poore sillie Lazarus For Lazarus though he was the friende of God did notwithstanding die for want of foode The other though he was Gods enimie did spend his life in deintie fare and pleasures and felt none ill But hearken after this life what their iudgement was Abraham saith to the riche glutton My sonne remember that thou in thy life time receiuedst thy good and Lazarus likewise receiued euill but nowe he reioyceth and thou art tormented Therefore if the godly bee at any time afflicted in this present life they shal be abundantly rewarded for it in the life to come But if the wicked be spared in this worlde they are more grieuously punished in the world to come For God is iust rewardeth euery man accordinge to his merite If hereafter therefore thou shalte chaunce to sée the wicked liue in prosperitie thinke not thou by and by that God is vniust suppose not that his power is abated and say not that he sleepeth séeth them not For that saying of the Prophet which is also vsed by the Apostle Peter is assuredly true The eyes of the Lord are vpon the iust and his eares open vnto their prayers Againe The eyes of the Lorde are vppon them that do wickednesse Wee must in suche a case fortifie our mindes with the iust examples of Gods iudgementes gathered together out of the holy Scriptures Let vs consider that the world was destroyed with the generall deluge when God had in vaine a longe time looked after repentaunce Let vs remember that Sodom Gomorrha and the cities adiacent thereaboute were burnt with fire sent down from heauen Let vs thinke vppon Aegypt howe it was stricken with diuers plagues and the inhabitantes drowned in the redde sea Let vs call to minde the thinges that happened by the holie and iust iudgement of God to the Amorrhites the Chanaanites the Amalechites the verie Israelits first vnder their Iudges then vnder their Kinges Their measure at last was fully filled Neither did they at anye time despise God and his worde but were at the last payde home for their labour They neuer sinned went scotfâ—â—e long The historie of Paulus Orosius yea the vniuersall historie of all the world doe minister vnto vs inumerable examples like vnto these declaring the certeintie of Gods iudgement Let vs thinke that God doeth not therefore allowe of sinnes beecause he is slacke in punishing them but let vs persuade our selues that he by the prolonging of punishment doth of his vnmeasurable goodnesse both looke and staye for the repentaunce conuersion of miserable sinners For in the Gospell the Lord biddeth not to cutt down the barren figg trée because hee looked to see if it woulde bring any fruite the next yere following The Apostle Paule saith Despisest thou the riches of his goodnesse and patience and long sufferaunce not knowing that the goodnesse of God leadeth thee to repentance But thou after thy stubbornesse and heart that cannot repent heapest vnto thy selfe wrath against the day of wrath and declaration of the righteous iudgement of God which wil rewarde euery man accordinge to his deedes to them which by continuing in wel-doing seeke for glorie and honour and immortalitie eternall life But vnto them that are contentious and doe not obey the trueth but obey vnrighteousnesse shall come indignation and wrath tribulation and anguish vppon euery soule of man that doth euil This I saye let vs firmely holde with this let vs content our selues not grudging to sée the wicked liue long in prosperitie without paine or punishment The holie iust wise and mightie God knoweth best what to doe howe to doe why and when to doe euery thing conueniently To him bee glorie for euer and euer Amen To this belongeth also that God doeth as well afflicte the good as the badd Touchinge which I spake at large in the thirde Sermon of this thirde Decade Nowe here therefore some there are which demaunde why God doth with diuers punishements persecute those sinnes whiche he hath alreadie forgiuen to men For he forgaue Adam his sinne and yet he layde on him both death and innumerable calamities of this life beside To Dauid we read that the Prophet Nathan saide The Lorde hath taken thy sinne away and yet immediately after the same Prophet addeth The sworde shall not departe from thy house To this wee aunswere simply that these plagues which are layde on vs beefore the remission of our sinnes are the punishmentes due to our sinnes but that after the remission of our sinnes they are conflictes and exercises wherewith the faithfull doe not make satisfaction for their sinnes which are alreadie remitted by Grace in the death of the sonne of God but wherewith they are humbled and kept in their duetie hauing an occasion giuen of the greater glorie And here I wil not sticke to recite vnto you dearely beloued Saincte Augustines iudgement touching this matter in his seconde booke De peccatorum meritis et remissione Chap. 33. 34. where he sayth Thinges the guilt wherof God absolueth or remitteth to the ende that after this life they should doe no harme and yet he suffereth them to abide vnto the conflict of faith that by them men may be instructed and exercised profiting in the conflict of righteousnesse c. And presently after Before forgiuenesse they are the punishments of sinners but after remission they are the conflictes and exercises of iust men And againe after a fewe wordes more he faith The flesh which was first made was not the flesh of sinne wherein maÌ„ would not kéepe righteousnes among the pleasures of paradise Wherfore God ordeined that after his sinne the flesh of sinne being increased shoulde indeuour with paines and labours to recouer righteousnesse againe And for that cause Adam being cast out of Paradise dwelt ouer against Eden that is against the place of pleasures which was a signe that with labours whiche are contrarie to pleasure the fleshe of sinne was then to be invred which being in pleasures kepte not obedience before it was the flesh of sinne Therefore euen as those oure first parentes by liuing iustly afterward whereby they are rightly thought to be by the bloud of Christe deliuered from vtter punishment deserued not yet in that life to be called backe againe into Paradise so also the fleshe of sinne although when sinnes are forgiuen a man liue righteously in it doth not presently deserue not to suffer that death which it drew from the propagation of sinne Such a like thing is insinuated to vs in the booke of the Kings concerning the patriarche Dauid to whome when the prophet was sent and had threatened vnto him the euils that shoulde come vppon him through the anger of God bicause of the sinne which he had committed by the confession of the sinne he deserued forgiuenesse according to the answere of the prophete who tolde him that that sinne and crime was forgiuen vnto him and yet those thinges betyded him
Of whiche the Scripture doeth in many places substantially speake Dauid in the Psalmes doeth pray saying Haue mercie vppon mee O God according to the greatnesse of thy mercie For I acknowledge my sinnes and my sinne is euer before mee To thee alone haue I sinned and done euill in thy sight And so forth And in an other Psalme I haue made my fault knowen vnto thee mine vnrighteousnesse haue I not hidd I said I will confesse mine vnrighteousnesse vnto thee against mee selfe and thou hast forgiuen the wickednesse of my sinne In the Gospel the Lord teacheth to pray and in prayer to confesse and saye Forgiue vs our debtes as wee forgiue our debitours And when wée pray so he biddeth vs to goe aside into oure Chamber that oure heart and the deuotion of our heartes may there appeare vnto our heauenly father alone The prodigall sonne did in the field where none but swine alone were to bée séene priuately both make and offer the confession of his sinne vnto his father And that Publicane in the Gospell which is compared with the Phariseie knocketh his breast and with a lamentable voyce doeth to him selfe confesse and say Lord bee mercifull to mee a sinner Let vs nowe also heare Iohn the holy Apostle and Euangeliste comprehending all that maye bee truely spoken touching this confession in this one saying If wee say that wee haue no sinne wee deceiue our selues the truth is not in vs If wee confesse our sinnes God is faithfull and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to cleanse vs from all iniquitie With this priuate confession whiche is made to God is that voluntarie confession alwayes ioyned that is made before men For penitents are humbled so often as the matter the glorie of God safegard of our neighbour requireth and doe before men openly testifie that they haue sinned vnto god For so Dauid when Nathan the Prophete told him of his sinne cryed out saying I haue sinned to the Lord. So also Zacheus vnderstanding that the Lord was vppbrayded for receyuing him doeth openly confesse his sinne and promise amendement Wée verily do publiquely make our confession to God so as I told you a litle aboue but so much the rather yet when after the hearing of the woord of trueth wee doe after that publique or solemne maner either in the Church or otherwise in some congregation or holy assemblie recite our sinnes committed and crie to God for mercie and pardon of the same Truely of old the Lord appointed in oure forefathers dayes that the prieste going before in woordes premeditated for the purpose the whole people should followe him woord for woord and openly confesse their sinns in the temple Whervppon vndoubtedly it is at this daye receiued in the Church of the Christians that the pastour or doctour of the Church going before in woordes conceined at the end of the exposition of the Scriptures before the assemblie is dimissed all the people should openly in the temple confesse all their sinnes against God and hartily desire him of his mercie to forgiue them the same The publique confessions of sinnes are notablie knowen whiche were made by Daniel Esdras and Nehemias And I say plainely that that was a publique cōfession of sinns which Sainct Matthewe in his thirde Chapiter sayeth that the Iewes did make For all Iurie came out to Iohn the forerunner of the Lord and were baptised of him in Iordane cōfessing their sinnes For when they did publiquely receiue Baptisme then did they thereby declare and openly confesse their sinnes For baptisme is the signe of the cleansing of sinnes therfore they that are baptised cōfesse that they are sinners They that were not baptised thought themselues to be otherwise purged that they néeded not any sanctification The Ephesians did publiquely confesse their sinns when gathering their books of witchcraft together they burned them in the fire For by the burning of those bookes they did confesse that they had committed wickednesse that was to be purged with fire Nowe the confession that is made to our neighbour is of this sort Thou hast offended thy brother or else hee perhappes hath done thee iniurie for whiche ye are at discord and doe hate one an other in this case verilie ye must thincke of reconciliation let the one therefore goe to the other and confesse and aske pardon for the fault committed and let him that is innocent in the matter fréely forgiue him that confesseth his faulte and so béecome his friend againe Of this confession the Apostle Iames spake saying Confesse your faultes one to an other and pray one for an other that ye may be healed And our Lord and Sauiour did before Iames teache vs saying If thou offerest thy gifte at the altar for hée speaketh to those among whome at that time the sacrifices of the law were yet in vse dost remēber there that thy brother hath any thing against thee leaue there thy gifte before the altar and goe thy wayes first be reconciled to thy brother and then thou mayest come and offer thy gift To this also doeth belong that parable which the Lord putteth forth and expoundeth in the eighteenthe Chapiter after S. Matthewe of him that was caste into perpetuall prison because when hee had found fauoure at his Lords hand he was ouer cruell vppon his fellowe seruaunt to whome hée would not forgiue so much as a farthing For in the sixte Chapiter after Sainct Matthewe the Lord sayeth If ye forgiue men their trespasses your heauenly father will also forgiue you But if ye forgiue not men their trespasses no more will your father forgiue you your trespasses Not that for our forgiuing of others our sinnes are forgiuen vs For so the forgiuenes of our sinnes should not bee frée but should come by oure merites and as a recompence of oure desertes But now when our sinnes are fréely forgiuen thorough faith verily that vnreconcileable and harde heart is an assured argument that there is no faith in a hard stubborne and vnappeaseable man But where there is no faith there is no remission Therefore voluntarie forgiuenesse in a man toward his neighbour is not that for whiche wee are forgiuen of God our father but is an euidēt signe and naturall fruite of true faith and the grace of God with-in vs. To these two kindes of confession some men add that whereby they that are oppressed in conscience with any gréeuous sinne doe consulte or aske counsell either of the Pastoure of the Lords flocke or else of some other that is experte and skilfull in the lawe of god But that is rather to be termed a consultation than a confession And it is in no place either commaunded or forbidden and therefore lefte frée at euery mans choice Wherefore no man ought to bée compelled to this cōsultation But if any brother doe demaunde counsel either of the minister of the Churhc or of any other priuate brother then charitie commaundeth thée to
c. 878 15 He that brake the Lords Sabboth by gathering of stickes was stoned to death c. 141 19 How to make the holy clensing water against al defilings c. 376 24 Baalam foretold the ouerthrowe of Hierusalem c. 414 27 Let the God of the spirites of all flesh sett a man ouer the congregation c. 177. 389 27 Iosua the Capteine of Gods people is set before Eleazar c. 181 30 Touching Votories and when their vowes are of force c. 380 ¶ Out of Deuteronomie 1 BRing men of wisedome of vnderstanding and of an honest life c. 176. 389. 894 1 Heare the cause of your brethren and iudge righteously c. 192. 390 4 The Lord spake vnto you from the middest of the fire and a voyce of words ye heard but likenes sawe ye none c. 2. 119 5 These words spake the Lord with a lowde voyce from out of the middest of the fire c. 2 5 Thou shalt not couet thy neighbours wife thou shalt not c. 324 5 I haue heard the voice of the woordes of this people whiche they haue spoken c. 870 6 Heare Israel the Lord our God c. And thou shalt shewe them vnto thy children c. 56 160. 623 6 Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart c. 93 8 Man liueth not by bread onely but by euery woord that commeth out of the mouth of c. 947 8 When thou hast eaten therefore and filled thée selfe c. Beware that thou forget not c. 283 8 Saye not thou in thine hearte Mine owne strength the power c. 471 9 The Lord had determined to destroy you therefore I made intercession c. 916 10 And Nowe Israel what doeth the Lord thy God require of thée c. 668. 475 10 Circumcise the foreskin of your heartes and harden not your c. 361. 1025. 10 Thou shalt worshipp the Lord thy God him shalt thou feare c. 655 12 Euery man shall not doe that whiche is righteous in his owne eyes c. 472 12 15. The eating of bloud and strangled is forbidden c. 385 13 The Lord commaundeth that euery citie whiche departeth from God and the worship of God shuld be sett on with warriours c. 211 13 Follow ye the Lord your God feare him c. 113. 671 14 Of cleane vncleane creatures c. 382 15 Beware that thou harden not thine heart nor shutt to thine hand for c. 288 16 God also forbad the magistrate to plant groaues c. 179 16 Thou shalt appoint thée Iudges c. 894 17 When the king sitteth vppon the seat of his kingdome he shal c 252. 391 19 If a false witnesse be founde amonge you then shall you doe vnto him c. 320 20 Lawes made for warre c. 213 21 The parentes them selues are commaunded to bring their disobedient children before the Iudge c. 162 24 No man shall take the neather or the vpper milstone to pledge c. 272 24 Thou shalt not denie nor withhold the wages of an hired seruant c. 272 25 Thou shalt not haue in thy bag two manner of weightes c. 270 28 If thou shalt hearken diligently vnto the voyce of the Lord thy God to obserue and do c 641 30 The Lord thy God shal circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy séede c. 359. 454 32 Sée nowe howe that I I am God and there is none other God but I I kill c. 623. 658 ¶ Out of Iosua 1 SEe that thou doest obserue and doe according to all the Lawe c. 184 2 Let not the booke of this Lawe depart out of thy mouth c. 252 2 Giue mée a signe by oath that ye will shewe mercie vnto mée And they gaue her a roape to hang out of her windowe c. 956 5 Make thée sharpe kniues of stone go to againe and circumcise the children of Israel the second time c. 1059 28 Of the Lordes Tabernacle at his apointment erected in Silo c. 342 23 When ye shall come in among these nations sée that c. 133 ¶ Out of Iudges 6 HE is called Lord who before was called an angel c. 743 14 And the spirit of the Lord came vpon Samson c. 382 17 Micha instituted vnto the true God a kinde of seruice of his owne c. 676 ¶ Out of the first booke of Samuel 1. 3. OF the Lords Tabernacle at his appointment erected in Silo c. 342 3 And the sinne of the children of Helie was too abhaminable before the face c. 910 4 The elders of Israel said Wherfore hath the lord cast vs downe c. 996. 4 So the people sent into Silo brought from thence the arcke c. 996 4 And thâ— Philistines fought and Israel was smitten downe and fled c. 996 4 5. The vse and abuse of the arke c. 346 6 The Lord smote fiftie thousand thrée score and ten men of Beth-shemesh c. 997 15 Hath the Lord as great pleasure in burnt offeringes and sacrifices as when the voyce of the Lord is obeyed c. 472 677 16 The good spirite of God departed from Saule and the euil spirite succéeded c. 722 19 Dauid doth not despise the ayd and shiftes of his wiâ—e Michol c. 640 23 When Abigael saw Dauid shée hasted lighted off her aâ—â—e c 649 28 Samuel or rather Sathan couÌ„terfecting Samuel raised vpp by a witch c. 247 ¶ Out of the second booke of Samuel 6 OZa perished for handling the arche of the Lord otherwise than was commaunded in the law c. 676 7 I wil be his father and he shal be my sonne c. 57 7 Who am I O Lord God and what is the house of my father c. 952 8 Dauids sonns were called priestes c. 880 12 The sword shal not depart from thy house c. 522 12 The Lord hath taken thy sinne 〈◊〉 c. 522 12 Take thou the citie Rabah least I take it and my name be called vppon it c. 655 15 Carrie bache the arcke of God into the citie againe If I shal finde c. 308 15 If I shall finde fauour in the eyes of the Lord hee wil bring mée c. 926 ¶ Out of the first bookâ— of kinges 3 SOlomon loued the Lord c. onely he sacrificed and burnt incense in the high places c. 343 3 And when he was come in to the king he worshipped or made obeysaunce c. 650 4 And vnder Solomon they increased and were many in number as the sand c. 284 6 Dauids deuotion was great toward the arke of the Lord c. 824 6. 7. c. The description of Solomons temple c. 344 8 If the heauens of heauens are not able to conteine thée how much lesse c. 659. 943. 1004 8 And Solomon made a solemne feast and all
God as I declared in my laste Sermon and though man obtaine it by harkning vnto the word of God yet neuerthelesse it is wholy impated to the grace of god For vnlesse this grace do worke inwardly in the heart of the hearer the preacher that laboreth out wardly doth bring no profit at al. We reade in the third chapter of S. Augustins booke De praedestinatione SanctoruÌ„ That once he was in an errour bicause he thought that that faythe wherewith we beleeue in God is not the gift of God but that it was in vs as of our selues and that by it we do obtain the gifts of God wherby we may in this world liue rightly and holily But this he confuteth in that booke at large and that substantially So then true faith whiche bendeth on God alone and is directed by the worde of God is formall enough or sufficiently in fashion Verily the forme of fayth is ingrauen in the heart of the faythfull by the holy Ghost And althoughe it be small and dothe not growe vp to the highest degrée yet notwithstanding it is true fayth hauing force in it as it were a graine of mustarde seede The theef that was crucified with our Lorde beléeued in the Lord Iesus and was saued although the force of fayth was strong in him but a very small season and brought not foorthe any great store of the fruit of good works finally that faith of the théefe was not any whit diuers or contrarie from the faith of Saint Peter and Saint Paul but was altogether the very same with theirs althoughe their faith brought forth somwhat more aboundantly the fruite of good works Peter and Paul were franckly and fréely iustified althoughe they had many good workes fréely was the théef iustified although his good works were very few or none at all Let vs hold therefore that true fayth is one alone which notwithstanding doth increase is augmented and again may decrease be extinguished There remaineth nowe for me to declare the vertue and effect of true fayth This hath the holye Apostle Paule done very excellently well yea that most absolutely too But although in the eleuenth chapter to the Hebrues he had sayd very muche he is compelled notwithstanding to confesse that he can not reckon vp all therfore at this time I meane to rehearse a few vertues of fayth leauing the rest dearely beloued to be sought out and considered of your selues True fayth before al things bringeth with it true knowledge and maketh vs wise in déed For by fayth we knowe God and iudge aright of the iudgementes and workes of God of vertues and vices The wisdome that it bringeth with it is without doubte the true wisdome Many men hope that they can attaine to true wisdome by the studie of Philosophie but they are deceiued as farre as Heauen is broade For Philosophie dothe falsly iudge and faultily teach many things touching God the workes of God the chiefe goodnesse the ende of good and euill and touching things to be desired and eschued But the very same things are rightly and truely taught in the word of God and vnderstoode and perceiued by fayth Fayth therefore is the true wisdome and maketh vs wise in déede For Ieremie also sayth Behold they haue cast away the worde of the Lorde what wisedome therefore can there be left in them The wisedome of Solomon is worshipfully thought of throughout the whole compasse of the world And yet we reade that the Lord in the Gospell after S. Math. vttred this sentence against the Iewes The Queene of the South shall rise in iudgement with this generation and shall condemne it bycause she came from the endes of the worlde to heare the wisdome of Solomon and behold there is one in this place greater then Solomon Christe is preferred before Solomon and the wisedome of Christ before the wisdome of Solomon But it is well known that the wisedome of Christ the sonne of God can not be attained to without fayth Fayth therefore bringeth with it the most excelleÌ„t wisdome But herein this wisdome of ours deserueth a singular prayse bycause they that desire it are not sent to forreine nations with great cost laboure to learne it as to the priests of Egypt the Gymnosophistes of India the Philosophers of Greece or to the Rabines of the Iewes God hath dispersed the worde of God throughout the whole world so that now the word of faith is in the hearts of all the faithful For Paul the Apostle sayth Thus saith the iustice that is of faith say not in thy heart who shall descende into heaueÌ„ that is to fetch Christ downe from aboue Or who shal descend into the deepe that is to bring Christe from the dead againe But what saith he The word is nighe vnto thee euen in thy heart this same is the worde of faith which we preach for if thou coÌ„fesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and doest beleeue with thy heart that God hath raised him from the deade thou shalt be saued Faith therefore doth not only make vs wise but happy also the Lord him self bearing witnes thervnto saying to his disciples Happy are the eyes that see the things that ye se For I say vnto you that many Prophets and Kings haue desired to se the things that ye se and to heare the things that ye heare and heard theÌ„ not We shal therfore finde in faith a most certaine determination of the most notable question stirred in since the beginning of the worlde of learned most excellent wits which is by what meanes a man may liue be happy attaine to the chief goodnesse be ioyned to the chief goodnesse so be iustified There haue ben yea yet are diuers opinioÌ„s touching this matter contrary the one to the other But we do briefly truely affirme that by true faith a man doth liue is happy attaineth to the chief goodnesse is conioyned to the chief goodnes also iustified so the god dwelleth in vs we in him that by faith we are both happy and blessed What I pray you could haue ben spoken more excelleÌ„tly worthily or diuinely touching true faith for se faith quickneth vs maketh vs happy ioyneth vs to the chiefe goodnes so that he in vs we in him may liue faith doth also fully iustifie vs But nowe it is best to heare the testimonies out of the scriptures Faith maketh vs happy For to S. Pet. coÌ„fessing the Lord Iesus by true faith it is saide Happy art thou Simon the son of Ionas Flesh and bloude hath not reuealed this to thee but my father which is in heaueÌ„ S. Paule for the proofe of faith bringeth in that sentence of Dauid Happy are they whose iniquities are forgiuâ—n whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the maÌ„ to whoÌ„ the Lord shal impute no sin Faith quickneth or maketh aliue Eor the iust liueth by faith This doth Paule very often in his
writings alledge out of the prophets The same Paul also saith The life which now I liue in fleshe I liue by faith in the son of god who loued me and gaue him self for me Faith ioyneth vs to the eternal chief goodnesse so maketh vs to inioy the chief goodnes that god may dwell in vs we in god For the Lorde Iesus him self in the Gospel saith He which eateth my flesh drinketh my bloud dwelleth in me I in him As the louing father sēt me so also I liue by the father he that eteth me shal liue by me But to eate drink the Lord is to be léeue in the Lord the he hath giuē him self to death for vs Whervpon Iohn the Apostle saith We haue seene do witnesse that the father hath sent the son the sauiour of the world Whosoeuer shal confesse that Iesus is the sonne of God God dwelleth in him and he in God. Wherfore also Paul saide I liue now not I but Christ liueth in me Moreouer faythe dothe iustifie But for bycause the treatise thereof can not be fitlye and fullye made an ende of this houre I meane to deferre it till the next Sermon that shall be At this present dearely beloued ye must remember that there is but one true fayth that is the Christian fayth For although there be said to be many fayths that is religions yet notwithstanding there is onely but one true and vndoubted fayth And that dothe increase and againe decrease in some men As for those in whom it is rightly and godly obserued in them it sheweth foorthe sundry vertues For it bringeth with it true wisedome finally it quickneth and maketh vs blessed and happy in déede To God the father the authour of all goodnesse and of our felicitie be all prayse and glory throughe Iesus Christ our Lorde for euer and euer Amen That the faithfull are iustified by fayth with out the lawe and workes ¶ The sixte Sermon BEing readye here dearely beloued to speake vnto you of fayth whiche without workes dothe iustifie them that beléeue I call vpon the Father whiche is in heauen through his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christe our Lorde beséeching him to open my mouth and lippes to the setting foorthe of his prayse and to illuminate your hearts that ye acknowledging the great benefite of God may become thankfull for it and holy in déede And first of all I will speake certaine things chiefly necessarie to this argument or treatise touching this terme of iustification The terme of iustifying very vsuall and common among the Hebrues and of a large signification is not at this day so wel vnderstoode of all men as it ought to be To iustifie is as muche to say as to quite from iudgement and from the denounced and vttered sentence of condemnation It signifieth to remit offences to cleanse to sanctifie ▪ and to giue vtterance of life euerlasting For it is a lawe terme belonging to courts where iudgement is exercised Imagine therefore that man is set before the iudgement seate of God and that there he is pleaded guiltie to wit that he is accused and conuinced of hainous offences and therefore sued to punishment or to the sentence of condēnation Imagine also that the sonne of God maketh intercession and commeth in as a meane desiring that vpon him may be layde the whole fault and punishment due vnto vs men that he by his death may cleanse them and take them away setting vs frée from death and giuing vs life euerlasting Imagine too that God the most highe and iust iudge receiueth the offer and trāslatet◠〈◊〉 punishment together with the fault from vs vnto the necke of his sonne making therwithall a statute that whosoeuer beléeueth that the son of God suffered for the sinnes of the world brake the power of death and deliuered vs from damnation shoulde be cleansed from his sinnes and made heire of life euerlasting Who therefore can be so dull of vnderstanding but maye perceiu◠that mankinde is iustified by fayth But that there may be no cause of doubt or darkenesse left in the mynde of any man that which I haue already spokē generally by the parable and similitude fetched from oure common lawe I will here particularly bring into certaine partes confirming and manifestly prouing euery one of them seuerally out of the holy Scriptures so that euen to the stoutest wittes the power of fayth and worke of iustification may be most euident And first I will shew vnto you that this terme of iustification is taken in this present treatise for the absolution and remission of sinnes for sanctification and adoption into the number of the sonnes of god In the .xiij. of the Actes the Apostle Paule sayth Be it knowne vnto you men and brethren that through this Lord Iesus Christ is preached vnto you the forgiunesse of sinnes and by him all that beleeue are iustified frō al things from which they could not be iustified by the law of Moses Sée in Christe is preached vnto vs the forgiuenesse of sinnes and he that beleueth that Christ preched forgiueth sinnes is also iustified It followeth therefore that iustification is the remission of sinnes In the fifth Chapter to the Romanes saythe the same Apostle Being iustified by the bloud of Christ we shall be saued from wrath through him But the bloud of Christ washeth away sinnes Iustification therefore is the washing away or forgiunesse of sinnes And againe in the same Chapter saythe he more plainly Iudgement entred by one offence vnto condemnation but the gifte of many sinnes vnto iustification He maketh iustification the contrarie to condemnation therfore iustification is the absolution and deliuerie from condemnation What say ye to this moreouer that he dothe plainely call iustification a gifte that is the forgiuenes of sinnes Herevnto also belong those words of his Euen as by the sinne of one condemnation came on all men so by the righteousnesse of one good came vpon all men to the iustification of life Here again is the iustification of life made the contrarie of condemnation vnto death set as a peine vpon our heads bycause of the transgression iustification of life therefore is an absolution from sinnes a deliuerie from death a quickning or translating from death to life For in the fourth to the Romanes the same Apostle expoundeth iustification by sanctification and sanctification by the remission of sinnes For intreating of fayth whereby we are iustified or whiche God imputeth to vs for righteousnesse without workes he sayth Euen as Dauid also dothe expounde the blessednesse of that man to whome the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without workes saying Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiuē and whose sinnes are couered What coulde be more plainely spoken then this For he doth euidently expounde iustification by sanctification and sanctification by the remission of sinnes Furthermore what else is sanctification but the adoption whereby we are receiued into the grace and number of the
but yet bycause the fleshe dothe striue with the spirite so long as life remaineth on the earth therefore the godly haue néede with faith and the holy Ghost to wash and wipe their féete that is the reliques and spottes wherewith they are disteined by their dayly conuersation in this world But nowe wherevnto belongeth this that is added The communion of Saintes These wordes are neyther read in Cyprian nor Augustine nor yet by them expounded Wherefore it is likely that they were added for the better vnderstaÌ„ding of that which went before for that it might appeare that the Catholike Church is the fellowship or companie of the faythfull he added The communion of Saintes as if he shuld haue sayd which church is a communion of Saintes Paule called them Sainctes which for their fayth are sanctified by the bloude and spirite of god Also this word CoÌ„munion is verie euideÌ„t and comfortable For first the meaning thereof is that betwixt God vs ther is a Communion that is a fellowship participatioÌ„ and so consequently a parting betwixt vs of all good and heauenlie thinges And then also we vnderstand that we are fellowes and partakers with all the Saintes that are liuing either in heauen or on earth For we are members of theÌ„ vnder one head Christ For the Apostle Iohn saith That which wee haue seene and heard we declare vnto you that ye also may haue fellowship with vs and that your fellowship may be with the father and his sonne Iesus Christ Hereunto appertayneth that trimme similitude of the body members vnder one heade which the Apostle Paul handleth at large in déede but what is he that can worthily enoughe set forth the great goodnesse of Gods gifte benefite in that wée are made fellow partners of God with whom we are most nerely conioyned and haue a part in all his good heauenly things what can bee more delightfull to oure eares then to heare that all that Saints as well in heauen as in earth are our bretheren and that we againe are meÌ„bers partners and fellowes with theÌ„ Blessed be God which hath so liberally bestowed his blessing on vs in Christe his sonne To this place belongeth the discourse vppon the Sacraments of which of the Church I meane at an other time more fullie to entreate This for the present time is sufficient For this that I haue said doth abuÌ„dantly enoughe expresse set out the fruite of faith in the father the sonne the holy ghost to wit that wée haue participation with God and al the Saints and that in this fellowship we are sanctiâ—ied 〈◊〉 all filth or vncleannesse being clensed and holie in Christe our Lord. Now followeth the tenth article of our beliefe which is The forgiuenes of sinnes The second fruit or commoditie of our beliefe in God the father the sonne and the holie ghoste is here set forth that is the remission of sinnes which although it be coÌ„teyned in sanctification spoken of in the last article is in this place notwithstanding more liuely expressed Without the Church as it were without the arke of Noe is no saluatioÌ„ but in that Church I meane in that fellowship of Christe the saincts is full forgiuenes of all offences That this maye be the better vnderstoode I wil diuide it into some parts First of all it is néedeful to acknowledge confesse that wée are sinners that by nature and our owne proper merits we are the children of wrath damnation For S Iohn doth not in vaine nor without a cause call euerie one a lyar that saith he hath no sinne And God which knoweth the harts of men hath coÌ„maunded vs euen till the laste gaspe to pray saying Forgiue vs our debtes Moreouer in the Gospel wee haue two excellent examples of meÌ„ openlie confessing their sinnes to God the prodigall sonne I say and the Publican in S. Luk. Let vs therfore thincke that wee are all sinners as Paule also taught yea as he hath euidently proued in the first Cap. to the Romanes let vs fréely confesse to God our sinnes with Dauid in the 32. and 51. Psal. saying My sinne haue I made knoweÌ„ to thee mine iniquitie I haue not hid I haue saide I wil confesse mine vnrighteousnes against my self thou haste forgiuen the iniquitie of mine offence Haue mercie on me O God accordig to thy great mercie c. The Psalme is knowen Secondarily let vs belieue that al these sinns of ours are pardoned forgiuen of God not for the acknowledging and confessing of our sinnes but for the merit and bloud of the sonne of God not for our owne workes or merits but for the truth and mercie or grace of god For we do plainly professe saying I belieue the forgiuenes of sinns We say not I buy or by gifts do get or by woorkes obtaine the forgiuenes of sinnes but I belieue the forgiuenes of sinnes And the word remission or forgiuenesse doth signifie a free pardoning by a metaphore taken of creditours and debitours For the creditour forgiueth the debitour when he is not able to pay therefore remission is a forgiuing according to that saying of our Sauiour in the Gospell A certaine lender had two debitours when they were not able to pay hee forgaue them both Hereunto belongeth that also in the Lords prayer And forgiue vs our debtes For our debts are our sinnes them do we request to be remitted that is to be forgiueÌ„ vs In this sense also saith S. Paule To him that worketh is the reward reckoned not of grace but of due debte But to him that worketh not but belieueth on him that iustifieth the vngodlie his saith is counted for righteousnes Euen as Dauid describeth the blessednesse of that man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnes without works saying Blessed are they whose vnrighteousnes are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is that man to whom the Lord will not impute sinne Wherefore in respect of vs which haue not wherewithal to repaie our sinnes are freelie forgiuen but in respect of Gods iustice they are forgiuen for the merit and satisfaction of Christ Moreouer it is not the sinnes of a few men of one or two ages or a few certaine number of sinnes are forgiuen onely but the sinnes of all men of all ages the whole multitude of sinns whatsoeuer is is called sinne whether it be original or actuall or any other else to be short all sinnes are forgiueÌ„ vs Which we do hereby learne because the onely sacrifice of Christ is effectual enough to wash away all the offences of all sinners which by fayth come to the mercie seat of Gods grace And yet by this wée do not teach men to sinne because the Lorde hath long since made satisfaction for sinnes but if any man do sinne wee teach him to hope well and not to despaire but to flee to the throne of Grace For there wée say that Christ sitting at
hee might be the first begotten amonge many brethren Moreouer whom he did predestinate them also he called and whom he called them also he iustified and whom he iustified them also shal he glorifie Againe in the same epistle he saith We reioyce also in tribulations knowing that tribulation worketh patience patience proofe proofe hope and hope maketh not ashamed c. This do that priuate examples of the saints and publique examples of the whole Church very plainly declare Abraham Isaac Iacob had neuer knowne that Gods helping hand had bene so faithful and alwayes present with them they had neuer bene grounded in so sure hope nor shewed such especial fruit of their excellent patience if they had not bin exercised with many perils and as it were oppressed with infinite calamities Wherupon it cōmeth that Dauid cried It is good for me Lord that thou hast troubled mee The Church of Israel was oppressed in Aegypt but to the end that it might with the more glorie be deliuered and passe into the land of promise The Iewishe Church was afflicted by them of Babylon and the Assyrians so that their temple was ouerthrowne and the Saintes caried captiue with the worst of the people But the godly sort in their verie captiuitie doe feele y wonderful helpe of God and by that meanes are made the better by their afflictions so that the name of the Lord was knowne amonge the Assyrians the Chaldées the Medes and Persians to his great glorie and renowne as it is at large declared in the histories of Daniel Hester and Esoras Here also is to bee noted that certaine punishmentes are appointed of y Lord as plagues for certeine sinnes so that most commonly a man is plagued by the verie same things wherin he sinned against the lord Dauid offended God with murder and adulterie therefore is he punished with the shame of his owne house with whoredome incest detestable murder of his owne children lastly driuen out and banished his kingdome It was pride and arrogancie wherin Nabuchodonosor sinned and therfore being distract of his witts and turned into a beastly madnesse he led his life for a certaine time with beasts of the field But as Nabuchodonosor was when God thought good restoared to his kingdome So Dauid did in time conuenient féele the merrie of the Lord in settling him in his seat againe For this saying of the Lord is firmely ratified for euer not only to Dauid but to euerie one that beléeueth which is in these words set downe in that Scriptures If his children forsake my law and kepe not my commaundements I wil visit their sinnes with rodds their iniquities with scourges yet will I not vtterly take my goodnes from him I wil not breake my couenaunt neither wil I change the thing that is once gone out of my mouth Therfore it is to our profite that the Lord afflicteth vs as he himselfe testifieth in the Reuelation of Christ vttered by Iohn the Apostle and Euangelist saying Them which I loue I rebuke and chasten And Solomon long before that did say My sonne refuse not the chastening of the Lord neither faint whē thou art corrected of him For whome the Lord loueth him he chasteneth yet delighteth in him as a father in his sonne Now touching the persecutions terrible plagues layd vpon that neck of the whole Church of God or seuerall martyrs of that same as they were for the most part breathed out of worldly tyrants against the S. for their open cōfession and testimonies of their faith truth of the Gospell so most cōmonly the causes of those broyles were the sinns offēces of the S. which the iustice of God did visit in his holy ones no doubt to the good saluation of the faithful For of that bloudie persecution vnder the Emperors Diocletian and Maximiniā which caused many thou sands yea many millians of Martyrs to com to their endings we read this following in that historie of Eusebius of Cesaria who learned it not by heare-say but was himself an eyewitnes of the same When as by to much libertie and wantones the maners of the Church were vtterly marred and the discipline therof corrupted while among our selues wee enuie one an other diminish one anothers estimatiō while amōg our selues we snatch at accuse our selues mouing dedly warre among our selues while dissimulation sitteth in the face deceipt lurketh in the harte and falshod is vttered in woordes so that one euill is heaped still on anothers necke the Lorde beginneth by little and little and with the bridle to checke the mouth of his tripping church and reseruing the congregations vntouched he begineth first to suffer them to feele persecution which serued as souldiours in the camps of the Gentiles But when as by that meanes the people could not be made to remember them selues in so muche that they ceassed not to persist in their wickednesse that the verie guides of the people and chief of the church vnmindful of Gods commaundemēt were sett on fire among them selues with strife enuie hatred and pride so that they might think they rather exercised tyrannie than the office of ministers because they had forgottē Christian sinceritie and purenesse of liuing then at length the houses of prayer and churches of the liuing God were throwen to the grounde and the holie scriptures set on fire in the broade and open streetes Thus muche worde for worde out of the 8. booke of his Ecclesiastical historie And yet here I make difference betwixt sinne and sinne For the Sainctes sinne but yet they abstaine commonly from heynous crimes although nowe and then too they fall into them as it is euident by the example of Dauid But yet for the most parte they flye from theft murder whooredome and other grieuous sinnes like vnto these And while the Sainctes are afflicted by tyraunts it is not for their neglecting of iustice true religion but for that contemninge of superstition and stedfast sticking to Christ and his Gospell The Lorde therefore doeth forgiue and in the bloud of Christ washe away that sinnes of the holye Martyrs reputing them to suffer deathe not for the sinnes whiche they haue committed but for the zeale and loue of true religion He also punisheth the tyrants for the death of his Martyrs because in putting them to death they follow their owne tyrannous affection and not the iust iudgement of the liuing god The Lordes mynd verily was by tyrauntes to chasten his people Israel But the tyraunts as Esaie in his 10. Chapter witnesseth did not take it to bee so but rather following their owne affections they passed all measure in afflicting them and neuer sought after iustice and equitie they therefore are punished of the Lorde for killing his innocent and guiltlesse seruauntes For the thing which the Lorde did persecute in his people their sinnes I meane and offences that do the tyraunts neyther punishe nor persecute but
of the world differ much from the sonnes of god For these I meane the sonnes of God in comforting one an other in their calamities do say Suffer and grudge not at the thing that thou canst not alter It is gods wil that it shal be so and no maÌ„ can resist it suffer therfore the power of the Lord vnlesse thou wouldest rather double the euil that thou canst not escape But the worldlings on the other side being demaunded howe they suffer the hand of the Lord and whether they submit themselues to God or no do make this answere I must whether I will or no since I caÌ„not withstand it If therfore they could withstand it by thie wee may gather that they assuredly would But the children of God do patiently beare the hand of God not because they cannot withstand it nor because they must by coÌ„pulsion suffer it but for because they beleue that God is a iust and merciful father for therfore they acknowledge confesse that God of his iust iudgment doth persecute y sinns of them that haue deserued far more greuous and sharpe punishment than he layeth vpon them they do acknowledge also that god doth as a merciful father chasten them to the amendment of their liues safegard of their souls and therfore do they for his chastning of them yeld him hartie thankes and forsaking vtterly themselues their opinions do wholie coÌ„mit themselues whether they liue or die into the lords haÌ„ds The Apostle going about to settle this in the heartes of the faithfull saith God speaketh to you as to his sonnes my sonne despise not thou the chastening of the Lord neither faint when thou art rebuked of him For whom the lord loueth he chasteneth scourgeth euery son that he receiueth If ye endure chastening God tendereth you as his sonns For what sonne is he whoÌ„ the father chasteneth not But if ye be without chastisemeÌ„t whereof al are partakers then are ye bastards not sonnes Since therfore wheÌ„ we had fathers of our flesh they corrected vs we reuerenced them shal wee not much more rather be in subiection to the father of spirites liue Secondarilie let the faithfull beleeuer which is oppressed w calamities consider and weigh the causes for which he is afflicted For either he is troubled persecuted of worldlinges for the desire that hee hath to righteousnes true religion or else he suffereth due punishment for his sinnes offeÌ„ces Let them which suffer persecution for righteousnes sake reioyce and giue God thanks as the Apostâ—es did for that he thinketh them worthy to suffer for the name of Christ For the lord in the gospel said Blessed are they that suffer persecutioÌ„ for rightousnes sake for theirs is the kingdom of heauen Blessed are ye when men shal reuile persecute you and shal say all maner euil saying agaist you â—or my sake reioyce ye be glad for great is your reward in heauen for so persecuted they the Prophetes that were before you But if any man for his sinns doth féele the scourge of God let him acknowledge that Gods iust iudgemeÌ„t is fallen vpon him let him humble himselfe vnder the mightie hand of the Lord let him confesse his sinns to God let him méekely require pardon for them and patiently suffer the plague which he with his sinnes hath worthily deserued Let him followe the examples of Daniel and Dauid Daniel confesseth his sinnes vnto the Lord and saith We haue sinned wee haue committed iniquitie and haue done wickedly we haue not obeyed thy seruauntes the Prophetes which spake to vs in thy name O Lord vnto thee doeth righteousnes belong and vnto vs open shame Thou haste visited afflicted vs as thou diddest foretell by Moses thy seruaunt And Dauid wheÌ„ through Absaloms treason he was compelled to forsake Hierusalem and goe in exile said to the priestes which bare the Arcke after him Carrie backe the Arcke of God into the citie againe If I shal find fauour in the eyes of the Lord hee will bring me backe againe and wil shew mee both himselfe and his Tabernacle But if hee thus say I am not delighted in thee then here am I let him do with me what seemeth good in his eyes And verilie it is much more better and expedient to be punished in this world and after this life to liue for euer than to liue here without afflictions and in an other world to suffer euerlasting paines Paul verilie doth plainly say When we are iudged wee are chastened of the lord that we should not be damned with the world And the verie end of all chastenings and calamities wherewith the Sainâ—ts are exercised tendeth to nothing else but that by despising and treading downe the world they may amende their liues returne to the Lord and so be saued But touching the end of afflictions wée haue spoken of it before Furthermore the men that beare the yoke of afflictions doe lay before themselues the plaine and ample promises of God from which and from the examples of the sainctes they neuer turne their eyes There are innumerable examples of them which haue felt Gods helping hand readie in all needes to ayde and deliuer them Nowe our good God doth promise to helpe and deliuer not them onely which are afflicted for righteousnesse sake but them also whom he doth visite for their faults and offences For Dauid saith The Lord doth heale the contrite of heart The Lord doth loose them that are bouÌ„d in chaynes The lordgiueth sight vnto the blind The lord setteth vp againe them that doe fall Hee is not angrie for euer neither doth he alwayes childe Hee dealeth not with vs after our sinnes nor rewardeth vs after our iniquities And how wide the East is from the West so farre hath he set our sinnes from vs. To this beloÌ„geth the whole thirtieth chapiter of Ieremies Prophecie And Paule doeth beare witnesse to this and saith As the afflictions of Christe are many in vs so is our comfort great through Christ Neither are wee without examples enoughe to proue this same by and to lay before our eyes the present deliuerie of the Sainctes and the repentaunce of sinners in extreme calamities Our auncestours y Patriarchs Noe Lot with their families were by the mightie hand of God deliuered from the deluge that drowned all creatures vnder the heauens and the horrible fire that fell vppon Sodome Iacob and Ioseph being wrapped in sundrie tribulations were by their merciful God wooud out and rid from all Euen as also the children of Israell were brought forth and deliuered from the seruile bondage of Pharao in Aegypt The people of Israel did in the wildernesse vnder their guides and Iudges sinne often and greuously against the lord for which they were punished roundly and sharply scourged but they were quickly deliuered againe by the Lord so oft as they did acknowledge their sinnes and turne themselues to him againe There are also notable
vncouered or hidden as it were vnder a vaile or figure They are conteined in the lawe and the Prophets euen till the time of the captiuitie at Babylon The blessed Apostle Peter doth in the 3. chap. of the Actes cite the prophecie of Moses touchinge the comming of the greatest of all Prophets The prefigured promises of Christ are the sacrifices whiche Paule in his Epistle to the Hebrues doth in a wonderfull summarie shortly declare The same Paule in the fift of the first to the Corinthians applieth the Paschal lambe to Iesus Christ The like doeth Peter in his first Epistle Againe the stonie rocke that was struck and gushed out with water S. Paul calleth Christ And Christ himselfe in the Gospel after S. Iohn doth say that he was prefigured in the brasen Serpent which was lift vp in the desart the mysterie wherof I haue in an other place more fullie declared Many more there are like vnto these a good parte whereof I haue alreadie touched when I had occasion to treate of the ceremonies and their signification Where he that listeth may read of it at large The vnfigured and vncouered promises are almost without number in the Psalmes and the Prophets Yea the Lord himselfe in the Gospel after S. Luke doth testifie that the description of all his office and businesse is at large conteined in the lawe the Prophets and the Psalmes And when S. Peter had preached the Gospel wherein he promised both Christ and the full remission of sinnes to all that beleeued he did immedately add All the Prophetes also from Samuel these that followed in order as many as haue spoken haue likewise told you of these dayes Dauid verilie in the 2. 22. and 110. Psalmes hath notably sett downe the two natures of Christ his Godhead and his Manhood Againe he hath layed before all mens eyes his hoalsome preaching his eternall priesthoode his euerlasting redemption and most bitter death and passion What shal I say of the Prophet Esay who was by no smal doctour of the church of Christ verie worthilie called an Euangelist rather than a Prophet as if he had writ a storie of thinges alreadie past and done by Christ not of thinges that should be done so truly did he foretel the state of Christ Now he maketh Christ to be verie God and verie man borne after the fleshe of the vnspotted Virgin who had to preach the word of life like a good shéepheard to feede his fearefull shéepe to bee the light of the Gentiles vnto the vttmost partes of the earth to giue sight to the blinde to heale the lame and diseased to be betrayed by his owne to be spitt vppon to be smitten to be hanged béetwixt théeues to be offered vp a sacrifice for sinne and finallie to make intercession for transgressours that hee himselfe being iuste might iustifie all that beléeue in his name Read Esaie 7. 8. 9. 11. 28. 40. 49. 50. 53. Chapiters and also al the last Chapter of all his Prophecie wherein he doth most fully describe the church or congregation of Christ Immanuel Ionas bare the most manifest type of the Lords sharp death and ioyfull resurrection Micheas also doth name Bethleem to be the place wherin Messiah should be horne whose beginning to wit of his diuine nature he doth referre to before all beginnings He doth also foretel that the preaching of the Gospell should from out of Hierusalem bee sowen abroade through all the compasse of the world Ieremie sayeth that God would raise vpp to Dauid a true séede or braunch that is the looked-for Messiah And in that Prophecie he alluded to the lawe concerning the raysing vpp of séede to the deceassed brother For the Virgin conceiuing by the holie Ghost brought foorth a sonne whose name is IEHOVAH being verie God in verie déede whom Esaie calleth Immanuel and is the true righteousnesse of all that doe beléeue in him For by Christ are the faithfull iustified For the same Prophete in the 31. Chapiter doth promise in Christ full or absolute remission of sinnes and aboundant grace of the holie Ghost whiche thinge Ioel also did not conceale Thus out of many testimonies I haue picked out onely these fewe in number For the whole bookes of the Prophets are occupied in the description of Christe and his offices The last promises concerning Christ were by God reuealed to the Prophets and by them declared to the Church of God euen in the verie time of the captiuitie at Babylon or else immediately vppon their returne to Hierusalem Ezechiel prophecieth of the shéepheard Dauid and of the shéepe receyuinge that shéepeheard whiche prophecies the Lord doeth in Sainct Iohns Eospel expound of himselfe The same Prophete treateth very much of grace and francke full remission of sinnes thorough the Sauiour Christ especiallie in the 34. 36. and 37. Chapiters of his prophecie Daniel verilie hath visions and many dreams but in them hée doeth so set Christ out vnto vs that it is vnpossible to haue him more better more euidently excellently described In his second Chapiter hee teacheth vs of his eternall kingdome and telleth vs that Christ should come vnder y Romane Monarchie at what tune the Romane Princes beeing by affinitie allied together should mutually in battell destroye one an other Whiche was fulfilled when Pompeie and Iulius Caesar Antonie and Octauius Augustus mainteyned ciuil warre Moreouer Daniels wéekes are vnknowen to no man wherein hée doeth as it were with his finger point at Christ the cōming of Christe and the reprobation of the Iewes because of their disloyaltie vnbeliefe Haggée the Prophete foretold the maner how the temple should be builded I meane the true temple in déede to witt the Church of Christ Zacharie doth excellently paint to vs many mysteries of Christ Hée layeth before vs the kingdome and priesthoode of oure Lord and Sauiour Hée commendeth to vs that one and onely eternall sacrifice whiche is effectuall enoughe to cleanse the sinnes of al the world Zacha 3. 9. 14. Chapiters Yea hee prophecieth of nothing else but of Christ his kingdome Malachias foresheweth the forerunner of the Lord and handleth no small number of mysteries concerning Christ Whereby we doe perceiue that Paule writt most truely in the first to the Romans saying That God did afore promise the Gospell by his Prophets in the holie Scriptures Nowe by these holy promises wee we gather this also that there are not manye or diuers Gospels althoughe wee denie not but that the same Gospell was penned by diuers Enangelistes but that there is one alone and that too as it were eternall For the verie same Gospell whiche is at this day preached to vs was at the beginning of the world preached to our first parents For it is assuredly certeine that by the Gospel were saued Adam Euah Abel all the Patriarchs Prophets and faithfull people of the old Testament Which thing we haue in an other place at large declared Wee are nowe come to
hath bounde him selfe to vs of his free grace and goodnesse And in vs there are many thinges that hinder the perfection of righteousenesse in vs Wherevppon Dauid cryed Enter not into iudgement with thy seruaunt for in thy sight shall no man liuing be iustified Therefore GOD doeth freely impute to vs the righteousenesse of faith that is hee reputeth vs for righteous because we beléeue him through his sonne So wee read that in the Euangelicall parable the Lorde did saye But when the debters were not able to paye hee forgaue them bothe the debte For GOD also forgiueth vs our debtes or sinnes not reputinge them vnto vs but countinge vs for righteous for Christe his sake For the same Apostle moste euidently testifying the same thinge in the seconde Epistle to the Corinthians saith God was in Christe reconciling the worlde vnto himselfe by not imputing sinnes to men And after that againe Him whiche knewe no sinne he made sinne for vs that wee might bee the righteousenesse of God in him What canst thou require more euident than that wee are counted righteous before GOD because by Christ his sacrifice oure sinnes are so purged that wee shoulde heereafter bee no longer helde with the guylte of the same Wee proceede nowe to reckon vpp the other argumentes of Saincte Paule as firme and manifeste as these that are alreadie rehearsed In the same Chapter therefore it followeth Euen as Dauid describeth the blessednes of the man to whom the LORDE imputeth righteousenesse without workes saying Blessed are they whose vnrighteousenesses are forgiuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is that man to whome the Lorde will not impute sinne In the beginninge hee doeth with cleare and euident woordes expresse the thing that hee intendeth to prooue or confirme to wite that GOD imputeth righteousenesse to the Saincts without woorkes What coulde bee saide more plainly And to proue it to bee so here he inferreth the testimonie of Dauid which doeth in a manner conteyne three sundry members or clauses Firste Blessed saith hee are they whose vnrighteousenesses are forgiuen Then Blessed are they whose sinnes are couered And lastly Blessed is that man to whome the Lord will impute no sinne Nowe the force of the argument or demonstration doeth consist in the wordes Forgiue Couer and not Impute The creditour forgiueth the debtour that whiche hee hath not payde him whether he bee able or not able to paye it him Wee in respecte of our sinnes whiche are our debtes are able to paye nothinge to GOD. Forgiuenesse therefore of those debtes or sinnes of oures is the gifte of Gods méere grace and liberalitie For the creditour cannot forgiue the thinge that is alreadie payde vnto him For when hee giueth backe the thinge that hee hath receiued in so dooing hee doeth not forgiue but giue and that deede in the Scriptures is called Donum a gifte not Remissio a forgiueing Wherevppon Sainct Paul saith GOD gaue to Abraham the inheritaunce therefore Abraham with his woorkes did not merite the same Secondarily some filthie thing that offendeth the eyes of men is vsually woont to bee couered and yet notwithstandinge the filthie thinge abydeth filthie still although it doeth not appeare outwardly vnto the eyes of men And our mercifull God hath couered our sinnes not that they shoulde not bee but that they shoulde not appeare or come to iudgement whiche thing is the gifte of grace and not of merites For the coueringe is nothing else than the bloud of the sonne of GOD for for his bloudes sake wee sinners are not damned Lastely GOD might by right and iustice impute sinne vnto vs but of his grace hee imputeth it not And all these layde together doe confirme and prooue that righteousenesse is freely by faith without workes imputed vnto vs. This verie same place of Saincte Paule taken out of Dauid doeth discusse and make plaine vnto vs other poyntes of doctrine also whereof there is some controuersie For wee learne that iustification is nothinge else but sanctification forgiuenesse of sinnes and adoption into the number of the children of god We learne that Saincte Paule speaketh not only of the Ceremoniall woorks of the Lawe but also of the Sainctes good woorkes of euery sorte Furthermore wee learne that both sinnes and iniquities that is all manner sinnes of the faithfull are freely pardoned and vtterlye forgiuen Moreouer wee learne that sinnes are fullye remitted not the fault onely but the punishement also whiche punishment some saye is reteined but God doeth not impute sinnes In an other place he saith that he wil not haue any remembrāce of our sinne at all Lastly we learne that the satisfactions for sinne of mans inuention is a moste vaine lye and flatlye opposite to the Apostles doctrine I haue hitherto alledged two most euident places the one out of the Gospell of Christe the other out of sainct Paule his Epistle written to the Romanes by which I meant to prooue that Christe beeing preached to vs by the Gospell is receiued not by workes but by faith and I hope I haue by diuine testimonies so declared this matter of importance that no man shall néede hereafter either to doubte or wauer in the same To all this nowe I adde this note still moste necessarie to be obserued that all good and holie men in the Church of Christ must with all their power do their indeuour that this doctrine of the Gospell maye abyde sincere and vtterly vncorrupted For they must in no case admitte that iustification is partely attributed to faith and the mercie of God and partely to the workes of faith and our owne merites For if that be admitted then doeth the Gospell loose all force and vertue I thinke therefore that all men must onely and incessantly vrge this that the faithful are iustified saued or sanctified by faith without woorkes by the grace and mercie I saye of GOD thorough Christe alone And I suppose verily that this doctrine of the Gospell must be kepte sincer◠and vncorrupte in the Churche for verie many causes but among all other for these especially which followe hereafter Firste of all it is manifest that the often repeated doctrine of the Grace of God which in his onely sonne doeth thorough faith alone woorke iustification is by so manye diuine testimonies euen from the beginning of the worlde by so manye demonstrations and so many determinations of vnreproueable counsels both so plainely declared and throughly inculcated that the verie cōsent of all ages in the trueth reuealed from heauen and the authoritie of the moste holye men in all the worlde do sufficiently inuite vs to retaine maintaine and keepe that doctrine vncorrupted Wée haue the iustification of oure blessed father Abraham a little aboue expounded by no obscure author but euen by Paule the teacher of the Gentiles and elected vessel of GOD him selfe Wee haue the doctrine of instification taught by the moste glorious kinge and Prophet Dauid a man euen after Gods heartes desire the greate grandsyre of Christ
Iesus Christ Therefore repentaunce and faith séeme to be diuers not that true repentaunce can be without faith but because they must bee distinguished not confounded Wée doe all knowe that true faith is not without workes as that whiche of necessitie sheweth forth good woorkes and yet wee make a difference betwixt faith and works so yet that we do not separate them or rend the one from the other and in like manner wee acknowledge that true faith and true repentaunce are vndiuidedly knit together and closely fastened the one to the other I wil not stand in argument whether faith be a part of repentaunce or doth by any other meanes depend vppon it It séemeth to me a notable point of follie to goe about to tye matters of Diuinitie to precepts of Logicke For we learne not that of the Lords Apostles I admonished you before in a Sermon of the Gospel which thinge I do here repeate againe that the acknowledging of sinnes doeth not of it selfe obteine grace or forgiuenesse of sinnes euen as the bare acknowledging of a disease is not the remedie for the same For eueÌ„ damned men also do acknowledge their sinnes and yet are not therefore healed The acknowledging of sinne is a certaine preparatiue vnto faith as the acknowledging of a disease doth minister occasion to thincke vppon a remedie To this at this present wee add that not the verie feare of God howe sincere soeuer it bée not the verie sorrowe conceiued for oure sinnes how great soeuer it bée nor the verie humiliation howe submisse soeuer it bee doe of themselues make vs acceptable to god but rather that they prepare an entraunce make a waye for vs vnto the knowledge of Christe and so consequently doe leade vs to Christe himselfe being incarnate and crucified for vs and our redemption and lay vs vppon Christ alone by him to be quickened and purely cleansed For he that is truly conuerted to God is vtterly turned from himselfe and all hope of worldly ayde Who so doth truely feare God and is sorie in very déede from the bottome of his heart he doeth feare and is sorie for his sinnes committed and not for that alone but because he findeth himselfe to be corrupted wholy and to haue in himselfe no soundnesse or integritie yea because he reuereÌ„ceth God as his father he doth disclose to him his wounds as to a Cheirurgian desiring instantly to be recoÌ„ciled to him as to his louing father And wheras here true godlinesse doeth crie that no man can be reconciled to God the father but by the onely begotten sonne the penitent doeth by faith lay hold on the sonne and so séeke the meanes of his recoÌ„ciliation Faith is grounded vppon the onely grace or mercie of GOD exhibited to vs in Christ Iesus and the penitent beléeneth that he is accepted of God for Christ his sake alone and therfore he maketh his supplications to God committing himselfe wholy vnto his mercie as we read that Dauid the prodigal sonne in the 15. cap. of S. Lukes Gospell did To this place might bee annexed the doctrine of the Gospell of faith in Iesus Christ of the remission of sinnes touchinge whiche I haue alreadie spoken And héere I thincke it not amisse that the mindes of penitents must by all meanes bee confirmed with many and euident places of scripture plainly vttered concerning the full remission of sinnes to the end that hereafter wee haue no scruple of conscience to cause vs to despaire or doubt in oure temptations Wherein notwithstanding I repeate againe and againe this note to be thoroughly marcked for the confirmation of the glorie of the onely begotten sonne of God our lord Christ Iesus that penitent sinners haue their sinnes remitted not for their repentaunce in respecte that it is oure worke or action but in respecte that it comprehendeth the renuing of man by the holy Ghost and true faith whiche deliuereth vs to Christ our Physician that he may heale all our diseases and bynde vp al our griefes And although this treatise doeth properly belonge to the common place of faith and the Gospell of which I haue so briefly as I could alreadie discoursed yet notwithstanding I wil heere recite some euident sentences touching the grace of GOD and frée remission of oure sinnes Dauid in the hundreth and thirde Psalme sayeth Praise the Lord O my soule and forget not the thinges that hee hath done for thee whiche forgiueth all thy sinnes and healeth all thine infirmities Which saueth thy life from destruction and crowneth thee with mercie and louinge kindnesse Hee hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our wickednesse For loke howe highe the heauen is in comparison of the earth so great is his mercie toward them that feare him And looke how farre the East is from the West so farre hath hee sett oure sinnes from vs Yea like as a father pitieth his owne children so is the lord merciful to them that feare him For hee knoweth that wee are fraile proane to sinne doth remember that we are but dust Esaie in the first Chapiter of his Prophecie sayeth Thus sayeth the Lord Though your sinnes bee as red as Scarlet they shal bee made whiter then snowe and thoughe they bee redd as purple they shal be made like vndied woll Againe in the fourtie and thrée Chapiter he bringeth in the Lord saying I I am hee that blott out the transgressions and that for mine owne sake I will not remember thy sinnes In the 31. Chapiter of Ieremie which saying is also alleged by Paule in the eighth and tenthe Chapiters to the Hebrues the Lord sayeth This is my couenaunt that I will make with them after these dayes I wil be mercifull vnto their iniquities and not remember their sinnes any more In the 36. Chapiter of Ezechiel the Lord sayeth I will sprinckle cleane water vppon you and yee shall bee cleansed from all your vncleannesse A newe heart also will I giue you and a newe spirite will I put within you as for that stonie heart I will take it out of your flesh and giue you a fleshie heart I wil deliuer you from all your vncleannesses But I wil not doe this for your sakes sayeth the Lord be ye sure of it c. Daniel in his ninth Chapiter leaueth to vs a manifest example of confession of sinnes and doeth in expresse words say that by the Messiah sinnes are forgiuen iniquitie purged and euerlasting righteousnesse brought in in stéed of it So doth the Prophet â—acharie in his thirde Chapiter affirme that the iniquitie of the earth is purged by the onely Sacrifice of Christe Iesus The Lord in the Gospell after S. Matthewe doeth say They that are whole neede not the Physician but they that are sick Neither did I come to call the righteous but sinners to repentaunce And therefore is he called Iesus that is a Sauiour For the Angel said Hee shall saue his people from their sinnes
the first Decade and in the thirde Decade where I entreate of the Sainctes affliction in the tenthe Sermon of the same Decade and also in the fourth Decade where I spake of the Gospell The priests and Monkes do teache that repentaunce of the sinne committed and faith in Christ are not sufficient for the purgeing of sinnes without the satisfaction of our owne woorkes and merites whiche they make to be wearing of sackcloth fastings teares prayers almes déedes offeringes sundrie afflictions of the bodie pilgrimages and many other odde knackes like vnto these For they affirme that by these meanes the penaltie due to sinnes the guilt whereof they saye is only pardoned is washed awaye as with a showre of water powred downe vpon it But wee alreadie haue taught out of the Canonicall Scriptures that God doth not onely forgiue freely the guilte but also the penaltie of oure sinnes Wee haue alreadie taught that men are not iustified by theire owne workes and merites but by the meere grace of God through the faith of Christe Iesus For otherwise hee should in vaine haue taken our fleshe vpon him and in vaine should Christ haue qiuen him selfe vnto the moste bitter and reprochefull death of the Crosse Nowe we add if we are not iustified by workes then doe wee not with our woorkes make satisfaction for our sinnes For in effect although I acknowledge that there is a difference and do not confound them iustification and satisfaction come bothe to one ende By the iustification of Christ we are absolued By the satisfaction of Christ or rather for his satisfactions sake wee are also absolued Christ is our righteousenesse therefore also our satisfaction The price of our redemption is in Christe not in our selues If wee make satisfaction for our selues then is the price of our redemption in our selues And therefore are we both Christes Sauiours vnto our selues whiche thing doth flatly make Christ of none effect and therefore is it extreme blasphemie Moses in his lawe doth with little businesse or none dissolue all the arguments for satisfactiō wrought by our works For where he describeth the maner of cleansing sinnes he placeth no iott thereof in the workes of men but sheweth that it all consisteth in the Ceremoniall sacrifices Now we doe all agree and ioyntly confesse that in those sacrifices the onely sacrifice of Christe was plainly prefigured And to that is added that that only preaching and promise of the newe testament is this I wil be appeased vpon their vnrighteousenesse and sinnes will no more remember their iniquities Nowe where suche a remission is there is no oblation or satisfaction for sinne And wee in the Creede verily doe beléeue the forgiuenesse of sinnes But if the debitor make satisfaction to the creditor then what I pray you doth the creditor forgiue him Therefore this article of our faith the principall promise and preachinge of the newe testament is vtterly subuerted if we admit the doctrine of the satisfaction of our woorkes for sinnes We do acknowledge that teares fastings wearing of sackcloth almes déedes and the other woorkes of pietie humiliation and charitie haue a place in repentaunce Of whiche I will speake in place conuenient but wee denye that with them wee make satisfaction for our sinnes leaste wee should make the price of Christ his redemption of none effect We acknowledge that at some times the Lorde hath whipped them whose sinnes hee hath forgiuen as he did to our parents Adam and Euah and to king Dauid after his adulterie and murther of Vrias But I haue alreadie shewed you that those afflictions were not satisfactions for the sinnes which God had pardoned but exercises of Gods discipline and humiliation whiche doth by those meanes keepe his sernaunts in their duetifull obedience doth declare to all men howe hartilye he hateth sinnes although he doth fréely forgiue and pardon them Therefore least we because of that frée forgiuenesse should be the more inclined and proue to sinne he promiseth them whome he maketh to be examples for vs to take heede by Neither doe wee read that the Sainctes did simply attribute the benefite of iustification or satisfaction vnto their afflictions I cōfesse that Daniel the Prophet gaue counsell to the moste mightie kinge Nabuchodonosor and sayed Let thy sinnes be redeemed in righteousnesse and thine iniquities in shewing pitie to the poore But in these woordes the kinge was taught howe to leade the reste of his life that was yet behynd howe to rule the state of his kingdome The king had till then oppressed many nations and sinned in mercilesse crueltie wherevppon he persuadeth him to chaunge his olde kinde of life to imbrace iustice and deale well with all men Therefore hee speaketh not of the satisfaction of his sinnes before God but before men For there is saluation in none other than in Christe alone But if any man do stubbornly sticke vppon the letter wee saye that the righteousenesse of Christians is faith by whiche their sinnes are properly cleansed and that faith is not without good woorkes and charitie to which iustification is vnproperly ascribed Of which matter I spake in the treatise that I made of good woorkes Therefore when Saincte Peter doth cite that place of Solomon Charitie couereth the multitude of sinns the woorde Couereth is not there vsed for Purging For by the onelye bloud of Christe all sinnes are purged and wiped awaye but it is taken for Turning awaye For as selfe-loue in a manner is the roote of all sinnes so charitie is thought to bee the driuer away of all mischiefes For loue doth none ill to his neighbour Nowe whereas they obiecte that sentence of the Gospell where the Lord saith Many sinnes bee forgiuen her because shee loued muche they do misse here in because they vnderstande not that the worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is commonly englished because or for that is here a note of inferring somewhat and that no other sense is gathered than this Manye sinnes bee forgiuen her therefore shee loued muche Or whereby it commeth that shee loueth muche Neither do wee here wrest the wordes of the Gospell to mainteine a wronge opinion For in the historie there goeth before First When they were not able to paye hee forgaue them both If hee forgaue them and if they were not able to paye he did not then forgiue thē for their loue For if they had béene able to paye he would not haue forgiuen them Secondarily there goeth before Whether of these will loue him more Simon saith He to whome hee forgaue the more Therefore the Lordes answer could in effecte bee nothing else but this I haue forgiuen her verie much therefore hath shee loued much So then I saye loue is of forgiuenesse not forgiuenesse of loue And then it followeth immediatelye And he saide to the woman thy faith hath saued the go in peace Wee doe therefore conclude that there is but one onely satisfaction for the sinnes of
of godlinesse and in daylie prayers though they sing not yet remaine they neuerthelesse the sonnes of god Neither yet doth all singing and in euery place edifie neither are all Churches fitt to singe Doeth not Rabanus saye in the same place that I euen nowe cited For fleshly minded mennes sake not for such as are guided by the spirite the custome of singing is instituted in the Church that they that are not moued by wordes may bee allured with the sweetnesse of the melody c. But the singing about which there is controuersie at this day is not that auncient singing but that more is both in matter and tune for the most parte it is cleane contrarie to the olde The common sort call it Gregories singing doubtlesse not of that great Gregorie who séemeth not to haue béene very fréendlie to singing as it appeareth by his constitution whiche is read in the Registre in the fifte parte thereof Cap. 44. Wee shall therefore séeme to iudge more truely if we referre it to Gregorie the fifte which is said to haue béene enthronized aboute the yéere of our Lorde 995. and moreouer to haue vsed the healpe of I knowe not who one Robertus Carnotensis Yet there are some whiche ascribe it to Vitalianus some to Gelasius It yrcâ—eth mee to rehearse what Durandus hath patcht together of this matter in his Rat. Diuin lib. 5. For I little weigh it There are manie thinges in this kinde of singing to be discommended For first of all many things yea the most are soung contrarie to true godlines neither are all thinges that are sounge taken out of the holie Scriptures but out of I knowe not what kinde of Legendes and out of the traditions of men And those things whiche are soung out of the Scriptures are for the moste parte so wrested and corrupted that there remaineth no parte of the heauenly sense or meaning Creatures and deade men are called vpon Moreouer this kinde of singinge is commaunded and they singe not of their owne accorde or good will but vpon constrainte yea they singe for money and to th' end that they may get an Ecclesiasticall benefice as they terme it Onely Clearkes hyred for that purpose doe nowe a dayes singe not the whole Churche of Christe as in time paste hath béene accustomed Neither is there any ende or measure in their singinge They singe day and night And to this foolishe and vngodly kinde of singinge as to a heauenlie or meritorious worke there is more attributed than true faith doeth allowe A man maye well say that it is that much babbling which the Lorde in Matthewe forbiddeth and condemneth as an Heathenish superstition They singe moreouer in a straunge tongue which fewe doe vnderstand and therefore without any profite at all to the church There is hearde a longe sounde quauered and streyned to and fro backewarde and forewarde whereof a man can not vnderstand one worde Often times the Singers striue amonge themselues for the excellencie of voyces whereby it commeth to passe that the whole Churche ringeth with an hoarse kinde of yellinge and through the strife that riseth about their voyces the hearers little vnderstande what is sounge I say nothing at this present of their musicke which they call Figuratiue and of their musicall instrumentes all whiche are conteined in a manner in their Organes as they terme them I saye nothinge of their Diriges or prayers for the deade Of which I haue also intreated in an other place But these and such other like so occupied the whole time of diuine seruice in the Churche that verie little or none was lefte for true prayers and for the holie and heauenlie preaching of the worde of god Therefore for moste iuste causes they that beléeue the Gospell doe neither vse such singing neither suffer it in the Church of god And they séeme to deale verie deuoutly and in like manner moste wisely whiche bestowe the beste parte of the time or euen the verie whole time of ecclestasticall assemblies in feruent and quiete prayers and in the wholesome preachinge of the worde of God omitting that singinge especially since it is a harde thinge so to limitte or restraine singinge which otherwise is tollerable leaste at some time it excéede and go beyond the appointed boundes Furthermore that our auncient predecessours had certeine and appointed houres wherein they prayed bothe priuately in their houses and publiquely in assemblies all the holie Scripture witnesseth in many places Dauid more than once in his Psalmes sayeth that he will goe vnto the Lord in the Morning and Eueninge Daniel prayed vnto the Lorde at thrée seuerall houres or times of the day Againe Dauid saith Seuen times in a day doe I praise thee But by seuen times he vnderstandeth many times For so else-where we reade written I will smite you for your sinnes seuen times And againe The iust man falleth seuen times and riseth vp againe And also If thy brother sinne seuen times in a daye and turne seuen times in a day vnto thee c. Seuen times therefore in diuerse places as also in this of Dauid is put for many times And Christe our Lorde hath tyed the priuate prayers of the faithfull as wee haue also tolde you before neither to place nor yete to time he hath not taken away publique prayers For he is the Lord not of confusion but of order But his Disciples when they were in the land of Iurie did them selues also obserue the accustomed houres of praying whiche that nation kept at libertie not of necessitie and specially for the assemblies sake For Peter Iohn goe vp into the temple at the ninth houre of prayer In the day of pentecost all the Saincts with one accorde were gathered together receiued the holy Ghost at the thirde houre of the day And it is also read that Peter priuately went vpp into the vpper parte of the house aboute the sixt houre The Temple béeing destroyed and the Iewes scattered abroade the Churches gathered out of the Gentiles did not obserue like houres of gatheringes together or of assemblies but at their owne libertie as to euery church it séemed most méete and conuenient Of which diuersitie truely the Ecclesiasticall historie also makethe mention yet for the most part there were houres in the morning and euening vsed for assemblies S. Hierome in his Epitaph vppon Paula expounding not the rite or order of the vniuersall church what it should doe in holie assemblies but what the companyes of solitarie virgins are woont to doe of their owne accorde sayeth In the morning at three sixe and nine of the clocke at euening at midnight they did sing the Psalter by order Onely vpon the Sunday they went vnto the Church neere vnto the whiche they dwelt c. So it perteineth to priuate institution which of the same sorte is read writen to Laeta touching the institution of her daughter and to Demetriades De custodienda virginitate
and of heauenly thinges doeth deuoutly and ardently meditate these thinges And truely the woord Father putteth vs in minde of many thinges together For first it teacheth vs that all oure prayers are to bee offered to none other than to him which is a father that is to say that onely God is to bee called vppon and not another for him or another with him For our God and father is one the fulnesse and sufficiencie of all good thinges in whome only the faithfull are acquieted and doe rest and without whome they séeke nothing that is truely good And verilie this prayer can be offered to no creature For to whiche of the Angels or the Sainctes canst thou say without sacrilege O our father whiche art in heauen c. Furthermore this word Father teacheth vs through whome wee should call vppon this father not by the mediation or by the mouthes of sainctes but by Iesus Christ our lord through whome only we are made the sonnes of God who were otherwise by birth and by nature the children of wrath Who I pray you durst come for the before the presence of the most highe and euerlasting God and call him Father and himselfe Sonne vnlesse the father in his beloued and naturall sonne had adopted vs the sonnes of grace Therfore when we say Father we speake from the mouth of the sonne who hath taught vs so to pray and by whome we be promoted into this dignitie that it néedeth nothing at all to add the name of Christe and to saye Wée pray thée O heauenly father for Christs sake since in the first word Father we comprehend the whole mysterie of the sonne of God and our redemption For in somuch as hee is our father wee are his sonnes and that by the merite of Christ therefore wée call vppon the father and so call him through Christ that I may not now repeat that we pray so from the mouth of Christ Moreouer this swéete and fauourable woord Father disburtheneth vs cleane of all distrust of heart For wée call him Father not somuch in consideration of his creating of all things as for his singular and fatherly good-will toward vs Wherevpon though he be Lord God and in déede a great Lord and an Allmightie God yet when wée praye wée attribute none of these names vnto him but call him fathér because in déede he wisheth vs wel loueth vs taketh care and charge ouer vs and hauing pitie vppon vs is desirous yea of his owne accorde and good will toward vs to stoare and heape vppon vs all good things whatsoeuer Hetherto appertaine the testimonies of the Prophets especially that of Dauid The Lord is full of compassion and mercie slowe to anger and of great kindnesse Hee will not alway chide neither keepe his anger for euer Hee hath not dealt with vs after our sinnes nor rewarded vs according to our iniquities For as high as the heauen is aboue the earth so great is his mercie toward them that feare him As farre as the East is from the west so farre hath hee remoued oure sinnes from vs As a father hath compassion on his children so hath the Lord compassion on them that feare him For hee knoweth whereof wee bee made hee remembreth that wee are but dust A verie excellent example of this thinge is to be séene in the Gospel after S. Luke where the louing father is painted out with wonderfull affections receiuing into fauour again that prodigall sonne waster of his wealth Herevnto is added this word Our whiche putteth vs in minde of two thinges For first it is a small matter to acknowledge God to be the God and father of all or to be the God and father of others vnlesse we also beléeue that he is our father vnlesse wee dedicate yéeld our selues wholy into his faith and protection as of our father who wisheth well vnto vs loueth vs hath a care ouer vs at no time and place neglecteth vs for vnlesse wee doe so beléeue neither with faith nor with the loue of GOD is oure prayer commended and therefore not a whit acceptable vnto god But that that best and greatest God is our God we doe vnderstand as well by his manifold benefites as also speciallie by the mysterie of our redemption throughe Christ Of which thing wée haue spoken elsewhere Furthermore since he bad vs pray Our father and not My father streight waye vppon the verie beginning he requireth loue of vs For his will is that we should not onely haue care of our owne saluation but of the saluation of all other men For wée are all the members of one body wherevppon each seuerall one prayeth not seuerally for themselues but euerie one for the safety of all the members and also the whole bodie Touching that matter I spake before when I intreated of the manner of prayeing vnto God. There is by and by added Which art in heauen not that God is shut vp in heauen as in a prison Solomon the happiest and wisest king of all cōfuting that errour long agone said If the heauens of heauens are not able to conteine thee howe muche lesse this house To which woordes I thincke that may be annexed which Stephan alledged in the Actes of the Apostles out of Esaie concerning the same thing Hee is therefore said to bee in heauen because his diuine maiestie and power and glorie shineth most of all in the heauens For in the whole course of nature there is nothing more glorious nothing more beautifull than the heauens Moreouer the father exhibiteth and giueth him selfe vnto vs to bee enioyed in the heauens Heauen is the countrie common to vs all where wée beléeue that GOD and oure father doeth dwel and where we worshipp GOD and oure father albeit wee beléeue that hee is in euerie place and alwayes present with all For as heauen compasseth and couereth all thinges and is euery where distant from the earthby euen spaces so the presence of his maiestie also doth fayle vs in no place Wée haue heauen euery where in our sight wée are euery where in the sighte of god But beside this by mention made of heauen wee are put in minde of oure duetie and our wretchednesse It is our duetie to be lifted vpp in our mindes by praying into heauen and to forgett earthly thinges and more to bee delighted with that heauenly father and countrie than with this earthly prison and exile It is our wretchednesse that beeing banished out of that countrie for oure sinnes and wandering in this earth wée are subiecte to diuers calamities and therefore béeing constreined by necessitie we neuer ceasse crying vnto the father But first of all saying Which art in heauen wée make a difference betwéene the father whome wée call vppon saying Our and our earthly father attributing allmightinesse vnto him Hée surely that is called vppon and ought to heare must know all sée all and heare all yea and more too will and
from the truth the narrowe breadth of one small haire The aunswere therefore is this if any man shall sweare against the faith and charitie so that the kéeping of his othe maye tâ—â—d to the worse then it is better for him to chaunge his othe then to fulfill it Whervpon Saint Ambrose saith It is somtime coÌ„trarie to a mans duetie to performe the othe that he hath promised as Herod did Isidore also saith In euill promises breake thine othe in a naughtie vow change thy purpose The thing thou haste vnaduisedly vowed do not performe The promise is wicked that is finished with mischiefe And againe That othe muste not be kept whereby any euill is vnwarely promised As if for example one shoulde giue his fayth to an adultresse to abide in naughtinesse with her for euer vndoubtedly it is more tolerable not to keepe promise then to remaine in whordome stil Beda moreouer saith If it shal happen that we at vnawares shal with an othe promise any thing and that the keping of that othe shall be the cause of further euill then let vs thinke it best vpon better aduice to chaunge our othe without hurt to our conscience and that it is better vpon such a necessitie for vs to be forsworne then for auoyding of periurie to fall into another sinne tenne times worse then that Dauid sware by God that he woulde kyll the foolishe fellowe Naball but at the firste intercession that his wyfe Abigail wiser then him selfe did make hee ceassed to threaten him hee sheathed his sworde agayne and did not finde him selfe any whit grieued for breaking his hastie othe Augustine also sayeth Whereas Dauid did not by sheading of bloude perfourme his promise bound with an othe therein his godlynesse was the greater Dauid sware rashly but vpon better and godly aduice he performed not the thing he had sworne By this and the like it is declared that many othes are not to be obserued Now he that sweareth so doth sinne but in chaunging his othe hee doth verie well Hee that chaungeth not suche an othe committh a double sinne firste for swearing as he ought not and then for doing that he shuld not Thus much hitherto haue I rehearsed of other mens wordes which al men verily acknowledge to be true and so in déede Nowe by this ye doe easily vnderstande dearely beloued what ye haue to thinke of those monasticall vowes and Priestes othes whiche promise chastitie no farther ywis by their leaue than mans fraile weaknesse will suffer them For it is better sayth the Apostle to marrie theÌ„ to burne And more commendable is it not to perfourme those foolishe hurtfull and vnpure promises that driue them perforce to filthy vncleannesse then vnder the colour of kéeping an othe truely to lye and to liue vnchastly God wot Fiftly and lastly I haue briefly to put you in mynde that ye indeuour your selues by al the meanes ye may deuoutly to keep that which ye swere and therewithall in fewe wordes to let you vnderstande what rewarde is prepared for them that do religiously and holily kéepe and obserue the holy othe once solemnely taken If we loue God if we desire to sanctifie his name if we take the true God for the very true God and for our God if we will haue him to be gentle and mercyfull to vs warde and to be our present deliuerer and ayder at all assayes then will we haue a most diligent care to sweare with feare deuoutly and holily to kéepe and perfourme the othe that wée deuoutly make But vnlesse we do this then terrible threatenings and sharpe reuengement of Gods iust iudgement are thundred from heauen against vs transgressours The very heathens shall rise vp and condemne vs in the day of iudgement For the Saguntines the Numantines and they of Petilia chose rather to die with fire and famine then to breake or violate their promise once bound with an oth Moreouer the lawes of all wise and ciuil Princes and people do adiudge periured persons to dye the death Howe great offences howe great corruptions howe great and many mischiefes I praye you doe rise through periuries They intangle trouble disgrace marre and ouerthrowe the estates both ciuil and Ecclesiasticall Who so euer therefore doth loue the common weale and safegarde of his countrie who so euer dothe loue the Church and good estate thereof he wil aboue all things haue an especiall regard to kéepe religiously the promise of his othe Nowe to those that holily do kéepe their othes the Lord doth promise a large reward For Ieremie saieth And the nations shall blesse theÌ„selues in him in him shall they glory As if he should say If the people of Iuda shall sweare holily and kéepe their othes then will the Lorde poure out vpon them so great felicitie and abouÌ„dant plentie of al good things that when as hereafter one shal blesse or wishe well to another he shall say The Lorde shewe thée his blessing as of olde he did to the Iewes And who socuer shall prayse another he shall say That he is like to the Israelites It is therefore assuredly certayne that they shall be inriched with all good thinges and worthy of all manner prayse who so euer shall inuiâ—lably kéepe their othes and promyses Let vs indeuour oure selues my brâ—thâ—â—n thren I beseeche you to sanctifie the Lords name and to adde to this third commandemeÌ„t your earnest and continuall prayers saying as our Lorde Iesus hath taught vs O heauenly father hallowed be thy name or let thy name be holily worshipped To him be glory for euer and euer Amen Of the fourth precept of the first table that is of the order and keeping of the Sabboth day ¶ The fourth Sermon THE fourth Commaundement of the first table is worde for word as followeth Remember that thou kepe holy the Sabboth day Sixe dayes thou shalt labour and do al thy workes but on the seuenth day is the Sabboth of the Lorde thy God in which thou shalt not do any manner of work neither thou nor thy sonne nor thy daughter nor thy man seruant nor thy maide seruant nor thy cattell nor thy straunger whiche is within thy gates Bycause in sixe dayes the Lorde made heauen and earth the sea and all that is therin and rested the seuenth day Therefore the Lorde blessed the Sabboth daye and hallowed it The order which the Lorde vseth in giuing these commaundements is naturall and very excellent In the first precept the Lorde did teache vs faith and loue to God ward In the second he remoued from vs Idoles and all forreine kinde of worship In the third he beganne to instruct vs in the true and lawfull worship of GOD which worship standeth in the sanctifying of his holy name for vs to call thereon and holily and fréely to praise it and to thinke and speake of it as religiously as he shall giue vs grace The fourth Commaundement teacheth vs also the worship due to
men that wittingly and willingly without all shame commit adulterie To Abimelech king of the Philiftines the Lord doth saye Loe thou shalt die because of the woman which thou hast taken away from hir husband And yet this king also had taken away Sara not knowing that shée was Abrahams wife Ioseph being prouoked to adulterie by his maisters wife doth simplie saye How should I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Euery word here doth beare some weight For adulterie is an heynous sinne Wherevpon in the booke of Iob we find these woords of Iob himselfe If mine heart haue bene deceiued by a woman or if I haue layde waite at my neighbours doore then let my wife bee an other mans harlot and let other men haue to doe with her For this is a wickednesse and sinne that is worthie to bee iudged to death Yea it is a fire that vtterlie should consume and roote oute all mine increase Iob sayth that hée hath not onely not committed adulterie but that hée hath not so much at any time as once giuen the attempt to defile an other mans wife Hée confesseth that adulterie is a sinne and so greeuous an offence that it doth deserue to haue the adulterers wife to be defiled with adulterie He addeth that adulterie is a fire that vtterly consumeth and deuoureth all thinges and lastly that it is a sinne to bée iudged and punished by death Moreouer Solomon the wisest of all men saith May a man take fire in his bosome and his cloathes not be brent Or can one go vppon hoat coales and his feete not be brent Euen so he that goeth in to his neighbours wife and toucheth hir cannot be vnguiltie Men doe not vtterly despise a theefe that stealeth to satisfie his soule when hee is hungrie But if he may be gotten hee restoreth againe seuen times as much or else he maketh recompence with all the substaunce of his house But whoso committeth adulterie with a woman hee lacketh vnderstanding and hee that doth it destroyeth his owne soule He getteth himselfe a plague and dishonour and his reproch shall neuer bee put out For the iealosie and wrath of the man will not be intreated neither accepteth he the person of any mediatour nor receiueth any giftes howe great soeuer they bee In these words of Solomon many thinges are to bée noted First as it cannot otherwyse bée but that fire must burne the garment wherein it is carried so no man can cōmit adulterie without damage and daunger of further punishmente Secondarilie comparison is made betwirte a théefe and an adulterer not that theft is thereby defended but because théeues although they be infamous doe seeme yet to sinne a greate deale lesse than adulterers doe For a théefe may make satisfaction by restoring the worth of the thing that hée stoale to him from whole hée stoale it away but for adulterie no amendes can bee made And what is hée that would not rather wish to haue théeues ransacke his chest and take away his substaunce than to haue his wife his dearling defiled with adulterie Moreouer Solomon calleth the adulterer madde and without vnderstanding Adulterie is iudged to be a sinne worthie of death endlesse infamie For the Lord in the lawe doth not say onely Thou shalt not commit adulterie But in an other place also goeth on addeth And he that cōmitteth adulterie with an other mans wife euē hee that cōmitteth adulterie with his neighbours wife let both the adulterer and the adultresse bee slaine Leuit 20. And this punishment of adulterie by death was not abrogated or chaunged by the very Gentiles For the Romane lawe called Lex Iulia is very well knowne how it commaunded adulterers to bee put to death Which lawe was of force in the time of S. Hierome as wée may gather by the Historie which hée wrate of an adultresse at the chopping off of whose head seuen stroakes were giuē Neither is it meruaile vndoubtedly that adulterie was amonge them of olde and is yet at this day according to the lawes to be punished by death For vppon that one many sinnes do depēd First of al the adulterer is a periured man For hée hath broaken and violated the faith which he gaue openly before God and the face of the congregation by calling to witnesse the most holie and reuerend Trinitie when the minister of Christe did solemnise the marriage and couple him to his wife by geuing hand in hand Secondarily the adulterer hath committed thefte and robberie For whē the adultresse doth make her body common to an other man then doth shée set to sale defile and marre not her owne but her husbandes body Thirdly bastardes borne in adulterie doe often times enioy an equall parte of inheritaunce with that right begottē children Which cannot be without great wrong done to the lawfull heyres and legitimate ofspring For they are against al right robbed of their due inheritance wher of an equall portion is giuen to him to whom by lawe no parcel is due Lastly beside all these innumerable mischiefes doe spring of adulterie Since therefore that it is a serpente with so many heades both the lawes of God and men do rightly punish adulterers with losse of life But some iollie fellowes there are forsooth that of adulterie do make but a sport They are persuaded that Dauids adulterie doeth make on their side and that place of scripture where wée read that the Lord was fauourable to the adultresse that was taken euen as the déede was in doing Whie doe not these merrie conceipted men cōsider how seuerely the Lord did punish Dauid for that offēce The bloudie house of Dauid was immediately after defiled with filthie inceste For Amnon doth perforce defloure his sister Thamar And streightway vppon the necke of that againe his house is defamed by most cruell parricide while Absalom in a banquet murdered his brother Amnon The verie same Absalom also Dauids sonne defileth or deflowreth his fathers wyues and that openly too laying al feare of God and shame aside Hée driueth his father out of his kingdome and hasteneth on to shorten his dayes Al which calamities Dauid confesseth that hee doth worthily susteine for the adulterie and murther by him committed Lastly many thousands of his people are slaine in the batteile Dauid himself is hardly and with much adoe restoared to his kingdome and afterward being restored hée repented his sinne all dayes of his life Nowe it is meruaile if adulterers consideringe these punishments will goe on yet to alledge the example of Dauid in defence of their naughtinesse Our sauiour did not come into the world to be a iudge but a Sauiour neither did he in any place vsurpe take to himself the right of the sword Who therfore will make any meruayle at it to sée the adultresse not to be condemned by him to be stoned to death Yet hée said Hath no man condemned thee as if he minded not to haue resisted the lawe
peculiar exāples of Gods deliueraunce of his people in Dauid Iosaphat Ezechias Manasses and many other There are to be séene in the Gospell innumerable places where Christe deliuered his professours from sinne from diseases from euils from perils and from the diuel In the Acts of the Apostles there are found most excellent patterns of present deliuerie by the mightie hand of god The Apostles are imprisoned and faste bound in fetters but they are loosed and brought foorth by the Angell of God and placed in the temple to preach the Gospel openly Peter likewise is deliuered out of prison when Agrippa had determined the next day following to make an end of and dispatch him The Apostle Paul being oppressed with an infinite sorte of calamities did alwayes feele the present hand of God at all times readie to rid him out of miserie And setting this tribulation and deliuerie of his for an example to all the faithful he saith to Timothie Thou knowest my persecution afflictions which came to me at Antioche at Iconium at Lystra which persecutions I suffered patiently But from them all the Lord deliuered mee yea and all that will liue godly in Christe Iesus shall suffer persecution Many more examples doth the same Apostle recken vp together in the 11. Chapiter to the Hebrues All this I say do the saincts consider and in time of temptation and affliction do comfort and strengthen themselues therewith For so doth Paule teach vs where he saith Whatsoeuer is written for our learning is it written that through patience and comforte of the Scriptures wee might haue hope Beside this also the faithfull sorte call to their mindes the commaundements of Christ our Lord wherwith he commēding patience vnto vs hath layd the crosse vpon vs all For in the Gospel he sayth If any man wil goe after me let him forsake himselfē and take vpp his crosse and followe mee For whosoeuer will saue his life shal loose it and whosoeuer shall loose his life for my sake shall saue it For what doeth it aduauntage a man to winne the whoale world and loose his owne soule Or what shall a man giue for a raunsome of his soule For the sonne of man shall come in the glorie of his father with his Angels and then shall hee reward euery man according to his workes And againe in an other place he sayth If any man come to mee and hate not his father and mother and wife and children and brethren and sisters yea and his owne life also he cannot be my disciple And whosoeuer doth not beare his crosse and come after me he cannot bee my disciple After which words the Lord bringeth in certaine parables by which hée teacheth vs to make triall of our abilitie before we receiue the profession of the Gospell To the preceptes of their maister Christ the faithfull Apostles Peter and Paul had an especial eye exhorting vs to the patient bearing of the crosse of Christ For Christ saith Peter was afflicted for vs leauing to vs an example that wee should followe his steppes And Paul said Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdome of God. An other comforte that the faithfull haue in their afflictions is this that the time of affliction is shorte that the ioy and reward in the world to come is vnspeakeablie farre more large and excellent than the tribulation of this life is troublesome so that there can be no comparison betwixt the ioy of the one and griefe of the other and lastly that our good God doth not lay such burthēs on vs as we are not able possiblie to beare Touching all which points I thinke it conuenient here to rehearse proofes out of that scrip tures to proue them true S. Peter calleth the time of affliction short or momentanie And the Prophet Esate or the Lord rather in Esates prophecie long before Peters time did say Goe my people enter into thy chambers and shutt the doores after thee hide thee selfe a little while vntill mine indignation be ouerpast Paul also sayth The fathers of your fleshe did for a fewe dayes chasten you after their owne pleasure but the father of spirits doth for a short time correct you to your profite that ye might bee partakers of his holinesse But no chastising for the present seemeth to be ioyous but greeuous Neuerthelesse afterward it bringeth the quiet fruite of righteousnes to them that are exercised thereby Againe he saith Wee suffer with Christe that with him we may be glorified For I am certainly persuaded that the afflictions of this time are not comparable to the glorie that shal be shewed vppon vs For the momentanie lightnesse of our affliction doth wōderfully aboue all measure bring forth to vs an euerlasting weight of glorie while wee looke not for the thinges that are seene but the things that are not seene For the thinges that are seene are temporall but the thinges that are not seene are eternal Againe in his first epistle to the Corinth the same Apostle sayth God is faithfull which shal not suffer you to be tempted aboue that you are able but shall with the temptation make a way to escape that ye may be able to beare it But if it so happen that the Lord doth séeme to vs to extend our tribulation longer than iustice would séeme to require then must wee by and by remember that we may not prescribe to God any end of his wil but must permit him fréely to afflicte vs without all controllment so much so longe and by such meanes as shal séeme to be best to his godly wisedome He who is himselfe the eternall wisedome and loueth vs men entyrely well doth know well enough his time and season when to make an end of our miseries and rid vs from afflictions There are in the Scriptures sundry examples to comfort the men whose afflictions endure for any long time The woman in the Gospell was troubled with an issue of bloud by the space of twelue yeres which had almost driuen her to vtter desperation of her healthes recouerie An other lay beddred whole eightene yeares By the poole Bethesda lay the sillie creature who had béene diseased eight thirtie yeares This space surely was very troublesome But yet at last they were restoared to health againe by God who knoweth best at what time and season his help is most expedient and profitable for mankind Let vs therfore wholie submit our selues to his good iust most wise will to be deliuered when and how he shal thincke best But the chiefest comfort and greatest hope in tribulation is that not any force or miserie can possiblie seperate the faithful and elect seruaunts of God from God himselfe For the Lord in the Gospell crieth out and sayth My sheepe heare my voyce I know them and they followe mee I giue to them eternal life they shall neuer perish neither shall any man plucke them out of my hand My father which
they shall all knowe mee from the little vnto the greate But of the law it is written that it was grauen in tables of stone Yet for all this let no man thinke that the fathers obteined no remission of their sinnes For as they by faith had frée forgiuenesse of their sinnes so did God both write his lawe and powre his spirite into their heartes For which of vs at this day can saye that wée excell in knowledge and in faith either Abraham Moses Samuel Dauid Esaie Daniel or Zacharias So then the difference is not in that the fathers of the old testamente were without the remission of sinnes and the illumination of the holie Ghoste and that wée alone which are the people of the newe testament haue obteined them but the difference doeth consiste in the greatnesse amplenesse largenesse and plentifulnesse of the giftes to witt because they are more liberallie bestowed and more plentifully powred out vppon more nowe than they were of old For all nations being called doe not by dropmeale but by whole handfulls drawe the water of life The Lord doth powre out his spirite vppon all fleshe Of old God was knowen in Iurie onely but nowe since Christe is come into the world his disciples are gone thoroughe all the corners of the earth teach all kingdomes to knowe the Lord. Of old the worthie men and Prophets were not so many but that they might bée numbred because the land of promise in a maner alone did bréed such good and holy men But who is at this day able to reckon all that kings Princes noble men Prophets Bishops doctours Martyrs excellent persons of euery sexe estate and age whiche haue beene and are at this day bred not onely in Iurie but also in Arabia Idumea Phenicia Mesopotamia Persia Asia Aegypt Africa Gréece Italie the Easte the South the Weste and the North Frée remission of sinnes is preached to all countries and kingdomes All the faithfull in euerie nation vnder heauen are throughe Christ receiued into the grace and fauour of God the father All haue receiued in great abundaunce the gift of the holy Ghoste All haue prophecied All haue knowen the lord Finallie the lawe maketh no man perfecte The Gospell simplie maketh perfect and doth directly without any stopp lead vs to Christe and causeth vs to rest and to content oure selues in him alone Last of all I will not slippe ouer this difference althoughe it be of little weight and such an one as other like vnto it may be easilie obserued that the lawe appointing out a certeine land peculiarly separated from other nations did promise to the old fathers the possession of the same so long as they did kéep the law but if they did transgresse the lawe then did it threaten that they should be rooted vpp and vtterly cast out of that good land But to vs no one limited lande is expressely promised For the earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof the rounde world and all that therein is But althoughe hée doeth not héere assigne to vs as hée did to oure forefathers of olde any certeine or peculiar thinge yet doeth hée not at any time neglecte vs For hée féedeth blesseth and preserueth vs in euery land and nation Therfore the promises which were of old made to oure forefathers concerning the land of promise being come to an end are vtterly vanished away so that they which for an age or two agoe did incite many nations to arme themselues for the recouerie of the holy land doe seeme to haue béene besides their witts Christ by his comming into the world hath sanctified all the earth For there are in euerie nation of the world some sonnes and heires of God and his kingdome Touching the likenesse and agréement the vnlikenesse and difference of both I meane the old and newe testaments or people I haue therfore spoken the more briefely béecause I haue in the first Sermon of the first Decade and in the sixte Sermon of this third Decade alreadie hādled the selfe same matter Finallie I haue but shortly touched the abrogation of the law because I did a good while ago set foorth two treatises y one of the Auncient Faith the other of the Only and eternall Couenaunt of God whiche treatises I knowe to bée familiar amonge you I will not héere in the conclusion recapitulate vnto you y special points of this Sermon partly because I haue alreadie béene somewhat to long and partly because I haue as I hope vsed so plaine an order that euery point is indifferently well settled in euery manns memorie Thus haue I by Gods grace and sufferance made an end to treate of Gods holy law wherin I haue béene occupied a good sort of dayes by seuerall Sermons Blessed bée God and oure heauenly father world without end whome I beséech to blesse vs all thorough Iesus Christ our Lord and Sauiour Amen ¶ Of Christian libertie and of offences Of good workes and the reward thereof ¶ The ninthe Sermon I HAVE alreadie through many sermons discoursed longe vppon Gods lawe nowe therefore because vppon the consideration handling of the lawe there doe arise certaine pointes not to bee omitted which doe depend vppon and are annexed hand in hand vnto the lawe of which sort are Christian libertie good woorkes the reward of good woorkes sinne and the reward or punishment of sinne I wil speake of them in order as God shall put into my mouth whō I shall desire you to praye vnto with mée beséeching him not to suffer me to speake in these or other points of holy doctrine the thing that shall sounde against his holy will. Vppon the abrogation of the lawe doeth Christian libertie depende and follow as the effecte of the abrogating of the lawe which libertie doth minister vs occasion to speake of offences Nowe concerning Christian libertie the most holy Apostle of Christ Sainct Paule hath reasoned verie diligently and largely whereby we may gather that the consideration of Christian libertie is neither of no weighte nor yet of little profite But the treatise therof is especially necessarie to vs of this age amonge whom there are no small number of men which doe either not vnderstand what Christian libertie is or else if they knowe it do foulie abuse it thereby to fulfill the lustes of the flesh I will therefore tell you who is the deliuerer that setteth vs at libertie who they are that he setteth at libertie and wherein and howe farre forth he setteth them at libertie whiche things being once knowen it wil be an easie matter to perceiue what Christian libertie is what the propertie or disposition of those is which are so set at libertie and howe farre forth they must beware from giuing office to any man and from abusing their graunted libertie There is none other deliuerer promised giuen and preached vnto vs than Christ Iesus the Sonne of god For he which doth deliuer other men must be himselfe frée from the
that all the ministers of the Churches euen from the Apostles time did both acknowledge and openly teach original sinne In that place he citeth the testimonies of IrenÄ™us Cyprian Retilius Olympius Hilarie and Ambrose his father and maister in Christian doctrine Innocent Gregorie Basil and Iohn Chrysostome And at length hée inferreth Wilt thou now call so great a consent of Catholique priestes a coÌ„spiracie of naughtie men Neither thincke thou that S. Hierome is to be coÌ„temned because he was but a priest onely and no bishop who being skilful in the Greeke Latine and Hebrue tongues and passinge from the West vnto the East Church liued in holy places and the studie of the sacred Scriptures euen to his croane crooked age He read all or in a maner al the woorkes of them whiche in both partes of the world did write of Ecclesiasticall doctrine and yet he neither held nor taught any otherwise of this point of doctrine And againe the same Augustine in his third booke De peccatoruÌ„ meritis remissione Cap. 7. sayeth Hierome expounding the propheâ—ie of Ionas when he came to that place where meÌ„tion is made that euen the little children were chastened with fasting sayth It began with the eldest and came euen to the yongest For there is none without sinne no not hee which is but one day old nor hee whose gray head hath seene many yeares For if the starres are not cleane in the sight of God how much more vncleane are duste and putrifying earth and those which are in subiection to the sinne of Adams transgression To these words of Hierome doeth Augustine himselfe annexe this that followeth If it were so that wee might easilie aske it of this most learned man how many teachers of the holie Scriptures in both the tongues and howe many writers of Christian treatises would hee reckon vp which since the time that Christ his Church was first planted haue themselues nether thought of their predecessours learned nor taught their successours any other thaÌ„ this doctrine touching originall sinne I verilie thoughe I haue read nothing so much as hee do not remember that I haue heard any other doctrine of Christians whiche admit or receiue both the testaments whether they were in the vnitie of the Catholique Church or otherwise in Schismes and heresies I doe not remember that I haue read any other thing in them whose writinges touching this matter I could come by to read them if either they did followe or thought that they did follow or would haue men beleeue that they did followe the Canonicall Scriptures Thus farre hath Augustine teaching in the very beginning that all the Sainctes did by a full consent and agréement in doctrine most expressely graunt and confesse that originall sinne is euen in newe borne infants Mée thincketh that Sainct Hierome did not onely in Ionas but also much more euidently in Ezechiel confesse and affirme originall sinne His wordes are to bée séene Comment lib. 14. in cap. 47. ad Ezechielem and are verbatun as followeth What man can make his boaste that hee hath a chaste heart or to whose minde by the windows of the eyes the death of concupiscence or to vse a mylder terme the tickling of the minde doth not enter in For the world is set in wickednesse euen from his childhood the hart of man is set to naughtinesse so that not the very first day of a mans natiuitie his nature is free from sinne and naughtinesse Wherevppon Dauid in the Psalme sayeth For behold I was coÌ„ceiued in iniquitie and in sinne my mother conceiued mee Not in the iniquities of my mother or in mine owne sinnes but in the iniquities of our mortall state And therfore the Apostle saith death reigned from Adam vnto Moses ouer them also whiche had not sinned with the like transgression as did Adam Thus much hath Hierome and we haue hetherto alledged al these sayings to the end wee might proue that originall sinne is the naturall or hereditarie corruption of mans nature Let vs nowe sée what and howe great the hereditarie naughtinesse or corruption of our nature is and what power it hath to woorke in man Our nature verilie as I shewed you aboue was before the fall most excellent and pure in oure father Adam but after the fall it did by Gods iuste iudgement become corrupte and vtterly naught which is in that naughtinesse by propagation or Extraduce deriued into all vs whiche are the posteritie and ofspring of Adam as both experience and the thing it selfe doe euidently declare as well in sucklings or infantes as those of riper yeares For euen very babes giue manifest tokens of euident deprauation so soone as they once beginne to bée able to doe any thing yea before they can perfectlye sounde any one syllable of a whole word All oure vnderstandinge is dull blunt grosse and altogether blinde in heauenlie things Our iudgement in diuine matters is peruerse and friuolous For there arise in vs most horrible and absurd thoughtes and opinions touching God his iudgementes â— wonderfull woorkes yea our whole minde is apt and readie to errours to fables and our owne destruction and when as our iudgements are nothing but méere follie yet doe wée preferre them farre aboue Gods wisedome whiche wee esteeme but foolishnesse in comparison of oure owne conceiptes and corrupte imaginations For hee lyed not whiche saide The naturall man perceiueth not the things of the spirite of God for they are foolishnesse vnto him neither can he know them because they are spirituallie discerned Nowe Paule calleth him the naturall man which liueth naturally by the vitall spirite and is not regenerate by the holy Ghoste And since we all are such wée are therefore wholie ouercome and gouerned of Philautie that is too great a selfeloue and delight in our selues whereby all things that wee oure selues doe woorke doe highly please vs loking still verie busilie to oure owne selues and our commoditie when in the meane time wée neglecte all others yea rather doe afflicte them Neither did Plato vnaduisedly estéeme that vice of selfeloue to bee the very roote of euery euill Furthermore our whole will is ledd captiue by concupiscence which as a roote enuenomed with poyson infecteth all that is in man and doeth incline drawe on driue man to things carnall forbidden and contrarie to God to the end that hée maye gréedilie pursue them put all his delight in them and content him selfe wyth them Moreouer there is in vs no power or abilitie to doe any good For wée are sâ—owe sluggish and heauie to goodnesse but liuely quicke and readie enoughe to anye euill or naughtinesse And that I may at last conclude and briefely expresse the whole force and signification of our hereditarie deprauation and corruption I say that this deprauation of our nature is nothing else but the blotting of Gods Image in vs There was in oure father Adam before his fall the very Image and likenesse of God
which Image as the Apostle expoundeth it was a conformitie and participation of Gods wisedome iustice holinesse trueth integritie innocencie immortalitie and eternall felicitie Therefore what else can the blotting or wiping out of this Image bée but originall sinne that is the hatred of God the ignoraunce of God foolishnesse distrustfulnesse desperation selfeloue vnrighteousnesse vncleannesse lying hypocrisie vanitie corruption violent iniurie wickednesse mortalitie and eternall infelicitie This corrupte Image and likenesse is by propagation deriued into vs all according to that saying in â—he fifte of Genesis Adam begatt a sonne in his owne similitude and likenesse Therefore as our father Adam was him selfe corrupted depraued and full of calamities so hath hee begotten vs his sonnes corrupte depraued and full of miseries so that all we which do descend of his vnpure séede are borne infected with the contagious poyson of sinne For of a rotten roote doe springe as rotten braunches which in like manner put ouer their rottennesse into the little twiggs that shoote out and growe vppon them And this euill verilie this corruption and this sinne althoughe it lye hidd in infants and by reason of their tender age doeth not breake foorthe into any déede dooing yet notwithstanding it is a sinne and such a sinne verilie as maketh them indaungered vnto Gods wrath separateth them from the fellowship of God. For with the most holy God who is a consuming fire no man can abide but hee that is vnspotted and cleane from the filthinesse of sinnes And Paule sayeth All haue sinned and are destitute or haue neede of the glorie of God. This glorie of God is the very image of God whereof because they are destitute they being corrupted with originall sinne are worthilie excluded from the fellowship of god To this place doth belong the whole treatise of concupiscence in the fourth Sermon of this third Decade where I taught you that bare concupiscence which is not yet burst forth to the déed doing is a sinne that to such a sinne as maketh all men subiecte to the curse of god For it is written Cursed be euerie one whiche abideth not in all thinges that are written in the booke of this lawe Therefore the first effecte of originall sinne is this that it bringeth wrath death and damnation vppon verie infants and so consequently vppon all mankinde whereof that it maye the more firmely be settled in euerie mans minde without all scruple of doubting I wil by some store of testimonies out of the scripture make manifest proofe vnto you not by repeating those places againe which I haue alreadie cited in this Sermon in the fourth Sermon of this thirde Decade The Lord in the Gospell sayeth to Nicodemus Verilie I say vnto thee vnlesse a maÌ„ be borne from aboue he caÌ„not see the kingdome of God. And againe Vnlesse a man bee borne of water and of the holie Ghost he cannot enter into the kingdome of god That whiche is borne of the flesh is flesh and that which is borne of the spirite is spirite In these words are comprehended two things worthie to be remembred and very consonant to our present argument First none enter into the kingdome of heauen but those that bee regenerate from abcue by the holy Ghost therefore ourâ— fâ—â—st birthe tendeth to death and not to life For in oure first natiuitie wee are borne to death The latter is That which is borne of flesh is flesh therefore in oure first natiuitie wee are all borne flesh But touching the disposition of the flesh and the force thereof the Apostle sayeth The fleshly minde is enimitie against God for it is not obedient to the lawe of God neither can bee Therefore that fleshly birthe ingeÌ„dreth vs not the friends sonnes but the enimies of God and so consequently doth make vs indaungered to the wrath of God. Paul in his second Chapiter to the Ephesians sayeth Wee were by nature the sonnes of wrathe euen as other In which words he pronounceth that all men are damned For al those that are damned or are worthie of eternall death and all such with whom God hath good cause to be offended hée calleth the sonnes of wrath after the proper phrase of the Hebrue speache For the wrath of God doth signifie the punishment which is by the iust iudgment of God layd vppon vs men And he is called the child of death which is adiudged or appointed to be killed So is also the sonne of perdition c. Now marke that he calleth vs all the sonnes of wrath that is the subiectes of paine damnation euen by nature in birth from our mothers wombe But whatsoeuer is naturallie in all men that is originall therefore originall sinne maketh vs the sonnes of wrath that is we are all for our originall corruption made subiecte to death and vtter damnation This place of Paule for the proofe of this argument is worthie to be remembred The same Apostle in the first to the Colossians sayeth God hath deliuered vs from the power of darcknesse and hath translated vs into the kingdome of his deere sonne Nowe if we be translated into the kingdome of the sonne of God then were we once in the kingdome of the diuel And to this place belong very many testimonies of the same Apostle in the fifte Chapter of his Epistle to the Romanes By one mans sinne many are dead Againe By one that sinned came death For iudgement came by one vnto coÌ„demnation Againe For the sinne of one death reigned by the meanes of one And againe By the sinne of one sinne came vppon all men vnto condemnation Finally original sinne is by Dauid and Paule expressely called sinne therefore death is due to originall sinne For the reward of sinne is death Wée do therefore conclude that infants doe bring damnation with them into this world euen from their mothers wombes because they bring with them a corrupt nature and therefore they perish not by any others but by their owne fault naughtinesse For althoughe S. Augustine doeth in one place séeme to cal this sinne peccatum alienum that is an others sinne that thereby he may shew how it is by propagation deriued from other into vs yet doeth he confesse that it is in very déed and truely proper to all and euery seuerall one of vs And although it bee so that for lacke of age in a newe borne babe this disease hath not alreadie brought foorth the fruite of his iniquitie yet notwithstanding the very whole nature of the babe is nothing but filchie corruption and a certeine séede of sinne and wickednesse whiche cannot choose but bée abhominable vnto the lord For God doth hate al maner of vncleannesse With this agréeth that sentence of Paule where he sayth Where no law is there is no transgression For the Apostle doth not absolutely saye that the sinne or transgression whiche is sinne in very déed in the sight of God is no sinne but hee respecteth the
of his owne soule I will not be hired with giftes to loose my soule for the gaine of monie therevpon hee which before enticed thee doeth now turne himselfe to terrifie thee for because his gifts did faile to hire thee he beginneth to threaten vnto thee damage banishment woundes and death In suche a case now if greedinesse could not yet feare perhappes mighte cause thee to sinne The same Augustine againe in his booke De Sermone Domini in moÌ„te sayeth Three thinges there bee by which sinne is accomplished suggestion delectation and consent Suggestion whether it bee wrought by the memorie or senses of the bodie as when we see heare smel tast or touch any thing Nowe if we be delighted to haue it that vnlawful delight must be restrained As for example when wee faste if at the sight of meate our appetite do arise it is not done without delectation but wee must not giue our consent to that delectation but suppresse it with the power of reason For if the consent bee giuen then is the sinne accomplished These three things are correspondent to the circumstances of the historie that is written in Genesis so that of the serpent was made that suggestioÌ„ in the carnall appetite as in Eua was the delectation and in reason as in Adam did the full consent appeare whiche being finished man is expelled as it were out of Paradise that is out of the blessed light of righteousnes into death and damnation Thus much sayeth Augustine touching the cause of sinne But héere we must especiallie note in the definition of actual sinne the verie propertie or difference whereby this action is discerned from all other actions and whereby the most proper note of sinne is made manifest This action therefore euen as all sinns else doe doth directly tende against Gods lawe But what the lawe of God is I haue in my former sermons at large declared Verilie it is none other but the verie wil of god Now the will of God is that man should be like vnto his image that is that hee should bée holie innocent and so consequently saued This will of his did God expresse first by the lawe of nature then by the lawe which hée writt in two tables of stone lastly by the preaching of the holie Gospell Nowe those thrée tend all to one end to witt that man should be holie innocent and so consequently saued And whatsoeuer things are done of men either in thought word or déed against that holy lawe of God they both are and are called actuall sinnes Therefore in the iudging or estéeming of mens sinnes the lawe of God must be onely looked vnto For the thinges that are not contrarie to Gods lawe are not sinnes Neither hath any man authoritie to make new lawes for the traÌ„sgressing wherof men should bee counted sinners That glorie belongeth to God alone to whome Dauid crieth To thee alone haue I sinned and against thee haue I wrought wickednesse Neither is it any part of our office to take vppon vs by oure owne iudgementes to determine whiche be the smallest and which the greatest sinnes For which of vs would thinke that it were sinne to say to his brother Thou foole And yet the Lord in the Gospell pronounceth it to be a sinne who in the same Gospell also affirmeth that wée shal giue accompt for euery idle word at the latter day of Iudgement Verie rightly therfore sayeth Sainct Augustine in his second booke De Bapt. Contra Donatistas Capit. 6. In esteming of sinnes let vs not bring in deceiptfull balances wherein to weighe both what wee liste and as wee liste â–ª after our owne minde and phantasie â–ª saying This is heauie and that is light but let vs bring in the weights of Gods holie Scriptures as out of the secrete treasuries of the Lord and thereby let vs weighe what is heauie and what is light naye rather let not vs weigh them but acknowledge so accepte them as they are weighed by the Lord. And although this might séeme to be sufficient as that whiche hath sufficiently declared the nature of actuall sinne yet will wée more at large consider the sundrie sortes or kindes and differences of sinnes The Stoikes were of opinion that all sinnes were equall whome perhappes Iouinian followinge as the Patriarchs of heresies are by Tertullian said to bée Philosophers is written to haue affirmed the verie same with them as is extant in S. Augustines Catalogue of heretiques The holie Scripture teacheth vs that God is iust wherevppon we doe conclude that all sinnes therefore are not equall For wée sée that God as hée is a iust Iudge doeth punish some sinnes more sharpely than otherseme For in the Gospell the Lord sayeth Wo to you Scribes and Pharisers hypocrits which deuour widowes houses vnder the pretence of longe prayer therefore shal ye receiue the greater damnation And againe It shal be easier sayeth the Lord for the land of Sodom in the day of Iudgement than for the citie that reiecteth the preaching of the Gospell Likewise in the eleuenth of Matthewe hee sayeth It shal be easier for Tyre and Sidon in the day of Iudgement than for you To Pilate also hee said The man that deliuered mee to thee hath the more sinne Againe The seruaunt that knewe his maisters will and prepared not himselfe neither did according to his will shal be beaten with many stripes But hee that knewe not and did commit thinges worthie of stripes shal be beaten with fewe stripes To procéede nowe sinnes doe arise by steppes and increase by circumstances For first there is a hidden sinne conteined in the very affection or desire of man But I haue alreadie told you that affections and desires are of two sortes to witt naturall affections whiche are not repugnaunt to the lawe of God of whiche sort are the loue of children parentes and wife and the desire of meate drincke and sléepe although I know and doe not denie but that sometimes those affections are defiled with the originall spott Againe there are carnall desires or affections in men directly contrarie to the will of god Those affections are nourished and do increase by vaine thoughtes and carnall delightes increasing in thy bosome and at last they breake out into the sinne of the month yea and after that to the déede dooing or actuall sinne it selfe As for example Thou â—ustest after an other mans wife and â—ettlest the luste in the bottome of thy â—eart still delighting thée selfe with vaine cogitations while thou callest to minde her passing beautie and lineaments of bodie and doest by thy often and vehement imagination both delight and set thée selfe on sire And not being content herewithall alone thou ceassest not to lie at her whome thou louest with words and writings to spott her chastitie and if occasion serue thée thou doest by the déed doing defile her and also doest reiterate the sinne which thou hast once coÌ„mitted and lastly laying aside the feare
our Lord declared and expounded by the same Apostle Paule Nowe Abraham and Dauid were alwayes men of chiefe accompt in the Church of god With whiche twaine the whole companye of the Prophets doe wholie agree For the Apostle Peter saith All the Prophets bare wittnesse to Christe that by his name euery one whiche doeth beleeue in him shoulde receiue remission of his sinnes And euen nowe by the mouth of Paule wee hearde saye that by the testimonies of the lawe and the Prophetes it is proued That the righteousenesse of God is freely bestowed by faith with out the Lawe We haue also the verie sonne of God Iesus Christe our Lorde whose authoritie excelling farre all y worldes beside may confirme vs well enough in this péece of doctrine For he as it were in certeine assembled counsels did determine and decree that which we in this place do counsell al men to reteine For hauing gathered togeather his disciples at Caesarea Philippi he demaunded of them what men did thinke of him Nowe when they answered diuersly according to the diuersitie of opinions that the common people had of him hee inquired of theÌ„ what they them selues thought of him Then Peter in the name of all the rest saide Thou art that Christe the sonne of the liuing God. To whome the Lorde replyed Happie art thou Simon Bar Iona for flesh and bloud hath not reuealed this to thee but my father which is in heauen In these woordes hee concludeth two seuerall thinges First that true faith doeth make vs happie Neither is it to be doubted but that to make happie is vsed here in that signification which ye hearde out of Paule euen nowe that Dauid vsed it in Lastly that that sanctifying faith is not the woorke of oure owne nature but the heauenly gifte of god And then also he taketh occasion vppon that notable confession of true faith to giue a newe name to Simon Peter for the eternall memorie of the thinge and for the imprintinge of the signification of that mysterie in all mennes mindes Peter confessed that Christ was a stone or rocke Therefore Christe syrnameth Peter a Petra that is a stone as if one shoulde call him a liuinge stone layde vppon a liuing stone or of Christe a Christian Yea and leaste peraduenture any man shoulde tye the thinge vniuersally beelonginge to the whole churche vnto Peter alone the Lorde him selfe doth apply it vnto all the Churche and saith And vpon this stone will I buylde my churche and the gates of hell shal not preuaile against it As if he should haue sayd that which nowe is done in thee Peter shall hereafter bee done in all the faithfull Thou by faith art layde vpon me which am the stone and arte made a member of the Church I therefore do ordeine that whosoeuer confesseth mee to be the stone shal be a member of the Churche sanctified iustified and deliuered from the diuell and the power of death Thy confession that is I Christe the sonne of God whome thou confessest shal be the foundation of the Churche vppon whiche foundation whosoeuer are layde they shal be iustified and fréely saued For Paule also saide An other foundation cannot be layd than that that is alreadie layde which is Christ Iesus And the Apostle Iohn saith This is the victorie that hath ouercome the worlde euen your faith Nowe least Peter and his other fellowe disciples shoulde not knowe the waye howe other men shoulde be admitted into the fellowship of the Churche and receiued into the communion of Christe he addeth immediately And I will giue thee the keyes of the kingdome of heauen and whatsoeuer thou loosest in earth shal bee loosed in heauen c. He gaue the keyes when hee sent the Apostles to preache the Gospell Therefore by the preaching of the Gospell which is the keye of the kingdome of heauen is heauen opened and the waye poynted out howe we being graffed in Christe the church may bee made the heires of eternall life to wite through faith in Christe which wee are taught by the Gospell of Christe Thus much touching the counsell wherof Christ himself was PresideÌ„t helde at Caesarea Philippi There is extant in Iohn an other counsell held at Capernaum both famous and ful of people For in a greate multitude of his Disciples and other men hee doeth determine that eternall life is gotten by faith in Christe and that there is none other waye for vs to come to life than this To eate his fleshe and to drinke his bloud that is to beléeue in him And when amongâ— the audience there was a Schisme by reason that many reuolted from Christe hee demaunded of them that were his neerest disciples whether they also woulde forsake him then Pâ—ter in the name of all the rest did aunswere since in thee O Christe there is life and saluation if wee departe from thee wee cannot bee partakers of lifâ— and therefore by faith wee will â—â—rmely sticke and cleaue close to thee for euer Moreouer here are to be reckoned two counsels also that were helde by the Apostles The one of whiche no man can denye to bee verie generall or vniuersall For in it there were dâ—uout men of euery nation vnder heauen In that counsell did Peter the Apostle in expresse wordes teache that Christe is the Sauiour of the worlde whome whosoeuer beléeueth hee shall haue life euerlasting The place is knowen in the Actes of the Apostles the second Chapter Before the chiefe of the Iewes the same Apostle declareth that there is saluation in none other than in Christ alone The place is extante in the Actes of the Apostles the thirde Chapter The like hee doeth to the firste fruites of the Gentiles Cornelius and his housholde in the tenth Chapter The seconde counsell which was famous also and passingly adorned with all good giftes is described in the fiftéenth Chapter of the Actes in whichâ— Counsell this proposition was allowed That faith without woorkes doth iustifie freely Touching which matter I haue spoken at large in an other place Nowe by all this I woulde haue it proued that the doctrine of Faith that iustifieth without woorkes ought to bée reteined vnmingled and vncorrupte in the Churche because as I maye so saye it is moste Catholique and altogether vnreproueable to the breache whereof this cuâ—sse or Anathematisme of the Apostle is added sayinge If wee or an Angel from Heauen shall preache to you anye other Gospell than that whiche we haue preached let him bee accursed The seconde cause why it is expedient that this doctrine bee kepte sincere in the Churche is because if it bee once put out of ioynte the glorie of Christe shall bee in daunger of wracke and in ieopardie For the glorie of Christe is darkened and corrupted in the myndes of men althoughe of it selfe it remaineth alwayes sounde and cleare if wee beginne to diuide the righteousenesse whereby wee stande and appeare before GOD attributing it to oure owne merites and good woorkes of
the bottome of his heart And yet it was not the crowing of the cocke of it selfe alone that stirred that motion in him but that and the woord of Christe together who had said vnto him Verilie I saye vnto thee the cocke shall not crowe till thou hast denied mee thrice Wherevppon S. Matt. sayeth And Peter remembred the wordes of the Lord which had sayed vnto him Before the cock crowe thou shalt denie me thrice c. With these also is ioyned a more secrete touching of Peters mind For the good Lord touched the heart of Peter as the Euangeliste testifieth saying And the Lord turning himselfe about loked vpon Peter That loking back of the Lord made Peters hart to melt and drue it from the destruction wherinto it was about to fall Therefore if our cares be pierced with the woord of God and oure heartes touched with his holie spirite then shall wee like true penitents vnfeignedly reuerence dread the Lord. And therewithall being humbled before the most iust holy God whom we with our sinnes do so much offend and prouoke to wrath indignation we confesse his iudgment to be iust against vs and fréely acknowledge all the sinns and iniquities that in the word of God are obiected against vs crying out and saying with the Prophetes Thou verily O Lord art righteous thou art true thy iudgements iust but wee are most vnrighteous lyers wicked and wholie ouerwhelmed with detestable iniquities There is nothing sound or sincere within vs All that wee haue is corrupt and miserable Wee haue sinned wee haue beene wicked wee haue done vniustly wee haue forsaken thee Wee haue gainesaid thy seruants the Prophets we haue not obeyed the words of thy mouth To thee therefore O God doeth righteousnes belong and to vs wretches shame and confusion This humiliation frée confession of sinnes doth God require of penitent sinners touching which I wil hereafter speake somewhat more For now I returne more fully to expound the feare of the Lord. At this present I speake of the syncere feare of God for we confesse that the feare of God is of two sorts sincere and vnsincere The sincere feare of God is perceiued in the faithful and is a godly reuerence consisting in the loue and honour of god For the Prophete bringeth in God saying The sonne honoureth the father and the seruaunt the maister Therefore if I be a father where is my honour If a Lord where is my feare And Paule sayeth Ye haue not receiued the spirite of bondage againe vnto feare but ye haue receiued the spirite of adoption by which we crie Abba father Therefore the sincere feare of God in them that doe repent is not the seruile dread of punishment but a carefull studie mixt with the loue and honour of god An honest wife feareth her husband and a gratious daughter feareth her father yet ech of them doeth therewithall loue the one her father the other her husband and doeth with an holy loue indeuour herselfe to kéepe his fauour feare least at any time she should do any thing to loose it And therefore penitents do not only feare because they knowe being taught by the spirite of God that they haue committed sinnes for which they haue deserued to be forsaken of the Lord but doe also loue him as their merciful father and are therefore sorie with all their heartes for their sinnes committed and doe aboue al thinges most ardently require to be reconciled againe to their mercifull GOD and louing father For with this sincere feare of God is ioyned the griefe or sorrowe which is conceiued by the spirite of God for our sinnes that we commit S. Paule maketh mention of two sortes of sorrowes The sorrowe that is to God-ward sayeth he doth bring forth repentaunce not to be repented of but contrarilie the sorrowe of the world bringeth death The king and Prophete Dauid sorrowed to Godward when he cried Thine arrowes sticke fast in mee and thy hand doth presse me soare There is no whole part in my flesh because of thy displeasure there is no rest in my bones by reason of my sinne And so forward as is to be séene in the 38. Psalme Whiche althoughe it were written of his gréeuous disease or sickenesse doth yet notwithstanding as it were in a shadowe shew vs the great griefe that is in the Saincts for offending their good and gratious father with their continuall sinnes To Godward was the sinnful woman sorie in S. Luke who falling prostrate at the Lords héeles did washe his féete with teares and wyped them with her haire To God-ward was S. Peter sorie and wept as we read ful bitterly for his offēce The godly are greatly greued because they doe so oftentimes offend so fouly so good a God and gratious father No woordes I thincke can possiblie expresse the griefe and sorrowe that they conceiue But the Prophete Ieremie describing the contrarie affection of impenitent sinners doeth saye Doe men fall so that they maye not rise againe Doeth any man go so astray that he may not turne againe Howe doth it happen then that this people of Hierusalem is turned away so stubbornely I gaue eare and hearkened they spake not rightly there was none that did repent him of his wickednesse to say what haue I done Euerie one of them turned to his owne course like a fierce horse headlong to the batteile The worldly griefe is the sorrowe of such men as knowe not God are without faith the true loue of God yea of such as yéeld vnder the burthen of sorrowe aduersities verie sinnes Like to this also in a maner is the cōsideration of the vnsincere feare of god For the wicked with their head the diuel do feare God not as a father whome they are sorie to offend and to whome they desire to be reconciled as to a father but as a tormentour béecause they knowe that he wil reuenge their euill déedes And therefore with Iudas they runne to the roape There is in them no loue of God no honour no goodwill no reuerence but meere hatred horrour and vtter desperation But such feare the Apostle and Euangeliste Iohn denied to bee in charitie saying that perfect charitie casteth out all feare I meane not that feare of the Lord that is the beginning of wisedome but that of which I haue spoken all this while the feare I meane that is in the diuel and wicked men his members And nowe by this we gather that vnto penitentes faith in God and the merite of Christ is most of all and especially néedeful In which sense it is I thincke that many haue made faith a part of repentaunce which as I do not greatly denie so yet doe I sée that S. Paul made as it were a difference betwixte faith and repentance when in the 20. of the Actes hee sayeth that hee witnessed both to the Iewes and Gentiles the repentaunce that is toward GOD and the faith in
bewraye thee and vpbrayd thee for them For thou needest not to confesse them to thy companion that he should bring them abrode but to the Lord whiche hath the care of thee who also is a gentle Physician to him therefore thou shalt shewe thy woundes Moreouer he bringeth in the Lord speaking and saying I compell thee not to come into an open theatre and to make many priuie to thy sinnes tell thy sinne priuately to mee alone that I may heale thy sore Thus much out of Chrysostome Now all this doeth manifestly argue that that Ceremoniall penaunce as it was once vsed in the Church not instituted by God was without any iniurie taken out of the Church not restored againe by the bishoppes that succéeded They doe not altogether in vaine tell vs that some reliques of that rituall repentaunce abided still in the Romane Church But what haue wee to doe what euerye Church hath taken to it selfe either to kéepe or else to lay away Wee rather oughte to inquire what Christe hath deliuered vnto vs and what his Apostles haue taught vs of whose doctrine I haue I thinke spoken enough alreadie The priuate or secrete confession of sinnes was wont to be made when none were bye but the priestes alone For one goeth secretely and whispereth his sinnes into the eare of the prieste that was appointed to heare those secrete confessions and being by him absolued doeth thinke that by the recitall of a fewe ordinarie woordes hee is purged from all his sinnes And therefore I call it Auricular confession This was vnknowen in the Apostles times and although it be now a good sort of yeares agoâ— since it first toke roote yet notwithstanding it was frée from the beginning At last wee reade that it was commaunded and roughly extorted by the Bishoppe of Rome when the state of the Churche was most corrupted about the yeare of Grace 1215. And yet it was about 80. yeares or more in controuersie before it was by decrée layed vppon all menns neckes Whether it were enough for a man to confesse himselfe to God alone or else to a priest also for the purging of his sinnes Hugo in his booke of the Churches power to binde and loose doth say I dare boldly say if before the priestes absolution any man do come to the Communion of the body and bloud of the Lord that hee doeth assuredly eate and drincke his owne damnation although he repent him neuer so much and doth neuer so greatly lament his offences This did Hugo say boldly without his warrant vnlesse the word of God doth instructe vs falsly He liued about the yeare of our Lord 1130. Within a little while after him vppstarted Peter Lombard commonlye called the Maister of Sentences beecause he gathered together the sentences of the fathers and layed forth their doctrine as it were in a Summarie of whose woorke I meane not heere to tell my iudgement what I thincke It is thought that hee flourished about the yeare of Christ 1150. Hée Sententiarum lib. 4. Dict. 17. 18. doeth by the authoritie of the fathers shew first that it sufficeth to make the confession of sinnes to God alone Then hée annexeth other sentences which teach the contrarie And lastly concludeth of himselfe and sayeth By these it is vndoubtedly proued that wee must offer our confession first to GOD then to the priest and that otherwise wee cannot enter into Paradise if we may haue a priest Againe It is certified that it is not sufficient to confesse to GOD without a priest neither is hee truely humble and penitent that doeth not desire the iudgment of a priest Gratian that gathered the Decretalls together was somewhat honester than Peter Lombard who liued and flourished at the same time with Lombard Hée determineth nothing definitiuely but shewinge sentences for either side both that wée must confesse our sinnes to the priest and not coÌ„fesse them doth leaue it indifferently vnto the readers iudgement For thus he concludeth Vpon what authorities and reasons both the opinions of confession and satisfaction are grounded we haue briefely here declared But to which of these wee ought rather to sticke that is reserued for the reader to choose For both partes haue wise and religious men to their fautours defenders Thus saith Gratian about the ende of the first distinction of penaunce About fiftie yeares after followed Lotharius Leuita a doctor of Paris the Scholer and earnest follower of Peter Lombard He being once made Bishop of Rome and named Innocent the thirde called together at Rome a generall counsell called Lateranense in which he made a lawe which Gregorie the ninthe reâ—iteth in his Decretall of Penaunce and Remission Lib. 5. chap. 12. almost in these verie wordes Let euery person of eyther sexe after they are come to the yeres of discretion faithfully coÌ„fesse alone at least * once in a yeare their sinnes vnto their owne proper priest and doe their indeuour with their owne strength to doe the penaunce that is inioyned them receiuing reuerently at Easter at the least the Sacrament of the Euchariste vnlesse peraduenture by the counsel of their own priest for some reasonable cause they thinke it good for a time to absteine from receiuing it Otherwise in this life let them be prohibited to enter into the churche and when they are dead to bee buried in Christian buriall This is that newe lawe which conteineth many absurd and wicked blasphemies And to let passe verie many of their absurdities I wil recite vnto you not past one or twaine of the foulest of them Is it not a wicked thinge to sende a sinner to I wot not what kinde of priest of his owne when Christe hath giuen but ministers and preachers to his Church only being still him selfe the vniuersall prieste and proper prieste to euery one in the churche euen vntil the ende of the worlde to whome alone all the faithfull ministers doe sende sinners from them selues for to confesse their sinnes to him For Iohn saide I am not Christ but am sent before him to beare recorde of him What may bee saide to this moreouer that it is a detestable blasphemie to attribute the remission of sinnes to our owne confession and the priestes absolution as to the workes of mortall men And who I pray you is able to reckon vp all his sinnes vnto the prieste doth not Ieremie crie The heart of man is euill vnserchable Doth not Dauid saye Who knoweth his sinnes Cleanse mee from my hidden faultes It is vnpossible for a man to confesse all his sinnes While therefore a man compelled by the lawe doeth consider these reasons and ponder them in him self he cannot choose but must néedes bée drowned in the bottomlesse depth of desperation so greate a burthen is layde vppon the frée neckes of Christ his faithfull people as a thing so necessarie that without it they cannot obteine eternall saluation directly contrary to the Apostles decrée that is to be séene in
and all his members And in this sort now a dayes haue wee forsaken that sea of Rome flowing with false doctrine idolatrie and the bloud of innocent martyrs haue embraced the doctrine of the Gospel and of the Apostles and therefore Christ himselfe the head of the church which is the fellowshipp of all sainctes beléeuing in Christ And this hetherto haue I spoken by digression I nowe returne to the treatise of the catholique church that I may make an end of those thinges whiche remaine to be spoken And to that end that greater light and force maye be added to those thinges which I haue hetherto spoken of the churche I will nowe bring out certeine parables out of the holy scriptures whereby those thinges are as it were painted out before our eyes And so shal it be easie for euerie man to put a difference betwéene the inward and the outward churche and to knowe what either apperteyneth properly to euery one or else what is not proper First of all the church is set forth vnto vs vnder the shape and fashion of a house A house is builded to this ende that men maye dwell in it and it is builded by workemen of matter of all sorts of wood of stones and morter the foundation beeing first layde vppon which are set walls which are ioyned together with a corner stone last of all is added or placed alofte the roofe without whiche the whole building by little and little rotting woulde fall downe decay I said that the churche is the house of God the chiefe maister builder whereof is God himselfe who in the figure therof that is to say in the tabernacle made by Moses and temple builded by Solomon did deliuer both vnto Moses and Dauid the fashion of the temple according to whiche patterne they should build it For god from the beginning kept the Angels that they should not fall but repaired man being fallen into sinne death euen streighte wayes after the beginning of the world sanctifying a church vnto himselfe whiche hee also seuered out cōpassing it about with his word And this fashion of the church it is altogether néedful that we kéepe that we receiue not any other fashiō either of Emperor or Pope or deliuered by any other mā The true master builder of this house of God saith in the Gospel Vpō this rock I wil build my church For the same sonne of God is he that maketh vs worthie of his kingdome he giueth vs faith by whiche wee are made true members of the churche of god But albeit the Lord himselfe bée the onely and principall builder of his church yet he refuseth not the labours of men in the building yea rather hee ioyneth men with him in building of the church whome also he vouchsafeth to call maister builders For Paule sayeth As a skilfull maister builder I haue laid the foūdation And againe Who is Paule and who is Apollos but the ministers by whom ye beleeued as the Lord gaue to euery mā I haue planted Apollos watered but God gaue the increase So then neither is hee that planteth any thinge neither hee that watereth but God that giueth the increase Againe We together are Gods labourers ye are Gods husbandrie Gods building Wée will make the matter plaine by an example What time God would raise vp a house vnto himselfe amonge the Gentiles first of all hee endued with his grace Cornelius the gouernour of the Italian bande placed by Cęsar or the capiteine and Centurion by by after sending the Apostle Peter he prepared and made readie that house for himselfe For Peter teacheth and baptiseth Cornelius with his household hearkeneth beleeueth is baptised and becommeth the house of god the true church which church the Lord dwelles in by his spirite For euen as a house is dwelt in by men so GOD dwelleth in the church As Paul witnesseth saying The temple of God is holy whiche yee are Againe Knowe you not that your body is the temple of the holie Ghoste which is in you c. The foundation of this house is Christ For God sayeth by Esaie Behold I put or lay in Sion that is to saye in the Churche a stone a tried stone a precious corner stone a sure foundation Hee that beleeueth shal not make hast Which prophecie the Lord expoūding in S. Matthewes Gospel and applying it to himselfe as the foundation of the church saith vnto Peter confessing Iesus to bee the true sonne of the liuing God the Messias that was looked-for And vppon this rocke I will build my church the gates of hell shall not ouercome it There is moreouer to be added herevnto the exposition of S. Peter the Apostle who reciting the verye same words of the prophete Esaie and alluding to that saying of Dauid The stone whiche the builders refused is the head of the corner sayth exprefly that Christe is that liuing stone refused of men but chosen of God a sure foundation vppon whome whosoeuer stayeth shall not be confounded And also Paul the Apostle agreeth with Peter for hee sayeth And the rocke was Christ And againe An other foundation can no man lay than that which is layd which is Iesus Christ Therfore wheras he in another place nameth the selfe same foundation the foundation of the prophets and Apostles it is not so to be taken as if the Apostles and prophets were the foūdation of the church but that they layed Iesus Christ for the foundation of the Church builded the whole building vppon this foundation yea euen thēselues also For mortal men cannot be the obiect of faith and foundation of the church wherevppon the faithfull may stay Dauid crieth The way of God is vncorrupt the word of the Lord is tried in the fier he is ashield to al that trust in him For who is God besides the Lord And who is mightie or a rocke saue our God And Ieremie saith Thus saith the Lord cursed bee the man that trusteth in man maketh flesh his arme and withdraweth his heart from the lord Blessed bee the man that trusteth in the Lord whose hope the Lord is So the writings of the prophets and Apostles with one consent shewe vs the rocke that is to say the foundation of the church to be Christ that it is he onely and alone Greatly do they erre therfore whosoeuer they be that do attribute to the bishop of Rome this diuine praise power and prerogatiue which is due only to the sonne of god And if so be it that they obiecte that many interpretours both Gréeke Latine haue vnderstoode by the rocke Peter himselfe we refuse mans authoritie and do affirme bring forth heauenly authoritie Christ said not I will build my church vpon thee but vppon a rocke that selfe same rocke that thou hast cōfessed Yea Peter taketh his name of Petra which signifieth a rocke euen
the Gospell Hee which is of God heareth Gods word it followeth that they whiche loue the congregation wherin the word of God is preached haue the naturall mark of the sonnes of God. But because many doe not onelye loathe holy assemblies but also saye that prayers are altogether superfluous vaine and vnprofitable Before we procéed any further we will shew that the godly must pray and that the prayers of the faithfull are both effectuall profitable and necessarie They say all thinges are done by the prouidence of God and therefore prayers are vnprofitable For that which God hath fore-knowen that verily will hée bring to passe after the manner of his fore knowledge neither can it be hindered by prayers But these men abuse the prouidence of God for that cut of it they gather that thing which the holy Scriptures do not teach them to gather For in Deut. in expresse woords Moses hath left written The Lord had determined to destroy you therefore I made intercession vnto the Lord and I found fauour Ionas threatneth so certeine destruction vnto the Niniuites from the Lord that he euen foretold the number of dayes But when the men of Niniue beléeued the Lord and repented the Lord beecame fauourable to them againe neither did hée destroye them when they repented Moreouer Esaie had spoken to Ezechias out of the mouth of the Lord Thou shalt die and not liue But when the king powred foorth his prayers euen from the bottome of his haâ—t vnto the Lord God chaunged his sentence that he had pronounced For the Lord himselfe sayeth in Ieremie I will speake soudeinly against a nation or a kingdome for to plucke it vp and to roote it out and to destroy it But if this nation against whome I haue pronounced turne from their wickednesse I will repent of the plague that I thought to bring vppon them c. Wherefore the prayers of the faithfull are effectuall stayinge the wrathfull iudgementes of God yea and taking them cleane away For wheras they obiect againe That prayer is a declaration of thinges which wée require of the Lord and that God fore-knoweth all thinges therefore that those thinges are vnprofitably and supersâ—uouslie declared vnto him which he alreadie knoweth and so for that cause that prayer is vnprofitable it is confuted of Christ our Lord himselfe who when hee had plainely said Your heauenly father knoweth what thinges ye haue neede of before ye aske of him Yet neuerthelesse adding a fourme of prayer hée teacheth vs to praye In an other place hee commaundeth vs and stirreth vs vpp to pray often Watch and pray sayth hée least you enter into temptation And Paule sayeth Reioyce alwayes pray coÌ„tinually In euery place there are many preceptes of this kinde Neither doe we declare our matters to him as to one that knoweth them not but wée vtter them to him that vnderstandeth the desires of our heart and do humble our selues at the féete of his maiestie Wée aske that of him whiche wée knowe wée want but yet of him certeinely to be receiued who is the author of all goodnesse For wée beleeue his sure and infallible promises In y meane time prayers are not superâ—â—uons for that the Lord would assuredly giue that whiche wée asked The Lord promised the deliuerie of his people whereof the godly doubted nothing at all yet with vncessant supplications they prayed vnto the Lord crying Deliuer vs O Lord our God neither did they thincke they laboured in vaine To the Anabaptistes pretending absolute purenesse and therefore being pure neither can nor ought to pray Forgiue vs oure debtes since there remaine no debtes the most holy Euangelist and Apostle Iohn aunswereth and saith If we say we haue no sinne we deceiue our sâ—lues and the trueth is not in vs If wee acknowledge our sinnes he is faithful and iust to forgiue vs our sinnes and to cleanse vs from all vnrighteousnes If we say that we haue not sinned we make him a lier and his woord is not in vs. For as long as wee liue in this world there remaine remnaunts of sinne to bee washed away euery moment by the grace of Christ Moreouer where as they obiect It is written Wee knowe that GOD doth not heare sinners But wee are all sinners therefore God dâ—eth heare none of vs and so mens prayers are found to be vnprofitable Wée aunswere that of sinners some are altogether vngodly and despisers of GOD those God heareth not There are againe repentaunt men and such as feare God whiche neuerthelesse are sinners and rightly so called because of the remnaunts of sinne those God heareth Whiche might he shewed by the examples of Dauid Manasses Peter the théefe erucified with Christe many other which were both sinners and when they prayâ—d were heard Therefore we say that the prayers of the faithfull are not onely profitable and effectuall but also necessarie vnto men For wée are men defiled with sinne destitute and void of all goodnesse Euerie good giuing and euery perfecte gift is from aboue and commeth downe from the father of lightes He commaundeth vs to pray and offereth to them that pray verie large promises Wherefore oure fathers were both verie often exercised and verie â—eruent in prayer by their example teaching vs that prayers are necessarie The Scripture also diligently and at large rehearseth howe great thinges by their prayers in verie weightie affaires and daungers yea in matters most necessarie they obteined of our most true and most bountifull Lord and god The Apostles pray for the holy Ghost faith and the increase of faith and they receiue their requests not spareingly but liberally beeing made partakers of all manner graces of Christ In the Gospel the Publican prayeth in the temple and sayeth God bee mercifull to mee a sinner and he foorthwith found the Lord mercifull vnto him What and howe great thinges Helias by his prayers obteined of the Lord the holy historie recordeth And the blessed Apostle Iames applieth his example vnto vs also that wée also in faith should call vppon god Whiche I rehearse least any man should thincke that that perteineth nothing vnto vs Againe how much the faithfull prayers of Moses Dauid Iosaphat Ezechias and other valiaunt men preuailed in warres in famines in sickenesses and in other excéeding great dangers it were long to recite These examples proue that prayer is both alwayes necessarie vnto men and verie effectuall For wée plainely sée that God is moued with the prayers of his faithfull For hée is good and mercifull he loueth vs he toke flesh that he might be touched with féeling of our infirmities least we should bée dismayed at him hée is true and faithfull perfourming those thinges faithfully which he promiseth What doth he not fréely liberally and bountifully call all men vnto him offering himselfe wholie to them that call vppon him in faith But in that they which pray do not alwaies receiue