Which thing if he do not vndoubtedly he beleueth not faythfully and truly This doth Augustine write of him selfe in his booke of confessions And in the actes of the Apostles the Ephesiās when they had geuen themselues ouer vnto Christ did not only confesse theyr sinnes but also burnt those bookes which before they had vsed vnto supersticion But I will declare vnto you what hath deceaued these men They read paraduenture in the Fathers that they attributed much vnto teares fastinges almes and other godly workes of the penitent But these men vnderstand In what sence the fathers haue attributed so much vnto prayers fastinges teares not what the Fathers ment in those places For they intreated of ecclesiastical satisfactions and not of our workes by which God should be pacified or the forgeuenes of sinnes deserued For the Church forasmuch as it saw not the inward fayth of thē y◠fal and there were many which not abiding the shame of excōmunication sometimes dissembled some shew of conuersion and repentaunce thereby the rather to be reconciled and receiued vnto the cōmunion of the other brethern the Church I say to the end this should not happen would haue a proofe of theyr fayth and conuersion neyther would it admitte them that fell vnto the fellowship of the faythfull before they had declared teares fastinges confessions and almes as witnesses of a true and perfect chāging And bycause these men marke not this they confound all thinges and build thereupon most detestable hipocrisye But they haue yet an other shift for they say that the workes of infidels are not sinnes although they be done without the fayth of Christ For they imagine that there Whether the workes of infidels be sinnes or no. is a certayne generall and confused fayth towardes God which fayth they which haue althoughe they beleue not in Christ yet may they worke many excellent workes which euen for that selfe same fayth sake may please God and after a sort deserue iustification They geue say they large almes they honor theyr parents they excedingly loue their countrey if they haue cōmitted any thing y◠is euil they are sory for it they liue moderately and do a greate many other such like thinges and that not rashly but bycause they beleue there is a God which delighteth in such workes Therefore they apply them selues vnto them to make themselues acceptable vnto him Farther they paynt out and colour theyr fayned lye with a trime similitude A stake say or a post being put into the earth although oftētimes A similitude it take not roote or life yet draweth it some iuyce out of the erth so bringeth forth some leaues and buddeth as if it liued in very dede So mē say they that are strāge from Christ although they liue not by the celestiall spirite yet by some inspiratiō of the spirite they worke those excellent workes which we haue described But we We please God with no faith but with that which is in Christ that are instructed by the holy scriptures doo acknowledge no other fayth whereby we can please God but only that which is in Christ Iesus For there is no other name vnder heauen geuen vnto men whereby we cā be saued but only the name of Christe our sauiour And Paul as often as he maketh mencion of fayth whiche iustifyeth alwayes declareth it to be that faythe whereby we are godlye affected towardes Christe and hys Gospell But leaste Paul shoulde seme to teach this thing peculiarly and alone I will a little more déepely repeate the whole matter Abraham beleued God and it was counted vnto him vnto righteousnes Abraham was iustified b◠faith in Christ But what beleued he Forsooth this that he shoulde haue séede geuen him namely that onely séede as Paul interpreteth it wherein all nations shoulde be blessed which is Christ Iesus This testament was confirmed of God vnto him in Christ yea the Lord himselfe when he spake of him said He saw my day and reioysed Iob also in the xix chap. I saith he do know that my redemer liueth which shall also rise in the last day ouer them that lye in the dust And after the wormes shall destroy this body I shall see the Lord in my flesh Whome I my selfe shall see and mine owne eyes shall behold and none other for me This faith expressed in those words is in no wise generall or confused For in it are plainly described the principall pointes whiche pertain vnto Christ For first he is called a redéemer wherein is published the forgeuenes of sinnes Further his comming to iudgement is set forth and also the resurrection of the deade in whiche resurrection not other bodies but euen the selfe same which they had before shal be restored vnto men There also put the humane nature of Christ which may be seene with corporall eies Further what manner A true faith draweth with it all good motions of the mynde They whiche be strāgers from Christ may haue a credulity but not a true faith The Turkes haue not a true fayth although they beleue many true things that we beleue of faith I beséech you is that faith which these men affirme infidels to haue For a true and firme persuasion and a constant and an assured assent vnto the promises of God draweth with it as I said at the beginning all good motions of the minde How then can they say that these men haue faith which lie still weltering in idolatry and in most filthy and grosse sinnes They may indéede haue some certaine credulitye either by education or by humane persuasion or by an opinion after a sorte rooted in them but to haue a true faith so long as they lead such a kind of life it is by no meanes possible vnles they will graunte that the Turkes haue also faith for they assente vnto many thinges whiche we professe and beleue But this place of Paul out of the first epistle vnto the Corrinthians If I haue all faith so that I can remoue mountaines and haue not charitie I am nothing this place I saye they will haue to be vnderstande not onely of the true faith but they also saye that the same faith may be seperated from charitie howbeit they graunte that if it so come to passe the same fayth can profite nothing Seing therfore they after that sorte expound that place how agrée they with Paul when they say that a generall and cōfused faith which is in men that are yet straunge from Christe can bring foorth good workes which of congruity may merite iustification and please God when as Paul saith that euen the true faith also as they interprete it doth nothing profite without charitie But that similitude which they bring of a stake or post fastened into the earth vtterly ouerthroweth their opinion For although being deade it séemeth to liue yet in very déede it liueth not And a wise husbandman séeth that that budding forth is vnprofitable and
bicause of vnbeliefe they were broken of but thou standest by faith Here is geuen the reason of the fall and destruction of men and on the other side of saluation and constancie namely vnbeliefe faith And of the Iewes which should one day be restored he addeth And if they abide not stil in their vnbeliefe they shal be againe grafted in for God is of might to graft thē in Héere we sée that by departing from vnbelief which consisteth in beleuing Hereby is proued that the restoring of thē that fall cōmeth by faith men that haue fallen are restored This maketh very muche against the error of those which although they after a sort confesse that the first iustification is giuen fréely without any workes going before yet vnto men that haue fallen they graunt not restitution vnto iustification but by satisfactions and many workes preparatory These things haue I gathered out of the Epistle vnto the Romanes now will we in order prosecute the other Epistles In the first Epistle to the Corinthians the first Chapter it is thus written bicause the world in the wisedome of God knew not God by wisedome it pleased God by the folishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleue Bicause the wise men of this world saith the Apostle by their naturall searching out could not take hold of the wisedome of God whereby they might be saued God of his goodnesse hath instituted a contrary way namely the preaching of the Gospell which vnto the flesh séemeth foolishnesse that by it saluation should be geuen vnto men but yet not to all sortes of men but to those only that beléeue Wherfore in the .ij. to the Corinthians the. 1. chapter it is thus written by faith ye stand by which wordes we vnderstand that the foundation wherby we are confirmed and established in the way of saluation is faith Farther Paule to the Galathians the .ij. Chapter where he reproueth Peter for his dissimulation wherby he séemed to lead the Gentiles to obserue the Ceremonies of the Iewes thus speaketh If thou being a Iewe liuest after the maner of the Gentiles and not as doe the Iewes why compellest thou the Gentiles to liue as doe the Iewes For we which are Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowe that a man is not iustified by the workes of the law and we beleue in Christ that we might be iustified by the faith of Christ not by the workes of the law because by the workes of the lawe shall no fleshe be iustified Héere we sée that the Apostles therefore folowed Christ y◠they might be iustified by faith which they could not obtaine by works And afterward the life which I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne of God which is all one as if he should haue said As yet in déede sinne sticketh in my fleshe and in it I cary death about but yet notwithstanding I haue life not through mine owne merite but by the faith of the sonne of God In the .iij. chap. he thus wryteth I would know this of you receiued ye the spirite by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith And straight way he addeth he which ministreth vnto you the spirit in you worketh miracles doth he the same by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith By these words we sée that it is faith and not works wherby we take holde of the gifts of God and he addeth ye know that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham and that vndoubtedly for no other cause but because in beleuing they imitate him Wherfore sayth he the scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles by faith shewed before hande glad tidings vnto Abraham saying in thee shall all nations be blessed This blessyng spred not abrode vnto them bicause they had their beginning of the flesh of Abraham but bicause they followed the steppes of his faith Otherwise of Abraham as touching the fleshe came not as farre as we can read any other nations then the Ismaelites Edomites and Israelites Then foloweth the conclusion Therefore they which are of faith shal be blessed with faithfull Abraham But to be blessed in the Hebrew phrase is nothing else then to receiue the gifts of God amōgst which iustification is the principallest Wherefore it followeth That vnto the Gentiles through Christ might come the promise made vnto Abraham that we might receyue the promise of the holy Ghost through faith We sée therefore that the promise of the holy ghost is not taken hold of by workes as many faine it is which thing euen reason sufficiently declareth For seing the Lord as it shall a litle afterward be declared had by promise geuen this blessing vnto Abraham we must se what is referred vnto the promise as a correlatiue Which as we haue sayd cā be nothing ells but fayth for fayth setteth forth vnto it selfe the promises of God as an obiect Paul furthermore addeth that the scripture concludeth all thinges vnder sinne that the promise by the fayth of Iesus Christ should be geuen to them that beleue Thys is the cause why y◠holy scriptures so diligently shew vnto men how they be guilty of sinnes namely that they should be the more stirred vp to embrase y◠promises of God at the least way by fayth when as they haue not good workes by which they may take hold of them And this vnderstand we by that which is afterward written The law is our schoolemaister vnto Christ that we should be iustified by fayth These wordes signifie nothing els but that y◠law therfore sheweth sinnes setteth forth vnto mē their infirmity and stirreth vp theyr lustes wherby sinnes are more and more encreased that they being thus admonished should returne vnto Christ and might from him thorough fayth receaue righteousnes Which thing they vndoubtedly did of whome it is sayd Ye are all the children of God by the fayth of Iesus Christ For what is it to be the sons of God but to haue now obteyned adoption which we obteine only by regeneration or iustification And in the 4. chapiter Brethern sayth he we are after Isaake children of the promise But to be children of the promise is nothing ells but to beleue those thinges which God promiseth wherby we are made his children according as he hath promised we should be For so was Isaake borne vnto Abraham not by the strength of nature but by the benefit of the promise of God In the 5. chapter he writeth We in the spirite looke for the hope of righteousnes by fayth In this place are two thinges touched the sprite of God whereby we are new facioned and renewed vnto saluation and fayth wherby we apprehēd righteousnes Wherfore in this matter of our iustificatiō although there be in our minds many ther workes of the holy ghost yet none of them except fayth helpe to iustification Therfore the Apostle concludeth Circumcision is
The patience of god portendeth not vnto the vngodly that they shall escape vnpunished men that although after a sort they were punished yet vnles they repented they should in the day of iudgement be more greuously punished And his meaning is that the patience of God whereby he suffereth them doth not portende that they should escape vnpunished but geueth them occasion to begin truly to repent God is set forth to be both mercifull and good but yet in such sort that his long sufferyng and patience haue endes limites And by reason of this differryng of punishmentes which happeneth in thys lyfe the Apostle is compelled to make mētion of the last iudgement Otherwyse forasmuch as in this lyfe many are passed ouer vnpunished others are most seuerely delt with all God might be thought to deale vniustly Wherfore he vrgeth them wyth the feare of the last iudgement and affirmeth that the differryng of vengeaunce bryngeth more greuous punishmentes Which thyng Valerius Maximus an Ethenike writer speaketh of that God by the greuousnes of the punishment recompenceth the long delaying therof Wherby it is playne that Paule disputing against the Ethenikes which knew The knowledge of the iudgement to come is naturally grafted in men not the holy scriptures reproued them by those thynges which might be known by the lyght of nature Wherfore there is a certayne naturall knowledge grafted in the hartes of men touchyng the iudgement of GOD to come after thys lyfe which thyng the fables also of the Poetes declare whiche haue placed Minoes Radamanthus and Eacus as iudges in hel Wherfore they shall be more greuously punished which haue bene the longer borne withall because the contempt of God addeth no small waight vnto theyr sinnes which contempt semeth to haue crept into them whilest they so long tyme despised his lenitie and patience A hard hart But thou after thyne hardnes and hart that can not repent heapest vnto thy selfe wrath in the day of wrath An hard hart is that which is not softened Wherof rebellion against God springeth by the benefites of God nor broken by hys threateninges nor feare of punishmentes And this rebellion agaynst God we draw vnto vs partely by originall sinne and partly by custome of sinnyng so that now we are in a manner without any kynde of felyng To beleue vprightly forasmuch as it is a vertue hath two extremities On the one side there is so great facility that some wyll beleue euery thing whether it be an inuention of mā or superstitiō or the word of God which In beleuing the meane is to be kept and two extremities are to be taken hede of vndoubtedly is a vyce On the other side there is so great difficulty to beleue that they will not admit no not euen that which is playne by the worde of God vnles theyr owne reason be satisfied therein Betwene these two daungerous extremities there is a certayne meane that we should heasely beleue those thinges which are to be beleued whē they are godly offred vnto vs vsing therin a diligēt trial of the holy scriptures For all thinges are to be examined by that rule Paule vseth this Greke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth to lay aside or to lay vp in store For we commonly vse to lay vp in our treasures those thinges whiche we will not vse presently but will afterward vse them at some other conuenient tyme. And this very well fitteth with these vngodly ones For then they felte not the anger of God which yet afterward they shall feele and that so muche the more aboundantly as riches are more plentifull whiche are continually euery day heaped vp together He prudently warely sayth that these men heaped vp vnto themselues wrath that they should not impute these punishmentes vnto the cruelty of God By this kinde of speach he teacheth that it was they themselues which brought this mischiefe vpon themselues And this woord of heapinge vp treasure is oftentimes vsed in the holye scriptures In Deut the 32. chap God sayth touchinge the transgressions of the Israelites that they were sealed vp in This Metaphore of heaping vp treasure is oftentymes vsed in the holy scriptures What the day of wrath is hys treasures Ieremy also in the 50. chap threateneth that God wyll poure out the treasure of his wrath and indignation And that which is added In the day of wrath And y◠happeneth somtimes in this life when God semeth that he will not suffer any longer and sheweth foorth some tokens of his seuerity which thing we see happened in the captiuitie of Babilon in the euersion of Sodome and destruction of the Egiptians And the Prophets euery where describe the most bitter punishments of God by this title that they be layd vp in store against the day of wrath And wrath is here taken for vengeaunce by that kinde of figure wherby that which followeth is expressed by that which goeth before But it fitteth beste to referre those thinges whiche are here described vnto the last day of iudgement which he expresseth by three notes Firste by wrath secondly by reuelation and lastly by iustice Vengeaunce he ascribeth vnto God Three notes of the laste iudgement least it should be thought a thing of smal waight He addeth also reuelation because here thinges are hidden but there all thinges shal be made manifeste He putteth thereunto also this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is iustice least as Chrisostome noteth some should perswade themselues that the iudgemente of God shoulde proceede from an angry minde Vndoubtedly there shal be shewed a most grieuous vengeaunce but yet such a one as shal haue ioined with it iustice Wherfore we ought to haue that iudgemēt cōtinually before our eies neither at any time to take vpon vs any dueties or actions but that our mind be euer turned vnto it And this is to walke before God whiche thinge as Abraham was commaunded to do so is the same most oftentimes required at our handes And to walke before God is nothing els then to thinke that he doth moste intentiuelye behold whatsoeuer thinges we do But alas it is wonderfull to see howe this To walke before the Lord. thinkinge vpon the iudgemente to come is taken awaye from the sighte of the vngodlye VVho shall render vnto euery man according to his woorkes When he sayth that vnto euery manne shal be rendred it plainelye signifieth that none shall escape this iudgemente In the iudgementes of men it oftentimes happeneth that one is punished and an other is not so muche as accused He addeth According to their workes to geue vs to vnderstād that there shal be no acception of persons There shal be consideration had of the causes onelye and not of God hath a consideration vnto the cause and not vnto men Moses vnderstoode that the mercy of God is tempered wyth iustice men Of what state or condicion so euer they be they shal be iudged
Iewe first and also to the Grecian These wordes are so playne that they neede no exposition Onely thys thynge let vs note that thys repeticion of felicity which abideth the godly tendeth to thys ende that they being allured with the hope thereof might the more earnestly repent For there is no respect of persons before God As touching Paules methode The methode of the reprehension past in this reprehension of the Ethnikes it is after this maner As concerning the the fyrst part of knowledge which is called contemplation he hath proued that they knew God by the creatures but when they knew him they worshipped hym not as they ought to haue done Therefore when they had geuen the glory of God vnto Idols they were delyuered vp by him vnto the lustes of their owne hart vnto shamefull affections and into a reprobate mynde Moreouer as touching the other knowledge which consisteth in the doing of workes he sheweth that they knew right well the iustice of God And that he thereby proueth in that they iudged vprightly in geuing sentence vpon other men But that which they so well knew they performed not at all For both they themselues lyued wickedly and partly they consented vnto them which sinned and partly in seuerely punishing of others they ouerhipped themselues Which men he terrefied in declaryng vnto them that they should not escape the iudgement of God And because they beleued not that the iudgement of God shoulde euer come and that the prouidence of God had no care of thinges humane because they saw by experience that God ceassed from punishing wickednes against the first reason he layeth that we knowe assuredly that the iudgement of God shal be without doubt agaynst those which do such thinges as touching the other reason he sayd that this long tarying of God shal be recompensed with sharpenes of the punishement Whiche yet in the meane tyme is to thys ende proftiable vnto them that they might haue space to repent Whiche thing if they do not they shall fall into the horrible iudgement of God Of whiche iudgement he sayth that he shall render vnto euery man according to their workes And he deuided it into partes namely what the godly and what the vngodly shall looke for and added moreouer that neyther affection nor fauour shall there be of any force and made equal the Iewes with the Gētiles the Gētiles with the Iewes wherof he now bringeth a reason for that before God there is no respect of persons Whether God haue a respect vnto persons This I thought good the more largely to repeat that the methode of those things which are spoken might be throughly vnderstanded But now let vs sée whether this be altogether true that God accepteth not persons which is to deale in the cause according to the worthines or vnworthines thereof not hauing regarde to the conditions or states of them which are to be iudged It semeth vndoubtedly that God hath a respect vnto persons bicause he gaue vnto the Iewes many good thinges and that for this cause namely for that they pertained vnto Abraham Isaac and Iacob and because they were of their séede stocke Yea when the people had made a calfe and deserued worthely all of them to be destroyed Moses An exāple of Moses prayed vnto the Lord and although he confesseth that the cause deserued destruction yet he desireth pardon for them for Abraham Isaac Iacobs sake of whose stocke they came And so he layd before God not the cause but the person Yea and in the 89. Psalme we reade of the séede of Dauid that although they had prophaned A place of Dauid the testament of God and had forsaken his wayes he would in déede visite them with the rod Howbeit for hys seruaunt Dauid sake he would not take from them his mercy Is not this to accept persons and not to weigh the causes And in A place of the ten commaundementes An exāple of the Sodomites the ten commaundementes we reade that he will do good vnto a thousand generations of them that feare hym and kepe hys commaundement And God was contente to spare the Sodomites if there had bene but ten iust men amongest them And he gaue vnto Paule all them that were in shippe when they were in daunger of ship wracke Neither spared he them for the iustnes of the cause but because they sayled in the fame ship together with Paule To the ende these thinges may be more What a person is throughly vnderstanded we must first declare what is in this place vnderstanded by the name of a person And that is nothyng els as we now speake of it then the condition or state or a certaine quality geuen vnto vs either of God through nature or receiued by election Of the first kinde are these to be a man or a woman a father or a sonne of this nation or of that to be borne a prince or a subiect a frée man or a bondeman and suche other lyke taken But these are taken of our owne will and accord to be a minister of the church to be a souldier or a handicraftes man and such other lyke In summe a person consisteth by comparyng of a man either vnto an other man or els vnto certaine thinges or faculties For if Abraham be referred vnto Isaac he is his father if Salomon be referred vnto the Israelites he is their kyng if Aristotle be compared vnto sciences he is bothe learned and also a Philosopher if Cresus vnto riches he is riche vnto which selfe same riches if Irus be referred he is a begger So haue we what a person signifieth Now let vs sée the differences of persons There are certayne persons which Certayne persōs may want good workes but some other cannot may vtterly be wythout good workes as the person of a father or of a brother of a riche man or of a poore man But certayne cannot alwayes want good workes as are the elect the predestinate the members of Christ the faithfull the partes of the church and such other lyke For it is not possible that such men althoughe they sometymes fall should vtterly be without good workes Thirdly there are some persons so ioyned vnto the causes that the cause can not be iudged vnles there be a respect had vnto the person As when one striketh a man whiles he executeth the office of a magistrate or if he which liueth wickedly be a minister of the church and such lyke As touching those persons which are not vtterly without good workes and which are necessary for our saluation God hath so a respect vnto them that if without thē we shall appeare before hys iudgement seat we cannot be saued But of this kynd of persons this sentence of Paul is not to be vnderstand But as touching those persons whiche haue not eyther good or euill workes of necessity ioyned with them we answer that if the causes be so annected that in
Christ we haue the inheritaunce of the Father common with Christ and we be so wholy grafted into him and altogether knitte with hym that by hys spirite we liue But then shall we come vnto thys inheritaunce when it shall be sayd vnto vs Come ye blessed of my father receaue the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world And we ar the fellow heires of Christ bycause as Iohn sayth when he shall appeare we shall be like vnto hym And Paul sayth to the Colloss Ye are dead ▪ your life is hidden with Christ in God But when Christ What inheritance is your life shall appeare then shall ye also appeare together with him in glory Inheritaūce as it is defined of the Lawiers is a succession into the whole right of the dead person Can this seme a small matter to any man to be made pertaker of the whole right of God Doubtles Peter sayth we are made pertakers of the nature of God Here Ambrose noteth that it is not in thys matter as we se it commeth to passe commonly in the world For the testator must first dye before the successor can come vnto the inheritaunce But God dieth not Yea rather we which are appointed hys heyres do first die before that possession can be deliuered vnto vs. Christ also first died before he came vnto the glory which was appoynted for hym Farther as touching ciuill Lawes the heyre is counted one and the selfe same person with him that maketh him heyre So we are by Christ so streightly knitte together with God that we are nowe one with him as Christe prayed That they may be one as thou and I are one For all thinges are ours and we are Christes and Christ is Gods This inheritaunce obteyne we freely by the spirite of Christ Wherefore the bishoppes of Rome and theyr champions the Cardinalls and false Bishoppes doo wickedlye whiche haue enclosede thys inheritaunce of This inheritaunce we obteyne freely remission of sinnes and of comminge vnto the kingdome of God vnder theyr counterfete kayes so that they can at theyr pleasure sell it and ether thruste downe to hell or send vp to heauen whome they will Here agayne we haue somewhat to saye of Chrisostome For he as before he wrote that the Iewes beynge vnder the Lawe were excluded from the adoptyon of the sonnes of God so here denieth that they were the heyres of God And he citeth to confirme this sentence that place of Mathew He shall destroy to nought the wicked Many shall come from the East and from the West and shall rest with Abraham Isaac and Iacob but the children of the kingdome shall be cast forth a dores Againe The kingdome of God shall be taken from you By these places thinketh he it is manifest that this inheritaunce pertained not vnto the Iewes But we herein also can not assent vnto him For God said vnto Abraham I am thy most ample reward And in y◠The fathers also in the old testamente were heires parable or rather the history of the Gospell the poore man Lazarus was sene in the bosome of Abraham Which what other thing was it but that he had obteined the inheritaunce of God and of Christe Paul to the Galathians sayth An heyre so longe as he is a childe nothinge differeth from a seruaunt when as yet he is Lord of all but is vnder tutours and gouernours euen vnto the tyme appointed of his father Which wordes plainly declare that the elders although by reason of the law and of ceremonies they liued after a certain seruile manner yet were in dede heyres although they were but children And that estate endured vntill the commyng of of Christ But that which Chrisostome bringeth out of Mathew is not spoken of y◠Many false Christians also which shall not possesse the kingdome of God good and godly Iewes but of the wicked and noughty husbandmen which slew the heyre Wherfore by such sentences we ought not to condemne all the Iewes in the olde tyme or to exclude them from the inheritaunce of God yea rather we ought to thinke that the vngodly Christians shal not be delt with one whit better then they were delt with For there are amongst vs many hypocrites and vngodly persons which as Paul sayth shall not possesse the kingdome of God And at this day if a man should looke for the church of Smyrna and y◠church of Philadelphus and many other churches which were in tymes past of great fame in Asia and in Siria he shall finde them either vtterly ouerthrowen or els miserably intreated vnder the tyranny of the Turke and no lesse afflicted then the Iewes are at this day which liue captiues vnder the Christians or vnder the Turkes If so be that we suffer with him that we may also be glorified wyth hym Euen as before he taught that we are made certaine of our adoption by inuocation or prayer wherin the holy ghost beareth witnes together with our spirite y◠we are y◠sons of God so here he sheweth a testimonye whereby we may be made more certain of attainyng vnto this ▪ inheritance which he hath spoken of Ye shal Crosses aduersities are tokens that we shal obteyne the inheritance without all doubt saith he obtein it For ye shall raign with Christ forasmuch as ye haue already attained to suffer with him Wherfore tribulations crosses are tokens and arguments wherby we may gather that we shall be the heyres of God Paul sayth vnto the Philippians That vnto them it is geuen for Christes sake not only to beleue in him but also to suffer for hym This first gift which we se we haue now obteined maketh vs certaine of the latter y◠we shall at the length not be defranded of it For no small or light power of God is declared in thē which valiantlye for paciently piety sake suffer aduersities persecutions I know there are some The condition or estate b◠which we must passe vnto the eternall inheritance which interpretate these wordes otherwise that Paul should seme to ascribe a certaine condition or estate by which we shall passe vnto the eternall inheritaunce namely if we haue first suffred many thinges And doubtles the Gréeke particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is turned if so be may be drawen to either sentence This is certaine that Paul here maketh a certaine digression although it be soft and hidden to comforte these men for the afflictions which they suffred But yet departeth he not frō that purpose which he had in hande but with one and the selfe same labour both prosecuteth that which he began and also comforteth thē And it is all one as if he should haue said ye shall in dede be heyres but yet vpon this conditiō that ye must first suffer many thinges Christ requireth nothing at your hands which he him selfe hath not first performed he leadeth you no other way then that whereby he We shall haue the
vs vp to aske those thynges Neither doth the holy ghost that is the diuine person abase it selfe as though it were lesser then the father and prayeth but only it causeth vs to pray So God is sayd to tempt the Hebrues that he myght know that is to make other themselues or others to know Touching this matter Augustine in his sermon against Maximinus the Arrian at large entreateth It was sayde vnto Abraham now I know that thou fearest the Lord which is nothyng els but I haue shewed I haue made open and haue declared that thou fearest the Lord. And Paul to the Galathyans But now forasmuch as ye know God and he addeth a correctioÌ„ or rather are knowen of God that is tought and illustrated so that he may know All these places declare that those things which are done of godly men by the heauenly inspiration are attributed vnto God and vnto the holy ghost But there are two most manifest places the one to the Galathyans the other to the Romanes which if they be compared together make that most manifest which we affirm For vnto the Romanes Paul writeth we haue not receaued the spirite of bondage agayne vnto feare but the spirite of the adoption of children whereby we cry Abba father These wordes playnly declare that we are they which crye And vnto the Galathyans God sent The spirite â—rieth because it maketh vs to crye Against the Arâ—ians forth the spirit of hys sonne into our hartes crying Abba father Here the spirite is said to cry not vndoubtedly for any other caâ—â—e but for that it maâ—eth vs to crye Neither did the Arrians truly affirme that Paul saith that the holy ghost maketh intercession to the sonne For thereof went they about wickedly to inferre that as they held that the sonne is lesse then the father so is the holy ghost lesse then the sonne These are the dreames of heretiques The son prayeth maketh intercession for vs because he is lesse then the father as touchinge his humanity The spirite maketh intercession because it maketh vs to pray and to cry And vnto the Galathyans it is expressedly said that this crying Abba father is of the holy ghost Wherefore the Arrians of their owne hed and not of the wordes of Paul fained vnto themselues that the holy ghost calleth vpon the sonne not that the holy ghost stirreth vs not vp to call vpon Christ the sonne of God But this thing only Augustine teacheth that they by the wordes of the Apostle had no cause why they should so greatly bâ—ast yâ— they had proued that which they entended namely that the sonne is lesse then the father and the holy ghost lesse then the sonne Origene so interpretateth these wordes as though the holy ghost is to vs in our prayers after a sort a Schoolemaster A Scholemaster formeth himselfe to the capacity of his children and nameth the letter first vnto them that they maye imitate him in the pronunciation of the sounde of the letters which thing otherwise they could not do of themselues so the holy ghost instilleth into vs as into children what we ought to aske Out of all these interpretacions two thinges we may gather First that here are confuted the Pelagians which tought that we are of our owne strengthes able to fulfill the lawe of God For if we can not so much as know what thinges are profitable for vs how can we performe them And when we heare that the holy ghost maketh intercession for vs we reiect the Arrians which went about by these words to proue that the holy ghost is a creature and lesse then the son For it is alwayes of necessity that he which prayeth is lesse then he to whom he commeth to pray The sonne indeede is sayd to be lesse then the father because of his humanity â—ut the holy ghost neuer tooke vpon him any creature in one and the selfe same hypostasis to be made one person with it wherefore he is therefore sayde to The holy Ghost neuer tooke vpon him any creature in one and the selfe same hypostasis The sighes of the godly in afflictioÌ„â— are hearde pray because he maketh vs to pray Vnto all these thinges may be added one thing more It commeth to passe sometimes that godly men when they are greeuously afflicted do only sighe neither to their knowledge do they praye vnto God And yet the holy ghost inwardly both stirreth vp moderateth these sighes in these men although they â—e not ware nor know what is done which sighes the father as moued and stirred vp by the holy ghost harkeneth vnto and vnderstandeth and granteth the requestes of the spirite And therefore is the spirite said to serch the harts because it considereth that which they themselues when they grone and sighe coÌ„sider not For we are somtimes so oppressed with the greatnes of temptacioÌ„s weaknes of yâ— flesh that we can not pray but the spirite priuelye stirreth vp and kindleth these groninges And these are his prayers This thinge we feale not bycause we our selues are not they which praye for we are only stirred vp by the spirite of God For although the flesh be oppressed with tribulations yet the spirit is inwardly strong â–ª Ieremy Dauid Examples of the Saintes and Iob were sometimes occupied in lamentacions and complayntes so that they after a sort complayned of the iudgementes of God as though they were ether not iust or els to much seuere and yet notwithstanding was not the spirite extinguished in them And therfore God imputed not vnto them the sighâ—nges of the flesh but heard the entent of the spirite They are called vnspeakeable Why they are called vnspeakeable sighes sighes for that we speake not expressedlye what the spirite asketh But as touching this sence yâ— words must thus to be put in order we are ignorant what we should pray which yet we ought not to be ignorauÌ„t of We pray indede but what we aske we know not but God sercheth the hartes He nedeth no inquisition Why God is sayd to searche hartes Howbeit he is sayd to serch for that that which meÌ„ desire perfectly and exactly to know they diligently serch for it so God bycause he beholdeth our most hidden thoughtes is sayd to serch the hartes otherwise he before we beginne to aske knoweth what we haue neede of Also we know that all thinges worke together to the beste to them that loue God euen vnto them that are called of purpose For those whome he knewe before hee also hath predestinate to bee made like to the image of hys sonne that he might be the first born amongest many brethern Moreouer whom he hath predestinated them also hath hee called and whome he hath called them also hath he iustifyed and whome he hath iustifyed them also hath he glorifyed Also we know that all thinges c. Forasmuch as the Apostle had begonne to speake of the patient suffring of aduersities he thought he woulde more at
Iacob and Esau For they being borne of one and the selfe same parentes yet was the one elected of God the other reiected In this place Paule bringeth in humaine reason complayning for that God dealeth not a like with all men But the Apostle aunswereth that we ought not to seeke a cause of the electiō of God which answere for as much as it satisficeth not mans reason there ariseth an other complaint why should the blame then be layd on vs that we are obstinate and come not vnto God when as the fault semeth not to be ours if God haue not chosen vs Here Paule sayth that the potters vessell ought not to complaine of his maker and that God made some vessels to honour and some to contumely Which comparison whē we call to remembrance we ought to cōsider how great a benefite we haue obtayned in that we are partakers of the election of God And though God haue chosen some of the Iewes and many more of the Ethnikes yet is not that repugnant vnto the Oracles of the scripture but rather by the testimonie of Ose the Prophet it is confirmed Neither is there any cause why the Iewes shoulde boast of their righteousnes forasmuch as it is not geuē to thē to beleue Wherfore according to the saying of Esay They haue stumbled agaynst the stone And that thing which vnto others was a strength and foundation was made vnto them a fall and offence These thinges being diligently weighed bring great vtilitie and doo verye well agree This treatise is profitable for our tymes with our tyme. It semed at that time a thing absurde that among the people of Israell so few beleued and to vs at this day it is obiected that there are verye few which truly professe the Gospell and lyue thereafter At that time men suspected that Christ was not that Messias which was promised in the law because he should saue the Iewes but this man chose very few of thē Farther they boasted of the name of the people of God So vnto vs also at this day is obiected the title of the churche And men thinke it a thing absurde that the most parte of the world should dissent from the Gospell and those in especiall which seeme to passe all others in honors and wisdome of the world Moreouer Paul sheweth What are the grounds of the churche what are the principles o◠groundes of the church namely the election of God and the worde Hereby saith he ought the matter to be measured and not by the authority or agrement of the multitude or gorgeousnes of this world Wherfore this place hath a notable consolation that we should not repent vs in that we are fewe Although we doubt not but that God for his mercy sake will daily encrease the number that the fellowship of the elect may be ful howbeit in the meane time In what thinges other congregations sometimes excell the church The Iewes boasted much of theyr kinred and workes of ceremonies we confesse that the church is not to be weighed either by the propagacion of the flesh or by the greatnes of the multitude or by dignities and honours or els by excellencies of wittes for as touching these notes other nations oftentymes excell it These two thinges which Paul in this place entreateth of namely the confidence of their stocke and bloud and the affiaunce in rites and ceremonies the wicked Iewes bosted of euen in the times of the Prophetes For they had perswaded themselues that it should neuer come to passe that either they should be ledde into captiuity or that the publike wealth of the Israelites should euer cease to be and to florish They made their vauntes that they were the stocke of Abraham and of the Patriarkes but as touching ceremonies and the outward worshippyng of God they so much swelled with pride that Ieremy the prophet in this maner derided them with an elegant irony They say saith he the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord the temple of the Lord. They leaned also vnto the multitude whē as yet in very dede neither fewnes nor multitude are a sufficient firme and sure argument The church is not to be measured by the multitude of the church For it is a false argument taken of the Accidens For these thinges are onely accidences to the Church But the multitude and the number thou wilt say will make an argument probable I graunt that But the iudgement of wise and better men is much more probable But they are oftentymes in number most few Farther graunt that the opinion of the multitude make a probable argument yet doth it not make a true and necessary argumēt Neither can we thus gather This reason is probable or very likely therfore it is true For Thinges probable ar not alwaies true but oftentimes false there are many thinges which are goodly in shew and probable which yet afterward if they be examined are found most false And contrariwise many things at the first sight séeme absurd which yet if a man afterward diligētly pease weigh he shall finde to be true Experience teacheth vs y◠the number of them y◠truly beleue is very small if it be cōpared with the Iewes Turkes heretikes Epicures The nomber of them that truly beleue is small And Christ calleth his flocke a little flock affirmeth That many in deede are called but few are chosen Farthermore Paul in this place and the Prophetes euery where testifie that not all the Iewes shal be saued but only that a few remnantes shall be made safe Wherfore the cause is neither confirmed nor confuted by reason Fewnes nor multitude confirme not the cause of fewnes or multitude Howbeit Augustine semeth somtimes to obiect vnto y◠Donatistes that they being a few in number would yet neuertheles ascribe vnto themselues only the Church condemning the whole world besides But if a man diligently reade ouer those disputations of Augustine he shall perceyue that the Donatistes erred in thrée thinges in especiall First bicause they beleued that the Three errors of the Donatists whole Church was in Afrike only and in their multitude but other churches dispersed throughout the whole world they said were corrupt bicause many had ben pertakers with them which had betrayed the holy scripture as though in this life there can be found any church which vtterly should want all spotte and wrinckle Farther they iudged that the sacramentes were contaminated by the ill life of the ministers and for that cause they rebaptised those which fled vnto their Church But we beleue that Christ hath his churches euery where For there is nothyng more proper vnto the Church then to be catholike that is vniuersal neither so to It is proper vnto the churche to be Catholike The cause is proued by the word of God and not by fewnes nor multitude ▪ be bounde either vnto certayne places or persons that it can be no
do exercise workes repugnaÌ„t to his wil coÌ„maundements Wherfore seing yâ— God hath mercy on whoÌ„ he wil geueth to whoÌ„ he wil requireth again of whoÌ„ he wil he caÌ„not be accused of imustice for he worketh not of duty And if in case saith Augustine in the 6. chap of the selfe same boke any man will importunately accuse him as though he ought by right to bestow his mercy let him consider what is spoken of the Apostle afttrward O maÌ„ what art thou which makest answer vnto God Hath not the potter power of one and the selfe same â—umpe of clay to make one vessell to honour and an other to contumely In this place Paul first beateth downe the stubborne resister for that he will not be content with thys definite sentence by hym brought Moreouer he bringeth that similitude of the claye and of the potter wherby he stoppeth the murmuringes of men for that the claye contendeth not with his maker and confirmeth the sentence whereof we now entreate namely that both election and reprobatioÌ„ depend of the will of God Afterwarde he addeth the laste reason why God woulde haue some vessels appointed to honor and some to contumely namely in the one to declare his glory and goodnes and in the other his iustice and power But this is woorthy to be noted that Paul in these obiections rebukes and aunsweres neyther chaungeth nor calleth backe any of those thinges which he had before spoken For he leaueth all things in theyr owne force And when he had referred hatred loue election and reprobation vnto the will of God though he were somewhat vrged by these obiections yet teacheth he and deliuereth he no other thinges then he had before taught and deliuered yea rather he most strongly confirmeth the selfe same Augustine in his Encheridion to Laurentius the 9 chapiter and in his booke of 83. questions the 68. question sayth that there were certayne which thought that Paul in this place wanted in rendring a reason and therefore turned hymselfe to chidinges But this is to do iniury vnto the holy ghost who spake in Paul Who they be that haue maimed the holy scriptures He sayth also that there were certayne heretiques which tooke vpon them at their pleasure to rase out many thinges out of the holy scriptures as though they had bene afterward put in by men and had not bene so written at the beginning and of that company was Marcion Manicheus and such like pestileÌ„ces against whom they could not by the authority of the scriptures dispute for that they admitted them not but as pleased them They reiected a great number of places which they called by a name vsed of them Interpolata that is interlaced Amongst other places they tooke away this place which we are now in hand with For they deuising many thinges touching the will of God and enquiring the causes touching the constitution of creatures when they saw themselues repulsed and confuted by this obiurgation of the Apostle reiected it as conterfeate and straunge But we with a sound piety receaue all the Canonicall bookes and embrace and reuerence these wordes of Paul In which wordes yet this séemeth to be wonderfull that he so putteth downe the aduersary as though no reason could farther be geuen wheÌ„ yet notwithstanding afterward he declareth by the ende why God would make some vessels to honour and other some to contumely namely thereby to make The question put forth may be takeÌ„ two maner of wayes A cause of the election of God may be geuen may not be geuen open his goodnes and glory and his power and iustice But this hereof commeth for that the question may be taken two maner of wayes And if it be demaunded generally why amongst all the number of meÌ„ some are reiected of God and some elected that cause taken of the end may be assigned which now we spake of But if we enquire of euery particular man why this man is a vessell of mercy to declare the goodnes of God and that man a vessell of wrath to make open his iustice we haue no other cause but the mere will of God which electeth and reiecteth wherewith vnles the demaunder be contente he shall worthely heare of Paul What arâ— thou O man which contendest with God This thing paraduenture may be made playne by some similitude If a carpenter should haue before him a great many A similitude peces of timber being all vtterly of one forme and quantity and should be demaunded why he putteth some below and in the foundation and other some on high he would make answere because that building must haue both a roofe and a foundation But if thou yet farther demaunde why he maketh these peces to serue for the foundations rather then the other when as the forme and quantity of them all is alike he will answere nothing els but because it so pleased hym With which answere vnles thou be content he will contemne thée as a foolishe and importunate inquisitor These wordes of Paul are in déede fewe but yet of great waight For it is an argument taken of the comparison of the nature of man vnto the nature of God which are farre wide distant the one from the other Abraham when he questioned with God touching the distruction of the Sodomites An example of Abraham and was afrayd least in questioning he should procéede farther then was lawfull for a man to know very well and religiously submitted himselfe Beyng sayth he but dust and ashes I wyll speake vnto my Lord. But humane reason vnles it be regenerate can not kepe this meane And therefore though Paul now decided the question yet is it not content Augustine in his 68. question vpon Genesis sayth that by these wordes men are not feared away from a modest and godly inquisition of spirituall things but onely in them is reproued an importunate curiousity The godly are not â—eared away from a modest inquisition but froÌ„ an importunate curiositie An example of Iob. Which how deepely it sticketh in the children of Adam not yet regenerate no man can iustly esteme Yea also they that are iustified can here skarce bridle themselues Wherfore Iob in that dialogue which he had with his frendes oftentymes sayth that he had a wonderfull desire to reason and to contend with God if he mought as touching the aduersities which he thought to himselfe he suffred vnworthely For which corrupt desire being towardes the ende of the booke reproued of God he professeth that he woulde do repentance in dust and ashes for that he had so spoken The lattin translation hath Qui respondeas deo that is which maketh answere vnto God But that doth not fully expresse the Greke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For that word signifieth not onely to answere but also in answering to gaynesay or by answeres to contende Of these obiections which hetherto haue bene brought Is there iniquity with God Why doth he
Gentiles And forasmuch as they which are called are both by the Prophet and also by the Apostle said not to be the people of God and to be strangers froÌ„ They which are called were before strangers from God Strangers from God can haue no good workes Against merite of congruitie A place of Ose mercy it playnly appeareth what our life and what our workes were before we were called to God Wherefore they are worthely to be reproued which affirme that men euen before iustification are after a sort iust and do by theyr workes deserue of congruity as they vse to speake to be iustified But as touching the prophecy of the Prophet that it may the better be vnderstanded I will as briefely as I can comprehende the whole summe thereof God would haue the Israelites admonished by Osea both of the greate wickednes of theyr idolatrye which they committed and also of the punishmentes whiche GOD would sende vppon them and to the ende they might the more thoroughly be persed he would not vse vnto them a simple kinde of speach but a wayghtye and figuratiue kinde of speach For God commaunded the Prophet to take to wife an harlot and to beget of her children of whoredome By that facte would God teach that he had ioyned vnto himselfe as a wife that nation of the Iewes when yet notwithstanding she was euen from the beginning an harlot For both the parentes of Abraham were idolatrers in Chaldea and also the elders of the Israelits had with most filthy supersticion serued in Egipt and yet did the Lord â—ouchsafe to take them and to count them for his Farther out of that sinagoge also were borne children geuen to fornication who beyond all measure worshipped idols Wherefore God decréed to auenge so great iniury which they had recompensed him with for so many and so great benefits And therfore God commaunded the first sonne of Osea to be named Izrehel which word signifieth the séede of God but with a farre other etimology or deriuation then that whereby yâ— Iewes so greatly boasted that they were the séede of God For God in that place by the name of that sonne would signify that the Iewes should like sede sowen be dispersed and sowed abrode throughout the whole world For he had appointed to ouerthrow the kingdome of the ten tribes ouer whome Iehu was king And to the end God would the more declare the greatnes of his wrath he commaunded the daughter which was afterward borne to be named Lorachamah for that she had not obtayned mercy And the sonne that was last borne he willed to be called Loam that is not my people These names were signes that that people should be Names wâ—r signes of the euent to come reiected that so that they should no more be the people of God neither should they haue the fruition of the benefit of his mercy by which punishement the Iewes were vtterly made equall with the Gentils Wherefore when as the Prophet afterward promiseth that they shal be called the people of God and shal be partakers of his mercy there is nothing to let but that also yâ— selfe same benefit mought be bestowed also vpon the Gentiles for they also at that tyme were not the people of God Neither left the Prophet vnspoken of whence this reconciliation should come namely hereof for that all they which should be called home agayne should take vpon them one name namely Christ Iesus the Messias and Sauior And this instauration began then to take place when the people were brought home againe from captiuity in which thing is to be considered not only the ciuill benefite of the bodies but much more that they were brought againe to restore the Church and to renew the worshipping of God wherby true piety might be nourished and encrease all which things are herein most of all performed in that many are dayly called vnto Christ Paul in this place ioyneth together two testimonies the one out of the first chapter of Osea the other out of the second and that A place of Ose which is put first is taken out of the second chapiter The words in Hebrew are thus Verachamahthi eth lorachamah veamarti loimmah Iemaa atha that is I will haue mercy on her which obteyned not mercy and I will say to it which was not my people thou art my people The other testimony out of the first chap. where it is thus writen Vehaiah bimcom aschar iaamarlahem lohimmi athem vehamar laheni Bene el chai that is And it shal be in the place where it was sayd vnto them ye are not my people there they shal be called the sonnes of the liuing God When as God calleth the people of Israell not his people he declareth what might be vpbrayded vnto them when they waxed insolent against the Gentles which were called vnto Christ for they said that they were strangers from God for the selfe same thing mought be replied against them For God himself by the Prophet so How these things may be applied to the Gentles pronounâ—eth of them Of this oracle the Apostle concludeth that it ought not to séeme a thing new or vnsemely that the Gentiles should pertaine to election and should be made pertakers of the mercy and vocation of God For that which séemed to be a let that it should so come to passe was as the Prophet testifieth common to the Iewes and to the Gentles And if a man diligently weigh the sence of these two places he shall sée â–ª which thing oftentimes happeneth in the Prophets that God setteth before their eyes the sinne wherewith the Israelites were infected namely idolatry after that he declareth the punishment which he would inflict vpon them but least they should begin to dispayre he addeth one only remedy namely our Sauior and Messias so long before waited for And this being thus declared and ordred straight way followeth that which the Apostle here teacheth that forasmuch as both the Iewes and the Gentles are in perdition and destruction out of ech people should rise vp the Church which is the body of the members of Christ For ech of them were like a farre of from saluation But it may séeme wonderfull how the Apostle calleth them not beloued which by conuersion are The scripture speaketh two maner of wayes of the predestinate draweÌ„ vnto Christ For if before they were called they pertayned vnto electioÌ„ how could they be called not beloued But this we ought to know yâ— although the scripture speake sometymes accordyng to the determination of predestination and calleth them the sonnes of God which are not yet conuerted to God for so Iohn writeth that the sonnes which were dispersed might be gathered together in whiche place the Gentiles not yet regenerate are called the sonnes of God yet oftentymes it speaketh contrariwise of men according to their present estate as here we se the Apostle doth and as he doth to the Ephesians the second chapter where
any difference betwene the Iewes and the Gentiles The selfe same reason in a maner he before vsed in this selfe same Epistle Causes haue an affect towards their â—ffects in the 3. chapiter in that place where he sayd Is God the God of the Iewes onely yea and of the Gentiles also And the argument of Paule is firme for that it cleaueth vnto a sure ground namely that nature hath so framed yâ— things which are ioined vnto any other things as causes of them or beginning haue a desire towardes their effectes As the father hath to his children the woorkeman to his workes the Lord to his seruauntes so also hath God to his But they noorish helpe and adorne the thinges which pertayne vnto them wherefore God also will be vnto his both a helpe and also saluation and that his propriety is to preserue them the common prouer be declareth wherein it is sayd Homo homini Why God helpeth not the damned Deus that is Man is vnto man a God And if thou demaunde why hee helpeth not the damned when as they also pertayne vnto him we answer bicause he is now compared vnto them as a iudge and an auenger and not as God in whom they may any longer put coÌ„fidence or whom they can any more inuocate Moreouer let vs note that this vniuersall sentence is to bee vnderstanded predestination and election remaining safe for God is not so the God of all that he God is the God of all but yet hee predestinateth not all electeth and predestinateth all This thing onely we ought to gather that there are certayne of all sortes of people whome hee hath from eternallye elected and vnto whom in dew tyme he will geue fayth and that also hee woulde that fayth should be preached vnto all meÌ„ without difference yet hath chosen out certain whom he bringeth to the obteinment of the promisses And in this sense also as Augustine teacheth and as we haue oftentymes admonished is to be expounded that sentence of Paule vnto Timothe God will haue all men to be saued And that the proposition now alleaged is in this maner to be contracted the wordes which follow plainly declare Riche vnto all them that call vpon him They which are brought vnto saluation call vpon God and through the singuler and principall gift of God do beleue which gift is not giuen vnto all men Wherefore it is euident that preaching Preaching is common vnto al meÌ„ but â—aith is not commoÌ„ vnto al meÌ„ In what seÌ„se God is called rich ought to be common and so Christ is sayd to pertayne vnto all men But they which haue saluation which are endewed with fayth and the spirite vnto whom God is sayd to be rich are not indifferently all men but are in a certayn and definyte number conteyned in the election of God And God is called riche toward his for that he enricheth them with his grace and giftes In Greeke it is written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for God hath no neede to be increased and enriched but encreaseth and enricheth those that are his This sentence is of great force to pacifie the myndes of the Iewes which through a certayne enuy were grieued that the Gentyles were called vnto the Gospell which thing they woulde not haue done if they had bene perswaded that God is so rich that he hath aboundantly ynough both for the Iewes and for the Gentiles so that by the calling of the Gentiles nothing was taken away from the Iewes And it is a coÌ„mon phrase in the scriptures by the name of riches to signifie the most plentifull goodnes of God So it is said in this epistle doest thou contemne the riches of his goodnes patience and long suffering And vnto the Ephesians Who is rich in mercy And Christ to the Colossians is sayd to be he in whome are all the treasures of the wysedome and knowledge of God When he addeth Rich to all them that call vpon him he adioyneth an other worke of faith For before by the testimony of Esay it was said Who soeuer beleueth in him shal not be made ashamed Now for inuocation A place of Ioel. he annexeth a testimony taken out of the second chapiter of Ioell VVhosoeuer shall call vpon the name of God shal be saued So that again we see that there is required a liuely fayth And as before confession was added vnto faith and Moses made mencion not only of the hart but also of the mouth so now together with faith is mencion made of inuocation And without doubt Ioell in that chapiter spake of the Messias for he saith that in those dayes should be geuen bloud fire pillers of a cloude and the Sunne should be turned into darknes and the Moone into bloud And there is added I will poure my spirite vpon all fleshe and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie your olde men shall dreame dreames and I will poure my spirite vpon your seruauntes and handmaydens That all these thinges pertayne vnto Christ and vnto the pouring forth of his spirit no man doubteth Wherfore if Paul applie them to the inuocation vpon him he nothing erreth from the natiue sence The prophet had before said that there should be a great destruction throughout the whole world and throughout the regions adioyning â–ª but he added thereunto that whosoeuer should call vpon the name of the Lord should be saued which forasmuch as he pronounâ—eth generally and vniuersally Paul therby declareth that this proposition is to be taken vniuersally It is true in deede that the Prophet saith that this saluation should be geuen in Ierusalem and in Zion but yet notwithstanding that letteth not but that it may be applied vnto the Gentiles also for he speaketh of that Ierusalem of that Zion which are preserued by God but the carnall kingdome of the Iewes is destroyed wherefore it followeth that such cityes are figuratiuely taken for the people of the faithfull which liued in them And those faithful were in their time the Church which afterward was spred abrod thoroughout the whole world neither are there any which call vpon the name of Christ but in the Church onely And it may be as some thinke that by the inuocation of the name of God is vnderstanded the whole order of piety and of sound religion But in my iudgement I thinke it better by inuocation simply to vnderstand the prayers of the faithfull And this is diligently to be noted that the Prophet writeth of that inuocation which procedeth from the spirite and What maner inuocation obtayneth saluation from a sincere faith for prayers said but of a facion and mumbled vp without vnderstanding obtaine not saluation We must also cal to memory that which Paul said vnto the Corinthians that no man can say the Lord Iesus but in the spirite Moreouer the Prophet sayth not whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall haue whatsoeuer he asketh but shal be saued For
the Iewes Origene and Ambrose vnderstand thys of the maner wherby Christ being vppon the crosse had hys handes extended abroad but thys séemeth not to serue to the meanyng of thys place For the Prophet entreateth of the earnest care of God whereby he euen at the beginning called the Iewes vnto hym Yea Christ before he suffered vpon the crosse sayd How often would I haue gathered together thy children as a henne doth her chickens vnder her winges and thou wouldest not Whereby he declareth that before he was crucified he had hys handes stretched abroad to call By thys is taken away from the Iewes all excuse neyther could they say that they had not heard For as Chrysostome very well noteth vnto these callinges and giftes he at the length added an irritation which affecte is wont to moue many which yet through blockishnes or contempt otherwyse would not bée moued Which thyng we may perceaue euen in children for sometymes it commeth to passe that a litle childe when hys father calleth hym of a certayne stubborne stomacke refuseth to come but if he sée an other child made much of of hys father and louingly embraced of hym straight way being moued of zeale or enuye he also runneth to hys father so great is the affecte of zeale or enuie Wherefore God beganne to adorne the Gentiles with hys benefites that the Iewes being therwithall prouoked myght at the least through emulation or enuye returne vnto hym Thys diligent and earnest goodnes of God in callyng the Iewes is expressed vnto vs in Ieremie the 7. and ▪ 11. chapters where God testifieth that he had risen vp early and sent Prophets to styrre vp the people Which thyng Christ also in the parable of hys vineyarde very euidently declared Neyther wanted the people of God euer at any tyme euen frō theyr first father Abraham preachers and ministers of saluation sent from God but they alwayes continued vnbeleuing and gainsaying They sayd vnto Christ that in Belzebub he did cast out deuills And in Moses tyme they most manifestly resisted the worde of God wherfore Moses in Deut. sayd to theyr faces Ye haue alwayes delt contentiously We sée now that in Esay is contayned that which the Apostle before sayd that the Gentiles which followed not after righteousnes attayned vnto the lawe of righteousnes but Israell which aspired vnto it could not attayne vnto it Wherefore the Iewes ought not to be offended if they heare that spoken of the Apostle which Esay had before prophecied Chrysostome vppon thys place first sayth that Paule woulde not say that the Gentiles drewe God vnto them namely by theyr sayth or godly affecte for that all whole is of God and he woulde not that they shoulde puffe vp them selues with pride But straight way he sayth that yet notwithstanding the Ethnickes were not emptie for of them selues they brought to take holde and to know It is wonderfull how he should speake such contradictions in one and the same place that al whole is of God and that they brought fayth of themselues For God is not by any other thing either taken ▪ hold of or knowen but by fayth Wherfore y◠first part of his sentence is without any doubt to be allowed namely that all is of God But that which followeth is to be reiected namely that we of our selues bring fayth The eleuenth Chapter I Demaund then hath God cast away his people God forbidde For I also am an Israelite of the sede of Abraham of the tribe of Beniamin Wherfore God hath not cast away his people whom he foreknew Know ye not what the scripture saith of Helias howe he maketh request vnto God against Israell saying Lord they haue killed thy Prophets and digged downe thine Altars and I am left alone they seke my life But what sayth the aunswere of God vnto hym I haue reserued vnto my self seuen thousand men which haue not bowed the knee to Baal I demaund then hath God cast away his people The summe of the doctrine The methode of this chapiter of this Chapiter may thus briefely be set forthe The Iewes haue not vtterly in such sort perished that there is no hope remayning of their saluation There yet remayne remnants whiche attayne to saluation which now in déede are but few in nomber but yet they are the salt of the worlde and in tyme to come they shal be a great multitude and y◠manifestly It the meane tyme certayne of y◠Iewes remayne blinde which thing they both deserue and also was foretold of them But by these fewe remnants which are saued shall saluation be communicated vnto the whole world for the Apostles and the other Euangelistes which come of the Iewes shall go thoroughout all the borders of the earth and preache Christe ▪ And that blinding of the Iewes shall be an occasion of saluation to the Gentiles And when the fulnes of the Gentiles shal be conuerted vnto Christ then also shall the Israelites come But God by his hidden and wonderfull counsell would haue all men for a tyme shut vp vnder sinne that he might haue mercy of all men The Gentiles all the whole tyme before the preaching of the Apostles lay in darkenes a few only excepted But as soone as the Gospell was preached the Iewes were forsaken And for that the reason of the purpose of God can not be comprehended of vs with a certayne religious exclamation he concludeth his doctrine saying Oh the deapth of the riches c. Affirming that no man is of Gods counsell touching these thinges Wherfore now that we haue declared the summe of the doctrine let vs séeke out the principall proposition of the first part of this Chapiter and the plainlier this to do let vs somwhat more deapely repete the things which haue bene before spoken Paul affirmed that the promises were made vnto the Iewes but not in such sort that they pertayned to all of them but only vnto the elect and predestinate And therfore for asmuch as many of the Iewes are not of the nomber of the elect which thing he proued in Esay and Ismaell there are manye therfore vnto whome the promises of God pertayne not and many haue perished in their incredulity Now he declareth that their fall is not vniuersal and he leuefieth mollifieth the thinges which before might haue offended namely that y◠nomber of the Iewes which beleued is so small that Esay sayd Lord who hath beleued our report And Moses sayth that the Iewes were stirred vp to enuy against a nation foolish and a nation that was not a nation and finally that God had stretched out his hands to a rebellious people not beleuing but gayne saying Vnles he had after this maner tempred his speache he mought haue séemed to haue spoken these thinges of hatred against his nation He putteth it by the waye of interrogation the more thorowly to moue them to make them attentiue And saith Hath God cast away his people As if it should
piety and vnto the true worshipping of God yâ— she sought vtterly to destroy all the Prophetes Whose fury yet the piety of Abdias at that time resisted and hid an hundreth Prophets in caues fifty in one caue and fifty in an other They seeke saith he my lyfe For at what time he fled Iesabell had threatoned to kill him the next day I haue reserued vnto my selfe When God thus maketh answer he manifestly declareth that others which had bowed their knées vnto Baal had kissed him pertayned not vnto him And in that he saith I haue reserued vnto my selfe he declareth that that was his gift that these men also went not astraye Neither All whole is of God sayth he yâ— his helpe was the chiefest part of their staying from idolatry but plainly saith I haue reserued them vnto my selfe Hereof Paul concludeth that not all the people of the Iewes are reiected neither yet are all chosen And in that example which he bringeth when he so plainly and largely handleth it he most sharply accuseth the Iewes For by the doings of their elders he declareth what maners ones they also presently were For if they had said we crucified Christ as a deceauer and we persecute his Apostles as seducers What did your fathers saith he vnto Helias What did they to the Prophetes This place declareth in what sort the Iewes alwayes behaued themselues against the messengers of God The accusation as saith Chrisostome is after a sort transferred is as if he should haue said Now Paul accuseth you not nor Peter nor Iames nor Iohn but Helias who shut vp heauen whom the rauen fed who slew the Balites and obtayned fire from heauen with whom the Lord as ye haue heard spake so familiarly They haue cut downe thine alters These were the high places in which High places the Father 's Abraham Isaacke and Iacob in the old time offred sacrifices their alters erected in the name of the Lord were yet remayning and it was lawfull to sacrifice on them vntill the temple was built But the Israelites namely the ten tribes were such enemies vnto the name of God that they could not abide so much as his alters to remayne for they would haue no sacrifices done but vnto their golden calues or to Baall and to other idols and could not abide that any monuments of the true God should be left remaining But as touching alters Alters ought 〈◊〉 to â—â— vsed in this time â–ª they haue no place in the tyme of the Gospell For forasmuch as the only sacrifice of our saluation is accomplished by the death of Christ Iesus our sauior vpon the alter of the crosse and the oblations of sacrifices are vtterly taken away therefore alters also haue ceassed But we erect a table in the congregacion of the faithfull vpon which we celebrate the supper of the Lord. And now at the length to make an end of this place I thought it good to admonish that we in examining of the scriptures vse the like diligence that Paul did for vnles he had with great attentiuenes red these thinges he coulde not with such dexterity haue entreated of them Euen so at this present tyme is there a remnaunt according to the election of grace And if thorough grace then not of works Or els were grace now no more grace But if it be of workes it is no more grace or els were worke no more worke Euen so also at this present time is there a remnaunt according to the election of grace He applieth the example which he hath now entreated of to the state of his time When he sayth a remnaunt he thereby signifieth that that part which perisheth is farre greater as he before had sayd Though the multitude They that shal be saued are called a remnaunt for that they are few of the children of Israell be as the sand of the sea a remnaunt only shal be saued Againe Vnles God had left vnto vs seede we had bene as Sodom and had ben like to Gomorrha Wherefore if in Helias time when the lesse part was saued the promises fell not away so now also in so great a blindnes of Israell they are not made voyde And the more to abate the Iewes pride he saith that this remnaunt is remayning vnto vs not of merite or of workes but of grace Wherefore we haue here a new proposition whose first part is not proued namely that they which are saued are saued by grace for that thing all men graunt but this he declareth that this saluation is not of workes which neded a demonstracion or profe The Iewes would not denie the first part as our Sophisters also at this day deny it not but either of them haue alwayes gone aboute to mingle therewithall the merites of men The Apostle expresseth what he chiefely ment by grace Merites caÌ„ not be mingled with grace Election is the chiefest grace What election of grace is namely the election of God for that is the first chiefest of all graces giftes Election of grace in yâ— Hebrue phrase is a gracious or free election which is not of merites Howbeit Chrisostome and the Greke Scholies thought that by this word election is after a sort corrected or contracted the name of grace that whersoeuer election is added we should vnderstand that grace is geuen according to approbatioÌ„ But what they vnderstand by approbation it is not so playne but that one of these two wayes we se it must of necessity be vnderstanded namely that they take approbation either actiuely or passiuely Actiuely that the remnauntes haue grace for that they elect and approue the thinges which are vpright sound and iust Or passiuely that they are approued of God as men godly iust and beleuing The first way can not be admitted for it is manifest that here is not entreated of the election of men wherby as it pleaseth them they elect good or euill thinges but of the election of God for Paul manifestly saith that God had not cast away his people whome he foreknew or as Augustine saith predestinated Neither can the other be graunted for election dependeth not of our workes foresene as we haue before declared Origen hath in a maner the selfe same sentence for he saith that all in dede are saued by grace but Here is not entreated of ceremoniall workes when election is added thereby are signified perfecter soules which vnto purenes and holynes of workes added a singular endeuor and diligence Moreouer he would fayne haue the workes which are heare excluded of Paul to be vnderstanded only of ceremoniall workes which can not be when as Paul as we shal sâ— addeth an vniuersall reason that vnto the nature of grace it is repugnaunt to be of workes and this is true what kinde of workes so euer we put But it semeth that he therefore taketh such great paynes in this matter for that he is aferd least if workes should be excluded from the cause of
oliue tree against nature neither in this respect are miracles done eyther besides nature or agaynst nature But if we looke vpon the proprieties and qualities of things both miracles are not according to nature yea rather they are repugnant vnto it and men are contrary to nature called backe to true piety and grafted into a good tree Wherefore Augustine aptly said that to haue possibility to beleue is of nature but to beleue is of grace I knowe that there are some which in this place referre contrary to nature this way that the spirituall grafting in is contrary to the naturall grafting in which men according to yâ— rules of husbandry vse wheÌ„ as in naturall grafting the grafte which is grafted in bringeth forth fruite agreable to his owne sappe not to the sappe of the stock wherinto it is grafted But here the braunches of the wild oliue tree grafted into the fatte oliue tree draw their sappe whereout they bring forth good fruites not of their owne naturall plant but of that whereinto they are grafted These thinges without Braunches proper haue greater conformity to theyr owne plante then straunge plantes doubt as I haue before mencioned are true but they seme not to serue to the purpose of Paul The summe is that there is a greater conformity agreeablenes and proportion betwene braunches broken of to their owne plant then betwene straunge braunches to the selfe same plaÌ„t But because this conformity though it be neuer so nigh is not of it selfe sufficient therefore the power of of God is necessarily to be had Whiche power is sufficient to grafte in any whether they be nigh or farre of or howsoeuer they be God is able saith Iohn of these stones to rayse vp children vnto Abraham And the Lord sayth Thinges which are impossible with men are possible with God The Prophets and all yâ— scriptures in a manner when any great thinges or after a sort incredible are to be looked for at Gods hands commaunde vs to consider the power of God And thereof commeth vnto the godly most swete consolation if at any time any great aduersityes hange ouer their heddes for they doo not easely feare the power of their aduersaries which set before their eyes the power of their heauenly father And hereof it commeth that the Church when it prayeth for helpe at Gods In the beginnyng of prayers are well put these words almighty God The power of God extendeth farther theÌ„ his will How an argument a posse ad esse is in this place of force hands alwayes in a manner in the beginning of their prayers hath these two wordes Almighty God Neither is this to be passed ouer that it commeth to passe farre otherwise in vs then in God both in all other thinges in a maner and also in this thing chiefly For in vs the will extendeth a great deale farther then the power when as oftentimes we will very many thinges which yet we are not able to performe But it is cleane contrary with God for he is able to do many more thinges then he will For the Father coulde haue geuen vnto his sonne which was euen at the point to be crucified eleuen legions of Angels which should straight way haue deliuered him but he would not But if a maÌ„ say that it is not a strong argument a posse ad â—sse as the Logicians vse to speake that is from possibility to being and therefore Paul ought not to conclude that the Iewes shal be grafted in againe for that God is able to performe that thing for besides power is also required will We answere that here can no controuersy be made touching his will for that he is redy to do them good the promises the couenant which he made and the benefits which he bestowed vpon their elders playnly declare Further if he would graft in the Gentles being straungers why should we doubt but that he will one day bestow the A similitude like benefit vpon the Iewes Wherefore this we may affirme that the nation of the Iewes is at this tyme like vnto the roote of some good tree in the tyme of winter which roote if one that hath no skill looke vpon he will soone contemne plucke vp and burne it if it lye in him But a skilfull husbandman will say that it ought to be spared and will be more carefull to cherishe it for he knoweth that when the time commeth he shall haue thereof leaues flowers God hath not extinguished the Iewes but daily calleth some of theÌ„ fruites So vndoubtedly doth God deale with the Iewes he extinguisheth not that stocke but oftentimes out of it calleth some vnto him and towardes the end of the world looketh for great plenty of his elect to come thereout Not that any holynes is to be attributed vnto that stocke or generation if it be considered by it selfe for as we haue already twise admonished as touching it selfe it is condemned and obnoxious vnto the curse Which thing Paul acknowledged when he sayd We are by nature the children of wrath as others are But when these excellent things are spoken in the commendation of the nation of the Iewes vnto it is adioyned the fauor of God and his promise and couenant which yet burst not forth into acte but only as touching the elect Of which things yet there appeare Certain tokens of the nobilitie of the natioÌ„ of the Iewes some markes in others for they are studious of the law and of the word of God although they vnderstand it not rightly and as Paul sayd They haue the zeale of God but not according to knowledge which things although vnto them they are sinnes yet is it a certaine light and shew of that nobility wherof we speake For I would not brethern that ye should be ignoraunt of this mistery least ye should be high mynded that partly blindnes is come vnto Israell vntil the fulnes of the Gentiles be come in And so all Israell shal be saued as it is written Out of Sion shall the deliuerer come shal burne away the vngodlines from Iacob And this is my testament with them wheÌ„ I shall take away their sins For I would not brethern that ye should be ignoraunt of this mistery The entent of the Apostle now is to proue that in the nation of the Iewes still remayneth séede of election which thing he doth many wayes First he setteth forth his prophesy which he calleth a mistery after that he bringeth testimonies of the Prophets then he declareth the nature of the vocation and giftes of God namely that they are without repentance last of all he teacheth that the order of thinges so requireth and he abideth long in this matter for that of the full knowledge thereof much depended the peace and quietnes of the Church at that tyme. And how much the peace and tranquillity of Churches is to be desired we may How much the tranquilitie of churches is to be be
can not certainly iudge neither is the knowledge The Gentles before they are called are without thereof necessary to saluation Let vs consider also that when Paul sayth that the fulnes of the Gentles shall enter in he thereby noteth that before the preaching of the Gospell the Gentles were without for as much as they should afterwarde enter in Neither spake Christ any otherwise wheÌ„ he sayth that they which were in the high wayes and streates should be compelled to enter in Ambrose expounding these wordes saith That then shal be wyped away from the eyes of the Iewes their blindnes that they may beleue In which wordes he declareth that so long as this execation abideth they can not beleue And he addeth That God prohibiting from their hartes the spirit of pricking which worketh in them blindnes may render vnto theÌ„ Ambroseâ— minde touching free will the fre choyce of the will In this sentence he manifestly declareth what he thought of frée will namely as touching those thinges which pertayne vnto iustification and vnto regeneration Whatsoeuer he writeth of it in other places here he most truly affirmeth that straungers from Christ want liberty of will which then is restored vnto them when they are illuminated As it is written Out of Sion shall the deliuerer come and shall turne away the vngodlines from Iacob This profe which he bringeth out of the sayinges of the Prophets hath in the conclusion necessity only by supposition and not absolutely The strength of the argument herein consisteth for that deliuery was by couenant promised vnto Israell But with yâ— Gentles there was neuer before Christs tyme any leage or couenant publiquely made There was in déede a Before the gospell was preached there was no league made with the GeÌ„tles promise of their calling For it was sayd vnto AbrahaÌ„ In thy sede shal all Gentles be blessed but in very déede there was no couenaunt publiquely made with the Gentiles Neither can this deliuery be vnderstanded as touching any perticular persons when as it is promised vnto Sion and vnto Iacob by which names not any singular persons are signified but the whole people This testimony as touching the greater part thereof is taken out of the 59. chap. of Esay and part of Ieremy and especially out of the 31. chapiter towardes the end Origen Ambrose affirme that it is taken out of Esay And Ambrose peculiarly seemeth to saye that the conuersion of certayne of the Iewes perticularly which happened dayly was a certaine experiment of the will of God as touching the restitution of that nacion Howbeit that which Esay speaketh in the 59. chapiter is not in all pointes as touching the wordes in such sort as the Apostle now alleadgeth them For he after this maner followeth the 70. interpreters who not as touching the sence but only as touching the wordes In Hebrew it is Vba lesion goel vleschabe pescha beiaacob vehum iehouah that is There shall come a redemer saith the Lord vnto Sion and vnto those in Iacob which shal repent them from their iniquities And then is added And this is my couenaunt with them sayth the Lord my spirite thâ—t is vpon thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy sede nor out of the mouth of the sede of thy sede Whereas in the Hebrew it is sayd Vnto Sion shall come the redemer the Seuenty as Ierome writeth haue turned it out of Sion whome Paul also followed And it wel known that Christ was borne of the Iewes who are ment by the name of Sion and the word of the Lord and preaching of the Gospell therehence had his beginning although the Greke edition which we vse hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is for Sions sake whereby it is manifest that this which we haue either is not the translation of the 70. or els it is in many places corrupted And Ierome addeth that this word Noal according to the nature of the Hebrew signifieth to be nighe so that is The Greke translation which we vse is ether not the traÌ„slatioÌ„ of the 70. or els it is corrupted Faith whiche iustifieth hath repentaunce annexed with it all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth nigh namely vnto whome the inheritance of the kinsman that is dead commeth Wherefore the sence of the Hebrew words is that vnto Sion shall come a nigh deliuerer Moreouer that which is written both of the 70. and of Paul And he shall turne away the vngodlynes from Iacob is in the Hebrew Lishbe which they paraduenture tooke as though it were written Leschob peschaa but this maketh no disagréeing as touching the sence For they which are deliuered by faith from their sinnes haue alwayes repentaunce annexed and ioyned with their faith not as a condition which should be the cause of remission for this should be a condition of the law and vnprofitable when as no man is able to performe it but an euangelicall condition as which followeth the forgeuenes of sins or iustification at least by nature is acceptable vnto God for whatsoeuer waÌ„teth therof by reasoÌ„ of our infirmity is holpeÌ„ by the merits of Christ And this is my testament with theÌ„ That which followeth in Esay touching the spirite and word of God excellently setteth forth vnto vs the couenaunt or leage of Fod For first are the wordes of the promise which also shall alwayes remaine amongest the faythfull which yet should be vnprofitable vnles therto were added the spirite whereby the hartes of the hearers are moued to beleue VVhen I shall take away theyr sinnes This part is not read in Esay wherfore it may be taken as a compendious interpretation of those thinges which the Prophet before spake of the couenaunt for where the spirite is the wordes of God are spoken when we embrace them by fayth streight way foloweth forgeuenes of sinnes and for that the prophet expressed not the effect Paul thought he would manifestly set it forth Otherwise it is gathered out of the 31. chap. of Ieremy where when mencion had bene made of the new couenant the first being abrogated it is sayd I will be mercifull vnto theyr iniquity and I will no more remember theyr sinne And that whiche Esaye speaketh of Sion and of Iacob and Ieremye also of the house of Iudah and of Ierusalem can not be taken of Paul allegoricallye as thoughe in these woordes is signifyed the number of the faythfull These wordes are to be vnderstanded properly of the Israelites An argument wherby is proued that the Messias is God Only God forgeueth sinnes of what people so euer it be For as we sayde Paules meaninge is peculiarly to commende the Iewes and to put away the discord which was sprong in the Church betwene the Ethnikes and the Iewes And in yâ— it is sayd that the Iewes should by the Messias be deliuered from theyr sinnes it is a sure
by the workes of the lawe no fleshe shal be iustified And by fleshe he vnderstandeth a man not yet regenerate I know there haue ben some which by the flesh haue vnderstand the inferior parts of the mynde which are grosse and wrapped with filthy lustes But this sence Paul excludeth when he saith by the workes of the lawe that is by workes commaunded of God in the law which must néedes come of reason and not of the strength of the inferior soule Farther the scripture after the Hebrew phrase by the fleshe vnderstandeth the whole man whiche thing we haue in an other place more aboundantly expressed Afterward to the end he might the The fourth better confirme this sentence he saith that euery mouth might be stopped and that the whole world might be guilty before God Vndoubtedly if men should be iustified by works their mouthes should not be stopped neither should they be guilty before God for they should alwayes haue somewhat to say namely that they are therefore quite from sinnes because they had deserued it by workes but now whē men perceaue the contrary they dare not once open their lippes Farther he saith The fifth But now without the lawe is the righteousnes of God made manifest whiche hath the testimonye bothe of the lawe and of the Prophetes What man would appoint that thing to be the cause of our righteousnes without which righteousnes may be obtayned vndoubtedly no wise man would so doo when as suche is the nature of The sixt causes that without them the effectes can not be brought to passe To the same purpose also serueth that which followeth Where then is thy boasting It is excluded By what lawe By the lawe of workes No but by the lawe of fayth He woulde haue vs know that all iust cause of glory is excluded and taken away from vs for the whole glory of our righteousnes ought to geue place vnto God but if we should be iustified by workes then should it not be so for the glory should be ours and euery man would count himselfe to be therefore iustified because he hath The seuēth liued vertuously and iustly And how certaine and assured this was vnto the Apostle those thinges which follow do declare We thinke therefore that a man is iustified by fayth without workes of the lawe Wherefore shall we then deny that which the Apostle with so great vehemency affirmeth Vndoubtedly it is a thing most impudent so to do Wherefore let vs assent vnto him and not resist so great a testimony The eight of hys But besides these thinges let vs waighe and consider the pithe of Pauls meaning If we should be iustified by workes saith he we should not only haue matter to boast of but the occasion of glorying in God and of publishing his fauour towards vs should be taken away For without doubt it is vnto vs a thing most prayse worthy and glorious to acknowledge that the beneuolence and redy fauour of God towards vs through Christ is so great that he deliuereth vs miserable men from our sinnes and receaueth vs into fauour although we were couered ouer with neuer so great filthines and dragges of sinne If I say we should be should be iustified by workes then vndoubtedly could we not truly boast bragge or glory hereof But let vs go on and heare what the Apostle sayth in the beginning of the 4. The ninth chapiter What shall we say then that our father Abrahā found according to the flesh For if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath whereof to boast but not before God For what sayth the scripture Abraham beleued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes But vnto him which worketh a reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt Wherefore to the end that so swete a consolation of the loue and beneuolence of God towards vs should not be taken away from vs let vs constantly affirme with the Apostle that we are not iustified by workes And that he might the better persuade vs hereof he vrgeth this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we say signifieth to impute to ascribe vnto a man righteousnes or to count a man for a iust man and setteth it as an Antithesis or contrary vnto merite or debt so that he to whome any thing is imputed deserueth not the same neither receaueth it as a debt But he which obtaineth any thing vnto himselfe as a debt counteth not the same as imputed or ascribed vnto him neither thought Paul it sufficient to haue alleadged the scripture cōcerning Abrahā but also he citeth Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuē whose sins are couered Blessed is the mā vnto whō the Lord hath not imputed sinne By which wordes we do not only gather that the righteousnes by which we are sayd to be iustified sticketh not in our mindes but is imputeth of God that it is such an imputation which consisteth not of works The tenth but of the mere clemency of God Farther the Apostle doth by an other propriety of good workes confirme his sentence namely because workes are signes or seales of the righteousnes already obtayned wherefore he sayth of Abraham And he receaued the signe of circumcision a seale of the righteousnes of fayth which was in vncircumcision c. Wherefore forasmuch as good workes are signes and seales which beare witnes of y◠righteousnes already receaued they can not be the causes thereof Neither haue ceremonies only that property but also euen those workes Morall workes also are seales of righteousnes before obtayned The eleuenth which are called morall when they are pleasant and acceptable before God for they also are signes and tokens of our righteousnes Wherefore Peter exhorteth vs to endeuor our selues to make our vocation sure namely by liuing vprightly and by good workes Yea and the forme also of y◠promise is diligently to be weighed which God made with Abraham for vnto it is not added a condition of the law or of workes And seing God added none with what audacity shall we then presume to do it And Paul saith For not through the lawe was the promise made vnto Ahraham or to his seede that he should be the heyre of the world but through the righteousnes of fayth For if those whiche pertayne vnto the lawe be heyres then is fayth made vayne and the promise is of no force namely because the lawe worketh anger Wherefore if we fulfill not the lawe the promise will take no place and it shal be a thing vayne to beleue that promise which shall neuer be performed which vndoubtedly must néedes vtterly be so if it be geuen vpon thys condition that we should performe the lawe when as no man can perfectly accomplish the law But the Apostle procedeth farther this iudgeth of the most mercifull counsel of God The twelfth Therefore is the inheritaunce geuē by faith that it might bee according to grace to
strangers In Exodus the 22. chap. he commaundeth the Israelites that they should not vexe strangers but should handle them curteously for that they them selues also were once strangers in Egipt Whereas he putteth them in minde of things past that may also be profitable vnto vs if we consider what may happeÌ„ hereafter For who is now so certayne of his home and habitation that he can be assured that he shall neuer be a straunger And in the 19. chapter of Leuiticus commaundement is geuen to the haruest folkes and to the grape gatherers that they gather not all but leaue somewhat for the poore and for straungers and God commaundeth his people to loue them euen as themselues And in the 10. chapiter of Deut. God affirmeth that he is the protector and auenger of Orphens widowes and straungers For these kindes of people are left to his care Vnto all such kind of men we owe our beneuolence and chiefely if they be of the household of fayth of whom Paul now presently entreateth Of this thing the Apostles Peter Ieames and Iohn had so great care that when they sent away Paul to the Gentles and they themselues were appointed to be ministers vnto the circumcision they commended vnto his care the poore which dwelt at Ierusalem And this office he testifieth to the Galathiaas that he with an earnest diligence accoÌ„plished That which is in the lattine booke Necessitatibus that is necessities is not well turned For the Sophisters abuse this word and teach that a Christian man is not bound by Whether in helping of the poore we ought to tary vntill they be in extreme necessity the commaundementes of GOD to helpe the miserable vnles they be in verye great or as they speake in extreame necessity But Paul willeth vs to communicate rather to their vses then to their necessities For to do good vnto thy neighbour thou must not tary vntill he be vrged with extreame necessity For no man would gladly so be dealt with Neither is this to be passed ouer in silence that some bookes in stead of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is vses or necessities haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is memories And of this reading Origen or rather his interpreter maketh mencion And Ambrose both so readeth it and also interpreteth it And so the sence is that we ought to do good not onely to the poore which are present but also to them that are absent For Thales milesius was wont to say that we ought to remember our frendes not onely which are present but also that are absent And the Apostle had a greate care to prouide that the Gentles shoulde minister almes vnto the We must haâ—â—â—â—mpassion not onâ—ly of â—heÌ„ that are present bâ—t also of thâ—m that are absent We must communicate vnto the vses and not to the pleasures of the poore In almes is a communicatyng A recompensing of almes Saintes which dwelt at Ierusalem Howbeit we will follow the accustomed reading 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and say that we ought to communicate to the vses of the Saintes to their vses I say and not to their pleasures or delights For by that meanes men are oftentimes made worse And besides that also such superfluitie would serue to relieue other poore folkes also Neither saith he geuing or bestowing but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is communicating For in almes geuing there is a certaine commâ—nicating For if we speake of the pore which were at Ierusalem the Gentiles had receiued at their hands spirituall things For the worde of the Lord came out of Sion and the law of God out of Ierusalem and saluation from the Hebrews For out of that nation were appoynted preachers of the Gospell to preache vnto the whole world Therfore Paul in the second to the Corinthians the. 8. chapter saith That your aboundaunce may relieue their want and that on the other side theyr aboundaunce may relieue your want But if we speakâ— of other pore folkes euen when we helpe them with our almes there redoundeth vnto vs no small commoditie or profite For Christ saith as we read in Luke Make you frends of the wicked Mammon that when you faile they may receiue you into your euerlasting Tabernacles But what if the pore be euil and they also excluded from the kingdom of heauâ— These things are to be vnderstanded not of the men but of the works But so also should follow an other absurditie that by the vertue of our workes we should obtain the kingdome of God I answere as we deny that workes are the causes of eternall life so also deny we not but that God rewardeth the good workes of the faithfull which are now regenerate by Christ For we know that he shal iudge euery man according to his workes For he will say I was hungry and ye fed me I was thirsty and ye gaue me drinke I was a straunger and ye harbored me The kingdome of God is geuen for election and the promises sake which the saints receiue by faith But bicause those things are hidden from mannes eyes therfore are brought forth good workes whiche are the proper and manifest effectes bothe of our faith and of the election of God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is geuing our selues saith he to hospitalitie This is not spoken without a great emphasis For it is a greater matter to apply and geue our selues to hospitalitie then only to kepe hospitalitie For Abraham waited not vntill straungers came home to him to desire to be receiued in and to require harborow but going of his owne accord out of his tabernacle he loked round about to sée if he could espy any straunger whom he might receiue into his house And if he saw any he ranne vnto him and prayed him not to passe his house If I haue founde fauoure sayth he in your eyes I beseeche you turne in vnto your seruaunt Hospitalitie is a worke of noble meÌ„ And the same diligence and minde was in Lothe and in a maner in all yâ— fathers Paule in these wordes chargeth vs not with any vile and vncomely workes but with works noble and of great excellency For there was neuer any noble man or notable Prince but that he was desirous to doe good vnto others and was carefull ouer straungers Titus Vespasian at night when he called to memory that he had that day done no benefite vnto any man wold with heauines say Friends we haue lost this day And Christ The kinges sayth he of the nations beare dominion ouer them and they which haue power ouer them are called gracious in Gréeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Ethnikes also saw that God hath a care ouer straungers and therfore they worshipped 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Iupiter hospitalis This proprety of God Homere describeth in yâ— second boke of his Odisseas And Virgil aptly saith Iuppiter Iupiter hospitalis hospitibus nam te dare iura loquuntur that is For men say that thou
put But Pighius sayth farther that God requireth these woorkes that he may◠fréelye impute vnto vs iustification Whosoeuer is but euen slenderlye exercised in the holye Scriptures shall easelye sée that thys man is euen directlye repugnaunt vnto Paul For he in the Epistle to the Romaines sayth Vnto hym whych worketh not a reward is imputed accordyng to grace But Pighius sayth vnto him which worketh God imputeth righteousnes fréely But to impute fréely and not to impute fréely euery childe may sée that they are contradictories But mark gentle Reader this reason of two members These workes which he speaketh of either profite vnto iustification or else profite not If they profite not why calleth he them preparations For amongst causes are reckened also causes preparatory But if he will say that they profite are in very déede causes preparatories with what mouthe can he affirme that he plucketh away nothing from the honoure of Christ but appoynteth him to be the whole and absolute cause of our iustificatiō But peraduenture this two membred argument a man will turne vpon vs touching those works which follow iustification For he wil say either they are profitable to obtaine saluation or they are not profitable If they be not profitable Wherunto good works profite after iustificatiō why are they required and why are their promises setforth vnto thē But if they be why doe we not allowe merite to be in them I answer that suche workes are profitable vnto men regenerate for that they liuing vprightly and orderly are renewed and made more perfect But that is nothing else but a certaine inchoation and as it were a participation of eternall life Farther it hath séemed good vnto God by suche meanes or rather by suche spaces to bring men vnto eternal felicitie But we can not cal these workes merites For Paul expressedly teacheth that the stipend of sinne is death but eternall life is grace But that which is giuen fréely vtterly excludeth merite And in the meane time we ought to remember that That which is geuē frely excludeth merite there is a great difference as we haue oftentimes taught betwene their works which are as yet straungers from Christ and from God and their workes which are now by grace grafted into Christ and made his members Afterward also he goeth about to confute that which we say that a man is iustified by that faith which hath a respecte vnto the promises of Christ and of the remission of sinnes as though we holde that faith is the proper correlatiue of such promises For he saith that faith hath equally a respect vnto all the thinges which are set forth in the holy scriptures Yea saith he he doth vnto God a thing no les acceptable which beleueth that he created the world or beleueth the thre persons of the diuinitie or the resurrection to come then he which beleueth that Christe was giuen to be our mediator and that by him is to be obtained the remission of sinnes For that faith is of no lesse worthinesse then the other And if we be iustified by faith he contendeth that that faith no lesse pertaineth to the other articles then to the remission of sinnes by Christ And this he thinketh may be proued by that which Paul wryteth in the. 4. chapiter vnto the Romaines And not for him only were these things written but also for vs vnto whome it shal be imputed so that we beleue in him which hath raised vp Christ from the dead Beholde saith he that faith is imputed vnto vs vnto righteousnesse whereby we beleue that God raised vp Christ from the dead and not that faith whereby we beleue that sinnes are forgiuen vs by Christ First here we confesse that our faith assēteth vnto all the things which are contained in the holy scriptures But forasmuche as amongste them there is but onely one principall and excellent truthe vnto which all the other truthes are directed namely that Christ the sonne of God suffred for vs that by him we might receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes what meruail is it if our faith haue a respect vnto this one thing chiefly For this our assumpt Paul proueth For he saith that Christ is the end of the law Wherfore séeing he is the end of al the scriptures he is also the summe and principall obiecte of our faith although otherwise Christ is the principal obiect of our faith by our faith we also embrase all other thinges which are contained in the holy scriptures And whereas he addeth that the faith which is of the other articles is no lesse acceptable vnto God then this faith which concerneth Christ and the remission of sinnes we may first say that that is not true if a man rightly way the dignitie of the action of faith For the dignitie of faith as also the dignitie of other suche like kindes of powers is measured by the obiects For as those obiects differ one from an other in excellency and dignitie so the assētings of faith ought according The dignity of faith is mesured by the obiect to the same to be counted inferior or of more excellency Séeing therefore God would in suche sort haue his sonne to die and that men should be by him reconciled that for this he hath instituted all the other things to be beleued which are set forth in the holy scriptures we can not put any doubt but that this pleased him much more then the other For that the other are directed vnto this as vnto their end And this is a common rule amongst the Logicians Euery thyng is such a thyng by reason of an other wherfore that other thyng shall much more be such Wherfore this actiō of faith wherby we assēt vnto this most noble truth ought to excell al other actiōs of faith whatsoeuer they be And so it is not by a thing like acceptable vnto God whither a man beleue this or that If we should vse this answere I know Pighius were neuer able to confute it but we say moreouer that he in vain contendeth about the greater or lesse dignitie of faith as touching this or that article For we are not iustified by the dignitie of faith For it is in euery mā weak◠and féeble But we therefore say that we are iustified by faith bicause by it as by We are not iustified by the dignity of fayth an instrument vnto this ende giuen vnto vs and by God appointed we apply Christ vnto vs and take holde of the forgiuenesse of sinnes Wherefore the worthinesse or vnworthinesse therof is to no purpose considered But that which he bringeth out of the. 4. Chapiter of the Romaines he bringeth cut of and maimed For if a man read the ful and perfect sentence he shal easely sée that plaine mention is there made of the death of Christ and of the remission of sinnes which by it we haue obtained For Paul saith that vnto vs it shall be imputed as it was vnto Abraham if
we beleue that god raised vp our Lord Iesus Christ from the dead which was deliuered for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Is it not here most manifestly said that we ought to beleue that that Iesus Christ whome God raised vp was dead and rose againe that we should be iustified and haue all our sinnes forgiuen vs doubtlesse it is a thing most vncomely for a man that professeth diuinitie so willingly not to sée things that are most manifest Afterward he maketh a cauillation about the perticular fayth wherby we say that euery one that beleueth truly in Christ ought to be most assured with him selfe that his sinnes are forgeuen him He denieth that there is any such faith foūd in the holy scriptures And that therfore this is only our deuise and inuētion Here vndoubtedly I can not hold my selfe but that I must nedes say that Pighius loudely lieth For I would haue him to tell me what did Abraham beleue whē he was iustified but that vnto him should one day be rendred those promises of God For vnto whome is it most likely beleued he that they should be rendred but vnto him selfe The selfe same thing may be sayd of Moses of Dauid and of many other of whome it is most certayne that they beleued that the promises which God made vnto them should perticularly be rendred vnto them And what I besech you mēt Christ when he sayd vnto the man that was sicke of the palsey Sonne thy sins are forgeuen thee And when he sayd vnto the woman Thy fayth hath made thee safe And did not Paul vnto the Galathians thus speake of Christ Who hath loued me and deliuered vp him selfe for me What can be more manifest then these wordes Let Pighius go now make his vaūts that we were the first finders out of this proper and singular fayth and let him cry that euery Christian man ought to beleue that the promises are made only indefinitely that it is not mete that euery one of vs should apply them seuerally vnto him selfe For we ought to beleue of our selues and not of other For we may as touching others be deceaued whether they beleue or no. But touching our selues we may be assured and certayne of it Let euery mā beleue the promises of God indefinitly as touching others for we know not who is predestinate and who is reprobate but none which is faythfull ought in any wise to doubt of him selfe but to beleue that the promise is perticular as touching him selfe by that that he séeth that he truly beleueth Farther when promises are set forth in an vniuersal proposition we may most assuredly of them gather theyr singular propositions And Christ sayth in Iohn This is the will of my father that euery one that seeth the sonne and beleueth in him should haue eternall life Wherfore we thus inferre But I beleue in the sonne of God Ergo I haue now and shall haue that which he hath promised Pighius still goeth one and to the end he would proue that the fayth of euery article and not that fayth only which is referred vnto Christ for the remission of sins iustifieth vseth the example of Noe. For he sayth that he beleued only those thinges which pertayned to the safegard of his house and to the destruction of the world and by that fayth he sayth he was iustified Here sayth he is no mencion made of Christ or of the remission of sinnes But it semeth vnto me that this man hath not very diligently red that which Peter writeth in his 1. Epistle and 3. chapter For Peter sayth when once the long suffering of God abode in the dayes of Noe while the Arke wos preparing wherin few that is eight soules were saued thorough the water vnto the figure wherof Baptisme now agreeing maketh vs also safe whereby not the filth of the fleshe is put away but wherebye it commeth that a good conscience Noe was iustified by fayth in Christ well answereth vnto God That which Peter saw was signified by the Arke and by those thinges which Noe did can we thinke that the patriarch him selfe saw not This vndoubtedly were to much derogation vnto him And if he saw those things which Peter maketh mencion of He beleued not only those thinges which were then done but also those which were looked for to be accomplished by Christ And therfore it is very well written vnto the Hebrues the he was by such a faith made the heyre of righteousnes But Pighius nothing passeth vpon this who so that he may be agaynst vs is nothing at all aferd to fight euen against the Apostles themselues For he is not aferd to affirme that our first father Adam was iustified but yet not with that fayth which we speake of which concerneth the remission of sins thorough Christ For he had no promise as touching that as farre as may be gathered out of the scriptures But doubtles this man is both farre deceiued and also hath forgottē his Fathers whome he would be sene to make so much of Was not the selfe same thing Adam was iustified by faith wherby he beleued the remission of sinnes through Christ sayd vnto Adam which was by God promised vnto Eue his wife that his séede should bruse the hed of the Serpent Christ was that séede he hath so broken the hed and strengths of the deuill that now neither sinne nor death nor hel can any thing hurt his members This place all the fathers in a maner thus interpret But Pighius which yet is les to be borne withall is not afeard to say that iustification is not geuen vnto vs by the promise In which thing doubtles he is manifestly agaynst Paul For he vnto the Galathians thus writeth God gaue vnto Abraham by the promise and there is no doubt but that vnto vs it is geuen after the selfe same maner that it was vnto Abraham But this is to be knowen that Distinction of the promise this woorde promise is taken two manner of wayes eyther for the thing promised and so it is not to be doubted but that we are iustified by the promise that is by Christ and by the forgeuenes of sinnes which is promised vnto them that beleue or ells it is taken for the very words of God in which he thorough Christ promiseth vnto vs remission of sinnes And in this maner also we may be sayd to be iustified by the promise For although the cause of our iustificatiō be the mere will and mercy of God yet is not the same offred or signified vnto vs but by the wordes of the promises and by the sacramentes For these words haue we as sure testimonies of the will of God towards vs. And so fayth want not wherby we apprehend the thinges that are offred we are iustified by the promises Afterward Pighius to the end he would proue that God attributeth more vnto workes then vnto faith citeth a place out of the 22.