ouerthrowen For he saith not onely that we are iustified by faith but also he excludeth workes For he saith without workes and that it mighte the playnlier and Here is no Synecdoche vsed easeliar be vnderstand he addeth freely and other wordes which apertly are repugnant with tropicall kindes of speach And vndoubtedly this is to be considered that the man or if I may so speake the person it self be first both iust and also acceptable vnto God and then afterward shal good workes follow But those things which are written in the xx chap. of Genesis are nothing at all repugnaunt vnto this sentence A place of Genesis For there it can not be shewed that Abraham for that worke was counted iust before God For that had he before obteined But he receiued promises of hys posteritie that God would also geue them many and excellent thinges And we deny not but that God very oftentimes promiseth vnto good workes diuers rewards as well spirituall as temporall both as touching the elect themselues as also touching their posteritie Neither was Iames meaning that Abraham was iustified A place of Iames. by workes after that maner that Paul here speaketh of iustification For he speaketh of that iustification which may be known of men and according to which we are pronounced iustified For this spirituall iustification wherof we now intreat we can not know in other men but by those thinges which are done by them outwardly And in summe whatsoeuer places of the scripture do attribute righteousnes vnto workes they speake of that righteousnes which followeth iustification But to him that worketh the reward is not imputed according to grace but accordynge to debte But to him that woorketh not but beleueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is counted for righteousnes Euen as Dauid declareth the blessednes of a man vnto whome God imputeth righteousnes without workes Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen and whose syns are couered blessed is the maÌ„ vnto whom the Lord imputeth not sin But to hym which worketh c. He goeth about now to shew that Abraham could not be iustified by workes forasmuch as now it is manifest by the holye scriptures that he had righteousnes by imputation For these thinges are so contrary that both of them cannot consist at one time And in that Paul saith To hym that worketh to him that worketh not we ought not so to vnderstand it as though they which beleue worke not For he speaketh of that working onely wherby we deserue or desire to deserue righteousnes And in this place this is worthy of noting which among the deuine scholemen is now common to say that Paul calleth A saing of the Scholemen merite debt Wherfore seyng Paul here excludeth debt from iustification he also of necessity taketh away merite if we will speake properly and truely of it But now I do so speake of it not as it is referred vnto the promises of God but as it is compared with our workes In summe Pauls meaning is that imputation and debt are vtterly repugnant the one to the other By this place we may very manifestly Imputacion and debt are contraries perceiue that this is the foundation of the Apostle But it shal appeare more plainly afterward where it is said And if of grace then not of workes and contrariwise if of workes then not of grace In this place are thrée antitheses or contrary positions One is of hym which woorketh and of hym whyche woorketh not the seconde of debte and of grace Thre Antitheses The thirde of rewarde and of imputation Whyche antitheses we oughte by no meanes to lette slippe And by thys place it manifestlye appeareth that the question put forth concerning ceremonies is entreated of generally For here the Apostle without any contraction entreateth of him whiche worketh and of hym which worketh not of grace and of debt of reward and of imputation of righteousnes Which extend much farther then to ceremonies For they comprehend all the good workes that may be done But beleueth in him which iustifieth the vngodly By the vngodly he vnderstandeth This reason of Paul is vniuersall Vngodlines the hâ—d of all wicked actes a sinner which is a straunger from God for impietie is the head of all wickednes And where as God is said to iustifie the vngodly it is not so to be vnderstand so long as he abideth vngodly or as thoughe God should accepte wicked actes for good or shoulde pronounce them iuste For that he forbad in the law also pronounced yâ— he wil neuer at any tyme so do But he is sayd to iustify yâ— vngodly bicause he forgeueth him his sinnes and of an vngodly person maketh him godlye Hitherto we haue heard that Abraham was iustified by faith And moreouer that What it is to iustifâ— the vngodlye his righteousnes consisted in imputacion Now followeth Euen as Dauid declareth the righteousnesse of a man vnto whome GOD imputeth righteousnesse wythout workes By these wordes also it is manifest that by woorkes are generallye vnderstande all good actes and not This also is a generall reason onelye ceremonies Whiche thynge the Antithesis dothe well declare For when he had sayd that we haue blessednes without works he opposeth and setteth vnto them as contrary sinnes and iniquities whiche in iustification are forgeuen But iniquities and sinnes haue not place onely in ceremonies And that in this place hee allegeth Dauid it serueth very much to his purpose For Dauid was endued with many good workes eueÌ„ as was Abraham And yet he thought he could not be iustified by them but onely for that that hys sinnes were forgeueÌ„ hym And by this testimony of the Scripture it appeareth that iustification and Why he vseth the testimony of Dauid Iustification and blessednes are taken for one and the selfe same thing Iustification is felicity begon Basilius affirmeth that the thinges which are done before iustificatioÌ„ are sinnes blessednes are one and the self same thyng Otherwise the conclusion should not be strong And vndoubtedly iustification if a man rightly consider it is nothyng els then a felicitie begon And Dauid testifieth that this blessednes or iustification doth not onely herein consiste that sinnes should not be imputed but also to expresse that thyng more playnly he sayth it consisteth herein that sinnes should be forgeuen And hee whiche is in hym selfe assured that iustification is the remission of sinnes the same man I say shall easely vnderstand that we bryng not good works vnto God that by the workyng and merite of them he should iustify vs but rather that we bryng sinnes vnto hym to be pardoned Basilius expressedly sheweth that the workes whiche we do whilest we are strauÌ„gers from God can not please hym He of purpose demaundeth that question in his second booke De Baptismo the seuenth question and bryngeth this sentence of the Prophet A sinner whiche sacrificeth vnto me a calfe is like vnto hym
whiche killeth a dogge and whiche offreth fiue swete cakes like vnto him whiche offreth the bloud of swyne But no man doubteth but that the workes whiche we worke are in a sorte sacrifices Wherfore if sinners offer them vnto the Lord they are displeasant vnto hym He addeth also an other reason He whiche worketh sinne is the seruant of sinne because when we be seruaunts vnto sinne it suffreth vs not to do any thing that is acceptable vnto God Lastly hee maketh thys reason that Christ said No man can serue two maisters neither is it by any meanes possible that we should serue both Mammon and God Wherupon hee concludeth that it is not possible that the wycked shoulde do good woorkes Wherefore the woorkes of preparation whyche our aduersaries fayne are What sins to be couered signifieth are vtterly excluded Augustine interpretyng the 31. Psalme sayth That sinnes to be couered is nothyng els then that God will not consider them And if sayth he hee consider them not then will he not punish them Wherefore sinnes are sayd to be couered before God because God will not punishe them They ought not so to bee vnderstand to be couered as though they were ouer couered and yet neuertheles remayne lining in vs. Their bonde and guiltines whereby punishment was due vnto vs is by forgeuenes taken away And for this thing the Prophet prayed when hee sayd Turne away thy face from my sinnes When Dauid made this Psalme hee was sicke and was troubled with a grenous disease For he maketh mencion that hys bones were withered away and that he felt the hand of God heauy vpon him and that the moystnes of hys body was in a maner all dried vp and manye other such like thinges Wherefore being by the disease admonished of his sinnes and of the wrath of God he brast forth into these woordes by which hee testified those to be blessed whose sinnes God had forgeuen And he taketh blessednes for instification For iustification as we haue sayde is a blessednes begon For Sins onely are a let that we are not blessed sins are onely a let that we are not now already blessed which whē they shall vtterly be taken away they shall no more hinder blessednes But men though they be neuer so good and holy yet so long as they lyue here are not vtterlye without sinne Therefore they alwayes aspire vnto blessednes that is vnto the forgeuenes of sinnes Wherefore in that selfe same Psalme it is afterward added For So longe as we liue here we pray for iustification He which prayeth not for the forthe forgeuenes of sins prayeth ill this shall euery one that is holy pray vnto thee Which thing our Sauiour also hath taught vs. For in the prayer which he made which euen the best and most holye oughte to saye he commaunded vs to saye Forgeue vs our trespasses And they which pray for other thinges and make not mention of this let them take hede that thyng happen not vnto them which happened vnto that Pharisey whom Luke sheweth to haue praid after this maner I geue thee thankes O God that I am not as other men are c. And for that cause saith Christ he departed not home to his house iustified bicause he rehersed before God his good workes onely But contrariwise the Publicane acknowledging his misery durst scarcely lift vp his eies vnto heauen And so being vtterly deiected in mynd he said Lord be mercifull vnto me a sinner And by this confession he acknowledged that he brought nothing vnto God but sinnes and therfore prayed that they might be forgeuen him He saith Christ returned home iustified Where as Dauid here as the Apostle citeth hym maketh no mencion of good workes yet some will obtrude it vnto vs out of these things which follow And in his spirite is no guile But vnto these mē August very well aunswereth In him saith he there is no guile which as he is a sinner so acknowledgeth himselfe to be and when he seeth himselfe vitiated with euill workes dissembleth What it is not to haue guile within one them not but manifestly confesseth them Therfore it is added in the selfe same psalme I haue said I will confesse mine owne iniquitie agaynst my selfe But yet againe suche whyche woulde so fayne weaken thys reasonynge of Paule obiecte vnto vs that there is vsed the figure Synecdoche so that wyth those thynges which Dauid setteth foorth wee shoulde also ioyne good woorkes to iustifye And to make their sentence of the more credite they gather other testimonies out of Dauid in which blessednes is also attributed vnto workes as Blessed are the immaculate which walke in the law of the Lorde Blessed is the man which feareth the Lorde Blessed is the man which hath not gone in the counsels of the vngodly and many other Whether blessednes be attributed vnto woorkes Here is entreated of the first blessednes and not of the last such like places in which they say that blessednes is as expressedly ascribed vnto workes as it is in that place which Paul now citeth vnto the remission of sinnes But forasmuch as these men doo recite againe the same argument in a manner which we haue a little before dissolued they shall also haue euen the selfe same answer Namely that here is not intreated of that blessednes or felicitie whiche follow the first iustification but here is disputed of the very first and principall iustification And why we can not here admit the figure Synecdoche we haue before alredy shewed bicause Paul expressedly affirmeth that this righteousnes cōmeth without workes And bicause it should not be said that he spake these things only of ceremoniall workes of the law he afterward addeth that the promise therefore consisteth of grace that it might be firme not wauer which excludeth not onely ceremonies but also morall works And a little before we reade forasmuch as iustification is geuen by imputation it cannot then be of workes And that he confirmed by a generall reason of working and of not working which vndoubtedly extend much farther then to ceremonies For we worke no lesse in morall workes then in ceremoniall workes He said moreouer that they which are iustified haue wherof to glory before God as though they had of him obteined righteousnes and not of their works Whiche reason remoueth from iustification eyther kynde of woorkes both ceremoniall and also morall Wherefore we moste manifestlye sée Ambrose saith we are iustifyed by faith onely that the figure Synecdoche canne by no meanes stande wyth the reasons of Paul Ambrose expounding these wordes oftentimes writeth that we are iustified by faith onely and he addeth without labour and any obseruation But that which he afterward addeth when he interpreteth this sentence of Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquityes are forgeuen he sayth Vnto whome iniquityes are forgeuen without labor or any worke and whose sinnes are couered no worke of repentance being required of them but only
the second part he left out the name of stipend and of righteousnes and in stéede of them put in the name of grace Neither do I greatly passe that Augustine in an other place writeth that Paul mought haue sayd the stipend of righteousnes is eternall life and yet he would not say so least he should haue geuen occasion of erring For how Augustine thought that Paul mought haue sayd it vndoubtedly I sée not vnles paraduenture by righteousnes he vnderstand the workes of men regenerate forasmuch as with those workes the merites of Christ are ioyned For so it might be true that eternall life is the stipend of such a righteousnes Farther Origen goeth on and sheweth that men are so iustified fréely How eternall lyfe may be called the 〈…〉 pend of righteousnes that good workes are not required to go before For expounding this sentence Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen The soule saith he whose sinnes are forgeuen must needes now be in good state for it is called blessed Wherefore it hath righteousnes which God imputeth vnto it although it haue not yet done any workes of righteousnes but only for that it hath beleued in him whiche iustifieth the vngodly Out of these words we gather many thinges First that God for works sake is not made debtor vnto any man Secondly that not only iustification but also eternall life is geuen fréely Lastly that righteousnes is imputed vnto the mindes of the beleuers although no good workes went before in them Basilius vpon these wordes of the 114. Psalme Be thou conuerted my soule into thy rest for the Lord hath done good vnto thee For saith he eternall rest is set forthe vnto them which in this life haue wrestled lawfully which yet is not rendered accordyng to the merite of workes but is geuen according to the grace of the most liberall God vnto them which haue hoped in him Seyng these thinges are spoken of the workes of men already iustified as touching eternall felicity then are they to be counted much more true if they be referred vnto the workes of them which are yet strangers frō Christ Wherfore euen as those merite not an eternall reward no more also can these merite iustification For both these thinges are geuen fréely Augustine in his booke De dogmatibus ecclesiasticis chap. 48. If by the law saith he commeth righteousnes then dyed Christ in vayne So also may we say if by nature come righteousnes Christ dyed in vayne This spake he against the Pelagians who affirmed that the liberty of man was so great that by nature onely it could do thynges acceptable vnto God And Augustine warely transferreth vnto nature that which Paul spake of the law and sheweth that the selfe same absurditie followeth either namely that the death of Christ is made in vayne For in very dede there is no other cause why the law bringeth not righteousnes but onely because nature is vitiate and weake Wherfore that which is spokē of the one may rightly agrée with the other The same Augustine vpon the first chapter of Iohn expoūding these wordes Grace for grace what saith he is grace He aunswereth That which is frely geuen What is grace frely geuen That which is not rendred saith he as due For if it were due vnto thee then it is a reward rendred If it were due thou wast before good And in his booke de predestinatione sanctorum the 7. chap. Let no man extoll himselfe as it is customably said Therfore deserued he to beleue because he was a good man and that before he beleued which thyng semeth to be written of Cornelius when as yet he had fayth when he did good workes These wordes are so playne that they haue no néede of declaration Chrisostome in his 2. homely vpon the first epistle Chrisostom vnto the Cor. Where grace saith he is there are not workes and where works are there is not grace Wherfore if it be grace why are ye proude by what meanes are ye puffed vp Chrisostome according to the maner of Paul so opposeth grace against workes that the one excludeth the other so far is it of that he will haue grace to be geuen for workes Ierome vpon the epistle to Philemon Grace saith he is whereby ye are saued and Ierome that by no merite or worke The same Ierome vpon the epistle vnto the Ephes expoūding these wordes By grace ye are made safe through fayth and that not of your selues for it is the gift of God Paul saith he therefore spake this least some hidden thought should crepe into vs if by our workes we be not saued vndoubtedly yet by faith we are saued so that in an other kinde it commeth of vs that we are saued All these testimonies sufficiently declare that iustification is geuē fréely neither can it be gotten by any merites or workes goyng before Now resteth to declare out of the fathers how good workes are to be estemed Vndoubtedly they follow iustification as the fruites therof which spring and burgē forth out of true faith Wherfore Origene sayth in that place which we haue before cited expounding these wordes vnto the Romanes But vnto him which worketh the reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt Wherfore saith he not out of workes commeth the roote of righteousnes but out of the roote of righteousnes encreaseth the fruite of workes Whiche selfe thing Augustine affirmeth vnto Honoratus saying Hereout spring good works for that we are iustified and not because good workes went before therfore are we iustified And in his first booke second question ad Simplicianum Yea and workes saith he if there be any that be good do follow as it is said that grace and go not before it And therfore he addeth If there be any good because euen the workes of the regenerate haue in thē much imperfection and vnles the righteousnes of Christ which is imputed vnto the beleuers were ioyned with those workes they should not in very dede be good The same father in his 26. chapter de spiritu Litera at large entreateth this place vnto the Romanes Not the herers of the law shal be iustified but the doers and by many reasons he proueth that good workes follow iustification and go not before To this also tendeth that which Basilius writeth in his second booke De spiritu sancto the 7. chap. of the wordes of the Lord that first it behoueth that the trée be good then his fruites to be good that the Phariseis were reproued which in theyr dishes cups made cleane y◠which was without Make cleane sayth he that which is within and that which is without shal be cleane otherwise ye shal be compared vnto painted sepulchers which in dede without seme beautiful but with in are vncleane and full of dead mens bones What counsels are to be harkned vnto Now let vs come vnto the Counsells which yet are not without choyce and iudgement
⧠Most learned and fruitfull Commentaries of D. Peter Martir Vermilius Florentine Professor of Diuinitie in the Schole of Tigure vpon the Epistle of S. Paul to the Romanes wherin are diligently most profitably entreated all such matters and chiefe common places of religion touched in the same Epistle ¶ With a table of all the common places and expositions vpon diuers places of the scriptures and also an Index to finde all the principall matters conteyned in the same Lately traÌ„slated out of Latine into Englishe by H. B. ¶ IMPRINTED AT LONdon by Iohn Daye ¶ Cum Gratia Priuilegio Regiae Maiestatis per decennium ⧠These bookes are to be solde at the shop vnder the gate DIEV ET MON DRIOâ— ARISE FOR IT IS DAY TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE AND VVORTHY SIR ANTHONY COOKE KNIGHT PETER MARTIR VERMILIVS OF FLORENCE PROFESSER OF DIVINITIE IN THE SCHOLE OF TIGVRE VVISHETH HEALTH WHen I oftentimes consider with my selfe right honourable Sir whome for godlines and learning I reuerence all those things which happened all that whole time that I dwelt in England it driueth into me a great and manifolde griefe And in especiall it is a grief vnto me that so great an hope of the gospell of Iesus Christe and of pure doctrine in that Realme geuen by the most mighty and most mercifull God and confirmed by the great laboure industry and study of godly men hath now in a maner vtterly pearished It is a griefe vnto me to thinke that that most noble wit most sacred brest and incredible piety of that famous king Edwarde the .vj. of that name your most deare pupill is so sodainely taken from vs. It is a griefe vnto me that so many English men being of great fame renoum as well for theyr piety as for theyr knowledge and nobility are by voluntary exile for religion sake dispersed throughout externe and straunge countreys and they which at home were counted moste noble and heroicall doe now wander abrode as men obscure abiect and in a manner vnknowne to all men But it is well in that this happeneth not vnto them for any wicked actes by them committed or for filthy life but only for the name and doctrine of oure Lord Iesus Christ It is also a griefe vnto me that so great a multitude of godly brethren are as doubtles it is to often from euerye where signified vnto vs moste cruelly for theyr holy profession put to the sworde fire and tormentes whome for as much as they are our brethren and haue to theyr head together with vs one and the selfe same Christ and are members of one and the selfe same body and finally are euen oure owne bowels when we heare to be entreated with so great cruelty and tyraÌ„ny it is not possible but that we also should in minde be shaken with horror and set on fire euen as they are in body tormented and murthered These and a greate many moe things being vnto me a great griefe so that I am nowe in a maner hardened to any newe griefe yet cease I not to haue an eye hither and thither to see if I might by any meanes gette some healthfull and profitable remedy bothe for my selfe and for such like as I am but now I haue long time had experience of that it is in vaine to hope for mannes helpe or for ayd at the worlds hand And therefore I persuade both my selfe also others to withdraw their mindes from the aides of the flesh and to implore the heauenly and diuine helpe which doubtles I see is offred vnto vs two wayes One is that we with prayers turning our selues vnto Christ shold say How long Lord shall the wickednes and fury of Idolatry of supersticions and of the ignorance of the scriptures range abroade on the earth How long Lord shall thy holy Gospell be troden vnder foote We in dede haue sinned we haue ben rebellious against thee and haue not harkened vnto thy wordes for which cause we are iustly and for our euill deserte thus daily put â—o confusion and shame But thou O Lord our God are most iust in all thy workes But on the other side Lord for as much as it belongeth to thy clemency and constancy to haue mercye to spare and most faithfully to kepe thy couenauntes and promises how long Lord how long wilt thou be angry vnto the end Remember not our iniquities of olde Wherefore we beseeche thee that for as much as in these laste times thou hast by pouring abrode thy plenteous light and that being most mighty vouchsafed to make manifest vnto men which lay in darknes yea more then palpable darknes the secretes of thy truth thou woldest once at the length turne away thy wrath and fury from our ingrate mindes and from the most greuous sinnes whereby we haue laid forth thy most holy name and the pure doctrine which we professe to euil speakings and to blasphemies And deliuer thy congregation from the contumelies and oppressions of the wicked which doubtles light not only vpon vs but also vppon the maiesty of thy name Although thou of thyne owne nature be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is vntouchable and not able to be hurt Illuminate O most louing Christ thy face vpon the Church redeamed with thy bloud which is now in a manner vtterly lefte desolate Thy name only and not any other mannes name we call vpon not vndoubtedly trusting to any our own righteousnes but to thy goodnes only and mercy that thou woldest either appoynt an end or measure of those euils and lenify the vexation wherwith we together with our brethren are afflicted or that thou wouldest at the least vouchsafe to geue vnto the hearts of thine such faith and constancy that they fall not away from the profession of true piety yea rather that they may so nobly and valiantly behaue them selues that by their exile emprisonment pouertye ignominy sworde fire and how cruell so euer kinde of death it be the liuely knowledge of thy gospell may more and more shine forth and be made more manifest to the whole world This kinde of ayde and remeady right honorable sir is the first which I see is to be sought for at Gods hands against our euils and which the holy Fathers prophets Apostles and blessed coÌ„fessors of the Christian faith with great fruit vsed in their afflictions Wherfore seing that God heard them praying after this maner or muche like therevnto let vs in no wise distrust but that he will also heare vs when as we haue coÌ„mon with them one and the selfe same cause and one and the selfe same God Vndoubtedly if he heard them he will not despise our prayers but forasmuch as he is alwayes like vnto himselfe if he most louingly and with incredible facilitie receaued theyr prayers he will also fil vs making supplicatioÌ„ vnto him not with a small but with a most ample consolation The second helpe which is also brought vs from God and is euery where
to inuent Images was nothyng ells then to light vp Candles and Torches in the Sunne Thys The deuise of the deuill concerning idolatry thyng the deuill chieflye laboured for that the power of God might be bound vnto certayne places that men myghte there onely praye vnto God and there receaue great holynes and lastly there to make an end of theyr godlines as though out of those places they might liue as they luste them selues as we sée now the vse is in receauing of the Supper of the Lorde There onely mē thinke that all good thynges are to bée poured out towardes God vnto it they prostrate them selues there they knocke their brestes there they make inuocation there shewe they forth what soeuer pietie they haue All other thynges in comparison of it are a playe and of no waight Thys is worthye to bée noted that Paule doth here so sharply reproue these men which yet sayd that they worshipped not those Images but by them honoured the one onely God and the Scriptures do euery where reprehend them for that they worshipped the workes of theyr owne handes By which wordes an vpright iudgement may gather that these vulgare and common excuses are not to bee admitted Yea and Augustine also in hys 6. Sermon in the 10. tome after thys sorte conuinceth the Ethnickes that they tooke theyr Idole for a God because vnto it they builded altars For saith he that A vaine excuse or defence of the Ethnikes for Images they haue a God and doe worship that Idole for a God the altar doth testifie What maketh the altar there if that it bee not counted for a God Let no man say vnto me it is not a God I haue already answered that matter I would to God they knew this thyng so well as we know it But both what they haue and also for what thing they haue it the altar doth testifie Thys place of Paule taketh away all excuse from Idolatrers They These thinges pertayne vnto them which worship images in the Papacy An oration of Symmachus wer no lesse wittie to defend their Idolatries then are our men at this day to defend the worshipping of Sainctes Which thyng he that beleueth not let hym read the 30. Epistle of Ambrose which contayneth the oration of Symmachus wherin in the name of the people of Rome and of the Senate he desired of the Emperours Valentinian Theodosius and Arcadius that the worshipping of the Gods myghte bée restored Symmachus denyeth not in that place but that God is euery wherebut yet he sayth that it is much better to haue some certain places appoynted for religion And he would haue the secretes of the deuine nature to bée secluded from the people vnto which diuerse nations aspyre not by one and the selfe same meanes for that all are not of one disposition Hée boasteth muche of miracles namelye that by these Gods Rome was defended from Hannihall and from the Senons and lastly that it had subdued the whole worlde vnder her gouernment but since they were neglected greuous calamities haue happened vnto the publicke wealth He contendeth that there is but one God onely vnto whom all men haue a regarde and doe come vnto hym by sundrye wayes Wherfore in the conclusion he requireth that the Emperours would bée so good to suffer euery nation to haue hys owne religion But what Ambrose aūswereth to these thinges here is now no méete place to declare They whiche are desirous thereof may easilie read it in hys 31. Epistle Wherefore God gaue them vp to vncleanes through the lustes of their owne harts to defile their owne bodies amōg themselues which chaunged his truth for a lye and worshipped and serued the thinges that be made more then him that made them which is to be praysed for euer Amen VVherefore God deliuered them vp Now is described the punishement The punishment wherewith Eod tooke vengeance vpon idolatry wherewith God tooke vengeance vpon the haynous sinne of idolatry Whiche he therefore so greuously punished for that he will haue his owne glory alwayes reserued vnto himselfe By Esay the prophete he sayth My glory will I not geue vnto an other And forasmuch as he hath spoused vnto himselfe the faythful as a spouse and chast virgin he can not abide that they should be defiled with the adulterous worshipping of Idols In the law he calleth himself a gelious God for that he will not suffer this dishonour Further greate was the anger wherwith he was incensed because these wicked actes were done by thē of whom they were least of all to be looked for that is of the learneder sort which farre excelled others in wisdome as it is reported the Egiptians did For as this nation was counted the mother of sciences so also was it a most aboundant As the Egiptians were moste excellent in lerning so were they the greatest idolatrers Chrisostom of Plato Socrates Astronomers fountayne of idolatry There not only men were worshipped but also Oxen Crocodiles Leekes Oynions Cattes and many more such like thinges And as Chrisostome thinketh Plato for that by much traueling he had attayned vnto their doctrine had a great pleasure in himselfe And Chrisostome reproueth Socrates the scholemaster of Plato because when he was at the poynt of death he desired his friendes to pay vnto Aesculapius a Cocke which he remembred he owed him Astronomers which aboue others boast themselues as touching the knowledge of celestiall thinges haue transferred into heauen a Beare two twynes a Bull a Crowne an Egle a Scorpion a Snake and such like monstrous thinges and to the starres which are the excellent workes of God they faynedly adioyne these theyr madde dreames and do after a sort attribute vnto them the gouernment of the world This thing hath the deuill procured that men should become subiect vnto those thinges ouer whiche they ought to be Lordes and rulers So man which was made to be lifted vp into heauen neglecting himselfe hath to his power lifted vp to the same place brutishe and vnreasonable beastes Further the Poetes which aboue other men were had in admiration did they not fayne what they lusted themselues of the Gods Of The sondry iudgemente of Plato touching Poets their deuise and opinion Plato which is counted the most graue amongst the Philosophers speaketh doubtfully In his bookes De Repub he iudgeth them worthy vtterly to be banished out of the city because they spake so vnreuerently of the Gods And yet in an other place he commaundeth that when they entreate of thinges deuine we shoulde geue credite vnto them because they declare such thinges not of themselues but by heauenly inspiration If a man Why Idolatrers worshipped Crocodiles and Serpentes would demaund of them why so wise mē worshipped eyther Crocodles or serpentes paraduenture they would haue aunswered that they in them wondred at the most mighty power whereby they do hurt men and that in them is expressed the auenging wrath of God
accordinge to theyr woorkes and deedes In deede the mercy of God is now large but yet in such sort that the seueritie of iustice is not wantinge Moses although he had heard manye proprieties of God whiche serued to expresse his goodnes and clemency that is that he is mercifull gentle slow vnto anger riche in mercy and truth whiche reserueth goodnes or mercye for a thousande generacions yet at the end added that God wil not pronounce the wicked man an innocent that he visiteth the sinnes of the fathers vpon the children vnto the third and fourth generacion But because they whiche attribute ouermuche vnto woorkes and trust that by them to obteyne eternall life are wont very often to alledge thys place I haue thought it good briefely to declare what is to be thoughte concerning Of works workes But we shal afterward more at large set foorth and declare this thing when we shall haue occasion to entreat of iustification And those things whiche shall now be briefely spoken we will afterward more largely discourse by partes seuerally First this is to be knowen that we deny not that whych is Betwene our good workes eternall felicitye there is no iust proportion There are no good woorkes without fayth Those thinges which are promised vnto works we obteyne by fayth The causes of our saluation Why God attributeth honor vnto woorkes The words of the last iudgement are diligently examined here written that vnto euery man shal be rendred accordinge to hys woorkes But there is not so muche good in good woorkes as eternall felicitie is good Yea ther is betwene these a greater difference then betwene heauē and earth Moreouer there are no woorkes to be counted good which lene not vnto faith and haue not it for the roote from whence they should spring foorth Therfore that which seemeth to be promised vnto workes the same in very deede we obtaine by fayth which is garnished with those workes And because fayth taketh hold of the mercy of God and promises in Christ therfore throughe mercy and Christ whiche are the obiectes of faith shall we be made blessed These are the true and chiefest causes of eternall life the clemency I say of God election predestinacion and the merites of Christe But God in the holye scriptures oftentimes addeth woorkes thereby to stirre vs vp beinge otherwise sluggishe and slouthfull to lyue vprightly And he adorneth woorkes with this kinde of honor that he promiseth vnto them excellent rewardes Whiche thing if we will more narrowly consider let vs wyth diligence weigh what the most high iudge shal in the last iudgemente saye For he will make examination of good workes will say that he was fed with meate and drinke and visited c. But after thys commendation of woorkes when he iudgeth vnto the sayntes the kingdome and eternall life he expresseth the principallest cause that maketh vs happy blessed For he sayth Come ye blessed of my Father and possesse the kingdome whiche was prepared for you before the beginning of the worlde These he pronounceth to be the causes of our blessednes namely that we are deare vnto God and haue geuen vnto vs the blessinge of predestination and election And therfore sayth he that the kyngdome was prepared for vs from the beginninge of the worlde Woorkes in deede are to be had but not as causes Therefore Christ admonished Works are not the causes of our felicity A place of Luke How we are called vnprofitable seruāts vs saying When ye haue done all these thinges say we are vnprofitable seruants we haue done but those thinges which we ought to do Neither passe wee any thynge vpon theyr caueling which say that therfore we are vnprofitable seruantes because out good woorkes do bringe no commoditie vnto God Forasmuche as God needeth none of our good workes But say they it ought not to be denied but that we are by good workes profitable vnto our selues We graunt indede that it is profitable vnto vs that we liue well But that vtility is not to be attributed vnto our workes that they should be causes of our blessednes to come For we haue nothing in vs whereby we can make God obstricte and bounde vnto vs. For whatsoeuer we do the same do we wholy owe vnto God and a We cannot by workes binde God vnto vs. great deale more then we are able to performe Wherefore as Christ admonisheth The Lord geueth not thankes vnto his seruant when he hath done his duety And if the seruaunt by well doing cannot binde his Lord to geue him thankes how shall he binde him to render vnto him great rewardes Therefore the name of The name of merits ought to be abolished merite if we will speake properlye oughte vtterlye to be banished out of our mouthes I know that the Fathers sometimes vsed that word but yet not properly But that woord is not found at al in the holy scriptures For the nature of merite is that there be a iust proportion and equall consideration betweene The nature of merite that which is geuen and that which is taken But betwene the good thinges which we looke for and those thinges which we eyther suffer or do there is no proportion or agreemente For Paule sayth That the passions of thys time are not woorthy the glory to come whiche shal be reueled in vs. Farther merite hath ioyned vnto it debt whych thynge Paule testifyeth when he sayth That vnto hym whych woorketh rewarde is rendred accordinge to debte and is not imputed accordyng to grace Which selfe same Paul yet writeth expressedly that the grace of God is eternall life Lastlye vnto the nature of merite there is required that that whiche is geuen pertayne vnto the geuer and be not due vnto hym whyche receaueth it But woorkes are not of our selues for they are called the giftes of God whiche he woorketh in vs. Wherefore Augustine very wisely sayth That God doth crowne his giftes in vs. Now if our woorkes be due vnto him whiche thinge we cannot deny then vndoubtedly the nature of merite is vtterly taken awaye Eternall life is sometimes in the holy scriptures called a reward But then is it not that How eternall lyfe is sometymes called a reward How blessednes followeth good woorkes reward which Paule writeth to be geuen according to debte but is all one as if it shoulde be called a recompensation Gods will and pleasure was that there shoulde be this connexion that after good woorkes shoulde follow blessednes but yet not as the effecte followeth the cause but as a thinge ioyned with them by the appointmente of God Therefore we may not truste vnto woorkes for they are feeble and weake and do alwayes wauer and stagger Wherfore the promises of God depende not of them neither haue they in themselues as they come from vs that they can moue God to make vs blessed We say therefore that God iudgeth according to woorkes because accordinge as they are eyther
vnderstand the mynd of mā compacte of them both being renued by the holy Ghost But the letter signifyeth whatsoeuer is outwardlye set before vs be it neuer so spirituall when it cleaueth not to our minde or vrgeth not Wherefore the circumcision of the flesh is the signe of the circumcision of The circūcision of the flesh is the signe of the circumcisiō of the harte The circūcision of the hart in the bookes of the law Both God woorketh in vs good things and we also woorke The spirite and the letter are discerned by the affect of the mind the harte and of the mind Therfore great care was to be had that it should not be vayn or superfluous This phrase touching the circumcision of the hart Paul borowed out of the olde Testamente In the. 10. chap of Deut commaundement was geuen that they should circumcise the foreskins of theyr hartes and in the selfe same booke the. 30. chapter Moses promiseth that God will one day circumcise the foreskin of theyr hartes to declare that either is true namely that God woorketh in vs the things that are good and that we also worke the selfe same forasmuch as God vseth our ministery to bring forth good woorkes Wherfore so longe as our minde resisteth the woorde of God whiche is set foorth vnto vs althoughe outwardlye it make a shewe of somewhat yet is it occupied in the letter But when it is made prone vnto the commaundementes of God then is it gouerned by the spirite Wherefore as touching the thinge whiche is set foorth and red there is no difference betwene the spirite and the letter but as touching the affect of the minde Which thinge Paule hath declared in his latter Epistle to the Corinthians the 3. cap whē he saith Ye are the Epistle of Christ wrought by our ministery and written not wyth inke but with the spirite of the liuing God not in tables of stone but in tables of flesh Where he manifestlye teacheth that this is the ministery of the spirite whē in the tables of our hart are imprinted those things which God commaundeth and will haue to be of vs beleued and done Neyther let vs meruaile that Paule sayth that such an Epistle was written by him whē as it is the worke of God for he meaneth that he wrote it onely as an instrumēt ioyned with the woorking of God Wherefore they are to be counted ministers of the spirite which do not onely expounde the woordes of God but also do imprinte Who are ministers of the spirite thē into the hartes of the hearers Which thing such as do not althoughe they speake good and healthfull thinges yet are they but ministers of the letter neither of theyr woorke followeth any thinge els then the death of the hearers For they which vnderstand the will of the Lord and do it not shal be punished with many stripes And therefore Paule sayde that the letter killeth but the spirite quickeneth Wherefore it is the duety of pastors and of them that teache to pray vnto God For what thing pastors ought to pray What is the true circumcision moste ernestly to make them ministers not of the letter but of the spirite Paule also vnto the Philippians declared what is the true circumcision when he sayth We are the circumcision which serue God in the spirite we glory in Christ and haue not confidence in flesh By these thre notes he expressed the spirituall circumcision And vnto the Colossians after he had said that we are circumcised in Christ but yet with a circumcision not made by handes he declareth by very many circumstances what that circumcision is namely that we haue put of the body of the sins of the fleshe that through Baptism we are buried together with Christ that we haue forgeuenes of synnes that the hand writing is put out which was agaynst vs by reason of ordinances and the principalityes powers which were agaynst vs are by Christ vanquished ouercome In which place this is not to be passed ouer that baptisme is called the true circumcision so that it be in the spirite and the hart and not in the letter and the Baptisme when it is in the spirite is the true circumcisiō fleshe Wherefore these sentences a Iewe inward and outward the circumcision in the flesh and in the hart are to be taken in respect as they are opposite one to the other that is a part and disseuered one from the other For ioyne them together and then the sentence of Paule pertayneth not vnto them For it is not to be doubted but that there were very many Iewes in the olde tyme which were Iewes both outward and inward and were circumcised not only in the fleshe but also in the harte These thinges may be taken three maner of wayes so that there is one circumcision of the fleshe an other of the spirite and the thyrd ioyned together of them both For it is not to be thought that the olde Testament Many liued vnder the law which therewithall liued also vnder th◠Gospell An 〈…〉 or of the Maniches was so seperated from the Gospell that they which liued in it could not also therewithall haue the Gospell These two thinges are indeede seperated the one from the other but yet in such sorte that they may be ioyned together in one and the selfe same man Manicheus so reiected the olde Testament as though it were vtterly vnprofytable vnto vs. And vsed this kynde of reason Forasmuch as that inheritance of the land of Chanaan pertayneth not vnto me I do reiect also both the Testament and the writinge whereby the bequest was made Yea also though it should bring vnto me the possession of that land yet Christ hath so exalted vs to better thinges that I regard not these thinges These wordes obiected Faustus and they are red in the 4. booke of that worke whiche Augustine wrote against him In which place he thus answereth him Those thinges which are written The olde Testaraent pertayneth vnto vs also in the olde Testament are types of our thinges Forasmuch as Paule in his latter Epistle to the Corrinthians sayth These thinges happened vnto them in a figure but they are written for our correction vpon whome are come the endes of the world And vnto the Romanes we reade whatsoeuer thinges are written are written for our erudition and learning And in the oracles of the olde Testament is promise made of Christ Wherfore he being raysed from the dead and disputing with his two disciples of himselfe cited testimonyes out of Moses and out of the whole scripture And the same Christ sayd that the good father of the houshold brought forth of his treasure both new thinges and olde Wherefore the olde Testament is not so contrary vnto the new as the Manichies fayned it was And therefore Paule when he semeth to speake any thinge Paule whē he semeth to diminish any thing frō the law condēneth not the olde
church can not releâ—se the afflictions of the godly these punishementes which God inflicteth vpon vs whilest we liue here are not in the power of the Church that it can at pleasure and as it listeth it selfe alter or lenifye or mitigate them as our aduersaryes haue fayned of the paynes of purgatory Which their fayned deuise they can not confirme by any reason taken out of the holy scriptures We must diligently also weigh the wordes of the Apostle For as when he fayth That we stand in grace by fayth he declareth that the property of fayth is to erect and to confirme our mindes Which property vndoubtedly it hath not but by that it cleaueth vnto the woord of God For so by it are broken the rages and tempests that rushe agaynst vs so are we established not to wauer with euery wynde of doctrine nor to change our opinion for euery chance of fortune The philosophers when they woulde amply set foorth the constancye of a iust man compared it with a fower square stone which howsoeuer it falleth falleth right But A comparison of fayth with philosophy fayth much more truely accoÌ„plisheth this theÌ„ doth philosophy Chrisostome addeth That the good thinges of this world whatsoeuer they be are nether firme nor constant For they are oftentymes assayled with many dangers and not seldome ouercome And although whilest we liue here we lose them not yet when we dye will we or nill we we must nedes forsake them But these spirituall things whereof we now intreate are both firme and shall after death be made more ample But the same Chrisostome vpon this place is of vs warely to be red For he sayth that Paul in making mencion of those thinges which we receaue of Christ rehearseth many thinges But when he commeth to those thinges which we haue of our selues he setteth forth only one thing namely fayth â–ª which sayth he we our selues bring of our owne But we must surely sticke fast to thys ground that fayth also is the gift of God and is deriued from him into vs. Out of this place also may be gathered a most firme argument that we are iustified by fayth only Which shall be made playne by the effect after this maner That by An argument wherby is proued that we are iustified by faith one lye which we are iustified ought to make vs quiet before God This thing can not workes bring to passe but fayth only Ergo we are iustified by fayth and not by workes The maior is very playne that we are not iustified vnles we haue such a quiet mynde that we abhorre not nor flye from the fight of God And that our workes are not able to performe this theyr vncleanes and vnpurenes declareth Wherefore Dauid hath not without cause written Enter not into iudgement with thy seruauntes Lord. We reioyce in the hope and glory of God Here is declared the nature of this peace and tranquilitie of the minde namely that it maketh vs most assured and sure of perpetuall felicity for we reioyce not but for that which we now possesse And that we euen now also possesse eternall lyfe Christ manifestly declareth We posses eternall life euen now also when he saith He that beleueth in me hath eternall lyfe But bicause it is not yet ful neither as yet appeareth therfore Paul addeth In the hope of the glory of God This glorye whiche we hope for is a coniunction with God that he maye wholye dwell and worke in vs which thing when we shall haue attayned we shall be adorned with the last and highest point of felicitye neither shall there be left any place vnto misery But when he sayth In the hope of the glory of God He séemeth to speake that by preuention For that as touching those which beleue the common opinion of men is excedingly deceiued For the Ethenikes commonly deride Christians for that they count themselues to be happye when yet in the meane tyme they want not wicked affections and are vexed with tribulations and aduersities They thinke yâ— we should weigh our felicity by those things which we haue Our felicity is not to be weighed by those thinges which are in vs. of our owne But we are of a farre other opinion for we so far forth counte our selues happy as we are so counted of God and that he imputeth vnto vs righteousnes not that we are not in the meane tyme renewed both in minde and in bodye although we are yet vnperfect And euen this selfe same righteousnes whiche we haue now obteyned and the renouation which is in vs we in no case thynke to be of that force that by it we can attayne vnto the rewardes of eternall lyfe Thys peace and felicitie and reioycing of which the Apostle now intreateth is yâ— which confirmed the Martirs when in Christes quarell they did shed both their lyfe and What is this peace which is had by faith bloud This is that hundreth folde which is rendered also in this lyfe is of more value then all the riches and pleasures of this world Wherefore when the Ethnikes deriding vs do boast of their riches and pleasures and power we ought not to be moued For we easely perceaue that they with al these their goods are miserable and wretched but on the other side we féele our selues happy when we haue possession of this one good thyng although we want all those thinges whiche they so highly estéeme And here is to be marked the order that the Apostle vseth in rehersing the effectes of iustification First he setteth forth peace wherby is declared The methode or order of the effectes of iustification that the battaile that sin had stirred vp against vs is now at an end For sin beyng by the death of Christ blotted out and the righteousnes of christ beingimputed vnto vs of God through faith of enemies we are made frendes whereby is made opeÌ„ vnto vs an entrance vnto his manifold grace and to the obteinement of innumerable benefites For so long as yâ— warre endured we were a great way of froÌ„ God and strangers from the promises but now that the peace is made by the mediator we are brought nearer there is geuen vs frée accesse vnto God which accesse yâ— Apostle worthely putteth in the second place as which could not haue come vnto vs vnles we had first obteyned peace Farther thirdly followeth reioycing in the hope of the glory of God For who will not now hope that he shal be adorned with the glory of God Whome will not so assured an expectation of so great a thyng of the glory I say of God make ioyfull and glad And of how great force and power this reioycing in the hope of the glory of God is that which followeth declareth And not that onely but also we reioyce in afflictions Of so greate force is this reioycing that those thinges which men especially wicked men count for a dishonor and from which they abhorre
forasmuch as it maketh not ashamed but remouing all doubt attaineth to God which is our chiefe felicitye is fastened to him as of the laste linke of the chayne the highest and chiefest This selfe same propriety of Not confounding beloÌ„geth to fayth also For none that beleueth in hym shall be confounded And that not without cause For what can be of more nere affinity vnto fayth then hope The Lattine interpreter Hope and faith haue one and the selfe same propriety not to make ashamed A figuratiue speach turneth it Non confundit that is confoundeth not Howbeit it mought be more properly turned Non pudefacit that is maketh not ashamed And it is a figuratiue kind of spech For Pauls mind was to signifie that the godly can not be frustrated of their hope for they whiche are frustrated namely when thinges fall out farre otherwyse then they hoped for commonly are ashamed Wherefore Paul by shame vnderstandeth frustration because shame alwayes followeth it But the Lattine interpreter had a regarde to that perturbation of the mynde whiche followeth shame For to confounde is nothinge els but to perturbe or to trouble Now if this sentence be true as in deede it is moste true namelye that this hope confoundeth Hope dependeth not of our works Hope is most assured not it followeth that it dependeth not of our woorkes For otherwise it shoulde oftentymes fayle But that it is true and certayne Paul declareth not by one word only but by thrée and those of great efficacy For first he vseth this word knowing which betokeneth an assured knowledge of a thing He maketh mencion also of reioycing which can not haue place with godly and wise men but of those good thinges which they assuredly and firmely possesse At the last he addeth that hope confoundeth not And it is not without cause that he oftentymes induceth perswasions of this certainty for that thereheÌ„se chiefly is consolation to be sought for in afflictions When Christ hong vpon the crosse the wicked rayled agaynst him saying he hoped in God let him saue him if he will haue him Let him come downe from the crosse c. The selfe same thinges Remedy agaynst rayling speaches Hope depeÌ„deth not of merites are layd agaynst vs not only by outward enemyes but also by our fleshe and outward senses and humane wisedome How can we resist these but by thys doctrine of the Apostle hope confoundeth not the hope which we haue put in the Lord maketh not ashamed The Sophisters by this place contend to proue that hope springeth of merites because Paul sayth it springeth of putieÌ„ceâ—as though we should thinke that hope is geuen vnto vs by the merite of pacience But in the meane tyme they marke not that those thinges which Paul here by a certayne order disposeth ar not so compared the one to the other as causes and effectes For who will say that afflictions are the cause of pacience and if it be not so why should they more affirme that pacience is the cause of hope The scripture most playnly teacheth that he which putteth confidence in man or in any creature is accursed for a man of whose promise we depend assure our selues may ether dye or alter hys mynd or also be letted that he can not fayth fully perform that which he promised And to put confidence either by cause of merites or by reasoÌ„ of works is to put hope in man Wherfore such hope worthely maketh ashamed but yâ— hope which is fixed vpon God is certaine neyther caÌ„ be deceaued The Sophisters go about craftely to auoyd this senteÌ„ce by two places of Paul the one to the Romanes the other to Timothe The place to Timothe is thus I know whome I haue beleued and I am assured But the other to the Romanes is thus I am assured that nether death nor life nor angels c. By these places they thinke is ouerthrowne our sentence for that they thinke that these wordes are to be vnderstand not vniuersally of all beleuers but only of Paul and such other like which had a peculiar reuelation that they shoulde obtayne saluation But these their enterprises are in dayne For here is now entreated Here is in treated of the nature of hope generally of the nature and proprlety of hope whereby is manifestly proued that al they which are endewed with it are sure of their saluation so that they must nedes confesse that they which doubt of their saluation ether haue not yâ— hope which longeth to a Christian or els if they haue that hope they must nedes be assured He which doubteth of saluation hath not the hope that longeth to a Christian of their saluation But if a man shall say what if I shall be vnworthy and therefore God will not bestowe vpon me the chiefe reward I answere that this is a wrastling of the conscience and is to be ouercome by an assured hope For the obtaynning whereof we must clene fast vnto the word of God Such as is this God is faythfull which will not suffer you to be tempted aboue your power but will together with the temptacion make away out such like places of the holy scripture wherein God promiseth that he will geue perseuerance to hys vnto the ende And to speake briefely the hope of the godly leneth only vnto the goodnes power and mercy of the only God This thing Basilius vnderstood right wel in his exposition vpon the 32. Psalme when he interpreteth these words hoping in his mercy He sayth he which putteth not confidence in his owne proper deedes nether hopeth to be iustified by workes hath his hope of saluation onlye in the mercy of God For when he shall consider these thinges with himselfe Beholde God and his rewarde c. But the schole men haue tought farre otherwise For the Maister of the sentences in the thirde booke thus defineth hope Hope is an assured expectacion of the blessednes to come comming of the grace of God and of merites going before Which definition how absurd it is especially as touching the latter part it is very manifest in those which are newly from most hainous filthy sinnes conuerted vnto Christ For they vndoubtedly can haue no good merites for that before they wanted charitie from which all our workes procede yet They which are conuâ—rted vnto Christ want not hope although they want works and merites They which are most wicked ought not to caste away all hope there can be nothing more certaine then yâ— they which are conuerted vnto Christ cannot be without hope Yea Augustine vpon the Psalm From the depthe haue I called vnto the Lorde exhorteth them that fall and those which liue in the depth of euils not to cast away hope and that by the example of the thiefe and of many others It may now be demaunded of them by what merites hope is confirmed in these meÌ„ They customably answere that merites do not alwayes go before hope but alwayes
seruitude had his first beginning of sinne for it is not lawfull to make warre but against those which haue sinned With these wordes of Augustine agreeth Florentinus the Lawyer as it is red in the InstitutioÌ„s and this etimologye right well agreeth with this place which we are now in hand with The deuill assaulting by battayle our first parentes ouercame theÌ„ and tooke them and by that transgressioÌ„ hath made all our nature captiue and hath still in subiection and to be his seruauntes as many as thorough Christ are not set at liberty For so sayth Paule in his latter epistle to Timoth That they may come to amendement out of the snare of the deuill which are takeÌ„ of him at his will But Christ came and hath fought with that strong armed man the gouernor of the world and prince of darkenes and hauing gotten the victory hath redemed vs all Nether vndoubtedly did he it for any other cause but that we should be obedient to his will and vnto righteousnes Wherefore these wordes of Paul signifie as muche as if he shoulde haue sayd Christ hath not therefore deliuered vs from sinne and addicted vnto himselfe to the 〈…〉 e that henceforth we should bee seruauntes vnto sinne but onely Christ hath redeemed vs not vnto sinne but vnto righteousnesse Two contrarye Lordes set before vs. that we should be obedient vnto righteousnes Nowe let vs diligently weighe the wor 〈…〉 Knovve ye 〈…〉 t that to vvhomesoeuer ye geue your selues as seruauntes to obey his ser 〈…〉 s ye are to vvhome ye obey vvhether it be of sinne vnto death or obedience vnto righteousnes Here let vs first note that the Apostle setteth before vs two Lordes the 〈◊〉 is sinne the other is that obedience which we render vnto God By which diuision forasmuch as the partes thereof be contrary it appeareth that I nothing erred from the sentence of the Apostle when before I defined sinne in generall to be whatsoeuer is repugnant vnto the law of God The definition of sinne before alleaged is confirmed For forasmuch as sinne is a priuation it can not be known but by his opposite or contrary forme or quality which it remoueth away and what the forme is Paul here expresseth by the name of Obedience Wherfore that is sinne ought so to be called which is repugnant vnto such an obedience By which it is most manifest that that corruption which is still remaining in vs and the motions which are by it stirred vp are sinnes forasmuch as they are apertly repugnaÌ„t vnto obedience which is opposite and contrary vnto sinne Moreouer this diuision This particion comprehendeth all men of the Apostle if it be sufficient comprehendeth all men so that euery man is of necessitie either the seruant of sinne or els of righteousnes The seruauntes of righteousnes are these which are now deliuered to be obedient vnto the forme of the doctrine of the gospel Wherfore in this place are ouerthrown those workes An argumeÌ„t against workes preparatory which they call preparatorye for they can not be placed in any members of this deuision For if thou wilt say that they pertaine vnto them which are seruantes of righteousnes they are now alredy regenerate and do beleue the Gospel wherfore those workes can not now be preparations but fruites of the Gospell But if thou wilt stand in contencion and say that they pertain vnto them which are seruantes of sinne they haue no fruite of their workes but only death wherfore their workes turne vnto them vnto destruction so farre is it of that they can be preparations vnto grace We say in dede that God oftentimes vseth our sinnes and by them appointeth as it were certain degrées by which we may come vnto Christ But this thing our workes haue not of themselues neither in respect that they are done of vs for in that respect spring forth damnable and odious fruites as it The two Lords do destribute contrary rewardes were out of a corrupt trée Vnto these two Lordes are appointed two maner of rewardes namely vnto sinne is appointed death and vnto obedience righteousnes But it semeth that Paul ought otherwise to haue disposed these things and especially as touching the second member for righteousnes is opposite or contrary vnto sinne Wherfore euen as vnto sinne answereth death as a rewarde so vnto righteousnes also ought eternall life to haue aunswered as a reward But this ought we assuredly to thinke that Paul erred not but by this disposition would teach vs wherein the righteousnes of woorkes consisteth namely in this that we shoulde be obedient vnto GOD for there is nothynge either holye or iust There is nothing holy or iust but that which God hath commaunded The beginnâ—ng of eternall life is to liue iustlye They whiche liue iustly are not miserable although they are greuously vexed but that which he hathe commaunded for the inuentions of men pertayne not to righteousnes but rather vnto lust Wherefore the Apostle to the end he would the more manifestly instruct vs of this thing hath set the definition in place of the thing defined And it is not to be meruailed that he putteth righteousnes in the place of reward for the beginning of blessednes and of eternal lyfe is to liue iustly and hereof it coÌ„meth yâ— in the holy scriptures eternall life is a coÌ„tinuall coÌ„panion of righteousnes And Chrisostome vpon this place sayth that by righteousnes ought to be vnderstand whatsoeuer followeth righteousnes And yet oughte no man therefore to perswade himselfe that they which liue iustly are miserable although sometymes they are greuously vexed with aduersityes For with Paul righteteousnes and innocency of life do signifie the self same thing that eternall felicity signifieth Death also which is ascribed vnto sinne as a reward is not only the dissolution of the outward body but therewithall comprehendeth also eternall infelicity wherewith both body and soule shal be punished And â—y this worde Synne which thing also I haue before admonished Paul vnder 〈…〉 the luste which remayneth in the beleuers and also the corruption of nature 〈◊〉 therefore They which are sory for sins are chiefly sorye for the roote of theÌ„ An example of Dauid the godly when they are sory for any faulte that they haue committed do chiefely complayne of this corrupt nature and of the rotten roote thereof Dauid when he lamented the murther and adultery which he had com 〈…〉 ed ranne chiefely vnto this as vnto the fountayne of all euils sayinge Beâ—old in iniquities was I conceaued and in sinnes hath my mother conceaued me And when we pray vnto God to deliuer vs from sinnes for this thinge we chiefelye praye that by his spirite he would breake and weaken this domesticall and familiar enemy Thys thing the Apostle ment when he cryed out Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death Paul after he had thus deuided seruitude that of necessity we must be seruauntes
threatneth Death is improperly called a rewarde Eternall life is not called a rewarde death vnto sinners Agayn he by the figure Catachresis calleth it a stipend For no man committeth sinne with this intent that for a reward he would obteyne death Here Paul inuerteth the Antithesis or contrary position for he sayth not that eternall life is the reward of righteousnes but rather attributeth it vnto Grace which thing he therefore doth to assigne and appointe the whole nature of merite in Christ only And therfore he addeth thorough Iesus Christ our Lord. that no man shoulde imagine any other mediators â—thâ—â— deade saintes or ells theyr owne workes Farther Paul semeth of purpose 〈…〉 a 〈…〉 stipeÌ„d to set Grace or a gifte and by that meanes he excedinglye stirreth vs vp to the study of eternall life sithen it is a thing so excellent that vnles it be geuen by God it can not be gotten by any of our workes He taketh this greke word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for the stipeÌ„d or wages of a souldier and he continueth still in his metaphore of a king and of a Lord which he a little before vsed For they vse to geue stipendes vnto theyr The maner of the elders towardes souldiers seruauÌ„ts And the Greke word sauoreth much of the maner of the elders where by they were wont to geue vnto theyr souldiers vittayles to eate when they were one warfare And at Rome it was the maner a long time that the souldiers with theyr owne meate but afterward were vittayles geuen them of the common treasory And it well appeareth by the etimology of the word that it was first instituted only for yâ— releauing of necessity and to signify some honour Vnto laborers is geuâ—n a rewarde Vnto warriours is geuen a stipende not as though they semed stipendes of such worthines for which men should put theyr life in danger Wherefore as to laborers was geuen a reward so vnto warriors was geuen a stipend But now let vs especially consider in what sort grace and workes are as touching eternall life And as much as may be gathered ether out of the holy scriptures or out of those thinges which Augustine hath left in writing as touching this matter we will playnly declare so that it shall be made manifest how much our aduersaries dissagree from vs in thys poynt As touching the first if by Grace we vnderstand the fauour and mercy of God then is it the only cause thoroughe Iesus Christe why we obteyne eternall life For our workes can by no meanes be the causes of our felicity Howbeit they are certayne meanes by which God bringeth vs vnto felicity As the way is not the cause of the end thereof nor the runninge place the cause of the gole or The difference betwenâ— the cause and meanes marke and yet by them men are led both vnto the end of the way and vnto the marke So God by good workes bringeth vs to eternall life when as yet the only cause thereof is the election of God as Paul most manifestly teacheth in thys epistle Whome he hath predestinate sayth he those also hath he called whome he Againste merite hath called those also hath he iustefied whoÌ„ he hath iustefied those also will he glorifie Thys declareth that all these thinges do so come from the Grace of God that they consequently follow the one the other and God which geueth the one will also liberally and freely geue the other Wherefore the whole consideratioÌ„ and nature of merite ought vtterly to be taken away For that which properly meriteth The nature of merite any thing must of necessity haue in it a free geuing vp nether ought it by any other meanes to be due Wherefore forasmuche as we owe of dewty vnto God all thinges that we haue vndoubtedly whatsoeuer we do it can merite nothing Farther those things by which we will merite any thing ought to be our owne But good workes are not our own but are of God Besides this also all imperfection and vncleanes must of necessity be remoued awaye otherwise our workes are contaminated nether can they be leueled to the rule which is prescribed by God wherefore we ought rather to craue pardon then once to thinke vpon price or reward Farther betwene merite and reward there ought to be some proportion But there can be no proportion betwene our workes and eternall felicity Wherefore they can not properly be called merites Moreouer God will that there should be taken froÌ„ vs all matter of glorying which thing were not possible if by our workes we should deserue eternall life And forasmuch as Paul in this place describeth eternall life by yâ— name of grace vndoubtedly it can not be of workes Let this suffice as touching the first Now will I briefely declare what Augustine hath written as touching this place In his Enchiridion to Laurentius the 107. chapter A stipend sayth he is payd in warfare as a debt and not geuen as a gift therefore Paul sayth the stipend of sinne is death to declare that death is rendred vnto sinne not wythout desert but as due But grace vnles it be free it When eternall 〈…〉 is gâ—â—en after 〈…〉 a it iâ— grace for grace is not grace Wherefore as touching the good workes of man forasmuch as they are the giftes of God in that vnto them eternall life is rendred grace is recompensed for grace The same Augustâ—â—e in his booke De gratia Libero arbitrio the ix chapter In the Gospell of Iohn sayth he it is written that we all haue receaued of hys fulnes and grace for grace euery man as God hath deuided vnto him the measure of fayth For euery man hath receaued a proper gift from God one thus and an other thus Wherefore when eternall life is rendred grace is rendred for grace But so is it not of death because it is rendred as due vnto the warfare of the deuill Wherefore whereas the Apostle mought haue sayd and that rightly the stipend of righteousnes is eternall life he would rather say But the grace of God is eternall life that therby we myght vnderstand that The Apostle 〈◊〉 hâ—â—e sayâ— and that iust 〈…〉 that eter 〈…〉 〈…〉 God bringeth vs vnto eternall life not for our owne merites but for hys mercy Wherefore it is written in the 103. Psalme Which crowneth thee in mercy and compassions Because it is he which worketh in vs both to wyll and also to performe The Apostle had sayde before worke your saluation wyth feare and trembling Afterward least we should attribute thys thyng vnto our selues he sayth that God worketh these thy 〈◊〉 vs and that not for our merites but according to his good pleasure And in the same booke the 8. chapter he sayth that there is no small ambiguity how eternall life is â—â—ndred vnto good workes For the scripture sayth that euery man shall haue according to his works And yet on the other side Paul
by the mercy of God through Christ be wholy forgeuen hym euen as he had forgeuen vnto others theyr offences And it is so farre of that Augustine thought that Paul was vtterly without sinne that he interpreteth this place vnto the Phillippians Yea also I thynke all thynges to be but losse for the excellent knowledge sake of Iesus Christ my Lord for whome I haue counted all thynges loosse and iudge them to be dongue of workes done after he came to Christianity For when as before hauing made mencion of workes done when he was yet of the Iewishe religion he sayd But the thynges that were vantage the same I counted losse for Christes sake those wordes which are afterward added he addeth by the way of correction shewing that not only workes of Iewishe religion but also all other were to bee counted for losses and thinges vncleane For he considered that in all thinges is some fault and defect or want And that sinnes are mingled with our good works Sinne is mingled with our good works the scriptures most manifestly teach when they say that no man can be iustified in the sight of God And the saintes do make intercession against that exact examination of righteousnes Enter not say they into iudgement wyth thy seruaunt O Lord. And Ihon sayth If any man say he hath no sinne he deceaueth hymselfe and the truth is not in hym And Salomon sayth in the bookes of kinges That there is not a man on earth so iuste that he sinneth not Which wordes Augustine diligeÌ„tly weighing applieth them vnto the form of the present time least any man should referre that sentence of Salomon vnto those thinges which we haue committed before regeneratioÌ„ We ought all to pray that our trespasses may be forgeueÌ„ vs as which in this life may rather thirst after righteousnes then yâ— we caÌ„ attaine vnto a perfect absolute righteousnes For that precept of yâ— lord wherein we are coÌ„manÌ„ded to loue God with all our hart with all our soule and with all our strengths shall then at the laste be perâ—ormed when we shall come to that place where we shall so God face to face as he is as Augustine writeth in his booke de Spiritu Litera towardes y end In which place also he demaundeth why this commaundement was geuen if it can not be performed in this life He answereth that therefore God commaunded it that we should know what by fayth we ought to desire whereunto our hope shoulde be leueled and what we ought continuallye to go aboute in all our actions And he thinketh him to haue much profited in this life which can at the length se how farre he is of from that which is perfect The same Augustine in his seconde booke De peccatoruÌ„ meritis remissione chap. 16. 17. 18. writing many thinges as touching this matter sayth that in the scriptures men are sometimes called Why the saintes are called perfect notwithstanding they obserue not the commaundementes God requireth at meÌ„â— hands that they should be without sinne Why God gaue a laws which he knew could not be obserued No man is afflicted which is without sin perfect not bicause they are vtterly without sinne but bycause in innocency of life they haue much profited and bycause that to obteine perfection they coÌ„tinually bend theyr studye and endeuour bycause also God forgeueth them theyr faultes and that whiche they waÌ„t of righteousnes he imputeth vnto theÌ„ of the fulnes of the righteousnes of Christ Nether denieth he but that God requireth of men that they shoulde vtterly be without sinne For there could be no sinne vnles there were a law which wheÌ„ we sinne we transgresse Farther he demaundeth why God gaue that Lawe which he right well saw could by no meanes be performed And he aunswereth that he did it for this cause that he mought worthely condemn those which contemned it thorough coÌ„tempt transgressed mought here theyr prayers which applied theÌ„selues vnto it and more and more helpe them dayly to accomplishe the same And to this purpose he bringeth that sentence which is written namely that God correcteth and chastiseth those whome he loueth but yet not with fury or auengment but with a fatherly correction But there is none chastised or afflicted which is without sinne For this thing only suffred our Sauiour namely wtout any fault committed of him selfe to susteyne most bitter paynes Wherfore seing all men whom God loueth are corrected with aduersities it followeth of necessity that they all are subiecte vnto sinne Which thing Paul vnto the Galathians most assuredly affirmeth of the saintes For he sayth that in them the flesh so repugneth against the spirite that they can not doo those thinges which they would And in the next chapter he writeth that he himselfe did the euill which he hated By all these things may easely be gathered that a man though he be neuer so holy yet so long as he here They which are loued of god are not without sin We haue euer in vs some what which nedeth forgeuenes Vnles we were miserable before God he should not vse mercy towardes vs. What mercy is How the regenerate are not vile before God Note a certaine distinction liueth hath alwayes some what in him that hath nede to be forgeuen of GOD. Which thing Augustine also testefieth towardes the end of his booke De Spiritu Litera And hereby is most euidently gathered that our good workes are not sufficient vnto eternall life But our aduersaries crake and boast that the regenerate are not vile in the sight of God But we say that we before God are not with out miserye For vnles we were so God could not vse mercye toward vs which mercy yet Augustine writeth that we haue altogether nede of if we desire to be crowned For mercy is an effectioÌ„ wherewith we are moued towards them that are in misery wherefore if eternall life be geuen vnto vs of mercye then must we nedes be vtterly miserable before God But if they vnderstand that the regenerate are not vile in the sighte of God bycause God beawtifieth them with many giftes and ornamentes we graunt to that Yet those gyftes whatsoeuer or how great soeuer they be ought not to seme of so great force to be sufficient vnto eternall life And that commeth not thorough yâ— defaults of the giftes but thorough our default which in all thinges obey them not For we still cary aboute in our fleshe much of old Adam and of naturall corruption Farther our aduersaries put a difference betwene the good workes of men regenerate for they say yâ— those are partly of our selues and partly of God Those say they as they are of vs can merite nothing but as they are oâ— God they doo merite and are causes of eternall life And by this distinction they thinke that yâ— matter is made playne But we graunte not so much vnto them For if we diligently and thoroughly consider
we haue before hard followeth sinne as the fruite and stipend thereof And although that Law be placed in the members yet ought no man therefore to surmise y◠the nature of the body or of the flesh is euill Sinne passeth in dede through the fleshe but thereof it followeth The constitution of the fleshe is not euill not that the constitucion of the flesh is euill and condemned If a man shoulde mingle poyson in a cuppe of gold that drinke should indede be venemous and euill howbeit the gold notwithstanding should be gold and rētayne still his dignity An argumēt against the Maniches In this place Chrisostome reasoneth agaynst the Maniches For they sayd that both the Law of God our flesh are euill for that other of them proceded from a certayne euill God Here sayth Chrisostome If the flesh be euill as ye say then must ye nedes confesse that the Law is good as that which resisteth the flesh Wherefore which way so euerye turne your selfes sayth he ye are confuted which thing commeth not to passe in doctrines of the Church For it houldeth that both the Law of God and also the nature of our flesh are good but sinne only is euill O vvretch that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death Whē he felt himselfe in a maner oppressed in the conflict of these two Lawes he crieth out and confesseth himselfe to be miserable which he would not haue bone That whiche maketh miserable is sin vnles he had felt himselfe oppressed with some great greuous euill But there can nothing be more greuous then misery and death These two Paul ioyneth together and complayneth that he is agaynst hys will drawen vnto them By the body of death he vnderstandeth our vitiate and corrupt nature the whole man I say as it is brought forth of the parentes From thys body he desireth to be deliuered Vnto the Phillippians he sayth That death if it should happen vnto him should be vnto him greate gayne not that he desired to put of his life but for that he wished to put one a better life And this exposition is more agreable with the wordes of the Apostle then that which Ambrose hath that by the body of sin This exclamation pertaineth to a godly man An example of true repentance He wisheth not for death but deliuerye from sinne are to be vnderstand all maner of sinnes And thys exclamatiō commeth nether from an vngodly man nor from one liuing in security but from one conuerted vnto Christ and striuing agaynst sinne and detesting it which he feleth to be stil strong in him Here is set forth vnto vs an example of true repentance which y◠life of a Christian ought neuer to wāt Paul in this place wisheth not for death but to be deliuered from prauity and corruption And he vseth an interrogatiō to signifie that he can not be deliuered ether by the Law or by a good consciēce or by the shewe of good workes but deliuerye is to be hoped for at Christes handes onely I geue thankes vnto God through Iesus Christ our Lord. He vseth also an other exclamatiō for that he felt that thing to be by faith grace graunted vnto him which by any other meanes he could not attaine vnto These affectes are Contrarye affectes of the godly succeedinge the one the other contrary and succeding the one the other in the mindes of the Saintes that first they are excedingly sorye for their misery and after that they excedingly reioyce for the redemption which they haue obteyned through Christ And so vehement are these motions that Paul by the figure Aposiopesis leaueth the sentence cut of and vnperfect For that is left vnspoken which should finish vp the sentence For neither doth Paul aunswer to the first interrogation neither also doth he here expresse wherfore he geueth thankes And if a man rightly weigh these two affectes A due order of these affectes he shall finde that they are in most due order placed the one to the other For in the first exclamation being oppressed of sinne he imploreth aide But in the second when as he felt that he was now heard holpen and deliuered he geueth thankes and that through Iesus Christ our Lord not through Mary or through Iohn Baptist or through his owne workes or through any such like kinde of thing but thorow him only which is alone and the only mediatour betwene God and man There is but one onely redemer and mediator Paul confesseth himselfe to be deuided Wherefore I my selfe in minde serue the law of God but in my fleshe the law of sinne Paul in these wordes cōcludeth that which he from the beginning entended namely that he was deuided and that in as much as he was regenerate in Christ he willed and desired good thinges but in as much as he was still carnall he was obnoxious vnto sinne He sayth that he is a bond seruaunt which is to be vnder Tirans and sayth not that he fréely assenteth thereunto But straight way in the next chapter he will declare how it was no hurt vnto hym through Christ that in flesh he serued the lawe of sinne for that there is now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus But here we must beware of the pestilences of the libertines and furies of our tymes which by these words of the Apostle go about to excuse their most haynous wicked factes For they say that they in fleshe In this place we must be ware of the Libertines only committe fornication and dronkennes and lyue vncleanely but in mynde and in spirite are pure and do serue the lawe of God Of which matter Augustine excellently well entreateth in his 45. Sermō De tempore The lyfe of man saith he is a warfare but one day it shall come to passe that we shall attayne vnto a triumph Wherefore the holy scripture vseth the termes both of fighting of triumphing Here is set forth the description of the battaile when as mention is made of the lawe that rebelleth and leadeth away captiue and he which is against his will led away captiue imploreth ayde The ioy of the triumph is set forth vnto vs in the epistle vnto y◠Corrinthyans where it is sayd death is swallowed vp in victory death where is thy victory death where is thy sting These doubtles are the words of them that deride their enemyes and which when they haue gotten the victory triumph Wherfore there is no cause why they should ascribe vnto themselues these words which fight not which resist not which striue not but fall now hedlōg into all maner These are the wordes of them that striue and not of them that 〈…〉 dly in sins In this battaile we haue alwaies some hurt of sinnes boasting y◠they haue in the meane tyme a cleane harte Vnto this battayle cōmeth also lust laboureth to wrest somewhat from thée But it is thy part not
them but yet by the will of God Wherefore if thinges happen otherwise then they hoped for they comfort themselues for that they know that God theyr most louing father prouideth better both for his kingdome and for theyr saluation then they coulde haue prouided for themselues And they haue alwayes that in theyr mouth which Dauid sang Vnles the Lord builde the house they labour in vaine which build it Wherefore this is theyr care to frame theyr counsels to the word of God And the euent they committe vnto God And so on euery parte they worke surely But in those workes which are acceptable In thoâ— workes which are acceptable vnto God they 〈…〉 r straungers from Christ haue no liberty at all and greatefull vnto God men being strangers from God haue no libertye at all Hereof it came that Augustine sayth in his Enchiridion That man vsing frâ—e will ill lost both himselfe and free will For when in the battaile sinne got the vpper hande it broughte man into bondage I knowe there are some whiche thus interpretate thys sentence of Augustine that Adam lost free will as touchinge grace and glorye wherewyth he was adorned but not as touchynge nature Verelye here I will not muche striue to denye that reason and will whiche pertayne vnto nature were left vnto man after the fall But that the same nature After sinne nature remayned but â—et mayned and wounded is mayned wounded nether can they themselues vndoubtedly deny For thys thinge also affirmeth the Master of the Sentences in hys 2. booke and xxv distinction For he sayth that man nowe after hys fall is in that state that he maye sinne and that he is in such condition that he can not not sinne And although Augustine and others should not so affirme yet may most firme reason teach it For holy workes depend of two groundes namely of knowledge and of appetite Of knowledge Paul sayth The naturall man vnderstandeth not A reason why man can not not sinne the thinges which are of the spirite of God yea neither vndoubtedly can he For vnto him they are foolishenes But now if we know not what is to be done and what pleaseth God by what meanes then can we performe it in act â–ª And in what sort our appetite and cogitacions are towardes those holy workes it is manifest by the sixt chapter of Genesis My spirite sayth God shall not striue in man for euer for he is flesh And straight way God saw that the malice of men was great and all the imaginations of the thoughtes of his hart were only vnto euill continually And in the 8. chapter The imagination of mans hart is euilleuen from his infancy And these things speaketh God himselfe And we ought touching our strengthes to beleue none Touchinge our strengthes we must most of all beleue him that made vs. more then our maker when he geueth testemony of his owne worke In Ieremy the 18. chapter the people sayd we wyll go after our own thoughtes Which place Ierome expounding thus writeth Where then is the power of free wyll without the grace of God and the iudgement of a mans owne wyll When as it is a great offence to God for a man to follow his own thoughtes and to do the will of his wicked hart That we are obnoxious vnto seruitude Christ declareth in Iohn saying he which doth Without grace we ar seruants sinne is the seruaunt of sinne Wherefore seing we sinne in many thinges and haue from our mothers wombe sinne fast cleuing vnto vs we must of necessity confesse that we are seruanntes But then shall we be in very deede frée when the sonne hath deliuered vs. Otherwise we serue a most bitter seruitude Wherefore Paul sayd that he was sold vnder sinne and so solde that in his fleshe he confessed to dwell nothing that is good and that he did the thinges which he would not and which he hated and felt an other lawe in his members resisting the lawe of hys minde and leading him away captiue vnto the lawe of sinne And vnto the Galathyans he sayth that the flesh fighteth agaynst the spirite and the spirite agaynst the fleshe so that we do not the thynges which we would Which thinges if they be true of so great an Apostle and of holy men regenerate by Christ what is to be thought of yâ— vngodly which pertain nto vnto Christ For they can not come vnto him vnles they be draweÌ„ For Christ sayth No man can come vnto me vnles my father draw hym He which before would of his owne accord go is not drawen as sayth Augustine No man can come vnto Christ vnles he be drawen Places prouing that we are not free before regeneratioÌ„ but is led Wherfore if we must be drawen vnto Christ before we would not which is a most gréeuous sinne And therefore we will not because the wisedome of the fleshe is enmity towardes God For it is not subiect vnto the lawe of God yea neither vndoubtedly can it And as many as are not by Christ set at liberty liue vnder the lawe and as Paul aâ—deth vnto the Galathyans vnder the curse whiche should not be true if they could fulfill the lawe of God For none incurre the curse but they which transgresse the lawe Farther Paul expressedly sayth It is not of hym that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy For our saluation is his worke and not the worke of our strengthes For it is he which worketh in vs both to wyll and to performe Before he bringeth that to passe if he deale any thing with vs ether by the lawe or by the doctrine of his worde he dealeth with stones for our hartes are stony vnles Christ chaunge them into fleshy Which thing in Ezechiell he promiseth that he will do and will so worke that we shall walke in his commaundemenntes And doubtles if we coulde without grace liue iustly and vprightly we should be able also by our workes to be iustified which sentence is vtterly condemned both of Paul and of all the whole scripture Ieremy It is Gods worke and not ours to be conuerted vnto him sayth Conuert me Lord and I shal be conuerted And Dauid sayth Creat in me O God a cleane hart And that this commeth not to passe in all men we playnly sée by the 29. chapter of Deutromony where it is thus written The Lord hath not geueÌ„ vnto you eyes to see nor an eare to heare nor an hart to vnderstaÌ„d And in the 30. cha God promised to circumcise their hartes and the hartes of their séede that they may walke in his preceptes For he both beginneth and maketh perfect our saluation For so Paul sayth vnto the Phillippians I hope that he which hath begon in you wyll accomplishe it euen vnto the day of Christ This thing holy men right well vnderstanding pray with Dauid Incline myne hart to thy testimonyes and wyth Solomon The Lord
implore some tast of the mercy of God and of the righteousnes which is bestowed vpon them And this is the very naturall meaninge of such godly prayers Nether must we thinke that yâ— publicane prayed any otherwise He did not in that sense calâ— himselfe a sinner for that he was minded to abide still in sinnes for he was not so minded that he would still retaine his old purpose to sinne but he was truly and from the hart coÌ„uerted vnto God But our aduersaries faine that they whiche still perseuer in theyr sinnes nether haue in minde to change theyr life do yet notwithstanding some good which pleaseth God But we are taught by the holy scriptures that he which beleueth in God hath eternal life and therefore is iustified but other things are nether good nor yet please God Wherefore seinge that the publicane prayed and with fayth prayed it is moste certayne that he had eternall life nether wanted he iustification But to make What thinges are required to workes which are acceptable vnto God al these things the more planly to be vnderstaÌ„d it shal not be froÌ„ yâ— purpose to declare what things are required vnto a good worke to make it acceptable vnto God First he which doth a good dede must nedes be moued by yâ— spirit of God for otherwise in vs that is in our flesh dwelleth nothing that is good and they which are led by the spirite of God are doubtles the sonnes of God Secondlye it behoueth that fayth be present whereby we may certaynly vnderstand that that worke which we take in hand is of those kindes of things which God willeth and by his law commaundeth to be done For whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sin Nether ought we so to handle the matter that our hart should accuse vs in that thing which we doo Thirdly whatsoeuer we doo must wholy be directed vnto the glory of God that hereunto we chiefly and aboue all things haue a regard that the prayse and glory of God be illustrated by our workes Whither ye eate or whither ye drinke or what soeuer other thing ells ye do doo all things to the glory of God saith Paul Fourthly forasmuch as by reason of the infirmity which is grafted in vs there alwayes wanteth somewhat in our workes yea euen in those which seme to be most vprightly done it is necessary that the grace and mercy of God thorough Christe be wyth vs whereby that defect or want maye be compensed Wherefore Dauid sayth Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen Blessed is the man vnto whoÌ„ the Lord imputeth not his sin And Paul sayth There is now coÌ„demnatioÌ„ to those which are in Christ Iesus Again That which was impossible vnto the Law in asmuch as it was made weake thorough the flesh God sending his sonne c. These testimonies playnly declare that both our workes want of perfection and of theyr dew end and that also it commeth thorough Christ and the mercy of God that that blame mingled with our workes is not imputed vnto vs. Lastly thys also is required that no man glory of that which he vprightly doth but in God only and that he acknowlege that that which he doth he hath of his goodnes and WhereheÌ„ce the definition of a good worke is gathered The vngodlye are farre distant from the conditioÌ„ of good workes not of hys owne strengths For who hath seperated thee sayth Paule to the Cor. What hast thou that thou hast not receaued But if thou haste receaued it why boastest thou as though than haddest not receaued it When all these thinges whiche I haue reckoned are obteyned then the workes without all doubt shall be good and acceptable vnto God The diligent reder may here out of these câ—ditions of a good worke gather the definition thereof Contrariwise if we consider the nature of a man not yet regenerate we shal easely perceaue that those conditions which we haue sayd to be necessary vnto a good work can not be found in theÌ„ For he is vtterly voyde of the spirite of God and of fayth and is so infected with selfe loue so yâ— whatsoeuer he doth he referreth it not vnto God but vnto hys owne commodity Farther forasmuch as he is a stranger from Christ it must nedes be that he is left vnder the Law Wherfore whatsoeuer defect or fault is in his workes which must nedes be much the same can not by any meanes be compensed Finally if he haue done peraduenture any notable or goodly worke he glorieth not in God but in himselfe for he is ignoraunt both of Christe and of the grace of God By these two descriptions of a good worke and acceptable vnto God and of a man that liueth without Christ I thinke it is now manifest that those workes can not be good and acceptable vnto God which procede from an infidel But our aduersaries contend to wrest from vs two most strong places which we vse for the confirmation of this matter The first is that we say that A Metaphore of the good â—â—ell tree an euil trée can not bring forth good fruite The second is That whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Of whiche sentences we will in this place somewhat speake That metaphore of the euill trée which can not bring forth good fruite Christ vsed not only in the. 7. chapiter of Mathevv but also in the selfe same Mathevv the 12. chapiter And thereof he inferred Ye generation of vipers howe can ye speake good things when as ye are euill But before I make open this cauillation I thinke it good to declare how Augustine agaynst Iulianus the Pelagian in his 4. booke and 3. chapiter contended for this selfe same place He setteth forth a godly worke of a man being an infidle namely to cloth a naked man and demaundeth whether this worke may be called sinne Verely vnles this worke be Without fayth to cloth a naked man is sinne of that kinde that pleaseth God I se not what other workes infidells can doo which can be acceptable vnto him And Augustine contendeth and playnly proueth that it is sinne And that lest he should seeme to speake this without reason he sayth that it is therefore sinne for that he which doth that so godly a worke glorieth of hys worke for he doth not by fayth acknowledge ether God or Christ nor thinketh that he hath receaued the same at his handes Farther he sayth that to auoyd the nature of sinne it is not inoughe that a good thinge be done but also that it be well and vprightlye done Shall we then say that an infidell hath done a good worke and wrought vprightly If we graunt not this then must we confesse that he sinned but if we graunt it then must we confesse the fruit to be good notwithstanding an infidell without Christ is an euill tre So shall we graunt that an euill tree can bring forth good fruite which thing yet Christe expressedly denieth Now
kingdome of heauen he streight way declareth that thing by the effectes I was hungry sayth he and ye fed me I was thursty and ye gaue me drinke I was in prison and ye visited me c So Paul in this place expresseth the true cause of our deliuery namely the spirite of Christ Now to know who they are that be partakers therof he setteth forth yâ— effectes of this deliuery sayingâ— Vnto those vvhich are in Christ Iesus vvhich walke not according to the flesh but according to the spirite That which is added namely to walke according to the spirite and not according to the fleshe bycause it is afterward repeated shall in that place be expounded Let vs se therefore what it is to be in Christe First commeth that which is common vnto all men For the sonne of God bycause What is the coniunction which we haue with Christ he tooke vpon him the nature of man is ioyned and made one with al meÌ„ For sithen they haue fellowship with flesh and bloud as witnesseth the epistle vnto the Hebrues he also was made pertaker of flesh and bloud But this coniunction is generall and weake and onely if I may so call it according to the matter For the nature of men is farre diuers from that nature which Christe tooke vpon him For the nature of man in Christ is both immortall and also exempted from sinne and adorned with all purenes but our nature is vnpure corruptible and miserablye contaminated with sinne But if it be endewed with the spirite of Christ it is so repayred that it differeth not much from the nature of Christ Yea so greate is that affinity that Paul in his epistle to the EphesiaÌ„s sayth That we are flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones Which forme of speaking An Ebrue phrase our bone and our flesh semeth to be taken out of the writinges of yâ— old TestameÌ„t For there bretherne and kinsefolkes doo thus speake of themselues one to an other He is my bone and my flesh For they seme to acknowledge vnto them one common matter by reason of one and the selfe same séede of the father and one the selfe same wombe of the mother Whereunto this also is a helpe for that children doo draw of theyr parentes not only a carnall and corpulent substance but also witte affections and disposition This selfe same thing commeth to passe in vs when we are endewed with the spirite of Christ For besides our nature which we haue commoÌ„ with him we haue also his mind as Paul admonisheth in the first to the Cor. and the selfe same sence as he requireth vnto the Phillippians saying Let the selfe same sence be in you which was also in Christ Iesus Thys our coniunction with Christ Paul expressed in this selfe same epistle by graftinge wherein are verye well perceaued or sene those two things which we haue now made mencion of For the grafte whiche is grafted and the stocke whereinto it is grafted are A similitude made one thing nether only are yâ— matters which were diuerse ioyned together but also they are nourished together with one and the selfe same iuyce spirite and life This selfe same thing the Apostle testefieth is done in vs when he sayth that we are grafted into Christ The same thing also Christ teacheth in the Gospel of Iohn wheÌ„ he calleth himself yâ— vine vs yâ— braunches for yâ— braunches haue yâ— selfe same life common with the vine trée they burgen forth by yâ— same spirite and bring forth one and the selfe same fruite Paul also in his epistle to the Ephesians Our coniunction with Christ is compared with matrimony â–ª compareth our coniunction with Christ with matrimony For he saith that it is a greate sacrament betwene Christ and the Churche For euen as in matrimony not only bodyes are made common but also affections and wills are ioyned together so commeth it to passe by a sure and firme grouÌ„d betwene Christe and the Churche Wherefore the Apostle pronounceth them frée from sinne which abyde in Christe and be in hym after that maner which we haue now expressed to the end they should liue his life and haue one and the self same sence with him and bring forth fruites of workes not disagreing froÌ„ his frutes and they whiche are suche can not feare condemnation or iudgement For the Lorde Iesus is saluation it selfe as hys name suffycyentlye declareth Wherfore they which are in him are in no daunger to be condemned Hereunto Who are in Christ we adde that they also are in Christ which in all their things depend of hym and which whatsoeuer they take in hand or do are moued by his spirite For to depeÌ„d of him is nothing els then in all thinges that we go about to haue a regard vnto him and to séeke onely his glory but they which are moued by his spirit â–ª do not follow the affections and instigations of lustes Hereby it is manifest how faithfull and godly men are in Christ and that by all kindes of causes â—â—or we haue one the selfe same matter also the selfe same first groundes of forme for we are endued with the self same notes proprieties and conditions which he had The efficient It is proued that we are in Christ by all kindes of causes cause wherby we are moued to worke is the same spirit wherwith he was moued Lastly the ende is all one namely the the glory of God should be aduanced But that which was vnpossible vnto the law in as much as it was weake because of the flesh God sendyng his own sonne in the similitude of the flesh of sinne and by sinne condemned sinne in the flesh That the righteousnes of the Lawe might be fulfilled in vs which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit For they which are accordyng to the fleshe sauour the thinges that are of the flesh but they that are accordyng to the spirite sauour the thinges that are of the spirite For the wisedome of the fleshe is death but the wisedome of the spirite is lyfe and peace Because the wisedome of the flesh is enmity against God for it is not subiect vnto the lawe of God neyther in deede can be So then they that are in the fleshe cannot please God But that which was impossible vnto the law in as much as it was weakened by the flesh God sending his sonne Here is brought a reason wherby is shewed that this spirite of God is geuen vnto vs for a deliuerer to the ende we might be made the more certaine therof For when we heare that of necessity we must haue the spirite of Christ streight way we thinke with our selues that by reason of our vncleane affections and corrupt maners we are vnworthy of the receauing of it This doubt Paul taketh away saith that yâ— benefite commeth vnto vs by the death of Christ For this was the ende for which Christ would dye namely
the kingdome of God But the fruites of the spirite sayth he are charity ioye peace lenity goodnes gentilenes fayth mekeâ—et and temperance And Paul more playnely to declare the fight betwene these two affections hath signified it not only by the name of flesh and spirite but also hath added other epithetes or proprieties namely that the affection of the flesh is death and enmity against God but the sence of the spirite is life and peace Now there is none which knoweth What life is not but that death is contrarye vnto life and enmitie vnto peace By life he vnderstandeth the motion of the wil of man and of the whole man towards God What peace is But peace is the tranquillitye of conscience and reconciliation wyth God Paul in that he so amplifieth these thinges playnly declareth how necessary a thing regeneration is for vs. And thereby also he exhorteth vs to follow the better affection namely the affection of the spirite and of grace for that the affectioÌ„ of the flesh is called death Which thing Ambrose sayth commeth to passe by reason of sinne for where sinne is there death of necessity followeth But he meruayleth Why the affection of the flesh is called wisedome why this affection is after the 〈…〉 in translation called wisedome And he answereth that it is so called bycause vnto such men it semeth wisedom for here vnto they apply all theyr industry craft and subtility namely to sinne and they are wise to doo euill Many also herein thinke themselues learned and wise bycause they will not beleue those thinges which passe the capacity of reason as for example the creation of the world the resurrection of the flesh the coÌ„ception of the virgeÌ„ and such like These words declare that Ambrose â–ª vnderstode the affection of the flesh as it extendeth it selfe vnto infidelity or vnto the minde And vndoubtedly Paul in this place vnder affection coÌ„prehendeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is the power of vnderstaÌ„ding the power of desiring With which sentence Augustine agréeth when he saith that wisedome chiefly consisteth in chusing and refusing But it is manifest that vnto election are adioyned two powers the power of knowledge yâ— power of will He addeth moreouer yâ— this affection is enmity against God for they which are so affected do fight against him An horrible sentence vndoubtedly But it is most truly said that the fight of the fleshe against the spirite is a fight against God Enmity saith he but The flesh fightings against the spirite fighteth against God the latine text hath enemy But this semeth to be but a small fault forasmuch as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with an acute accent in the first sillable signifieth enmity â–ª but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 with an accent in the last signifieth an enemy And howsoeuer it be it may be ascribed ether vnto the writers or to the variety of bookes for the accent is easely transfered from one place to an other But we ought to consider that if we rede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is enemy it is a noune adieâ—tiue whose substantiue can be none other but this woord◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whiche is englishâ—â— wisdome whiche we sée is of the neâ—ter gender And thâ—â— should it not to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 We ought therefore of This â—hrase of the Apostle maketh the thyng more vehement necessity to rede 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â–ª which signifieth enmity and that agréeth best with the scope of the Apostle For he exaggerateth how great a destruction or hurt the affection of the flesh is And this is a vehementer kind of spech to call a wicked man wickednes then to call him wicked But how the sence of the fleshe is enmity against God â–ª the Apostle thus proueth Because saith he it is not subiect vnto the lawe of God yea neither indede can it Whosoeuer resisteth the wil of an other man and so worketh continually yâ— he can not disagre in any wise with him is his enemy Such is the affection What an enemy is of our fleshe Wherefore it is an enemy vnto God or rather it is euen very enmity it selfe against God That booke vpon Mathew which is ascribed vnto Chrisostome and is called an vnperfect worke vpon these wordes of the Lord He which seeth a woman to lust after her hath alredy committed fornication in hys hart that booke I say saith That the Lord may seeme to some to haue taken occasion to condemne vs for such affections haue we by nature that euen at the first brunt we are in such maner moued to lust And forasmuch â—s we are not able to prohibite these affections from rising vp therefore streight way will we or nill we we are made guilty of thys An vnapt distinction of affectes precept But it maketh a distinction of lust For there is one lust saith it of the mind and an other of the fleshe and there is also one anger of the mynde and an other of the fleshe Farther it addeth that that sentence of Christ is to be vnderstand of the luste of the mynde and not of the luste of the fleshe and that thys place of Paul may haue the selfe same sence namely to vnderstand that the wisedome not of the mynde but of the fleshe can not be subiect vnto the lawe of God And so by this distinction taken out of the philosophers they thinke that they haue very well knit vp the matter But with Paul the affection of the fleshe is not the inferior part of the minde nether is the spirite the mynde which possesseth the more nobler part of the soule as we shall afterward more manifestly declare But of how great credite that booke is Erasmus hath most plainely declared who doubtles in iudging the writinges of the elders was a man of great diligence And that that booke is none of Chrysostomes he proueth by many argumentes And Chrisostome himselfe when he interpreteth this place saith that by the affection of the fleshe is vnderstand the interpretation of the mynde but yet the more grosser part so that it taketh hys name of the worser part For so sometymes the whole man is called fleshe although he want not a soule So he extendeth the name of the fleshe euen vnto the mynde But he obiecteth If a man neither is nor can be subiect vnto the lawe of God what hope then shall there be of saluation Much faith he for we see that the thiefe Paul the sinfull woman Although our mind can not be subiect vnto the law of God yet is there hope of saluation The chaunging of the minde is of the spirite and grace and not of our owne strengthes Paul speaketh not of action or doing but of the affectes Christ by the good or euell tree vnderstoode eyther good or euil men Chrisostom thinketh tares may be made wheate which is not red in
the Gosple Dauid Manasses and Peter repented So long saith he as thys affection shall so remayne it can not be subiect vnto the lawe of God but forasmuch as it may be changed all hope is not to be cast away In writing thus he teacheth nothing but that which is sound But this is to be noted that this chaunge consisteth not in our strengthes For it is altogether of the spirite of Christ and of grace For as longe as we be as we were before we our selues caÌ„ neuer change our selues But afterward Chrisostome addeth that peraduenture this affection of the fleshe signifieth a wicked action and that Paul ment nothyng els but that an euill worke can neuer be good And in the same sence thinketh he is to be taken this sentence of the Gospell where it is sayde That an euill tree can not brynge forth good fruytes This interpretation I can in no wise allow for that I sée that Paul here speaketh not of any action or worke but speaketh of the affect féeling and corruption of nature Neither can I be perswaded that the Romanes were so blockish that they neded to be taught that an euill action could not be good But that Christ by the euill trée vnderstoode not workes but man those thinges doo manifestly declare which are in that place by Mathew rehersed For he had warned them to beware of false prophets which come in shepes clothing but within are rauening wolues By their fruites saith he ye shall knowe them Doe men of thornes gather grapes or of briers figges Either make the tree good c. And farther that we may be chaunged which thing we deny not he goeth about to proue by the parable â—â— tares Tares saith he are made wheate and chaunged into it And therefore the goodman of the house would not haue them weeded out But we finde not in the Gospell that tares ar chaunged into wheat Only the lord would not haue the tares plucked vp lest perhaps yâ— wheat being mixed with theÌ„ bicause peradueÌ„ture yâ— rootes of yâ— wheat and of yâ— tares being intricated together should be together plucked vp But herein as we haue said coÌ„sisteth not the coÌ„trouersy For we know yâ— such affects may be changed and broken But he afterward sayth that that is done by the spirite and grace of God which thing is both most true we also haue oftentimes affirmed the same Howbeit as Chrisostome is alwaies to much prone to defend frée wil humane streÌ„gth he addeth That this lyeth in our power to receaue the spirite and grace so that euerye Chrisostom thinketh that euery one of vs can do what he will him selfe and that it lieth in our power to haue the spirite grace An other hard place of Chrisostome Motions contrary vnto the law are in the regenerate dayly made more remisse man may do what he will Which thing we vtterly deny For if a maÌ„ can of himself receiue the grace of God when it is offred vndoubtedly such a worke should bâ— both good and also could not but please God which yet should be done of a man not yet regenerate and so a trée being yet euill should bring forth good fruites which according to the sentence of the Lord is not possible For vnles our stony hart be taken from vs and in stede therof a fleshy hart be geuen vs we shall continually abide the selfe same that before we were Farther he addeth that the law of the members doth no more rebell against the law of the mynde neither doth it leade vs captiues vnto the law of sinne And that this is not so I doubt not but that euery man hathe experience in himselfe And we haue before by most manifest reasons declared yâ— those thinges which Paul writeth in the 7. chap. of this epistle doo pertaine vnto men regenerate Vnles peraduenture this be Chrisostomes meaning that these motions in the regenerate ar daily made more remisse But he vndoubtedly hereunto had not a regard as those thinges which follow do plainly declare And it séemeth that he spake generally of this our tyme which is since Christ offred himself vnto the father and suffred death Augustine hath of this place a sound interpretation One and the selfe same soule saith he may be subiecte both vnto the affecte of the fleshe and also vnto the affecte of the spirite as one and the selfe same water is bothe made warm â–ª and is also by cold congeled and made I se So that then if thou wilt say that I se is not whote thou saist truly and if thou wilt say moreouer that I se can not be whote this also is true for I se so long as it is I se can not be whote But it is possible that heat may be put to it the I se may be resolued made whote But that I se should both keepe still his own nature yet in the mean tyme be whote it is vtterly vnpossible After this maner the affect of the flesh may either be taken away or be broken and a spirituall affecte succede in his place But that a carnall affect should be made spirituall it is by no meanes possible If thou demaund whither spirituall obseruings of the commaundements of God ar vnpossible or no I aunswer that in the oldenes of the flesh they are vnpossible but if the spirite and regeneration be added they are not vtterly vnpossible although the law of God cannot in this life be performed no not eueÌ„ of the most holiest For it pertaineth to the spirite of Christ to tame the frowardnes of yâ— flesh and when we are once come to death vtterly to extinguish it Now yâ— these things are thus expounded there remaine two errors to confute wherof one is of the Maniches An error of the Manichies which therfore thought the flesh to be called enmity against God bicause it was created of an euill God which continually resisteth the true and good God But the matter is farre otherwise For here is not entreated of the hypostasis or substaÌ„ce of the flesh but of the fault or corruptioÌ„ which by reason of the fal of the first man is alwaies ioyned with it An other error is of yâ— PelagiaÌ„s which wer not ashamed An error of the Pelagians to say yâ— man by yâ— streÌ„gths of nature is able to kepe yâ— coÌ„maundemeÌ„ts of God From whome the scholemen at this day differ not much For they affirme that a man without the grace of Christ is able to kepe the Law of God as touching the substance of workes although not according to the meaning of the Law for they which are of that sort whatsoeuer they worke it caÌ„ not be done of charity And so they are not afrayd to say that a man caÌ„ loue God aboue all things though he want the grace of God Nether in the meane time marke they that the Apostle here sayth that the wisedome of the flesh is enmity agaynst God If an Ethnike
the diuine nature brethern of Christ and childreÌ„ of light and that we also sinne not for he which is borne of God sinneth not and that we loue our neighbors and our enemies that we may resemble our heauenly father who maketh hys sonne to shyne vpon the good the euil sendeth raine vpon the iust the vniust And finally that we be peacemakers for they shall be called the sonnes of God But our adoption is not such that we should thinke that we are borne of the substance of God For We are not the sonnes of God as begotten of hys substaunce that is proper to Iesus Christ only For the word of God is by nature borne of the father which thing yet the Arrians denied For forasmuch as they made the sonne of God a creature they must nedes say that he was not the sonne of God by nature but by adoption Greate vndoubtedlye is our dignitye For we are so highlye exalted that we be not onely called and are the sonnes of Christ called his Apostles bretherne God but also haue Christe to our brother Wherefore Christe when hee was risen agayne sayde vnto the women Goe and tell my brethren And althoughe the elders were not quite voyde of this dignitye yet had they it not so publiquely declared But this was no let at all that many amongest theÌ„ were weake For we also in the Gospel haue many weake ones For Paul saith vnto the Corrinthians that he could not speake vnto them as vnto men spirituall for that they were carnall and therefore he was fayne to féede them with milke Which selfe thing is written vnto the Hebrues And contrariwise they had men strong in fayth of whome we caÌ„ not doubt but that they were in thys The fathers in the olde time attained to the adoption of childreÌ„ adoptioÌ„ most excellent And that so it was at that time also the Apostle testifieth in thys epistle the 9. chapiter for he sayth Vnto whome pertayueth the adoption and the glory and the testament and the geuing of the Law and the worshipping and the promises and vnto whome pertayne the Fathers Here we se that adoption pertayned vnto them also Ambrose vpon this place teacheth that of thys adoption springeth vnto godly men greate security And doubtles forasmuch as this commeth We are more certaine of this adoption then we are of our carnal fathers Alexander the greate vnto vs thorough the spirite whereby we are inwardly moued we ought to be farre more certayne that we are the sonnes of God then the sonnes of thys worlde are certayne that they are the sonnes of them whome they call fathers For oftentimes the mothers deceaue both the husbandes and the children But the spirite of God deceaueth no man Long since flatterers went about to perswade Alexander that he was not the sonne of king Phillip but of Iupiter Afterward when he saw that there came bloud out of a wound which he had geuen him he lawghing sayd that that semed vnto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is common bloud and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is the bloud Gods But we though we suffer many things yea loose our life for Christes sake yet notwithstanding ought to be fully perswaded yâ— we are the sonnes of God For to the end we should not any thing doubt of that matter we haue not only a testimony of the spirite but also euen the sonne Christ hath taught vs to call God father of God hath taught vs to call God Father and to inuocate him by that name And this forme of prayers ought to call vs backe from all kinde of wickednes and from all maner of filthy works and also to put vs in minde not to degenerate from the nobility of so greate a father and that we in no case dishonour hym For it is taken to be a greate reproch vnto fathers to haue wicked childreÌ„ And forasmuch as we can not as we haue sayd attayne vnto this adoption but thorough Christ and his spirite nether the Iewes nor the Turkes nor men straÌ„gers from Christ can call vpon God as vpon theyr father By vvhome vve cry Abba father This selfe same maner of speach the Apostle vsed vnto the Galath For thus he writeth Bycause ye are sonnes God hath sent the spirite of his sonne in which we cry Abba father After this selfe same maner Christ our first begotten brother prayed vnto the father in the garden sayinge Abba father let this cuppe passe away from me Nether is it to be meruayled at that the Apostle ioyned a Greke word and a Syrian word together whiche tounge What is ment by the ioynyng together and repeticion of two tonges was then commonly vsed of the Iewes For first this repeticion serueth to vehemency of speach Farther the Apostle semeth by a certayne mistery to teach that as well the Gentiles as the Iewes shoulde be indifferentlye pertakers of thys adoption in both whiche tounges God should be called vpon by the name of father In the primitiue Church were kept still of the interpreters some Sirian words which were then in vse which we rede sometimes in yâ— holy scriptures as Messias Cephas Talitha Cumy Maranatha Rabby Osianna Alleluia and Amen For those words were theÌ„ most perfectly knoweÌ„ especially wheÌ„ as betwene the Ethnikes the Iewes yâ— were coÌ„uerted vnto Christ was a most straight bond of loue in a maner a perpetual familiarity But we must not thereof gather yâ— in yâ— We must not vâ—eâ— strange tounge in the church The inuocation of the godly is the worke of the holy Ghost How vnto prayers to ascribed our saluation seruice of God should be vsed a straÌ„ge tounge For yâ— the holy ghost hath manifestly forbidden vs. Paul in this place wheÌ„ he maketh mencion of inuocation declareth the worke of the holy ghost which it straight way sheweth forth vpon the children that are adopted and now regenerate And of so greate waight and force is this work that the Apostle doubteth not by the testemony of the Prophet to attribute vnto it saluation For he saith as afterward shal be declared Euery one which calleth vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued Not that our prayers can merite salution for that is apprehended by faith only And therefore that we should not be deceaued he straight way expresseth in what maner he ascribeth saluation vnto them For he saith How shall they call vpon him in whome they haue not beleued Which wordes plainly teach vs that that which is written of prayers is to be attributed vnto faith as vnto their roote But because in this place is mencion Whether the adopted be free from all feare of God Dâ—finition of feare made of feare for the Apostle thus writeth Ye haue not receaued the spirite of bondage agayne vnto feare it shall not be from the purpose briefely to sée whether Paul meaneth that we are deliuered from all kinde of feare or no First
of the Sentences confuted this matter For I know yâ— he in his 3. booke teacheth yâ— our hope leneth not only vnto yâ— mercy of God but also vnto our merites And therefore saith he to hope without merites is no hope but a presumption Thys sentence is not to be receaued For it addeth vnto hope a condition when as fayth without any condition apprehendeth that which is to be hoped for out of the word of God Farther when a these or any other wicked man is sodenly conuerted vnto God hath he not hope Vndoubtedly he hath for if he dispaired of saluation he would not fly vnto Christ And how can any man say that such a hope leneth to any merites when as he hath alwayes before liued wickedly But as we haue before sayd these men thinke they haue here a trimme place of refuge if they answere that thys hope of a man namely conuerted vnto Christ dependeth of merites not in dede past but to come newely that he hopeth he shal obteyne the rewardes of felicity when he hath done workes which he trusteth to doo But here they committe a double fault first bycause if he which is conuerted vnto Christ doo hope that by merites he shall haue eternal life he hath no true hope for he resisteth the true fayth For it apprehendeth the chiefe felicity offred frely Secondly vnawares they auouch that yâ— which hath not as yet his being is the cause of yâ— vertue which in acte and very dede they confesse to be in the minde of the repentaÌ„t And if they meane that he hopeth for felicitie when he hath liued well but yet in such sort that he hath no confidence that he caÌ„ by committing of sinne attaine Workes ar not the cause of hope vnto it then speake they no other thing then we do But so are not workes the cause of hope but light betwene it and the laste end as certayne meanes and first beginnings of felicity that men forasmuch as they hope that eternall blessednes shal be geuen vnto them freelye shoulde also hope that God if they liue wyll freely also geue vnto them good workes For the holy scripture teacheth â—arre otherwise then do these men For Dauid when he sayd If thou Lord shalt loke streightly vnto iniquities who shall be able to abide it And when he saw that the sinnes wherewith our workes are contaminated auocate vs from hope added The cause of our hope My soul hath hoped in his word And by the word he vnderstandeth the promise of which promise he rendreth a cause Bycause with the Lorde is mercye and with hym is plentifull redemption These are the true and proper causes of our hope The promise of God and his aboundant mercy The same Dauid in an other place sayth Why art thou sad o my soule and why dost thou trouble me Hope in God for I will still confesse vnto hym Here some obiect that we ar not iustified by fayth only for Paul sayth that we are saued by hope But these men ought to haue considered that the Apostle in this place entreateth not of Iustification For touching We are saued by hope but we are not iustified by it it he before wrote that by fayth the spirite we are deliuered from the lawe of sinne and of death and adopted into sonnes and heyres and made the fellow heyres of Christ But here he speaketh of the perfect redemption which is still to be wayted for This we also confesse to be holdeÌ„ by hope when yet notwithstanding we haue alredy by fayth obteyned iustification and remission of sinnes Farther I haue oftentimes admonished that when the scripture semeth to attribute iustification ether vnto hope or vnto charity or vnto our woorkes those places are so to be vnderstanded that iustification is there taught not by the causes but by the effectes And we ought to vnderstand that whatsoeuer is The consideration of iustification is sometymes declared by the causes and sometimes by the effectes attributed vnto works the same is wholy done by reason of fayth which is annexed vnto them Wherefore as in a wall we haue a consideration vnto the fouÌ„dation and in the fruites of trées to the roote so whatsoeuer semeth at the first sight to be ascribed vnto works is to be assigned vnto faith as vnto the mother of all good workes Which thinge Augustine hath in many places excellentlye taught Others to proue that hope depeÌ„deth of our workes cite that which Paul before sayd Tribulation worketh patience patience worketh experience and experience hope Here say they it is playne that of patience springeth hope I heare in dede the wordes of Paul but I doo not by them acknowledge that patience is the cause of hope For first it is playne inough to him that will consider it that Paul in thys connexion compareth not causes with effectes For who will say that tribulation is the cause of patience For it bringeth many to desperation and to horrible blasphemies But those thinges which Paul knitteth together in this chayne are instruments by which the holy ghost vseth to stir vp in vs these vertues But graunt that there be some consideratioÌ„ of cause betwene these things yet should it not thereof follow that patience is the cause of hope but contrariwise Patience springeth of hope that hope is the cause of patience For no man with a quiet mind patiently suffereth any thing vnles by that patience he hope to attayne vnto some thing Vndoubtedly Martirs are by hope confirmed in theyr tormentes patiently to beare them And the marchant if he had not a hope to gayn would kepe himselfe at home nether would he wander about the world And the shipmaster vnles he hoped that he could ariue at the porte would not lose out into the depe nether striue agaynst the windes and waues I confesse in dede that here is somewhat encreased by patience For when we se that vnto vs is geuen of Christ for hys Hope is somewhat encreased by patience sake with a quiet minde to suffer many thinges we more and more haue confidence that those thinges also which are remayning and which we wayte for shall one day be geuen vs. But to beleue that hope wholy dependeth of patience I can not be perswaded For as we haue before sayd by hope rather we come vnto patience And in very dede the holy ghost is the author and cause of these vertues And he goeth orderly to worke of one to produce an other Agaynst this certainty which we sayd dependeth of yâ— promise of God Pighius vseth trifling reasons that the promises are generall nether is in them mencion made either of me or of thee and therefore there is still remayning a doubt when we must discend to the application of these promises Thys man semeth to me to make the promises of God to hange in the ayre when as he will haue them to be so Euery faithfull man knoweth that the promises ar properly
faineth two children to be borne of vngodly parentes and strangers from Christ both of them are cast forthe and set to daunger of death And the one of them in deede dieth but the other being of somewhat more stronger nature is by a Christian by chance comming by preserued and brought to the Church and baptised and is with other of the faythfull made a partaker of Christ Verely touching the saluation of the one childe we haue nothing that we can certainly affirme but of the other if the childe dye we can skarsely put any doubt And if the matter be so we affirme that one of them was elected and the other reiected Wherevnto then had the election of God a regarde Thou canst not say vnto workes foresene when as those thinges which shall neuer come to passe can not be foresene For the prouidence of God prouideth those thinges which shall come to passe and not those thinges which shall not be yea rather he forseeth that those thinges shall not come to passe Wherefore we see that that deuise touching workes foreseene can not in all cases satisfy humane reason Wherefore we must rather beleue Paul who leadeth vs to the highest cause namely to the wyll of God whereunto doubtles we do iniury if we thinke that there is any cause aboue it What shoulde we flye vnto the workes of men when as All men are by nature of one and the selfe same disposition and prones to euill This opinion makâ—th Paul very blockish duâ—â—itted â–ª we all are of one the selfe same nature of one the selfe same propriety and of one and the same disposition For that lompe of Adam wherehence we are deriued is vitiated and corrupted whereunto if peraduenture there be added any thing that is good the same it hath of the mere and only goodnes of God Farther they which so teach seeme to make Paul very blockishe and dull witted which could not see that which these men so easely vnderstand For he of the election of God bryngeth no other cause but the purpose and wyll of God And at the last also he crieth out O the depth of the riches c. But these sharpâ— witted men doo euen easely rid themselues of this greated difficulty euen I say by one pore word Augustine being yet a priest and newly baptised expounding this place although he saw that God could not haue a respect vnto our workes to come as causes of predestination wherby he embraseth vs yet he thought fayth foresene to be the cause of his loue towardes vs. And of this his sentence as touching ether part he bringeth this reason It is certayne that good workes are deriued into vs from the holy ghost for thorough him God worketh all in all and the same God geueth vnto vs the holy ghost Wherefore â–ª good workes sayth he forasmuch as they procede from God caÌ„ not any thing moue to his electioÌ„ or predestinatioÌ„ But he thought that God had a respect vnto our fayth and electeth them whome he foreséeth should beleue for that he thought that fayth is of our selues For although we rede sayth he that God worketh all in all yet we rede not that God beleueth all in all Wherfore Augustine erred whilest he was yet a priesâ— he thought it is of our selues to beleue but to work wel he thought to come of God These thinges wrote he being yet rude following as it should appeare to me the doctrine of his father Ambrose For he vpon this selfe same place teacheth the selfe same thing namely that God electeth them whome he knoweth shall afterward beleue But Augustine when his iudgement was now thorough Augustine reuoked his error age excercise more ripe and of deeper consideratioÌ„ reuoked this sentence as it is euident by his first boke of Retractations the. 33. chapiter in which place he thus writeth of him selfe These things had I not writteÌ„ if that I had vnderstode that Faith is no lesse the gift of God then good workes fayth is no les the gift of God then good workes And that fayth is geuen of God he gathereth by that which is written to the Ephesians in the 6. chapiter Charitye and fayth from God the father and from our Lord Iesus Christ And in the same epistle the 2. chapiter By grace ye are made safe thorough faith that not of your selues For it is the gift of God not of workes lest any man should boast And vnto Timothe I obteyned sayth he mercy that I might be faithfull but he saith not for that I was faith full To this purpose mought be brought a greate many other sentences but for this present I thought these should suffice And as touching the wordes of Paul Purpose electioÌ„ why they are attributed vnto God no man ought to wonder that the Apostle when he speaketh of these things at tributeth vnto God purpose and election For the holy scriptures euery where frame themselues to our infirmity and speake vnto men after the maner of men By those wordes we vnderstand the constancy and immutability of the will of God For euen as men are wont as touching thinges whiche they haue rashly appoynted afterward when they haue better considered the matter to alter them but those thinges which they haue decréed with good consideration and deliberation they will haue to be firme and to continew so also thinke they of God For that cause Paul calleth his will purpose and electioÌ„ An oracle was geuen to Rebecka That the elder of these two brethern should serue the yonger for she had asked counsell of God what the brethern striuinge together in her wombe signified By this oracle we se that it is God which putteth a difference God putteth a difference betwene those yâ— are borne betwene those which are borne when as otherwise by nature they are equall And promises made to this or that stocke and to this or that posterity signifie nothing else but yâ— of that stocke or posterity shall some be elected but who they be it lieth not in vs to iudge We ought rather to haue a respect vnto the effects and whom we se to be called to beleue to geue themselues to good works those Forasmuch as prebestination is a thing hâ—dden vnto what thinges we ought to haue a respect A similitude to count for elect and alwayes in this matter to haue a regard vnto the commaundementes and vnto the promises that is vnto the outward word of God But concerning the hidden counsell of God as touching euery perticular man we haue nothing reueled vnto vs. But Chrisostome semeth to be against this First â—e sayth That there arose greate offence touching the reiection of the Iewes and the election of the Gentiles especially seing that the Gentiles had alwayes bene vncleane but the Iewes had moste playne promises For it is all one sayth he as if the sonne of a king vnto whome the kingdome semeth to be by
inculcate then shoulde not boastinge be excluded for euery righteous man mought say of himselfe I haue obtained grace because wheÌ„ it was offred I receiued it I haue beleued God making promise vnto me for that I gaue mine assent I haue obteined Christ because wheÌ„ he came I receaued him But Paul crieth out that our boasting is excluded not in déede by the law of workes but by the lawe of fayth and of grace Neither can the aduersaries That modicum is some kinde of of worke Workes at vniuersally excluded froÌ„ the cause of iustificatioÌ„ The sentence of Paul is to be takeÌ„ simply and not by way of comparison deny but that that modicum which they labour so ernestly to establish is some kinde of worke But Paul so excluded not woorkes from iustification that he lefte vnto them the second place vnto faith but he vtterly and vniuersally excluded theÌ„ as touchyng the power to iustifie For he sayd not onely that we are iustified frely but added without workes Wherefore whereas they say that the senteÌ„ce of Paul is not to be vnderstanded simply but by way of comparison it is vntrue and vain But the scriptures saye they in other places speake so For it is written in the Psalm Vnles the Lord buyld the house they labour in vayne which buyld it And Paul to the Corrinthians sayth Neither he which plaÌ„teth is any thing nor he which watreth but God which geueth the encrease It is certaine say they that these thinges are to be expounded by way of comparison For in very déede both he which buildeth and which planteth and whiche watreth doth somewhat But that whatsoeuer it be forasmuch as it is but little if it be compared vnto the worke of God therefore it is sayd to be nothing and they are sayd to labour in vaine As touching the firste place we say that Dauid speaketh of ciuill works touching which we graunt that men in them take greate paynes and woorke somewhat Howbeit they labour in What is to be thought of ciuill enterprises vaine vnles God vouchsafe to fauor theyr enterprises Let Cesar AlexaÌ„der or Cato take what paynes they will either in the kingdome or in the Publike wealth and yet shall all thinges come to no purpose vnles God geue the successe In the other place Paul entreateth of the holye ministerye of the churche Neyther will I graunte this vnto the aduersaries that the Ecclesiasticall ministerye is eyther a thing small or suche as maye be called nothing For it is a thinge honorable and The holy ministery is both a thing great also nothing with most weighty wordes commended of the holy scriptures Wherefore as touching the office it is not nothing but touchinge the geuinge of spirituall life it is as Paul sayth vtterlye nothing For of it selfe it can not geue that spirituall life neyther perfect nor vnperfect The minister of the church in déede setteth forth the worde of God and the sacramentes but cannot reach to the coÌ„municating of that heauenly life Wherefore Paul spake truly and properly neither néeded he that figure A figure vsed in one place is not alwayes vsed in an other place of comparison whiche these men imagine Moreouer graunte that the scripture in other places vseth these kindes of speaches shoulde it straight way follow that therefore this sentence is so to be taken especially séeing it hath bene by most firme argumentes proued that it is in verye déede neither of him that willeth nor of hym that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy And therefore our election or predestination consisteth not of our works but fréely and of the mercy of God But still notwithstanding they are ouercome by reasons they cauill and say that they deny not but that we are elected of God fréelye but yet that causeth not but that some respecte may be had to woorkes foreséene For so they saye that we say with Paul That eternall life is grace when yet notwithstandyng we confesse that God rendreth vnto euery man accordyng to hys woorkes And if God can haue a respecte vnto woorkes when yet he geueth eternall lyfe fréely what shoulde let hym that he can not fréelye predestinate a man although he haue a respect also vnto workes foresene Hereunto we answer that eternall life is indede geuen Good workes oftentimes go before eternal life but can not preuent predestination Predestination is the efficient cause of good works and not eternall lyfe Predestination and reprobation are oftentimes with ouâ— works freely which yet followeth good workes not as merites but as necessary degrees by which they which are of full age come vnto it And this order the scripture it selfe putteth But that any our workes go before predestination the scriptures in no place haue tought vs yea rather contrariwyse Paul sayth to yâ— Ephesians Hereunto are we predestinated that we shoulde be holye and immaculate And vnto Timothe he sayth that he had obteyned mercy that he moughte be faithfull Why then seke these men to preuent order and especially seyng that theyr own similytude serueth not For eternall life followeth good workes and is not the efficient cause of them but predestination is the cause of good works Farther thys respect to good workes in predestination can not as we haue sayde take place in all men For many are predestinated vnto eternall lyfe and many are appoynted to eternall destruction which neuer should haue any workes at all as it is manifest in infantes Wherfore this is firme and vnmoueable that as touching election and infusion of the spirite there is nothing at all in vs whereby God shoulde be moued to bestowe these thinges vpon vs. For in predestination vocation and iustification there goeth before in vs nothing that is good but good works go before glorificatioÌ„ The reasoÌ„ therof is for that we straight way dye not so sone as we are iustified wherefore it behoueth that that space Why good workes in them that are of age â—o before eternall life of tyme which is betwene haue workes whereby may be declared our fayth and righteousnes which we haue by yâ— electioÌ„ of God obtayned By will Paul vnderstandeth the endeuor of the mynde and by course or running all holy workes vniuersally which metaphore is much vsed in the holy scriptures For Paul in an other place writeth of himselfe I haue fought a good fight I haue finished my course And vnto the Corrinthyans So ranne ye that ye maye winne the price And vnto the Galathyans Ye runne well who letted you Out of thys sentence two thynges we ought to gather first that our saluation or election is not of hym that wylleth nor of hym that runneth that is not of our merites but of the mercy of God onely as God sayth in the 9 chapter of Deutronomy Say not for my righteousnes hath the Lorde brought me into thys lande Secondly that it is not of the willer to will nor of the runner to runne but these
his vessels considereth no merite at al of the clay Moreouer he before in most expresse wordes sayd Not of workes but of him that calleth Doth the thing formed say to him that formed it vvhy hast thou made me thus These wordes are red in Esay and in Ieremy For Ieremy in his 18. chap. thus writeth Arise and go downe into the house of the potter and there shall I make thee to heare my wordes Wherefore I went downe to the potters house and behold he wrough a worke one the whele and the vessell that he made of clay was broken in the haÌ„d of the potter So he returned and made it an other vessell as semed good to the potter to make it Then the word of the Lord came vnto me sayeng O house of Israell can not I do with you as this potter sayth the lord Behold as the clay is in the potters hand so are you in mine hand o house of Israell In these wordes of the Prophet Paul to this thing chiefely had a regard that men are so in the hand of God as clay is in the hand of the potter and that the potter may of the clay make vessels as vnto him semeth good These things I say the Apostle transferred to his purpose Ierome vpon Why the Prophetâ— was sent vnto the potter this place sayth that the prophet was therefore first sent vnto the potter for that we vse more stedfastly to kepe in mind those things which we se with our eyes But wheras that first vessell which was made of the potter was broken that he sayth happened by the working of the prouidence of God that the vnwitting hand of the artificer should by his error figure a parable which the Lord him self interpretation sayth If the potter haue this power that he can of one the self same clay make new again that which was brokeÌ„ can not I bring to passe the self same thing in you which as much as is in you seme to haue perished And to signifie that in men is free will he sayth that he speaketh vnto thys or that kingdom both euill things and also good things to the entent men should be brought to repentaunce and that those euils might not come to passe which were foretold And streight way lest we should attribute to much vnto free will he sayth neyther by and by followeth it that all whole whiche commeth to passe is of man but of his grace whiche freely geueth all thinges And a little afterward Where then sayth he is the power of free will without the grace of God and the iudgment of a mans owne will When as it is a greate offence agaynst God for a man to followe his owne imaginations and to doo the will of his wicked hart These thinges writeth Ierome in that place excellently wel touching Free will the prauity of mans hart and the grace of God And as may be gathered out of the epistle which he made before that chapter he had at that time finished that notable worke agaynst the Pelagians Further no man ought to be offended for that Ieremy semeth to entreate of the affliction and prosperity of thinges temporall when as Paul heare entreateth of thinges spirituall For as I haue in other places taught the benefits of thinges temporall and the promises which pertayne vnto theÌ„ are to be called backe vnto Christ Wherfore In the prophetes we must ioynâ— thinges spirituall with things temporall in them as often as we read them in the prophets we ought first to consider our reconciliation with God thorough Christ for whose sake he geueth vnto his all kind of good thinges We ought alwayes to set before our eyes sinne both that sinne which we committe and also that wherein we are borne Wherfore it is no meruayle if Paul who had the perfect vnderstanding of the Lawe and of the Prophets so ioyned together these thinges But I wonder that Erasmus should say that the wordes of Ieremy therefore serue to Pauls purpose for that neyther Paul also in this place entreateth of eternall saluation And this he thinketh is hereby manifest for that the Iewes were not in very dede eâ—cluded from it For the Apostle him selfe was a Iew and many remnauntes also of that people are euen at this day continually conuerted Wherefore he thinketh that mention is made of the reiectioÌ„ of the Iewes as touching things outward for that theyr common welth was destroyed and likewise theyr temple and priesthode whatsoeuer things serued to the glory of yâ— nation being now dispersed into sondry places being in seruitude vnderother nations the Romanes and other nations which were before idolaters succeded in theyr places These thinges are neyther likely to be true neither agree they with the sence and order Paul here entreateth not of thinges temporall but of eternall saluation of the wordes of Paul For if here be entreated onely of thinges externe and temporal what neded Paul to haue desired to redeme them with his saluation Why wished he to be Anathema from Christ for his brethern according to the flesh Why in the beginning of the 10. chapter writeth he thus Brethern the redy will of my hart and the prayer which I make vnto God for Israell is vnto saluation For in these wordes he declareth that he reasoneth not touching thinges temporall but touching eternall saluation For the question was asked how the truth of the promises of God could consist when as so many Iewes repelled the Gospel and abode in theyr incredulity And in the 11. chapter it is added that God gaue vnto them the spite of pricking eyes yâ— they should not se and eares yâ— they should not vnderstand euen vnto this preseÌ„t day Wherfore those things which are here spoken ought by no meanes to be wrested vnto the outward shew and pompe of the publike welth of the Iewes But there is an other doubt which Pigghius laboureth to picke out of this chapiter of Ieremy namely that the power of God which is shadowed in the power of the potter dependeth of the respect of workes For the prophet sayth he addeth in the person of God If I shall speake of a nation or kingdome to plucke it vp and to roote it out and to destroy it and they shall repent them I also will repent me of the affliction which I spake to bring vpon them And if I shall speake to build and plant and they shall turne away from my righteousnes I also wil repeÌ„t me of that good which I thought to do for theÌ„ Behold saith Pighius God saith yâ— yâ— works of yâ— potter shal be such according as meÌ„ shal make theÌ„selues wherfore although Paul here dissolue not yâ— questioÌ„ â—et is yâ— solutioÌ„ gathered out of this place of yâ— Prophet Thus farre Pigghius but the order of the words of the Prophet is farre otherwise to be coÌ„sidered For wheÌ„ God had firste declared that men are in his hand as clay is in the hand
of the potter and therfore it lay in him to do with them what he would forasmuch as this sentence mought diminish the preaching of the Prophets for straightway so soone as they should promise any good or threaten any euill the hearers mought say If we be in the handes of God as clay is in the hand of the potter what can we do or what remedy can we get against the will of God For God will vndoubtedly do that whiche he hath decréed the holy Ghost thought it good to remedy this incoÌ„uenience Wherfore he teacheth God doth not always make open his whole will that God in these threatninges and promises doth not alwayes reueale his hiddeÌ„ and vnchaungeable will whereby he hath most firmely decréed what he will do but onely his will which they call the antecedent will or the will of the signe that is of admonition for that theyr presente estate requireth that But Paul in this place and the Prophet in the beginning of the chapter entreate of that will and power of God whereby he by most good righte both maketh and maketh nâ—w all thinges as pleaseth him Farther Pighius thinketh that the solution of this question is had in the 27. chapter of Ecclesiasticus where it is thus written The fornaâ—e trieth the vessels of the potter and so doth teÌ„ptacion the iust men Hereof he gathereth A place of Ecclesiasticus that they which constantly and valiantly abide in temptacions thereby get to be vessels to honor but they which abide not but are broken are made vessels to dishonor But this man in his reasoning considereth not that if he will néedes prosecute this metaphore he shal be compelled to confesse that as well vessels to honor which serue for the table as also pottes and vrinals which we vse to vile ministeries must néedes abide the assay of the fier For euen the most vilest vessels if they be broken should now be no vessels yea neither doubtles not apte for any vile ministery Wherfore his arguing is here in vaine and he gathereth more of the Metaphore then he oughte For this was onely the meaning of the wise man that by temptacion men are tried what maner of ones they are and not that they by that triall attaine to their condition or estate but that condition which they before had then at the length they make manifest and bring to light Touchinge the place to By patieÌ„ce in teâ—ptations we are not prede 〈…〉 ated Timothe where it is written that in a great house are many kinds of vessells we haue entreated and haue declared Origens minde therein from whome this man hath borowed whatsoeuer he hath said The Prophet Esay also hath certaine woordes which serâ—e somewhat to the declaration of these woordes of Paul For in his 4â— chapter he thus writeth Wo be vnto him that striueth with his maker the potsheard with the potsheardes of the earth Doth the clay say vnto him that facioned it what dâ—st thou Thy woorke hath no handes that is thou hast so vnskilfully and rudely made thy worke as if thou haddest no handes The meaning of this place is very large for it reproueth all those which accuse the woorkes of God of what kinde so euer they be and therefore Paul aptly transferred that sentence to his purpose thereby to beate downe those which complaine of the power of God and take it in ill part that God hath mercy on whome he will and hath not mercy on whom he will not Although there are many which thinke that Paul cited not these testimonies of the Prophets but rather alluded vnto them And so thinke they that he in an other place when he writeth do ye not know that a little leuen sowreth the whole dow alluded vnto those wordes of Christ wherein he commaunded the Apostles to beware of the leuen of the Scribes and Pharifies But hereabout I will not contende for whether he alluded to the sentences of these Prophets or whether he cited them as touching the matter it is all one Neither ought it to séeme strange if Paul wheÌ„ WheÌ„ Paul vseth scripture he doth not always câ—te it he vseth the testimony of the scriptures do not expresse the same for althoughe he be wont sometimes to adde As it is written yet obserueth he not that manner alwayes For towardes the end of the. 11 chapter he simply and without any citation thus writeth Who hath knowen the minde of the Lord or who was his counseller And that clause we reade with the selfe same nomber of woordes in Esay But it is certaine that Paul in this whole discourse retaineth the meaning of eche place both Paul folowâ—th the meaning both oâ— Ieremy of Esay of Ieremy that we are as clay in the hand of the potter which maketh and maketh againe whatsoeuer he will and also of Esay that it is not lawfull for the clay to coÌ„tende with his maker or to reproue him for his woorke And to this place serueth very well that which is reade in Ecclesiasticus the. 33. chapter if that booke be reaceaued And men come out of the earth whereout Adam was created But the Lord by his manifold knowledge hath deuided them hath altered their conditions Some of theÌ„ hath he blessed and exalted and some of them hath he sanctified and appropriated vnto himselfe and some of them hath he cursed and broughte lowe and hath put them out of theyr estate as clay is in the hand of the potter to forme and order it Wherefore Paul when he thus writeth deliuereth not thinges new and vnheard of but alredy receaued and set forth in the scriptures whome if teachers would follow they should not néede to flie to the respect of merites especially séeing that the scriptures when they entreat of election or reprobation acknowledge not that doctrine Ambrose expounding these wordes first saith that the Apostle did put forth this out of Esay as his own And he confesseth that it is in the power of the maker to make what creature he will But he addeth Forasmuch as we are all of one and the selfe same Masse in substance and ar all sinners God hath mercy vpon one not without iustice dispiseth an other For in the potter is only a wil but in God is a wil with iustice for God knoweth vpon whome he ought to haue mercy Thus much Ambrose In which wordes where The wil of God is â—lwayes ioyned with iustice The consideration of iustice â—n elecâ—â—oÌ„ is not to be sought for in our workes as he saith that iustice is ioyned with the will of God when he hath mercy or reiecteth we will not deny that so that it be rightly vnderstaÌ„ded For we know that in God is vtterly no iniustice for he doth iniurie vnto no man But herein we agrée not for that these men thinke that the consideration of the iustice of God is to be sought for of the works and merites of men for we iudge
elected Also ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you And if Christ and the Apostles haue in their sermons oftentimes made mencion hereof no man saith he ought to doubt that this doctrine is against the fruit and commodity of preaching He affirmeth also that it followeth not that although our will saluation and good workes depend of the will and appointment of God therefore we should cast away all our diligence endeuour and care For Paul when he had said that God worketh in vs both to will and to performe yet Saluation our good workes depeÌ„d of God yet ought not we â—o cast away all maner of care to lyue well cessed not to geue good admonishments And when he had written vnto the Phillippians that GOD which had begonne in them would accomplishe the worke whiche he had begonne that they might be blameles in the daye of the Lorde in whiche woordes he attributeth vnto GOD bothe the beginning and successe of good works yet in the selfe same epistle wonderfully exhorteth he them to holynes Christ also commaunded his Apostles to beleue and yet on the other side he sayth That no man can come vnto him but whome the father shall draw He also sayth He which hath eares to heare let him heare And yet God sayth in the scriptures that he would geue them an hart from aboue to vnderstaÌ„d eyes to sée eares to heare Wherfore these thinges are not repugnant one to the other namely that the appointment of good works lieth in God and that the gift of them is to be hoped for at Gods hands only and that we also must put to our care and endeuour to liue vprighly and holyly for as we haue before sayd the holy scriptures teach both Farther if for thys cause we should deny predestination seing that by the selfe same maner the foreknowledge of God is certayne and can not be deceaued shall we therefore deny that God foreknoweth all thinges As well the foreknowledge of god â—s predestination is certaine An example brought by Augustine if peraduenture there be some which may be offended with this doctrine And in his booke de bono perseuerantiae the 15. chapter he bringeth an example which happened in his time He saith that in the same monastery that he was in was a certaine man not of so vpright a life This man when he was admonished of his faulte was accustomed to say Such a one shall I be as God hath foreknown me to be And when he so spake saith Augustine he spake indede the truth but although his iudgement were true yet became he euery day worse and worse at the last also saith he he returned to his olde vomite howbeit saith he what manner of one he shall as yet in time to come be God onely knoweth Though this man abused the truth yet will not therefore any godly man deny that God foreknoweth all things And that this foreknowledge of God is no let vnto good workes Christ declared when he coÌ„maunded his disciples to pray when as yet in the meane time The thyng is not made euill by the abuse therof he plainely told them that God knewe right well what thinges they had néede of Wherefore the foreknowledge of God doth not call vs backe from the endeuor of praying for the thinges profitable and necessary which God hath decréed to geue The foreknowledge of God ought not to call vs backe from our endeuor to prayers The giftes of God are not acknowledged â–ª except the fouÌ„taine of theÌ„ be knowne What is the fountaine of the giftes of God vs he hath decréed to geue theÌ„ by this meane They also are deceaued which thinke that this doctrine is an vnprofitable doctrine yea their sight is but small and they vnderstand not the profite therof Vnto the godly it is very profitable to the ende they should not put any confidence either in themselues or in any other men but should fixe all theyr whole hope and affiaunce in God onely Which thing vndoubtedly none can truely and from the harte do but those whiche are fully persuaded both that their saluation and also theyr good workes depend not vpon themselues but of God No we cannot acknowledge the giftes of God except we vnderstande from what fountaine they spring But that fountaine is the fre purpose and mercy of God geuen vnto them whome he hath elected before the constitution of the world He which seeth not this seeth not the goodnes of God towardes him By this doctrine may men be brought not to glory in themselues but in the Lorde which thing they cannot do which ascribe vnto their own frée will that litle how much so euer it be for which thing sake they affirme that God electeth them For they haue in themselues whereof to glorye Farther the scripture willeth vs that we should mortifye our selues and behaue our selues lowly there is nothing that is more easelier bringeth this to passe then doth this doctrine The certainety also of saluation which we defend is by no other means better made manifest And in the We are coÌ„maunded to geue thaÌ„ks for our election It confirmeth the doctrine of free iustification It is no â—â—w doctrine sâ—yng it is set forth in the holy scriptures Heresies were the causes that doctrines were more diligently entreated of latter Epistle to the Thessalonians Paul willeth vs for this thing to geue thankes vnto God that we are elected of God But this can we not do vnles this thing also be wholy made plaine and knowne vnto vs. Neither without this doctrine can the grace of God be defended against the Pelagians for they toughte that the election of God commeth by our merites Frée iustification also should pearish excepte we be rightly taught of predestination Séeing therefore this doctrine being soundlye vnderstande is vnto so many thinges so profitable no man oughte to count it vnfruitfull And sithen it is set foorth in the holy scriptures it can not vndoubtedly be called a new doctrine And if the fathers before Augustines time haue not so diligeÌ„tly spoken of it it ought not to be meruailed at for the occasions wherfore doctrines were more diligently discussed and searched out wer heresies which dayly sprang vp in the Church a freshe And for that before Pelagius time no man had spoken against the grace of God there was no néede that any maÌ„ should defend it but wheÌ„ there arose vp a new error it was necessary that this doctrine should the more diligently be examined And yet did not the fathers which were before Augustines time alwayes leue this thinge vnspoken of Which thing Augustine himselfe proueth in the. 19. chapter of his booke de bono perseuerantiae Ambrose vpon Luke saith that God could if he would of vndeuout persons make deuout And againe he saith that God calleth them whome he vouchsafeth and him whome he will he maketh religious The fathers that were before Augustines time tought this
was not predestinated fréely but because of her humility For she sang For he hath looked vpon the humility of his handmayden Wherfore the selfe same thing ought to take place in others I meruaile doubtles how this man saw not that there is great difference betwene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vertue which the lattines call modestia that is modesty whereby men haue a lowly and moderate opinion of themselues vnto which vertue is opposite pride 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or arrogancy But 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a vilenes and basenes which commeth vnto men either by reason of pouerty or by reason of base bloud or by reason of such other like things Wherfore the blessed virgen reioysed and with prayses extolled God for that he had exalted her to so great an honor whereas she otherwise was base Mary mēt not that she was elected for any her merite The song of Mary setteth forth the mercy of God and not merites obscure and vnworthy For she was not as this man dreameth a setter forth of her owne merites and vertues to say that she was therefore elected of God for that she had deserued it through her humility And if thou diligently consider the course of that song thou shalt easely sée that she ascribeth all her good things vnto God Thy mercy saith she is from generation to generation And she addeth He hath remembred his mercy Afterward with mercy she ioyneth the promises As he spake saith she vnto Ahraham our father But I meruaile this good man could not sée that the image of our predestination is to be set rather in Christ then in the The image of our predestination appeareth in Christ A place of the first boke of Samuell virgen But Augustine saith that the humanity of Christ was predestinated and taken altogether frely and vtterly without any respect of good workes They obiect also vnto vs the words of the Lord to Samuell For he when he should anoynt one of the sonnes of Isay king ouer Israell and had first brought before him Eliab the eldest the Lord sayd vnto him This is not he whome I haue elected Haue not a regard to the talnes of stature For men see these thinges which appeare outwardly But I behold the hartes Lo saith Pigghius this place teacheth that God is moued by the perfection of the hart and not by outward conditions But in that history is not entreated of the eternall predestination of God whereby he hath elected vs vnto perpetuall felicity there is entreated only of the exalting of a man to a kingdome In committing of iunctions or offices to a mā we must haue a respect vnto the conditiō of the person As touching which thing God hath set forth vnto vs a notable example that when we will commit an office or function vnto a man we haue chiefely a respect vnto the ability and skilfulnes which are required to the execution of that office according to which doctrine Paul also to Timothe setteth forth vnto vs what thinges are to be required in him which should be chosen an elder or a Bishoppe God himselfe also in the old testament hath at large described of what conditions he ought to be whom he would haue to be appointed a king Vnto which sēce Peter also semeth to haue had a consideration who when two were set before him of which the one was to be placed in the roome of Iudas called vpon God the sercher of harts for that he only knew the mind and hart of him whome he would God findeth not a good hart in men but maketh it good An example of Saul haue to be chosen And yet ought we not to thinke that God findeth in men that hart which he hath a respect vnto He rather changeth and maketh mete those whome he will appoint vnto any office as we rede he did in Saul of whome we rede that he was so changed that he became vtterly an other man For whereas before he was simple and rude afterward he was able to prophesie amongst the Prophets Which thing for that it was new and strange gaue an occasion of this prouerb What is Saul also amongst the Prophets Pigghius cauilleth moreouer that of this our doctrine will follow that men will séeke the causes of their damnation not in themselues but in God which is a thing both absurd and wicked But let The cause of our damnation is not to be sought for in God this man consider how this can be inferred of our sentence For we teach that euery man is obnoxious vnto sinne and therefore deserueth damnation Neither euer said we vnto any man that he hath not in himselfe a most iust cause of hys damnation yea we both are and alwayes haue bene perswaders vnto all men that when they will take in hand any thing they seke for counsell no where els but out of the will of God reueled that is out of the holy scripture and not out secrecy of the predestination of God And yet doth it not therefore follow that by this forme of teaching is no vse of the doctrine of predestination For vnto it then chiefely must we haue a respect when we are tossed with aduersities and when through the very force of afflictions we fele that our fayth is weakned This thing taught ▪ Paul in the 8. chapter of this epistle and therefore he added If God be on What is the vse of predestination our side who shall be against vs who shall seperate vs from the loue of God shall tribulation Shall anguishe c. Wherefore this doctrine is not so to be left as though no man can apply it vnto himselfe It must rather diligently be kept till opportunity shall serue to vse it Neither is it a point of arrogancy but of the spirituall wisdome for a man to vse it in his owne behalfe when nede requireth Moreouer Pigghius falsely saith that those thinges which we speake are against the goodnes of God as though it should seme a thing vniust that God should elect vnto himselfe a certaine few and in the meane time ouerhippe infinite others For this mought shew saith he some cruelty in God especially if we say that he is offended before that any thing is committed against him But it is mete saith he that the purpose of God be reasonable and yet of his iustice can no other reasons be geuen but only the workes of them which are predestinated neither can the iustice of God by any other meanes be defended Those things beare in dede a goodly shew but they much conduce not to ouerthrow that which we haue proued For first to entreat of the goodnes of God there is no creature which can seme to be voyde of it For God perpetually bestoweth many good things yea euen vpon the No creature void of the goodnes of God wicked For
vnto Simplicianus in his first booke and 2. question sayth That vocation is of two sortes one is common whereby men are called but not by one and the selfe same maner whereby they are apt to be moued and conuerted others are called as they are apt to be moued neyther sayth he must we thinke that God could not so haue called Esau as he mought be moued and as he mought be made apt for all men are not after one and the selfe same manner moued and allured vnto God Verely forasmuch as he is omnipotent he mought by his impulsion take away y◠hardnes which is grafted in vs. But say they if he would he mought and yet wil not God alwayes do that which he can Let it be so we say euen the selfe same that God ouerhippeth some and will not haue mercy on them and therefore geueth not vnto all men so much as mought be sufficient vnto theyr saluation And in those whome he ouerhippeth he attayneth to that end which he willeth as it is written of Pharao To this purpose haue I raysed the vp to declare in the my power that my name mought be published abrod thorough out the whole earth Christ knew very well as he he him selfe testified that Tire and Sidon and Sodoma should haue bene moued to repentāce if he had shewed vnto them the miracles and doctrine which he shewed vnto the Iewes wherfore Tyre and Sydon wāted that which sufficed The aduersaries are compelled to say that no man is elected of God forasmuch as he gaue not those thinges vnto thē they wanted that which sufficed vnto saluation The lord also sayd vnto the Apostles I haue chosen you but ye haue not chosen me But by the opinion of the aduersaries putting that vniuersall grace no man should be chosen of God forasmuch as he should be after one and the selfe same sort vnto all men yea rather we should chose God in receauing his grace when it is offred and we should be potters of the election of God and should not be formed of him I haue planted saith Paul Apollo hath watred but God hath geuen the encrease that is life and spirite But if those thinges should be put common vnto all men he should rather haue sayd ye haue receaued vnto your selues the spirite life grace The selfe same Apostle sayd that God had begonne in the Corrinthians a good worke and also would performe the same agaynst the day of the lord Which wordes playnly declare that all whole is to be ascribed vnto God namely to beginne and to performe And vnto the Ephesians He worketh all thinges according to the counsell of his will not sayth he according to the counsell of an other mans will Which thing doubtles he should haue sayd if euery mā had in his power to receaue saluation or not to receaue it Agayne vnto the Galathians When it semed good vnto him which seperated me from my mothers wombe c. If it were as these men affirme Paul should haue said whē it semed good vnto me For as touching God they affirme that grace is alwayes redy and layd forth vnto all men Wherfore by theyr sentence conuersion should then come when it should please vs. And these argumentes although many more might be brought I thinke at this present sufficient Only now resteth to ouerthrow those reasons which seme to make against vs. To the arguments of the aduersaries Outward calling is common to the predestinate and to the reprobate But before we enter into that matter this we say that we in no wise deny but that God by outward calling namely by his prophets Apostles preachers and scriptures calleth all men For this man is no more excluded from the promises or threatninges then that man but these thinges are a like set forth vnto all men although all men are not predestinated to attayne vnto the fruite of them This is diligently to be noted if we will redely answere to those thinges which are obiected And when they lay agaynst vs which thing they very often do that the promises are common and are vniuersally set forth neither ought to be contracted vnto these men or vnto those men and that God dalieth not in them but dealeth in good earnest First as touching vniuersallity I will bring other propositions no les vniuersall All flesh shall se the saluation of God All shall be taught of God Al shal know me from the least to the greatest I wil poure of my spirit vpon all fleshe Shall we say that these thinges are true as touching all men no doubtles vnles Origens fable should be renewed that all men shall at the last be saued They will answer that these propositions ought to be contracted vnto the beleuers vnto them that are willing and vnto them that receaue the grace of God And we also say that they are to be contracted but we referre our contraction more higher and ascend vnto the election of God and vnto reprobation and whether resolution I besech you is the perfecter whether contraction is of more equity And yet do we not say that God dalieth in these vniuersall promises For forasmuch as the predestinate and the reprobate led theyr life together neyther are they knowen one from an other it is mete ▪ that preaching should be had vnto all men together and that for the reprobate the elect should not be defrauded which by the preaching of the word of God receaue profit And by this vniuersal preaching God bringeth to effect that end which he him selfe willeth For the godly whē they se that the reprobate are left in their owne sence and beleue not thereby vnderstand that grace is not nature and in them consider what should also haue happened vnto them selues without the mercy of God whose gift conuersion is and lieth not in the strength of man And the vngodly are made vnexcusable when as they haue not so much as performed those outward workes which they mought haue done as it is declared to the Romanes in the first and second chapters First the aduersaries imagine that they are setters forth of the mercy of God for that they put it common vnto al Whether sentence ascribeth more to the mercy of God men But if we consider the matter more thorowly we attribute much more vnto mercy thē they do For we affirme y◠al whole dependeth of it which thing is of thē in the meane time denied whilest they wil haue it to lye in our power to receaue the grace of God And if we say that mercy is not a like vnto al men destributed we can not therefore be reproued forasmuch as the scriptures manifestly testify the same But these men when they say that it lieth in our wil to receiue grace although they extenuate the same yet is it in very dede proued to be much for what should it profit to haue grace vniuersally set forth vnto al men vnles a man would by his
noted as a vice and that daungerous And as the difference is greate betwene a good and an euill zeale so also the effectes which are of other deriued are much diuers Christ was kindled with a good zele when he draue Effectes of good ◠euill zeale the biers and sellers out of the temple ouerthrowinge theyr tables and chayres With the selfe same zeale was Phinees moued when he thruste thorow the moste filthy whoremongers Contrariwise the effect of an euill zeale we may beholde in Paul who through zeale persecuted y◠church of Christ And in Iohn it is writen y◠y◠the time should be when they shoulde thinke y◠they do God highe seruice which afflict the faithful of Christ Peter also being kindled with an immoderate zeale drue out his sword to kill them which laid hands vpon Christe There is also an other difference For an euill zeale engendreth hatred but a good zeale hath ioyned with it charity For Samuell although with a great zeale he worshipped ▪ God yet a long time he mourned for Saul And nothing is more repugnante vnto euill zeale then charity as vnto a good zeale is chiefly repugnant selfe loue They also are of a contrary affect which are either so blockishe that they are stirred vp with no desire of good thinges or els are so corrupt that they are not afeard to boast of wicked and villanous factes These thinges generally spoken we will now applye vnto the An euill zele of the Iewes Iewes They had a zeale towardes the lawe ceremonies and outward workes for that they excéedingly loued and had in admiration and onelye embraced these thinges wherfore it wonderfully gréeued them to be excluded from them neither could they abide that the Ethnikes shoulde be admitted into the fellowship of true religion Wherfore they were affected with a zeale but yet with an euil zeale for that as Paul saith it wanted knowledge But forasmuche as Paul séemeth to be moued with a desire and good wil towards the Iewes by reason of this zeale there ariseth a question whether anye sinnes may so please vs that of them we shoulde Whether i◠be lawful to take pleasure of sins A distinctiō of sinnes take pleasure or that therfore should be engendred any good will We must put a difference betweene sinnes for there are certayne sinnes enormious and grosse which all men vnderstand to be sinnes and there are other sinnes which although they be condemned before God and are in very déede sinnes for that they are committed of men not regenerate who are as yet euill trées neither directe they their workes vnto God as they ought to do yet are they morally good Wherefore if we meane of grosse sinnes and speake of sinnes as they are of theyr owne nature properly and truely then none that is godly will delight in this kind of sinne For if a man loue God with all his hart of necessity he wil abstaine from al sinnes which are manifestly repugnant vnto the will of God and vnto his law but per accidēs that is by chaunce it is possible that some pleasure may bee taken in them as if we be now deliuered the more greater the wicked actes are whiche we haue cōmitted the more shal we therfore reioyce And if a man haue ben before proud and arrogant after some fal being repētant do behaue himself more modestly he wil somwhat reioyce by reason of his sinne Which thing also happeneth if after faultes comitted be made good lawes and an order appointed that such faults be not afterward committed For we reioyce that such an occasion was offred And because that as Paul saith where sinne hath abounded grace also shall abound and vnto We reioyce in sinnes 〈◊〉 accidens them that loue God all thinges worke to good we will graunt that by a phrase of speach although not proper but per accidens the godly may somtimes take some pleasure of sinnes But if we speake of moral works which are done of them that Good moral workes delight vs althoughe they be sinnes are not regenerate if we consider them simply we can not but reioyce in them For euen as it is a pleasure and that no small pleasure to consider the natures of herbes the proprieties of liuing creatures of precious stones and of the starres so also is it a delight to sée the actes of notable men which actes God would haue to be in the nature of man for the preseruation of common wealthes and of ciuil discipline Who taketh not pleasure when he readeth the honest life and vertuous actes of Socrates Or when he weigheth with himselfe the notable actes done by Scipio Africanus and also when he séeth the things which are in our time done of notable men when yet they are voyde of Christian religion Yea forasmuch as they haue a certaine shew and countenaunce of sounde vertues the godly so much delight in them that they are not seldome moued ernestly to pray for the saluation of those mē thus thinking with themselues If God would vouchsafe to change these men and to draw them vnto Christ they should be a great ornament and A similitude help vnto the Church neither do they easely dispayre of theyr saluation As a skilfull husbandman if paraduenture he sée a ground very ranke with brakes and wedes desireth to buy the same for he thus thinketh That if the noughty herbes were weded out and the brakes with a plowe rooted out that grounde woulde plentifullye bring forthe good corne And so also will he doo if he sée wilde vine trées or wild oliue tréees of their owne accord spring in any place for he will thereby iudge the ground to be méeke both for vine trées and for fat oliue trées if it should be well husbanded Christ also our Sauior when a young man had asked him counsell what he should do to attaine vnto eternall life and he had answered kepe the commaundements and the young man made answere that he had thereunto endeuored himselfe euen from his youth which yet was not true Iesus notwithstanding delighted in that his endeuour such as it was of enquiring touching saluation and of obeying the commaundements of God as much as lay in him For this is the meaning of that which Marke writeth in the 10. chapiter that Christ loued him namely being moued with mercy by reason of his present calamity for that he labouring and going about to attayne vnto the righteousnes of works fell away from it And the Lord also when he had made answere that the greatest commaundement is that we should loue God with all our hart with all our soule and with all our strenthes and that the next commaundement is that we should loue our neighbour as our selues and a certaine scribe had commended this answere of the Lord he sayd vnto him Thou art not farre from the kingdome of heauen although he yet beleued not neither was yet by Christ iustified But the Lord
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
is due throughe the worthines of the good worke but because it followeth good workes by a disposition and order instituted of God And after good workes followeth the reward of felicity and after euill the rewarde of eternall death althoughe hell fire be in verye déede due to the desertes of sinnes Grace saith he is not grace For that it is turned into a recompense due to workes And worke should not be worke if that which is geuen and rendred vnto works should be counted to be geuen by grace for it is the nature of worke to claime the ende of duetye and not fréelye Some cauell that we are not saued and iustified by the workes which we our selues haue done but if they be the workes of God which are done in vs by them we are iustified herebye entendinge that by the receiuing of the sacramentes is conferred grace as the terme it but they are farre deceaued For no man in receiuinge the sacramentes receaueth any grace but that which he receiued by faith When as we receaue the sacramentes as sealinges The sacramentes do not thorow the worke wrought coÌ„ferre grace Wherunto the receauing of the sacraments â—s an helpe of grace and of the giftes already obteyned neither is any thing gotten by them by vertue and strength of the worke wrought as they vse to speake For he which receaueth the sacramentes commeth either worthely or vnworthely if vnworthely he thereby getteth nothing but hurt and losse if worthely then bringeth he a liuely faith wherby he receaueth grace represented by the wordes of God and the sacramentes The woorke it selfe is an helpe whereby faith being somewhat weake is thorough the holy ghost stirred vp and forasmuch as there is celebrated the memory of the Lord and his name is called vpon therfore many good things are obtained and by those obsignations and seales the mindes of the beleuers are confirmed but that the worke it selfe conferreth grace we can in no wise graunt They say also that workes which follow iustification forasmuche as they are not An other â—â—â—llatioâ— ours but come of grace do merite many thinges But althoughe that the grace of God do helpe vs in doing good workes and the thinges which we do are therefore acceptable vnto God and that he will reward those workes yet notwithstanding therein is neither duety nor merite as we haue tought but onely an order and a certaine consequence by the institution and goodnes of God And in summe according to Pauls doctrine where mencion is of grace there muste woorkes néedes be banished as touching that they should be causes eyther of saluation or of iustification And although the proposition which is now proued do pertaine as well vnto the Gentils as vnto the Iewes yet notwithstanding therein are chiefly reproued the Iewes who peraduenture would easely haue graunted that the Gentils grafted into Christ were saued by grace when as before they had liued wickedly and in ydolatry But they which were Israelites and were as they boasted obseruers of the lawe craked that saluation came vnto them throughe the merite of workes Which opinion as it was erronious and iniurious vnto Christ so is it euery where confuted by the Apostle What then Israell hath not obtained that he sought but election hath obteined it and the rest haue bene made blinde According as it is written God hath geuen vnto them the spirite of pricking that when they see they shoulde not see and when they heare they should not heare vnto this day And Dauid saith let theyr table be made a snare and a net and a stomblinge blocke euen for a recompense vnto them Let theyr eyes be darkened that they see not and bow downe theyr backe alwayes What then Israel hath not obteyned that he sought but the election hath obteyned it He concludeth his argument thus that not all the Iewes are The Iues sought not rightly saued but those onely whome God foreknew the elect I meane If they sought how found they not because they sought not rightely They sought a Messias which in glory and pompe should raigne ouer the whole world which should enriche them and subdue all nations vnto their Empire They sought their owne aduauntages namely to be féede with bread at Christs hand They sought to worshippe Messias and God otherwise then was prescribed in the holy scriptures They sought Christ to kill him as it is written in Iohn the 7. chapiter Yet a litle while I am with you and I go vnto my Father ye shall seeke me and shall not finde me Wherfore seing that they sought not rightly it is no meruaile if they found not Wherfore Christ also when he sayth Seke ye shall finde aske and ye shal receaue knocke and it shal be opened vnto you we must adde thereunto this aduerbe rightly namely that we aske rightly that we seke rightly that we knock rightly otherwise we shall do all in vayne The Iewes sought saluation preposterously when as they sought to get it by workes That they sought saluatioÌ„ it is not to be doubted when as Paul attributeth vnto them zele although he take away from them vpright iudgement and true knowledge They applied them selues to sacrifices and ceremonies for no other cause but by them to be saued But forasmuch as that was not to seke a right they attayned not to their purpose Chrisostome truly saith that they therfore were frustrated for that they stroue agaynst them selues For in seeking of saluation they repelled it being offred vnto them frealy by Christ but to seke a thing â–ª and to reiect it when it is offred is manifestly for a maÌ„ to resist that which he purposeth Election sayth he hath obteined it Here he toucheth the true cause yea The chiefest cause of saluation and the chiefest and the assured cause of saluation otherwise they which are saued had by nature nothing of more excellency or woorthines then those which perish Election according to the Hebrue phrase signifieth the elect as circumcision doth What election is after the Hebrew phrase the circumcised And Israel is called the sanctification of God for that it was sanctified by him They are also called Gods possession for that he possesseth them And this kind of speache not a litle furthereth the purpose of Paul for he ment to drawe vs agayne to the consideration of the very cause that we might with the more attentiuenes consider of it But the rest are made blind Here he deuideth Israell into two partes into â—srael is deuided into two partes the elect I say and into the reprobate And affirmeth that the promises are accomplished in the elect which were indefinitly set forth vnto all men Wherefore this proposition is to be proued that the rest which are not comprehended vnder election are by God made blind the cause of which blinding if a man enquire some aunsweres wickednes or sinne But thereby is not the question dissolued What is the efficient cause of excecation
to be harkened vnto We ought to receaue and reuerence those Counsels only which haue framed theyr doctrine to the rule of the holy scriptures Demosthenes in an oration against Androtion sayth that decrees of the senate ought not to be made but according to the prescript of those thinges which are alredy determined in the lawes So in ecclesiastical counsells ought not new decrées to be made as touching doctrine but of those things only which are either had expressedly in yâ— word of God or ells may assuredly and euidently be gathered out of it First we will begin with the Counsell of Aphricke in which in the 80. chapiter a curse is pronounced Concilium AphricanuÌ„ agaynst the Pelagians who sayd that the grace of iustification is therfore geuen that by grace we may the easelyer fullfill that which we are commaunded to doo as though also with out grace although with more difficulty we might by our frée will fullfill the commaundementes of God when as yet the Lord speaking of the fruites of the commaundementes sayde not Without me ye can hardlye doo anye thing but with out me ye can vtterly doo nothing By these wordes are reproued the Papistes of our time which are not ashamed to say that a man before iustification can do yâ— workes which are commauÌ„ded in the law and which do please God and prepare a man to regeneration For what thing ells is this then with the Pelagians to say that a man may indede also before iustification performe the law although not so fully and easely as after he is iustified And that is nothing which they say namely that they put a certayne grace preuenting whereby men not yet regenerate may doo those workes which they call preparatory For in thus saying they differ in name only from the Pelagians For they also taught no les then these men doo that there goeth before a certayne grace of the law and of the knowledge of the will of God and of illumination wherby a man vnderstandeth what he ought to doo But as for the rest they attributed it vnto frée will which thing these men also do And that the Pelagians were of that opinion the counsel Mileuitanum declareth wherin it is thus written in the 4. chap. We curse all them which say that the grace of God through Iesus Christ our Lord helpeth vs onely for that Concilium Mileuitanum by it is reueled and opened vnto vs the vnderstanding of the commaundements of God that we may know what we ought to desire what to auoyd and that by it is not geuen vs also to loue to be able to do that which we know ought to be done For forasmuch as the Apostle sayth knowledge puffeth vp but loue edifieth it is very wicked to beleue that we should haue that grace of Christ which puffeth vp and not that grace which edifieth especially seyng it is written in the 4. chapter of the 1. epistle of Iohn Loue is of God In the second counsel also of Arausicanum the 4 chap. it is thus writen That Concilium Arausicanum they resist the holy ghost which say that the Lord wayteth for our will when as SalomoÌ„ sayth The will is prepared of the Lord and also when as Paul saith vnto the Philippians It is God that worketh in vs both to will and to performe according to his good will And in the 5. chapter are reproued those which affirmed that of the grace of Christ is geuen an increase of faith not the beginning For the beginning also of faith commeth of the inspiration of the holy gost which correcteth our infidelitie bringing it from infidelitie to faith and from vngodlines to godlines And the proofe hereof is brought out of sundry places of the scriptures For Paul sayth vnto the Philippians I trust that he which hath begonne the good worke in you shall accomplish it euen to the day of the Lord. And againe in the same epistle Vnto you it is geueÌ„ not onely to beleue in hym but also to suffer for him And vnto the Ephes By grace ye are made safe through fayth and that not of your selues For it is the gift of God Moreouer they are there subiect vnto the curse which would say That the mercy and grace of God is geuen vnto the willing vnto the beleuers vnto them that are desirous vnto them that go about it vnto them that labour vnto them that watche vnto them that study vnto them that aske vnto them that séeke vnto them yâ— knocke but confessed not that by the infusion and inspiration of the holy ghost and by the gift of God is geuen vnto vs to haue a will to beleue to endeuour our selues and to labour They cite these testimonies out of the scriptures What hast thou â—that thou hast not receaued And if thou hast receiued why boastest thou as though thou hast not receaued And the Apostle writeth of himselfe By the grace of God I am that I am In the 7. chap. are condemned those which thinke that by the strengths we can thinke or attaine vnto any thinge that serueth to saluation or that we can without the illumination of the spirite geue credite vnto the worde of GOD preached This may be confirmed by the scriptures For Paul saith that we cannot thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues but our sufficiency is of God Christ also saith Without me ye can do nothing Also blessed art thou Simon Bariona for flesh and bloud hath not reueled this vnto thee They also are cursed which graunt that frée will is in dede in some maner weakened and hurt but yet not so but that men by it may be conuerted vnto saluation The scriptures are apertly repugnant vnto that sentence For the Lord saith No man commeth vnto me vnles my father shall draw hym Paul also vnto the Corinthians No man can say the Lord Iesus but in the spirite of God This is an excellent sentence God loueth vs beyng such as we shall be by his gift and not such as we are by our owne merite And in the 13. chapter it is thus written Free will beyng lost in the first man cannot be repayred and because it is lost it cannot be restored but by him by whome it was geuen at the beginning Wherfore the truth it selfe sayth If the sonne shall make you fre then are ye truly free Farther in the 17. chapter is decréed that the strength of the Ethnikes commeth of worldly lust which wordes declare that their vertues as we haue before shewed out of Augustine and other Fathers were not true vertues chiefly forasmuch as they sprang out of an euill ground But humane lust comprehendeth whatsoeuer is possible to be found in men not regenerate It followeth in the selfe same chap. that the loue of God maketh the force and strength of Christians which loue is poured into our hartes not by frée wil but by the holy gost which is geuen vs wheras no merites go
this place of Zachary it may be expounded two manner of wayes First that those are the wordes of the law commaunding yet by theÌ„ cannot be proued yâ— a man can be conuerted vnles God conuert him For What are the inward motions in iustification of it Augustine thus writeth Lord geue that which thou coÌ„maundest and commaund what thou wilt An other exposition is this in iustification are two inward motions of which the one pertayneth vnto reason which as we haue said hath nede not onely to be taught but also to be persuaded and to be drawen into the sentence of the holy ghost the other motion pertaineth vnto the wil that it may be bowed to receiue al those things which the holy ghost promiseth and offreth And this is the faith by which we are iustified and wherby our sinnes are forgeueÌ„ vs. But forasmuch as these things are done secretly in the inward partes of the mind the Prophet speaketh not of them but rather spake of those things which follow For man after he is once iustified beginneth to be conuerted vnto good works Wherfore he which before liued dissolutely and wickedly now behaueth himselfe wel and orderly and being renewed with grace and the spirite worketh together with the power of God Of this conuersion the Prophet speaketh when he sayth Be ye conuerted vnto me And God promiseth to heape them vp with great benefites which is signified by this And I will be conuerted vnto you For before when he withdrew from them his benefites and afflicted them with captiuities and other miseries he seemed to be turned away from them Wherfore the Prophet spake not of the inwarde iustification but of the outward conuersion vnto good workes But Ieremy when he said Conuert vs Lord and we shall be conuerted had a respect vnto those inward motioÌ„s of the mind which we haue now described But our men of Trent when they thus say although they faine that they differ from the Pelagians yet in very deede they can neuer proue it They say that they deny not grace but in very deede they put that grace which the Pelagians would neuer haue denied But let vs see what degrees and what preparations these men appoynt â—o iustification First say they a man which is to be iustified being called stirred vp by the grace Degrees of iustification appointed by the Synode of Trent of God beginneth to beleue those things which are written in the holy scriptures then is he smitten with the feare of the sinnes which he hath committed afterwarde loking vnto the mercy of God he beginneth to haue a good hope this hope being conceiued he loueth God out of which loue springeth in him a certaine detestation of sinnes and a purpose to liue wel lastly he receiueth baptisme or the sacrament of repentaunce and herein say they consisteth iustification For all other things which went before were only preparations But these men see not that we ought farre otherwise to iudge of baptisme For the holy scriptures teache that Abraham was first iustified by faith in vncircumcision and then he receiued circumcision as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a seale of righteousnesse already receiued This selfe same consideration according to the Analogy is to be kept in baptisme For our baptisme answereth vnto the circumcision of the elders When these men put that fayth the feare of God hope charitie The degrees of Trent before brought are coÌ„futed What causes of iustication they of Trent assigne detestation of sinne and a new purpose of liuing vprightly are only certaine preparations vnto iustification they decree that a man may be perfecte before he be iustified Then they adde the causes of our iustification and beginne at the finall cause and that say they is the glory of God and our saluation The efficient cause they say is GOD himselfe of his mercye The meritorious cause as they call it they put to be Christ Iesus by his death on the crosse and the sheading of his bloud â–ª And hitherto in dede all is wel The formall cause they say is the iustice of God not that iustice whereby he himself is iust but that which he communicateth vnto vs wherby we truely bothe are counted iust and also are so in deede By which wordes they vnderstand the renewing of a man now regenerate and his new forming by grace and the holy ghost And that these things are done in a man already iustified we deny not but that iustification consisteth therein we can not graunt For Paule affirmeth Wherin iustification properly consisteth â–ª it to consist herein that our sinnes are forgiuen vs and that they are no more imputed vnto vs. And to confirme this he citeth a testimony out of Dauid Blessed are they vvhose iniquities are forgiuen and that testimony also out of Genesis Abraham beleued God and it vvas counted vnto him for righteousnesse And to the end he would expresse the thing more plainly he oftentimes in that selfe same place vseth this word Imputacion And therefore say we that in Iustificatâ—oÌ„ cannot consist in that righteousnes which cleaueth in â—â— vs. that righteousnesse and instauration wherby we are reformed of God can not consist iustification for that it through our corruption is imperfect neither can we with it staÌ„d before the iudgement seat of Christ Farther they say that this righteousnesse wherby they will haue vs to be iustified is distributed vnto euery man by the holy ghost as it pleaseth him which saying in deede may be suffred For the holy ghost is the disposer in the distribution of the giftes of God But they goe on farther and say According to the measure of the preparation but this can by no meanes be borne with all For we haue before shewed out of the fathers and chiefly out of the holy scriptures that all those things which are done before iustification are sinnes so farre is it of that they can merite and prepare vnto iustification Farther these men teache that iustification being once had men ought neuer to be thereof assured and certaine but ought to be doubtfull and carefull And when we obiect that this is to derogate yâ— truth of the promises of God and the dignitie of grace they deny that to be true For they say that they doubt not of the promises of God but when they looke vpon their owne indispositions as they call it then at the length they begin of necessitie to doubt Vndoubtedly this is not to be meruailed at for if a man haue a regarde to his owne vnworthinesse he shall not only doubt of the promises of God but also shall be most assured that he can not be iustified But the holy scriptures teache farre otherwise For they set forthe vnto vs the example of Abraham how that he contrary to hope beleued in hope and that he when now A man being iustified doubteth not of his iustification he was in a maner a hundreth yeares of age had no
glory of God For when as nothing is attributed vnto our merites and workes it must néedes be that the whole glory redoundeth vnto God Therefore Paule saith of Abraham he gaue the glory vnto God knowing this most fully that what soeuer he had promised he was able also to performe And the more to expresse the certainty of faith he vsed this participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby he signifieth that Abraham with a certaine most full assent embrased the promesse of God And least any man should thinke that this was a proper and peculâ—are prerogatiue geuen vnto Abraham the Apostle addeth an vniuersall rule and saith that it was not written for him only that it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse but also for vs vnto whome it shall be imputed so that we beleue in him which raised vp Iesus Christ from the dead which was deliuered for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Farther out of the .v. chapter we haue also an other testimony wherfore seing saith he we be iustified by faith we haue peace towards God through Iesus Christ by whome we haue accesse through faith into this grace wherein we stand Here are two things to be noted the one is that we are iustified by faith and that by grace the second that vnto this grace is not an entraunce made open by preparatioÌ„s or works which dispose vs but only by faith In the. vâ—ij chapter are set forth as it were certaine steppes and degrees by which we must come to eternal saluation WhoÌ„ he hath foreknown saith he those also hath he predestinate that they shold be like fashioned vnto the image of the sonne of God that he might be the first begotteÌ„ amongst many brethreÌ„ And whoÌ„ he hath predestinate those also hath he called And whoÌ„ he hath called those hath he iustified and whoÌ„ he hath iustified those also will he glorifie Here are reckened vp .v. degrees foreknowledge predestination vocation iustification and glorification in which as touching our purpose let vs consider what commeth betwene vocation and iustification And that is nothing else but faith For for as muche as vocation is done by the promise of iustification and of saluation the same is receiued by faith geuing assent thereunto Towardes the ende of the .ix. chapter is set forthe a difference betweene the Iewes and the Gentiles and a reason is geuen why the Gentiles obtained righteousnesse and not the Iewes For thus Paule saith What shall we say then That the Gentiles which followed not righteousnesse haue taken holde of righteousnesse which is by faith But Israell which followed righteousnesse attained not vnto the lawe of righteousnesse bicause they sought it not by faith but as it were by workes What caÌ„ there be more manifest then these words for they declare that they which wil be iustified by faith doe obtaine righteousnesse but those which doe aspire vnto it by works doe labor but in vaine This self thing he proueth euen from the beginning of the .x. chapter where he describeth two kindes of righteousnesse the one which he calleth ours which consisteth of works the other which he calleth the righteousnesse of God which is taken holde of by faith And thus he writeth They being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God and going about to establishe their owne are not obedient vnto the righteousnesse of God Hereby it is manifest that they which wil establish their owne righteousnesse â–ª that is the righteousnesse of works do fall away from the righteousnesse of God Paule goeth on and more plainly openeth the nature of these two kinde of righteousnesses Moses sayth he thus wryteth of the righteousnesse which commeth of the lawe The man which dothe these things shall liue in them By these words he sheweth that the righteousnesse of the law consisteth in workes But of the righteousnesse which commeth of faithe he thus speaketh Say not thou in thine heart who shall ascend vp into heauen to fetch Christ from thence or who shall descend into the deepe to fetche vp Christ againe from the dead But what saith he The word is nigh thee euen in thy mouthe and in thine heart The same is the worde of faith which we preach which word he which beleueth in his heart and with his mouth confesseth the Lord Iesus Christ shal be saued Hereby we se that not the righteousnesse of the lawe which is had by workes but the righteousnesse of faithe is it which bringeth saluation And this is by the latter words more manifestly confirmed For in that there is added With the heart we beleue vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth is confession made vnto saluation the later clause touching confession which semeth to be an outward worke is therfore added least we shold thinke that the faith wherby we are iustified should be idle for it is not a vaine barren faith such a one as our aduersaries dreame that we obtrude It hath most pleÌ„tifull and most aboundant fruits amongst which the confession of piety obtaineth the first place and is most necessaryest Hereunto Paule addeth a testimony out of the Prophet he which beleueth in him shall not be made ashamed They are commonly ashamed which coÌ„trary to their expectation are frustrated of that which they hoped to haue obtained Wherefore the meaning is He which beleueth in Christ and by this faith waiteth for saluatioÌ„ shal not be put to shame bicause he shall not be frustrated of his hope He addeth also an other testimony taken out of the Prophet Ioel Whosoeuer doth call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued in which words the promise of saluation seemeth to be ascribed vnto inuocation But Paule profitably teacheth as I haue before oftentimes said wheÌ„ Note thaâ— the scriptures teach a resolution froÌ„ workes â–ª vnto fayth And againe from fayth to his obiect promises seeme to be adioyned vnto workes we must alwayes run from them vnto the roote and foundation namely vnto faith So Paule in this place when he had sayd Whosoeuer calleth vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued straight way addeth how shall they cal vpon him in whom they haue not beleued So he resolueth the whole matter from inuocation into faith And that we shold not think that faith by his owne power hath any thing whereby it can iustifie he againe passeth from it vnto the obiect saying how shall they beleue without a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent Also faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Wherefore the vttermost point of the resolution is the worde of God and promesse touching Christ from whence as from the fountaine is deriued our saluation and iustification In the .xj. chapter is set forthe the Antithesis betweene incredulitie and faith which serueth very muche to confirme that which we now teache The braunches were broken of that I might be grafted in This was an obiection of the Gentiles against the Iewes Paule answereth thou sayest well
bicause of vnbeliefe they were broken of but thou standest by faith Here is geuen the reason of the fall and destruction of men and on the other side of saluation and constancie namely vnbeliefe faith And of the Iewes which should one day be restored he addeth And if they abide not stil in their vnbeliefe they shal be againe grafted in for God is of might to graft thē in Héere we sée that by departing from vnbelief which consisteth in beleuing Hereby is proued that the restoring of thē that fall cōmeth by faith men that haue fallen are restored This maketh very muche against the error of those which although they after a sort confesse that the first iustification is giuen fréely without any workes going before yet vnto men that haue fallen they graunt not restitution vnto iustification but by satisfactions and many workes preparatory These things haue I gathered out of the Epistle vnto the Romanes now will we in order prosecute the other Epistles In the first Epistle to the Corinthians the first Chapter it is thus written bicause the world in the wisedome of God knew not God by wisedome it pleased God by the folishnesse of preaching to saue them that beleue Bicause the wise men of this world saith the Apostle by their naturall searching out could not take hold of the wisedome of God whereby they might be saued God of his goodnesse hath instituted a contrary way namely the preaching of the Gospell which vnto the flesh séemeth foolishnesse that by it saluation should be geuen vnto men but yet not to all sortes of men but to those only that beléeue Wherfore in the .ij. to the Corinthians the. 1. chapter it is thus written by faith ye stand by which wordes we vnderstand that the foundation wherby we are confirmed and established in the way of saluation is faith Farther Paule to the Galathians the .ij. Chapter where he reproueth Peter for his dissimulation wherby he séemed to lead the Gentiles to obserue the Ceremonies of the Iewes thus speaketh If thou being a Iewe liuest after the maner of the Gentiles and not as doe the Iewes why compellest thou the Gentiles to liue as doe the Iewes For we which are Iewes by nature and not sinners of the Gentiles knowe that a man is not iustified by the workes of the law and we beleue in Christ that we might be iustified by the faith of Christ not by the workes of the law because by the workes of the lawe shall no fleshe be iustified Héere we sée that the Apostles therefore folowed Christ y◠they might be iustified by faith which they could not obtaine by works And afterward the life which I now liue in the flesh I liue by the faith of the sonne of God which is all one as if he should haue said As yet in déede sinne sticketh in my fleshe and in it I cary death about but yet notwithstanding I haue life not through mine owne merite but by the faith of the sonne of God In the .iij. chap. he thus wryteth I would know this of you receiued ye the spirite by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith And straight way he addeth he which ministreth vnto you the spirit in you worketh miracles doth he the same by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith By these words we sée that it is faith and not works wherby we take holde of the gifts of God and he addeth ye know that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham and that vndoubtedly for no other cause but because in beleuing they imitate him Wherfore sayth he the scripture foreseeing that God would iustifie the Gentiles by faith shewed before hande glad tidings vnto Abraham saying in thee shall all nations be blessed This blessyng spred not abrode vnto them bicause they had their beginning of the flesh of Abraham but bicause they followed the steppes of his faith Otherwise of Abraham as touching the fleshe came not as farre as we can read any other nations then the Ismaelites Edomites and Israelites Then foloweth the conclusion Therefore they which are of faith shal be blessed with faithfull Abraham But to be blessed in the Hebrew phrase is nothing else then to receiue the gifts of God amōgst which iustification is the principallest Wherefore it followeth That vnto the Gentiles through Christ might come the promise made vnto Abraham that we might receyue the promise of the holy Ghost through faith We sée therefore that the promise of the holy ghost is not taken hold of by workes as many faine it is which thing euen reason sufficiently declareth For seing the Lord as it shall a litle afterward be declared had by promise geuen this blessing vnto Abraham we must se what is referred vnto the promise as a correlatiue Which as we haue sayd cā be nothing ells but fayth for fayth setteth forth vnto it selfe the promises of God as an obiect Paul furthermore addeth that the scripture concludeth all thinges vnder sinne that the promise by the fayth of Iesus Christ should be geuen to them that beleue Thys is the cause why y◠holy scriptures so diligently shew vnto men how they be guilty of sinnes namely that they should be the more stirred vp to embrase y◠promises of God at the least way by fayth when as they haue not good workes by which they may take hold of them And this vnderstand we by that which is afterward written The law is our schoolemaister vnto Christ that we should be iustified by fayth These wordes signifie nothing els but that y◠law therfore sheweth sinnes setteth forth vnto mē their infirmity and stirreth vp theyr lustes wherby sinnes are more and more encreased that they being thus admonished should returne vnto Christ and might from him thorough fayth receaue righteousnes Which thing they vndoubtedly did of whome it is sayd Ye are all the children of God by the fayth of Iesus Christ For what is it to be the sons of God but to haue now obteyned adoption which we obteine only by regeneration or iustification And in the 4. chapiter Brethern sayth he we are after Isaake children of the promise But to be children of the promise is nothing ells but to beleue those thinges which God promiseth wherby we are made his children according as he hath promised we should be For so was Isaake borne vnto Abraham not by the strength of nature but by the benefit of the promise of God In the 5. chapter he writeth We in the spirite looke for the hope of righteousnes by fayth In this place are two thinges touched the sprite of God whereby we are new facioned and renewed vnto saluation and fayth wherby we apprehēd righteousnes Wherfore in this matter of our iustificatiō although there be in our minds many ther workes of the holy ghost yet none of them except fayth helpe to iustification Therfore the Apostle concludeth Circumcision is
woman vnto whome the Lord thus answered thy faith hath made thee safe signifiyng that he for her fayth sake had forgeuen her her sinnes And that the faith of this woman was very feruent she declared by the effectes in that she loued much in that she kissed his féete in that she washed them with her teares and wiped them with her haire In the Gospel of Iohn the .iij. chapter Christ sayd vnto Nicodemus So God loned the world that he gaue his only begotteÌ„ sonne that he which beleueth in him should not pearish but haue eternall life And in the selfe same Chapter Ihon Baptist thus speaketh of Christ He that beleueth in the sonne hath eternall life but he that beleueth not hath not life but the wrath of God abideth ouer him Out of which place we gather not only that we presently entreat of but also this that they are strangers Here is prâ—ued that they which are straungers from Christ can do no good thyng that may please God from Christ and those which beleue not can doe nothing that may please God and therfore they can not merite of congruitie as they call it and as our aduersaries affirme the grace of God And in the .vj. chapter Christ saith This is the will of him which sent me that he which seeth the sonne and beleueth in him hath eternall life And I sayth he will raise him vp in the last day And when as he had before said No man commeth vnto me vnles my father draw him Also He that hath heard of my father and hath learned commeth vnto me afterward he addeth And he which beleueth in me hath eternal life In the .xj. chapter when Christ should raise vp Lazarus he said vnto Martha He which beleueth in me though he were dead yet shall he liue and he which liueth and beleueth in me shall not die for euer And in the .xvij. chapter this is eternall life that they acknowledge thee the only true God and whome thou haste sent Iesus Christ But this is to be noted that here he speaketh not of a cold knowledge but of a mighty and strong faith Wherefore if it be eternal life then shal it also be iustificatioÌ„ For as we haue before taught wheÌ„ we expounded this sentence of Abacuk the Prophet The iust maÌ„ shall lyue by fayth Iustification and life are so ioyned together that the one is oftentimes taken for the other And in very déede Iustification is nothing els then eternall life now already begonne in vs. And in the. 20. chapiter Those things saith he are written that ye should beleue that Christ is Iesus and that in beleuing ye should haue eternall life In the Actes of the Apostles the 15. chapiter it is thus written by faith purifying their hearts In which place Peter speaketh of the Gentiles that they should not be compelled vnto the works of the lawe of Moses for Christ had without them geuen vnto them the holy Ghost and had by faith made cleane their hearts from sinnes Paule also in his Oration to king Agrippa said that he was called of Christ to be sent vnto the Gentiles which should by his ministery be illuminated and by faith receiue remission of sinnes and lot amongst the saintes And these testimonies hitherto we haue gathered out of the Newe testament But if I should out of the old testament reherse all that which maketh to this purpose I should then be ouer tedious And if there be any of so obstinate a heart that those things which we haue alredy spoken can not vrge them to confesse the truthe neither should it any thing profite suche men if we should bring many testimonies Wherfore a few shall suffice and besides those testimonies which Paule hathe cited out of the. 15. Chapiter of Genesis Abraham beleued God and it was counted vnto him for righteousnesse out of Abacucke The iuste man shall liue by his faith out of Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeueÌ„ out of Esay Euery one that beleueth in him shall not be confounded and a fewe others suche like besides these testimonies I say I will cite the. 53. chapter of Esay wherein Christ is by most expresse wordes painted forth For there he is sayd to haue taken vpon him our sorowes and to haue borne our infirmities to haue geuen his soule a sacrifice for sinne and many such other things which are so plaine that they can be applied vnto none other but only vnto Christ Iesus our sauioure And it is sayde moreouer and by the knowledge of hym shall my righteous seruaunt iustifye many and he shall beare their iniquities These words teache that Christ iustifieth many namely the elect by the science and knowledge of him which knowledge vndoubtedly is nothing else but a true faith And that he in suche sort iustifieth them that he taketh vpon himselfe and beareth their iniquities And Ieremy in the. 15. chapter wryteth O God haue not thine eyes a regarde vnto faith vndoubtedly they haue As if he should haue said Although thou séest al things and there is nothing pertaining vnto man hidden from thée yet hast thou chiefly a regarde vnto faith as vnto the roote and foundation of all good actions And as touching the oracles of the scriptures this shall suffice Now will I answere vnto such obiections which are commonly brought agaynst this second proposition And we will heginne first with Pigghius because our aduersaries count him for their Achilles or chief champion and thinke that he only by his subtil sharp wit hath persed euen into the inward misteries of the truth And this man vseth this cauillation we are not iustified by that from which this iustification may be seperated For it is not possible that the causes should be pulled away or seperated from their effects But faith is seperated from iustification for many that beleue do notwithstanding liue most filthely so farre is it of Whether iustification may be seperated from faith that they should be iustified But because he thinketh that this may be denied he bringeth a reason to proue that it is not against the nature and definition of faith but that iustification may be seperated from it And he maketh an obiection out of the 13. chapiter of the epistle to the Corrinthyans If I haue all fayth so that I can remoue mountaynes and haue not charity I am nothing By these words he concludeth that faith may be seperated from charity and therefore from all good works He citeth this also out of Mathew many shall come in that day and shall say Lorde in thy name we haue prophesied and haue cast out deuils and haue wrought signes But vnto them shall answere bee made I know you not These signes sayth Pigghius can not be done without fayth wherefore seing that they are shut forth from the kingdome of heauen which yet do these things it is cleare that they were not iustified Wherefore in them faith was seperated from righteousnes But this he
thinketh is much more plainly confirmed by Iohn For he saith that many rulers of the priestes beleued in Christ whiche yet durst not openly professe hym But they which abhorre from the confession of the name of Christ ar farre from saluation For Christ himselfe sayth he that is ashamed of me before men of hym will I be ashamed before my father These arguments although at the first sight they séeme to haue some shew yet if a man more narrowly examine them he shall sée that The iudgement of Epictetus touching hys own bokes A similitude that very wel agréeth with them whiche Epictetus pronounceth of his bookes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is these are but sights or ghosts of the dreames of hell Wherefore we must diligently ponder these reasons and not iudge of them by the first sight And euen as in coynes of mony we vse not so much to haue a regard vnto the inscriptions or Images as to the goodnes and waight of the matter so also in arguments ought we to weigh and regard not so much the shew and coulour of them as the thing it selfe and the strength of them We first deny that fayth can be seperated from iustification And whereas Pigghius sayth that that is not repugnaunt vnto the nature and definition of fayth we in no wise admit it For agaynst that sentence are all the holy scriptures and the true sense of the definition of fayth and also the fathers For as touching the scriptures Iohn saith he that beleueth that Iesus is Christ the sonne of God is borne of God And he which is borne of God sinneth not For so long as faith beareth sway in our hart we commit not those sinnes which destroy the conscience and alienate vs from God How theÌ„ sayth Pigghius that it is not agaynst the nature of fayth to be seperated from iustification and from good workes especially seing Iohn sayth he which sinneth knoweth not God This thing also saw the fathers For Ciprian de Simplicitate Prelatorum where he complayneth of the infelicity of his tyme for that charity feare good workes and such like things were waxen very cold thus writeth No man thinketh vpon the feare of things to come no man considereth the day of the Lord and the wrath of God and that vpon the vnbeleuers shall come punishments and that euerlasting tormeÌ„ts are appointed for the vnfaythfull Of which things our conscience would be aferd if it beleued because it beleueth not therfore is it vtterly without feare but if it beleued then also would it beware and if it did beware then also shoulde it eschape These words declare that with true fayth is ioyned the feare of God and the eschewing of eternal punishments and auoyding of sinnes Now let Piggbius go say that true faith can be seperated from holy motions of the mind and from good workes This self same thing together doth Ierome with Ciprian affirme agaynst the Luciferians And if sayth he I beleued truely I would clense that hart wherewith God is sene I would with my hands knock my brest I would with teares water my chekes I would in my body haue a horror I would in mouth waxe pale I would lye at the feete of my Lord and would washe them wyth weeping and wipe them with my heares I would vndoubtedly cleue fast vnto the stocke of the crosse neither would I let go my hold thereof before I had obtayned mercy Hereby also it is manifest that with true faith The definition of faith declareth that it can not be separated from iustificatioÌ„ A similitude are ioyned good workes and repentaunce But as touching the definition and nature of fayth it may easely be proued that it can not be seperated from iustification and from good workes that is from his effects For fayth is no common but a firme and vehement assent and that proceding from the holy ghost And if in case a poore miser being condemned to â—y should receaue a promise only at the hand of a maÌ„ that he should be deliuered and should geue credit vnto those words straight way his mynde would wholy be chaunged to mirth and would begin to loue him that promised hym such things and would pleasure him in what thing so euer lay in his power How much more is to be attributed vnto the true faith which is geuen vnto the word of God and is inspired by the spirit of God Wherfore if that human fayth do draw with it wonderfull motions of the mynd how can we say that the true and Christian fayth is naked without good works and destitute alone Wherefore we now playnly sée both by the holy scriptures and by the Fathers and by the definition and nature of fayth that it can not be seperated from righteousnes and from holy workes Now let vs come vnto Paul He sayth If I haue all fayth c. But how knoweth Pighius that Paul there speaketh of that generall fayth which cleaueth vnto the promises of God and iustifieth and not rather of a perticular fath wherby are wrought miracles and which is a fre or gracious gift of the holy ghost This faith is not applied vnto all thinges which are found in the holy scriptures but only is a certayne vehement confidence wherby we certaynly beleue that God will doo this miracle or that miracle Of this sayth Chrisostome interpreteth Paul in thys The fayth of doctrine the faith of miracles â–ª place And to the end of this distinction either part should haue a distinct name the one calleth the fayth of doctrine the other the fayth of signes And vnto this latter fayth Chrisostome applieth those wordes If ye haue of fayth as a grayne of mustard seede and shall say vnto this mountayne Get thee hence and hurle thy selfe into the sea it shal be done Neyther vndoubtedly can it be denied but that there is such a kind of fayth For Paul in the 12. chapter of the first epistle vnto the Corrinthians wheÌ„ he reherseth vp the frée gifts which the holy ghost distributeth vnto euery man as it pleaseth him thus writeth Vnto one is by the spirite geuen the word of wisedome and to an other the word of knowledge by the same spirite and vnto an other is geueÌ„ faith by the same spirit and vnto an other the gifts of healing by the same spirit Here we sée that amongst the frée gifts of the holy ghost is reckoned fayth and that in the third place bicause Paul spake not there of the generall fayth wherby we are iustified And if we diligently peyse thinges we shall sée that Paul kepeth the selfe same order in the 13. chapter of the first to the Corrinthians For as here in the first place he putteth the woord of wisedome so there he putteth prophesieng and as here in the second place he putteth knowledge so there also in the selfe same place he putteth knowledge and as here so also there he putteth faith in the third
Pighius when thou she west me one which being not yet regenerate by his owne strengths repenteth him of all his iniquities obserueth al the commaundements of God we wil say that he is iustified by his works But when will this ship ariue wherfore let him cease to boast of the words of the law For those words what so euer they be whether they pertaine vnto promises or vnto proceptes we will after this maner interprete But he saith moreouer that Christ also sayd He that dothe the will of my father shall enter into the kingdome of heauen But the Lord saide not saith he He which beleueth Yea but I say that in an other place he did and maketh no mention of any worke For this saithe he is the will of my father that he which seeth the sonne and beleueth in him haue eternall life Let not Pighius then from henceforth deny that the Lord euer spake this But that no man should thinke that the scriptures speake things contrary I answere that these two sentences are not repugnant but agrée very well together Pighius by the will of the father vnderstandeth a great heape of good workes But Christ saith this is the work of God that ye beleue And after this action of beleuing follow many other good workes Wherefore the holy scriptures are not repugnant one to the other And Pighius argument is left weake and of no efficacie But bicause Pighius séeth himselfe vrged with the word of God for that so oftentimes is red in the holy scriptures that man is iustified by faith He saith that that is to be vnderstande of a liuely and strong faith which hathe ioyned with it other vertues As thoughe forsothe we euer spake of any other faith If he speake this from the heart he beleueth the self same thing that we beleue Wherfore lay aside the contention and the controuersie being ended let vs all agrée in one But Pighius cannot abide that this agréement should take place For afterward when he expoundeth how we are iustified fréely he saith that that is nothing else but that God will fréely impute vnto vs vnto righteousnesse the works of faith hope and charitie What haue we héere to do Doubtlesse it séemeth vnto me that this man doth not with a sound iudgment read the scriptures but doth with a corrupt affection wrest them at his pleasure For where workes are Paule denyeth that there is any frée imputation for these two are repugnaÌ„t one to the other Wherfore in that Pighius goeth about to ioyne them together doeth he not séeme most manifestly to be against the Apostle Thus muche of Pighius vnto whome our Smith the eight wise man of Gréece and the first wise man of Englande adioyneth himselfe a companion as Theseus did vnto Hercules But in very déede hâ— bringeth nothing else but that which he hath drawne out of the sinks of this man and other suche like First he saith that faith is not touching remission of sinnes and therefore we fondly faine that iustification is had by it For the faith saith he wherby Christians are discerned from no Christians is in Iesus Christ Which thing also as though it made much to the purpose he goeth about to proue by yâ— holy scriptures and by a testimony of Ierome But I would haue this man to answere me if euer he learned the Hebrew tongue what is the signification of this name Iesus Vndoubtedly amongst all the Hebrewes this word Iaschag signifieth to saue wherefore Iesus may in Latine rightly be turned Seruator that is a sauior But if which thing I thinke true he be ignorant of the Hebrew tongue yet he ought at yâ— least to haue beleued the Angel which so interpreted that name Thou shalt call his name saith he Iesus for he shall saue his people from their sinnes How then can faith be in Christ Iesus vnlesse it be also touching the remission of sinnes through Christ Afterward he is not aferd to cite that also out of the Epistle of Peter Charitie couereth a multitude of sinnes Behold saith he forgeuenes of sinnes is here ascribed not vnto fayth but vnto charitie He that will haue a mete axe to cutt those knots a soâ—der let him attentiuely consider the holy scriptures and diligently sée from whence those places which are cited in the new testament are taken out of the old This sentence of Peter is had in a maner out of the 10. chap. of the Prouerbs For there it is thus written Hatred stirreth vp rebukes For whome a man hateth he vncouereth and publisheth abroad his faultes as much as in him lieth But contrariwise Charitie hideth and couereth the sinnes of his brother For they which truly loue one an other are wont to defend one and other and to couer one an others faults so much as they se by conscience they may And this is a most true sentence of Salomon Wherfore Peter going about to exhort Christians vnto Charity wisely and aptly borowed this sentence out of Salomon But Smith not vnderstanding nor considering this thinketh that Peter thought that remission of sinnes is gotten by Charity But he is most fowly deceaued as oftentimes he is wont to be But leauing these men aside let vs this remember that if any time the Fathers seme to attribute righteousnes vnto workes the same is not to be vnderstand of that righteousnes which God fréely imputeth vnto vs thorough Christ but of yâ— inward righteousnes cleauing vnto vs which we continually get and confirme by vpright life Or if those thinges which they speake doo manifestly pertayne vnto the righteousnes imputed that is vnto the remission of sinnes we must alwayes as we haue before taught run vnto the foundacion of good workes namely vnto a liuely fayth in Christ Which rules and such like if our aduersary would consider they would neuer so impudently obstinately defend so manifest lyes Although if I should speake any thing touching Pighius forasmuch as I sée that he is nether of dul wit nor vnlearned I can not say that he in earnest and from the hart wrot touching this matter but when he had once taken the matter in hand he counted these thinges for pastime and pleasure But now to prosecute that order which I haue appoynted let vs come vnto the Fathers and sée how muche they make on our side And vndoubtedly for thys matter shall we not nede any great nomber of testimonies For euen as to vnderstand of what tast the water of the sea is it is not nedeful yâ— a man drinke vp the whole sea so to vnderstand what the Fathers thinke touching this we shall not nede to go thorough all theyr sayings Ireneus a most auncient author in his 4. booke and 30. chapter agaynst Valentine writeth somewhat touching this matter although briefly And I suppose that he for this cause wrote so briefely of it for that this truth was in those first times so confessed and certayne that it was not of any
be present they are profitable vnto iustification But this is worthy to be laughed at For we haue before most playnly taught that all workes which are doone before iustification are sinnes So far is it of that they can serue any thing vnto iustification And if they should by any meanes profite vnto iustification our glorieng should then not be excluded For we might glory that we had doone those thinges by whose helpe and ayd we were iustified But of this sayth he we can not boast for that they were done by a certayne grace of God preuenting But this is chiefly to be marked that these men attribute a great part of such works vnto frée will And therfore in yâ— be halfe at the least we may glory Neither also shall yâ— be true which the Apostle sayth what hast thou that thou hast receaued And agayne why dost thou boast as though thou hadst not receaued Here some of theÌ„ answer yâ— we can not glory of this liberty of will for that we haue it not of our owne For it is God which hath endued vs with this faculty and gaue vs frée will when he created vs. But this is not sufficient The Pelagians fâ—ed vnto the common grace of creation to take away boasting First for that this were to fly vnto the coÌ„mon grace of creation which thing the Pelagians did and by that meanes should at the lest may be left vnto vs a good vse of frée will of which we might glory For although we haue the same of God by creation yet the right vse thereof is ours namely to assent vnto God when he calleth vs and to apply our selues vnto good workes which of God are set forth vnto vs. And therefore vtterly to take away all glorying it is nedeful yâ— we continually haue this in our mynde which Auguctine hath admonyshed vs of in his booke de spiritu Litera the 24. chapiter That not onely the wyll and election of well doyng is of God because by creatioÌ„ he hath geuen choyce free wyll but also because by the perswasion of thynges sene he hath made vs both to wyll and to beleue and that not onely by the outward preaching of the Gospell but also by inward perswasion For he doth not onely stirre vp the hart but also perswadeth draweth and boweth it to beleue I graunt indéede that it is the office of the will to will and to embrace that which God offreth for we do not will by vnderstanding or by memory but by will And yet for all that I doubt not but that it is God which maketh vs to wil and to follow good things Farther our aduersaries think that although workes concurre vnto iustification yet is that notwithstanding true which the holy scriptures teach namely that we iustified fréely Because say they those workes are geuen of God and are done of grace If this refuge mought helpe then had not Paul done well when he tooke away from ceremoniall works the power of iustifiyng For a Iew might say Our fathers which in the old tyme were circumcised and performed other obseruations of the law did not the same by their owne naturall strengthes but by the grace of God both helping them and stirring them vp thereunto Wherefore if other workes which were commaunded in the lawe coulde profite vnto iustification to merite it as ye speake of congruity why coulde not ceremoniall workes do â–ª the same Neither will this any thing helpe to say that Paul taketh not away from them the power iustifiyng but onely after the comming of Christ For he manifestly speaketh of Abraham which was iustified by fayth and not by circumcision and vseth a testimony of Dauid of whome it is most certayne that he liued vnder the lawe But whereas this man sayth that charity and hope can not be excluded I would gladly know of hym whether the workes of these vertues be iust or no. I know he will graunt that they are iust What will he then answere vnto Paul who vnto Titus sayth Not by the workes of righteousnes which we haue done But I know these meÌ„s fond deuises They answere that such workes also are excluded if they be done by the law and by frée will without grace But what nedeth to exclude that which can A strong reason to proue that faith onely iuâ—tifieth not be For who will either loue God or hope in him without grace Farther in what maner so euer they be done they can not serue to iustification for we are iustified by grace as it playnly appeareth by the holy scriptures But betwene grace and workes is so great contrariety that Paul sayth If of grace then is it not now of workes and if of workes then is it not of grace Neither ought these men to be so much displeased for yâ— we vse this word Only For we necessarily conclude it of that which Paul sayth First that we are iustified by fayth and afterward addeth without workes How aptly we thus conclude I will declare by a similitude in the 6. chapiter of Deutronomy if we follow the truth of the Hebrew it is thus written Thou shalt feare the Lord God and hym thou shalt serue Here as thou séest wanteth this particle Only yet because there followeth Thou shalt not go after straunge Gods The seuenty interpreters haue thus turned that place Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and hym onely shalt thou worship These men of the first proposition being affirmatiue that God is to be worshipped and of the other beyng negatiue that straunge Gods are not to be worshipped concluded that God onely is to be serued Whose authority should not be of so great waight with me but that Christ himselfe hath cited that place in that sort For thus he rebuked the deuill Depart from me Sathan for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and hym only shalt thou serue Here we sée that to disproue the worshipping which is geuen vnto a creature this particle only is necessary which although it be not had in the Hebrew yet is it necessarily gathered out of it Now when as we also after this maner reason why should these men so much be offended Let them consider that the best and the most auncieÌ„st Fathers abhorred not from this word It is a thing ridiculous to sée with how colde toyes and poore shifts Smith goeth about to The fathers vsed this worde Onely resist them First he sayth that they ment nothing els but to represse men that they should not waxe insoleÌ„t But let Smith in one word according to his good wisdome aunswere me whether the Fathers spake this truely or falsely If they spake it truely then make they on our side and why doth this man so much impugne it But if falsely this good end nothing helpeth theÌ„ to represse the insolency of men For euen as euill is not to be committed that good may ensew so false doctrine is not to be affirmed to ouerthrow other
peraduenture séeme straunge vnto some as sayth Origen that the Apostle when as in the spirite of God he know that he should come to Rome wold yet notwithstanding implore those mennes prayers This in my iudgement no man shoulde call in question But we should rather learne that holy men althoughe they certainly know that God will geue vnto them whatsoeuer is expedient yet they also knowe that he will oftentimes geue it them throughe the prayers of his The We pray for those thinges which we know shal be geuen vnto vs. Lord also knew that the father would deliuer vnto him all things yet notwithstanding he continually prayed vnto him and so prayed that he sayde Father into thine hands I commend my spirite And as he knewe that his spirite should without all doubt be receiued of God so doubted he not but that the same was to be obtayned by his prayers Moreouer by those wordes we gather that the force of prayers consisteth not of our workes and merites For Paul so greate an Apostle desireth Prayers consist not of the worthines of them that pray to be holpen by theyr prayers who were far inferior vnto him although Ambrose sayth that many little ones if they be gathered together into one make great ones This saying I mislike not for Christ sayd where so euer shall be two or three gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Againe touching what thing so euer two or three shall agree together it shal be done vnto them as they desire And how much the prayers of the Church profited it is plainly declared in Peter For he was deliuered by the Angel when as continual prayer was made for him And seing now that publique prayers are so profitable they ought without all doubte most often How we ought to praâ— for other to be celebrated Wherfore godly men so often as they are either sicke or are in any great daunger ought to require the publike prayers of the Churche and afterwarde when they haue obtained theyr request they ought also to require yâ— church publikely to geue thanks to God for theyr sakes That ye helpe me in my busines In Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This doubtles is more then to helpe a man in his busines For that word signifieth properly a man to take vpon him one and the selfe same labor one and the selfe same trauail one and the self same striuing and conflicte with him for whome he prayeth And by this phrase of speache Paul doubtles instructeth vs with what affecte we ought to pray for others that is to transfer vpon our selues as much as is possible the miseries afflictions and sorowes of him for whome we pray That he vvould deliuer me from the vnbeleuers in Iury. The first thing that he desireth them to pray for him is that he might be deliuered from the vnbeleuing Iewes whome he knewe deadly hated him For they although they wished that all the Christians might vtterly be destroyed yet they hated Paule aboue all others for that no man more vehemently then he vrged that the ceremonyes oâ— Why Paâ—â— was aboâ—â—â— all the other Apostles odious to the Iewes Moses should be taken away And in this iorney as it is set forthe in the â–ª 2â— and â–ª 21. chapiters of the Actes Agabus and other Prophets foretolde vnto him greuous chaunces which should happen vnto him at Ierusalem wherefore both by that history and by this prayer it is manifest that the minde of Paul was troubled with no small perplexity Which perplexity yet God so restrained within certaine limites that it nothing letted him from the worke of the Lord For the Apostolical history most plainely testifieth that he most constantly answered vnto the Prophets and brethren which dissuaded him from this iorney I count not my soule and life so precious sayd he that I will delay to runne my course and to fulfil my ministery which the Lord Iesus Christ hath deliuered vnto me And I am redy sayd he not only to be bound but also to dye for our Lord Jesus Christes sake Wherefore Paule was not afeard to die but he therefore desired to be deliuered that he might minister vnto the saintes and that he might come to Rome and so goe into Spaine For it had bene muche better for Paul to haue died then so to haue bene vexed with perpetuall contumelies and to liue as one layd forth to all iniuries This he himselfe signifieth to the Phillippians saying To dye is to me a gaine How be it to abide in the fleshe is profitable for your sakes and I hope that I shall abide Paule after this manner maketh request to the Romaines not in dede for his owne commoditye but for theirs And doubtles if they had a desire to sée Paul it was theyr parts withal maner of prayers earnestly to contend that according to his desire he might be deliuered from the vnbeleuing Iewes And that this my ministery vvhich I haue to doe at Ierusalem may be acceptable to the saintes The other parte of his request is that the saintes might gently The sâ—ate of the godly is miserable as touching this world accept his trauaile and paines The condition and state of the godly is doubtles miserable as touching this world They take most grieuous paines for the saluation of others not only to prouide for theyr soules but also for theyr bodyes And yet oftentimes they doubt whether they shall be well accepted of them whome they séeke to profit Neither dothe Paul without cause suspect that this might happen also as touching them which fauoured Christ For in those first times there was in the Churche of Ierusalem a certaine great zeale to obserue the law From which when they hearde that Paule was fallen away they bare but small good Some of the Iewes that were Christians bare no great good effection towardes â–ª Paul wil towards him Wherfore Paul feared least his duety towards them shold haue bene reiected and least he should haue bene frustrated of that consent agrement which he saw was nedeful for him to the preaching of the gospell Wherefore the preachers of our time ought to comforte themselues if they sée that theyr paynes which they take in teaching are not accepted of the people Neyther ought they which faythfully handle the distribution of almes to be grieued if they can not please all men Christ himselfe the more paynes he tooke for our sakes so much the more incurred he the displeasure of the Iewes Wherfore it ought not to seme vnto vs any great iniury if we be coÌ„pelled to suffer yâ— which we se he hath suffred What is to be sâ—ne vnto in geuyng of almes Hereby also let vs vnderstand that we ought not only to helpe the poore but also we must haue a care that our oblations may be acceptable and pleasant vnto theÌ„ which thing they litle consider which when they geue any thing geue it with
thinges worke to good as though foreknowledge and predestination whereof he afterwarde maketh mencion should depende of that sentence And to this purpose A place of Salomon they cite this sentence out of the Prouerbes of Salomon Those that loue me I loue Neither cōsider they as we haue said y◠Paul in this place entēdeth to declare who they are vnto whō it is geuen to loue God and to haue all thinges to worke vnto them to good And those he saith are they which are by the predestination of God elected And as touching Salomon we also confesse that those whiche loue God are againe loued of him But this is now in question whether the loue of God whereby he embraceth vs do spring of our loue or no. This thinge doth Iohn by expresse wordes decalre in his Epistle Not saith he for that we haue loued him He hath The loue of God springeth not of our loue but contrariwise first loued vs. The second thing that we gather of these wordes of Paul is that the predestinatiō of God if it be of this force to confirme vs touching the good wil and loue of God towardes vs can not depende of our woorkes For our woorkes are both weake and of moste sclender righteousnes Farther this is to be considered that Paul kept not in silence those causes which might be geuen for he expressedly putteth the ende namely that the mercy and iustice of God might be made manifest But when he commeth to the efficient cause he will haue vs so fully to stay our selues on the will of God that he compareth God to a potter and vs to clay In which comparison he declareth that there is nothing whiche oughte farther to be enquired of I know that the aduersaries say that that comparison is brought onely Of the comparison of God to the potter to suppresse the malepertnes of the demaunder not that the matter is on either behalfe in very déede so For God electeth men by workes foreséene But if it so be how then by this similitude shall the mouth of the murmurers be stopped For they will saye if the iustice of God requyre thys that election be of woorkes soreséene what needed Paul to saye Before they had done eyther good or euill it was sayde The elder shall serue the younger Iacob haue I loued and Esau haue I hated Agayne Not of woorkes but of hym that calleth that election mighte abide firme accordinge to purpose And why is this similitude of the potter brought when as the thinge it selfe is farre otherwyse and neyther doth God as a potter do all thynges as pleaseth hym neyther are we as clay vtterly without difference doubtles by this reason of these men the malepert demaunder is not repressed yea rather there is offred an occasion of caueling for that the similitude which is brought serueth not to the purpose There is also an other sentence of Paul vnto the Ephesians wherby is strongly confirmed this our sentence For whē he had said that we are predestinated according to the purpose of God he added God worketh according to his will not accordyng to oures By the power whereof he worketh all thinges according to the counsell of hys wyll But if it were so as these men imagine God should not worke all things according to his will but according to the will of an other For as we should order our works so should he moderate his election and that is to be led by an other mans wil and not by his own This self thing testifieth Paul to the Corrinthians saying God hath chosen the foolishe weake and vile thinges of thys world to confound the wise mighty and noble men Looke brethren saith he vpon your vocation not many wyse men not many mighty men not many noble men are called And in the selfe same epistle when he had described the former estate of the elect had reckoned vp a great many greuous sinnes at the length he added And these thinges were ye but ye are washed but ye are sanctified And vnto the Ephesians Ye were saith he once with out God without hope in the world These things proue that the vocation and predestination of God depend not of our merites But as Augustine writeth vnto Simplicianus God ouerhippeth many philosophers men of sharpewit of notable learning he hath also ouerhipped many which if a man haue a respect vnto ciuill maners were innocentes and of a good vertuous life Neither doubtles is this to be meruailed at For if God to this ende predestinateth to make manifest the riches of his mercy that is sooner accomplished if he bring to saluation The mercy of God is more declared if we be predestinated frely then if of workes those which both more resist and by reason of their desertes of life are more stranger from it then if he should elect those whom humane reason may iudge to be more mete Hereof it came that Christ gathered the flocke of his disciples out of sinners publicanes and vile men neither disdained he to call vnto hym thieues and harlots In all which men what consideration I besech you was there to be had vnto merites Paul also writeth vnto the Corrinthyans We preach Christ crucified vnto the Iewes in dede an offence and vnto the Grekes foolishenes but to them that are called both Iewes and Gentiles Christ the power of God and wisdome of God We see also in this place wherehence the Apostle seeketh the difference when he affirmeth that some thinke well of Christ preached and some ill For The difference of the beleuers of the vnbeleuers ▪ dependeth of vocation God said that he would deliuer his people not for their works but for his name sake The Iews were not of God preferred before the Gentles for their workes all this he saith commeth wholy of vocation For he sayth But vnto the called as if he should haue said They which are not called haue Christ for an offence and for foolishenes But they which are called do both follow him and also embrace him for the power and wisdome of God In the prophets also when God promiseth that he will deliuer his people he sayth not that he will do it for their workes or merites sake but I wil do it saith he for my names sake From this reason Paul departeth not For he sheweth that God by predestinatiō will make open the riches of his glory that all men might know how litle the Iewes had deserued this election of God that other nations being ouerhipped they alone should be counted for the people of God Which thing Steuen expresseth in the Actes of the Apostles when he saith That they had euer resisted God and had bene alwayes stiffe necked What good workes then did God see in them to preferre that nation aboue all other nations Ezechiell notably describeth howe GOD looked vpon the people of the Iewes at the beginning namely as vpon a maiden naked and on
euery side defiled and filthyly wrapped in bloud I passed by sayth the Lord and when I saw thee in that case I had compassion of thee Farther let vs remember what is the scope of the Apostle in this epistle For if we will iudge vprightly of controuersies we must not cast our eye of frō the scope This was the scope of the Apostle by all maner of meanes to commend the grace of Christ And to this purpose can nothing more be a let then to affirme that the predestination of God that is the head and fountaine of grace commeth of the workes of men And if it be counted a fault in orators if in their oration they paraduenture inculcate things which should much hinder the cause which they toke in hand how can we suspect that the holy ghost presisted not in that which he began but speaketh thinges strange from that which he purposed Neither doubtles can there be any other reason geuen of the members then of the hed which is Christ Iesus Seing therefore that no man can doubt but that the sonne of God tooke vpon him humane nature freely For if the question should The son of God toke vpō him frely humane nature be asked why he rather tooke vpon him man of the virgen Mary then any other man there can no reason be geuen but for that it so pleased him For as tooching wookes any other man borne of an other virgen mought haue had them no les then he which was borne of Mary For whosoeuer had had the diuinity as Christ had he should doubtles haue done the selfe same workes which Christ did Seing therfore that that humanity was taken of the son of God fréely of the pure mere mercy of God euen after the self same maner whosoeuer are the members of Christ are elected fréely and without any merites of workes Finally all those reasons which proue that iustification consisteth not of workes the same As iustification is not of workes ▪ so neither also is predestination Christ and his death is the first effect of predestination Christ as touchyng his humane nature and death ▪ is not the cause of predestination also proue that predestination dependeth not of workes Now resteth to declare whether Christ and his death may be sayd to be the cause of predestination Here we answere that Christ and his death is the first and principall effect of predestination for amongst those thinges which are of God geuen vnto the elect is Christ himselfe and the fruit of his death For whatsoeuer is geuen vnto vs is deriued vnto vs from God by this way and as it were through this pipe And forasmuch as it is certaine that the effects of predestination may so be compared together that one may be the cause of the other but vnto none of them agréeth to be the beginning of predestination therefore we deny that Christ as touching his humanity or death is the cause of our predestination although he be the beginning and cause of all good thinges which come vnto vs by the purpose of God I know that there haue bene some which haue gone about to conciliate the sentences of the fathers with this most true doctrine which we haue now by many reasons proued For they say that the fathers when they write that predestination is of workes foresene by the name of predestination do not vnderstand the worke or action of God whereby he electeth or predestinateth any man ▪ but rather the end and certaine meanes for as touching them nothing can let but that workes may be causes Sentences of many of the fathers agree not fully with this doctrine For it is without all doubt certayne that the last damnation commeth of workes as of the cause and good workes spring of fayth as of their beginning I sée in dede that the entent of these men is not to be discommended which labour to apply the sentences of the fathers vnto the truth as much as is possible But yet that which they auouch I can not affirme to be true For there are certaine sentences of the fathers so hard that they can by no meanes be drawen to this meaning For they to defend the liberty of our will will not haue all thinges to depend of the predestination of God And of purpose say that all whole is not of God It is not true that they say all whole is not of God It is not true also that God electeth because of faith foresene but somewhat also is required of vs. And they expressedly write that God electeth some for that he foresaw that they should beleue They haue also here and there many other such like sayinges so that I by no meanes can sée how their sentences can agrée with our doctrine in this point Howbeit Augustine fully agreeth with it Ierome also disagréeth not from it although oftentimes in many places he agrée with Origen and others But against the Pelagians he highly commendeth the sentence of Augustine touching this matter and excedingly alloweth his writinges against this heresy Seing therefore that Augustine oftentimes vsed thys argument against the Pelagians it must nedes be that the same very well pleased Ierome now being olde Ciprian also as we haue before sayd manifestly writeth that there is nothing which is ours Wherefore it followeth of necessity that all whole is of God But howsoeuer it be there is no nede that we should at this present much reason touching the fathers For when I interpretated the text it selfe I aboundantly spake of them as the opportunity of the place serued As in all other things which pertayne vnto faith so also in this question we must geue We must geue sentence according to the scriptures not according to the fathers sentence according to y◠scriptures and not according to the fathers And this self thing euē the fathers thēselues required at our hands Which I thinke we to our ability haue performed in alleadging of reasons Amongst the latter writers Pigghius being forced by the vehemency of the scriptures graunteth vnto vs that works are not causes of predestination for he cōfesseth that it consisteth fréely and of the mere mercy of God with a respect yet saith he vnto works which thing I suppose he sayd least he should séeme in vaine to haue with so many words contended But if predestination be frée and do depend of the mere goodnes and mercy If election be free why is there added a respect vnto works of God as the scriptures testifie why durst this man of his owne hed imagine this new respect of works For the holy scripture and especially Paul vtterly excludeth workes from this matter But Pigghius the more to bewray that his vile desire of contending bringeth certaine arguments which make vtterly nothing at all to the matter That saith he which as touching election happened in the blessed virgen the mother of God ought in others also to take place but she