeuous sinne Howbeit this yet is to be noted that the first fall also is in such sort that it is also a punishement For as we haue said there is no sinne which doth not most gréeuously hurt the nature of man and so at the least it hath ioyned with it a punishement of it selfe But not euery sinne is Not euery sin is a punishment of a sinâ— going before a punishement of an other sinne going before But those wherof we now entreat we affirme to be punishementes of sinnes going before and we say also that they are sinnes But vnto some it séemeth wonderfull that these thinges are of necessity how they can be sinnes But touching this matter let vs heare what Augustine Euen those thinges whiche are done of necessity may be sins saith in his 3. booke de libero Arbitrio the 18. chapter Some thinges also saith he done of necesity are not to be allowed as when a man would do well and can not For otherwyse what should moue these wordes The good that I would I do not but the euill that I would not that I do And this to will is present wyth me but to performe the good I find no ability And thys The fleshe lusteth against the spirite and the spirite agaynst the fleshe For these thynges are repugnant the one to the other so that ye do not the thyngs which ye would But all these thyngs are pertayning to men and come of that damnation of death For if they be not a punishment of man but nature in man then are they no sins For if men depart not from that state wherein man was naturally made so that he could not be better then when he doth these thyngs he doth the things which he ought But if man were good it should be otherwise but now for that it is so he is not good neither lieth it in hys own power to be good ether for that he seeth not what maner Man hath not in his owne power to be good one he ought to be or els for that although he see yet is he not able to be such a one as he seeth he ought to be And that thys is a punishment who can doubt This much Augustine In which wordes many thinges are worthy to be noted First he confesseth that many thinges which happen of necessity are not to be allowed Secondly he The first motions are sinnes for that by them we depart froÌ„ that state wheâ—â—nto we are made geueth a reasoÌ„ why they are called sinnes for that we depart froÌ„ that state wherin we were naturally made Thirdlye he sayth that man is not good neither hath in his owne power to be good Fourthly why he can not be good he bringeth two reasoÌ„s ether for yâ— he séeth not what is to be done or for yâ— though he sée it yet by reason of his infirmity he is not able to performe it Lastly this is to be noted Why man hath not in his owne power to be good that he vnderstandeth these thinges of men regenerate For he citeth the wordes of Paul to the Galathyans and those places which we now haue alleaged which we haue proued can not be vnderstand but of the regenerate But vnto this sentence of Augustine that séemeth to be repugnant which Ierome writeth in his interpretacioÌ„ These things are ment also of the regenerate of faith We say saith he that they er which together wyth the Maniches say that a man can not eschew euill But these thinges may without any difficulty be conciliated For Ierome speaketh of nature as it was instituted of God for he writeth against the Maniches which taught that therefore we can not resist sin Ierome agaâ—nst the Manichies speaketh of a whole and perfect nature for that we were by nature created euill of an euill God But there is none of vs which doubteth but that man when he was at the beginning created was most frée But that Augustine speaketh of nature after the fall hereby it is manifest in that he saith All these thynges pertayne to men and come from that damnation of death moreouer he confesseth that this is a punishement of man now fallen away Augustine speketh of our nature after the fall Farther if these thinges be referred vnto the regenerate we may say that the sentence of Ierome hath a respect only to the grosser kindes of sinnes which seperate vs from the kingdome of God from which we doubt not but that men regenerate The regenerate may abstaine from the grossâ—â— kinde of sins in Christ may abstaine But Augustine speaketh most largely and by sins vnderstaÌ„deth these things also wherof we presently speake without which we can not here leade our life And this latter solutioÌ„ is noted of the master of the seÌ„teÌ„ces in his 2. booke 36. distinctioÌ„ But they obiect vnto vs that we do iniury vnto baptisme if we say that in it is not takeÌ„ away sinne But we can not iustly be accused of this crime For we
pertakers not only of the death of the Lord but of his resurrectioÌ„ also for forasmuch as Christ was by it raysed vp from the dead as many as are endewed with the same spirite shall likewise be raysed vp from the dead For that cause he exhorteth vs by the spirite to mortefye the deades of the flesh that we may be made pertakers of euerlasting life Thirdly he amplifieth and adorneth this state and condition which by the spirite of Christ we haue obteyned namely that now we are by adoption made the children of God that we are moued by this spirit and made strong against aduersities to suffer all afflictions Which prayses serue not a little to quicken our desire that we should desire to be dayly more aboundantly enriched with this spirite Fourthly he confuteth those which obiected that state to seme miserable and vnhappy in which the faythfull of Christ liue For they are continually excercised with aduersities so that euen they also which haue the first fruites of the spirite are compelled to mourne And he writeth that by this meanes these thinges come to passe for that as yet we haue not obteyned an absolute regeneration nor perfect saluatioÌ„ for we haue it now but only in hope which when time shall serue that is in the end of the worlde shall be made perfect Fiftly he teacheth that notwithstaÌ„ding those euills which doo enclose vs in on euerye side yet our saluation is neuertheles sure for the prouidence â–ª of God whereby we are predestinâ—te to eternall felicity can nether be chaunged nor yet in any poynte fayle And by this prouidence sayth he it commeth to passe that vnto vs which loue God all thinges turne to good and nothing can hurt vs forasmuch as God hath geuen vnto vs his sonne and together with hym all thinges wherefore seing the father iustifieth vs and the sonne maketh intercession for vs there is nothing which can make vs afrayd Lastly he sayth that yâ— loue of God towards vs is so greate that by no creature it can be plucked from vs. Hereby it is manifest of how greate force the spirite of adoption is wherewith we are sealed so long as we wayte for the perfection of our felicity And these thinges serue wonderfully to proue that our iustification consisteth not of workes but of fayth and of the meare and free mercy of God This is the summe of al that which is coÌ„tained in the doctrine of this chap. As touching the first part the Apostle alledgeth that condemnation is now takeÌ„ away which he proueth bycause we are endewed with the spirite of Christe But this deliuery he promiseth vnto those only which are in Christ Wherfore seing it is manifest what his proposition or entent is now let vs se howe these thinges hange together with those which are alredy spoken Toward the end of the former chap Paul cried out twise first when he sayd Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death And by the figure Aposiopesis he expressed not the deliuerer but here he sayth that that deliuerer is the Lawe The law of the spirit and life deliuereth of the spirite and of life Farther in that place with greate affection he sayd I geue thankes vnto God through Iesus Christe our lorde nether declared he wherfore he gaue thankes But nowe he playnly expresseth the cause For he sayth that now there remayneth no condemnation and that we are deliuered from the Thankes are to be geuen for that there remayneth in vs no coÌ„mendation Law of sinne and of death This is it for which he gaue thaÌ„ks Lastly he added how that in minde he serued the law of God but in flesh the law of sinne Now he more playnly expresseth what that is namely to be in Christ and not to walke according to the flesh but according to the spirite Hereby it manifestly appeareth how aptly these thinges are knit together with those which are alredy spoken The Apostle seemeth thus to speake Althoughe sinne and the corruption of nature where wyth the godlye are vexed be as it is alredye sayde styll remayninge in them yet is there no daunger that it shoulde brynge condemnation vnto men regenerate for they are holpen by the spirite of Christe wherewith they are now endewed And euen as before he aboundantly entreated of the violence and tiranny of sinne which it vseth against vs being vnwittinge What thinges auayle to know our selues and vnwilling thereunto so now on the other side he teacheth what the spirite of Christ worketh in the Saintes Wherefore seing not only the holy scriptures but also the Ethnike writers do expressedly commaund that euery man shoulde knowe himselfe peraduenture there is scarse any other place out of whiche the A godly maÌ„ consisteth of two principles same may better be gathered then out of these two chapiters For a godly man consisteth of his owne corrupt and vitiate nature and also of the spirit of Christ because we haue before learned what yâ— corruptioÌ„ of nature that is sinne woorketh in vs and now is declared what benefites of Christ we obtayne by his spirite by this may euery man as touching ether part know himselfe Vndoubtedly wonderfull great is the wisdome of the Apostle who when he wrote of the force of sin expressed it chiefely in his owne person to geue vs to vnderstand that there is no Why Paul chaungeth the persons in these two descriptioÌ„s man so holy which so long eas he liueth here is cleane ridde from sinne But afterward when he entreateth of the helpe of the spirite of Christ he bringeth in the person of other men least any man should thinke with himselfe that not all manner of Christians enioye this excellente helpe of God but onelye certaine principall and excellent men such as were the Apostles After these things which we haue before heard out of the seuenth chapter a man mought haue sayd forasmuch as we are so led away captiue of sinne and that by force and against our willes what hope can there be of our saluation Much saith Paul Forasmuch as now there is no condeÌ„nation to theÌ„ which are in Christ For by the spirite of Christ we are deliuered from the lawe of sinne and of death This reason is taken of the cause efficient whereby is not only proued that which was proposed but also euen the very carnell and inward pithe of our iustification is touched For although men being now iustified are so restored vnto the giftes of God that they begin to liue holily and do accomplishe some certayne obedience begonne of the lawe yet because in the iudgement of God they can not stay vpon them forasmuch as they are vnperfect and are not without fault of necessity it followeth that our iustification should herein consist Wherein consisteth iustificatioÌ„ â–ª namely to haue our sinnes forgeuen vs that is to be deliuered from the guiltines of them And this is it which
with him hath geuen vnto vs all thinges Farther many logicial probable reasons takeÌ„ of those excellent benefites which we féele are daily bestowed vpon vs perswade vs of the same thinges For those benefites although oftentimes they are common also vnto wicked men yet haue they the force both to cheare our hartes and also to comfort vs after that we are once perswaded by other more firmer reasons For argumentes probable althoughe of themselues they are not able throughlye to persuade yet being ioyned vnto reasons firme and demonstratiue they make the Whereunto argumentes probable serue thing more euident Farther if we will follow examples of other most excellent men we shal perceiue with how singuler a loue God loued them Let vs also euery one of vs loke vpon our own priuate doinges in theÌ„ we shall sée how we haue bene oftentimes holpen and preserued of God And although our sence be vtterly rude in these thinges for it is strange from thinges celestial yet it also in the godly The senses are made after a sorte spirituall in godly men is made after a sort spirituall euen as contrariwise in the vngodly euen the very mind also is made carnall wherfore al thinges which the godly vnderstand also by their senses testifie vnto them the good will of God towardes them By this meanes Dauid by contemplation considering all thinges which were offered vnto Why Dauid inuiteth thinges insensible to praise God his senses as pledges of the loue of God inuiteth and prouoketh them to praise God Not that he thought that they could either heare or speake but to declare that they are of that nature that they can stirre vp euerye attentiue and godlye man which hath the vse of them by his sences to praise God and to geue thankes vnto him There are also certaine thinges which of the minde it selfe are most certainly perfectly knowen for that they are the first principles wherunto we only at the sight of them without any farther triall geue our assent And in this knowledge of The first principles of the knoledge of the loue of God â–ª the loue of God towardes vs we haue for the first principle the holy ghost He beareth witnes vnto vs inwardly and in the minde that we are the sonnes of GOD. Wherfore seing the loue of God towards vs is so many waies proued Paul rightly This place serueth to the certainty oâ— saluation saith that he is fully perswaded But all these reasons are such that they cleane fast vnto faith Which faith being taken away we shall herein haue nothing that we can vnderstand nothing that we can know This place serueth wonderfully to establish the certainty of our saluation Neither must we harken vnto them whiche to the ende they woulde wreste this place from vs vse to aunswere that these thinges pertaine only to Paul as though he alone and a few other which by This place is to be taken vniuersally and not perticulerly as though it pertaineth to Paul onlye reuelation were made certaine of their saluation could say that they were fully persuaded that they should neuer be plucked away froÌ„ the loue of God Here doutles is not set forth an history neither is it declared how Paul was called in yâ— way neither is it written how he was let downe from the wall in a basket onely is brought in a conclusion of those reasons wherby he would proue that God most feruently loueth vs. Wherfore this place pertaineth not only to Paul but also to all the faithfull For it maketh nothing against vs that Paul pronounced his sentence vnder the first person For otherwise we should say that that which is written The thinges that are spoken vnder the person of Paul oftentymes pertaine to all men to the Gal. I lyue but now not I bâ—t Christ lyueth in me is to be vnderstande of Paul onely and pertaineth nothing to vs and that which he saith to the Phil. Vnto me to lyue is Christ and to dye is gayne And that which he writeth vnto the Corrinthians I do not thinke that I know any thyng but Christ Iesus and hym crucified and a great many such like sentences should be vnderstand of no other body but of Paul all which thinges yet euery christian ought to apply vnto himselfe that that sentence of the Poet may hereunto be very aptly framed Hogh thou sirra the name is chaunged but the tale is tolde of thee And if sometimes we wauer as touching this Whereof springeth our doubting touching saluation A similitude certainty that is not to be attributed vnto the defaut of faith but for that we haue not a perfect and an absolute faith As if a man professing yâ— Mathematicals should doubt of the principals of his arte that ought not to be attributed vnto his art for it is of all other artes most certaine but rather vnto his vnskilfulnes which hath not yet perfectly learned his arte Wherfore if we at any time as it happeneth in dede be in doubt of our saluation there is no other presenter remedy then to pray with the Apostles Encrease our fayth So did Peter when he saw himself at yâ— point Remedy against doubting Two principal points of thinges against vs. to be ouerwhelmed of the waues of the sea All those things which are against vs Paul in his epistle vnto the Ephe. reduceth to two principall pointes For some coÌ„sist in nature and other some are brought vnto vs of aduersary spirites We wrestle not against flesh and bloud but against spirituall wickednesses which ar in celestiall places These two thinges the Apostle mingleth together to the ende he would leaue out nothing And these things which he speaketh of are of so great force that they may seme able to alienate a man froÌ„ God By life and death he vnderstandeth all maner of daungers whereby we are endaungered touching life death All these things are not of so great force yâ— they can breake in sonder the loue of God towards vs. But wheÌ„ we are in these daÌ„gers we must say as Paul admonisheth vs in this What we must say when we are oppressed with aduersities epistle Whether we lyue or whether we dye we are the Lordes For to thys end Christ dyed and rose agayne to be Lord of the quicke and of the dead And vnto the Phillippiaus Now euen as before Christ shal be glorified in my body whether it be by lyfe or by death Nor Angels Angels as it is written in the epistle vnto the Hebrewes are ministring spirites which are sent forth to be ministers for their sakes which shal be heyres of saluation which can not be vnderstand but of good angels For euill angels are oftentimes sent forth to punishe the vngodly and to tempt men although their temptation is not vnprofitable vnto the predestinate And it is certaine that euill angels séeke by all maner of meanes to leade vs away from God which thing yet
Moses semed by theyr sorceries to raise vp new creatures But I thinke that this exposition Iannes and Mambres is more simple to saye that Paul in this clause would finishe the induction which he had begon For when we vse an induction and haue gathered together many perticuler thinges we adde at the last that all other things are in the same sort to finish vp the reason which otherwise should be vnperfect So Paul whē by an Antithesis he had in a maner reckoned vp all thinges added to shut vp the reason And if there be any other creature besides these yet can not it seperate vs frō the loue of God Which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. This is added that we should not think that we are for our owne sakes loued of God For of our selues we are odious vnto hym seing that we are contaminated with originall sinne which we haue contracted frō Adam and also by many other sinnes which we moreouer commit And that there was nothing which could plucke away Paul from the loue of God Chrisostome hereby coniectureth for that for Gods honor sake he refused not to be cast into hel fire And this he addeth That it is the property of a wise mā neuer to seke to depart frō his father although he be sō what sharply chastised of him For he which cleueth A similitude vnto God is couered with his loue beneuolēce is lyke a square stone which whiche way so euer it fall falleth right By this reasoning of Paul we may easely gather y◠The church shall neuer fall away from God the Church shal neuer vtterly fall away frō God neither shall there euer come any euils of so great might that they can vtterly ouerthrow it Which thing Christ in other wordes promised vnto Peter saying The gates of hell shall not preuayle agaynst it For it is as it were a certayne moste strong rocke whiche although it be striken with waues and floudes yet can not be moued out of this place For the church pertayneth to predestination and hath to hys protection the loue of God Wherfore no creature is able to preuayle against it The ninth Chapter I Speake the truth in Christ I lye not my conscience bering me witnes in the holy Ghost that I haue great heauines and continuall sorrowe in my hart For I would wish with my self to be seperate from Christ for my brethren that are my kinsmen according to the flesh which are the Israelites to whom pertaineth the adoption and the glorye and the couenantes and the geuing of the lawe and the worshippinge and the promises Of whom ar the fathers and of whō concerning the flesh Christ came who is God ouer all blessed for euer Amen The beginning of this chapter is after diuers maners annexed to those thinges which haue bene before spoken For Chrisostome as we haue declared thinketh that Paules meaning is earnestly to shew how firmly he was knit vnto the loue of God namely that for Gods sake he was ready with gladnes to suffer euen to perish But others thinke that this new speache of the Apostle doth hereof arise because before he said that those whom God had chosen could by no violence be seperated from his loue Wherefore it might seme wonderfull how the nation of the Hebrues could be reiected from God which onely nation God before all other nations had chosen Wherefore say they the Apostle straight way added that not al the Iewes did pertayne vnto the election of God and that their fall was not against the decrees of God But in my iudgement the Apostle séemeth in a maner to begin a new matter to entreate of For hetherto he hath proued that iustification commeth not of humaine wisdome nor philosophie nor also of our workes nor by the obseruation of the law but onelye by the faith of Christ But there remayned two other thinges of great weyght which it behoued him to discusse to make plaine For by these two things men were exceedingly moued so that if the Apostle had not throughly answered vnto them he might seme to haue spent his labour in vayne The one of them was that the promise of saluation was made vnto the posteritie of Abraham and vnto the seede of Israell But now for as much as that kinde of men receaue not the fayth in Christ of necessitie it followeth either that the promise of God is vayne or if the Iewes be saued then may iustificatiō be without faith in Christ The second was there was neuer at any time in any nation so great righteousnes so great an endeuour of pietie so diligent an obseruation of the law as was amongest the Iewes And it were absurd if we should say that God would not embrace such kinde of righteousnes which excelled the vprightnes of all nations These are two such thinges that of them no man can doubt namelye that the promises of God are firme and that an vpright iustice is acceptable vnto God Vnto these thinges Paule answereth in these three chapiters following First he sayth that the promises were made vnto the elect of God and he addeth that the externall people of Israell were not in very dede that people vnto whom were A distinctiō of the people of Israell made the promises as pertayning to the whole number which thing he proueth by testimonies of the scriptures Wherefore though the Iewes were blinded sayth he it followeth not thereof that the promises of God are vaine Afterward he maketh a distinction of righteousnes so that one is outward which A distinctiō of righteousnes consisteth in rites and workes and an other inwarde which consisteth in spirite and in fayth The first righteousnes sayth he God nothing regardeth but the latter is it wherein onely he is delighted and which he continuallye embraceth and of that were the Iewes voyde And therefore God nothing esteemed theyr outward righteousnes These things are entreated of in the .ix. and .x. chapters But in the .xi. least the Iewes should thinke them selues vtterlye reiected Paule addeth that of that people there remained some remnaunts which in successe of time should be brought vnto Christ But as touching the .ix. chapter the Apostle keepeth this order First forasmuch as it shoulde be verye bytter vnto the The Methode of the 9. chapter Iewes to heare that the promises of God shoulde not pertayne to their stocke and that they them selues should not be counted of the nomber of the elect Paul sheweth that he could not consider these thinges with himselfe but wyth great griefe and that he was ready to redeme this calamitie euen with his owne eternall destruction by which woordes he playnlye declareth that he speaketh not these thinges agaynst his own nation of hatred towardes them Then draweth he nere to the very matter and confesseth that the promises of God are firme but they pertayne not to the carnall propagation Which thing he proueth by a most manifest example of
same againe This only now I lay that that proposition is not altogether so simplye to be vnderstanded Farther this also is not true which he taketh as a ground when he saith that Paul in this place dissolueth not the question which he did put forth â–ª For Paul most plainely sayth that the election of God is the cause of our saluation And of the election of God he putteth none other cause but the purpose of God and his mere loue and good will towards vs. Neither is he any thinge holpen by that similitude whiche he bringeth out of the fiueth chapter of this Epistle For there Paul sayth that it is not absurd to say that we in such sort haue the fruicion of the righteousnes of Christ that by it we are iustified forasmuch as by the offence and dissobedience of one man many are condemned This sayth he he ought to haue proued that we are infected by the sinne that we haue drawen from Adam which yet he did not but left it vndissolued Yea rather Paul proued that we are pertakers of that corruption euen by this that we die And they die also whiche haue not sinned after the likenes of the transgression of Adam Wherefore by death as by the effect he sufficiently proued original sinne For in yâ— Paul afterward sayth when he entreateth of the calling of That the Gentiles by fayth caâ—â— vnto Christ is not the cause of predestinatioÌ„ but the effect God gâ—ueâ—h not faith vnto his râ—shly but of puâ—pose the Gentils and of the reiecting of the Iewes that the Gentils came by faith but the Iewes sought saluation by the works of the law he putteth not that as a cause but onely as an effect of predestination For it may straightwaye be demaunded wherhence the Gentils had theyr fayth And if they had it of God as doubtles they had why did God geue it vnto them Surelye for no other cause but because he would Wherfore let vs leue those thinges as not agreable with the wordes of the Apostle and this rather let vs consider how the Apostle in this place confuteth iij. The Maniches confuted of Paul errors First he stoppeth the mouth of the Manichies which attributed much vnto the houre of the natiuitie as though we should by the power of the starres iudge of the life death and other chaunces that happen vnto men For Paul sayth that Iacob and Esau were borne both at one time in whome yet we see that in theyr The Pelagiâ—â—s confuted whole life was great diuersitie He confuteth also the Pelagians which taught that the will is so frée that euery one is according to his merites foresene of God which error is also in other places confuted of Paul by most strong reasons For to the Ephesians he saith Which hath elected vs in him before the constitucion of the world that we should be holy He saith not that he elected vs for that we were holy but that we should be holy And vnto Titus He hath saued vs not by the woorkes of righteousnesse which we haue done but according to his mercy And to Timothe Which hath called vs by his holy calling not according to our woorkes but according to his purpose and grace which is geuen vnto vs in Christ Iesus before the times of the world By which wordes we see that the election of God consisteth of Grace whiche we haue had from eternally Farther by these woordes of Paul is also confuted Origen as we haue sayde Origene coÌ„futed For Paul saith that these two had done neither good nor euell The elder shall serue the younger This seemeth to be a temporall promise What is the groundâ—ele of earthly promises But we haue before oftentimes admonished that the foundation and groundsell of these earthly promises is the promise touching Christ and touching the obteynement of saluation through him And this maye hereby be gathered for if we haue a respecte vnto the principallitie of the first birth we shall not finde that Iacob atteined to it For he neuer bare dominion ouer his brother Esau so longe as he liued yea rather when he returned out of Mesopotamia he came humblye vnto him and desired that he mought obteyne mercy at his handes and it vndoubtedly Iacob had the possessioÌ„ of the first birth not in himself but in his posterity seemeth that Esau was farre mightier then he Althoughe touching the posteritie of eche it is not to be doubted but that the promise tooke place For in the time of Dauid and of Salomon the Iewes obteined the dominioÌ„ ouer the Edumites If these thinges be well applied to the purpose of the Apostle then muste it needes be that that they be vnderstanded of the promise of Christ and of eternall felicity For this is it that Paul endeuoreth that it shoulde not séeme to be againste the promise of God â–ª that few of the Iewes are receaued vnto the Gospell séeing that the greatest part of them were excluded And when he had brought this testimony of Iacob and Esau that the elder should serue the yonger of that oracle he bringeth this reason that the election mought abide according to purpose Which thinge for that it séemed hard vnto humane reason he confirmeth by an oracle of Malachy As it is written Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated This sentence of Scripture which is here cited is the reason and cause of the other sentence The latter oracle is cause of the first A place of Malachie declared which he before alleadged namely That the elder should serue the yonger Which is herebye confirmed for that it is written Iacob haue I loued but Esau haue I hated These wordes are written in Malachy aboute the beginning of the first chapter in which place God thus vpbraydeth vnto the people their ingratitude I haue loued you And they are sayd thus to haue answered Wherein hast thou loued vs TheÌ„ sayth the Lord Iacob and Esau were they not brethern And yet haue I loued Iacob hated Esau And this he hereby proueth for that they beinge bretherne yet he preferred Iacob before Esau And vnto Esau he gaue a waste and solitary land suffered not the Edumites to be deliuered from theyr captiuitie yea rather he threateneth that if they should enterprise to reedifie theyr countrey being ouerthrowen he would then destroy it But vnto the Israelites he gaue a good fertile land who if peradueÌ„ture they should for theyr sins be led away into captiuitie yet he promised From the loue of God commeth eternall lyfe and froÌ„ hâ—s hatred eternal destruction yâ— he would bring theÌ„ home again fully restore again vnto theÌ„ theyr old kingdom But these things forasmuch as they are earthly we do not at this preseÌ„t meddle wt. This thing onely I thinke is diligently to be weighed yâ— of the loue of God coÌ„meth eternall life and from his hatred eternall destruction Some in this place with great curiosity enquire
yet complayne Who can resist his will is gathered a most firme argument that Pauls minde was that both election and also reiection depend of the mere will of God For otherwise there was no occasion to obiect these thinges For if only the worthy should be elected and the vnworthy reiected what cause should there be of murmuring For then should be confirmed that kinde of iustice which humane reason most of all alloweth neither shoulde there be any place left to these offences Wherfore I do not a litle meruayle that Pigghius and other such like shold vse these things which Paul in this place obiecteth vnto himself confuteth to confirme their opinion as most sure argumentes For Pigghius saith if God should harden men Pharao should not be the cause of his sinne when as he could not resist the will of God And if God saith he should not deale according to workes foresene he should in his election be vniust and sinne agaynst iustice distributiue But these selfe same things Paul obiecteth vnto himself not to the entēt to satisfie thē thought he it nedeful to fly vnto the fond deuises of these Mortificatiō of faith men Herein doubles is most of all declared the mortification of fayth to geue all the glory vnto God and to beleue that the thinges which otherwise shoulde seme vniust are of him most iustly done By that comparison of the clay and of the potter Paul declareth that it is lawfull for God by most good right to do vnto men whatsoeuer he will and that men ought patiently and humbly to obey his will And that God can according to his right and at his pleasure either make men to honour or els leue them in contumely hereby he proueth God hath more right ouer men then the potter hath ouer the clay for that a potter hath the selfe same power ouer the vessels which he maketh Yea rather God hath much more right ouer mē thē hath the potter ouer y◠clay For man is infinitly more distant from God then is the vessell from the potter For the potter forasmuch as he is a man is taken out of the earth and the clay whether the potter will or no must nedes be clay But God if he wil can turne man into any thing yea if it please him he can also reduce him to nothing Wherefore that which is graunted vnto the potter by what right can it be denied vnto GOD And if men bee clay being compared vnto the will of God why are they not content therewith why do they so importunately murmure agaynst it And forasmuch as Paul sayth that the potter hath power to make By this cōparison is proued that God hath not a regard to workes vessels as he wil thereby he sufficiently declareth that God hath not a regard to workes For if it were so that power shoulde be no power and the potter should be able to do more then God For the potter may at his pleasure make what vessels he wil but God must follow the merites of men and our deedes shoulde be vnto him a rule of his election But we manifestly sée that the Apostle laboureth chiefely to proue that it lieth not in our power in what sort God ought to make vs. But against these things writeth Erasmus in his booke called Hyperaspistes that it is not to be merueled that y◠power is takē away frō God which he hath takē away frō himself For he would not y◠it shoulde be lawfull for him to do y◠which should be repugnāt to his iustice To this obiectiō we answer that Paul plainly saith that y◠potter hath this power which power doubtles we se is not takē away frō him Wherfore it is mete y◠the selfe same power be geuē also vnto God But wheras he saith y◠God hath takē away frō himself this power y◠is not true I grant in dede y◠God wil not haue y◠thing to be lawful vnto him which is repugnant vnto his iustice But here is nothing which is repugnāt vnto iustice Yea rather this we adde that here is not spokē of iustice but of mercy freely to be bestowed or not to be bestowed For God oweth vnto no man his first mercy therfore it foloweth y◠he may haue mercy on whō he wil not haue mercy on whō he wil not Erasmus also thinketh it absurd y◠we affirme that the respect of merites is repugnāt vnto the liberty power of God as touching electiō or reprobatiō For it were wicked saith he if a mā should be condēned with out euil deserts of sin That indede do we cōfesse but we adde that in this place is not entreated of damnation but only of reprobation as it is opposite to election or to predestination And with the Apostle we say that God Here is not entreated of damnation but of reprobation hath mercy on whome he will and hath not mercy on whome he will not And although God condemne not or deliuer not to eternall destruction but only those which haue bene contaminated with sinne yet he doth not by reason of any euill desert ouerhippe those one whome he hath decreed not to haue mercy Note the difference betwene damnation and reprobation And yet doth he not therefore deale vniustly for he oweth nothing to any man But when we say that if God should haue mercy or not haue mercy according to the merites of mē his power should be nothing at all which Paul here in this place so much commendeth Erasmus maketh answer that if he haue not a respect vnto workes his constāt and vnmoueable iustice should be nothing at all But we haue oftentimes declared that here is not entreated of iustice distributiue whereby God in predestination and reprobation is bound to render like vnto like For forasmuch as all are borne being drowned in the corruption of sinne he may as pleaseth him haue mercye on some and others agayne he may by the selfe same pleasure ouerhippe and leue them as he found them which is not to haue mercy vpon thē Erasmus also laboureth moreouer to proue y◠the power of God is after a sort contracted and made definite by his promises For when God had sworne eyther vnto Abraham or vnto Dauid vnles he would breake his fayth he was bound vtterly to performe his promises Wherefore sayth he it is not altogether so absurd if the power of God whereof is now entreated be not put vtterly fre from the respect of workes But Erasmus shold haue considered that this similitude touching the promises is not hereunto rightly applied For we neuer rede that there was any promise made to any man touching predestination Yea rather the promises alwayes follow predestination For it is the Predestination is the original of all promises originall of all promises Further Paul playnly maketh this power free from all respect of workes when he compareth it with the power of the potter For he in making of
mercy for that they haue purged themselues from filthines But what the verye meaning of that place is we haue before declared And that the Gentiles performed by nature those thinges which are of the law we thus expounded that they did many things in outward discipline which were coÌ„maunded in the law of Moses as in yâ— they eschued thefts whordomes adulteries other such like sins Wherfore Paul coÌ„cluded yâ— they waÌ„ted not the knowledge of vice vertue of right and wrong so yâ— when in many things they fell sinned they could not be excused by reason of ignoraunce There are others which vnderstand those wordes of the Gentiles now conuerted vnto Christ which being endewed with the holy ghost executed the commaundementes of God and declared both in life and in maners yâ— righteousnes consisteth not of the law of Moses of which thing yâ— Iewes continually boasted of But the first interpretacioÌ„ more agreeth with the words of the Apostle But whether soeuer interpretacion be admitted Origen hath therby no defence to proue that men attayne vnto righteousnes by the worthines True righteousnes dependeth not of the endeuor of men but of the goodnes of God The Iews did not rightly follow righteousnes of workes Yea rather the very wordes of the Apostle most plainly declare that true righteousnes dependeth not of the endeuor or worthines of men but of the goodnes and mercy of God For he sayth that the Israelites following the law of righteousnes attained not vnto righteousnes But this semeth vnto humane reason very absurd namely that those which followed not should obteyne and those which followed should be frustrated Howbeit this we ought to consider that the Israelites did not vprightly and lawfully seke it For if they had sought it according to the meaning of the law for as much as Christ is the end of the law they had doubtles beleued in him and so should haue bene iustified But by cause Paul in this place twise repeteth the righteousnes of the law some thinke yâ— those wordes are not in either place to be a like vnderstanded For in the first place by the law of rightousnes they thinke is to be vnderstanded the outward law and in the second place the true righteousnes as though Paul should saye that the Iewes applied themselues vnto the outward obseruation of the law but could not attayne vnto the true righteousnes in Christ Which interpretation I indede dislike not howebeit I thinke that these wordes may in eyther place be taken in one and the same sence so that the meaning is although that Wherfore the law of God is called the law of righteousnes the Iewes had purposed in theyr minde to kepe the law geuen them of God which law is called the law of righteousnes for that in it is contayned moste perfect righteousnes yet being voyde of fayth and of the spirite of Christ they could not kepe the law and therfore they were frustrated of theyr purpose and of that which they had determined in theyr minde so that they neyther had the true righteousnes which the Gentiles had obteyned and also were frustrated of that righteousnes which they sought for And the ground of that error was The grouÌ„d of the error of the Iewes in folowing of righteousnes Faith the soule of the commaundementes of God for that they being destitute of fayth and in the meane time supposing that they mought be iustified by workes applied themselues vnto workes only But without fayth these thinges are in vayne enterprised For fayth is the soule and life of all those thinges which are commaunded in the law Seing therfore that they fayled of the prescript of the law they had not Christ by whome their transgression of the law mought be forgeuen and by whome that which wanted mought be supplied And these workes whereof Paul speaketh the Fathers referre vnto the rites and ceremonies of the law of Moses but that as we haue declared is straÌ„ge from the very methode and doctrine which Paul vseth in thys epistle The contencion indede at the first beganne as we haue oftentimes said aboute ceremonies But Paul to proue that they can not iustify added a generall What Paul in this place vnderstandeth by workes In the obteinyng of rightousnes workes are as contrary opposed vnto fayth They which ascribe righteousnes vnto workes are not iustified proposition namely that no workes of what kinde soeuer they be in as much as they are workes haue power to iustify wherefore Paul in this place by workes vnderstandeth not only ceremonies but also all dewties of life This moreouer is worthy to be noted that Paul in this place in such sort affirmeth that righteousnes is taken hold of by fayth that vnto it he opposeth workes as contrary For when he had said that the Gentiles attayned vnto righteousnes by fayth streight way he addeth that the Iewes fell away from the law of righteousnes although they endeuored themselues thereunto namely for that they sought it not by fayth But why they sought it not by fayth he geueth a reason for that they sought it by workes Whereof it followeth that they are not iustified which abscribe righteousnes vnto workes For to put conâ—idence in them and to attribute righteousnes vnto them is an assured and euident let that thou canst not attayne vnto the true righteousnes Chrisostome noteth that these wordes of Paul which eyther pertayne vnto the Gentiles or which pertayne vnto the Iewes may be reduced to thrée wonderful principal poynts For first of the Gentiles he sayth that they attayned vnto righteousnes which Three things here out gathered against the meaning of the Iewes How the righteousnes of faith is greater then the righteousnes of workes thing the Iewes could in no case abide to heare for they would haue had none but themselues counted to pertayne to the kingdome of Christ SecoÌ„dly which is also more wonderfull he sayth that they attayned vnto righteousnes when as they gaue not themselues vnto righteousnes And which is most wonderfull of all he sayth that the righteousnes of fayth which the Gentiles tooke hold of is farre greater then the righteousnes of workes And therefore Paul before in this selfe same epistle thus wrote If Abraham were iustified by workes he hath glory but he hath not whereof to glory before God But how the righteousnes of fayth is greater and ercellenter then the righteousnes of workes is thus to be vnderstanded that although the workes of men not regenerate seme to be honest and notable and bring with them a certayne ciuill righteousnes yet notwithstanding is that righteousnes of so small valew that before God it is none at all yea rather it is counted for sinne Farther the holines and vprightnes of works which are done of men regenerate although it please God yet can it not abide to be examined tried by his exacte iudgmeÌ„t For our righteousnesses are like a cloth stayned with the naturall course of
muste not be turned into a father In euery commaundement of the law two thinges to be considered and commaunded These wordes of the Apostle teach that this is the principal office of the lawe to direct vs vnto Christ wherefore vnto the Galathians it is called a scholemaster Wherefore they are worthely to be reproued which of a scholemaster make it a father seking rightousnes at the lawes hād which ought to be looked for at Christes hand onely Let vs therefore hereby learne in euery precept of the lawe to consider two things namely our sinnes and Christ our deliuerer whome al the commaundementes shewe forth for otherwise we shal vnprofitably consider of the lawe And the Iewes for that they excluded Christ in vayne boasted of the lawe as they which had not the lawe but only a shadow thereof And when that is added Vnto righteousnes to euery one that beleueth Paul putteth vs in mynde of the calling of the Gentiles affirming that al kinde of men so that they beleue shal be pertakers of this ende of the lawe Farther let vs for a certainty know that of this proposition dependeth the summe of Christian religion For The sūme of Christian religion the Iewes in vrging the lawe of Moses and the Ethnikes in following the law of nature mought paraduenture boast of some righteousnes but that righteousnes is straight way reproued when as we heare that Christ is the ende of euery If frō actions be takē away theyr iust ende they are not vpright iust lawe And I thinke no man is ignoraunt that if from vertues and humane actions be taken away their due ende all the vprightnes of them fayleth Wherefore this place moreouer proueth y◠all the workes of infidels are sinnes for that they want their end They which are endued with the righteousnes of fayth attaine also vnto the righteousnes of the lawe For being The works of infidels are sinnes They whiche are endued wyth the righteousnes of faith attaine also vnto the righteousnes of the law but not contrariwise The righteousnes of faith and of the law in what sort they are opposite The righteousnesse of faith may be ioyned together with that righteousnes of the lawe whiche followeth iustification A similitude taken out of Logike They whiche are not regenerate cā not haue good motions of the minde Hereout is gathered a consolation of the Iues iustified they labour with all industry and diligence to obey the will of God And contrariwise they which haue not the righteousnes of faith vtterly want the righteousnes of the lawe For the thinges which they do they can not make to frame whē as they want their end But if these ▪ two rightousnesses be so ioyned together how are they by an antithesis opposite the one to the other We aunswere that the righteousnes of faith and that righteousnes which followeth iustification are not opposite as contraries for although the one be not the other yet are they both one But the antithesis is contrary betwene the righteousnes of faith and that which goeth before iustification And the endeuor to obtayne iustification by this or by that hath such a contrary oppositiō that the one can not stand with the other And Chrisostome is in this place warely to be read when he saith that the righteousnes of faith and the righteousnes of the law differ not in very dede but are one the selfe same for he is deceaued for it is not possible y◠it should be so for y◠the righteousnes of God as we haue said is the absolution from sinnes but the righteousnes of the lawe or oures consisteth of good workes done after regeneration or before regeneration But peraduēture he mēt y◠which we now teach namely that y◠righteousnes of faith is ioyned together with y◠righteousnes which followeth iustificatiō We may by a similitude not vnaptly sée in what sort this twofold righteousnes is vnto iustification namely as differentia that is difference and proprium that propre is in Logike For as differentia maketh the nature or kinde so the righteousnes of God maketh our iustification for that when we are by him absolued from sinne wee are iustified And as proprium followeth the nature already made so the righteousnes of good works followeth iustification now obteyned and receaueth his force of it and not of the lawe For although the Lawe of God doo labour to make vs iust yet by reason of the prones to euill which is grafted in vs by nature euen from our infancy it looseth his labour for that the lawe amongest other thinges requireth good and spirituall motions which they that are not yet regenerate can in no wise haue And the Apostle by this his doctrine semeth not a little to comfort the weaker sort of the Iewes They were somewhat afeard lest by comming vnto Christ imbrasing the righteousnes of fayth they should be excluded from the true righteousnes of the law but he saith be not aferd y◠by comming vnto Christ ye shall transgresse the lawe for through Christ ye shall both fulfyll it and also be made partakers of the righteousnes of God And that he might not séeme to bring in a new or fayned distinction of righteousnes he alledgeth Moses who maketh mention of either righteousnes Fyrst of the righteousnes of the law he entreateth in Leuiticus in the. 18. chap. the woordes are these Keepe my commaundements and do myne ordinaunces which if a man doo bee shall lyue in them The selfe same sentence also we reade in the .xx. chapiter They The law requireth a moste pertect obedience haue cast away my commaundements which commaundemants who so kepeth shal liue in them But we must remember that when lyfe is promised to them that doo or kéepe the commaundementes that is not to be vnderstanded of a certaine lyght and sclender obedience but of a most perfect for suche an obedience the law requireth But this obedience can no man performe And where as vnto the obseruers of the law is promised life some haue vnderstand thereby thys corporall and temporall life For the transgressers of the law of Moses were put to death What maner of life the law promiseth For it is commaunded He which curseth father or mother let him be slayne Blasphemers also adulterers and breakers of the Sabaoth daye were put to death but they which obeyed remayned on lyue And hereunto it séemeth that the epistle to the Hebrues had a respect in the. 10. chapter where we reade He whych The lyfe whiche is promised is not only tēporall but also eternal maketh frustrate the law of Moses perisheth without any mercy This sentence although it be Augustines and certayne others yet I can not easely admit for that I sée that the life which God promised was not onely temporall but also eternal For there is no doubt but that they pertaine vnto God which doo his will Neither is it conuenient that God should geue vnto them
in this place saith when he writeth And they shall say vnto Sion Thy God raigneth Hetherto hath sinne raigned Wherfore Paul in this Epistle said Let not sin raigne in your mortall body Death also hath raigned For the same Apostle Death hath raigned from Adam euen vnto Moses The Deuill also hath raigned whom the Lord calleth the Prince of this world and Paul the gouernour of this worlde and the God of this worlde All these thinges haue hitherto miserably exercised their What maner of princes the Hebrues had tyranny ouer vs But nowe the Lorde raigneth For as touching outwarde kingdomes the Iewes indéede had many iudges and many kings few good some tollerable but a greate many moste wicked tyrannes And they whiche were good as Dauid Ezechias Iosias and suche like were yet notwithstanding weake neyther coulde they eyther defende the people from calamities or make them good Wherefore the Iewes were oftentimes oppressed of theyr enemies led away into captiuitye and being therout deliuered were in reste for a while But after Alexander the greate came the Macedonians and most grieuously afflicted Iewry After theÌ„ came Pompeius Crassus Herode and last of all Vespasianus and Titus whych vtterly ouerthrew all The church also of Christ had hys outward Princes partly wicked and partly good as touching ciuill righteousnes but yet very Then shall we bee in good estate wheÌ„ Christ raigneth in vs. Wherein coÌ„sisteth the kingdom of God weake Wherefore our estate can neuer be in good case vnlesse Christ raygne in vs. Thys as Daniel sayth in hys seconde chapter is the kingdome of heauen which is neuer corrupted in it is peace not during for a time but an euerlasting peace For in the Psalme it is sayd In his dayes shall aryse righteousnes and aboundance of peace vntill the moone be taken away And in Esay And of his peace there shall be no ende But herein consisteth hys kingdome that we be directed by the word and spirite of God After these two maners Christ raygneth in vs. The woord sheweth what is to be beleued and what is to be done The spirit impelleth and moueth vs to doo these thinges Thys is the euerlasting kyngdome of God whereunto when he wil adioyne any people or any nation he visiteth them by hys ambassadours whych are Preachers of the Gospell and them wyll hee haue to be receaued cherefully yea he sayth He which receaueth you receaueth â—e and he which despiseth you despiseth me We haue now the iudgemeÌ„t of God â—ouchyng Ministers wherewith the beleuers ought very mutch to comfort themselues although the world iudge otherwyse and count them for mad men and 〈…〉 castes and estéeme them as paringes and chips so long as there is a world thâ—y shall be so iudged of But for as much as the iudgement of the world is foo 〈…〉 and vnderstandeth not the thinges that pertayne vnto God therefore we 〈…〉 st not leane vnto it but rather embrace the most firme and most pleasant sen 〈…〉 ce of God Nahum the Prophet in hys fyrst chapter hath the lyke saying of 〈…〉 beutifull féete of such as preach the Gospell so that that whych was foretolde of Esay he also foresawe shoulde come to passe But at Rome in our dayes men At Rome they fall downe to kisse the fete of the Pope drawen by thys testimony of the Prophet doo fall downe and kisse the féete of the Pope as though he preached the Gospell going about the whole worlde preachyng peace when as rather he is a sworne enemy of the Gospell and maketh open warre agaynst the true doctrine thereof neyther at anye tyme ceaseth to disturbe peace betwene Christian Princes The Pope as a sworne enemy of the Gospell not a preacher therof But all obeye not the Gospell For Esay sayth lorde who hath beleued our hearing vnto whom is the arme of the lord reuealed Then faith is by hearing and hearing by the word of God But all obey not the Gospell This séemed to bee agaynst that so great dignitye of the Apostles whych hath now bene proued both by the authoritye of God which sent them and also by theyr ambassadge that very fewe and especially Of preaching doth not always follow the faith of the hearers of the Iewes beleued which came to passe by no other meanes but for that outward preachyng is not alwayes of necessity ioyned wyth the fayth of the hearers For it is possible that for as much as the power of God is not bound vnto instruments a man may beleue wythout a Preacher and on the other syde a man may heare preaching yet not haue fayth As in thys selfe same epistle he ioyned foreknowledge together wyth predestination although manye are foreknowen of God which yet are not predestinated vnto eternall life he ioyned vocation also together wyth iustification although verye manye are called whych yet are not iustified The Apostle in thys place describeth fayth by the name of obedience and that not wythout iust cause for in it is contayned obedience twoo maner Faith is iustly called obedience of wayes For fyrst it is necessary that the minde or humaine reason do geue place vnto the reuelation of God simply consenting thereunto whych thing pertayneth to a redy obedience for otherwise there are many thinges which let and after a sort call vs an other way There is also an other obedience for they which truly beleue endeuor themselues to obey the commaundementes of God whiche thing before they neither did nor could do The Apostle vsed this selfe same phrase in the first chapter of this epistle By whome we haue receaued grace and Apostleship to be obedient vnto fayth In the Actes of the Apostles also it is declared that many of the priestes were obedient vnto faith and in this sence is faith somtimes Why faith is called a law called a law not for that it bringeth with it blessing or cursing but because that it likewise as the law doth requireth obedience howbeit diuerse For the law requireth obedience euen of them that will not and yet in the meane tyme doth it not geue strenthes to performe it but faith forasmuch as it most fully persuadeth piety stirreth vs vp to liue according to the profession thereof And for that thys doubt touching the fewnes of the beleuers chiefely moued the Iewes therefore to quiet their mindes he bringeth a testimony of Esay whose doctrine they durst not reiect whereby they mought vnderstand that God had long tyme before prouided for this skarsity of the beleuers For Esay sayth who hath beleued our hearing The Prophet before those wordes brought in God the father which commaunded that his sonne should be preached and that his reproches which he should suffer for the saluation of mankind should be tolde abroade vnto whome the company of the Prophetes aunswered who hath beleued our hearing And to whome is the arme of the Lord reuealed As if they should say we indéede haue
the word of God then followeth it of necessity that there is nothing whereby fayth is more norished maintayned and confirmed then by continuall reding and repeting of the woorde of God Thys thing testified How â—ayth is norished Tertullian in his Apology when he sayth that to this end holy assembles are gathered together to heare the woord of God The Philosophers say that we of the selfe same thinges both are and are norished wherefore in like sorte is it yâ— if fayth be by the woorde of GOD then by the same also is it nourished We knowe moreouer that of woorkes often repeted are confirmed habites or qualities as contrariwise if a man cease of from actions they waxe weake Wherefore if a man cease to rede to heare or to repete the holy scriptures fayth will waxe feble in him And they which thinke that a liuely and pure faith may continew in Churches without ofteÌ„ preaching doo excedingly erre Chrisostome hath a very similitude of a light or lampe that burneth which easely goeth out vnles A similitude of Chrisostome there be stil oyle powred into it By the lampe or light he vnderstandeth fayth by oyle yâ— word of God this he there writeth where he entreateth of the parable of the wise and foolishe virgens But now yâ— I haue made an end of interpretating the Apostles senteÌ„ce there resteth that out of his sayings we gather things much profitable When he had put a distinction betwene the righteousnes of God and the righteousnes of men and had taught that by the righteousnes of God is to be vnderstanded faith in Christ to the end he would declare that faith pertayned not onely vnto the Hebrues He brought out of the prophet Esay Whosoeuer beleueth in him shall not be made ashamed And out of Ioell Whosoeuer calleth vpon the name of the lord shal be saued These thinges most manifestlye proue the diuinity of Christ For if fayth in him and inuocation of his name haue saluatioÌ„ The diuinitye of Christ proued ioyned with them which thing is most true it followeth of necessity that he is God when as it is not lawfull to put confidence in any creature or to call vpon it Yea these two thinges are so proper vnto God that he communicateth them not vnto others he is pronounced cursed which putteth his confideÌ„ce in man or maketh flesh his arme An other thing worthy to be noted is yâ— that so excellent commendatioÌ„ of the ministers of God is to be referred vnto those only which in very dede execute theyr office for the prophet sayth that the féete of The commendation of the ministery pertaineth not vnto theÌ„ whiche haue only the name or title therof them that preach the Gospel are beautifull and not the fete of them which haue haue only the name or title thereof It hath also bene declared that the word of God is the instrument which the holy ghost vseth to instill fayth into the beleuers wherfore we may conclude that no other thing â—â—ght eyther to be taught or preached in the Church No man also ought to be moued with the fewnes or scarsety of the beleuers for that alwayes euen from the beginning the nomber the faythful hath bene small And Augustine if sometimes he vse this kind of reasoning agaynst the Donatistes when he sayth that they are very few in comparisoÌ„ of the multitude of the catholikes he reasoneth agaynst them as it were a probabili that is by probability agaynst them I say whome he had before by other necessary reasons confured Moreouer when he alledgeth the multitude of Churches he reproueth the error of the Donatistes which had contracted the church of God only into a litle corner of Affrike as though it now had no where place but with them which vtterly ouerthroweth the propriety of the Church namely to be Catholike or vniuersall for it is spread abrode thoroughout all places although euery where be found an incredible smal nomber of them that beleue truly Ireneus also and Tertullian for no other cause appealed to the testimonies of many Churches but for that they had to deale agaynst those heretickâ—s which receaued not the holy scriptures but vsed them maymed vitiated and corrupted as semed good vnto them and therefore to reproue theyr vanity he referred them to the old Churches where the scriptures had ben kept sincere and vncorrupt Last of all is declared what preachers ought to set forth vnto the people if they wil nourish and maintaine the true faith now receaued But I say haue they not heard No doubt theyr sound went ouâ— thoroughout all the earth and theyr woordes into the endes of the worlde But I say haue they not heard When he had reproued the Iewes of incredulity and had shewed that messeÌ„gers were sent vnto them which brought vnto them glad â—idinges of peace whome they beleued not he saw that peraduenture they would excuse them selues that they had not heard How sayth he can ye so say seing that the Gospell is now euery where published abrode He had reproued theyr ignoraunce and the more to aggrauate it he declareth that they could not pretend that they had not heard No doubte theyr sound wente out throughout all the earth By these woordes is shewed that the Gospel was nowe euerye where preached But some thinke that Paul séemeth here to abuse Dauids woordes when as in that place is entreated of the knowledge of God by creatures gotten by the lighte of nature for therto séemeth the scope of the Psalme to tend as touching the first parte thereof For in the other part it entreateth of that knowledge whiche is had by the law or by the scripture for straight waye at the beginning he saith that the heauens declare the glory of God and the firmament or sky set foorth the woorkes of God So that although in heauen are not words nor speaches and albeit that those higher orbes séeme to be without voyce yet notwithstanding is euery where heard theyr speach The Chaldy Paraphrast aptly expresseth this trope or figure for he saith that they which looke vp into heauen do declare abroad the glory of God and they which looke vp vnto the sky do setfoorth his workes signifieng that these creatures indéede speake not but allure vs to speake and to confesse God In Hebrue is not written Theyr sound The Seuenty haue thus turned it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but in Hebrue is written Canam and Can signifieth a line a rule or leuell Neither any other thing can thereout be gathered but yâ— there is séene noted euery where sure rule of the making of the celestiall orbes and that their mouinges succession of their reuolutions is regurall and infallible Wherfore without all doubte the speach of the heauens setting forth their creator is most excellent wherby men are instructed touching many most excellent and most honest senteÌ„ces Cicero in his oration for Milo mencioneth many thinges of the constante order
should say that some of the braunches were broken of when as the greatest part of the Iewes had fallen away And Chrisostome cleaueth vnto his firste exposition namelye that the Apostle in words onely comforteth the Iewes and speaketh to get fauor of them whiche thinge saith he vnles it be well marked he shall séeme to speake manye thinges repugnant This interpretacion I thinke not so apte for if there be in the scriptures admitted any kinde of lye there shall doubtles be nothing remayning in them whiche shal be without suspition of a lie or of falshoode Paul in this place had a respect not onely to one age of the people of the Iewes but to the whole nation together both which was from the beginning and which should be euen vnto yâ— end of the world And who séeth not that theÌ„ at that time were saued a great part There were many most holy patriaches iudges kings priestes prophetes priuate men and women which were all deare vnto God and towardes the end of the world they shall in great heapes be conuerted vnto Christe Yea and in the Apostles time there were in one day wonne vnto the Lord fiue thousand What marueile then is it if he saye that some or certaine braunches were broken of It Paul in this treatise maketh no lie mought haue séemed a lie if all had bene cut of Further althoughe the Apostle do somewhat extenuate or rather lenifye that which was in déede verye harde to be spoken yet maketh he no lie to speake for fauour or to comfort in woordes onely contrary to the truth of the matter Wherefore he putteth the Gentils in minde what manner ones they were before and in what state the Iewes were in times paste before God And doubtles if the Gentils had considered with theÌ„selues their former estate and the publike and ciuill doctrine and manners receaued amongst them they should haue found nothing in a manner which was not obnoxions vnto the curse And if they had any thing afterward whereof to glory the same came The grafting in of the GeÌ„â—les into the wilde oliue tree is wonderful wholy not of the doctrine and manners receiued of long time amongst them but of their new grafting into Christ in the place of the Iewes which had falleÌ„ away And without doubt that grafting in of the Gentils which we now entreat of was wonderful The lord sayd of it Many shall come from the east and from the weast shall rest with Abraham Isaack and Iacob c. And Paul excellently wel expresseth the same vnto the Ephesians in the 2. chapter saying Remember that ye beinge in times past Gentiles in the flesh were called vncircuÌ„cision of theÌ„ which are called circumcision in the flesh whiche circumcision is made with handes that I say ye were at that time without Christ aleantes from the common wealth of Israell and straungers froÌ„ the couenantes of the promise and had no hope and were Atheistes or without God in the world but now ye which were once farre of are made neere through Christ by his bloud And straightway in the selfe same chapter Now therfore ye are no more straungers and foreners but citezens with the saintes and of the household of God and are built vpon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets And this is to be noted yâ— this place The olde Testament and the new is one and the self same thing as touching the substaunce maketh much to proue that the olde Testament and the new is one and the selfe same For the roote is one and the selfe same and the stocke or bodye of the trée is one and the selfe same the Iewes are cut of and we are grafted in one and the selfe faith abideth one and the selfe same mediator the selfe same sacramentes as touching the thinge although the outward signes and ceremonies are chaunged And doubtles the promises as touching the substance abide now the selfe same although at that time were mingled with them certaine shadowes of thinges as of theyr infinite populous multitude of the possession of the lande of Chanaan of the kingdome of the priesthoode of the temple or tabernacle c. Wherefore the substaunce thing and spirite are in either testament one and the same onely there is found some difference in qualities and certayne circumstances But whereas the Apostle calleth the stocke and propagation of the saintes an oliue trée it may seme that he tooke that out of the holye scriptures For in the 11. chapter of Ieremy the Lord said that he had made Iuda an oliue tree full of braunches fruitefull and fat but he there prophesieth that it shoulde be broken for their impiety whiche sentence the Apostle nowe vseth namely that the braunches are broken of And Dauid saide I as a greene oliue tree and full of braunches in the house of the Lorde haue put my truste in my God In whiche sentence is touched the cause of the fatnesse namelye for that the Saintes put their confidence in God and do truelye beleue in him I mighte also speake of that parable whiche in the booke of Iudges Ioathan the sonne of Ierobaall brought against Abimelech and against the Sichimites where he maketh mencion of the Oliue trée and and of the fatnes thereof together with the swéetnes of the fig trée and pleasantnes of the vine trée wherefore these thrée kinds of trées the vine trée the oliue trée and the figge trée are in the scriptures compared vnto the Church The Cedre trée also is somtimes added because of the beauty and heigth therof Although of the vine trée it be sayd that it was turned into a wild vine yet that is not to be vnderstanded vniuersally but only as touching the braunches which fell away Wherfore Augustine hath a very good saying that this tree is putata non amputata pruned and not cleane cut away The Apostle straight way prohibiteth the Gentles from glorieng against the Iewes He indéede forbiddeth not glorying generally for how can it be but It is not possible but that we should reioyce in the giftes of God that we should reioyce in the giftes of God but addeth against the bowes that are broken of namely that we should not reproch them To glory against theÌ„ were to glory against the roote and to go about in a manner to striue euen against Abraham who is our father For in the third to the Galathyans it is written They which are of faith are the sonnes of Abraham And likewise to the Romanes in the 4. chapiter But in Pauls metaphore the absurdity is a great deale more manifest if the braunches should arise against the roote Neither is the elegance of the meatophore of the wild oliue trée lightly to be passed ouer for euen as the wild oliue trée hath in deede the forme and shape of an oliue trée but yet as touching the ende and fruits it is not so prayse worthy so they which are straungers from Christ
of our will is as though it should lie in our hand to stand in the goodnes of God or not to abide in incredulitye when we are fallen into it And for some profe and confirmation of this his corrupt sentence he from the true sense wresteth these wordes If thou continue in his bountefulnes and saith If thou shalt do the things which worthely are correspondent vnto the goodnes of God and he sayth not If thou shalt abide in fayth for fayth onely is not sufficient These thinges in very déede are not so For Paul althoughe he sayd not If thou abide in fayth yet is it all one when he sayth If thou abide in his bountefulnes For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as we a litle before sayd is goodnes and a certeyne redines of the mind to do good to any In this goodnes of God sayth he if thou abide that is if thou fall not away from it In which wordes he most manifestly attributeth vnto the goodnes of God our conseruation For of it dependeth faith whereby we Paul putteth the cause for the effect are saued Wherefore he putteth the cause in stede of the effect For before he had sayd Thou standest by fayth but that thou shouldest not thinke that yâ— fayth is of thy self now he maketh mencion of bountefulnes whereof as of his true beginning fayth dependeth and that this is true it is plainly to sée by the Antithesis or contrary position For he sayth If they abide not in their incredulity they shal be restored agayne thou shalt be cut of if thou continue not in his bountefulnes This bountefulnes as thou séest is opposite vnto incredulitye and therfore it occupieth the place of fayth and that very aptly when as fayth is inspired vnto vs by the singular bountefulnes of God Neyther ought we to thinke which thing that godly father séemeth to goe aboute to proue that it lieth in the handes of euery man either to continue and to abide in a good and holy purpose or els if peraduenture we fall to be restored agayne For what dead man is able to rayse vp himselfe agayne or in stéede of a stony hart to graft in himselfe a fleshy hart And that perseuerance also is the gift of God the Apostle declareth when he sayth that it is Perseuerance is the gift oâ— God God which geueth both to will and to preforme and that according to his good will And Augustine wrote a very good booke De bono perseuerantiae whereout we may aboundantly gather sound doctrine But what néede there many arguments for proue hereof Paul himself discusseth this question when he addeth For God is able to graft them in agayne He sayth not that it lieth in their handes this worke he attributeth vnto God only Why do we then runne vnto True faith which iustifieth is neuer alone the power of our owne will or to the determination of our owne purpose And whereas he sayth that fayth alone is not sufficient when we speake of iustification this is in no wise to be receaued especially seing that he himselfe in an other place sayth that fayth alone is sufficient and so is contrary to hymselfe Notwithstanding to auoyde confusion in serching out of these thinges this we ought to know that the true and iustifying faith is neuer alone but hath ioyned with it other good workes and vertues But yet as the effects thereof which effectes followe naturally after that it hath iustified the beleuer so that amongest other effectes iustificatioÌ„ hath the first place Origen noteth in this place that of the Iewes Amongest the effectes of faith iustification hath the first place it is sayd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is they are broken of but of the Gentiles 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is thou shalt be cut of and he thinketh it a farre more greauous thinge to be cut of then to be broken of as though the punishement of the Gentiles if they should fall away from the faith receaued should be more grâ—uous then the punishement of the Iewes which were remoued from their old estate I can skarsely be perswaded that Paul in these woords had such subtile vnderstandinges Further the holy scriptures neuer in any place make mencion that the fall of the Gentiles should be more greauously punished then the fall of the Iewes Yea rather if a man will consider the matter well he shall see that if punishements ought to be according to the sinnes whersoeuer is the greauouser sinne Whether fal is more greuous the fall of the Iewes or the fall of the Ethnikes there ought to be the greauouser punishement inflicted And if the Iewe and the Ethnike be equally placed in the calling of God and both as it possibly may be do fall it is out of doubt that the Iew sinneth more greauously for that besides the fayth of Christ which he hath common with the Ethnike he was in comparison of him endewed with many other gifts which forasmuch as he hath neglected in falling away from God he is the more ingrate and therfore his fault is the greater That the Iewes shall at the last be restored agayne the Apostle proueth by the power of God And his argument is taken à maiori that is of the greater If God could graft thee into it being by nature a wild oliue tre and strange from a good oliue trée how much more is he able to restore the braÌ„ches which were in tymes past broken of from the fat oliue tree And when he sayth that the Gentiles were cut of from the naturall wild oliue trée he semeth to affirme that malice or wickednes is naturally in them which ought not to be vnderstanded of nature as it was instituted of God which was created good but as it is corrupted thorough the sinne of Adam and so by generation deriued into his posteritye And wast contrary to nature grafted into the true oliue tree Shall we say that it is contrary to the nature of men though they be Ethnikes and infidells A distinctioÌ„ of the nature of meÌ„ to be called agayne to God and to be conuerted vnto pietye We must make a distinction of the nature of men either as it is referred vnto God or as it is referred to his owne proprietyes For as it is referred vnto God there can nothing be done of him in it which is not sayd to be done according to nature for this is naturall to euery thing created to be subiect vnto his Creator And man It is naturall to the creature to be subiect to his creator was made to the Image of God and to this end instituted to be ioyned to his Creator wherfore both by the fyrst counsell of God whereby he made man also by the nature of thinges created which are naturally subiect vnto the efficacy and working of their author it is naturall vnto men religiously to cleaue vnto God Wherefore sinners are not sayd to be grafted into the good
thinges Whether faith be defined in that place to the Hebrewes are past neyther are they hoped for to come agayne These two reasons of Hostiensis are very weake neyther do they proue that these wordes vnto the Hebrues can not be applied vnto the definition of fayth I graunt in deede that the entente thereof the Apostle or what soeuer he was that was the author of the Epistle was not to define fayth because then he chiefely entreated of patience endeuoured to shewe that it is most of all ioyned vnto fayth because fayth is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a substance c. But by this his reason are touched all thinges that expresse the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is applied vnto hope also nature of fayth And to the first obiection we say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or substance may in deede be applied vnto hope but yet that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which it draweth from fayth not that which it hath of it self Neyther ought it to seeme any new thing if these Diuers and sundry natures haue somethyng common in their definitions thinges which are of a diuers nature haue some thing common in their definitions for a Lyon a dogge and a maÌ„ although they differ much in nature yet herein they agree in that they be liuing creatures and therefore in their definitions is something put which is common vnto them all when as they are both bodies and also thinges hauing life and endewed with senses Wherfore it ought not to seeme meruelous if fayth and hope agree in this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 forasmuch as they are seperate by other differences For in fayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is referred vnto the assent 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 what it hath a regard vnto in faith â–ª and what in hope but in hope to the expectation whereby we patiently abide vntill the promises such thinges as we haue receaued by fayth be rendred vnto vs. To the other reason we aunswere that Paul made mencion also of thinges past whiche are made playne vnto vs by fayth for he sayth not onely that it is a substaunce of thinges to bee hoped for but addeth that it is an argumente or conuiction of thinges that appeare not Nowe those thinges also whiche are paste appeare not Faith hath a respect to things pest and also to things present so that they be hâ—â—den for by that worde Paul or any other whatsoeuer he was comprehendeth what soeuer is beleued and is not euident whether it be paste or whither it be to come or whether it be now present But peraduenture thou wilt demaund why in the first place he maketh mencion of those thinges which are hoped for we aunswere that it is aptly done because worthely are those thinges put first which are more harde to beleue For peraduenture there are some which will easly inough graunt that God created all thinges that Christe the sonne of God came into the worlde and was borne of the virgine and such like but yet they will much doubte of the remission of their sinnes of the resurrection of the flesh to come and of the eternal glory which shal be geuen vnto the iuste Wherefore aptlye and orderly are those things placed which are read in the Epistle to the Hebrues But what the nature of faith is Esay the Prophet hath aptly expressed in the 26. chap. in which place is described the church as a citie built of God The Prophet crieth Open your gates a iust nation shall enter therein And he addeth the cause of that righteousnes Schomar emanim that is preseruing or keping fayth where thou séest that by faith the beleuers are iustified Then he addeth in what thing consisteth that faith whereby the people of God is iuste namely because Iatsar semoch titsor schalom that is with a constant affect thou shalt kepe peace This is the true faith whereby we are iustified namelye because we beleue that God will be vnto vs the author of peace and felicity and a faithfull kéeper of his promise Augustine in his 40. treatise vpon Iohn saith What is faith but to beleue that which thou seest not Whiche selfe same thing he writeth vpon the words of the Apostle in his 27. sermon but in his booke de spiritu Litera the 31. chap. he writeth that to beleue is nothing els but to consent that that is true which is spoken The Master of the sentences in the third Distinction the .xxiii. saith that faith sometimes is that which we beleue For in the Symbole of Athanasius it is saide And this is the Catholike faithe that wee The Symbole of Athanasius A distinctioÌ„ of fayth A liuely faith and â— dead fayth The fayth of miracles shoulde beleue c. But somtimes it is that whereby we beleue and in this latter signification do we vnderstande faith in this disputation He seperateth also a liuely faith from a deade faith whiche distinction is to bee liked because Iames maketh mencion of a dead faith But we must know that a dead faith is only a faith in name neither is it any more a faith then is a deade man a man For euen as a dead man is called a man although he be none so a dead faith although it be called a faith yet hath it not the nature of faith There is also an other kind of faith whiche serueth to work miracles and much differreth from the faith which iustifieth and is common both the godly also to the vngodly Of this Paul maketh mencioÌ„ in the first to the Corrinthians when he sayth Vnto one is geuen the woorde of wisedome to an other the word of knowledge to an other he saith is geuen faith and it is not méete that in that rehersall of giftes and frée graces is ment any other faith then that which is the roote of miracles especially wheÌ„ as straightway are added gifts of healinge and giftes of vertues or powers And of this kinde of faith both Chrisostome and also Theophilactus haue made mencion vpon the same firste Epistle to the Corrinth where in the xiij chapter it is saide If I haue all fayth so that I can remoue mountaines And that vnto the wicked also is this kinde of faith graunted is hereby testified in that it is most certaine that of them are set forth both Prophesies and miracles Wherefore Christ shall say vnto them I know you not although with full mouth they boast Haue not in thy name prophesied haue we not caste out deuils There is an other faith whiche endureth but for a time of whiche the Lorde Faith that dureth but for a tyme. made mencion in the parable of the séede which is sowen in the field for all falleth not vpon good earth but some vpon stony ground and when it is sprong vp it very plainly declareth those which with a glad and ioyfull minde receaue the worde of God but when the burning heate and
iustifieth whome he wil hauing no respect vnto condition and merites there humane reason is very much offended there our flesh ceaseth not to cry against But if either of them namely iustification and election should happen by works and merites there should be no trouble no offence no stumbling blocke layde agaynst vs. But forasmuch as it is farre otherwise and that by vs can not be rendred a reason of the will of God Paul therefore iustly and worthely cryeth out and it is mete that all men if they be wise should geue place to this his sentence The 30. In the 14. chapiter we find written Blessed is he which iudgeth not himselfe in that which he alloweth But he which iudgeth if he eate is condemned because he eateth not of fayth For whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Hereby are we taught that they which want a true faith can do or performe nothing which is not sinne I know in déede that the aduersaryes interprete these wordes of the conscience but they are neuer able to proue that fayth signifieth conscience And although paraduenture Paul entreate of it at the beginning namely that we oughte not to doo any thing against our conscience yet afterward after a sort he bringeth in a generall sentence when he writeth Whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne As though he should haue sayd this is a generall rule when men go about to do any thing they ought to be perswaded by the spirite and word of God that that which they are in hand to do is acceptable vnto God and pleaseth him which persuasion if they haue not then vndoubtedly in dooing that which they do they sinne And if I should graunt that in thys place fayth signifyeth the conscience yet I suppose that thys thynge also were to be added namely that the conscience oughte not to bee beleued vnlesse it bée instructed by the woorde of God For as muche as there are many whiche haue so supersticious a conscience that whether they obey it or not obey it they sinne most gréeuously but I will not at this present stand longe about the expounding of this place forasmuch as I entreated of it before and will afterward speake somewhat thereof when I shall come to the place Farther let vs heare what is said in the 4. chapter of the first epistle to the Corrinthians where it is thus written I know nothing by my selfe yet am I not thereby iustified These The 31. words Paul spake of his ministery being now conuerted vnto Christ being now an Apostle whō as touching his functiō no mā was able to accuse And if so great a frend of God pronounced this of himselfe of his workes what should we attribute iustification to the workes of them that are not yet regenerate The works of the godly and of the chiefe Apostle of Christ could not deserue it how then can it be graunted vnto those which are yet straungers from Christ To the Galathians the second chapiter Paul repeteth that sentence which he had written in the 3. chapiter to the Romanes namely that no flesh shal be iustified by the workes of the lawe which sentence forasmuch as it is playne ynough hath bene alredy before recited nedeth now no farther declaration But in the third chapter is written If The 32. righteousnes come by the lawe then Christ died gratis In which place gratis signifieth nothing els but vaynely and to no purpose which then vndoubtedly should be most true For if true righteousnes before God could by any other meanes haue bene attayned vnto of men why then dyed he and why was he crucified And agayne This thing only I desire to learne of you receaued ye the spirite by the workes of The 33. of the lawe or by the preaching of fayth And straight way He therefore that ministreth vnto you the spirite and worketh miracles amongst you doth he that through the deedes of the lawe or by the preaching of fayth They which are iustified receaue the holy ghost for without it it is vtterly impossible to be iustified and if it be not geuen The 34. through works neither can iustification then come through workes Farther it is not to be doubted of any man but that iustification commeth of the good will and fauour of God when as by it men are receaued into grace adopted into his children made heyres of eternal life But such as before iustificatiō are occupied in the workes of the law ar bound vnder the curse so far is it of y◠they should haue the fruition of the fauour of God for the Apostle addeth As many as are vnder the lawe are vnder the curse But to the ende we should not thinke this to be his owne inuention he sayth As it is written Cursed be he which abideth not in all the thynges that are written in the booke of the lawe After this he argueth from the time The 35. I speake after the maner of men Though it be but a mans testament yet if it be allowed no man despiseth it or addeth any thing thereto Moreouer to Abraham were the promises made and to his seede he sayth not to his seedes as speaking of many but to thy seede as of one which is Christ. This I say that the law which began afterward beyond 430. yeares doth not disanull the testament that was before confirmed of God vnto Christ ward to make the promises of none effect First saith he the Testament of God and the first promise offreth iustification without workes Wherefore that testament confirmed receaued and allowed is not restrayned by the lawe The 36. which was so long tyme afterward geuen If there had ben a law geuen which could haue geuen life then should righteousnes haue bene of the law This reason of the Apostle is not full for there should haue bene added the deniall of the antecedent namely that the lawe can not geue life For as it is declared vnto the Romanes It was weakened through the fleshe although as touching it selfe it contayned commaundements which pertayned vnto life Wherfore seing it is for certayne that the lawe can not geue life neither can it also iustifye But before that fayth came The 37. we were kept vnder the law were shut vp vnto that faith which afterward should be reuealed Wherfore the law was our scholemaster vnto Christ that we should be iustified by fayth If the law be as it were a scholemaster then should we do greate iniury vnto God and vnto Christ which are vnto vs in the stead of parents if we should ascribe vnto the scholemaster that which is proper vnto them It is not the scholemaster which maketh vs heires which adopteth vs which geueth vs all thinges but the father Wherfore let vs ascribe our iustification vnto God vnto Christ and not vnto the law nor vnto workes nor to our merites Tell me ye that would so The 38. faine be vnder the law Do
regarde to his body being past getting of children nor to the wombe of Sara being past childbearing and that he staggered not by reason of distrust but was by faith confirmed most certainely persuaded that God was able to performe what so euer he had promised This example teacheth vs that we ought not to haue a regarde vnto those things which either may or seeme to hinder our iustification but our faith ought vtterly to be fixed in the words and promises of God but contrariwise these men will call vs backe to our owne indispositions as they cal them and will haue vs therefore alwayes to be in doubt of our iustification In dede we ought not to dissemble whatsoeuer imperfection or fault is in vs and that for this cause that it may be daily amended and corrected Yet ought we not therefore to be in doubt and wauering touching our iustification and the grace of God Now haue we to proue the second proposition namely that a man is iustified by faith Which thing we entend first to proue by testimonies of the holy A confirmation that we are iustified by faith scriptures Paule in the first chapter of this Epistle thus defineth the Gosple that it is the power of God to saluation to euery one that beleueth In these wordes is touched the efficient cause of our iustification namely the power of God and the ende which is our saluation and also the instrument wherby it is receiued namely faith for he addeth vnto euery one that beleueth And this he confirmeth by a testimony of Abacucke the Prophet In which sentence he so much delighted that he vsed it both to the Galathians and also to the Hebrues in the self same sense He addeth moreouer that the wrathe of God was reueled from heauen by reason of the knowledge of the Philosophers which withheld the truthe of God in vnrighteousnesse and which when they knew God glorified him not as God but fell to the worshipping of Idols But contrariwise in the gospell is reuealed the righteousnesse of God namely that righteousnesse whereby men are iustified from faith to faith which phrase of speache we haue in his due place sufficiently expounded in the third chapter Now is the righteousnesse of God saith he made manifest without the law the righteousnesse I say of God by the faith of Iesus Christ in all and vpon all them which beleue in him And a little afterward wherefore being iustified frely by his grace by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus whome God hath set forth a propitiator by faith in his bloud Here also is not onlye shewed the grace by which God fréely iustifieth vs but also Christ his deathe is set forthe that it may manifestly appeare that he is the reconciliator and the mediator Wherunto also is added faith wherby we receiue the fruit of his redemption to the shewing forth also of his righteousnesse in this time that he might be iust and iustifying him which is of the faith of Iesus Christ. If men coulde by theyr workes get vnto themselues righteousnesse the righteousnesse of God shoulde not then be so declared But seeing we sée that it is communicated vnto vs by faith without any preparation of workes it must needes seeme vnto vs very great And amongst other things which God requireth of men this is the chiefest that they should not any thing glory of themselues But if iustification should consist of workes men might boast of their owne endeuor and industry But seeing we are freely iustified by faith there is no place left for boasting Wherfore Paule saith Thy boasting is excluded by what law by the law of works No but by the law of faith Wherfore he concludeth after this manner We iudge that man is iustified by faith without works And that we should not think that that proposition is particular he declareth that it is vniuersall â–ª God saith he is he the God of the Iewes only is he not the God of the gentiles also Yea of the Gentiles also For it is one God which iustifieth vncircumcision through faith and circumcision by faith Wherefore euen as there is but one God ouer all men so iustifieth he all men by one and the selfe same way And in the fourth chapter he saith but vnto him which worketh not but beleueth in him which iustifieth the wicked faith is imputed vnto him vnto righteousnesse By this sentence are bothe workes excluded and also faith is set forth by which is imputed righteousnesse vnto men And straight way he addeth of Abraham that he is the father of all them that beleue by vncircumcision that it might also be imputed vnto them and that he is the father of circumcision not only vnto them which are of circumcision but also vnto them which walke in the steps of faith which was in the vncircumcision of Abraham our father Afterward by the nature of the promesse he sheweth that iustification is by faith For he saith by the lawe was not the promesse made vnto Abraham and vnto his seede to be the heire of the worlde but by the righteousnesse of faith for if those which are of the law should be heires then shold faith be abolished and the promesse made voide In these words are two excellent things to be noted The first is that the promesse is free â–ª neither is it ioyned with the condition of workes and therfore seing faith is as a correlatiue referred vnto the promesse it must needes follow that it is such as the promesse is and therefore it hath a respecte vnto the promesse by it selfe and not to the conditions of our vntowardnesse or indisposition as the good holy Fathers of Trent â—eache The second is that if the inheritance and righteousnesse should depend of that condition of works then had there bene no néede of the promesie For meÌ„ might haue sayd why is that fréely promised vnto vs which we can claime vnto our selues by our owne endeuor and labor Or why is it so necessary that we shold beleue when as by our owne workes we can attaine vnto righteousnesse Afterward Paule addeth the finall cause why iustification commeth by fayth By grace sayth he that the promesse might be firme for if by our owne works and preparations we should be iustified the promesse should alwayes be vnstedfast neither could we appoint any certaintie of it Afterwarde he putteth the example of Abraham who as it is before said contrary to hope beleued in hope neither had he a regarde vnto those things which as touching his owne part mought haue bene a let vnto the promesse of God namely his own body being nâ—w as it were dead and an hundreth yeare olde and the age of Sara his wife These things sufficiently declare what maner of faith that was by which vnto Abraham was imputed righteousnesse so that thereby we also may vnderstande the power and nature of faithe which iustifieth Paule also addeth that by suche a faith is muche aduaunced the
glory of God For when as nothing is attributed vnto our merites and workes it must néedes be that the whole glory redoundeth vnto God Therefore Paule saith of Abraham he gaue the glory vnto God knowing this most fully that what soeuer he had promised he was able also to performe And the more to expresse the certainty of faith he vsed this participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby he signifieth that Abraham with a certaine most full assent embrased the promesse of God And least any man should thinke that this was a proper and peculâ—are prerogatiue geuen vnto Abraham the Apostle addeth an vniuersall rule and saith that it was not written for him only that it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse but also for vs vnto whome it shall be imputed so that we beleue in him which raised vp Iesus Christ from the dead which was deliuered for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Farther out of the .v. chapter we haue also an other testimony wherfore seing saith he we be iustified by faith we haue peace towards God through Iesus Christ by whome we haue accesse through faith into this grace wherein we stand Here are two things to be noted the one is that we are iustified by faith and that by grace the second that vnto this grace is not an entraunce made open by preparatioÌ„s or works which dispose vs but only by faith In the. vâ—ij chapter are set forth as it were certaine steppes and degrees by which we must come to eternal saluation WhoÌ„ he hath foreknown saith he those also hath he predestinate that they shold be like fashioned vnto the image of the sonne of God that he might be the first begotteÌ„ amongst many brethreÌ„ And whoÌ„ he hath predestinate those also hath he called And whoÌ„ he hath called those hath he iustified and whoÌ„ he hath iustified those also will he glorifie Here are reckened vp .v. degrees foreknowledge predestination vocation iustification and glorification in which as touching our purpose let vs consider what commeth betwene vocation and iustification And that is nothing else but faith For for as muche as vocation is done by the promise of iustification and of saluation the same is receiued by faith geuing assent thereunto Towardes the ende of the .ix. chapter is set forthe a difference betweene the Iewes and the Gentiles and a reason is geuen why the Gentiles obtained righteousnesse and not the Iewes For thus Paule saith What shall we say then That the Gentiles which followed not righteousnesse haue taken holde of righteousnesse which is by faith But Israell which followed righteousnesse attained not vnto the lawe of righteousnesse bicause they sought it not by faith but as it were by workes What caÌ„ there be more manifest then these words for they declare that they which wil be iustified by faith doe obtaine righteousnesse but those which doe aspire vnto it by works doe labor but in vaine This self thing he proueth euen from the beginning of the .x. chapter where he describeth two kindes of righteousnesse the one which he calleth ours which consisteth of works the other which he calleth the righteousnesse of God which is taken holde of by faith And thus he writeth They being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God and going about to establishe their owne are not obedient vnto the righteousnesse of God Hereby it is manifest that they which wil establish their owne righteousnesse â–ª that is the righteousnesse of works do fall away from the righteousnesse of God Paule goeth on and more plainly openeth the nature of these two kinde of righteousnesses Moses sayth he thus wryteth of the righteousnesse which commeth of the lawe The man which dothe these things shall liue in them By these words he sheweth that the righteousnesse of the law consisteth in workes But of the righteousnesse which commeth of faithe he thus speaketh Say not thou in thine heart who shall ascend vp into heauen to fetch Christ from thence or who shall descend into the deepe to fetche vp Christ againe from the dead But what saith he The word is nigh thee euen in thy mouthe and in thine heart The same is the worde of faith which we preach which word he which beleueth in his heart and with his mouth confesseth the Lord Iesus Christ shal be saued Hereby we se that not the righteousnesse of the lawe which is had by workes but the righteousnesse of faithe is it which bringeth saluation And this is by the latter words more manifestly confirmed For in that there is added With the heart we beleue vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth is confession made vnto saluation the later clause touching confession which semeth to be an outward worke is therfore added least we shold thinke that the faith wherby we are iustified should be idle for it is not a vaine barren faith such a one as our aduersaries dreame that we obtrude It hath most pleÌ„tifull and most aboundant fruits amongst which the confession of piety obtaineth the first place and is most necessaryest Hereunto Paule addeth a testimony out of the Prophet he which beleueth in him shall not be made ashamed They are commonly ashamed which coÌ„trary to their expectation are frustrated of that which they hoped to haue obtained Wherefore the meaning is He which beleueth in Christ and by this faith waiteth for saluatioÌ„ shal not be put to shame bicause he shall not be frustrated of his hope He addeth also an other testimony taken out of the Prophet Ioel Whosoeuer doth call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued in which words the promise of saluation seemeth to be ascribed vnto inuocation But Paule profitably teacheth as I haue before oftentimes said wheÌ„ Note thaâ— the scriptures teach a resolution froÌ„ workes â–ª vnto fayth And againe from fayth to his obiect promises seeme to be adioyned vnto workes we must alwayes run from them vnto the roote and foundation namely vnto faith So Paule in this place when he had sayd Whosoeuer calleth vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued straight way addeth how shall they cal vpon him in whom they haue not beleued So he resolueth the whole matter from inuocation into faith And that we shold not think that faith by his owne power hath any thing whereby it can iustifie he againe passeth from it vnto the obiect saying how shall they beleue without a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent Also faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Wherefore the vttermost point of the resolution is the worde of God and promesse touching Christ from whence as from the fountaine is deriued our saluation and iustification In the .xj. chapter is set forthe the Antithesis betweene incredulitie and faith which serueth very muche to confirme that which we now teache The braunches were broken of that I might be grafted in This was an obiection of the Gentiles against the Iewes Paule answereth thou sayest well
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
woman vnto whome the Lord thus answered thy faith hath made thee safe signifiyng that he for her fayth sake had forgeuen her her sinnes And that the faith of this woman was very feruent she declared by the effectes in that she loued much in that she kissed his féete in that she washed them with her teares and wiped them with her haire In the Gospel of Iohn the .iij. chapter Christ sayd vnto Nicodemus So God loned the world that he gaue his only begotteÌ„ sonne that he which beleueth in him should not pearish but haue eternall life And in the selfe same Chapter Ihon Baptist thus speaketh of Christ He that beleueth in the sonne hath eternall life but he that beleueth not hath not life but the wrath of God abideth ouer him Out of which place we gather not only that we presently entreat of but also this that they are strangers Here is prâ—ued that they which are straungers from Christ can do no good thyng that may please God from Christ and those which beleue not can doe nothing that may please God and therfore they can not merite of congruitie as they call it and as our aduersaries affirme the grace of God And in the .vj. chapter Christ saith This is the will of him which sent me that he which seeth the sonne and beleueth in him hath eternall life And I sayth he will raise him vp in the last day And when as he had before said No man commeth vnto me vnles my father draw him Also He that hath heard of my father and hath learned commeth vnto me afterward he addeth And he which beleueth in me hath eternal life In the .xj. chapter when Christ should raise vp Lazarus he said vnto Martha He which beleueth in me though he were dead yet shall he liue and he which liueth and beleueth in me shall not die for euer And in the .xvij. chapter this is eternall life that they acknowledge thee the only true God and whome thou haste sent Iesus Christ But this is to be noted that here he speaketh not of a cold knowledge but of a mighty and strong faith Wherefore if it be eternal life then shal it also be iustificatioÌ„ For as we haue before taught wheÌ„ we expounded this sentence of Abacuk the Prophet The iust maÌ„ shall lyue by fayth Iustification and life are so ioyned together that the one is oftentimes taken for the other And in very déede Iustification is nothing els then eternall life now already begonne in vs. And in the. 20. chapiter Those things saith he are written that ye should beleue that Christ is Iesus and that in beleuing ye should haue eternall life In the Actes of the Apostles the 15. chapiter it is thus written by faith purifying their hearts In which place Peter speaketh of the Gentiles that they should not be compelled vnto the works of the lawe of Moses for Christ had without them geuen vnto them the holy Ghost and had by faith made cleane their hearts from sinnes Paule also in his Oration to king Agrippa said that he was called of Christ to be sent vnto the Gentiles which should by his ministery be illuminated and by faith receiue remission of sinnes and lot amongst the saintes And these testimonies hitherto we haue gathered out of the Newe testament But if I should out of the old testament reherse all that which maketh to this purpose I should then be ouer tedious And if there be any of so obstinate a heart that those things which we haue alredy spoken can not vrge them to confesse the truthe neither should it any thing profite suche men if we should bring many testimonies Wherfore a few shall suffice and besides those testimonies which Paule hathe cited out of the. 15. Chapiter of Genesis Abraham beleued God and it was counted vnto him for righteousnesse out of Abacucke The iuste man shall liue by his faith out of Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeueÌ„ out of Esay Euery one that beleueth in him shall not be confounded and a fewe others suche like besides these testimonies I say I will cite the. 53. chapter of Esay wherein Christ is by most expresse wordes painted forth For there he is sayd to haue taken vpon him our sorowes and to haue borne our infirmities to haue geuen his soule a sacrifice for sinne and many such other things which are so plaine that they can be applied vnto none other but only vnto Christ Iesus our sauioure And it is sayde moreouer and by the knowledge of hym shall my righteous seruaunt iustifye many and he shall beare their iniquities These words teache that Christ iustifieth many namely the elect by the science and knowledge of him which knowledge vndoubtedly is nothing else but a true faith And that he in suche sort iustifieth them that he taketh vpon himselfe and beareth their iniquities And Ieremy in the. 15. chapter wryteth O God haue not thine eyes a regarde vnto faith vndoubtedly they haue As if he should haue said Although thou séest al things and there is nothing pertaining vnto man hidden from thée yet hast thou chiefly a regarde vnto faith as vnto the roote and foundation of all good actions And as touching the oracles of the scriptures this shall suffice Now will I answere vnto such obiections which are commonly brought agaynst this second proposition And we will heginne first with Pigghius because our aduersaries count him for their Achilles or chief champion and thinke that he only by his subtil sharp wit hath persed euen into the inward misteries of the truth And this man vseth this cauillation we are not iustified by that from which this iustification may be seperated For it is not possible that the causes should be pulled away or seperated from their effects But faith is seperated from iustification for many that beleue do notwithstanding liue most filthely so farre is it of Whether iustification may be seperated from faith that they should be iustified But because he thinketh that this may be denied he bringeth a reason to proue that it is not against the nature and definition of faith but that iustification may be seperated from it And he maketh an obiection out of the 13. chapiter of the epistle to the Corrinthyans If I haue all fayth so that I can remoue mountaynes and haue not charity I am nothing By these words he concludeth that faith may be seperated from charity and therefore from all good works He citeth this also out of Mathew many shall come in that day and shall say Lorde in thy name we haue prophesied and haue cast out deuils and haue wrought signes But vnto them shall answere bee made I know you not These signes sayth Pigghius can not be done without fayth wherefore seing that they are shut forth from the kingdome of heauen which yet do these things it is cleare that they were not iustified Wherefore in them faith was seperated from righteousnes But this he
thinketh is much more plainly confirmed by Iohn For he saith that many rulers of the priestes beleued in Christ whiche yet durst not openly professe hym But they which abhorre from the confession of the name of Christ ar farre from saluation For Christ himselfe sayth he that is ashamed of me before men of hym will I be ashamed before my father These arguments although at the first sight they séeme to haue some shew yet if a man more narrowly examine them he shall sée that The iudgement of Epictetus touching hys own bokes A similitude that very wel agréeth with them whiche Epictetus pronounceth of his bookes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is these are but sights or ghosts of the dreames of hell Wherefore we must diligently ponder these reasons and not iudge of them by the first sight And euen as in coynes of mony we vse not so much to haue a regard vnto the inscriptions or Images as to the goodnes and waight of the matter so also in arguments ought we to weigh and regard not so much the shew and coulour of them as the thing it selfe and the strength of them We first deny that fayth can be seperated from iustification And whereas Pigghius sayth that that is not repugnaunt vnto the nature and definition of fayth we in no wise admit it For agaynst that sentence are all the holy scriptures and the true sense of the definition of fayth and also the fathers For as touching the scriptures Iohn saith he that beleueth that Iesus is Christ the sonne of God is borne of God And he which is borne of God sinneth not For so long as faith beareth sway in our hart we commit not those sinnes which destroy the conscience and alienate vs from God How theÌ„ sayth Pigghius that it is not agaynst the nature of fayth to be seperated from iustification and from good workes especially seing Iohn sayth he which sinneth knoweth not God This thing also saw the fathers For Ciprian de Simplicitate Prelatorum where he complayneth of the infelicity of his tyme for that charity feare good workes and such like things were waxen very cold thus writeth No man thinketh vpon the feare of things to come no man considereth the day of the Lord and the wrath of God and that vpon the vnbeleuers shall come punishments and that euerlasting tormeÌ„ts are appointed for the vnfaythfull Of which things our conscience would be aferd if it beleued because it beleueth not therfore is it vtterly without feare but if it beleued then also would it beware and if it did beware then also shoulde it eschape These words declare that with true fayth is ioyned the feare of God and the eschewing of eternal punishments and auoyding of sinnes Now let Piggbius go say that true faith can be seperated from holy motions of the mind and from good workes This self same thing together doth Ierome with Ciprian affirme agaynst the Luciferians And if sayth he I beleued truely I would clense that hart wherewith God is sene I would with my hands knock my brest I would with teares water my chekes I would in my body haue a horror I would in mouth waxe pale I would lye at the feete of my Lord and would washe them wyth weeping and wipe them with my heares I would vndoubtedly cleue fast vnto the stocke of the crosse neither would I let go my hold thereof before I had obtayned mercy Hereby also it is manifest that with true faith The definition of faith declareth that it can not be separated from iustificatioÌ„ A similitude are ioyned good workes and repentaunce But as touching the definition and nature of fayth it may easely be proued that it can not be seperated from iustification and from good workes that is from his effects For fayth is no common but a firme and vehement assent and that proceding from the holy ghost And if in case a poore miser being condemned to â—y should receaue a promise only at the hand of a maÌ„ that he should be deliuered and should geue credit vnto those words straight way his mynde would wholy be chaunged to mirth and would begin to loue him that promised hym such things and would pleasure him in what thing so euer lay in his power How much more is to be attributed vnto the true faith which is geuen vnto the word of God and is inspired by the spirit of God Wherfore if that human fayth do draw with it wonderfull motions of the mynd how can we say that the true and Christian fayth is naked without good works and destitute alone Wherefore we now playnly sée both by the holy scriptures and by the Fathers and by the definition and nature of fayth that it can not be seperated from righteousnes and from holy workes Now let vs come vnto Paul He sayth If I haue all fayth c. But how knoweth Pighius that Paul there speaketh of that generall fayth which cleaueth vnto the promises of God and iustifieth and not rather of a perticular fath wherby are wrought miracles and which is a fre or gracious gift of the holy ghost This faith is not applied vnto all thinges which are found in the holy scriptures but only is a certayne vehement confidence wherby we certaynly beleue that God will doo this miracle or that miracle Of this sayth Chrisostome interpreteth Paul in thys The fayth of doctrine the faith of miracles â–ª place And to the end of this distinction either part should haue a distinct name the one calleth the fayth of doctrine the other the fayth of signes And vnto this latter fayth Chrisostome applieth those wordes If ye haue of fayth as a grayne of mustard seede and shall say vnto this mountayne Get thee hence and hurle thy selfe into the sea it shal be done Neyther vndoubtedly can it be denied but that there is such a kind of fayth For Paul in the 12. chapter of the first epistle vnto the Corrinthians wheÌ„ he reherseth vp the frée gifts which the holy ghost distributeth vnto euery man as it pleaseth him thus writeth Vnto one is by the spirite geuen the word of wisedome and to an other the word of knowledge by the same spirite and vnto an other is geueÌ„ faith by the same spirit and vnto an other the gifts of healing by the same spirit Here we sée that amongst the frée gifts of the holy ghost is reckoned fayth and that in the third place bicause Paul spake not there of the generall fayth wherby we are iustified And if we diligently peyse thinges we shall sée that Paul kepeth the selfe same order in the 13. chapter of the first to the Corrinthians For as here in the first place he putteth the woord of wisedome so there he putteth prophesieng and as here in the second place he putteth knowledge so there also in the selfe same place he putteth knowledge and as here so also there he putteth faith in the third
tonges And yet notwithstanding Paul speaketh truth that if they had tonges and I should speake with them yet that shold nothing profite me without charitie And this exposition Basilius confirmeth in an Epistle aâ— Neocaesarienses For hâ— saith that the Apostle minded in this place to commend charitie and he saith that he vseth those reasons not that al those things which he here maketh mention of can be seperated from charitie Wherfore of the former interpretation we haue Chrysostome for an author and the latter interpretation Basilius confirmeth Let Pighius goe now and of this saying of the Apostle conclude if he can that which he so much contendeth for But as touching those words of Mathew Lord haue we not in thy name prophesied and in thy name cast out Deuils c. which things Pighius denieth can be done without faith and yet they which haue done them are not iustified when as they are excluded from the kingdome of heauen we may answere with the selfe same solution which we haue now brought namely yâ— they whoÌ„ Mathew maketh meÌ„tion of had the faith of signes or a deade faith but not a true and iustifying faith moreouer I sée not how true this is that miracles can not be done without faith For God sometimes worketh miracles not for his faiths sake by whoÌ„ they are Miracles are not always done for fayth sake done but either to illustrate his glory or to beare testimony vnto true Doctrine Vndoubtedly Moses and Aaron when they strake water out of the rocke of strife wauered in faith And yet God to the ende he would stand to his promesse with a great miracle gaue water vnto the people and reproued Moses and Aaron of infidelitie And Naaman the Syrian doubted of recouering his health in the waters of Iordane yea also he would haue gone his way for that he sayd that the riuers of his countrey were muche better then Iordane And yet notwithstanding God left not his miracle vndone And when the dead body was cast into the sepulchrâ— of Elizeus by a great miracle it came to passe that at yâ— touching of the dead bones of the Prophet life was restored vnto it But there was no faith there neither in the dead corps nor in the bones of the Prophet nor in them which brought the dead man thither And yet not alwayes when faith is absent is graunted vnto theÌ„ that aske to doe miracles For in the Actes we read that when the sonnes of the high priest Skeua the exorcist would haue cast out Deuils in the name of Christe whome Paule preached the Deuill answeared Iesus I know and Paule I knowe but who are ye And straight way ran vpon them Here we sée that God woulde not geue a miracle when it was asked as it is most likely of wicked and vnbeleuyng men Howbeit contrariwise we haue in Marke the 9. chap. that a certayne man did cast out Deuils in the name of Christ who yet followed not Christ and when Iohn would haue reproued him Christ alowed him not By this Pighius myght haue séene that to the working of miracles is not alwayes required â—aith And yet if I should graunt him that faith is of necessitie required thereunto were sufficient either the faith of signes or also a dead faith Wherfore Pighius in his second confirmation proueth nothing for it hath nothing in it that is sincere Now let vs examine his thirde proue Iohn saith many of the princes beleued in him But they confessed him not for feare they should haue bene cast out of the sinagâ—ge Wherfore they were not iustified by faith This reason is but a watrish reason not so stroÌ„g as he thinketh it to be For we deny yâ— they had the true faith truly For yâ— asseÌ„t of theirs was nothing but an humane asseÌ„t For wheÌ„ they saw yâ— by Christ wer wrought woÌ„derful works that his doctrine was confirmed by most euident signs they began by a certayne humane perswasion to geue credit vnto hym The There is a certaine saith which is humane and is not in 〈…〉 led of God deuil also for yâ— he certainly knoweth of many things done by God asseÌ„teth vnto yâ— truth and beleueth it And yet it is not to be thought that he is by a true fayth induced to beleue And that these rulers had not the true and liuely fayth hereby it is manifest for that Christ sayde vnto them How can ye beleue when as ye seke for glory at mans hand By which words we vnderstand that that they which more esteme humane glory then piety can not beleue truly in God And those Princes were to be numbred amongst them for they so much did set by their estimations and the iudgement of men that rather then they would be cast out of the Sinagoge and be noted of any infamy with the people they would forsake the confession of the name of Christ Wherefore when as the Lord saith that such could not beleue and Iohn affirmeth that they did beleue it is manifest that they spake of a Two places conciliated which seme at the first sight to be repugnaunt diuers and sundry fayth vnles we will say that two contradictories may both at one and the selfe same tyme be true Wherefore Iohn spake of an humane fayth but Christ of the sincere and true fayth Which true fayth ought to be ioyned with confession as Paul declareth saying with the hart we beleue vnto righteousnes and with the mouth is confession made vnto saluation He which séeth the connexion bebetwene righteousnes and saluation must nedes also sée the coniunction which ought to be betwene fayth and profession Wherefore we say that their faith was a dead fayth But a dead fayth is not fayth no more then a dead man is a man Although A dead faith is not faith D. Smith one Smith in a certayne litle booke of his Iustification which he wrote agaynst me contendeth that a dead fayth is fayth which he proueth chiefly by this argument for that the body of a dead man although it be dead is notwithstanding a body And this good wise man wonderfully delighted in this his similitude In which yet he hath vttered a sophistical argument not vnméete for his diligeÌ„ce and wit For let vs a litle examyne this notable similitude I would haue him to answer me whether a carkase be the body of a dead man or simply the body of a maÌ„ I thinke he will not answer that it is the body of a man for the body of a man a dead carkase differ much the one from the other and that in very déede more theÌ„ two formes of one and the selfe same general word for that they are contayned vnder diuerse generall wordes being next together I graunt that the carkase of a dead man is a body in the generall word of substaunce as are stones stockes and Whether a karkase be the body of a man such other like But that
we beleue that god raised vp our Lord Iesus Christ from the dead which was deliuered for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Is it not here most manifestly said that we ought to beleue that that Iesus Christ whome God raised vp was dead and rose againe that we should be iustified and haue all our sinnes forgiuen vs doubtlesse it is a thing most vncomely for a man that professeth diuinitie so willingly not to sée things that are most manifest Afterward he maketh a cauillation about the perticular fayth wherby we say that euery one that beleueth truly in Christ ought to be most assured with him selfe that his sinnes are forgeuen him He denieth that there is any such faith foūd in the holy scriptures And that therfore this is only our deuise and inuētion Here vndoubtedly I can not hold my selfe but that I must nedes say that Pighius loudely lieth For I would haue him to tell me what did Abraham beleue whē he was iustified but that vnto him should one day be rendred those promises of God For vnto whome is it most likely beleued he that they should be rendred but vnto him selfe The selfe same thing may be sayd of Moses of Dauid and of many other of whome it is most certayne that they beleued that the promises which God made vnto them should perticularly be rendred vnto them And what I besech you mēt Christ when he sayd vnto the man that was sicke of the palsey Sonne thy sins are forgeuen thee And when he sayd vnto the woman Thy fayth hath made thee safe And did not Paul vnto the Galathians thus speake of Christ Who hath loued me and deliuered vp him selfe for me What can be more manifest then these wordes Let Pighius go now make his vaūts that we were the first finders out of this proper and singular fayth and let him cry that euery Christian man ought to beleue that the promises are made only indefinitely that it is not mete that euery one of vs should apply them seuerally vnto him selfe For we ought to beleue of our selues and not of other For we may as touching others be deceaued whether they beleue or no. But touching our selues we may be assured and certayne of it Let euery mā beleue the promises of God indefinitly as touching others for we know not who is predestinate and who is reprobate but none which is faythfull ought in any wise to doubt of him selfe but to beleue that the promise is perticular as touching him selfe by that that he séeth that he truly beleueth Farther when promises are set forth in an vniuersal proposition we may most assuredly of them gather theyr singular propositions And Christ sayth in Iohn This is the will of my father that euery one that seeth the sonne and beleueth in him should haue eternall life Wherfore we thus inferre But I beleue in the sonne of God Ergo I haue now and shall haue that which he hath promised Pighius still goeth one and to the end he would proue that the fayth of euery article and not that fayth only which is referred vnto Christ for the remission of sins iustifieth vseth the example of Noe. For he sayth that he beleued only those thinges which pertayned to the safegard of his house and to the destruction of the world and by that fayth he sayth he was iustified Here sayth he is no mencion made of Christ or of the remission of sinnes But it semeth vnto me that this man hath not very diligently red that which Peter writeth in his 1. Epistle and 3. chapter For Peter sayth when once the long suffering of God abode in the dayes of Noe while the Arke wos preparing wherin few that is eight soules were saued thorough the water vnto the figure wherof Baptisme now agreeing maketh vs also safe whereby not the filth of the fleshe is put away but wherebye it commeth that a good conscience Noe was iustified by fayth in Christ well answereth vnto God That which Peter saw was signified by the Arke and by those thinges which Noe did can we thinke that the patriarch him selfe saw not This vndoubtedly were to much derogation vnto him And if he saw those things which Peter maketh mencion of He beleued not only those thinges which were then done but also those which were looked for to be accomplished by Christ And therfore it is very well written vnto the Hebrues the he was by such a faith made the heyre of righteousnes But Pighius nothing passeth vpon this who so that he may be agaynst vs is nothing at all aferd to fight euen against the Apostles themselues For he is not aferd to affirme that our first father Adam was iustified but yet not with that fayth which we speake of which concerneth the remission of sins thorough Christ For he had no promise as touching that as farre as may be gathered out of the scriptures But doubtles this man is both farre deceiued and also hath forgottē his Fathers whome he would be sene to make so much of Was not the selfe same thing Adam was iustified by faith wherby he beleued the remission of sinnes through Christ sayd vnto Adam which was by God promised vnto Eue his wife that his séede should bruse the hed of the Serpent Christ was that séede he hath so broken the hed and strengths of the deuill that now neither sinne nor death nor hel can any thing hurt his members This place all the fathers in a maner thus interpret But Pighius which yet is les to be borne withall is not afeard to say that iustification is not geuen vnto vs by the promise In which thing doubtles he is manifestly agaynst Paul For he vnto the Galathians thus writeth God gaue vnto Abraham by the promise and there is no doubt but that vnto vs it is geuen after the selfe same maner that it was vnto Abraham But this is to be knowen that Distinction of the promise this woorde promise is taken two manner of wayes eyther for the thing promised and so it is not to be doubted but that we are iustified by the promise that is by Christ and by the forgeuenes of sinnes which is promised vnto them that beleue or ells it is taken for the very words of God in which he thorough Christ promiseth vnto vs remission of sinnes And in this maner also we may be sayd to be iustified by the promise For although the cause of our iustificatiō be the mere will and mercy of God yet is not the same offred or signified vnto vs but by the wordes of the promises and by the sacramentes For these words haue we as sure testimonies of the will of God towards vs. And so fayth want not wherby we apprehend the thinges that are offred we are iustified by the promises Afterward Pighius to the end he would proue that God attributeth more vnto workes then vnto faith citeth a place out of the 22.
then is it certayne that he beleueth not This of necessitie followeth of the former conclusion For if euery one which beleueth sinneth not then doubtles whosoeuer sinneth beleueth not Let Pigghius now go laugh for that we say that by greuous sinnes true faith is lost or is in such a dead slepe that it hath not his act And let him aggrauate the matter as much as he can that he which sinneth greeuously neither beleueth that there is a God nor also the rest of the articles of the faith Origen both thinketh writeth the selfe same thing that we do And he saith moreouer that there is a tokē of true fayth where sinne is not committed as contrariwise where sinne is committed it is a token of infidelitie Again he addeth in the same chap. If peraduenture that which is said of the Apostle to be iustified by faith seme to be repugnant with that which is sayd that we are iustified freely For if fayth be offred first of the man he can not seme to be iustified frely we must remember that euen fayth it selfe is geuen of God and this he proueth by many testimonies But this thing our Pigghius can not abide For he derideth vs as often as we say that fayth is had by the breathing of the holy gost For he saith y◠it is wonderfull y◠the holy gost wil haue his abiding worke in thē which do not as yet beleue The same Origen vpon Leuiticus in his 3. boke 3. chap. The holy sicle sayth he representeth our fayth For if thou shalt offer fayth vnto Christ as a price vnto the imaculate ramme offred vp for a sacrifice thou shalt receiue remission of sinnes Here also we haue expressedly that remission of sinnes is obtayned by y◠fayth I say which is directed vnto Christ deliuered vnto death and sacrificed for vs. There can nothing be more manifest thē these testimonies which Origen hath brought for vs. But these mē are so obstinate that they wil not be led from y◠opiniō which they haue once take in hand to defēd although thou bring neuer so gret light with thē least they should séeme to any of theirs to haue defended an il cause Cyprian beside those thinges which we haue spoken of the coniunction of fayth with a good life writeth also in his 3. booke to Quirinus that fayth onely profiteth and that we are able so much to performe as we do beleue The first part of this sentēce pertayneth vnto the third article of this question but the latter serueth very much for that which we are now in hand with It is a wonderfull saying doubtles that so great is the force of fayth that by it we are able to do whatsoeuer we will And yet did not Ciprian thinke it sufficient absolutely to pronounce this but hath also confirmed it by many and sundry testimonyes of the scriptures As touching Basilius and Gregorius Nazianzenus that shal suffice which I haue before cited Chrisostome in his sermon which he hath entitled de fide lege naturae spiritu sayth that euen fayth is of it selfe able to saue a man And for an example he bringeth forth the thief who he sayth onely confessed and beleued But workes sayth he alone can not saue the workers without fayth After that he compareth workes done without fayth wyth the reliques of dead men For dead carkases sayth he although they be clothed wyth precious and excellent garments yet draw they no heat out of them So sayth he they which want fayth although they be decekd with excellent workes yet are they by them no thing holpen And the same father vpon the epistle vnto the Romanes vpon those wordes of Paul But the righteousnes which is of fayth Thou seest sayth he that this is chiefely peculiar vnto faith that we all treading vnder foote the complain◠of reasō should enquire after that which is aboue nature and that the infirmity of our cogitations being by the vertue and power of God caste away we shoulde embrace all the promises of GOD. Here we sée that by faith wee obtaine the promises of God and although by it we assent vnto all that whiche is contained in the holye Scriptures yet it peculiarly hath a regard vnto the promises of God This is also to be considered that he saith that the infirmity of our cogitacions in beleuing is by the vertue and power of God cast away For this maketh agaynst them which contend that this is done by humane strengthes as though we should haue fayth of our selues and that as though it goeth before iustification The same Chrisostome vpon the 29. chapiter of Genesis in his 54. homely This sayth he is the true fayth not to geue hede vnto those thinges which are seene although they seeme to be agaynst the promise but onely to consider the power of him that promiseth Let thē well consider this which will haue vs to haue a regard not onely to the power and promises of God but also chiefely to our own preparations And expounding these wordes in Genesis Abraham beleued God it was imputed vnto him vnto righteousnes let vs also saith he learne I besech you of the patriarch of God to beleue his sayinges and to trust vnto his promises not to serch them out by our owne cogitations but to shew a great gratitude For this can both make vs iust and also cause vs to obtayne the promises Here also are two thinges to be noted The one is that we are made iust by fayth the other that by the same we obtayne the promises which two things our aduersaries stoutly deny The same father vpon these wordes of Paul vnto Timothe Of whome is Himeneus and Alexander which haue made shipwracke as concerning fayth So sayth he he which once falleth away from the fayth hath no place to stay himselfe or whether to go For the hed Workes dead without faith being corrupted and lost what vse can there be of the rest of the body For if fayth with out works be dead much more are workes dead wythout fayth Here is to be noted that this is an argument a minori that is of the lesse For he sayth that workes are more dead without fayth then is fayth without workes The same author in his sermon de verbis Apostoli vppon these wordes of the Apostle Hauing one and the selfe same spirite of fayth For it is impossible sayth he it is doubtles vnpossible if thou liue vnpurely not to wauer in faith By this we sée how great Chrisostom thought y◠cōiunctiō to be betwen faith good works The same father expoūding these words of y◠Apostle do we thē destroy the law by faith God forbyd yea rather we confirme the law So soone as sayth he a man beleueth straight way he is iustified Wherfore fayth hath cōfirmed the will of the law whilst it hath brought to an end euē that for which the So sone as a man beleueth h◠is 〈◊〉
be present they are profitable vnto iustification But this is worthy to be laughed at For we haue before most playnly taught that all workes which are doone before iustification are sinnes So far is it of that they can serue any thing vnto iustification And if they should by any meanes profite vnto iustification our glorieng should then not be excluded For we might glory that we had doone those thinges by whose helpe and ayd we were iustified But of this sayth he we can not boast for that they were done by a certayne grace of God preuenting But this is chiefly to be marked that these men attribute a great part of such works vnto frée will And therfore in yâ— be halfe at the least we may glory Neither also shall yâ— be true which the Apostle sayth what hast thou that thou hast receaued And agayne why dost thou boast as though thou hadst not receaued Here some of theÌ„ answer yâ— we can not glory of this liberty of will for that we haue it not of our owne For it is God which hath endued vs with this faculty and gaue vs frée will when he created vs. But this is not sufficient The Pelagians fâ—ed vnto the common grace of creation to take away boasting First for that this were to fly vnto the coÌ„mon grace of creation which thing the Pelagians did and by that meanes should at the lest may be left vnto vs a good vse of frée will of which we might glory For although we haue the same of God by creation yet the right vse thereof is ours namely to assent vnto God when he calleth vs and to apply our selues vnto good workes which of God are set forth vnto vs. And therefore vtterly to take away all glorying it is nedeful yâ— we continually haue this in our mynde which Auguctine hath admonyshed vs of in his booke de spiritu Litera the 24. chapiter That not onely the wyll and election of well doyng is of God because by creatioÌ„ he hath geuen choyce free wyll but also because by the perswasion of thynges sene he hath made vs both to wyll and to beleue and that not onely by the outward preaching of the Gospell but also by inward perswasion For he doth not onely stirre vp the hart but also perswadeth draweth and boweth it to beleue I graunt indéede that it is the office of the will to will and to embrace that which God offreth for we do not will by vnderstanding or by memory but by will And yet for all that I doubt not but that it is God which maketh vs to wil and to follow good things Farther our aduersaries think that although workes concurre vnto iustification yet is that notwithstanding true which the holy scriptures teach namely that we iustified fréely Because say they those workes are geuen of God and are done of grace If this refuge mought helpe then had not Paul done well when he tooke away from ceremoniall works the power of iustifiyng For a Iew might say Our fathers which in the old tyme were circumcised and performed other obseruations of the law did not the same by their owne naturall strengthes but by the grace of God both helping them and stirring them vp thereunto Wherefore if other workes which were commaunded in the lawe coulde profite vnto iustification to merite it as ye speake of congruity why coulde not ceremoniall workes do â–ª the same Neither will this any thing helpe to say that Paul taketh not away from them the power iustifiyng but onely after the comming of Christ For he manifestly speaketh of Abraham which was iustified by fayth and not by circumcision and vseth a testimony of Dauid of whome it is most certayne that he liued vnder the lawe But whereas this man sayth that charity and hope can not be excluded I would gladly know of hym whether the workes of these vertues be iust or no. I know he will graunt that they are iust What will he then answere vnto Paul who vnto Titus sayth Not by the workes of righteousnes which we haue done But I know these meÌ„s fond deuises They answere that such workes also are excluded if they be done by the law and by frée will without grace But what nedeth to exclude that which can A strong reason to proue that faith onely iuâ—tifieth not be For who will either loue God or hope in him without grace Farther in what maner so euer they be done they can not serue to iustification for we are iustified by grace as it playnly appeareth by the holy scriptures But betwene grace and workes is so great contrariety that Paul sayth If of grace then is it not now of workes and if of workes then is it not of grace Neither ought these men to be so much displeased for yâ— we vse this word Only For we necessarily conclude it of that which Paul sayth First that we are iustified by fayth and afterward addeth without workes How aptly we thus conclude I will declare by a similitude in the 6. chapiter of Deutronomy if we follow the truth of the Hebrew it is thus written Thou shalt feare the Lord God and hym thou shalt serue Here as thou séest wanteth this particle Only yet because there followeth Thou shalt not go after straunge Gods The seuenty interpreters haue thus turned that place Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and hym onely shalt thou worship These men of the first proposition being affirmatiue that God is to be worshipped and of the other beyng negatiue that straunge Gods are not to be worshipped concluded that God onely is to be serued Whose authority should not be of so great waight with me but that Christ himselfe hath cited that place in that sort For thus he rebuked the deuill Depart from me Sathan for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and hym only shalt thou serue Here we sée that to disproue the worshipping which is geuen vnto a creature this particle only is necessary which although it be not had in the Hebrew yet is it necessarily gathered out of it Now when as we also after this maner reason why should these men so much be offended Let them consider that the best and the most auncieÌ„st Fathers abhorred not from this word It is a thing ridiculous to sée with how colde toyes and poore shifts Smith goeth about to The fathers vsed this worde Onely resist them First he sayth that they ment nothing els but to represse men that they should not waxe insoleÌ„t But let Smith in one word according to his good wisdome aunswere me whether the Fathers spake this truely or falsely If they spake it truely then make they on our side and why doth this man so much impugne it But if falsely this good end nothing helpeth theÌ„ to represse the insolency of men For euen as euill is not to be committed that good may ensew so false doctrine is not to be affirmed to ouerthrow other
that that righteousnes which is geuen vnto vs pertayneth vnto the whole man and vnto all the faculties of the mind Shall it therefore follow that that righteousnes which is offred of God is not apprehended by fayth only Vndoubtedly the meate which we eate is destributed into all the members and into the whole body And yet is it receaued with the mouth only and not with the The righteousnesse wherby we are iustified is in God and not in vs. whole body Farther the disputation is not about any righteousnes which cleaueth vnto vs which in very dede is dispersed into the whole man but about iustificatiō which is the forgeuenes of sinnes But this righteousnes hath no place or seate in our mindes but in God only by whose will only our sinnes are forgeuen vs. But now forasmuch as this article hath ben sufficiently defended agaynst the cauillations of importunate men we will omitt this and briefely declare that the auncient fathers abhorred not from thys woorde Only which our aduersaries so muche detest Origen vpon the epistle vnto the Romanes vpon these woordes Thy glorieng is excluded By what law by the law of dedes No. But by the law of fayth For we suppose that a man is iustified by fayth without the woorkes of the law The iustification sayth he of fayth only is sufficient that a mā only beleuing should be iustified although he haue done no good woorke at all and for example he bringeth forth that thiefe which was crucified together with Christ and that wooman vnto whome Christe answered Thy fayth hath made thee safe Afterward he obiecteth vnto him selfe that a man hearing these thinges mought be made secure and contemne good woorkes But he answereth that he which after iustification liueth not vprightly casteth away the grace of iustification For no man sayth he receaueth forgeuenes of sinnes to vse licence to sinne For pardon is geuen not of faultes to come but of sinnes past Then which sentence can nothing be sayd more conformable vnto our doctrine Ciprian to Quirinus in his 42. chapiter Fayth sayth he only profiteth and looke how much we beleue so much are we able to doo Basilius in his sermō de Humilitate writeth that a man is iustified by faith only Hilarius also vpon Mathew the 8. chapter Fayth sayth he only iustifieth Ambrose vpon the 3. chapter vnto the Romanes vpon these wordes Being iustified freely Because sayth he they woorking nothing nor rendring turne for turne are by faith onely iustified by the gift of God The same author vpon these wordes According to the purpose of the grace of God So Paul sayth he sayth it was decreed of God that the law ceasing onely faith should be required vnto saluation And straight way after God hath ordeyned that men should by faith onely without labour and any obseruation be iustified before God The same father vpon the. 1. chapter of the. 2. epistle vnto the Corrinthians It is appoynted sayth he by God that he which beleueth in Christ should be saued without workes by faith only And he hath the like sentences in his booke de vocatione Gentium Out of Chrisostome I could bring a greate many places to confirme this sentence but of them I will picke out onely a few Vpon the 3. chapter vnto the Romanes vpon these wordes Thy glory is excluded In this sayth he is set foorth the might and power of God in that he hath saued iustified and wroughte glorification by faith onely without workes And at the beginning of the 4. chapter That a man being destitute of workes should be iustified by faith peraduenture it may appeare to be well But that a man being adorned with vertues good workes is not for all iustified by thē but by faith only this assuredly is wonderfull Hereby our aduersaries may vnderstand that although faith haue as companions hope and charitie and other good workes which thing cannot be doubted of Abraham yet they serue nothing to the apprehending of righteousnes And vpon the. 10. chapter vpon these woordes They being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and going aboute to establish theyr owne righteousnes were not subiect vnto the righteousnes of God He calleth sayth he the righteousnes of God that righteousnes which is of fayth Bycause we are without labour by fayth only iustified thorough the gift of God Of Augustine I will speake nothing For he is full of this agaynst the Pelagians and any man may easely by his writings proue this sentence Hesichius vpon Leuiticus in his first booke and second chapiter Grace sayth he is comprehended by fayth only not of woorkes Which selfe thing in a maner he hath in his 4. booke and 14. chapiter Theophilactus vpon the 3. chapiter vnto the Galathians expoūdeth these words Bycause by the law no mā is iustified before God Now sayth he Paul playnly declareth that fayth euen alone hath in it the power to iustifie Phocius vpon the fift chapiter vnto the Romanes Iustification sayth he consisteth of fayth only Acacius in Oecumenius vpō the first chapiter vnto the Romanes He hath saith he by fayth onely raysed vp and quickened vs being mortified by sinnes Bernardus in his 22. Sermon vpon the Canticles By fayth only sayth he he that is iustified shall haue peace And in the selfe same sermon That wanteth sayth he of grace whatsoeuer thou ascribest vnto merites Grace maketh me iustified freely Whome these things suffice not let him reade Genuadius vpon the 5. chap. to the Romanes Cirillus in his 9. booke 3. chapiter vpon Iohn Theodoretus vpon the 5. chapiter to the Romanes Didimus vpon the 2. chapiter of Iames Eusebius in his Ecclesiasticall history the 3. booke and 27. chap. Ciprian or whatsoeuer he were in his exposition of the simbole Liranus vpon the third to the Galathians The ordinary glosse vpon the epistle vnto Iames Haimo vpō the Gospell of Circumcision Sedulius vpon the 1. and 2. chapiters vnto the Romanes Thomas vpon the 3. to the Galathians Bruno vpon the 4. vnto the Romanes Arnobius vpon the 106. Psalme Now I thinke I haue spoken inough as touching this question Wherfore I will now returne to the exposition of the wordes of the Apostle The twelfth Chapiter I Besech you therefore brethren by the mercies of God that ye offer vp your bodyes a liuing sacrifice holy and acceptable vnto God whiche is your reasonable worshipping I besech you therefore brethren Phisitions are accustomed to clense a sore or wound of all matter and corruption and then to anoint it with soft and gentle medicens So Paul hath first by a sharp disputacion confuted the arrogancy of thē which had confidence to be iustified by the lawe or by philosophy and that through their owne strengthes now therefore he turneth himselfe to perswade to an holy life and to good workes whereby we are renewed and are made perfect by a righteousnes cleauing vnto vs. Wherefore first he establisheth the doctrine of iustification and then that being finished he
vnto vs the choise of meats by this place any thing be holpen For Paul sayth it commeth of weakenes to estéeme one day aboue an other and commendeth them as men of more strength which count euery day all one and a like Touching which matter it shall not be amisse to cite the words of Theodoretus which wryteth thus vpon this place This custome sayth he abideth euen to this day in the Churche and this man embraceth abstinence but that man dothe without all manner scruple eate all kindes of meates â–ª and neither doth this man iudge that man nor that man this man but the lawe of concorde maketh them renowned and notable These wordes of Theodoretus and those which are vpon this place gathered out of Origen Ambrose and Chrisostome plainly declare that these differences of dayes as touching fastings and abstinences DiffereÌ„ces of dayes as touching fasting and abstinence were free Some abstained froÌ„ flesh on the fourthe day of the weke and some on the saterdai were in suche sorte vsed amongst Christians that yet notwithstanding they were frée Neither doubt I but that at the beginning Lent was of the same nature although afterwarde the yoke thereof was vrged at menues handes Out of Ambrose vpon this place this I note that in his time some abstained from fleshe the fourth day of the wéeke and some on the Saterday I thought it good gentle Reader to mencion these things that thou mightest know whereto some of the fathers wrested these wordes of Paul How be it the first interpretation touching the dayes of the Iewes is both more simple more agreable with Pauls purpose Let euery man be fully satisfyed in his minde The olde reading hath let euery man abound in his own sense which some hereto wrest as though we ought in those things which pertaine to religion to permit euery man to his owne sense This In maters of religion euery man must not follow his owne sense thing Chrysostome proueth not to be true For when we come to matters of fayth Paule pronounceth that he is accursed which teacheth any other Gospel yea although he were an Angell from heauen But this is true in things indifferent Why then doth not the Pope at this day suffer men to be frée as touching meats But the wordes of Paul haue not this sense In Gréeke it is thus written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 That is let euery man be in his minde fully persuaded and assured of that which he doth and defendeth to be true This thing ought euery man chiefly to sée vnto that when he either doth or defendeth any thing he be first of al assured and firme as touching it For a man shal sée some which dispute contend We must not dispute of matters of fayth for victori sake only for victory sake when as oftentimes in theyr mind they either staÌ„d in doubt or thinke otherwise Those doth Paul in this place reproue which either affirme or do any thing when in the meane time they stand in doubt thereof themselues It may here aptly be demaunded whether this sentence of Paule wherein he admonisheth How farre for the we must beare with the weake A distinctioÌ„ of the Cerâ—monies of the law â–ª as touching thre times to bear with the weak be vniuersally true Chrisostom sayth yâ— this sentence is so long to be followed as long as the fruit is not yet ripe For so loÌ„g must we beare with the weake least by rashnes they take hurt But we wil make a distinction of the ceremonies of the law this distinctioÌ„ al meÌ„ in a maner refer to thrée times One time was when yâ— law was in force then were all those ceremonies of necessity to be obserued of all yâ— Iewes An other time was when yâ— gospel was now spred abrode shined throughout the worlde and yâ— coÌ„mon welth of the Iewes and their temple was vtterly destroyed There was also a midle time wheÌ„ the coÌ„mon wealth of Israel after a sorte remayned still namely when Christ had now ascended into heauen and the Gospell was yet after a sorte in swadling clothes and the light had not fully burst forth out of these darkenes Then it was lawfull Let the godly beware that no maÌ„ abuse theyr lenitye towards the weake for a time to kepe still the ceremonies of Moses but yet so that no man should put in them the hope of his saluation And this moreouer was to be sene vnto that others should not guilefully abuse this indulgency which was for a tyme permitted towardes the weake to defend their supersticion by the example or lenitie of the godly Paul when he saw that there was some consideration to be had of the weake circumcised Timothie But afterward he would in no case circumcise Titus For he saw that if he shold haue so done christian liberty shold by his example haue bene oppressed Paul towardes the Romanes shewed himselfe very gentle remisse for that he thought it mete to beare with their infirmitie simplicitie For forasmuch as they were but newly come vnto Christ they could not straight way learne all thinges But contrariwise let vs sée how the same Apostle vsed himselfe towards those which now bitte vpon the bridle and of a certayne obstinacie resisted his doctrine Vnto the Col. the 2. chap. he saith Take hede that ye be not wonne away by philosophie and vayne deceite according to the tradition of men accordyng to the elementes of the world and not accordyng to Christ. And streight way Let no man therfore iudge you in meat or drinke or in parte of a feast day or of the newe Moone or of the Sabbothes And to the Galathians ye which are circumcised haue fallen away from grace Christ is nothing profitable vnto you And agayne ye obserue dayes and times and monthes yeares I feare me lest I haue labored in vayne amongst you This consideration also ought we at this day to obserue that whome we se When in this case we must deale either geÌ„tly or seuerâ—ly not yet sufficiently instructed we gently cheresh and quench not the smoking flax namely so long as there is hope of repentance and of a better mind But if they declare themselues to be hardened and to be of purpose sworne enemies of the truth there we must deale seuerely and constantly He that obserueth the day obserueth it to the Lord. There were two things in the weaker sort of which the one could by no meanes be allowed namely that they were ignorant of those thinges which they ought chiefely to haue knowen and were in a maner destitute of faith and of the knowledge of Christian liberty This thing Paul now omitteth as which made not much to yâ— preseÌ„t purpose The other was that they so feared God and obserued his law that they durst committ nothing which they thought was prohibited by the authority of God And for that What might be commeÌ„ded in those weker sorâ—