to moderate the paines inflicted of God althoughe the bodye be sayde to be deade bicause of sinne yet ought we not therfore to thinke that God retayneth hatred or anger against his whose sins he hath forgeuē For death and aduersities which afflict the godly ought not to be counted amongest paynes or punishments God is wont in déede to exercise the faythfull with aduersities as we rede of Dauid who although he heard that his sinne was forgeuen hym yet he both lost hys sonne and also in his family suffred wonderfull hard chaunces Wherefore the sacrifising priestes ought not hereof to conclude that it is lawfull for them at their pleasures to impose paynes and satisfactions vpon them whome they haue absolued from sinnes For only Christ when he died vpon the crosse hath aboundantly made satisfaction for vs all Neither did Christ impose any paynes ether vnto the thiefe or to the sinfull woman or vnto the man sicke of the palsey vnto whome he sayd Sonne thy sinnes are forgeuen thee Neither haue these men one word in the holy scripturs of their satisfactions Howbeit we both may and ought to exhort as many as returne vnto Christ and do repent by good workes to approue themselues to shew worthy fruites of repentance and whome they haue before by their euil workes offended him now to reconcile and edefie by their maners being changed Although these men ought not The kayes of the churche can not moderate the scourges of God vnder this pretence to clayme or chalenge vnto thēselues their kayes as though they could at their pleasure moderate the scourges of God whether they are to be suffred in this life or as they fayne in an other For it lieth in Gods hand only ether to send or to release warres disseases hunger persecutions and such other like kinde of calamities Neither hath God when he afflicteth the Saints alwayes a regard vnto this by a fatherly chastisement to correct their sinnes For oftentimes An other end of the scourges of God it commeth to passe that he will haue his Saintes geue a testemony of his doctrine and make manifest vnto the worlde how much his mighty and strong power is of efficacy in them So was Iohn Baptist behedded so were Esay Ieremy and al the Martyrs slayn This matter is clearely entreated of in the booke of Iobe Howbeit it is profitable that the godly be oftentimes admonished of repentance The spirite of Christ is the ground of our resurrection The flesh of Christ really eaten is not the cause of our resurrectiō and of good workes that God may lenefye and mitigate those scourges and calamities which he vseth to inflict vpon sinners Wherefore this place seemeth nothing to confirme either purgatory or satisfactions Howbeit by these wordes we are manifestly taught what is the ground or beginning of our resurrection namely the spirit of Christ which first dwelt in him and afterward also dwelleth in vs. Wherfore they are deceiued which thinke that vnto our resurrection is necessary either transubstantiation or the presence of Christ in the Eucharist as though out of his flesh which they will haue to be eaten of vs really we shal draw eternall life as out of a true fountaine and a certaine ground For here they make a false argument from that which is not the cause as the cause Here Paul writeth that the beginning of a new life is that we haue the selfe same spirite which was in Christ which is the whole and perfect cause of our resurrection But how the spirit of Christ can haue place in the supper of the Lord we may easely vnderstand In the holy supper we are indued with the spirite of Christ How the fleshe and bloud of Christ are a helpe vnto the reresurrectiō Wherefore the fathers sometimes attribute this thing vnto the sacraments A place of Iohn in the vi chapt for there we renue the memorye of the death of Christ of which if by faith we take hold in the communion we are more plentifully endued with the spirite of Christ wherby not only the minde is quickned but also the bodye is so renued that it is made pertaker of the blessed resurrection Hereby it is manifest how the flesh and bloud of Christ conduce to the bringing forth of the resurrectiō in vs. For by faith we take hold that they were deliuered for vs vnto the death by this faith we obteine the spirite to be made both in minde and in body pertakers of eternall lyfe And if the fathers at any time seme to attribute this vnto the sacramentes y◠hereof commeth for that they ascribe vnto the signes the thinges which are proper vnto the thinges signified This may we perceiue by the 6. chapiter of Iohn for there Christ promiseth life vnto them that eate his flesh and drinke his bloud And it is not harde for any man to sée that in that place is spoken of the spirituall eatinge whyche consisteth of fayth and the spirite For the signes were not as yet geuen of Christe And whereas hee sayth The breade whiche I will geue is my fleshe whiche I will geue for the life of the worlde is to bee vnderstande of the fleshe of Christe fastened vpon the crosse whiche beinge by faith comprehended of vs shall so strengthen and confirme vs as if it were our bread and our meate And that Christ sayd in the future tempse I vvil geue it is not to be meruayled at for he was not yet dead But hys death which afterward followed brought to passe that y◠body of Christ was offred vnto vs not only in words but also in outward signes in that last time when he was at the poynt to be deliuered Augustine in his 26. treatise vpon Iohn defendeth this doctrine For he sayth To beleue is To eate And he sayth moreouer That the old Fathers vnder the law did eate the selfe same thing that we doo For theyr sacraments and ours were all one and though their signes were diuers yet the things signified are one and the selfe same And in his epistle vnto Marcellinus he sayth That the sacramentes of the elders and ours were herein diuers for that they ▪ beleued in Christ to come and we beleue in him being now alredy come And Leo bishoppe of Rome in his epistle vnto them of Constantinoble sayth that we receauing the vertue or power of the heauēly meate do passe into the flesh of Christ which is made ours Ireneus oftentimes sayth that our flesh and our bodies are norished with the flesh and bloud of Christ which so it be rightly vnderstand we deny not For euen as by naturall meates is made bloud whereby we are naturally fed so by the flesh and bloud of Christ being taken holde of by fayth we draw vnto vs the spirite whereby the soule is norished and the body made pertakers of eternall life which we shall haue in the resurrectiō Farther we doubt not but that our flesh and body doo
eate the signes of this sacrament which signes are called by the name of the things signified And when we heare the fathers speake of the true flesh and body and bloud of Christ which we eate in the Eucharist if we looke vpon theyr natural and proper sence we shall se that they had to do agaynst those heretickes which denyed that Christ verely tooke humane flesh and affirmed that he semed to be a man onelye by a phantasye and certayne outward appearance And if it were so then as those Fathers very well sayd our sacramentes should be in vaine For the bodye and bloude of Christ should be falsely signified vnto vs if they had neuer beinge in Christe Wherefore throughe our spirite whereby our minde eateth when we communicate our body also is renued to be an apte instrument of the holyghost wherby vnto it by the promise of God is due eternall life And euen as the vine tree being planted into the earth when his time coÌ„meth waxeth grene and buddeth forth so our dead karkases being buried in the ground shal at the hour appoynted A similitude by Christ be raysed vp to glory And if in case the absolute whole and necessary cause of our resurrection should as these men would haue it be that eatinge It is proued that the reall eating of the fleshe of Christ is not the cause of the resurrectioÌ„ of the flesh of Christ which they fayne is in the Eucharist really and corporally receaued of vs what should then become of the Fathers of the old Testament which could not eate it after that maner when as Christ had not yet put on humane nature But peraduenture they wil say that they speake not of them but of vs only For we can not rise agayne vnles we eate the flesh of the Lord for Christ instituted thys sacrament for vs and not for then But doo not these men perceaue that in this theyr so saying they now alter the cause of the resurrectioÌ„ But by what authority or by whose permission or commaundement they doo yâ— let theÌ„ consider For yâ— which is vnto one people the cause of resurrection how What shall become of our infaÌ„ts should not the same be so also vnto an other But to graunt them this what in Gods name will they say touchinge infantes which dye in theyr infancy before they receaue the sacrament of the Eucharist Seing they confesse that they shall be raysed vp to glory euen hereby at the least way they may vnderstand that the corporall eating of the flesh of Christ is not so necessary vnto the resurrection but the spirituall eating is altogether necessary as without whiche no man can arise agayne to saluation For Christ expressedly saith Vnles ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye shall not haue life in you Shall also quicken your mortall bodies This he therefore speaketh for that through the spirite that dwelleth in vs we are now made yâ— members of Christ But it is not a thing semely that the hed should liue and the members be dead He sayth mortall bodies bycause so long as we liue here we cary about death together with vs but then shall God change the nature of our bodies But so often as we heare yâ— our bodies are called mortall let vs call to mind sinne for by it are we made obnoxious vnto death Chrisostome hath very warely admonished vs that we should not by reason of these wordes of Paul imagine that the Here is not spoken of euery resurrectioÌ„ from the dead but onely of the wicked for yâ— they want the spirite of Christ shall not be raysed vp froÌ„ the dead For here is not entreated of euery resurrection but onely of the healthfull and blessed resurrection For the life of the damned shall be euerlasting misery wherfore it is rather to be called death then lyfe For theyr worme shall not dye and healthfull resurrectioÌ„ theyr fyre shall not be quenched Therefore brethern we are debters not to the flesh to liue after the flesh For if ye liue after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye mortefye the deedes of the flesh by the Spirite ye shall liue For as many as are led by the Spirite of God are the sonnes of God For ye haue not receaued the spirite of bondage to feare agayne But ye haue receaued the spirite of adoption whereby we cry Abba father VVe are debters not vnto the flesh to liue according to the flesh Here he setteth forth a most swete exhortation to moue vs to liue according to the spirite and not according to the flesh And to declare that we are vtterly bound so to Wherof our boâ—d to liue vprightly springeth doo he taketh a reasoÌ„ from that which is iust and honest Seing we are debters it behoueth that we faythfully pay our debts And this debt springeth of those benefites which God hath bestowed vpon vs which we haue before made mencion of namely for that Christ hath dyed for vs for yâ— he hath geuen vnto vs his spirite whereby we are deliuered from condemnation from the Law of sinne and of death and whereby the righteousnes of the Law is fullfilled in vs and we are made pertakers both of the death of Christ and of the blessed resurrectioÌ„ Herefore it is that we are bound not to liue any more according to the flesh To haue made this sentence perfect Paul should haue added but according to the spirite But he suppressed thys part of the Antithesis for that it is by the other part sufficiently vnderstand For these are of the nature of those kindes of opposites or contraries that the one geuing place the other streight way succedeth Here Chrisostome noteth that God freelye and of his owne accord geueth vnto vs all those good thynges which he bestoweth vpon vs but we contrarywyse whatsoeuer we doo vnto God we do the same of dewty For we are bouÌ„d to doo it And if yâ— case be so as is in very dede where are theÌ„ become works of supererogatioÌ„ For let yâ— aduersaries Against workes of supererogation We owe much vnto the nature or substance of the flesh Here is not spoken of the substaÌ„ce of the flesh but of the corruption of nature The necessity of good woorkes answere me whether those workes be according to yâ— flesh or according to yâ— spirite If according to the flesh then are they sins but if according to yâ— spirite we owe theÌ„ of duety Neither doth Paul here mean that we owe nothing vnto the fleshe for we ought vndoubtedly to féede it and to cloth it and that not only as touching our selues but also as touching our neighbours if they haue nede But here is not entreated of the substance of the fleshe but only of the corruption whereby we are drawen vnto sinne For vnto it we in such sort owe nothing but mortification as Paul will straight way declare And when he saith that we are not
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
Iezabel was much more greuously punished then Achab Christ pronounceth of a man thus offending his brother It had bene better for him that a milstone had bene hanged about his necke and he throwne headlong into the sea Agayne Wo be vnto him by whom offence commeth How be it if any man be offended with honesty and iustice we ought not to regarde that Let vs say rather with Christ let them alone they be blind leaders of the blinde Euery plant which my heauenly father hath not planted shall be plucked vp by the roote I know and am persuaded that through the Lord Iesus there is nothing commoÌ„ of it self but vnto him which iudgeth any thing to be common to him it is common But if thy brother be grieued for thy meate now walkest not thou according to charity Destroy not him with thy meate for whome Christe died Cause not your commoditie to be obnoxious to euill speakings For the kingdome of God is not meat nor drink but righteousnes and peace and ioy in the holy Ghost For whosoeuer in these things serueth Christ is acceptable vnto God and is approued of men For I knovv and am persuaded The stronger sort mought haue sayd and that not without iust occasion why doost thou call vs backe froÌ„ the vse of Christian liberty Is it not lawfull for vs to eate of all meates indifferently Dost thou by thine Apostolicall authority decree that certayne meates are vncleane Thou I say which with so great liberty reprouedst Peter at Antioch attempting by his example the like thing Vnto this obiection Paul by preuention answereth and affirmeth and constantly pronounceth that all meates are vnto a Christian man frée That thorough the Lord Iesus Christ there is nothing common of it selfe but to him that iudgeth any thing to be common to him it is common Hereby we vnderstand that no meate is of his owne nature vncleane For it hath not hys nature of himselfe but of God But he hath created nothing that is euill for his creatures Why no meat is of his owne vncleane Why God somâ—tyme prohibited some meatâ— are in the holy scriptures called good In Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is by it selfe that is of his owne proper force and nature And though certayne kindes of meates were prohibited vnto the first man and to Nohe and to his children and to the Hebrues that was not doone bycause there was any fault in the thinges theÌ„selues but that men should by a certayne discipline be enstructed of Christ of a vertuous life vntill the light of the Gospell came But if any error happen as if any maÌ„ should foolishly thinke which thing the Manichies and other like pestiferous men did that it is a detestable thing to eate either flesh or any other certayn kind of meat then such a meate is not of his owne nature made vncleane but thorough that mans corrupt opinion Wherefore let vs beware that we conceaue not in our mindes any errors or mad opinions touching meates And let thys be before our eyes which Paul sayth that meates are made vnto theÌ„ common which Of the supersticion of opinions spring greuous sins iudge them to be common But the gouerners of the Church haue so appoynted fastings and certayne dayes and choyse of meates that by that meanes there no where want such supersticious opinions but are euery where in a maner rife and sinnes are without measure increased For if we thinke that God is offended in any thing and doo not for all that absteyne from it it is a great token that we more esteme our owne will then the law of God Yea rather that man whatsoeuer he be in so doing sinneth double first for that he is ignoraunt of that which Why the law â—aith They shal be vnclean to you Of the vse of meates We haue nothing in the world which is free from the loue of our neighbours What Paul herâ— signifieth by this word common he ought to know secondly for that he followeth not euen his owne sense which he hath conceaued of religion but committeth that which he thinketh is forbiddeÌ„ by the law of God And Ambrose in this place doth not vnaduisedly weigh the phrase of the law For the law when it speaketh of vnclene meates thus decréeth Thâ—se thinges shall be vncleane vnto you It sayth not absolutely They shal be vncleane but addeth Vnto you For that the Iewes only were bound to those lawes Hitherto we haue spokeÌ„ of the nature of meates now wil we speake of theyr vse That vse ought eueÌ„ as al other our actions to be subiect to the law of charity And therfore we must take hede that it serue to edification and that by it our weake brethern be not offended For to speake at a woord we haue nothing in the whole world which is frée from the loue of our neighbours Paul sayth common after the Hebrew maner For that natioÌ„ had certayne peculiar meates not only as touching nature thereof but also as touching the dressing of them But other kindes of meates for that they were confusedly vsed of other nations were called common as though they had no holynes ioyned with them So of the Lattines such things are called prophana that is prophane which are porro that is farr of a fams that What thinges are called prophane is from temples and may be vsed of all kindes of men Therof it came that in the 10. of the Actes Peter sayth that he had neuer eaten any thing common or vnclene In which place he aptly ioyned together 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is common or vnclene And Chrisostome noteth that here is sayd common of that which commeth out of the hart for that is it which maketh a man common that is to say polluted Such as are adulteries murthers c. Neither is it in vayne that Paul addeth thorough Iesus Christ For if thou referre it to that which he before sayd I know and am persuaded which way Chrisostome semeth to like wel it declareth that this persuasion of Paul is not humane but vtterly diuine But if it be referred to that which followeth That there is nothing common then teacheth it vs that we ought to count to haue receaued this benefit at Christes hand as by whom the obligation Through Christ creatures hurt vs not or bond of the law is abrogated And in these woordes are they couertly reproued which will not vse so great a benefit of Christ By Christ also we haue this benefite that the creatures which otherwise by reason of sinne are subiect to the curse and to vanity can now doo vs no hurt For as Paul sayth to Timothe They are sanctified by the woord of God and by prayer But vnto infidels and to those which are without Christ they kepe still that curse whereunto they are subiect Wherfore Paul sayth to Titus All things are clene to the clene but to the vnclene and to the vnbeleuers nothing
oppressed Otherwise it shall bee all one to bee occupied in them as to marke what Liui Aristotle Salust Plutarche and other writers haue left in writing But now without the law is the righteousnes of God made manifest beyng confirmed by the testimony of the law and of the prophetes Here is expressedly put forth the question wherof he will afterward entreat And thereof he putteth two partes Of which the one is that the righteousnes of God is without the law made manifest The other is that it is obtained by the faith of Iesus Christ And Paule affirmeth that this righteousnes of God hath the testimonye both of the law and of the prophets This is it which he proposed at the beginning that by the Gospell is reueled the righteousnes of God from saith to faith And in that he writeth that this manifestation is done without the law he vnderstādeth without helpe of the law being obserued but onely by the hearing of faith Which The righteousnes of God threefold selfe thing he affirmed vnto the Galathians when he said Haue ye receiued the holy ghost by the workes of the law or by the hearing of faith The righteousnes of God as I haue in an other place declared is thréefold The first is wherby we are through Christ receiued into fauour and our sinnes are forgeuen vs and the righteousnes of Christ is imputed vnto vs. And the second kind of righteousnes followeth this namely that thorough helpe of the holy ghost our minde is reformed and we all whole are inwardly renewed by grace Thirdly follow holy and godly workes for they which are once come thus far are most zelous and desirous of working well Now then Paule entreateth of the first righteousnes whiche he saith is declared in vs without the law And he calleth it the righteousnes of God because it is gotten thorough his power and goodnes and not thorough our owne workes And if a man do more narowly consider it it is the mercy of God which he bestoweth vpon vs thorough Christ And I haue in an other place admonished that that which the Hebrues call Tsedech and our men haue turned righteousnes signifieth rather goodnes and mercy And therefore to this day the Iewes call almes by that name And Ambrose vpon this place is of the selfe same mynd For he sayth Therefore is Ambrose Why the mercy of God is called righteousnes that called the righteousnes of God which semeth to be the mercy of God because it hath his originall beginning of Gods promise and when that promise is performed it is called the righteousnes of God For therfore is it the righteousnes of God because that is rendered which was promised Also whē he receiueth those which fly vnto him it is called rightousnes For one not to receiue him that flieth vnto him it is iniquity Thus much Ambrose But we must not harken vnto them which in this place do interprete these wordes Without the law for without the ceremonies of the lawe For we haue before shewed that althoughe the question was moued by reason of them yet hath Paule entreated of the lawe generally so that it comprehendeth all the partes of the law They seme not much to ouershoote themselues which by the righteousnes Christ the righteousnes of God of God vnderstande Christ for whatsoeuer pertayneth to iustification that same commeth from him vnto vs when we beleue in hym Betwene the righteousnes of God and ours Paule plainly putteth a difference when he saith in this self same The manifestation of the righteousnes of God happened chiefly in the tyme of the Apostles The order and maner of the preaching of the Apostles Epistle Being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and seeking to establishe theyr owne they are not subiecte vnto the righteousnes of God But that we may the better vnderstand what this manifestation of the rightousnes of God is which then happened chieflye when Paule wrote these thinges it must thus be vnderstanded that we must haue a regarde what manner of preaching the Apostles vsed As farre as we can gather out of the sermons of the Apostles as they are set forth in the Actes of the Apostles First they preached repentaunce setting before mens eyes their sinnes and condemnation wherin men were wrapped then they gathered together the proprieties and conditions of Christ which should heale these euils and that out of the holy scriptures Thirdly they applied the same proprieties and conditions vnto Iesus of Nazareth to allure men vnto his fayth And suche as hearyng these things beleued the same obteyned of God remission of their sinnes Inwardly they were made new and outwardly they liued moste holily resembling the image of God to which mankynde was made With perseuerance they called vppon God communicating together in prayers breakyng of bread all holye workes They stedfastly did put their trust in God as they which were vtterly destitute of all other helpe They nothing regarded worldly riches laying the price of their things and money at the féete of the Apostles They stoutely bare a good testimonye vnto Why the righteousnes of God is said to be made manifest without the law Christ reioycing that they suffred greuous thinges for hys names sake Lastly in this quarell they cherefully shed theyr bloud bestowed theyr life And the world seyng those thinges could not but be moued and acknowledge that a new kynde of righteousnes appeared on the earth And because amongest them were Ethenikes which had no knowledge at all of the law therfore the Apostle sayth Without the law Also many of the Hebrewes were called who although they knew the law yet they nothyng at all regarded it And it was all one as if they had not had the law There came some also which liued very vprightly and were moste zelous in the study of the law as Nathaniell whome Christ pronounced to be a true Israelite in whom there was no guile And these were iustified without the law for that obseruation of the law which they performed was not the cause why they were iustified The lawe in déede may be a helpe vnto iustification because it admonisheth vs and accuseth vs by whiche meanes we are dryuen vnto Christe But for as muche as it hathe not the strengthe to forgeue synnes to geue the The law helpeth vnto iustification but it is not the cause thereof A conciliation holye Ghoste to suggest faythe into the hartes of the hearers therefore Paule saythe righte well That we are iustified wythout the lawe Augustine in hys booke de spiritu litera saith that the Apostle seemeth to speake thynges repugnaunt For he affyrmeth that the righteousnes of God whereof he nowe speaketh had his testimonye of the lawe and the Prophetes and yet be saythe that it was made manifeste without the lawe But he aunswereth that there is here in verye deede no contradiction if a man rightly distinct those thinges which are here spoken For
as generally spoken when as in all men there nether is nor appeareth any such righteousnes But his wordes are contracted vnto those which beleue vnto the elect I say and sanctified Which thing the words of the Apostle sufficiently declare If this sentence should be vnderstanded altogether vniuersally then this manifestation could not be referred but vnto the preaching This vniuersality may haue a respect vnto the preaching which is set forth vnto all men hauing no respect either of persons or estates for so Christ warned the Apostles to preach the Gospell to all creatures and generally addeth whosoeuer beleueth and is baptised shal be saued But the first sense is both true and also more perspicuous He afterward addeth a reason why this righteousnes is made manifest vnto all vpon all that beleue Because sayth he All haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God That forasmuch as they want righteousnes of their owne they might receaue it at the handes of God There are none so holy but that as sayth Ambrose this place conuinceth them to be sinners forasmuche as this righteousnes geuen of God hath place in all and vpon all But this phrase is to be noted Are destitute of the glory of God By it some thinke is to be vnderstāded the The glory of god somtimes signifieth his dwelling in vs. dwelling of God in vs bycause men were seperated from him nether had they him ioyned vnto them by grace And that the glory of God expresseth this maner of dwelling hereby it is manifest for that the Arke of the couenant is called the glory of God Wherefore when it was taken by the Philistians the glorye of God was sayd to be taken away Others thinke that Paule by the glorye of God vnderstandeth the perfect and true righteousnes which comming from God is iudged glory or that whereby we glorifye God And forasmuch as glory What glory is is nothing els but a prayse most aboundantly published Paule by a figuratiue kinde of speach calleth the most singular giftes of God the glory of God for which giftes we both prayse and celebrate his name so that the thing hath by the figure Metonomia the name of the propriety which followeth it But in my iudgement it semeth that Paule would declare by these wordes that all men in theyr corrupt nature were reiected and that he chiefely reproueth rites sacrifices and workes of the lawe in which they thought the glory of God chiefly to consist For he sheweth that they in very deede were destitute of the glory of God although they were altogether full of their ceremonyes And are iustified freely by his grace Here we haue what that meaneth the righteousnes of God to be made manifest without the lawe namely to be geuen freely And Paule laboring to shew that in iustification is no consideration had of our workes semeth to shew that he neuer satisfieth hymselfe So many wordes heapeth he vp which signifieth one and the selfe same thing For We measure the righteousnes of God by our own righteousnes he saw what a hard thing it is to be beleued of vs which will our selues do nothing freely and by our owne measure do measure the righteousnes of God as though he also would not geue his righteousnes freely Out of this kinde of speach ought to be gathered this common sentence that by fayth only we are iustified And although this word only be not found in the holy scriptures yet is it necessarily inferred of those things which we there reade as Ambrose most Ambrose sayth by fayth onely playnly noteth in this place writing vōp these words saying We do nothyng we recompēce not by fayth only are we iustified which is the gift of God He was not content to say that we are iustified by fayth only but he addeth also other clauses whereby he might more playnly declare the same The selfe same thing writeth Basilius also in his booke De confessione fidei We sayth he haue nothing whereof Basilius was of the same iudgement we may make our boast concerning righteousnes forasmuch as we are iustified only hy fayth in Christ. Which wordes are not so to be vnderstanded as though the fayth wherby we are iustified were alone that is not adorned with good holy works but because our workes though they be neuer so holy are not causes of the true righteousnes The like similitude is shewed in water wherin moistnes and coldnes are ioyned together but to washe away blots and spots properly belongeth to moistnes and not to coldnes Wherefore this is a false argument ab accidente whē as two things being ioyned together that which belongeth to the one is ascribed vnto the other But as touching this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is being iustified being a participle of the nominatiue case it is to be referred vnto that which was a little before spoken For all haue sinned and are destitute of the glory of God as though he should haue sayd they which were such are iustified freely By his grace by the redemption which is in Christ Iesus whome God hath set forth a propitiator by fayth Here Paule expresseth those thinges which by fayth we embrace when we are iustified and sheweth that by fayth he vnderstandeth the obiectes which by it are apprehended And when he sayth by grace he sheweth that he entreateth of a farre other maner of righteousnes then is that which is gotten by workes and he most manifestly excludeth the conditions We are not iustified rashely or by chaunce of the lawe And when we heare that we are iustified fréely and by grace we must not thinke that the same is done rashely or by chance forasmuch as it is tempered by the rule of the election of God The causes and reasons whereof although they be vnknowen vnto vs yet are they knowen vnto God And seing that in respect of hym the same is not done by chaunce we ought not to affirme that men are iustified b◠chance And euē as chaunce is to be takē away so also ought we to banishe necessitye least we should seeme to admitte fate or desteny For God is not compelled to chuse this man more thē that man But whatsoeuer he geueth he geueth it freely and without compulsion By the redemption Hereby appeareth that we are manumitted by Christ and made his free men For we were bond men cast into the prison of sinne Who are redemed death and the deuill But Christ hath fully payd the price for vs and that no small price for he hath shed his owne bloud for vs and geuen his life That is sayd to be redemed which before was both free and also pertayned vnto vs. We were the peculiar people of God and through our owne default we were sold vnder sinne This phrase here of the Apostle manifestly declareth how litle we ought to ascribe vnto free will before we be by the redemption of Christ set at liberty And
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
ernest peny and a triall of the saluation to come And therefore in those which are in Christ he hath engrauen and emprinted his spirite Nether nede we sayth Ambrose forasmuch as we are so deare vnto God to be aferd that we should of him be deceaued And Paul hath not without a cause made mencion of the holy ghost For he it is which beareth witnes vnto our spirite that we are the sonnes of God and by him we chiefely acknowledge the thinges that are geuē vs of God For as it is written in the first to the Corrinthians we haue not receaued the spirite of this world but the spirit which is God to know the thinges which are geuen vs of God But because we can not by certayne demonstracions or by experience of the sence teach vnto the infidels this loue of God whereof the holy ghost maketh vs assured therefore it is A similitude sayd to be powred into our hartes For we are in this life like strangers which although at home they come of a noble parentage and are rich yet so long as they are abiding amōgst strange nations they are not had in estimation But yet they knowing their owne nobility reioyce in their hart and passe not vpon the vayne opinions that other men haue of them So we hauing the loue of God shed abroade into our hartes when we are as fooles miserable men derided of the wicked are nothing at all moued with their iudgement being fully contented with our state and condition Augustine somewhat otherwise expoundeth this place For he thought that by loue is to be vnderstand that loue wherwith we loue God which exposition in my iudgement can haue no place For we haue not therefore our hope vnshaken because we loue God but because we are loued of God Farther the scope of Paul is to confirme our hope by the benefit of the death of Christ which maketh vs assured not of our loue towards God but contrariwise of Gods loue towardes vs. Wherefore he concludeth his argument with these wordes And God hath set forth his loue to wardes vs. c. Although we also gladly acknowledge with Augustine that the hope of godly men is somewhat confirmed for that they now feele by the holy ghost that they are inflamed with the loue of God when they vnderstand that for their sake the sonne of God was of hym deliuered vnto the death And that our loue is deriued of that loue of God wherewith he embraseth vs it is playne and manifest Our loue springeth of the loue of God but as touching the sence of the Apostle the former exposition is more naturall For Christ when we were yet weake according to the consideration of the time died for the vngodly For a man will scarce dye for a righteous man For for a good man it may be that one dare dye But God setteth forth his loue towardes vs seing that while we were yet sinners Christ died for vs. Much more then being now iustified by his blood we shal be saued frō wrath thorough him For if whē we wer enemies we wer recōciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shal be saued by his life And not only this but we also reioyce in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whome we haue now receaued the attonement For Christ when we were yet weake c. Now he expresseth the reasō wherby we may knowe that God loueth vs namely for that he gaue his sonne for vs whē we were yet weake sinners vngodly enemies Wherfore we manifestly gather that y◠hope cā not confound vs wherby we haue full confidence y◠seing we are now regenerate and reconciled vnto God we shal at the length obteine eternall felicity For if he vouchased to geue so much for enemies and sinners sakes vndoubtedly he wil geue much more vnto his frindes and childrē Wherfore The Methode of Paules reason Paul first setteth forth the benefite bestowed vpon mākind the sonne of God I say which was geuē vnto the death Secondly he maketh a comparisō wherby is excedingly confirmed the hope of the faythfull Last of all he sheweth that we doo not only hope but also excedingly reioyce of this loue of God towards vs. As touching the first part he doth not coldly or sclēderly declare how much good God hath bestowed vpon vs when he gaue his sonne for our saluatiō but with greate amplificatiō he setteth forth the matter namely that his sonne was not geuen for all men but for those which were vtterly vnworthy of all mercy For before we wer by the benefite of God made pertakers of this redemption we could by no helpe or force of our owne helpe our selues And therfore Christ is sayd to be geuen for weake ones which wholy neded all maner of helpe And those selfe same being wicked and vngodly refused the helpe offred vnto them And when they were sinners these euells dayly encreased more and more For both the infirmity was encreased and the remedy grew the more in hatred by reason of theyr impiety which more and more encresed This also helped therevnto for that men were now declared to be open enemies And it was a greate matter to vndoo and make voide those thinges which were once decreed This is the meaning of these wordes vveake vngodly sinners and enemies For a righteous man and for a good man Seing that all men are loth to dye thereby is manifest how greate was the loue of Christ towards vs which would dye for such as once were we as hath now bene declared For the righteous Some hereby haue vnderstand a iust cause For they whiche haue deserued death canne skarslye bee perswaded too take theyr death patient For the Good That is they more willingly dye for that which is profitable and plesant as the parentes for theyr children the husbands for their wiues merchants for theyr merchandise Origen bringeth an example of the Martirs which suffer death for Christs sake who is in very dede good Others make mēcion of the Decians Curtians Codrians and the bretherne called Phileni which of theyr owne accorde gaue theyr liues for theyr countrey For all these semed to haue bene moued to geue themselues to the death both for that which is iust for that which is profitable For it was a thing iust that they should be so kind vnto theyr countrey in the defence thereof to be willinge to shedde theyr liues Farther also by theyr death they semed to preserue those who were vnto them most deare Vndoubtedly for my part I thinke with Chrisostome that by these woords Iust and Good are simply to be vnderstand good men and iust men although Ierome to Algasia in his 7. question taketh Iust and good substātiuely for a thing iust and good But why Paul sayd Scarce for a iust man and addeth peraduenture for a good man I thinke this to be the cause for that they which seemed sometimes to
one that it be three and that it begatte a sonne and suche other yet were it a wickednes to thinke that anye externe effecte commeth from him by naturall necessitye when as whatsoeuer he doth he doth it freelye and of his owne accorde and it is free vnto him not to do what he will not Nether do we here put any necessity by supposition of the ende For the saluation of mā mought haue bene wrought by many other wayes and meanes so that hys will had bene so But it was of necessity y◠Christ should dye by supposition of the deuine prouidence and counsell for that God had decreed it should be so And this he did chiefely to declare his infinite loue Much more thē being now iustified by his blood vve shal be saued from wrath through him For if when we were enemies we were reconciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled vve shal be saued by his life Here is brought a comparison of diuers estates both of Christ and of vs we were before weake vngodly sinners enemies But now our cōdition or estate is changed for we are nowe made frendes we are now iustified and reconciled vnto God Christ by his death wrought much for vs but now he liueth and that an eternal life wherein he raigneth with y◠father It was a greater matter It is a greater matter to iustifye then to bringe to blessednes them that are iustified to restore vs to life to iustifie vs and to reconcile vs vnto God then it is to bring vs being now iustified vnto felicity and the foresayd thinges hath he brought to passe by his death wherefore that which remaineth he shal much more easiely accomplishe being now placed in life and in his kingdome for that whiche remayneth is lesse and Christ to bring this to passe for vs is after a sort mightier then himself Now resteth to declare how men not yet reconciled are called the enemies of God Of this may two reasons be geuen the one is touched in the How before iustification we are called the enemies of God epistle vnto the Hebrues where it is said That it is vnpossible without faith to please God And forasmuche as men that are straungers from Christe wante fayth and seinge that they beleue not the oracles of God they beare witnesse that God is a lier and therefore they can not please him An other reason is for that they are still oppressed with vices and by meanes of theyr naturall luste they all the wayes they canne resiste the will and lawes of God Wherefore they are woorthelye called enemyes But Paule affirmeth that by the death of Christe we are iustified whiche is first vnderstande before God by imputatiō Secondly also bycause dayly is augmented in vs a new righteousnes How we are iustified by the deth of Christ which in liuing holily we get by the instauratiō of our strength which we haue now receaued of the holy ghost Although we must cleane fast only to the first iustification for in it is the stay of our saluation For the other righteousnes for asmuche as it is vnperfect is not able to stande before the iudgement seate of God When the Apostle sayth That vve shal be saued from vvrath By wrath he vnderstandeth not a disturbance What wrath is in God or perturbation of the minde For these thinges can haue no place in God But as Augustine hath wel interpreted in his bokes of the Trinity wrath in God signifieth a iust vengeance And God is sayd to be angry when he sheweth forth the effectes of an angry man which are to punishe and to auenge So he is sayd to repent himselfe that he had made man bycause like a man that repenteth himselfe he would ouerthrow his worke And the reconciliatiō wher of the Apostle here speaketh is referred to this kinde of wrath and signifieth that the vengeāce is now at an end Contrariwise it is sayd in the Gospel of Iohn That the wrath of God abideth vpon him which beleueth not in the sonne of God wherfore we seing we are now recōciled vnto God by the death of his Sonne ought Vpon thē that are iustified is no thing sent of God but with a fatherly mind to be fully perswaded in our selues that for asmuche as the wrath of God is ended and taken away nothing can by him be sent vpon vs but of a frendly and fatherly minde Otherwise afflictions and aduersities mought of theyr own nature driue a feare into vs and perswade vs that God is angry with vs. Which thing forasmuche as by the death of Christ is the reconciliation made can by no meanes come to passe And this reconciliation pertayneth not only to those faythfull which then liued when Christ died vpon the crosse but also to all as The reconciliation made by Christ hath a respecte to all times wel those which from Adams time went before those seasons as also to those which shall be euen vnto the end of the world And so great was the goodnes of God in this sacrifice that whereas therein were committed of men many horrible actes for they both condemned an innocent man and also most spitefully crucified the Lord of glory yet the deuine clemency was nothing at all offended The wickednes of them that crucified Christ diminished not the dignity of that price with this so great iniquity and ingratitude but that it counted as most acceptable the obedience of Christe and his infinite loue and vnmesurable patience accepted it for the redemption of mankinde Now resteth to se what this so great loue of God requireth agayne at our handes for there are many thinges which it requireth For first euen as Christ applied all his will and endeuor to redeme vs so is it our part on the other side vtterly and all whole to addict our selues vnto him And as he setting a side all thinges had a care only of our saluatiō so also ought we to plucke away our minde from all things not any more to seke our owne thinges but only the thinges that longe vnto What thys so great loue of God requireth againe at our hand Christ They may be an example vnto vs which haue returned into fauour agayne with theyr enemies for they lest they shoulde seme to haue done anye thing counterfeately or faynedly leue no dewty vndone whereby to win their new reconciled frendes and of this thing they haue a greate care not to be thought to retaine still any remnāts of enmity or hatred closed vp in the mind as we rede Cicero Crassus Pompeius and many others did Farther also we must take hede that seing by the mercy of God through the death of Christ we are place we doo not through wicked and filthy actes throwe our selues downe hedlong from thence For they which after they haue once ben reconciled cease not to contaminate themselues with vices do not only fall downe hedlonge frō theyr most
the diuine nature brethern of Christ and childreÌ„ of light and that we also sinne not for he which is borne of God sinneth not and that we loue our neighbors and our enemies that we may resemble our heauenly father who maketh hys sonne to shyne vpon the good the euil sendeth raine vpon the iust the vniust And finally that we be peacemakers for they shall be called the sonnes of God But our adoption is not such that we should thinke that we are borne of the substance of God For We are not the sonnes of God as begotten of hys substaunce that is proper to Iesus Christ only For the word of God is by nature borne of the father which thing yet the Arrians denied For forasmuch as they made the sonne of God a creature they must nedes say that he was not the sonne of God by nature but by adoption Greate vndoubtedlye is our dignitye For we are so highlye exalted that we be not onely called and are the sonnes of Christ called his Apostles bretherne God but also haue Christe to our brother Wherefore Christe when hee was risen agayne sayde vnto the women Goe and tell my brethren And althoughe the elders were not quite voyde of this dignitye yet had they it not so publiquely declared But this was no let at all that many amongest theÌ„ were weake For we also in the Gospel haue many weake ones For Paul saith vnto the Corrinthians that he could not speake vnto them as vnto men spirituall for that they were carnall and therefore he was fayne to féede them with milke Which selfe thing is written vnto the Hebrues And contrariwise they had men strong in fayth of whome we caÌ„ not doubt but that they were in thys The fathers in the olde time attained to the adoption of childreÌ„ adoptioÌ„ most excellent And that so it was at that time also the Apostle testifieth in thys epistle the 9. chapiter for he sayth Vnto whome pertayueth the adoption and the glory and the testament and the geuing of the Law and the worshipping and the promises and vnto whome pertayne the Fathers Here we se that adoption pertayned vnto them also Ambrose vpon this place teacheth that of thys adoption springeth vnto godly men greate security And doubtles forasmuch as this commeth We are more certaine of this adoption then we are of our carnal fathers Alexander the greate vnto vs thorough the spirite whereby we are inwardly moued we ought to be farre more certayne that we are the sonnes of God then the sonnes of thys worlde are certayne that they are the sonnes of them whome they call fathers For oftentimes the mothers deceaue both the husbandes and the children But the spirite of God deceaueth no man Long since flatterers went about to perswade Alexander that he was not the sonne of king Phillip but of Iupiter Afterward when he saw that there came bloud out of a wound which he had geuen him he lawghing sayd that that semed vnto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is common bloud and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is the bloud Gods But we though we suffer many things yea loose our life for Christes sake yet notwithstanding ought to be fully perswaded yâ— we are the sonnes of God For to the end we should not any thing doubt of that matter we haue not only a testimony of the spirite but also euen the sonne Christ hath taught vs to call God father of God hath taught vs to call God Father and to inuocate him by that name And this forme of prayers ought to call vs backe from all kinde of wickednes and from all maner of filthy works and also to put vs in minde not to degenerate from the nobility of so greate a father and that we in no case dishonour hym For it is taken to be a greate reproch vnto fathers to haue wicked childreÌ„ And forasmuch as we can not as we haue sayd attayne vnto this adoption but thorough Christ and his spirite nether the Iewes nor the Turkes nor men straÌ„gers from Christ can call vpon God as vpon theyr father By vvhome vve cry Abba father This selfe same maner of speach the Apostle vsed vnto the Galath For thus he writeth Bycause ye are sonnes God hath sent the spirite of his sonne in which we cry Abba father After this selfe same maner Christ our first begotten brother prayed vnto the father in the garden sayinge Abba father let this cuppe passe away from me Nether is it to be meruayled at that the Apostle ioyned a Greke word and a Syrian word together whiche tounge What is ment by the ioynyng together and repeticion of two tonges was then commonly vsed of the Iewes For first this repeticion serueth to vehemency of speach Farther the Apostle semeth by a certayne mistery to teach that as well the Gentiles as the Iewes shoulde be indifferentlye pertakers of thys adoption in both whiche tounges God should be called vpon by the name of father In the primitiue Church were kept still of the interpreters some Sirian words which were then in vse which we rede sometimes in yâ— holy scriptures as Messias Cephas Talitha Cumy Maranatha Rabby Osianna Alleluia and Amen For those words were theÌ„ most perfectly knoweÌ„ especially wheÌ„ as betwene the Ethnikes the Iewes yâ— were coÌ„uerted vnto Christ was a most straight bond of loue in a maner a perpetual familiarity But we must not thereof gather yâ— in yâ— We must not vâ—eâ— strange tounge in the church The inuocation of the godly is the worke of the holy Ghost How vnto prayers to ascribed our saluation seruice of God should be vsed a straÌ„ge tounge For yâ— the holy ghost hath manifestly forbidden vs. Paul in this place wheÌ„ he maketh mencion of inuocation declareth the worke of the holy ghost which it straight way sheweth forth vpon the children that are adopted and now regenerate And of so greate waight and force is this work that the Apostle doubteth not by the testemony of the Prophet to attribute vnto it saluation For he saith as afterward shal be declared Euery one which calleth vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued Not that our prayers can merite salution for that is apprehended by faith only And therefore that we should not be deceaued he straight way expresseth in what maner he ascribeth saluation vnto them For he saith How shall they call vpon him in whome they haue not beleued Which wordes plainly teach vs that that which is written of prayers is to be attributed vnto faith as vnto their roote But because in this place is mencion Whether the adopted be free from all feare of God Dâ—finition of feare made of feare for the Apostle thus writeth Ye haue not receaued the spirite of bondage agayne vnto feare it shall not be from the purpose briefely to sée whether Paul meaneth that we are deliuered from all kinde of feare or no First
eschew the one and to the vttermost of our power to embrace the other For we offende in that sinne not onely in our actions and in the executing of duties but also in the study of knowledge of vnderstanding For there are many which neglecting the care of knowing things necessary vnprofitably wander in things vnfruitfull and vaine Did not the Emperor Adrian make himselfe a laughing stocke when amongst the waighty affayres of the common wealth he curiously enquired of Grammarians who was the nurse of Euandre who was the great grandfather of Priamus and other such like trifles and fond toyes And was not y◠philosopher worthely derided of his handmayden when as he attentiuely and carefully considering the starres fel into a ditch which was before his féete This oftentimes happeneth in ouer much busiyng our selues in curious thinges that whilest we go about to search out these thinges which nothing pertayne vnto vs we to our shame are ignorant of other things which are profitable necesssary The vnderstanding of mē is weake neither is it able to consider many sundry things at one and the self same tyme. And therof it cōmeth to passe that where with great earnestnes we séeke to pease any thing our attentiuenes is very much slackened touching the searching out of other things Wherefore Seneca iustly cōplayned y◠a good part of our life is lost whilest we do nothing but a greater part whilest we do euil things the greatest part of all whilest we do things strange A most graue saying of Seneca that is vnprofitable and nothing pertayning vnto vs. They also breake this commaūdemēt of the Apostle which in things profitable necessary to saluation will be wiser then they ought to be For there are some which search out thinges pertayning vnto Christian fayth with greater study then is nedefull For they wyll not be content with those thinges which are set forth in the holy scriptures but according to the rashenes of humane reason will either adde somewhat to the words of God or plucke some thing therefro Who will not say but that these men are besides themselues Wherefore we ought to obey this doctrine of the Apostle For there can nothing be deuised which is generally more profitable then it And that we may the easelier performe this Paul addeth a meane which we ought to keepe in esteming our selues As God hath deuided to euery man the measure of fayth In these wordes is vsed the figure Eclipsis which signifieth want And the want may thus be supplied Let him in such sort thinke of himselfe and let him not arrogantly take vppon him more When mencion is made of fayth it is by the figure Metonomia ▪ For in the cause we vnderstand the effect namely the gifts and spirituall powers geuen of God For no man ought more to presume of himselfe then y◠measure of y◠giftes of God suffreth him which giftes forasmuch as they are receaued by fayth therefore Paul aptly sayd that we must be wise according to the measure of fayth But what this fayth is all the interpreters are not of one minde For some thinke that in this place is vnderstanded that sound fayth whereby we are iustified For to vse the giftes of God vprightly is geuen vnto vs by regeneration which we haue obtayned by fayth But because the Apostle afterward teacheth those things which serue chiefely to the right vse of the giftes of God it is not likely that he woulde now before due place entreat of that doctrine Moreouer we sée that the quantity or measure of spirituall giftes which they call frée giftes are not according to the measure of fayth which iustifieth For we sée oftentimes those which haue a very slender fayth or rather not that fayth at all which iustifieth are yet notwithstanding endewed with a wonderfull gift both of teaching and of perswading and of doing thinges orderly And in that last day many shall say Lord haue we not prophesied in thy name c. But answere shall be made vnto them I know you not And on the other side we sometymes sée most holy mē endued with a true fayth and feruent charity which yet haue these free giftes either very slenderly or sometymes not at all Wherefore it séemeth that fayth in this place may be taken for y◠fayth wherby are wrought miracles Chrisostome also in this place discourseth how fayth ought in these words to be takē but so obscurely that it can skarsely at the length be knowen what his mynde is Origen mencioneth that certayne of the learneder sort gathered out of these wordes of Paul Let no man be wise more then is meete that a certayne measure and mediocrity is to be retayned in all vertues For if a man kéepe not measure in that iustice whereby sinnes are punished he straight way incurreth into the vice For if in that kinde he want of the meane then shall he be remisse and dissolute But if he excéede the meane then shall he be cruell and tyranous For so shall he séeme to be to gréedy of vengeance In christian liberty also he which passeth the meane is rashe and hedlong Mediocrity betwene extremes ought to be kept he which dareth not vse it is fearefull and cowardishe So in prudence he which wanteth of the meane is a foole and he which passeth the meane is crafty wyly and malicious So the serpent in paradise is said to haue ben more prudent then all liuing creatures Touching chastity also he sayth that they are wiser thē Against supersticious sole lyfe they ought to be which geue themselues to the doctrines of deuils and prohibite matrimony and forbid meates created of God This place the supersticious bond sclaues of the Pope ought well to pease For those pestilent furies contend and cry out that it is well done that no man be admitted into the fellowship of the ministers but he onely from whome is wrested the vow of sole life Moreouer in this vertue they also depart from the meane which through lustes and adulteries impudently let loose the bridle vnto the fleshe Yea saith he there are found some which touching Christ himselfe are wiser then they ought as are those which thinke that he is not the sonne of that God which made y◠world as though forsooth they could find out a more excellent father for him Neither do they commit any les sinne which thinke that he tooke not an humane body of the blessed virgen but fayne that he brought a celestiall body with hym from heauen These thinges bringeth Origen for the laudable mediocrity which is to be kept in all thinges and that according to their iudgement whome he calleth wise and learned The ecclesiastical vocation is not to be eschewed Moreouer this is not to be passed ouer that they are not so wise as they ought to be which vnder the pretence of modesty eschew a higher degrée and place in the Church for that they say that they
first violateth the law of God And he wil take vengeaÌ„ce of our enemies for that we are vnto him most deare Therefore he sayth he which toucheth you toucheth the apple of mine eye And God is neyther forgetfull nor also neglecteth his office Wherefore seing vnto him belongeth vengeaunce and we are vnto hym deare when we are iniuried he is first offended and he neglecteth not that which pertayneth to him we ought without doubt to leue the vengeannce vnto him Sayth the Lord. This is not had in the Hebrew Howbeit it is aded of Paul to the end these admonitions should sticke the deaâ—lier in our mindes If thyne enemy hunger fede him O notable kind of vengeance may humayne reason say But much rather will it so say if it thinke that in the name of meate and drinke are comprehended all maner of dewties which are necessary for the maintenance of the life Wherefore the lawyers when in a testament or will is bequethed vnto a man meate and drinke thereby vnderstand that vnto him are bequethed clothing lodging bedding phisike and such other like thinges And the lord when he sayth that God maketh his sunne to arise vpon the good and vpon the euill and rayneth vpon the iust and vpon the vniust by these two words Sunne and rayne comprehendeth all the gifts of God whatsoeuer we se in thys life common to the good and to the euill And in so doing thou shalt heape coles of fire on his hed This some thus vnderstand thou shalt adde spurres vnto him wherby he shal be stirred vp to loue thée agayne Some thus Thy benefits shall be vnto him as coles of fire whereby he shal be made ashamed his conscieÌ„ce shal be troubled and he shal be kindled with confusion as though this shal be the vengeance of the godly and by this ignominiof theyr enemies they shal satiate theyr anger This latter interpretatioÌ„ is not so semely for a Christian man For none that is godly at any time reioyseth in the hurt of his enemies I grant indede that the benefites which we bestow vpon our enemies may woorke these thinges in them Howbeit we ought in no wise to set forth these thinges as endes of our dewty but in such sort as we declared in the first exposition so farforth as they serue to his amendement to whome we doo good The selfe same thing is to be iudged of that which Origen sayth that these coles signifie hell fire This indede may come thorough theyr default that our benefits should encrease theyr dampnation and punishementes But that ought not to bee the cause of our purpose or entent For we ought to seke nothinge ells but their saluation Be not ouercome of euill but ouercome euill with good Forasmuch as betwene contraries there is a continuall battaile therefore Paul aptly maketh mencion of good euil which are coÌ„traries It is doubtles an excellent kind of victory A notable kind of victory A daungerous fall by well doing to ouercome the force of hatreds as contrariwise it is a pernitious fall to be throwen downe with the outrageousnes of anger In this battayle it is necessary that either the wickednes of our enemies be ouercome by our goodnes or that our goodnes geue place to the fury of our enemies And that by such pollecies is ouercome the maliciousnes of ill men may be proued euen by theyr owne testimony as Chrisostome writeth For if they should be asked the question they will confesse that they are then ouercome of vs when with a valiant mind we contemne theyr iniuries and hurtes For there they chafe they fret they fume as though by our patience were broken and vtterly deiected all theyr strengths But they wonderfully reioyse when they se vs so mooued that we wil nedes auenge the iniuries which we haue receaued In humane conflictes those are said to ouercome The diuers maner of fightyng of carnall and of spirituall men which ouerthrow others and those are counted ouercome which being van quished and euill handled haue the woorse Which is not to be meruayled at wheÌ„ as those thinges are the inuentions of the deuill But the holy ghost here setteth forth vnto vs a farre other kind of battayle wherein they are ouercome whiche whilest they seke to aueÌ„ge theÌ„selues playnly declare that they are ouercome and they go away conquerers which so lenefie and temperate theyr anger that they shew benefites vnto them which haue done vnto them iniury Vpon this stage ought Christians to exercise themselues wherin they haue as lookers on and supporters The stage of christiaÌ„s the Angells And the author or maister of the game is the most iust God These woordes to ouercome and to be ouercome Good and euill are of great efficacy with which vnles our mindes be moued it is a great argument that there is but a very sclender spirite and bastardly fayth in vs. But what shall we iudge of How we ought to be haue our selues towardes the excommunicate and towardes heretikes men excluded from the Church whome they call excommunicate persons And what also of them which preach and teach doctrine contrary to the truth With the one we are commaunded not to eate meate and to the other not to say so much as God spede Touching these men if necessity vrge we ought to geue vnto them neate and other thinges necessary not for acquaintance familiarity or our delectacion sake but euen only that we cease not from the office of charity But if there be no such necessity we ought neither to talke with them nor to eate with them But if the necessity of the soule or of the body so require all these thinges which Paul here writeth we ought to obserue towards them The thirtenth Chapiter LEt euery soule be subiect to the higher powers for ther is no power but of God and the powers that be are ordayned of God Whosoeuer therfore resisteth the power resisteth the ordinaunce of God and they that resist shall receiue vnto them selues iudgement For Princes are not to be feared for good workes but for euil wilt thou then be without feare of the power doe well so shalt thou haue prayse of the same For he is the minister of God for thy wealth but if thou doe euil feare for he beareth not the sword for naught For he is the minister of God an auenger vnto wrath Let euery soule be subiect to the higher powers If as we haue before proued they are to be reproued which repay euill for euill and if also the office of Christians be to render vnto men that haue offended them the dueties of charitie then doubtles are they excéedingly to be accused which in stead of benefites repay euil which geue not due honor nor shew due obedience to such men as deserue wel at theyr hands such as are magestrates And for as muche as the Apostle entendeth diligently and at large to entreat of this matter that we may the better vnderstand
is cleane for that theyr mind and conscience is defiled Here wese yâ— those things which otherwise were vnclene are by fayth the woord made cleane And contrariwise yâ— which of his own nature is cleane is by a corrupt opinioÌ„ and by departing froÌ„ the worde of God made vncleane What meruaâ—le is it then if we say that when the worde and faith is added the bread in the Eucharist The nature of charity and the water in Baptisme are no more common and vulgare elementes But if thy brother be greued for the meate now waâ—kest not thou according to charity Here he declareth that that which of his owne nature is not common or vncleane is yet notwithstanding sometymes for some other cause prohibited namely as we haue sayd for charity sake For the nature thereof is to stirre vs vp diligently to prouide for all those thinges which we knowe shall profite our brother They greuously sinne against this commaundemeÌ„t which wil not forbeare from those thinges by which they know the consciences of their weake brethren are offended and afflicted In mans body if any member peradueÌ„ture be ill at ease it is handled gently and diligently sene vnto of the other members So ought we to helpe our weake brethreÌ„ as much as lieth in vs and to ease them of their paine and griefe Let no man thinke that the consent of religion is a thing light or of small valew For in such cases we se that the weake ar greued wheÌ„ they se others to doo otherwise then they iudge ought to be doone But coÌ„trariwise the godly reioyce when they se others consent with them both in fayth and in maners Destroy not him vvirh thy meate for vvhome Christ dâ—ed For what other thing ells is this but openly to resist the counsell of Christ He hath redemed him wilt thou destroy him He hath shed his life soule bloud for thy brother CaÌ„st not thou for his sake absteyne from a poore pece of meate He being the chiefe creator author of all thinges did this And doost thou being but a woorme yea and lesse theÌ„ a woorme thinke skorne to doo this He died for thée when thou wast hatefull and his enemy and canst not thou suffer so trifeling a thing for the brother sake Ambrose very godly sayth that by this place we may know of how greate valew the saluation of our brother is This I thinke he therefore spake for that the nature of iustice requireth that the price of a thing be after a sort made equall with the thing it selfe The price of a thing is after a sort made equall with the thing it self VVherefore cause not your commodity to be obnoxious to euil speakings Ye must in no case suffer sayth he the excellent giftes of God to be euill spoken of thorough your default But Christian liberty and the doctrine of the Gospell and fayth are no vulgare or common giftes of God Why then doo we cause them to be euill spoken of for our sakes when as rather they ought by all maner of meanes to be commended and with most high prayses to be set forth By euil speakings I vnderstand not the euill speakings of euery kind of meÌ„ but of the weake brethern which forasmuch as they detest thy liberty thorough thy default are made contumelious agaynst GOD which gaue it vnto thée But that man goeth rightly orderly to woorke which séeth vnto that his woorkes be approued and yâ— especially by the iudgement of the godly brethren that the glory of God may be celebrated that others may haue an example of holynes to follow We may here also vnderstand the euil speakings of those which ar without For they when they sée christians to contend amongest them selues about friuolous matters beginne to haue our religion in contempt Therof came it that Paule sayd for your sakes the name of God is euil spoken of amongst the Gentles For the kingdome of God is not meate and drinke These stroÌ„ger sort thought that in defeÌ„ding their liberty they did very much increase the kyngdom of God thought also yâ— if they dyd otherwyse they should betray it Paul thus answereth vnto theÌ„ yâ— this is not the force this is not the right this is not the fruit of the kingdoÌ„ of heauen that we should either eate or drinke whatsoeuer we list For the effectes thereof are of much more excellency Which effectes Paul straight way mencioneth namely righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy ghost Chrisostome thus expoundeth these wordes The kingdom of God is not meate and drinke these things bring thee not to the kingdome of heauen but righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy ghost make thee partaker thereof With which exposition Ambrose also agréeth If by righteousnes peace and ioy they vnderstand Christ which is made vnto vs all those thinges I wil not be agaynst theÌ„ But if they put theÌ„ as causes of our felicity their interpretation is vtterly wide from the marke They had not spoken amisse if they Meat anâ— drinke are not the principall thinges for which we should contend had sayd that meat and drinke are not those thinges whereby is confirmed and spred abroad the kingdome of God and therefore we must not contend about them as tertayne chiefe and principall points Therefore Paul saith in the 8. chapiter of the first to the Corrinthians Meate commendeth vs not vnto God For neither if we eate not shall we want neither if we eate shall we abound One Vrbicus as Augustine writeth in his 86. epistle very vnlearnedly abused these wordes to proue that we ought to fast on the Saturday Because the kingdome of God sayth he is not meate and drinke Augustine answereth If the matter be so then vpon the Sondayes and at other times when we fast not we pertayne not to the kingdome of God Chrisostome sayth that by this sentence of the Apostle eyther part is admonished For it is profitable for ech part to vnderstand wherein consisteth the kingdome of God Which thing thoughe I graunt to be somewhat likely yet doo I not iudge it to be of necessity For he still continueth in dealing with the stronger sort and sayth destroy not the woorke of God for meate sake Righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy ghost â–ª The kingdome of God consisteth not in outward thinges For forasmuch as it is a thing spirituall it must nedes also consist of thinges spirituall which though they be many in nomber yet here are reckened vp only the excellenter spirituall thinges By righteousnes he vnderstandeth both yâ— righteousnes wherby we are iustified out of which springeth Righteousnes of two sortes true peace And therefore Paul before sayd We being iustified by fayth haue peace And also that righteousnes which after regeneration springeth forth of fayth as a fruit therof which righteousnes also is the mother of peace For it disturboth not neither worketh any thing wherby our neighbors may iustly be angry or be
not by discord broken Wherefore I thinke we ought with most feruent prayers to pray vnto God to geue at the length vnto his Church this most pleasant agréement For so long as there are so many which disâ—ent from the truth how can God with one minde with one mouth be glorified VVherefore receaue ye one an other as Christ also receaued vs to the gâ—ory of God Paul in these his prayers which we haue now heard touched yâ— end of maÌ„s life namely that we should all agreing in one the selfe same mind glorifie God and the Lord Iesus Christ Now he finisheth vp the matter and the thing which he hath entreated of he closeth vp with a most profitable conclusion For here he not only repeteth the end which he had set forth but also thereunto addeth an example of Christ Christ sayth he receaued vs when we were weake infirme and lost Wherefore it is our partes also to embrace and cherish one an other vnles we will be vnlike to so excellent a maister And as he when he erected and holpe vs sought nothing ells but the glory of his father so we in helping our brethern The vehemency of Paules conclusion ought to set before vs to regard nothing ells but the glory of God and of Christ And so vehement is this conclusion of Paul that there is left no place to make deniall For if thy weake and infirme brother did neuer hurt thée but is otherwise of honest conuersation vndoubtedly thou dealest vncourteously if thou beare not with his infirmity But if he be odious vnto the and haue paraduenture committed any thing for which he may seme to be vnworthy of thine helpe yet oughtest thou to haue a consideratioÌ„ to that example which Christ hath set forth vnto thée and oughtest alwayes to set before thyne eyes the glory of God which shall by thy louingnes be illustrated Neyther wanteth it a certayne religious art and conning that Paule in a maner with the selfe same woordes endeth this matter with which he began it For at the beginning he sayd Him that is weake in faith receaue ye And here he sayth Receaue ye one an other Now I say that Iesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirme the promises of the Fathers And let the Gentiles prayse God for his mercy As it is writen For this cause will I confesse thee amongest the Gentils and will sing vnto thy name And agayne he sayth Reioyce ye Gentiles with his people And agayne Prayse God all ye Gentiles and laud him all people together And agayne Esay saith There shal be a roote of Iesse and he shall rise to raigne ouer the Gentiles in him shall the Gentiles trust Nowe I say that Iesus Christ was a minister of Circumcision for the truthe of God to confirme the promises of the fathers Paul by a most soft transition as I thinke now goeth to take vp an other discorde which at that time was risen not only at Rome but also in other Churches For those Churches for that they consisted partly of the Iewes and partly of the Gentiles were long time at great dissension An other dissensioÌ„ of the church of Rome by reason of the differences of kinred and of nations For the Iewes through the pride that they conceiued bicause of the lawe that was geuen vnto them and through the hautines and opinion of their holy stock and bloud deriued of the fathers insolently contemned the Gentiles But the Gentiles not able to beare that boasting and arrogancy despised the Iewes as men through their own default reiected of God and in a maner excluded for that they saw that they were now after a sort substituted into theyr place Wherefore Paule to take away these contentions opportunely vseth this reason wherewith he had knit vp his former talke namely that Christ had receiued them to the glory of God which benefite for as much as Christ had bestowed as wel vpon the Iewes as vpon the Gentils it was not méete that they following theyr owne iudgemeÌ„t shold so much esteme the differences of kinred and of merites which God in receiuing of them wayed not that therfore they should be disseuered one from an other Wherefore Paule hereunto wholy bendeth himself plainly to declare that bothe the Iewes and the Gentiles are through Christ receiued of God into fauor And he first maketh meÌ„tion of the Iewes for that vnto those before all other men was preached the Gospell of Christ And that they should not attribute this to theyr owne vertues Paul rendreth a reason why Christ would by himself be vnto that people a minister of Christ was not the minister of the Iewes for their worthines sake saluation This sayth he was done for the promises sake which were made vnto the fathers least they should lye voyde and frustrate if Christ should haue done otherwise For that had bene a great empairing to the truth of God which ought to be most constaÌ„t For Christ bestowed not this benefit vpoÌ„ the Iewes for yâ— they were more worthy then other nacions but yâ— the truth of God should not seme to haue deceiued them Neither could they refer to the commendation of their owne dignity the promises that were made to theyr elders For those promises ceassed now to be due vnto them for that they had degenerated from the faythe of theyr elders and had thorow their perpetuall violating of the lawes stirred vp yâ— wrath of God against them vnles God had had a consideration to his truthe rather then to theyr worthines These things hath Chrisostom very wel noted in these words What maner of thing the ministery of Christ was And Christ ministred vnto Circumcision that is vnto the nation of the Iewes when preaching the Gospel he called them back to saluation and to life This ministery consisted not in masses belles alters prayers for the deade holy water stoles silke vestments choyse of meats bowes candles ashes and other rites ceremonyes and ornaments of the Popes maiestie Neither did he in title only cary about the dignity of the ministery as many at this day doe but he daily sed the shéepe committed vnto him and with all industrye and diligence preached vnto them the worde of saluation When others slept he watched in prayers in which it can not be doubted but that he by all maner of meanes desired of God that the ministery which he executed might be moste frutefull to many And as touching his priuate life he alwayes behaued himself holily and innoceÌ„tly and adorned his ministery with a most excellent example of his whole life For what so euer is coÌ„maunded in the law the same he wholy so performed and accomplished that it being after that manner fully accomplished can not be any more a burthen to vs which are now through faith adioyned vnto Christ For the olde ceremonies haue The law thorough Christ is not vnto vs a burthen now