Selected quad for the lemma: sin_n

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ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08197	The oration and sermon made at Rome by commaundement of the foure cardinalles, and the Dominican inquisitour, vpon paine of death. By Iohn Nichols, latelie the Popes scholler. Which sermon and oration was presented before the Pope and his cardinalles in his Consistorie, the xxvij. day of Maie. 1578. and remaineth there registred. Now by him brought into the English tongue, for the great comfort and commoditie of all faithfull Christians. Heerin also is aunswered an infamous libell, maliciouslie written and cast abroad, against the saide Iohn Nichols, with a sufficient discharge of himselfe from all the Papists lying reports, and his owne life both largelie and amplie discouered.	Nicholls, John, 1555-1584?	1581 (1581)	STC 18535; ESTC S105660	86,257	238

the famillie of God In these all such places we be taught that the house of God is not any buylding of wood or stones nor any Cittie or any materiall Temple but man is the house of God as héereafter more manifestlie it shall appeare when I come to intreate of the Church But first I will begin with the Pope who arrogantlie nameth him selfe the vniuersall Shéepheard And his Schollers or subiectes are not afraide to say that hee béeing Bishoppe of Roome is the visible heade of the Churche in Christes stéede But this they cannot shewe by Scripture neyther dooth the Church require any such head for Christe is present with it as he hath promised Math. 28. Sum vobiscum vsque ad consummationem mundi I am with you alwayes euen vnto the ende of the world If the Pope be a visible head why is he not séene of all men why dooth he not gouerne all men in the Churche and giue nourishment vnto them as the head ought to doo why dooth he not preach vnto all people This he dooth not wherefore he is no visible head as he seemeth to pretend And surely to be the generall head ouer all is too great a matter and enterprise for any mortall man to take vpon him I am sure the Pope wyll graunt him selfe to be a member of this Catholique Churche if he then be a member howe can hée also be an head except the same thing shall be bothe an head and a member which is verie absurde and monstrous If he saye that he is a member Christ is his head onely and not any other why shall not Christe be as well a head for all These thinges we sée are verie chyldishe and fonde but yet they applie and saye that Christ sayde to Peter Thou arte Peter and vppon this Rocke wyll I builde my Church and the gates of hell shall not preuayle against it Nowe vppon this place our aduersaries the Papistes grounde this proposition the Churche is founded vppon Saint Peter Ergo Saint Peter was the head of the Church If Saint Peter be the head of the Church the Pope is his successour Ergo the Pope is the head of the Church I denie that Saint Peter was head of the Church and therefore is Saint Peter whose successour the Pope claimeth him selfe to be was neuer head of the Church howe can the Bishop of Roome be head The confession of our aduersaries is grounded vppon these woordes Tu es Petrus That is to saye Thou arte Peter And ours vppon this That it is sayde Super hanc Petram et non super te Petrum That is Vpon this Rocke and not vpon thee Peter In déede our sauiour Christe hath most manifestlie distinguished Petrum à Petra That is to say Simon Peter from the liuelie Rocke wherevpon he hath builded his Church chaunging bothe the name and the person The which our text plainly sheweth vs that which he would neuer haue doone if it ought to haue béene vnderstoode of Peter and not of the confession of Saint Peter I leaue it to the iudgement of euerie Christian whether it be more agréeable to the faith and more healthfull for the Church eyther that the Church be founded vpon Christe or vppon Peter vpon the sonne of the lyuing God vpon him that vanquished sathan or vpon him whome Christe him selfe in the verie same Chapter calleth Sathan him selfe Vpon him who is called the cheefe corner stone of the building or vpon him who is an offence vnto him that is to saye a stone of great stumbling None sayth Saint Paule 1. Cor. 3. Can laye any other foundation but that which is layde which is Christe Also Saint Peter sayth 2. Peter 2. You are as liuing stones built vpon the cheefe corner stone in whome who so euer beleeueth he shall not be confoūded That is to say in that cofession of Christ which he calleth the Rocke and foundation of the Church It appeareth then by this place that Christe hath builded it vpon him selfe and not vpon Simon Peter and vpon the confession of faith which Peter made and not vpon the faith of Peter which was too much wauering and vnstedfast And in verie déede where Saint Iohn reciteth this storie he resteth whollie vpon Peters confession Iohn 6. And therefore by the Rocke he meant him selfe For when Peter had sayde Tu es Christus filius Dei Thou art Christe the sonne of God Christe sayde to him Vpon this Rocke will I builde my Church And in that place he giueth no more to Peter in the Keies which is the binding and loosing of sinners then he giueth them all else where As in Iohn 20. when he sayde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Receyue the holie Ghost whose sinnes so euer ye remit they are remitted whose sinnes so euer ye retaine they are retained Héere all haue as much as Peter And what hath the Pope to doo with these words which followeth not Peter neyther in life nor doctrine A strange thing it is to sée howe they builde their kingdome vpon Peter and whatsoeuer is sayde of him they take it to them selues But before they can prooue any thing in déede they must prooue these thrée points vnto vs if they will haue the Pope to be the supream head of the whole Church which they shall neuer be able to doo by the Scriptures as long as they liue First they must prooue that Peter was chéefe and head of all the Apostles Secōdlie that hée was at Roome and sate there as Bishoppe generall Thyrdlie that he left all the title preheminence of his seate to his successours whatsoeuer If they prooue the two first poynts as they can not yet they make nothing against vs although we should graunt it them vnlesse they prooue the thirde which they shall neuer be able to doo that Saint Peter hath left all his aucthoritie to his successours after him for euer Saint Paule in his Epistle saluted manie that vvere Christians at Rome but of S. Peter he made no mention if S. Peter had bin at Rome he had not forgotten to haue greeted him as vvell as the rest The Epistles of Saint Peter are extant but no mention there is that eyther hee was at Roome or was cheese of the Apostles or supreame head of the Church or that his successours should play Rex ouer all men and be the rulers of all Churches in the worlde For as much then that neyther by the writinges of Saint Peter nor any other Apostle of Christe our aduersaries can prooue the Pope to be any Ecclesiasticall head to this Church but Christe Iesus alone who is alwayes present with it and euer walketh in the middest of the seuen golden Candelstickes so that hee néedeth no Vicar generall or vniuersall Bishoppe Let vs déerely belooued as we looue the Lord Iesus our head and tender the saluation of our owne soules flée farre from the Pope and all his adherentes Traditions Decrées and Pardons least hee make marchandize

the witte of man by reason of the féeblenesse thereof can by no meanes attaine vnto God but béeing holpen and lyfted vp by his holie worde It followed of necessitie that all men except the Iewes did wander in vanitie errour because they sought God without his worde Should the Papistes committe such absurdities in theyr writinges of matters of Religion if they reiected not the scriptures Should they holde such erronious opinions as they doo if they would content them-selues with the sufficiencie of the Scriptures no truelie if they followed the doctrine preceptes and councell of the Scriptures and not Traditions the inuentions of ambitious and worldly minded men S. Iohn teacheth in the. 20. Chap. That all things needfull to saluation are onely contained in the word of God These are his wordes Multa quidem et alia signa fecit Iesus in conspectu discipulorum suorū quae non sunt scripta in libro hoc haec autem scripta sunt vt credatis quod Iesus est Christus ille filius Dei et vt credentes vi● tam habeatis per nomen eius And many other signes dyd Iesus in the presence of his Disciples which are not written in this booke but these thinges are written that ye might beleeue that Iesus is Christ the sonne of God and that in beleeuing ye might haue life through his name The which wordes Cyrill expoundeth thus Non omnia qua Dominus fecit conscripta sunt sed quae scribentes putarunt sufficere tam ad mores quam ad dogmata All is not written that Christe dyd but so much as the writers thought sufficient as well to manners as to doctrine Saint Augustine De doctrina Christiana Lib. 2. Cap. 9. Sayth In his quae aperte in Scripturis posita sunt inueniuntur ea omnia quae continent fidem moresque viuendi All thinges contayning faith and manners are manifestly set downe in the Scriptures Basilius De fidei Confessione Sayth Manifesta est elapsio à fide et superbiae crimen aut reprobare quid ex ijs quae scripta sunt aut superinducere quid ex non scriptis It is a manifest slyding from the faith and a great pride eyther to reiect any thing that is written in the worde of GOD or to bring in any thing vnwritten For Christes sheepe sayth Saint Iohn Chap. 10.4 heare his voice and will not heare the voyce of an other And in his Moralles he sayth That if whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne if faith come by hearing hearing by the worde of God whatsoeuer is brought in beside the worde of God is not of faith and therefore sinne What haue we to doo good Christian people with Romish Traditions with Decrées Canons Constitutions Coūcels and Papisticall writings are their inuentions comparable with the scriptures or haue the Papists the lyke vtteraunce the lyke gifte of spéeche as Christe had Saint Iohn speaking of Christe Chap. 7.46 Sayth Nunquam sic loquutus est homo Neuer man spake as this man dooth Not all the hypocritical illusions of the Papists can once preuayle against Christes Church Not Cicero the father of eloquence not Demosthenes out of whose mouth flowed flooddes of eloquence not eloquent Pericles of whome it is written that he dyd thunder out his wordes not the golden tongued Chrisostome But Christes argumentes were so mightie and his wordes so swéete that a certaine woman hauing great admonition thereof lyfted vp her voice and sayde vnto him Happie is the wombe that bare thee and the pappes which thou hast sucked This worde differeth in perfection in his wordes all thinges endure take away this worde what is man a brute beast Take away the sunne out of the world what remaineth horrible darknesse Lactantius De ira Dei Cap. 1. Sayth Lumen mentis humanae Deus est remoto Deo coelestique doctrina omnia erroribus plena sunt God is the light of mans soule if you set a side or put away from you God his heauenlie worde all thinges are full of errours Take away this worde what is man a captiue of Sathan a praye of death a slaue of sinne a fire-brande of hell Ignorantia Scripturarū Christi ignorantia est Sayth Hierome in Prologo Esaiae Ignoraunce of the scriptures is ignoraunce of Christ As farre as heauen is distaunt from earth so farre ought heauenlie thinges alwayes be preferred before humaine thinges yea incomparably ought they alwayes to be preferred Hierome in Epistola Ad Demetriadem Virginem vtere lectione diuina Sayth hée Vtere speculo vide speculum foeda corrigenda pulchra conseruanda et pulchra facienda Scriptura enim speculum est foeda ostendens et corrige dicens Vse to reade the holie Scripture vse the glasse see the glasse that deformitie may be amended fayrenesse preserued and fayre thinges performed For the scripture is a glasse shewing deformitie and saying amend Gregoris in Moral sayth Sacra scriptura tanquam speculum quoddam mentis The holy Scriptures is as a certaine glasse of the minde S. Augustin in Psalm 48. Scriptura sancta sit tibi tanquam speculum speculum hoc habet splendorem non mendacem non adulantem nullius personam amantem formosus es formosum te ibi vides Sed cum foedus accesseries et foedum te ibi videris noli accusare speculum ad te redi non te fallit speculum tu te noli fallere Let the holie Scripture be to thee as a glasse this glasse hath no deceytfull or flattering brightnesse it is not in looue with any mans person Arte thou beautifull thou seest thy selfe there beautifull but when thou commest deformed accuse not the glasse aduise thy selfe the glasse deceyueth thee not deceyue not thou thy selfe Saint Augustine sayth Tom. 2. Epist 166. In Scripturis didicimus Christum in Scripturis didicimus Ecclesiā In the Scriptures we haue learned Christe in the Scriptures we haue learned the Church Saint Ambrose sayth in Homil. Lib. 4. Cap. 1. Christus oritur in lectione sol iustitiae In reading the Scriptures Christ the sonne of righteousnesse ryseth Saint Augustine sayth Verbo Dei docemur in omnibus By the worde of God we are instructed in all thinges Saint Basill in Concione Quod Deus non causa malorum verbum Dei ex quo solo noscitur Deus regiam viam monstrat et est lucerna pedum nostrorum The worde of GOD by the which onely GOD is knowen sheweth the kinges high way and is the lyght of our feete We learne faith in the Scriptures and not in Popishe Traditions Saint Hillarie sayth Ad imperatorem Constantinum to the Emperour Constantinus Fidem imperator quaeris audi eam non de nouis Chartulis sed de Dei libris Dooth your Maiestie seeke the faith Heare it then not out of any new scroll but out of the booke of God Saint Iohn sayth Chap. 14. Qui non diligit me sermones meos non seruat et sermo quem auditis non est meus sed eius

numbring of his sinnes when he séeeth that Dauid can make no nūber of his After this rule of Dauid we sée that the Publicans confession was made whereof mention is made in the. 18. of Luke and in the. 38. verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Iesu O sonne of Dauid haue mercy vpon mee Domine miserere mei peccatoris Lord be mercifull to me a sinner As if he should say All that euer I am I am altogether a sinner and I cannot attayne with witte or expresse with tongue the greatnesse of my sinnes to be confessed let the bottomlesse depth of thy mercy swallowe vp the bottomlesse depth of my sinne But then the Papists wil say what are not all our sinnes to be cōfessed is no cōfession acceptable to God but the which is knit vp in these two words I am a sinner No but rather we must endeuor our selues as much as in vs lyeth to powre out our heart before the Lord not onely in one word confesse our selues sinners but also truely hartely acknowledge our selues to be such with all our thought record how great diuers is our filth of sinnes not onely that we be vnclene but with how great in how many parts is our vncleānes not only that we be debters but with how great debts we be loden how many wayes charged not only that we be woūded but also with howe many deadly strokes we be wounded With this reknowledging whē that sinner hath wholy powred out him self before God let him earnestly sincerely thinke that yet there remaine mo sins that that secret corners of their euils are so déepe that they can not throughly be disclosed he cryeth out with Dauid Psa 19.31 Who vnderstādeth my errors Lord clēase me frō my hiddē sins Howe where the Papistes affyrme that sinnes are not forgiuen but with an intent of confessing firmelie conceyued and that the gate of Paradise is shut against him that neglecteth occasion offered when he may be consessed God forhid that we should graunt them that for there is no other forginenesse of sinnes then alway hath héene It is not read that all they who haue confessed theyr sinnes in the eare of some Préest that they haue onely therefore obtained forgiuenesse of sinnes at Christes hand And truely they could not cōfesse where there were neyther Préestes confessours nor any confessing at all And in many ages after this confession was vnheard of at which time sinnes were forgiuen without this condition But that we may not néede to dispute longer about this as about a doubtfull matter the word of God is plaine which abydeth for euer Whensoeuer the sinner repenteth sayth Christ by the Prophete Ezechiel Chap. 18.21 I will no more remember all his iniquities He that dare adde any thing to this word bindeth not sinnes but the mercie of God for wheras they say that iudgement can not be giuen but when the cause is heard we haue a solution in readinesse that they do presumptuously take that vpon them selues which haue made them selues Iudges And it is a meruaile that they doo so boldlie frame to them selues such principles as no man in his right witte wyll graunt They boast that the office of binding and loosing is committed to them as though it were a certaine iurisdiction ioyned with Inquisition Moreouer theyr whole doctrine cryeth out that this aucthority was vnknown to the Apostles Neither dooth it belong to the Préest but to him which desireth absolution to knowe certainly whether the sinner be loosed or not For as much as he that heareth can neuer knowe whether the reckoning be iust and perfect so should there be no absolution but such as is restrained to his words that is to be iudged The Lord crieth out by Esai Chap. 43.15 It is I It is I that doo put away iniquities for mine owne sake and will not be mindfull of thy sinnes Dooth he not openly declare that he fetcheth the cause foundation of forgiuenesse onely from his owne goodnesse Moreouer whereas the whole Scripture beareth witnesse of Christe That forgiuenesse of sinnes is to be receyued by the name of Iesus Christe as it is written in the Actes of the Apostles Chap. 10.43 Dooth it not therby exclude all other names howe then doo they teach that it is receyued by the name of satisfactions For whereas the Scripture sayth By the name of Christe it meaneth that we bring nothing we alleadge nothing of our owne but rest vpon the foundation of Christe As Paul 2. Corin. 5.19 where as he affyrmeth That God is reconciling the worlde to him selfe in Christe for his sake not imputing to men their sinnes He immediatly she weth the meane manner how Because he that was without sinne was made sinne for vs. S. Iohn sayth 1. Epi. 2. Cha. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 My babes these thinges write I vnto you that yee sinne not and if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iuste And he is the reconciliation for our sinnes and not for ours onely but also for the sinnes of the whole world And in the. 12. verse Lyttle chyldren I write vnto you because your sinnes are forgiuen you for his names sake In the first Chapter of S. Iohn the same-Enangelist there writeth I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Beholde the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world He taketh them away sayth he him selfe and none other That is so say For as much as he alone is the Lambe of God he alone is the oblation for sinnes He alone the propitiation and sacrifice he alone the satisfaction Nowe let vs sée what the Doctours write and speake against auricular Cōfession Chrisostome which was also Bishoppe of Constantinople Homil. a. in Psalm 50. dooth in so many places euidently testifie that it is meruayle that the Papists dare mutter so the cōtrary Tell saith he thy sinnes that thou maist doo them away if thou be ashamed to tell any man the sinnes that thou hast done tell them dayly in thy soule I doo not say confesse them to thy fellowe seruaunt that may reproch thee but tell them to God that taketh care of them Confesse thy sinnes vpon thy bed that there thy conscience may daily recognise her euyls Againe Serm. De penitentia Et confessi Hom. 5. But it is not necessarie to confesse when witnesses be present let the examination of thy sins be done within thy thought Let this iudgement be without witnesse let onely God see thee confessing Againe De incomprehen Dei nam contra anomaeos I doo not leade thee sayth Chrisostome into a stage of thy fellowe seruaunts I doo not compell thee to disclose thy sinnes to men rehearse and vtter thy conscience before God Shewe thy woundes to the Lord the best surgion and aske salue of him shewe to him that will reproche thee with nothing but will most gentlie heale thee Againe Hom. 4. De Lazaro Tell not man least he

not by any corporall but by a spirituall manner passing into vs c. Christe sayde to his Disciples Take yee and eate yee this is my body which is giuen for you doo this as often as yee shall doo it in remembraunce of me What can be more euident then the interpretation of this Supper if the cyrcumstances of the wordes be scanned accordingly For who is so blinde that can not discerne the fruites of the Lordes death and Passion to be plainlie signified héere For as much as in the verie eating him selfe sayth This is my body that is giuen to be slaine for you Otherwise why should he haue added with all Giuen to be slaine But that hée woulde set downe a plaine testimonie of the death of his body rather then of any substaunce thereof to the viewe of the Disciples As if he should say The tyme is nowe at hand A comfortable consolation woorthy to be had in remēbrance of all men wherein my body must be giuen to be slaine for you not for any of mine offence at all but for your sakes which death of mine shall procure euerlasting lyfe for you After lyke sort and manner as this bread which I giue thus broken vnto you to eate dooth passe into your bodies and giue nourishment thereto Take ye therefore this bread this bread which I giue to euerie of you and eate and withall consider heerein not the naturall bread which feedeth your bodies outwardly But my body which beeing giuen to be slaine and crucified for you shall inwardly and much more effectually refresh you to eternall lyfe For my fleshe which I will giue to be slaine for the lyfe of the worlde is meate in deede and my blood is drinke in deede Iohn 6. For your bodies doo not so much lyue by the nourishment of meate and drink as your soules be fedde within with the crucifying of my flesh and the shedding of my blood without which you can haue no remission of sinnes no ioyfull resurrection of your fleshe no parte or portion of eternall lyfe Therefore let this which is giuen you in this Supper remaine for a perpetuall Sacrament and remembraunce vnto you of the body which I will heereafter giue for you For I shall giue my body for you into the handes of enimies the Sacrament wherof I doo heere giue into your handes Whereby you may perceyue déerely belooued that héere be two things giuen by Christe one vnto vs the other for vs the first to be eaten the last to be crucified that one in the Supper this other vpon the Crosse Now if you desire to know the substance of that which was giuen in the Supper it was bread and the Sacrament of his body That which was giuen vpon the Crosse was his body and not a Sacrament What then wyll you say was not his body giuen at Supper yes in déede Christes body was giuen there to the Disciples neither after a bodily and corporall maner for that corporall body was giuen to the Iewes not in the Supper but on the Crosse wherevpon he gaue his body corporally not to the Disciples but for the Disciples Therefore that which he gaue for his Disciples was his body that which he gaue to his disciples was the mistery of his body yet was it one the selfe same body bothe that of the supper giuen to the Disciples and that of the crosse giuē for his Disciples but yet not after the same sort nor yet at the same tyme. For vpon the Crosse it was giuen to be slaine corporally in the supper it was giuē not to be slaine but to be eaten not corporally to be grawne which theyr téeth but to féede vpō it in the bowels of their soules namely after a sacramētal kinde of receyuing not corporall Therefore it is not denied that the Lordes body was bothe giuen eaten in the Supper but not the body only but together with the body the sacramēt annexed also withal wherof the one apperteyneth to the féeding of the bodies the other to the séeding of the soules That which is receyued within in the soule is the very body not the Sacrament of his body For as much therfore as these two doo necessarily concurre together in the holy supper that the one can not be seuered from the other let vs so ioyne the one with the other that we neyther seperate the body of Christe from the Sacrament as the Papists doo which be so throughly wedded to the only substance of the body as that they leaue therin no substāce at all of a Sacrament but superficial and immateriall shadowes I know not what hanging in the ayre which serue to no purpose Neyther let vs so segregate the Sacrament againe from the body as that wée leaue nothing in the holy Supper but bare signes Cyrill Anathe 11. Doost thou pronouce sayth he this our sacrament to be mans foode and vrgest the mindes of the faithfull irreligiouslie to grosse and carnall thoughts and doost thou practise to discusse by mans sensuall reason the thinges which are conceiued by onely and most exquisite faith Heare what Christe sayth in the interpretation of his owne spéeche Caro sayth he non prodest quicquam verba mea spiritus et vita sunt Fleshe dooth not profit at all my wordes be spirit and life And doost thou cruell Canniball conceiue eate nought else but the flesh of Christe nor wylt thou permitte one crumme so much of breade to remaine because it is called the body of Christe But how many things doo we heare dayly called by this or that name when as in very deede they be not made the things wherof they beare the names When the Disciple whome Jesus looued was by Christes owne mouth called the sonne of Marie yet wyll no man be so wytlesse as to confesse him to be the naturall sonne of the Virgin Marie So also the Prophet dooth call fleshe a flowre of the feelde In the Gospel Iohn Baptist is called Elias Peter is named a Rocke so is he also called Sathan To conclude throughout all the discourse of the Scriptures what is more frequented then this vsuall phrase of spéec he and that things be called by this or that name wherein notwithstanding is no alteration of nature but the properties of things onely noted Theoderet Christ did signifie the signes which be seene by calling them his body and blood not chaunging the nature but adding therevnto grace Gelasius Contra Eutichetem Substantia panis et vini non mutatur et sine dubio imago et similitudo corporis et san● guinis celibratur in actionem mysteriorum The substaunce of the bread and wine dooth not cease and without doubt the image and similitude of the body and blood is celebrated to the action of the mysteries Ambrosius De mysterijs Christus est in Sacramento quia est corpus Christi ideo nonest corporalis sed spirituas lis cibus c. Christe is in that Sacrament because it is

that not of your selues it is the gifte of God not workes least any mā should boast him selfe 2. Tim. 1.9 Qui saluos fecit nos vocauit vocatione sancta non secundum opera nostra sed secundum suum propositum gratiam quae dat a quidem est per Christum Iesum ante tempora aeterna Who hath saued vs and called vs with an holy calling not according to our workes but according to his own purpose and grace which was geuen to vs through Iesus Christ before the world was Titus 3.5 Non ex operibus quae sunt in iustitia quae faciebamus nos sed secundum suam misericordiam saluos nos fecit per lauacrum regenerationis ac renouationis Spiritus sancti That is Not by the workes of righteousnes which wee had done but according to his mercie he saued vs by the washing of the new birth and the renewing of the holy Ghost that we being iustified by his grace should be made heires according to the hope of eternal life 1. Iohn 4.10 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Herein is loue not that we loued God but that he loued vs and sent his Sonne to bee a recōciliation for our sins In the 9. ver We loue him because he loued vs first To the Reue. 21.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I will geeue to him that is a thirst of the wel of the water of life freely Many other places of Scripture could I alleadge against mennes merites righteousnesse but these already alleadged may suffise any Christian man Now briefly will I see what the Doctors speake against this matter of Iustification by good works Origene in his 4. booke and 4. Chap. I doe scarcely beleeue that there can be any woorke that may of duetie require a reward Basill vpon the Psalme 32. Hee that trusteth not in his owne good deedes nor hopeth to be iustified by his woorkes hath the onely hope of his saluation in the mercies of God Hilarie vpon the 118. Psalme If wee faste once we thinke we haue satisfied If out of the barnes of our houshold stoare we geue somewhat to the poore we beleeue that wee haue fulfilled the measure of righteousnesse But the Prophet hopeth all of God and trusteth all of his mercie Hierome vpon the 64. Chapter of Esay If we beholde our owne merites we must be driuen to desperation Vpon the. 3. Cha. to the Ephesians In Christe Iesu our Lord in whome we haue boldnesse and lyberty to come and trust and affiance by the faith of him not through our righteousnes but through him in whose name our sinnes be forgiuen In his first booke against the Pellagians Our ryghteousnesse dooth not confist of our merites but of the grace and mercy of God Augustin in his 50. Booke of Homyles 14 Hom. Dyd not he giue that thou mightest fight a good fight if he him selfe dyd not giue what was it that thou sayst In an other place I laboured more then all they yet not I but the grace of God within me behold thou sayst I haue ended my course dyd he not also giue vnto thee that thou shouldest finish thy course If he gaue not vnto thee that thou shouldest finish thy course what is it that thou sayst In an other place It lyeth not in the willer nor in the runner but in God that sheweth mercy I haue kept the faith I acknowledge and allowe it I confesse and grant that thou hast kept the faith but except the Lord dooth keepe the Citty he watcheth in vaine that dooth keepe it Pardon me O Apostle I know nothing of thine owne but euyll Pardon vs O Apostle we say so because thou hast taught vs. Therefore when he crowneth thy merites he crowneth nothing but his owne gyfts Thus you haue heard déerely beloued what both scriptures and Doctors write against mens merites and righteousnesse Wherefore I pray you in the name of Christe to embrace the trueth THus was the Sermon ended at Roome in the yéere of our Lord. 1578. in the moneth of May which Sermō is registred only for this cause the if I should reuolt frō Papistry mine own writing which is registred should cōdemne me to the fire for pardō there were none Otherwise if they had not registred this Sermon I might haue forsaken Papistrie without any feare of burning I might haue repayred vnto them be reconciled to the Romishe Church againe But nowe if I were so wicked lewde by meanes of my Sermō registred at Roome the Pope him selfe could graunt me no pardon according to theyr owne lawes But without any faile I should be burnt as an Heretique for thus tearme they Christians But God defend me from theyr clawes strengthē me in his faith graunt me patience vnto the ende and in the ende God graunt me an heart to looue him and obey my Soueraigne Quéene Elizabeth During her life I hope the Papists shall not burne me God graunt her Grace many yéeres to raigne with much felicitie encrease of honour and ioy of health bothe of body and soule Pray well O England for her Maiestie for truely thou hast much néed thou knowest the cause as well as I wherfore the same I doo omit to write This booke is ended Momus holde thy peace for there was neuer Momus that euer thriued vnlesse he became a mome for his labor Men wyll say as they haue done before this tyme that this Booke was the labour of other men as they say the other was It is well knowne of twēty and not so few that I had the helpe of none in this book neyther in the first booke which was called my Recantation All the helpe I had was of God and my bookes as for other helpe had I none not so much as one sentence or clawse had I by other mens industrie to be written in my booke This haue I spoken not to win prayse or that I should séeme to be coumpted learned before I be But I thought it good so much to write to certifie the Readers howe falsely I am accused and slaundered and what vntruethes the Papists report of me I crane no more of them then they would of me in the lyke case to speake no more then trueth is And let them not spare to report that which is trueth so shall they as I thinke neyther displease God nor molest their owne conscience And before the any man ought to beléeue them in misreporting ought of me let them first trie examine theyr wordes whether they be true or false and as they haue prooued theyr wordes so let them beléeue Thus I haue ended to write any farther to God be prayse vnto me to accomplishe what to a Christian belongeth If you like this simple worke of mine expect for a better which I hope to God ere it be long shal be brought to lyght to the misliking of the Papists and to the discredite of theyr hypocriticall Religion and to the profite of the Christians and aduancement of