true children of god Ioh. 1. Gal. 3. Itē here is to be noted that good workes be these which a man beleuyng in Christ workyth in faith in hys lawfull vocation after the ordenāce and forme of the lawe of god Contrary euyll workes Euyll workes and sinnes be these which be donne with out fayth and with a fayned charite trustyng vpon them to porchase the fauore of god the forgyuenes of synnes and the kyngdome euerlastyng the which is cleane and directly contrary from oure christian fayth For our christian fayth doth groūd vs vpō a more substātiall stone which is Christ The foūdacion of our faith the trew forgyuer of synnes and oure only reconciler which hath obteyned for vs thys grace hath washed away our sines and hath deserued for vs euerlastyng saluation This fayth makyth oure consciences that they wauer not not doubt any thyng of the grace of god For the properte of thys fayth is to quiet oure conscience Rom. 5. what true faith is The trewe catholyke and lyuely fayth is thys whan a man fully persuadith him selfe and beleuith stedfastly and nothyng doubth that he hathe god pacified and a moste gentyll father to hym for Christes sake to whom in all hys necessite aduersite and in all his affayres as a childe to his father he wholy committeth and cōmendyth him selfe putteth al his trust in hym callyth on him sekyng no succoure consolation nor goodnes but only of him Act. 15. This fayth purefieth oure hartes This faith is always workyng through charite hath the holy goost whiche moueth vs and styryth vs vp to follow the exāple of Christ which hath left behīd steppes of al good workes and paciente in afflictions for vs to folow sayēg to vs. This is my commaundemēt that ye loue together as I haue loued you Ioh. 15. You be my fryndes yf ye wyl do these thynges that I haue gyuen and taught you Ioh. 14. Ioh. 15. He that louyth me wyll kepe my lessons I haue gyuen you exāple as I haue done to you so do ye to youre selfes by this you shal be knowen to be my deciples yf ye haue loue one to an other Agayne he that takyth not vp his crosse and folowyth me Luc. 19. he is not my disciple Where there is no repentāce nor any amendmēt of lyfe No good fayth no good workes Trewe faythe trew workes and study of good workes verely there is no trewe fayth Trewe fayth can not be with out good workes no more than a good tree wyth out fruyte or the sone with out hys heet this is vndoubted Therfore let euery man examine and serche hym self well leste he deceiue hym selfe Many men there be whiche saye they beleue whan they haue no beleue as it may apere by their vyciouse wycked lyfe For this is certaīe where so euer trew faith is ther is also the feare of god there is repentance there a trew and a christen mannes lyfe folowyth there the old synful man is put of and a newe put on Eph. 4. For by cause this is the vertu and the operatiō of our holy baptisme that fayth doth clene renue and transforme a christean in to a new mā whych walketh not after fleshe but after the spirit Rom. viii Rom. 8. Then where the grace of god workyth in vs good fruyte and we begyne to followe the cōmandementes of god our old man is not all mortefied streyght waye but wyld and wanton with her lustes doth stryue agaynste vs all oure lyfe long and neuer ceasyth prouokynge vs to syne and euer rebellyth agaynste oure spirite lettyng hynderynge vs in all onest vertuys wherby we be not able to lyue so vpryght after goddys cōmandemētes as we wold Wherfore whan oure synfull conscience or the feare of death doth come vpō vs we cā not trust to our workes nor fynd any comforte therin but yf we wyll be saued we muste nedes cry with the holy kynge Dauid Enter not lord in to iugemēt with thy seruant for in thy syght no lyuyng flesh shall be iustefied Our good workes thoug they be neuer so holy and excellent yet the value of them is not such nether aught we to doo them for any suche purpose nether dothe god require them to be done of vs for that intent that we shuld be iustefied and saued by them For no man can truste any thyng to hys workes nether be they able to delyuer vs from oure death Our iustificacion only belōgeth to Iesu Christ that thyng only the workes of Iesus Christe is able to do and nothyng els Thys glory and honor is only dewe to him and to no man els to be a Iesus Iesus a sauiour that is by interpretation a sauior For he ōly taketh away our synnes iustifieth and sauyth vs by hys workes and pascion This is hys office his worke and dewte only for the whyche he was sent hyther of his heauenly father and ours to doo Therfore yf the holy workes and commandementes of god can bryng no peace of cōscience than what shall a miserable synner do in the distresse of his temtation whether shall he goo whether shall he turne hym selfe where shall he fynd help and succoure and comfort so than yf we wyll loke for any saluation we must firmely beleue and persuade our consciences that oure synnes be pardoned vs and clene taken away But now howe shall we be so certefied in our myndes I answere in suche temtations a man must nedes set apart the lawe and all hys good dedes that euer he hath done al hys strength al his pouer and merites and let them all goo in this poynt For here nothyng can succoure vs but only the workes and passion of Iesus Christ And therfore we must appele from the lawe Appele frō the lawe to the son streyght to the ryche mercyfull promyse of oure father in his sone Christ as vnto a suer succour and a sanctuary of eternall securitie and peace and holde it fast in a fyrme and a sure fayth And thus shall we fynde cōforte and quietnes ynoughe and more than we can desyre than nether synne nor death nor hell shal not be able to hurte vs. What the promyse of god is The promyse of God is this Almyghtie God hathe promysed vs damnable synners in his onely begoten sone Iesus Christ with out any maner of excepcion or condicion of our owne merites clerely of his owne free grace and goodnes Hie. 31. full remission of all our synnes his holy spirite and euerlastynge lyfe Heb. 8. and that he wyll euer more be oure father and that he wyll voutchsafe to receyue vs to his children and gyue vs perpetuall saluacion These be trewe fyrme eternal Heb. 9. vnfallible suer and stedfast God whiche is almyghtie 2. L … and whiche can not lye hathe so promysed to vs and hathe sworne depely by hīselfe that he wyll performe thē This is the
newe testament the euerlastynge couenaunte of grace made to vs in Christe betwixt him and vs and confyrmed with his blode wherof his prophetes so greatly speake of Christ the sone of God hath cōfirmed this testamēt by his death and is a suer gayge or a pledge of this promyse of God The truth and grace of God is layde and reposed for vs in Christe in hym we be suer to fynde it as God speaketh of his sone Christ oure trewe Dauid in the psalme .lxxxix. Psal 89. My trueth and my mercy shall euermore be with him and in my name his power shal be exalted he shall call me Thou art my father my God and the rescuer of my health And I shall set hym to be myne heare and fyrste begoten auaunse vp aboue al the kynges of the earthe I shall euermore reserue my mercy to hym and my faithfull testament vpon hym And I shall set vp his sede for euermore and his throne lyke the dayes of the firmament And if his chldren transgresse my preceptes and wyl not walke in my Iudgemētes I shall visite and chastice theyr iniquities with my rodde and theyr synnes with strypes But I wyll neuer take awaye my mercy clene from hym and my truth shall neuer fayle him I wyl neuer breake my testamēt that I make neyther wyll I euer go from my wordes that procede out of my lyppes Ones haue I sworne in my holynes see yf euer I breake my apoyntmēt with my seruaunt Dauyd his sede shall remayne for euer and his throne lyke the sonne in my syght c. This promyse is also redde in the .ii. Reg. vii 2. Reg. 7. Here in this prophesy God speaketh of the eternall kyngdom of Christ in which perpetuall mercy peace and quietnes is for in Christ he hathe reposed layd vp his truth and mercy Therfore in no other thynge can this promyse of grace be foūd or obtayned sayue only in Christ In him god hath promised to vs saluaciō frely through his myghtie mercie Therfore who soeuer beleueth in Christe without any more a doo to be bolde vpon it he hathe all thynges And though there be in Christes kyngdome weyke and infirme sinners which slyppe fall many tymes yet this priuelege prerogatiue they haue their sinnes shall not be imputed to damnation All theire offenses be offenses of children not of saruantes We haue a salue conduct and a passeport through all the peryls of death and damnaciō And thoughe we fall neuer so heynously yet shal we not perishe therfore for our christian fayth doth so fasten vs vnto oure Dauid Christe that we be made one sprite with hym In Christe we haue the verite of Goddes promyse and his mercy euermore to continue oure heauenly father wyll not punishe his weake children in his wrathe for euer but wyll chastice them with fauour in this temporall lyfe call vs agayne to repentaunce Thus the grace of God shall euer abyde fyrme and stable whiche we be suer shall not fayle vs so that we beleue this Dauid Christ to be oure kyng cast all our trust on him And here is to be noted and cōsidered where he sayth Truth My treuth and mercy allways go with hym yf it be his trewth than it can not ley nor deceiue vs. Yf yt be hys mercy and grace Grace than yt standith not by oure workes nor the lawe wherfore all these thynges shall happen to vs in Christe and for Christes sake which by hys workes and passion hathe purchased and bought all thyng for vs. Esay lv Esa 55. Bowe downe youre eare and come to me heare me and your soule shall lyue and I shall stryke a bergayne with you perpetuall the suer mercies which I promysed to Dauid Ierem. xxxi Ier. 31. This shal be the bargayne that I shall stryke with the house of Israell After those dayes I shall gyue my lawe within theyr bowels and wyll write it in theyr hartes Nota. and I wyll be theyr God and they shall be my people for I wyl pardon all theyr iniquities and wyll no more remember theyr offences c. So doth the apostle in his epistle to the Hebrues alledge the same place Heb. 8.10 where he proueth that this bargayne of grace are this newe testament betwyxt god and vs is now confyrmed and sealed vp by the death of Christ And that god is now no more a streyte iudge but a most tender father to all the faythful of Christ and that he wyl pardone all their offenses Lykwise to the Gala. S. Paule callyth thys eternall bargayn of grace Gal. 3. a testament that shal stand for euer where as he wryteth No mā brekyth or dysordenyth the wyll or testament of a man beyng ones confirmed and ratified Than yf mēnes testamētes ones made and confirmed abyde firme and suer how muche more the testament of god ones confirmed and ratified shall abyde firme These testimones do proue euidently strongly that goddes grace promised in Christe is firme and suer so that now no beleuer ought ne cā doubt of the fauor of god and remission of hys synnes we ought not to dought But vndoubtedly and constantly ought to styke to this promise of god which cā not nether shall be found false What hart now is so hard or stoney that wyll not relēt or be styred vp by thys firme and swete promise of god to take a bolde fayth and a confident trust vpō the grace and fauor of almyghte god beyng so promised to vs Wyll not these wordes make vs certefied yea also secure as yt were a bonde or a bargane testament promise Bonde testamet promyse mercy an othe an othe mercy And all these doth no man whiche maye decyue vs but god eternall promise our father in heauen which is truyth hymselfe Yt is an horrible blyndnes in vs that whan god hymselfe doth calle vs to hys grace doth promise frely to vs for his marcy sake clere remission of our synnes and for the same purpose hathe sent to vs hys only begotten sone in to the world to be a suer token or plege of hys heauenly fauor and grace and yet we lene and hold more to our owne stynkyng workes than to the trew euerstādyng truyth of god Alas for pyte howe many pretious soules moste pytuously haue be brought to desperation throughe these workes dooynge The law only hath bene put forth vnto them no thyng els beten into theire heades but this what god requireth of vs howe great synners we were what vēgaunce of God dyd fall vpon synne what tormentes what fyre and brymstone we shuld suffre in hell But none taught the people faythfully the promyse of God the gospel of Christe in the whiche sorowfull and vexed consciences of synners myght be refresshed and lerne the infinite and vnsearchable grace that God whiche of his vnknowen mercy hathe promysed Gods promyse is a gyfte that is to saye hathe geuen
haue a quiet and a glad consciens beyng euermore suer and certaine that god is fauorable to them for Christe which doth delyuer vs from all euyls with out any doubt I pray you what can oure aduersarys bryng aganist this or how caÌ„ they maynteyne their errors in the face of the worlde The conclusion Here I haue prouyd and taught out of the fundation of the worde of god that no faythfull beleuer in Christ can doubt or ought to doubt of the fauor of god and of remiscion of his synnes and that his conscience may thorwly be certefyed that god is fauorable vnto hym which wyll pardone all his fautes for Christ in whom we beleue and whiche wyll iustifye vs and gyue vs euerlastng lyfe without any doubt Obiecters Here our aduersares can haue no thyng to lay agaynst this doctryne or to subuert this foundacion but one refuge they haue and when we brynge scryptures agaynst theÌ„ what saye they the Lutherians saye they brynge scryptures for them but they must expounde scriptures as our fore fathers dyd An aÌ„swer I answere agayne we do not denye so to do for we maye do it well ynoughe And I may saye with S. Cyrillê° Cirillus we kepe the fayth of our fathers of the church so farre as we ought and vse theyr interpretacions so moche as they requyre But the chefest of the auncient fathers of the churche do agree in the same matter no other wyse then we expounde it / therfore what do these holy workers brynge for them the churche Augustine de predest 11 Saynt Augustyne one of the most catholyke and godly doctor of them all in his boke whiche he writeth of the predestinacion in the .xi. chapiter sayth in this wyse Truly where as the apostle in his epystle to the Rom. wryteth these wordes Therfore is oure inherytauÌ„ce gyuen vs by fayth through grace bycause the promyse myght stande fyrme and stedfast I meruell sayth he that men had rather loke on theyr owne infyrmite thaÌ„ vnto the firmite and stedfastnes of Gods promyse But here thou wylt say I can not tell nor do not knowe the wyll of God of me wel theÌ„ doest thou knowe thyne owne wyll of thy selfe yf thou doest beware he that staÌ„deth let hym take hede that he fall not Therfore insomoche thou knowest neuer nother his wyl nor thyne owne wyl then why shulde not a man rather put his trust hope in that which is more certayne than in that whiche is lesse certayne But say they agayne heare where it is spoken yf thou beleuest thou shalte be saued one of these is required of vs the other is offered that whiche is required of vs is in vs the other in God And why I pray you is not bothe in Gods power both that whiche is required and that whiche is offered for do not we as well desyre God to gyue vs that whiche he requyreth as well as that he offereth do not the beleuers also desyre hym to encrease theyr fayth Do they not desyre also for the vnbeleuers that they may haue fayth so that God only must be the begynner and encreaser of fayth In lyke maner is this to be taken Yf thou beleuest thou shalt be saued this yf you mortifie the workes of the flessh with spirit ye shall lyue for in lyke case here one is requyred thother is offered Yf you mortefie sayth he the workes of flesshe with spirite ye shall lyue / then to mortefye the workes of fleshe by spirite this is requyred the other then is offered vs that we shuld lyue / what then therfore shal we not saye that this is the gyfte of God to mortefie the workes of the flesshe bycause it is requyred of vs to be done God forbede that any perteynynge to the grace of God shuld so thynke This is a damnable errour of the Pelagians whom as the apostle in his wordes folowynge doth coÌ„fute sayenge who soeuer be led with the spirite of God they be the chyldreÌ„ of God Lesse we shuld thynke this mortefyeng of the fleshe came by our spirite but by the spirite of God of the whiche spirite of God the same apostle speaketh moreouer All these thynges sayth he worketh one alonly spirite distributynge to euery man his gyftes so as it pleaseth him amongst the whiche gyftes also he rekeneth fayth / so then lyke as this mortefyenge of the flesshe notwithstandynge it be requyred of vs is the gyfte of God euen so is fayth also the very gyft of God though neuerthelesse it be requyred of vs yf we wyll be saued to beleue for these thynges bothe be commaunded vs of God and also be the gyftes of God To the entente we shulde vnderstande that both we do theÌ„ and yet it is the gyfte of God that we doo them / so as the scripture sheweth by Ezechiell the prophet And I sayth almyghty God shal make you that you shall do them what can be more playne Marke ye well this place of scrypture geÌ„tyll brethren and ye shall se that God promyseth he wyll make theÌ„ to do suche thynges that he wyll haue done And there he bryngeth forthe no merites of theyrs but moche wyckednes shewynge and declarynge therby that he geueth good for euyll in that that he maketh them brynge forth afterward good workes causynge them to do his coÌ„maundementes Also in the .lxxxviii. psalme he saythe in lyke maner Lyfte vp your hartes for he whiche promysed wyll performe so as he hathe performed many thinges alredy / for the trust that we haue in hym we haue it not in our merites but only of his mercy No man can be stronge in this lyfe but onely in the hope of Gods promyse / for as concerning our owne merites we be meruaylous weke we be weake in our selues / in Gods promise stroÌ„g but as concernyng the promyse of God we be stronge And in the lxxxxviii psalme he sayth / where is securite peace he answereth agayne truely none in this lyfe but onely in the hope of the promyse of God S. Ambrose Ambrose in the fyrst boke de vocat geÌ„ti c. wryteth yf no man sayth he wyll breake or dispyse a mannes wyll or testament as sayth the apostle nor alter it Then how can it be that Gods wyl and testameÌ„t shulde be broken in any thynge It carieth alwaies and euery day is fulfylled that the lorde promysed to Abraham without any condicion gaue without any lawe By this sayenge of Ambrose it may wel appere that the promyse of the newe testament that is to saye that God wyll be mercyfull vnto vs wyll forgiue our synnes wyll gyue vs the holy goost and wyll make vs safe that thys promyse I say doth not depend of no condition of the lawe for frely yt comith only of grace be cause we shulde neuer doubt of hys grace fauor toward vs. And what other thyng menyth S. Ambrose wrytyng vpon Paul where he sayth so oft that we be sauyd before god by fayth only alonly Loke vpoÌ„ his comeÌ„taris of the Rom. iii. iiii.ix.x Cap. loke also .i. Cor .i. and Gal. i. iii.v Theophilact Theophilactus also Rom. iiii wryteth in lyke sort In somuch sayth he it is euedent that the lawe bryngyth nothynge but angre therfore had Abraham hys Iustice inheritance gyuen hym bycause that all shulde go by grace Wherfore than seyng that all thynges now do stand in the grace and in the mercy of god so that he is bound now not to worke after hys Iustice then what shulde let vs to thynke but that all thynges be certane and stable what so euer he dothe gyue or promyse Now yf blynde hipocrise here obiect again that Paule in his place spekyth only of AbrahaÌ„ therfore that thyng coÌ„cernyth none els but hym but we must seke oure helth and iustification otherwise I answere agayne Not so For therfore Paule callyth Abraham there the father of all the beleuers and in him proposeth to vs all the true meanes how all men bothe before the cuÌ„myg of Christe and after the cuÌ„myg of Christe muste be Iustified And therfore this text of Paule doth as well pertayne to vs all for it is writen and proposed vnto all vs. Rom. 4. Euen as S. Paule in the very same chapiter writeth This is not writen for hym only sayth he that it was imputed to him for Iustice but for vs all to whom it shall be imputed for Iustice beleuyng on hym which reysed vp froÌ„ death oure lorde Iesus Christe which was gyuen for our synnes and reysed vp agayne for oure Iustification Amen