debters dnto the fleshe he playnly declareth how necessary good workes are And he stoppeth their mouthes which spake ill of his doctrine as which opened a window vnto vices For he threateneth death and that eternall death vnto theÌ„ which liue according to the fleshe They which draw the wordes of the Apostle vnto the liberty of the fleshe vnderstand not that he teacheth that men iustified are absolued from the condemnation of the lawe and not from the obedience therof For that obedience lasteth in the Saintes for euer For if ye liue after the flesh ye shall dye but if by the spirite ye mortefie the deedes of the fleshe ye shall liue He here by an other reason proueth A reason from that which is profitable vnprofitable yâ— we ought to liue holily which reason is taken froÌ„ that which is profitable and vnprofitable Two thinges he setteth forth namely life and death neither entreateth he here of temporall thinges but of eternall It is true in déede that it is not comely that we should follow as captaines of our life the prauity and corruption of nature which is signified by the name of fleshe neither do the debts which we owe vnto God by reason of his benefites bestowed vpon vs suffer vs so to do But yet fewe are moued with this comlynes and the nature of man is by reason of sinne to much blockish to heauenly thinges Wherefore it must haue the stronger spurres to pricke it forwarde And therefore Paul added this reason of lyfe and death If by the spirite ye mortefy the deedes of the fleshe ye shall liue Hereof two thinges we gather First that there are still déedes of the fleshe in the godly And who doubteth but that they are sinnes especially seing they ought to be mortefied The second is that these déedes are mortefied by the spirite for mans inuentions will nothing helpe thereunto For whatsoeuer is done by vertues described of the philosophers is sinne which can not through Christ be forgeuen them Wherefore the true and perfect cause of mortification is to be sought for at the handes of the spirite And to mortefy is nothing els but for a man to be violent against himselfe and to withstand and resist wicked lustes Here agayne also the Apostle séemeth to touch the difference betwéene deadly sinne and veniall What is to mortâ—fy sinne not that all sinnes are not of their owne nature deadly but for that through the death and spirite of Christ they are forgeuen therefore they are called veniall Those are called deadly sinnes which are not mortified in vs when we geue our selues to lustes and liue without repentance and sinne against our conscience neither resiâ—â— lustes but follow on our trade of liuing wickedly neither in the meane tyme regard we the spirit or death of Christ These are those sinnes which Paul writeth They which do such thinges shall not obtayne the kingdome of God and for which as it is written vnto the Ephesians The wrath of God commeth vpon the children of distrust For as many as are led by the spirite of God are the sonnes of God By two reasons it hath bene proued that men godly regenerate ought not to liue after the fleshe either bicause they are now debters so to do or els bicause the same shall turne them to great commodity namely for that they shall liue for euer Here is added the third reason for that they are now adopted into the children of God In which place we are taught two things at once the one is that they ought We must liue vprightly for that we are adopted into children Three maner of wayes it is shewed that we are the sonnes of God fréely and of their owne accord to worke as which are endued with the spirit not of bondmen but of children the other is that they which so leade their life shall liue for euer namely for that they are the sonnes of God For he is eternall immortall And that they are the children of God he proueth thrée manner of wayes First for that they are led by the spirite of God Secondly for that they call vpon him by the name of father lastly for that the spirite so testifieth vnto theÌ„ Wherfore the reason may thus be knit together As many as are the sonnes of God liue not after the flesh for they are led by the spirite of God and they call God their father and they haue the holy ghost in their hartes a witnes of the adoption whiche they haue obteined Such ones are all we which beleue in Christ wherefore we ought not to liue after the flesh When they are said to be the sonnes of God which The beginning of our adoption is thâ— spirit of God are led by the spirite of God therby is signified that the beginning of our adoptioÌ„ coÌ„meth only through the sprite of God by which the faithfull are so drawen that they are sayd of Paul to be led that is without violence and any coaction bowed They which want the spirite are holden with ignorance and are tossed by the impulsion of lustes But the spirite of God so leadeth that it both teacheth what is to be done and also ministreth a will minde and strengthes to performe the same It is not inough to know what we ought to do vnles we haue also strengthes geuen vs to do it and strengthes should be in vaine geuen vs if there should want knowledge These two thinges bringeth the spirite of God with it and by that Two thinges the spirite of God bringeth with it meanes leadeth the elect with pleasure After we are once sealed with this spirite we haue obteyned the earnest peny of eternall life and the adoption of the sonnes of God And forasmuch as we are not compelled to do any thing against our wils we enioy most excellent fréedome For we are stirred vp vnto those thinges which we excedingly desire For ye haue not receiued the spirite of bondage vnto feare But ye haue What is the spirite of feare and what of adoption receiued the spirite of adoption wherby we cry Abba father The apostle by a certaine distinction expresseth what that spirite is wherby the sonnes of God are led For he maketh one the spirite of feare an other the spirite of adoption which is no otherwise to be vnderstand but that one and the selfe same spirite of God bringeth forth two effectes which are by a certaine order knit together For first by the law and by threatninges it maketh afeard those men that are to be iustified and breaketh and vexeth them with scourges and stripes of the conscience that vtterly dispairing of themselues they may flye vnto Christ vnto whom wheÌ„ they are come and that they embrace him by faith they are not onely iustified but also are fréely of their owne accorde stirred vp to iust vpright and holy workes Wherfore Paul admonisheth yâ— Romanes that they are now come vnto this latter
towardes vs that it would exalt vs to so great dignity although vndeserued on our behalfes Neyther is that heauenly inheritaunce of that condition that when it is communicated vnto many it is therfore diminished Now let vs sée how we attaine to his adoption Paul semeth to say that it is cōmunicated vnto vs by the spirit of Christ By the spirite faith are we adopted into children For of it haue we faith wherby we embrace Christ which died for vs and the promises of God and by that meanes are we adopted of God into children This doth Iohn excellently well declare vnto vs in the beginning of his Gospell where he thus writeth as many as receiued him vnto them he gaue power to be made the sonnes of God By these wordes we plainly sée that we then are made the sonnes of God when we receiue Christ And this is not done either by Circumcision or by any other ceremonies of the law or by good morall workes but only by faith And therfore Iohn added Vnto those which haue beleued in his name And when it is sayde A place of Iohn declared that power is geuen vnto thē to be made the sonnes of God we must not thinke as many Sophisters would haue vs that we first beleue and then afterward receiue power to be counted in the number of the sonnes of God For power in that Against the Sophisters place is nothing els but a right and a prerogatiue As if he should haue said the they whiche haue receiued the Lorde and beleued in his name haue a righte and prerogatiue to come into the adoption of the sonnes of God But Iohn addeth Which are borne not of bloude nor of the will of the fleshe nor of the will of manne but of Gad. First when he sayth Not of bloud he signifieth that this adoption commeth not by the order of nature that in this generation should be mingled together the séedes of man and woman Which sentence he more plainly expresseth in the next By this word flesh is sometimes signified the woman words following For he saith Not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of mā For that by the flesh he meaneth the woman may by two places be proued For Adam said of his wife which was deliuered vnto him of God This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh And Paul vnto the Ephesians saith He whiche loueth his wyfe loueth himselfe No man at any tyme hated his own flesh And this interpretation followeth Augustine Although I sée that this place may otherwise be expounded that when it is sayd Not of bloud we vnderstand that this adoption commeth not by anye force of stocke or kinred For the Hebrues perswaded themselues it did For they alwayes vndiscretely cried that they were the séede of Abraham Neither attayne we vnto this adoption by the will of the flesh For to the attainement of it we are not holpen by those good thinges which the fleshe vseth to couete by riches I say power strength of the body beauty and such other like things Neither by the will of man namely by those good thinges which are counted more excellent and are thought most comely for men as are wisedome prudence and workes pertaining vnto morall vertues For none of all these thinges can make vs to be the sonnes of God But are borne saith he of God All this haue we onely of the goodnes of God and of his mere mercy And therfore Paul saith to the Ephesians who hath Our adoption dependeth of predestination predestinate vs into the adoption of the sons of God Wherfore the whole consideratiō of our adoption dependeth of his election and predestination But of his diuine wil can no reason be of vs either vnderstanded or geuē And therof cōmeth it y◠Christ saith in Iohn y◠we ought to be borne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 y◠is by the inspiration of God frō aboue And Christ cōpareth this regeneratiō with the wind thou hearest saith he the spirit neither knowst thou frō whēce it cōmeth nor whither it goeth wherfore God by Christ frely geueth vnto vs his spirit And he vseth y◠word as an instrumēt and By what degrees we attayne vnto the adoption of sonnes The adoption which we haue now is not perfect y◠is called y◠séede wherby we are regenerate He geueth also fayth wherby we receaue the promise of the word set forth vnto vs. And by that means we are iustified obteine the adoptiō of the sons of god which yet so long as we liue here can not be perfect Wherefore Paul a little afterward sayth that we wayte for the adoption of the sonnes and the redemption of the body which we shall not attayne vnto but in that blessed resurrection Euen the selfe same thinges writeth Paul to the Galathians And when sayth he thr fullnes of time came God sent hys sonne made of a woman and made vnder lhe Law to deliuer those which are vnder the Law that we might receaue the adoption of sonnes And bycause we are sonnes God sent the spirite of his sonne into our harts in whome we cry Abba father These words declare that there was before the fulnes of time a certayn bondage vnder the Law afterward was geuen the sonne by whom we which are appointed and destinied to be made the sonnes of God might more fully receaue the spirite and adoptiō This adoption Christ semeth as it were by a certayne sacrament to haue confirmed in his genealogy For when as in Luke and in Mathevv the names of his progenitors doo vary in them is mingled adoption so that oftentimes one and the selfe same man had one father by nature and an other by adoption Also in In the old testament adoption much vsed Euen vnto the dead 〈◊〉 children adopted the old testament adoption was much vsed For both Iacob adopted vnto hymselfe hys neuiewes Ephraim and Manesses to be vnto hym in steade of other sons and also that maner was of such force at that time that vnto dead men also were children adopted For whē one brother was dead the brother that remayned a liue of his wife begat children and raysed vp séede in Israell Thys as a certayne shadow figured our adoption into the sonnes of God The common translation hath The adoption of the sonnes of God When as in the Greke is not red this word of God For there is only this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is adoption But this is dilligently to be considered both from whence we are by this adoption brought and whither we are transferred We were before the children In this adoption is to be considered from whence and whether we are transferred of the deuill of wrath of incredulity of distrust of this world of perdition of night and of darknes And we are transferred hitherto that we both are called and are in very dede the sons of God pertakers of
vs vp to aske those thynges Neither doth the holy ghost that is the diuine person abase it selfe as though it were lesser then the father and prayeth but only it causeth vs to pray So God is sayd to tempt the Hebrues that he myght know that is to make other themselues or others to know Touching this matter Augustine in his sermon against Maximinus the Arrian at large entreateth It was sayde vnto Abraham now I know that thou fearest the Lord which is nothyng els but I haue shewed I haue made open and haue declared that thou fearest the Lord. And Paul to the Galathyans But now forasmuch as ye know God and he addeth a correctioÌ„ or rather are knowen of God that is tought and illustrated so that he may know All these places declare that those things which are done of godly men by the heauenly inspiration are attributed vnto God and vnto the holy ghost But there are two most manifest places the one to the Galathyans the other to the Romanes which if they be compared together make that most manifest which we affirm For vnto the Romanes Paul writeth we haue not receaued the spirite of bondage agayne vnto feare but the spirite of the adoption of children whereby we cry Abba father These wordes playnly declare that we are they which crye And vnto the Galathyans God sent The spirite â—rieth because it maketh vs to crye Against the Arâ—ians forth the spirit of hys sonne into our hartes crying Abba father Here the spirite is said to cry not vndoubtedly for any other caâ—â—e but for that it maâ—eth vs to crye Neither did the Arrians truly affirme that Paul saith that the holy ghost maketh intercession to the sonne For thereof went they about wickedly to inferre that as they held that the sonne is lesse then the father so is the holy ghost lesse then the sonne These are the dreames of heretiques The son prayeth maketh intercession for vs because he is lesse then the father as touchinge his humanity The spirite maketh intercession because it maketh vs to pray and to cry And vnto the Galathyans it is expressedly said that this crying Abba father is of the holy ghost Wherefore the Arrians of their owne hed and not of the wordes of Paul fained vnto themselues that the holy ghost calleth vpon the sonne not that the holy ghost stirreth vs not vp to call vpon Christ the sonne of God But this thing only Augustine teacheth that they by the wordes of the Apostle had no cause why they should so greatly bâ—ast yâ— they had proued that which they entended namely that the sonne is lesse then the father and the holy ghost lesse then the sonne Origene so interpretateth these wordes as though the holy ghost is to vs in our prayers after a sort a Schoolemaster A Scholemaster formeth himselfe to the capacity of his children and nameth the letter first vnto them that they maye imitate him in the pronunciation of the sounde of the letters which thing otherwise they could not do of themselues so the holy ghost instilleth into vs as into children what we ought to aske Out of all these interpretacions two thinges we may gather First that here are confuted the Pelagians which tought that we are of our owne strengthes able to fulfill the lawe of God For if we can not so much as know what thinges are profitable for vs how can we performe them And when we heare that the holy ghost maketh intercession for vs we reiect the Arrians which went about by these words to proue that the holy ghost is a creature and lesse then the son For it is alwayes of necessity that he which prayeth is lesse then he to whom he commeth to pray The sonne indeede is sayd to be lesse then the father because of his humanity â—ut the holy ghost neuer tooke vpon him any creature in one and the selfe same hypostasis to be made one person with it wherefore he is therefore sayde to The holy Ghost neuer tooke vpon him any creature in one and the selfe same hypostasis The sighes of the godly in afflictioÌ„â— are hearde pray because he maketh vs to pray Vnto all these thinges may be added one thing more It commeth to passe sometimes that godly men when they are greeuously afflicted do only sighe neither to their knowledge do they praye vnto God And yet the holy ghost inwardly both stirreth vp moderateth these sighes in these men although they â—e not ware nor know what is done which sighes the father as moued and stirred vp by the holy ghost harkeneth vnto and vnderstandeth and granteth the requestes of the spirite And therefore is the spirite said to serch the harts because it considereth that which they themselues when they grone and sighe coÌ„sider not For we are somtimes so oppressed with the greatnes of temptacioÌ„s weaknes of yâ— flesh that we can not pray but the spirite priuelye stirreth vp and kindleth these groninges And these are his prayers This thinge we feale not bycause we our selues are not they which praye for we are only stirred vp by the spirite of God For although the flesh be oppressed with tribulations yet the spirit is inwardly strong â–ª Ieremy Dauid Examples of the Saintes and Iob were sometimes occupied in lamentacions and complayntes so that they after a sort complayned of the iudgementes of God as though they were ether not iust or els to much seuere and yet notwithstanding was not the spirite extinguished in them And therfore God imputed not vnto them the sighâ—nges of the flesh but heard the entent of the spirite They are called vnspeakeable Why they are called vnspeakeable sighes sighes for that we speake not expressedlye what the spirite asketh But as touching this sence yâ— words must thus to be put in order we are ignorant what we should pray which yet we ought not to be ignorauÌ„t of We pray indede but what we aske we know not but God sercheth the hartes He nedeth no inquisition Why God is sayd to searche hartes Howbeit he is sayd to serch for that that which meÌ„ desire perfectly and exactly to know they diligently serch for it so God bycause he beholdeth our most hidden thoughtes is sayd to serch the hartes otherwise he before we beginne to aske knoweth what we haue neede of Also we know that all thinges worke together to the beste to them that loue God euen vnto them that are called of purpose For those whome he knewe before hee also hath predestinate to bee made like to the image of hys sonne that he might be the first born amongest many brethern Moreouer whom he hath predestinated them also hath hee called and whome he hath called them also hath he iustifyed and whome he hath iustifyed them also hath he glorifyed Also we know that all thinges c. Forasmuch as the Apostle had begonne to speake of the patient suffring of aduersities he thought he woulde more at
God should haue sayd that he would permitte him to se at the least his backe partes that not for his merites but only of his mercy But whither of these wayes so euer a man take those wordes so that he referre all thinges to the mercy of God then right well followeth of them that which the Apostle seketh Namely that it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy But to speake my iudgement herein first this is to be noted that the Apostle followed the translatioÌ„ of the Seuenty For they thus haue that which is here written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But in Hebrue it is written Iechannathy atta Scherachan Ierechamthyatha Schereracham â–ª the first worde is Chanan which signifieth to loue or to beare fauour The other word signifieth to haue mercy but chiefely such a mercy as mothers shew vnto theyr children For this word hath an affinity with Rechem which signifieth a wombe or belly wherin mothers beare theyr children Moreouer when he had sayd that he would make that all his good should go before Moses he added that as he went he would proclaime his name Iehoua which thing as it is had in the next chapter he performed And when he had proclaymed Iehoua he added diuers of his names wherby are expressed the properties of the nature of God The summe of those names he here after a sorte comprehendeth when he sayth I wil haue mercye on whome I will haue mercy Neither is there any difference betwene the interpretation of the SeueÌ„ty and the Hebrue verity but that they in the second part of eche member put the verbe in the present tempse wheÌ„ as in the Hebrue one tempse is in eche place put But the sence which we bring agreeth very well with Paul For if the proprieties of God which he vseth toward vs be comprehended in his mercy thereby also is very aptly proued that our election also dependeth of no other thing which thing is vnto vs most profitable For if our saluation lay in our owne handes we should continually hinder How the wil of God touching predestination is reueled vnto vs. Against those which hold thaâ— the mercy of God is equally offred vnto â— men it But how we may iudge of this diuine wil wherby we are elected of God Christe tought vs when he reueled vnto vs the decrees of his father sayinge This is the will of the father that he which seeth the sonne and beleueth in him should haue eternall life This sentence of God whiche Paul citeth out of the booke of Exodus maketh agaynst those which hold that the mercy of God is equallye offred vnto all men For God sayth that he will not haue mercy vpon all men but on those onely on whome he will haue mercye by whiche woordes he declareth that he bestoweth his mercy vpon some certayne men and not vpon all Of this oracle the Apostle inferreth Wherefore it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that sheweth mercy Whereby we vnderstand that all whole is to be attributed vnto God which doctrine humane wisedome can not abide For streight way it thus reasoneth with it selfe Then do we nothing we are nothing but stockes and stones But we teach no such doctrine we affirme in dede that we worke but yet not vnles we be impelled by the spirite of God as Paul teacheth in his epistle in the 8. chapiter They which are led by the spirit of God those sayth he are the children of God And therefore the prophet Ezechiell sayth I will make that ye shall walke in my wayes But the maner how we do any thing being impelled and moued by God we may very wel vnderstand if we compare the 8. chapiter of this epistle with the 4. chapiter to the Galathians For in the 8. chapiter Paul thus writeth â–ª Ye haue not receaued the spirite of bondage agayne vnto feare but ye haue receaued the spirite of the adoption of children by whome we crye Abba father And to the Galathians he sayth For that ye are children God hath sent forth the spirit of his sonne into your hartes cryeng Abba father Seing then that vnto the Galathians he teacheth that the holy ghost prayeth in vs and vnto the Romanes he sayth that we our selues pray we ought thereby to vnderstand that we our selues indede pray but yet being driuen and impelled by the spirite of We are not stockes nor stones God For we are not stockes nor stones For they are not impelled but by violence but we are not against our willes compelled of the spirite of God but are perswaded and whatsoeuer we do we do it willingly Stockes and stones wheÌ„ they are moued neither vnderstand they nor haue they any will but we when we are impelled of God do both vnderstand and will and also geue assent Although that we haue euen these thinges also of the spirite of God Moreouer we confesse that many ciuill and naturall wordes wheÌ„ they passe not our streÌ„gths are subiect vnto our choyce and will althoughe we beleue and preache that How we worke being impelled of God A differeÌ„ce betwene thinges ciuile and betwene those thinges which pertaine to eternall saluation those thinges also God ruleth and gouerneth as semeth besâ— to his most wise prouidence But touching those thinges which are acceptable vnto God and which pertayne to our saluation we can not be moued vnles we be impelled by the spirite of God Augustine in his Encheridion to Laurentius the 32. chapiter writeth many things which serue to the declaration of this conclusion of Paul For he sayth that these thinges make very much agaynst them which hold that the beginning of our saluatioÌ„ commeth of our selues Which thing vâ—rely they teach which will haue predestination to procede of good workes foresene For if it were so theÌ„ contrary to the sentence of Paul it should be of him that willeth and of hym that runneth Augustine in dede confesseth that no man can beleue hope or loue vnles he will but euen this selfe same wil to beleue to hope and to loue he saith commeth not but from God For that is vayne which some say that the will of man is not by it selfe sufficient and therefore nedeth yâ— mercy of God as though a good worke ought to come and to procede both from our will and also from grace For if it were so Paul mought haue sayd that it is not of God that hath Good works are not to be deiâ—ded to make one part oures an other Gods part mercy but of man that willeth and runneth For according to this sentence nether doubtles should the grace of God be sufficient vnles vnto it the will of maÌ„ should ioyne it selfe Which thing forasmuch as no Christian either ought or caÌ„ reseruing piety speake it resteth that Paul therefore said That it is neither of him that willeth nor of him that ruÌ„neth but of God that
commeth that Baptisme also ought to be geuen onelye once Which thing is also therfore done bicause the holy ghost wil haue vs fully perswaded that after Baptisme we ought no more to returne to our old life as though an other regeneration might be permitted vnto vs. For if any man should so think he should as it is written in the epistle vnto the Hebrues treade vnder feete the bloud of the sonne of God Paul therfore vnto the Ephesians sayth One spirit one fayth one baptisme And that it consisteth of the lauacre of water and of the word we are taught out of the epistle vnto the Ephe. by these wordes Euen as Christe also loued the church and gaue himselfe for it that he myght sanctifie it beyng made cleane by the lauacre of water through the worde This is is the nature of sacraments that they consist of a signe an outward Element and the word of God Many Ecclesiasticall writers when they entreat of Baptisme do set forth the prayses and commendations Symboles of the Sacraments of the Gospell are most easy to be gotten The misteries of the Ethnikes were sumptuous The deuil sometimes imitateth the simplicity of God What is the analogy or signification of water in baptisme of water But I in thys place do rather reuerence the simplicity of Christian religion whereunto are geuen Sacraments not onely most fewe in number but also moste easye to be done For as touchyng the signes we haue nothyng but breade wyne and water whiche are thinges euerye where in vse and in all places easye to bee gotten But the misteries of Idoles were celebrated wyth greate cost and were verye sumptuous But Christ in outward thinges followed alwayes greate simplicity Although the deuill also as an imitator of God would sometimes haue water also ioyned to his holy seruices as in the misteries of Mitra and Isis And the Romanes in the playes of Apollo and Pelusius sprinkled the city ouer with water For by that meanes they thought it perfectly clensed from periuries murthers iniustice and publike crimes And such as had committed murther of set purpose sought purging holy waters But omitting these thinges this we ought to consider that the signe in sacraments ought to haue an affinity and similitude with the thing which is by it signified Wherefore séeing water washeth away the filthines of the body maketh the earth fruitefull and quencheth thirst it aptly signifieth remission of sinnes and the holy ghost whereby good workes are made plentifull and signifieth grace which refresh 〈…〉 the auguishes of the minde Neither did the prophetes in the olde Testament otherwise prophesye of the geuing of the holy Ghost in regeneration Ioell saith that God would poure cleane water vpon the sonnes and daughters of the Iewes And Esay saith All ye that thurst come vnto the waters And the elders of the Hebrues Paul saith were baptised in the red sea and in the cloude But what maner of word it is that ought to be added vnto the element of water we haue noted namely wherein in the name of the father of the sonne of the holy ghoste remission of sinnes c. Into this promise our faith is sealed and as Tertullian saith the sacrament of baptisme is the garment of this fayth These prescribed wordes are deliuered of Christ in the last chap. of Mathew Nether as we haue before saide can I be perswaded that the Apostles changed this forme of words although Ambrose in that thing thought otherwise Of whose iudgement what is to be thought we haue before sufficiently declared It sufficeth vs at this present that by the element and word of God we haue a manifest testimony of of our regeneratiō and saluation For euen as there are three thinges as Iohn saith which beare witnes of Christ the spirit bloud and water For the father which is A place of Iohn Of the thre testimonies signified by the spirite the sonne which is declared by bloud and y◠holy ghost which is noted by water do beare witnes of his deuinity And of his true humane nature the spirite is a witnes which he commēded vnto the father vpon the crosse and also the bloud and water which flowed out of his side so that we are the children of God we haue a testimony of the holy ghoste we haue the remission of sinnes by the bloude of Christ set forth in the worde of promise and in the water outwardly poured vpon the body For by these witnesses our faith is both raysed vp and also confirmed because we are regenerate and are nowe made the children of God There is offred vnto vs remission of sinnes in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost And yet ought we not to thinke that it is geuen by reason of the worke wrought as they vse to speake as though a holines or the spirite lay hidden in the water and that we are regenerated by the outward touch thereof For it is not so But by the word of God and outward signe is signified vnto vs our reconciliatiō with God made by Christ which reconciliation if we take hold on by faith we are both iustified and also sanctified Wherefore Augustine vpon Iohn saith From whence commeth this so greate a power vnto the water that it should touch the body and washe the hart but through the word which worketh it not in that it is spoken but in that it is beleued But in infantes which by reason of age can not yet beleue the holy ghost worketh in their hartes in steede of fayth The effusion also of the holy The worde clenseth not because it is spoken but because it is beleued The things which are offred vs in baptisme we haue also before baptisme ghost is promised in baptisme as it is expressedly written in the epistle to Titus Which hath saued vs through the lauacre of regeneration and of renouation of the holy ghost which he plentifully hath powred vpon vs. Neither are these two thinges in suche maner offred in baptisme vnto vs as thoughe we by no meanes had them before baptisme For it can not be denied but that they whiche are of full age if they beleue haue iustification euen before they be baptised For so Abraham beleued and was iustified and then he receaued the seale of circumcision And Cornelius the Centurion when he had heard Peter and beleued was not onlye iustifyed but also visibly receaued the holy Ghost Neither woulde we baptise infantes but that we suppose that they already pertayne vnto the Churche and vnto Christe And yet are not suche baptised in vayne For we oughte to obeye the commaundement of God whiche if any In baptism the giftes which we had before are increased The holy Ghost is powred into the hart when we are regenerate By baptism we are visibly grafted into Christ and into the Church man shoulde contemne though he boasted neuer so muche of hys fayth yet shoulde he sufficientlye
a beginning and an endeuour of obedience and forgeuenes of defectes which they committe the righteousnes also of Christ whereby the law is fulfilled is now made their righteousnes and is of God imputed vnto them For the strengthes of the head do passe into the members Lastly by hope we are made safe and the accomplishment of the lawe which wanteth in their workes so long as they liue here they shal attaine perfectly by all meanes ful wheÌ„ they shal be ioyned together with Christ in an other life â–ª And therefore woulde God prouide a remedy for the weakenes of the lawe which springeth of our weaknes Let vs sée therefore what God hath done He hath sent his sonne in the similitude of the fleshe of sinne and by sin hath condemned sinne in the fleshe By these woordes is manifeste the number and distinction of the diuine persons in the holy Trinity For if the sonne be sent of the father then must one of necessity be distinct from the other which is The distinction of persons in the Trinity contrary to the heresye of Photinus Sabellias the Patripassianites and other suche pestiferous men which taught that the sonne and the holy ghost are distincted both from the father and also betwéene themselues onely as touchinge the names But what order Paul hath put in the persons we may easely sée Firste he saith that the holy ghost is he which deliuereth secondlye that that spirite is geuen by Christ lastly that the sonne is sent of the father And so he resolueth the last effect of our saluation into the first cause In the similitude of the flesh of sinne Augustine admonisheth that these This word similitude taketh not away the veritie of the flesh things are to be red ioyntly together so that this word similitude is not referred vnto the fleshe but vnto sinne For the humane nature which Christ tooke vpon him had the shew or forme of sinne but yet in very dede it could not be polluted with sinne Paul also vnto the Phillippians writeth that Christ was in the similitude of men not that he was not a man in very dede but that bycause he so abased himselfe that he nothing departed from the common custome of men nether confounded he the nature of man with the nature of the word of God but left it so perfect that euen the forme and similitude of other men might be shewed in Christ And therefore the Apostle vseth this word similitude that we might vnderstand yâ— the Lord was not a pure man only as other men were althoughe he semed such a one For in him was the diuine nature hiddeÌ„ Wherefore there is no cause why the Marcionites or other such like heretikes shoulde by these places deny that Christ had true flesh For he tooke vpon him the nature of man as the Greke Schiolies haue noted with the affections thereof not vndoubtedly with those affections which spring of malice but with those which spring of nature instituted of God In summe to haue taken the flesh of sinne is nothing els then that Christ was so made man that he was subiect vnto heate cold hunger thirst contumelies and death for these are the effects of sinne And therefore the the flesh of Christ mought well be called the flesh of sinne Augustine in his 14. booke agaynst Faustus hath to doo agaynst an heretike which refused Moses as though he were conâ—umelious against Christ when he wrote Cursed be euery one that hangeth one a tree Vnto whome Augustine answereth If by this meanes thou condemnest Moses thou shalt also reiect Paul For he vnto the Galathians writeth that Christ was made accursed for vs. And the same Paul in his latter epistle to the Corrinthians sayth that he which knew not sinne was for our sakes made sinne Then he citeth this place whereof we now intreate that God sent his sonne in the similitude of the flesh of sinne and by sinne condemned sinne He bringeth also a reason Why the flesh of Christ is called sinne why the flesh of Christ is called sinne namely bycause it was mortall and tasted of death which of necessity followeth sinne And he affirmeth this to be a figuratiue kinde of speach wherein by that which goeth before is expressed that which followeth But besides this interpretation of Augustine I remember an other also which the same Augustine treatinge vpon this place followeth which also he semeth to haue lerned of Origene And that interpretation is taken out of Leuiticus where when as there are diuerse kinds of sacrifices instituted mencion is made of an oblation for sinne which selfe same oblation is euerye The oblacion for sinne is called sin SacrameÌ„ts haue the names of the thinges signified where called sinne But vnto that word is oftentimes added a preposition and in the Hebrue it is written Lechatteoth and Leaschrah that is for sinne and for trespas so that hereby we may se that the sacramentes as we haue often sayd haue the names of those thinges which they signifie And other tonges also both the Lattine and the Greke seme to haue imitated this forme of speaking For the Lattines cal that piaculum or piacularem hostiam whiche is offred to turne away the wrath of God The same thing the Grecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of makingâ— cleane and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And this is it which Paul sometimes calleth sinne and accursed This therefore is the meaning that Christe condemned sinne whiche was in our flesh by sinne that is by that oblation which was for sinne that is by his flesh which is here called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is after the Hebrue maner of speakinge the sacrifice for sinne But to condemne signifieth in this place to take away and to discharge those thinges which vse to follow them that are condemned And that we may the easelier vnderstand how Christ by his death How Christ by death hath condemned sinne condemned sinne we ought by fayth to be assured that he hath obteyned for vs the holyghost whereby our sinnes are forgeuen whereby also lust which is the roote of all sinnes is repressed in vs. But there are others which interpretate this place otherwise as though Christ condemned sinne in his flesh that is he would haue himselfe to be punished and offred vp for sinne namely for our sin Which interpretation doth not so much differ from the first But that interpretacion which Chrisostome and Ambrose haue is farre more straunge for they thynke that sinne it selfe was condemned of Christe for sinne that is for that cause namely bycause it had done vniustly and sinned greuously For sinne of his owne right semed to rage against meÌ„ which were eueÌ„ from yâ— beginning obnoâ—ius vnto it but in yâ— it was so bold to lay haÌ„ds vpon Christ being most innocent it deserued coÌ„deÌ„natioÌ„ But Ambrose semeth to signifie that sin is here takeÌ„ for the deuill who in yâ— he killed Christ tempted him more theÌ„
oughte not to be in doubt whither the spirite of Christ do dwell in vs or no. Ambrose vpon this place noteth that the spirite of God departeth from vs for two maner of causes eyther bicause of the vnderstanding of the flesh or els bicause of the actes therof That is either for false doctrine or els for corrupt maners But if Christ be in you the body in dede is dead because of sinne Hitherto pertaineth the first part of this chapter wherin hath bene declared that although in the saintes there still remayneth sinne yet therof followeth not condemnation for it is taken away by the law of the spirit But froÌ„ whence this spirit is deriued into vs hath ben set forth namely froÌ„ the death which the son of God suffered for vs. Farther it hath 〈◊〉 declared what they are vnto whome so great a benefite is come namely 〈◊〉 which walke according to the spirite and not according to the flesh Now he entreth into the second part wherin he teacheth that we by the same spirite haue obteined participation both of the death and of the resurrection of the Lord. And he exhorteth vs according as our duety is to mortify the dedes of the flesh and to addict our selues wholy vnto the spirit by whom we haue obteyned so great benefites And to knit together those things which are to be spoken with those which are already spoken the Apostle saith But if Christ be in you In that he thus saith that Christ is in vs he sheweth that it counteth it al one for the spirite of God or of Christ to dwell in vs and Christ himselfe to be in vs not that he meaneth that the holy ghost and Christ that is the sonne of God are one the selfe same hypostasis or person But as Chrisostome hath taught this is the nature of the thrée persons that wheresoeuer the one is there also the other are together present Wherfore forasmuch as the holy ghost is in vs it followeth of necessity that the sonne of God which is Christ together with the father is in vs. Which thing Paul hath expressedly pronounced vnto the Ephesians when he sayd That Christ Not where soeuer Christ is accordinge to his diuine nature he is there also according to his humane nature by fayth dwelleth in our hartes And yet it followeth not that whersoeuer Christ is according to his diuine nature he is there also accordyng to his humaine nature For his humaine nature whether we haue a regard vnto the soule or vnto the body is finite neither can so be poured abroade infinitely that it shoulde possesse and fill all things as doth his diuine nature Wherfore we graunt that the sonne and the father are wheresoeuer the holy ghost is and whersoeuer we confesse the son of God to be there also will we coÌ„fesse Christ to be but yet not alwaies according to his humane nature For yâ— is not possible Paul saith in his â— epistle vnto the Cor. that the elders dranke of the spiritual rock which followed theÌ„ that rocke was Christ Of the rocke which was Christ By which wordes are â—â— things to be vnderstaÌ„d first yâ— Christ was signified in that rocke secondly yâ— he was in very dede present with the people when they dranke as the holy history declareth For it telleth yâ— God promised that he would be preset with his people at the rocke Oreb And the same God was yâ— sonne which could not then be present according to flesh and humane nature when as he had not yet put it on And yet is he of Paul called Christe And in the selfe same epistle the fathers are sayd to haue tempted Christ in the desert which can not be vnderstand according to the humane nature for as much as it was not then extaÌ„t The fathers â—â— the wildernes tempted Christ How it is to be vnderstande Christ to dwel in vs. So when Christ is sayd to dwell in vs by fayth or the spirite it doth not thereof follow that ether his body or his soule dwelleth in our hartes really as I may call it and substancially It is inough that Christ be sayd to be in vs by hys deuine presence and that he is by his spirite grace and giftes present with vs. Nether is this as some make exclamation to go aboute to seperate the diuine nature from the humane For we holde that the natures in Christ are ioyned together and insâ—perable And yet that coniunction maketh not that the humane nature extendeth it selfe so farre aâ— doth the diuine nature Which thing Augustine hath most manifestly testefied vnto Dardanus Although I knowe there are some which go aboute by certayne wordes of his out his 96. treatise vpoÌ„ Iohn to cauill that he ment that Christ also according to hys humane nature is still with vs although he be not sene For Augustine wheÌ„ he interpreteth these words A place of Augustine expounded of the Lord I go to prepare you a place sayth that those places and maÌ„sions are nothing ells then we our selues which beleue which are as certayne dwelling places vnto which the father and the sonne come and abide in But we must by the holy ghost be prepared to be made mete dwelling places WheÌ„ he thus expouÌ„deth these wordes he demauÌ„deth Why then sayth Christ that he goeth away if we must be prepared For he ought rather to be present For if he depart away we shall not â—e prepared Afterward when he solueth the question he thus writeth If I doo well vnderstande the thou departest neyther from whence thou camest nether from the place whither thou goest Thou departest in hiding thy selfe thâ—u commest in manifesting thy selfe But vnles thou abide in gouerning vs and we go froward 〈…〉 ning well how shall a place be prepared for vs Behold say they by these wordes it is most manifeste that Christe hath not departed from vs but is present although he lye hiddeÌ„ But these men consider not that these thinges are spokeÌ„ of the diuine nature For that is it which is said to haue come from heauen and out of the bosome of the Father He came indede not that he departed thence from whence he came but bycause he appeared vnto vs vnder humane nature Agayne he is sayd to haue gone from hence when he ascended according to hys humane nature not that he hath vtterly departed froÌ„ vs but for that the humane nature in which he appeared vnto vs being taken vp vnto heauen the presence of his diuine nature lieth hidden with vs nether can it be sene of vs. And that this is the meaning of Augustine may be proued by two argumentes First bycause he entreateth of our preparation which belongeth vnto Christ according to his diuine nature for it worketh and insinuateth it selfe in our hartes and mindes Farther that place which he citeth out of the epistle vnto the Corrinthians whereas he proueth that we are the dwelling places of God teacheth the selfe same
eate the signes of this sacrament which signes are called by the name of the things signified And when we heare the fathers speake of the true flesh and body and bloud of Christ which we eate in the Eucharist if we looke vpon theyr natural and proper sence we shall se that they had to do agaynst those heretickes which denyed that Christ verely tooke humane flesh and affirmed that he semed to be a man onelye by a phantasye and certayne outward appearance And if it were so then as those Fathers very well sayd our sacramentes should be in vaine For the bodye and bloude of Christ should be falsely signified vnto vs if they had neuer beinge in Christe Wherefore throughe our spirite whereby our minde eateth when we communicate our body also is renued to be an apte instrument of the holyghost wherby vnto it by the promise of God is due eternall life And euen as the vine tree being planted into the earth when his time coÌ„meth waxeth grene and buddeth forth so our dead karkases being buried in the ground shal at the hour appoynted A similitude by Christ be raysed vp to glory And if in case the absolute whole and necessary cause of our resurrection should as these men would haue it be that eatinge It is proued that the reall eating of the fleshe of Christ is not the cause of the resurrectioÌ„ of the flesh of Christ which they fayne is in the Eucharist really and corporally receaued of vs what should then become of the Fathers of the old Testament which could not eate it after that maner when as Christ had not yet put on humane nature But peraduenture they wil say that they speake not of them but of vs only For we can not rise agayne vnles we eate the flesh of the Lord for Christ instituted thys sacrament for vs and not for then But doo not these men perceaue that in this theyr so saying they now alter the cause of the resurrectioÌ„ But by what authority or by whose permission or commaundement they doo yâ— let theÌ„ consider For yâ— which is vnto one people the cause of resurrection how What shall become of our infaÌ„ts should not the same be so also vnto an other But to graunt them this what in Gods name will they say touchinge infantes which dye in theyr infancy before they receaue the sacrament of the Eucharist Seing they confesse that they shall be raysed vp to glory euen hereby at the least way they may vnderstand that the corporall eating of the flesh of Christ is not so necessary vnto the resurrection but the spirituall eating is altogether necessary as without whiche no man can arise agayne to saluation For Christ expressedly saith Vnles ye eate the flesh of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud ye shall not haue life in you Shall also quicken your mortall bodies This he therefore speaketh for that through the spirite that dwelleth in vs we are now made yâ— members of Christ But it is not a thing semely that the hed should liue and the members be dead He sayth mortall bodies bycause so long as we liue here we cary about death together with vs but then shall God change the nature of our bodies But so often as we heare yâ— our bodies are called mortall let vs call to mind sinne for by it are we made obnoxious vnto death Chrisostome hath very warely admonished vs that we should not by reason of these wordes of Paul imagine that the Here is not spoken of euery resurrectioÌ„ from the dead but onely of the wicked for yâ— they want the spirite of Christ shall not be raysed vp froÌ„ the dead For here is not entreated of euery resurrection but onely of the healthfull and blessed resurrection For the life of the damned shall be euerlasting misery wherfore it is rather to be called death then lyfe For theyr worme shall not dye and healthfull resurrectioÌ„ theyr fyre shall not be quenched Therefore brethern we are debters not to the flesh to liue after the flesh For if ye liue after the flesh ye shall dye but if ye mortefye the deedes of the flesh by the Spirite ye shall liue For as many as are led by the Spirite of God are the sonnes of God For ye haue not receaued the spirite of bondage to feare agayne But ye haue receaued the spirite of adoption whereby we cry Abba father VVe are debters not vnto the flesh to liue according to the flesh Here he setteth forth a most swete exhortation to moue vs to liue according to the spirite and not according to the flesh And to declare that we are vtterly bound so to Wherof our boâ—d to liue vprightly springeth doo he taketh a reasoÌ„ from that which is iust and honest Seing we are debters it behoueth that we faythfully pay our debts And this debt springeth of those benefites which God hath bestowed vpon vs which we haue before made mencion of namely for that Christ hath dyed for vs for yâ— he hath geuen vnto vs his spirite whereby we are deliuered from condemnation from the Law of sinne and of death and whereby the righteousnes of the Law is fullfilled in vs and we are made pertakers both of the death of Christ and of the blessed resurrectioÌ„ Herefore it is that we are bound not to liue any more according to the flesh To haue made this sentence perfect Paul should haue added but according to the spirite But he suppressed thys part of the Antithesis for that it is by the other part sufficiently vnderstand For these are of the nature of those kindes of opposites or contraries that the one geuing place the other streight way succedeth Here Chrisostome noteth that God freelye and of his owne accord geueth vnto vs all those good thynges which he bestoweth vpon vs but we contrarywyse whatsoeuer we doo vnto God we do the same of dewty For we are bouÌ„d to doo it And if yâ— case be so as is in very dede where are theÌ„ become works of supererogatioÌ„ For let yâ— aduersaries Against workes of supererogation We owe much vnto the nature or substance of the flesh Here is not spoken of the substaÌ„ce of the flesh but of the corruption of nature The necessity of good woorkes answere me whether those workes be according to yâ— flesh or according to yâ— spirite If according to the flesh then are they sins but if according to yâ— spirite we owe theÌ„ of duety Neither doth Paul here mean that we owe nothing vnto the fleshe for we ought vndoubtedly to féede it and to cloth it and that not only as touching our selues but also as touching our neighbours if they haue nede But here is not entreated of the substance of the fleshe but only of the corruption whereby we are drawen vnto sinne For vnto it we in such sort owe nothing but mortification as Paul will straight way declare And when he saith that we are not
our sinnes we straight way despayring of saluation except we come vnto Christ perceaue that we are vtterly vndone Wherefore the selfe same spirite being our guide we come vnto Christ and by faith embrace him and the promise of the mercy of God by which meanes our sinnes are forgeuen vs and we are receaued into the adoptioÌ„ of the sonnes of God Wherefore Paules meaning was to declare vnto the Romanes that they being now past that first steppe being regenerate in Christ haue obtayned adoption and therefore it behoued them not only to liue holily but also fréely and of theyr owne accorde to worke vprightly Vnto this our interpretacion Ambrose subscribeth Two degrees of cenuersion for he sayth That the Apostle here teacheth the Romanes that they are no more vnder the lawe but do now liue vnder fayth Wherefore I thinke with hym that in these wordes is set forth two steppes of conuersion And if a man demaund touching the people in the olde tyme how they had the spirite of Christ I thinke yâ— may thus be answered by deuiding yâ— Iewes into thâ—e partes For some of them Three kindes of peopâ—e amongst the Iewes wer vtterly wicked vngodly which besides name habitatioÌ„ outward Circumcision had nothing coÌ„mon with yâ— people of God these meÌ„ I graunt were vtterly voyd of the spirit of Christ yea rather they liued vnder the spirit of SathaÌ„ On the other side there were some excellent holy men as Dauid Ezechias Iosias Elias Daniel many such other like whom we can by no meanes deny but the they had the spirite of the Gospell although as the time required they were compelled to obserue many ceremonies and rites pertayning vnto the lawe Agayne there were some others which were weake which although they can not be compared with these whome we haâ—e mencioned yet forasmuch as they being godly beleued in the Messias to come and were by that fayth iustified we ought not to thinke that they were strangers from the spirit of Christ although by reason of their imperfection the lawe chalenged greate power ouer them and they were with others as those tymes required compelled to be subiect vnto infinite ceremonies And this is the reason why the elders are said to haue liued vnder the law and vnder the spirite of bondage They had not the Sacramentes oâ— their saluation so perspicuous and cleare as ours nowe are neither had they the misteries of Christe so commoÌ„ly reueled as we now haue in the Gospell Wherfore although amongs vs are many wicked meÌ„ a great nuÌ„ber of weake ones yet are we said to be deliuered froÌ„ the law both because we are deliuered froÌ„ ceremonies for the we haue the sacrameÌ„ts misteries of saluatioÌ„ obtained through Christ made more clere more manifest theÌ„ theirs commoÌ„ly were Paul also calleth the elders little ones for the they The holy men of the elders weâ— seruants but yet profitable seruauntes liued vnder tutors and gouernours and were instructed of the law as of a scholemaister And when they are called seruaunts we ought to vnderstand the they wer profitable seruantes For such seruauntes beare great good will loue vnto their maisters and are persuaded that that which is to the honour of their maister shal also turne to their honour But lewd seruantes neuer refraine from vices nether do they any thing well vnles they be by stripes compelled These their two titles which I haue mencioned Paul ioyneth together in the epistle vnto the Galathians For thus he sayth The heyre so long as he is a little one liueth vnder tutors and gouernours and differeth nothing froÌ„ a seruant wheÌ„ as yet he is Lord of all By which words he declareth that the elect of God amongst the elders were in very dede heyres although according to the consideration of the tyme they were as little ones vnder the forme of seruauntes kept vnder the scholing of the law and elementes of this world This thinke I is to be thought of the elders Now will I returne vnto Paul He declareth that the Romanes are now iustified so that they are no more vnder the law and condemnation but are now thorow faith and the spirite adopted into childreÌ„ Wherfore it is mete that they which are come to this estate should resemble the nature of their father that the thinges which are allowed of him they also should allow and the thinges that he condemneth and escheweth they also should abhorre and detest Although this spirit of adoptioÌ„ can not so long as we liue here The spirite of adoption is not yet perfect and absolute in vs. be perfect and absolute in vs. For there is remaining in vs a perpetual strife of the flesh against the spirit This also is to be obserued that Paul here changed the Antithesis for when he had made mencion of the spirite of bondage the order of spech semed to require that he should haue said that they had receiued the spirit of liberty but in stede of liberty he did put adoption to make the thing whiche he had in hand the more notable For it is a farre greater matter to be adopted of God to be It is a greater matter to be adopted then to be set at liberty Definition of adoption Arrogation what it differeth from adoption his sonne then to be set at liberty But bicause here is mencion made of the adoption of the children of God this place semeth to require to speake somwhat of it also The Lawyers as it is had in the institutions define adoption to be a legitimate acte imitating nature found out for their solace or comfort which haue no childreÌ„ Farther they make a distinction betwene adoption and arrogation For arrogation they say is wheÌ„ he which is his own man at liberty is receiued in the steade of a son but adoptioÌ„ is when he which is receiued is vnder an other mans power Howbeit the lawes forbid that the elder should be adopted of the yonger for it semeth a thing monstrous that the sonne shoulde excéede the father in yeares And therfore Cicero oftentimes vehemeÌ„tly inueigheth against that adoption of Clodius Now God adopteth vnto himselfe his elect not for that he had not an other sonne for he had his only begotten sonne Christ in whom he was well pleased but for God adopted vs wheÌ„ as yet he had a sonne that in al the nature of man he had as yet no children For through Adam we wer all made straungers from him Wherfore God for this cause sent his naturall and legitimate sonne into the world that by him he might adopt vnto himselfe many children out of our kinde And this is not wont commonly to be in vre For they which haue one onely sonne seke not to get any other sonnes yea rather they reioyce that that their sonne shall not be compelled to parte the inheritaunce with his bretherne But so great was the loue of God and of Christ
the diuine nature brethern of Christ and childreÌ„ of light and that we also sinne not for he which is borne of God sinneth not and that we loue our neighbors and our enemies that we may resemble our heauenly father who maketh hys sonne to shyne vpon the good the euil sendeth raine vpon the iust the vniust And finally that we be peacemakers for they shall be called the sonnes of God But our adoption is not such that we should thinke that we are borne of the substance of God For We are not the sonnes of God as begotten of hys substaunce that is proper to Iesus Christ only For the word of God is by nature borne of the father which thing yet the Arrians denied For forasmuch as they made the sonne of God a creature they must nedes say that he was not the sonne of God by nature but by adoption Greate vndoubtedlye is our dignitye For we are so highlye exalted that we be not onely called and are the sonnes of Christ called his Apostles bretherne God but also haue Christe to our brother Wherefore Christe when hee was risen agayne sayde vnto the women Goe and tell my brethren And althoughe the elders were not quite voyde of this dignitye yet had they it not so publiquely declared But this was no let at all that many amongest theÌ„ were weake For we also in the Gospel haue many weake ones For Paul saith vnto the Corrinthians that he could not speake vnto them as vnto men spirituall for that they were carnall and therefore he was fayne to féede them with milke Which selfe thing is written vnto the Hebrues And contrariwise they had men strong in fayth of whome we caÌ„ not doubt but that they were in thys The fathers in the olde time attained to the adoption of childreÌ„ adoptioÌ„ most excellent And that so it was at that time also the Apostle testifieth in thys epistle the 9. chapiter for he sayth Vnto whome pertayueth the adoption and the glory and the testament and the geuing of the Law and the worshipping and the promises and vnto whome pertayne the Fathers Here we se that adoption pertayned vnto them also Ambrose vpon this place teacheth that of thys adoption springeth vnto godly men greate security And doubtles forasmuch as this commeth We are more certaine of this adoption then we are of our carnal fathers Alexander the greate vnto vs thorough the spirite whereby we are inwardly moued we ought to be farre more certayne that we are the sonnes of God then the sonnes of thys worlde are certayne that they are the sonnes of them whome they call fathers For oftentimes the mothers deceaue both the husbandes and the children But the spirite of God deceaueth no man Long since flatterers went about to perswade Alexander that he was not the sonne of king Phillip but of Iupiter Afterward when he saw that there came bloud out of a wound which he had geuen him he lawghing sayd that that semed vnto him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is common bloud and not 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yâ— is the bloud Gods But we though we suffer many things yea loose our life for Christes sake yet notwithstanding ought to be fully perswaded yâ— we are the sonnes of God For to the end we should not any thing doubt of that matter we haue not only a testimony of the spirite but also euen the sonne Christ hath taught vs to call God father of God hath taught vs to call God Father and to inuocate him by that name And this forme of prayers ought to call vs backe from all kinde of wickednes and from all maner of filthy works and also to put vs in minde not to degenerate from the nobility of so greate a father and that we in no case dishonour hym For it is taken to be a greate reproch vnto fathers to haue wicked childreÌ„ And forasmuch as we can not as we haue sayd attayne vnto this adoption but thorough Christ and his spirite nether the Iewes nor the Turkes nor men straÌ„gers from Christ can call vpon God as vpon theyr father By vvhome vve cry Abba father This selfe same maner of speach the Apostle vsed vnto the Galath For thus he writeth Bycause ye are sonnes God hath sent the spirite of his sonne in which we cry Abba father After this selfe same maner Christ our first begotten brother prayed vnto the father in the garden sayinge Abba father let this cuppe passe away from me Nether is it to be meruayled at that the Apostle ioyned a Greke word and a Syrian word together whiche tounge What is ment by the ioynyng together and repeticion of two tonges was then commonly vsed of the Iewes For first this repeticion serueth to vehemency of speach Farther the Apostle semeth by a certayne mistery to teach that as well the Gentiles as the Iewes shoulde be indifferentlye pertakers of thys adoption in both whiche tounges God should be called vpon by the name of father In the primitiue Church were kept still of the interpreters some Sirian words which were then in vse which we rede sometimes in yâ— holy scriptures as Messias Cephas Talitha Cumy Maranatha Rabby Osianna Alleluia and Amen For those words were theÌ„ most perfectly knoweÌ„ especially wheÌ„ as betwene the Ethnikes the Iewes yâ— were coÌ„uerted vnto Christ was a most straight bond of loue in a maner a perpetual familiarity But we must not thereof gather yâ— in yâ— We must not vâ—eâ— strange tounge in the church The inuocation of the godly is the worke of the holy Ghost How vnto prayers to ascribed our saluation seruice of God should be vsed a straÌ„ge tounge For yâ— the holy ghost hath manifestly forbidden vs. Paul in this place wheÌ„ he maketh mencion of inuocation declareth the worke of the holy ghost which it straight way sheweth forth vpon the children that are adopted and now regenerate And of so greate waight and force is this work that the Apostle doubteth not by the testemony of the Prophet to attribute vnto it saluation For he saith as afterward shal be declared Euery one which calleth vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued Not that our prayers can merite salution for that is apprehended by faith only And therefore that we should not be deceaued he straight way expresseth in what maner he ascribeth saluation vnto them For he saith How shall they call vpon him in whome they haue not beleued Which wordes plainly teach vs that that which is written of prayers is to be attributed vnto faith as vnto their roote But because in this place is mencion Whether the adopted be free from all feare of God Dâ—finition of feare made of feare for the Apostle thus writeth Ye haue not receaued the spirite of bondage agayne vnto feare it shall not be from the purpose briefely to sée whether Paul meaneth that we are deliuered from all kinde of feare or no First
they shonne persecutions but valiantly stand fast in all maner of dangers Which selfe thing Paul in the latter to Timothe wrote in other wordes saying We haue not receaued the spirite of fearefulnes but of might and of loue Wherefore he exhorteth Timothe not to be ashamed of the testemony of the Lord nor of him being in bondes for the Lordes sake but couragiously to indure labors for yâ— Gospell sake Although these thinges are true yet this is not it which this place of Iohn teacheth For it there maketh mencion of the iudgement of the Lord of which he willeth the Godly which loue God not to be aferd And he rendreth a reason for that feare hath vexation ioyned with it Wherefore I gladly assent vnto Augustine which saith that Iohn speaketh of perfect charity Which forasmuch as it can not be had in this life we may not looke to haue it without feare Farther we mought in this place vnderstand that feare which is seioyned from confidence and therefore driueth men to desperation For they which beleue and loue God truly vphold their feare with a liuely fayth The same spirite beareth witnes with our spirite that we are the children of God And if we be chyldren we are also heyres euen the heyres of God and fellow heyres of Christ if so be that we suffer with hym that we maye also be gloryfyed wyth hym For I count that the afflictions of thys present tyme are not worthy the glory which shall be reuealed in vs. The same spirite beareth witnes with our spirite that we are the children of God He sheweth that by those praiers wherby we call vpon God we are made more certayne of the adoption whereof he before made mencion For forasmuch as in our prayers we are stirred vp by the holy Ghost to cal God father we ought fully to be perswaded that it is so for that we know that the spirite of God can not lye Paul in the first to the Corrinthians sayth That no man can say the Lord Iesus but in the holy ghost Here he sayth that no man can in such sort pray to call It is the spirit which putteth vs in mind to call vpon God as vpon a father God his father vnles the same be geuen him of the spirit of God Hereby we see that those thinges which are set forth vnto vs to be beleued and which the lord himselfe hath taught can not be receaued of vs vnlesse the holy ghost doo firste throughly moue our hartes Chrisostome to confirme this testimony of the spirite of God sayth If ether any man or Angell or Archangell or any creature should preache vnto vs this adoption we mought peraduenture be in doubt of it But seing the holy ghost who is lord of all testefieth of the same what place can there be lest of doubting If a king A similitude or a Monarche should out of his regall seâ—te approue and commend any man what one of his subiects would presume by any meanes to speake against him or to set himselfe against his iudgement Where the Apostle sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is beareth witnes together Two testimonies of adoption he signifieth after a sort that there are two testemonies of thys adoptioÌ„ the one is our sprite and the other the spirite of God For it is no small or light signe of thys adoption that we haue a quiet conscience and that we doo beleue that we are now reconciled vnto God and doo now fele that we are refreshed and recreated with many other good gifts Although these things are not sufficient for our incredulity and infirmity For there is none of vs which hath our conscience so quiet as we ought to haue and which putteth so much confidence in God as he ought to doo Wherfore seing the testimony of our spirite is weake and infirme God would put to a confirmation of his spirite For he it is which testefieth together with our spirit that we are the sonnes of God Hereby ought we to gather of how greate force are prayers as well publique as priuate as Of greate force are prayers aswell publike as priuate well with ceremonies as without ceremonies For in them is confirmed our fayth yâ— we are by Christ adopted into the children of God Howbeit let euery man beware that when he calleth God father he also truly in the hart fele that which he pronounceth in wordes that he doo it not only of custome or of hipocrisy or call God father with the tounge and in yâ— hart doo an other thing or thinke otherwise But here maye be demaunded howe that feare whereof we haue Security and feare how they may agree together before so much spoken is not repugnaunt vnto thys security and confidence of our adoption I answere that these two thinges can not agree together if they be taken in respecte of one and the selfe same thinge But forasmuche as they happen by sundry meanes and of sondry causes they are nothing repugnaunt one to the other For therefore the sayntes feare for that they se they oftentimes fall and liue contrary to the prescript of the Law of God For they vnderstand that sinnes of theyr owne nature deserue the wrath of God scourges and hell fire When they diligently consider these thinges into theÌ„ is smitteÌ„ a feare But on the other side when with fayth they looke vpon the promises and mercye of God they are deliuered from that feare and made certayne of theyr saluation There is nothing to the contrary but that diuers causes may in our mindes bring forth diuers effectes Which thing may by a very apt similitude be declared He which out of a high tower looketh downe vnto the ground if he thinke A similitude that he shall stagger and fall straighte waye will he or nill he he is wonderfully aferd and al his body shaketh for horror But agayne when he thinketh with hymselfe that he is so closed in with a wall that he can not fall he plucketh vp hys spirites and beginneth to be secure of his safety So godly men when they consider theyr sinnes they feare punishement but when by fayth they looke vpon the mercy of God they are secure of theyr saluation And if vve be childreÌ„ vve are also heires eueÌ„ the heyers of God fellow heires of Christ Here the Apostle sheweth what we get by this adoptioÌ„ namely this to be the heires of God Which vndoubtedly can not be a small matter For not al they which are yâ— childreÌ„ of any man ar streightway also his heires For only All children are not hepres the first begotten haue that preheminence as we se the maner is at this day in many realnes and in yâ— holy scriptures it is manifest that Esau and Ismaell were not heyres Wherfore we are heyres and that not of any poore man or of smal matters For we haue obteyned the inheritaune of God and we are made the fellow heyres of
Christ we haue the inheritaunce of the Father common with Christ and we be so wholy grafted into him and altogether knitte with hym that by hys spirite we liue But then shall we come vnto thys inheritaunce when it shall be sayd vnto vs Come ye blessed of my father receaue the kingdome prepared for you from the beginning of the world And we ar the fellow heires of Christ bycause as Iohn sayth when he shall appeare we shall be like vnto hym And Paul sayth to the Colloss Ye are dead ▪ your life is hidden with Christ in God But when Christ What inheritance is your life shall appeare then shall ye also appeare together with him in glory Inheritaūce as it is defined of the Lawiers is a succession into the whole right of the dead person Can this seme a small matter to any man to be made pertaker of the whole right of God Doubtles Peter sayth we are made pertakers of the nature of God Here Ambrose noteth that it is not in thys matter as we se it commeth to passe commonly in the world For the testator must first dye before the successor can come vnto the inheritaunce But God dieth not Yea rather we which are appointed hys heyres do first die before that possession can be deliuered vnto vs. Christ also first died before he came vnto the glory which was appoynted for hym Farther as touching ciuill Lawes the heyre is counted one and the selfe same person with him that maketh him heyre So we are by Christ so streightly knitte together with God that we are nowe one with him as Christe prayed That they may be one as thou and I are one For all thinges are ours and we are Christes and Christ is Gods This inheritaunce obteyne we freely by the spirite of Christ Wherefore the bishoppes of Rome and theyr champions the Cardinalls and false Bishoppes doo wickedlye whiche haue enclosede thys inheritaunce of This inheritaunce we obteyne freely remission of sinnes and of comminge vnto the kingdome of God vnder theyr counterfete kayes so that they can at theyr pleasure sell it and ether thruste downe to hell or send vp to heauen whome they will Here agayne we haue somewhat to saye of Chrisostome For he as before he wrote that the Iewes beynge vnder the Lawe were excluded from the adoptyon of the sonnes of God so here denieth that they were the heyres of God And he citeth to confirme this sentence that place of Mathew He shall destroy to nought the wicked Many shall come from the East and from the West and shall rest with Abraham Isaac and Iacob but the children of the kingdome shall be cast forth a dores Againe The kingdome of God shall be taken from you By these places thinketh he it is manifest that this inheritaunce pertained not vnto the Iewes But we herein also can not assent vnto him For God said vnto Abraham I am thy most ample reward And in y◠The fathers also in the old testamente were heires parable or rather the history of the Gospell the poore man Lazarus was sene in the bosome of Abraham Which what other thing was it but that he had obteined the inheritaunce of God and of Christe Paul to the Galathians sayth An heyre so longe as he is a childe nothinge differeth from a seruaunt when as yet he is Lord of all but is vnder tutours and gouernours euen vnto the tyme appointed of his father Which wordes plainly declare that the elders although by reason of the law and of ceremonies they liued after a certain seruile manner yet were in dede heyres although they were but children And that estate endured vntill the commyng of of Christ But that which Chrisostome bringeth out of Mathew is not spoken of y◠Many false Christians also which shall not possesse the kingdome of God good and godly Iewes but of the wicked and noughty husbandmen which slew the heyre Wherfore by such sentences we ought not to condemne all the Iewes in the olde tyme or to exclude them from the inheritaunce of God yea rather we ought to thinke that the vngodly Christians shal not be delt with one whit better then they were delt with For there are amongst vs many hypocrites and vngodly persons which as Paul sayth shall not possesse the kingdome of God And at this day if a man should looke for the church of Smyrna and y◠church of Philadelphus and many other churches which were in tymes past of great fame in Asia and in Siria he shall finde them either vtterly ouerthrowen or els miserably intreated vnder the tyranny of the Turke and no lesse afflicted then the Iewes are at this day which liue captiues vnder the Christians or vnder the Turkes If so be that we suffer with him that we may also be glorified wyth hym Euen as before he taught that we are made certaine of our adoption by inuocation or prayer wherin the holy ghost beareth witnes together with our spirite y◠we are y◠sons of God so here he sheweth a testimonye whereby we may be made more certain of attainyng vnto this ▪ inheritance which he hath spoken of Ye shal Crosses aduersities are tokens that we shal obteyne the inheritance without all doubt saith he obtein it For ye shall raign with Christ forasmuch as ye haue already attained to suffer with him Wherfore tribulations crosses are tokens and arguments wherby we may gather that we shall be the heyres of God Paul sayth vnto the Philippians That vnto them it is geuen for Christes sake not only to beleue in him but also to suffer for hym This first gift which we se we haue now obteined maketh vs certaine of the latter y◠we shall at the length not be defranded of it For no small or light power of God is declared in thē which valiantlye for paciently piety sake suffer aduersities persecutions I know there are some The condition or estate b◠which we must passe vnto the eternall inheritance which interpretate these wordes otherwise that Paul should seme to ascribe a certaine condition or estate by which we shall passe vnto the eternall inheritaunce namely if we haue first suffred many thinges And doubtles the Gréeke particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is turned if so be may be drawen to either sentence This is certaine that Paul here maketh a certaine digression although it be soft and hidden to comforte these men for the afflictions which they suffred But yet departeth he not frō that purpose which he had in hande but with one and the selfe same labour both prosecuteth that which he began and also comforteth thē And it is all one as if he should haue said ye shall in dede be heyres but yet vpon this conditiō that ye must first suffer many thinges Christ requireth nothing at your hands which he him selfe hath not first performed he leadeth you no other way then that whereby he We shall haue the
promises offred of God though they be neuer so hard and difficile So Abraham when God promised vnto him séede ouercame sence which resisted reason which dissuaded and the feblenes of his vnfruitfull body and the age of his wife and her perpetuall barennes vnto that tyme. He beleued God and wonderfully gaue vnto him his due glory These are those most notable victories by which God delighteth to be ouercome and geueth a blessyng vnto those which haue so ouercome him Their names are chaunged so that they An allegory of the halting of Iacob are called princes with God to the ende they should not ascribe such victories vnto themselues but vnto God They ought rather to count that they haue receyued them at his handes through whose grace onely they haue obteyned them They haâ—t and haue a weake thigh for that the flesh sinne and the remnantes of original corruption the more we ouercome in this kinde of wrastling the more weaker are they made To whome pertayneth the adoption That they were the kinsemen of Paul as touching the fleshe if came vnto them by naturall propagation Now he turneth his speach to thinges which farre passe all nature namely that meÌ„ should by adoption be made the sonnes of God This they can not be by nature but by the singular mercy of God they â—btains by adoptioÌ„ to â—â—â—ade his children Hâ—reby is very manifest that which I before did put you in minde of that from the The Hebrâ—â—â— also were â—â— opâ—ed of God in to children â–ª people of the Iewes is not to be taken away adoption but that they also were the â—â—â—nce of God But we speake not of the whole multitude confusedly but of holy â—en aâ—d of the faithfull wâ—ich were amongsâ— that people â–ª But thou wilt say that they â—ad the spiâ—â—te of â—ondage I graunt they had in consideration of the tyme wherein they were holden vnder the multitude of ceremonies But this nothing These are not contrâ—â—â—y â—o â—aâ—â—â—he spiâ—iâ—e of â—â— are aâ—d to â—â— the 〈◊〉 children of God letted their adoption as Paul declareth to the Galathyans So long tyme saith her as the 〈◊〉 is a child be nothing differeth from a seruant For he lyueth vnder tutors â–ª goâ—erâ—eâ—â— and scholemasters â–ª vntill the tyme appoynted of hys father when as yet notwythstandyng he is indeâ—dâ— the heyre and Lord of all And if they pertayned to adoption then must it nedes follow that they were endewed both with fayth and with the spirite Yea if thou wilt haue a consideration to the ancientnes of tyme The children adopted haue both the spirite and faith they attayned vnto this adâ—ption before vs. God not only graunteth vnto holy men to be by adoption called the sonnes of God but also communicateth vnto them of his nature and geueth vnto them the holy ghost which thing men can not do when they adopt any man for their child Moreouer as Paul hath before admonished God vnto his adopted children communicateth of his nature we ought to remember that after adoption followeth the inheritaunce that is that they should be the heyres of God and fellow heyres of Christ Glory They which write of glory do say that it consisteth in two thinges â–ª the one is to haue an honorable opinion of a man the other is that that estimation Wherin consisteth the nature of glory be set forth by some outward signes These two thinges did God most aboundantly performe vnto the people of the Iewes For he did not only beare good will towardes them but also continually many maner of wayes declared this his good will towardes them He placed amongst them the Arke of the couenant as his God adorâ—ed the Israelites with glorâ—e habitacle there he heard their prayers and requestes and gaue oracles vnto them that sought them In Deut â–ª it is written That there was no nation so notable which had God so nigh vnto them as had the Israelites when as they called vpon hys name That glorious Thraso in Enucho boasted that the king delighted to haue him in his sight and that wheÌ„ being ouerweried with affaires he would case his mind of that burthen and care he would send for him and make him sitte with hym at his table apart and alone and hereof he so boasted for that he counted the entier familiarity of the king as a great glory vnto him The Hebrues also had glory not only in respect of God but also by comparison vnto other nations For Dauid saith in the Psalme God hath not done so to euery nation neither hath â—e manifested his iudgementes vnto them The geuing of the Lawe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 When God had now chosen the Iewes to be his people he would also instruct them with good lawes with lawes â–ª I say farre passing all the lawes either of Solon or of Liturgus or of Nâ—ma or of Minos The couenauntes 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is couenauntes This worde although sometimes it do signifie promises yet because afterward is mencion made of them in this place it signifieth as we haue sayde couenantes which God oftimes made with the people And therefore the Apostle vseth the plurall number God oftentimes renued the couenant made with the Hebrues For God made a couenaunt with Abraham with Isaack and with Iacob and renued the same afterwarde vnder Moses Iâ—sua and Ioâ—ias and last of all hath sealed it through Christ In these couenauntes were the Iewes long tyme comprehended before that we were adopted of God Touching the olde couenaunt In the new couenant the Iewes were â—efore the Gentils there can be no doubt and as for the new it is playâ—e by the history both of the Apostles and of the Gospell For the Apostles came first to Christ and by them afterward were called the Gentles And of so great waight were these couenantes that they were sealed not only with wordes but also with outward signes theirs â–ª by circumcision and ours by baptisme VVorshipping 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place signifieth the maner of worshipping of God which vnto the Iewes was so prescribed of God that it was not lawfull for them to adde any thing thereunto But not in that case were the Gentils The rites ceremonies of tâ—e Gentils were not constant For they in their idolatry continually deuised new rites and ceremonies Promises Of these dependeth saluation For they which beleue the promises of God haue both remission of sinnes and eternall felicity Amongst the Iewes were extant promises not only of their saluation but also of the calling of the Gentles But the Gentles themselues had no such promises geuen them Amongst the Iewes were extant promiâ—es of the calling of the Gentils of God Yea rather if a man consider the oracles and answeres of idols he shall see that they had a greater care to foretell thinges to come then they had to promise to do any thing But the promises of God are of two sortes
with outward idolatry when they were at the last afflicted of yâ— Romanes Antiochus but the Assamonites did set them agayne at liberty But now they are without end and measure oppressed although they be not enfected with that outward and grosse idolatry wherfore of their dispersion misery caÌ„ no other cause be geueÌ„ â–ª but yâ— Christ is now come whome they haue reiected And therfore in stéede of a florishing kingdome they are compelled to be in bondage in stede of a famous temple they haue coÌ„temptuous Sinagoges in stede of offrings and sacrifices they are wrapped with absurd superstitions in stede of honor and dignity wherein they were before they are now odious and hatefull vnto all men And which is most greauous of all they will not acknowledge the cause of these so greate euils Ambrose entreating of this matter deuideth this excecation into two kinds one kind he maketh curable vnto which sentence also agréeth the coÌ„mentaries which are ascribed vnto Ierome for in them it is written Make croked their backe alwayes vntill they beleue and be conuerted And that as touching manye Two kindes of excecation there still remayneth remedy Peter declareth in the Actes of the Apostles when he sayth And now I know that ye dyd it of ignorance wherefore repent and be baptized euery one of you Paul also sayth that the branches of the Iewes are so cut of that yet they may agayne be grafted into Christ The other kind of excecation he sayth is past all remedy and vpon them is this inflicted which haue reiected the truth once knowen and do striue against it And he addeth that Paul at this present meaneth of either kind of excecation But yâ— Greke scholies referre the bowing of the backe to the perpetuall bondage wherewith the Iewes are oppressed of outward nations which in my iudgement is not so apt for that I sée that Paul writeth onely of the euills and calamities of the mynde For he neuer vpbrayded vnto the Iewes any outward infelicitye But this is woorthy of noting that some interpreters Blindnes of the â—ind goeth before incredulity and is the cause thereof affirme that the cause of this excecation was incredulity But I as I graunt that by incredulity is encreased darckenes so also affirme that blindnes of the mind goeth before incredulity for howe commeth it to passe that wicked men beleue not the words of GOD but because they are blinded and sée not as they ought to sée the thinges which conduce vnto saluation I will not speake how Paul putteth blindnes as the cause of incredulity for this was in controuersie how the true Christ should be preached when as so fewe beleued in him Which thing Paul affirmeth therfore came to passe for that election obteyneth fayth and the rest are made blind Now at the last come we vnto Origen who at the beginning writeth that Paul hath left out before them which both the Hebrue verity and also the 70. haue But of his owne hath added this word Snare which word is neyther had in the translation of the 70. nor also in the veritie of the Hebrue But this is of small waight neyther doth it any whit alter the sense He moreouer sheweth that the testimony of Dauid is very nighe and agreable vnto these things which Esay foretold For euen as there were eyes geuen that they should not sée eares that they should not heare so is it here sayd Let their eyes be made dimme that they see not Straight way for that he thinketh it absurd that vnder the person of Dauid or of Christ should be made any execration or cursing he deuiseth a wonderfull strang sense For as sayth he our eye can looke vpon the light and see thinges profitable and which are expedient and contrariwyse can behold things noysome and hurtfull so the sight of the mynd turneth it self sometymes to thinges heauenly and spirituall and sometymes to thinges earthly and wicked But now if a man should pray that the vnderstanding of certayne men should not looke vpon or beholde wicked and peruerse doctrines this man should not pray against them but for them After that he addeth I would to God Marcion Valentinus Basilides and such like pestilences had neuer sene the wicked and pernicious doctrines which they deuised Wherfore sayth he these are not execrations but rather medicines But touching this woord table he thus writeth by this place to defend his allegories for as farre as we caÌ„ coniecture by this words all men did not like wel of them Let one of those sayth he come which deride theÌ„ and let him without an allegory interprete the things which the Prophet now speaketh Then goeth he on in his exposition and affirmeth that the table is the holy scripture for wisedome hath set her table and mingled wyne This table he proueth is turned vnto the Iewes into a snare For when the Iewes read that Christ should deliuer Israell and should reigne with greate honour and might they saw that Iesus of Nazareth liued here on the earth in a base and abiect forme and Howe the table of the scriptures is vnto the Iewes turned into a snare they sawe that they were still oppressed with the yoke of the Romaines therfore the table was vnto them a snare which thing doubtles had not comme to passe if that they had vnderstoode that the deliuery which should be accomplished by the Messias should be from sinne from the deuill death and hell and that the kingdome of Christe should be no worldly kingdome but wherein he should by the woord and the spirite raigne in the harts of men then I say had they not suffred so great miserie Christ longe since asked them Whose sonne is the Messias They sayd Dauids sonne as they had read in their table Christ aunswered But howe doth Dauid call him his Lord when he songe The Lorde sayd vnto my Lord. Now here the table is turned vnto them into a snare neyther were they able to aunswere one woord In Iohn also he sayd Do not ye thinke that I came to accâ—se you there is an other which accuseth you namely Moses Here agayne also they are â—ared for the law wherof they so much boasted is made both their accuser and condemner Lastly they were taught that Christ should abide eternally and they sawe that our Lord died was buryed so that their table was vtterly made vnto theÌ„ an offence As touching the holy scriptures that they were turned vnto the Iewes into destruction I am not against him but that he thereby obtrudeth vnto vs his allegories Twokinds of allegories I in no wise allow For there are two kinds of allegories for some are set forthe vnto vs by the holye Scriptures as that Christ is Ionas who was in the hart of the earth thrée dayes as he was in the bealy of the whale Againe that he is Salomon or the serpent hanged vp in the desert or the lambe And that the two
God no man knoweth but only the spirite of God And if we vnderstand How we may vnderstand some secretes of God any thing of them that commeth as it is there sayd for that God hath reueled vnto vs his spirite And we haue the mind of Christ which we haue drawē chiefely out of the holy scriptures spiritually vnderstanded as it is mete Augustine entreateth of this place towardes the end of his booke de gratia libero arbi trio and sayth That Paul before sayd That God hath shut vp all vnder infidelity that he might haue mercy of all And shewed also that so long as the Iewes beleued the Gētiles were vnbeleuers but when the Iewes were made blind the Gentiles came vnto the true fayth and from the serching out of these secretes mē are iustly forbidden for that they are not able to perse into them yea oftentimes they haue thereby hurt and they fall into absurd Reason ought not to persuade vs to do euill thinges that good may ensue By these sayinges is nothing taken away frō the certainty of fayth opinions For when mē heare that God hath shut vp all vnder beliefe that he might haue mercy of all streight way they adde therefore are euill thinges to be committed that good thinges may ensew when as rather they ought to say We haue done euill thinges and the lord hath thereout thorough his mercy brought forth good thinges let vs therfore doo good thinges that better may ensew No man hath bene Gods counseller for he is the chiefe wisedome Howbeit by these sayinges is nothing taken away from the certainty of fayth for that it commeth not vnto vs by humane strength or by our owne vnderstanding but by the breathing of the spirite of God And whosoeuer do rightly and diligently weighe those thinges they shall neuer be able any maner of way to complayne of God as though he should deale with them vniustly when as he as it is manifest is in debt to no man Neyther can this be true that predestination is of workes foresene when as it is sayd that no man hath Predestination is not of workes foresene geuen vnto him first that he should be recompensed For what ells is this God to predestinate according to woorkes foresene then to render vnto them his appointing to eternal life Merites also are herby most manifestly excluded which can not properly consist vnles we affirme that we geue somthing that is our Merites at excluded owne which thing this sentence which we now entreate of suffreth not Wherfore let no man cry out that he hath done many thinges and therfore many and greate thinges are dew vnto him when as no man hath any thing that is hys owne And although it be written that God will render to euery man according to his Our good workes are the workes of God workes yet is that so to be vnderstanded that if they be good workes they are for no other cause called any mans workes but for that they are wrought in hym namely by the power of the spirite of God whereby they are in very dede the workes of God And Augustine most truly sayth that God crowneth in vs his gifts For as touching vs we deserue nothing but death Finally let vs hereout gather that forasmuch as no man can by hys owne wisedome or strengths attayne vnto thinges diuine the best remedy is that we all suffer our selues to be led by the spirite and word of God For of him and thorough him and for him are all thinges to him be glory for euer Amen That we can in no wise be Gods counsellers hereby it is euident for that all thinges depend of him as it manifestly appeareth in the creation of all thinges and also in regeneration whereby we are iustified where all whole is attributed vnto him and finally we are no otherwise in his handes then the vessell is in the hand of the potter Wherefore we may conclude that he hath ful right to do with vs whatsoeuer he wil and it is our part not to be to much inquisitiue but to geue the glory vnto him and to direct all our doinges vnto him Frō which thing both idolatrers and also they which attribute iustification vnto theyr workes are most farre distant Origen noteth as also he before When it is said that no man can be Gods counseller the sonne nor y◠holy ghost are not excluded for the whole blessed Trinitie knoweth all thinges Origens exposition vpon this epistle suspected The things which are created consist not of the nature of God How God created all thinges by the sonne Instrumentes are not to be made equal vnto hym that worketh with them Why God created all thinges for himselfe did that this sentence None can be Gods counseller ought to be vnderstanded of thinges created and not of the sonne or of the holy ghost And to proue that the holy ghost knoweth the father he bringeth this sentence No man knoweth the thinges which are of God but the spirite of God Wherefore he admonisheth that from this proposition is to be exempted the blessed trinity which thing I therefore mencion for that it is thought that he was of this opinion that the sonne knoweth not the father and that the holy ghost knoweth not the sonne Wherfore this commentary of Origen vpon the epistle to the Romanes is not without iust cause suspected The Apostle when he sayth Of him meaneth not that the thinges which are created doo consist of the nature of God as of a certayne mater but they are of God as of the efficient beginning neyther neded there any matter in theyr creation for they were made of nothing And all thinges are therefore thorough him for that God neded not an helper for he is endewed with a full power of his own he is sufficiēt of himselfe And he created all things by the sonne not as by an instrumente but as an artificer by wisedome excerciseth his arte For instrumentes haue not any such force that they are to be counted equall to the artificer But the sonne is in all poyntes equall vnto the father And all thinges were created of God for him for that he hath nothing more perfecter then himselfe and therefore for him selfe he created all thinges for he is the end of all thinges Augustine in his booke de Natura boni agaynst the Maniches in the 27. and 28. chapiters at large intreateth how these thinges are to be vnderstanded neither varieth be from the exposition now brought I omit to speake of them which referre these thinges vnto the father the sonne and the holye ghoste for as it is not of anye greate wayght so semeth it to be to muche constrayned Amen is a word of confirmation For the maner of the Apostle is so often as he hath made an end of entreating of those thinges which pertayne vnto the glory of God to burst forth into this affirmation which thing we also ought to
to doe them there is not added saith he to doe all the commaundements God receiueth a man which endeuoreth himselfe to doe them and of his mercy forgeueth many things But this that is written To doe them must of necessitie be vnderstand of all For doubtlesse in the lawe which this man calleth the Testament are written all And if God forgeue or remit any thing he doeth it to men already regenerate And not vnto Vnto those which are not iustified nothing is remitted of the rigor of the law them that are straungers from him children of wrath such as they must néedes be which are not as yet iustified but stil prepare themselues and are bent to performe the conditions Vnto these I say nothing is remitted wherefore they are bound vnto all And therefore Moses said as Paul testifieth Cursed be he which abideth not in all the things that are written in the boke of the law Farther he maketh a contention also about the production of fayth and demaundeth from whence it hath his beginning in vs. We in one word easely answer that it hath his beginning of the holy ghost But he faineth himselfe to wonder From wheÌ„ce faith is ingenerated in vs. how we graunt the holy ghost vnto a man before he doth beleue For he thinketh that to be absurd First I can not deuise how this man should so much wonder at this But afterward I perceaue that he manifestly maketh and teacheth with the Pelagians that fayth is of our selues and that it is gotten by humane strengthes For otherwise if he beleued that it is of God and of the holy ghost he would not seperate the cause from his effect But that he should not thinke that we without good reason do attribute vnto the holy ghost the beginning of fayth let hym harken vnto the moste manifest testimonyes of the Scriptures Paule sayth in the first epistle vnto the Corrinthians Not in the words which mans wisedome teacheth but which the holy ghost teacheth that your faith should not be of the wisdome of men but of God And in the same place The carnall man vnderstandeth not the thinges that are of God neither can he for vnto him they are foolishnes for they are spiritually discerned â–ª But how can they be spiritually discerned except the spirite of God be present Children also know that of * Coniugata be those wordes which being of one kind be dâ—riued of an other as of iustice a iust man or a iust thing Coniugata are deriued firme arguments And vnto the Galathians God sayth he hath sent his spirit into our hartes whereby we cry Abba father For by the spirit we beleue and in beleuing we call vpon God Yea and the spirit himselfe as it is written vnto the Romanes beareth testimony vnto our spirit that we are the children of God And vnto the Ephesians Be ye strenthened by the spirit in the inward man that Christ may by fayth dwell in your harts Here we sée that that fayth whereby we embrase Christ commeth of the spirit of God whereby our inward man is made stronge The Apostles when they sayd Lord increase our fayth manifestly declared that it sprang not of their owne strengthes but of the the breathing of God And Paul in the 1. to the Corrinthians the 12. chapiter Vnto one saith he is geuen the word of wisedome vnto an other the word of knowledge vnto an other fayth vnto an other the grace of healing And then is added that it is one and the selfe same spirit which worketh all these thinges deuiding vnto euery man as pleaseth him And if thou wilt say that this place and the foresayd petition of the Apostles pertayneth vnto the particular fayth by which are wrought miracles doubtles I will not be much agaynst it And yet if thou wilt nedes haue it so I will reason a minori that is from the lesse For if these frée gifts are not had but from the spirit of God much les can that vniuersall and mighty fayth whereby we are iustified he had from els where Farther Paul vnto yâ— Rom. Vnto euery one sayth he as God hath deuided the measure of fayth And in the latter to the Cor. Hauing saith he the self same spirit of fayth eueÌ„ as it is written I haue beleued for which cause also I speake we also beleue and speake that God which raysed vp Iesus from the dead shall through Iesus rayse vp our bodyes also Vnto the Gal. are reckned vp the fruites of the spirite Charity ioy peace patience lowlines gentlenes fayth meekenes and temperaunce Fayth here is numbred among the fruites of the spirit wherefore it procedeth of the spirit But vnto the Ephesians he sayth more manifestly By grace you are made safe through fayth and that not of your selues for it is the gift of God And in the Actes of the Apostles it is thus written The Lord opened the hart of the woman that sold silkes to geue hede vnto those thinges which Paul spake And in the 13. chapiter They beleued as many as were predestinate vnto eternall life Wherefore it is not to be doubted but that fayth is ingenerated in our harts by the holy ghost who yet may indede be had of them which beleue not but that yet is onely perswading and not as sanctifying them How the holy ghost is in man not regenerate And although in the elect he sodenly poureth in fayth yet forasmuch as he is the cause of fayth he is therefore before it both in dignity and in order Now let vs sée what absurdities Pighius gathereth out of this sentence If the spirit sayth he be the author of our fayth and vseth the instrument of the word of God and may be also in them that beleue not how commeth it to passe that wheÌ„ as there are many at one and the selfe same sermon where as both spirit is preseÌ„t and the word preached yet part do beleue and part beleue not we answere in one word that that coÌ„meth because the spirit is not of like efficacy in all men neither doth after one the selfe same maner teach all meÌ„ inwardly and in yâ— minde But of his will we can not render in cause although we nothing doubt but that it is most iust If the matter be so sayth he the hearers will easely content them selues neither will they put to their endeuor or studie for they know that that is in vaine when as it wholy dependeth of the spirite of God This is not only a very common but also an enuious obiection But we answer that all men are bouÌ„d to beleue the word of God and therfore theyr bounden duety is diligently and attentiuely to hearken vnto it with all their strengthes to assent vnto it And if they so doe not they shal then incurre the punishment of the law neither are they to be hearkened vnto if they shall say that they could not obey it or if they would haue
thinges which in the time of the fathers before Christ came were good and we beleue that they were instituted by the selfe same God which is the father of our lord Iesus Christ But to make the discourse of the first part more Abrief content of the whole Epistle playne and vniuersally the vtility of the whole epistle we will briefely touch the summe thereof that it being in that maner layd before our eyes the whole epistle may haue the more light In the first chapiter is set forth vnto vs how that neyther naturall knowledge The first chapiter nor ciuill offices could by any meanes iustifie men for that it is euidently shewed that men endewed with them liued drowned in most horrible sinnes whiche thing shoulde not haue happened if by these thinges they had bene iustyfied In the second chapiter the Iewes are made equall with the Gentiles whose The second chapiter life accused as most corrupt for that they preached that a man should not steale and yet stole that a man should not commit adultery and yet committed adultery that a man should not committe sacriledge and yet committed it thēselues By which it is manifest that the law which they had receaued brought them not to iustification In the third chapiter lest he might seme to deface the law he confesseth that that The third chapiter it was an excellent gift of God but yet not of that kind that it could iustifye He attributeth vnto it other offices namely to bring forth the knowledge of sinne And so he reduceth both the Iewes and the Gentiles to one Christ as to the fountayne and author of all righteousnes And yet notwithstanding he doth not by thys meanes he sayth violate or ouerthrowe the law but most of all establishe it In the fourth chapiter he proueth the selfe same thing which he had before The fourth chapiter put forth by the example of Abraham who before workes and before he had receaued circumcision was for this cause pronounced iust for that he beleued the promise of God This doubtles was imputed to him to righteousnes And to confirm that same he bringeth a testimony of Dauid who saith Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen and whose sinnes are couered Blessed is the man to whome the Lord hath not imputed sinne Which chapiter if be diligently peysed we shall find that in it the Apostle in a maner tē times vseth this word of Imputacion Wherfore it ought not to seme so strange if we also vse it when we affirme that concupiscence lest in vs after baptisme is sinne although it be not imputed vnto sinne and although we are not able to get vnto our selues that righteousnes which is the true righteousnes before God yet if we beleue in him the righteousnes of Christ is imputed vnto vs. In the fift chapiter after that this righteousnes of Christ is apprehended by The fifth chapiter fayth many thinges are declared touching it that is that it is firme and embraseth Christ who died for the weake for enemies wicked men and sinners And in it is set forth a comparison of Christ with Adam For euen as by him all our kind was vitiated and corrupted so by Christ are all the elect renewed yea rather Christ is sayd to ouer passe Adam For he by one sinne infected al men but infinite sins were not able to resist Christ but that he performed that redemption which his will was to performe Yea he so vsed this euill that he gaue the plentifuller grace where the greater plenty of sinnes raigned In the sixt chapiter he ouerthroweth the importunate obiection of diuers The sixth chapiter which hereof inferred that we should sinne freely and liue loosely if as the Apostle had sayd greater grace should there be rendred where were found more sinnes The Apostle answereth that theyr collection was not good forasmuche as we are dead vnto sinne and grafted into Christ we ought vndoubtedly to liue vnto him and not to iniquity In the seuenth chapiter he declareth the maner how we are exempted from The seuēth chapiter the law And that is that forasmuch as in vs whilest we liue here is not a full perfect regeneration and corrupt affections do continually resist the lawes of God by the grace of Christ is brought to passe that we are deliuered from sin although it perpetually inhabite in our members and in our flesh Whereof he concludeth in the eight chapiter that there is no condemnation The eight chapiter to those whih are in Christ Iesus neyther walke they according to the flesh For they haue the spirite of Christ whereby they both liue and also are made pertakers of the resurrection to come they mortifye the deedes of the flesh and in themselues they haue witnes of the selfe same spirite that they are the children of God and by the selfe same spirite they are confirmed in aduersities to suffer them with a constāt and valiant mind and they haue this spirite making intercession for them which draweth them to expresse the similitude of the image of the sonne of God and at the last bringeth to passe that they can neyther be accused nor condemned before God In the ninth chapiter he answereth vnto the Iewes which contēded that these The ninth chapiter promises were bestowed vpon theyr nation only and were not powred vpon the Gentiles Vnto whome he sayth that touching this matter all thinges are done by the election of God whereby he hath mercy on whome he will and whome he will he hardneth And he compareth God to a potter who of one and the selfe same clay maketh some vessells to honour and some to contumely In the tenth chapiter he entreateth of the effectes of thys election namely that The tenth chapiter some embrace fayth and other some reiect it And he also declareth that Christ is the end of the law and that the law requireth this that we should beleue in Christ And hereby he proueth that the Iewes attayned not to righteousnes for that they went about to obtayne it by their owne merites and by their owne workes but the Gentles attayned vnto it for that they claue vnto fayth And all those thinges he confirmeth by the oracles of God that the Iewes I say were made blynde and that the Gentiles were receaued In the eleuēth chapiter he mitigateth that hard reprobation of the Iewes which The eleuenth chapiter he had set forth and declareth that not all vtterly were reiected but putteth them in good hope that for asmuch as their roote is holy many also of that nation shal be holy howbeit they are in the meane tyme excluded as touching vs which were wilde Oliue trees that we might be grafted into the good Oliue tree And after that this is accomplished they shall agayne be receaued And so he knitteth vp this discourse that God hath shut vp all vnder sinne and he is compelled at the lengh to cry out O the
sepulchre 55. a The poison of Aspes is vnder theyr lippes 55. b The folish mā hath said in his heart there is no God 22. a The Lorde hathe heard the desire of the poore 381. a Loke vpon my labor and my vtility and forgeue me al my sinnes 382. a Blessed are they whose synnes are couered 75. a And in his heart there is no guile 75. b Blessed are the immaculat which walk in the law of the Lord. 75. Hoping in his mercy 102. a. b Beholde I was conceiued in iniquitie 130. b The heauens declare the glory of God 327. b Let their table be turned into a snare 342. b Returne O my soule again into thy rest 386. a Deliuer me in thy righteousnes 385 The mercy of the Lord is from generation to generation on them that feare him 397. b I as a grene Oliue tree in the house of the Lorde haue put my trust in my God 353. b Prouerbes I Do loue them that loue me 297 I also wil laugh in your destruction It pertaineth to a man to prepare the heart but thanswer of y◠tonge is of the Lord. 381 Wisedome GOd reioyseth not in the destruction of the wicked 307. Ecclesiasticus THe fornace tryeth the vessels of the potter and so doth temptation the iust men 273. All mercye shall make place to euery one according to the merite of his worke 159. b God hath mercy vpon al men and winketh at the sinnes of al men because of repentance 307 Esay ANd if he geue his soul for sin he shal se his sede a far of 118 Why hast thou made vs to erre 27 Iudg thou house of Israel betwene me and my vineyard 47 And euery day my name is euil spoken of 46. b Thou arte oure father but we are clay 276. a Make grose the heart of this peple that they vnderstād not 270 Beholde I say in Syon a stone of triall 284. b All the day long I stretched abroade my hāds to a people that beleued not 307. a He hath borne our infirmities 323. a Behold I go to a nation which called not vpō my name 330 Howe long Lord euen to destruction 338. a In hearing heare ye and vnderstand not 338. a My seruaunt shall iustifye many and shall beare their iniquities 392. b Vnto wdome shall I loke but vnto the pore contrite c. 399. a Heauen is my seat and earth is my footestole 399. a Jeremy BE ye conuerted vnto me sayth the Lord and I wil be conuerted 388. a 381. b If I shall speake of a nation or kingdome c. 273. b They haue forsaken me the foūtain of the water of life 23. a The way of man is not in his owne power 177. a Thoughe a mother can forget hir childe yet will I not forget thee 307. a Not according to the couenaūt which I made with your fathers 362. b If a nation shall repent him of his wickednes I wil repent me of that which I spake against him 309. b Ezechiell THe sonne shall not bear the iniquity of the father 131 As truely as I liue sayth the Lord I will not the death of a sinner but rather that he be conuerted and liue 300. a Walke in my wayes and make you a new heart 381. b If the wicked men shall repent him of al his sinnes c. 402. a If a prophet be seduced I haue seduced him 27. a Noe Daniel and Iob shal deliuer their owne soules only 42. a Daniell REdeme thy sinnes with almes 382. a Osea TAke a wife to thee of fornication c. 290. b Ye are not my people that ther shal be called the children of the liuing God 290. b Thou shalt call me my man and not my husband 334. b Joel EVery one that calleth vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued 68. a. 321. b Amos OVer .iii. euils and ouer .iiii. I wil not conuert him 133 a Nahum VVHat doe ye think against the Lord he wil make an ende neither shall tribulation arise the secōd time 37. a. 118. 131 Abacucke THe iust manne shall liue by faith 17. b Zacharie BE ye conuerted vnto me I wil be cōuerted to you Malachie IAcob haue I loued but Esau haue I huted Mathew IVdge not and ye shall not be iudged 36. b When ye haue done all theese things say we are vnprofitable seruaunts 39. a An euil tree can not bring forth good fruit 185. a He which seketh finedeth and vnto him whych knocketh shall be opened 284. b Aske and ye shall receiue seeke and ye shall finde 383. b Many sinnes are forgiuen her because she hath loued much 383. b Lord haue we not in thy name prophesied c. 394. a Saue me otherwise I pearish 11. b I am the God of Abraham of Isaac and of Iacob 68. a Vnto the bloud of Zacharias the sonne of Barachias 96. a Blessed art thou Simon Bariona for fleshe and bloud hath not reueled this vnto thee 126. Come ye blessed of my father receiue the kingdome 192. b Heauen and earth shal passe away but my words shal not passe away 218. a What so euer ye wold mē shold do vnto you do ye the same to them 240. a No man knoweth the father but the sonne and he to whō he wil reuele him 303. b He hath borne our infirmities 323. a Vnto him that hath it shall be geuen but he which hath not euen that which he hath shal be taken away 339. b Why speakest thou in parables to them ibidem Forgeue vs our trespasses as we forgeue them that trespasse against vs. 382. a How often would I haue gathered thy children as the hen hir chickens 306. b What so euer ye shal aske beleuing it shal be geuen you 383 Come vnto me all ye that laboure 398. b Marke HE which beleueth and is baptised shal be saued 68. a Goe ye and preache the gospel 383. b Luke THat you may eat and drinke vpon my table c. 88. b For he hath loked vpō the humility of his handmaidē 298 Geue almes all things shall be cleane vnto you 383. b Lead vs not into temptatiō 27 When you haue done all these things say we are vnprofitable seruaunts 39. a Many sinnes are forgiuen her because she hath loued much 339. b Goe out into the hie ways and stretes and compell them to enter 361. a Blessed is that seruaunt which when his Lord cometh shall finde him thus doing 348. b Ihon. NOwe I will not call you seruaunts but frends 1 The true worshyppers shall worship in spirit truth 8. a He which amōgst you is without sinne let him cast the first stone at hir 36. a Neither hath this man sinned nor his parents 133. a He which is borne of God sinneth not 149. a If any man loue me he wyll kepe my commaundements 397. a If ye had God to your father doubtles you shold loue me 397. a True worshippers worship in spirite and truth 8. a He which beleueth
not in the sonne hath euerlasting life 19 a Now you are cleane because of my word 80. b That we haue obtained grace for grace 145. a The pore ye shal haue alwaies with you 200. a Beholde I am with you to the end of the world eodem The bread which I will geue is my flesh 201. b To as many as receiued him he gaue them power to be made the sonnes of God 205 That that might be fulfilled which was spoken 325. b I geue you a newe commaundement 283. a Who so euer the father hath geuen me no man can take away 308. b The world cā not hate you 341 All things were made by it 360 This is eternall life that they acknowledge thee the onely true God and whome thou hast sent Iesus Christ 392. a This is the work of God that ye beleue in him whome he hath sent 406 a Howe can ye beleue when ye seke glory at mens hāds 394 Receiue ye the holy ghost c. 361 Are there not .xij. houres in the day 420. b Actes YE men of Athens I shewe vnto you that God whom ye ignorantly worship 181 Beholde God hathe geuen to thee all that sail with thee 41 That the scriptures should be fulfilled 308. a Repent and be baptized euery one of you 364. b By faith purifying their hearts 392. a 1. Corinthians IF I haue all fayth so that I can remoue mountains 393 The temple of God is holy 5 They did all eat the same spirituall meat 81. b They were all baptised in the cloud and in the sea eodem They dranke of the spirituall rocke following them 81. b Your children are holy 133. b The dart of sinne is death 139 The rocke was Christ 199. b I chasten my body and bryng it into bondage 309. b To them that are called bothe Iewes and gentiles Christ the sonne c. 297. b That the beleuers stād by faith 355. a He that standeth let him take take hede that he fal not 〈…〉 d. Diuiding to euery one particularly as pleaseth him 〈…〉 a 2. Corinthians EVen whom the God of this world hath blineded 28. b Ye are the Epistle of Christe wrote by our ministery and written not with ink c. 49. b I know none as touching the fleshe 241. b Not in tables of stone but in fleshy tables 43. b What great care it hath wrought in you yea what clearing of your selues 166. a Therefore we after this know none according to the flesh 241 The God of this worlde hath blinded the heartes of the vnbeleuers 28. b Thou standest by faith 390. b Galathians HOw are ye againe turned to the weake and beggerly elements of the world 82. b He which is circūcised is debter to obserue the whole law 86. a The lawe was put because of transgressors 90. a As it pleased him which seperated me c. 2. b Although it be but a testament of a man yet when it is confirmed no man reiecteth it or addeth any thing to it 62. Curssed is he that abideth not in all the things that are written in the boke of the law 89 I would to God they whych trouble you were cut of 345. a Considering thy self least thou also be tempted 356. b The scripture hath shut vp all things vnder sinne 365. b The ende of the law is Christ 385. b The lawe is our scholemaister vnto Christ 391. a By the law no man is iustified before God 410. a Ephesians BY grace ye are made safe throughe faith and not of our selues 391. a We also were by nature the children of wrath c 102. b Who hath predestinated vs according to purpose 225. a Not of workes leaste any man should glory 376. b By whome we haue accesse by fayth 269. a Phillippians CHriste was in the similitude of men 194. b Taking vpon him the shape of a seruaunt 1. b We are the circumcision 49. b Yea I think al things but losse for the excellent knowledge of Iesus Christ 158. b With fear and trembling work your saluation 384. a Colossians WE are circūcised in Christ by the washing away the synnes of the flesh 81. b In whome ye are circumcysed with circumcision not made with hands 85. a Mortify your members which are vpon the earth 411. b Thessalonians THis is the wil of God your sanctification 269. a 1. Timothe I Obtayned mercy for that I did it ignorantly and of infidelitie 2. b Saue that which is geuen thee to kepe 3. b Vnto the iust man the lawe is not geuen 59. b God wil haue all men to be saued 269. a Adam was not deceiued 100. a Which is the sauior of all men 306. b They that minister well gette vnto them selues a good degree 350. a The elders are worthy double honor 428. b 2. Timothe I Haue from my progenitors worshipped God with a pure conscience 8. a All scripture inspired by God is profitable to teache and to reproue c. 96. b I know whome I haue beleued and I am assured 101. a In my first defence no mā was on my side all men forsooke me God graūt it be not imputed c. 103. a I haue fought a good battaile I haue finished my course c 158. b He which shall purge him selfe shall be a vessel to honor 255. Of whome is Himeneus and Alexander which haue made shipwracke as concernynge faith 404. b Titus THey cōfesse that they know God but in dedees they deny him 396. b Hebrues IN that he sayth now he hath abolished that whiche was before But that which is abolished and waxen olde is euen at hand to vanishe away 82. a Be not wanting to the grace of God 141. a With such sacrifices is god won as by merite 159. b The saints by fayth haue ouercome kingdomes 391. b It is impossible for those which haue once bene illuminated 266 Faith is a substance of thinges to be hoped for 368. b S. Iames. MAn is iustified by works and not of faith only 69. a God tempteth not vnto euil 28 Patiēce hath a perfect work 100 Let no man when he is tempted say that he is tempted of God 269. a Abraham was he not iustifyed by his workes 74. b He that cometh to God ought to beleue c. 399. b 1. Peter CHaritie couereth the multitude of sinnes In the power of God are ye kept to saluation by faith 291 When once the long suffring of God abode in the dayes of Noe. 401. 1 Be ye subiecte for the Lordes sake 427. a S. Ihons epistle HE which is borne of God sinneth not 149. a Perfect loue driueth forth fear 280. b. 383. a God gaue them power to be made the sonnes of God 382. b He that loueth not abydeth in death 397. a Euery one which beleueth that Iesus Christ is born of god 391. b This is the victory that ouercometh the world our fayth eodem We haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ 65. a Ther are .iii. things which bear
with the mother Yet let vs not perswade our selues that whilest we Perfect peace is not had whilest we lyue here lyue here we can haue absolute and perfect peace how beit it shal be encreased dayly and Paule wisheth that they might now haue it begon and when tyme shal come to haue it at full And yet neuertheles we obtaine it presetly by Christ if we haue God pacifyed towardes vs. For afterward it is written Now therfore Rom. 5. being iustified by fayth we haue peace towardes God out of whiche floweth tranquilltty of conscience and somuch of the spirite and deuine comfort that what soeuer happeneth we take it in good parte Wherefore in the middest of tribulations tormentes this fyrme peace was not taken away frō holy men For they gaue thankes vnto God and they iudged that all thinges in these their Peace which passeth all sence afflictions were done for the best And this is that peace which passeth all sense and humane reason When he sayth From God the father from our lord Iesus Christ He sheweth the fountaine and beginning from whence these good thinges should be hoped for For they An argument of desiring and hoping for the thinges which we pray for come not of our owne strengthe and workes but of the mercy of God And hereby we are encoraged to desire and to hope for these good thinges which Paule wisheth for For seing that God of whome these thinges are desired is both good and also our father he will without all doubt geue vs them And Christ for asmuch as he is our mediator and redemer will not vndoubtedly deny vs them He is called Lorde which name is very agreeable vnto him For Why Christ is called lord all thinges are geuen him of the father and he hath paid the price for our saluation therfore he is iustly called Lord which name we may suppose that he hereby obtayned because the Hebrues neuer pronounce the holy name Tetragrammaton whiche is Iehouah but pronounce it by other wordes that is by Elohim or Adonay which signify might and dominion Whereby it semeth it came to passe that the 70. interpreters whē they red this name Tetragrammaton turned it by this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is Lord as it appeareth in many places of the which we will bring one The Lord sayd vnto my Lord. Where in the fyrst place is written Iehouah which they turned Lord. Wherefore when Christ is called Lord it is as much as if he had bene called God Although Tertullian agaynst Praxea sayth that Christ is called Lord when he is ioyned with Tertullian the father For then the father is called God If the sonne being ioyned wyth him should also be called God the Ethnikes might thinke we put more Gods then one Wherfore to withstād their supersticiō we make this word Lord an Epitheton of the sonne But if we name Iesus Christ by himselfe and alone he is playnely called God as it appeareth in many places of the scriptures And he vseth a certayne similitude as a beame of the sunne when we make mencion A similitude of it by it selfe we cal it the sun and we say that the sun entreth in at our windowes But when it happneth that the sunne is also to be named together with the beame we do not call the beame by the name of the sun but we say it is the beame of the sun But the fyrst reason is more fyrme and by that that Paule declareth The equality of the father and of the sonne The salutacions of Paul are not vayne The office of saluting is to be retayned among Christians that peace is to be looked for of vs as wel frō the son as from the father is shewed the equality of eyther of them betweene themselues And the salutation which Paule euery where putteth before his epistles is of no small force For if the blessinges of the fathers were of much force that is the blessinges of Nohe Isaac Iacob Moses and of other vndoubtedly the prayers of Paule also are not to be counted vnprofitable And for as much as we sée that both nature and the holy ghost abhorred not from this kinde of office to salute one an other the same maner and vsage is still to be retayned But we must onely take hede that we salute not any man dissemblingly and thinking an other thing in the hart do it onely in outward voyce or writinge Otherwise saluting is an instrument not a little apte to admonish vs of loue towardes our neighbours and that our neighboure may vnderstande what loue we beare vnto him And thus much touchinge the salutation Now let vs come to the Exordium that is the beginning wherein Paule very much laboreth to winne vnto him the Romanes and chiefely for that that he exceedinglye reioyceth that they are come to Christ First verely I geue thankes vnto God through Iesus Christ for you al because your faith is published through out al the world For God is my witnesse whom I worship wyth my spirite in the Gospell of his sonne that without ceasing I make mencion of you alwayes in my prayers beseechynge that at one tyme or other a prosperous iorney might happen vnto me by the wyll of God that I may come vnto you For I am desyrous to see you that I might bestow among you some spirituall gift to strengthen you withall that is that I might haue consolation together with you through the mutuall fayth whiche both ye and I haue And I woulde not that ye should be ignorant brethren how that I haue oftentimes purposed to come vnto you but haue bene let hetherto to haue some frute among you as I haue among other of the nacions For I am debter both to the Greekes and also to the Barbarous vnto the learned and also vnto the vn learned so that as muche as in me is I am redy to preach the Gospell to you of Rome also All writtinges in the beginning are wont to tend to this ende to get the The ende whereunto the beginning of hys talke tendeth good will of the hearers as much as is possible which thinge Paule here doth and first in that he sheweth them how he geueth thankes vnto God for them He declareth the cause thereof namely for that their fayth was now published throughout the whole world And he affirmeth that he cōtinually maketh prayers for them that they might goe forward as they had begonne Farther he sheweth that he is exceding desirous to see them present And thereof he sheweth causes namely both to comfort them and also to confirme both himselfe and them And he addeth this also that he desireth to do these things euen of duety For by reason of his Apostleship which he executed he acknowledged himselfe debytour vnto all nacions And he thereunto addeth that for that cause he is not ashamed of the Gospell And so concludeth he his Exordium Here
Iob is called an handemayden And Augustine also himselfe in his booke Locutionum Deut acknowledgeth that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not alwayes referred vnto thinges deuine For where as it is sayde in Deut. the 28. chapter Thou shalt serue thine enemyes in Greke it is sayd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 And Paule likewise when he affirmeth himselfe to be a worshipper of Iesus Christ writeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 wherefore thou seest that this difference of wordes is not obserued among the Grecicians Howbeit they haue a worde whiche is proper vnto the worshipping of God called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but whether it be a woord vsed among good and olde authors 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Augustine 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I know not Augustine in the place already alledged Deciuitate Dei maketh mencion of an other word called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But that properly belongeth vnto rites and misteries For it is sayd that Orpheus fyrst taught the Thracians misteryes Wherefore that woord was deriued of the Thracians turning Whereof 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is deriued this letter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But to returne to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which particle signifyeth vehememcy and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is to tremble For seruauntes do excedingly tremble at the commaundementes of theyr Lordes The same ambignitye is there in thys hebrue worde Schaah which signifyeth to prostrate himselfe and to bowe downe Wherefore we reade oftentymes Hiskaim that is they worshipped and Histauh that is a bowing downe and in the plurall We prostrate our bodies both before God and before creatures number it is sayd Histauidoth that is prostracions And that honour of prostrating the body and bowing the knees is not done before God onely but also before kinges and Aungels For it is a simbole or token whereby we represent our submission and lowlynes The elders vsed other signes also in worshipping Wherefore Chrisostome in an homely which he hath when he expoundeth Chrisostome Simboles or tokens of the elders in worshippyng Augustine what we signifye whilest we prostrate our selues before God these wordes of Iohn the true worshippers shall worship in spirite and in truth sayth When thou shewest thy handes openest thy harte liftest vp thy face vnto heauen and openest thyne eyes what other thing els doost thou then shew the whole man vnto God Augustine De ciuitate Dei in the place now alleaged sayth that this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is a religious and humble submission which I vnderstand so to be obserued that when we prostrate our selues before God we signify that we wholy submit our selues vnto him and that as touching al things without any exception But if we fal down before an Emperor or king we signifye that we submitts our selues vnto him as it pertaineth to his gouernment but yet not wholy because we wil euermore haue god and his word excepted And in these outward signes which are to be geuen vnto Princes a Christian must obserue the maners of the countrye makyng a difference in his mynde betweene ether subiection and let hym chiefelye beware that herein he How bowinge or prostrating is to be geuen vnto men This honor is not to be geuen neyther vnto images neither vnto the bodies of the dead do nothyng conterfeately farther let him not geue these signes but vnto them whome he by the precept of God is commaunded to reuerence that is vnto all those which are put in any high authoritye whether the same be spirituall or temporall But let him not in any case prostrate himselfe before Images forasmuch as that is expressedly prohibited Yea he must not also shew any such honor of bowing the knees or inuocation vnto the sainctes that are dead For there is no word of God concerning that thyng neyther can we when we do thys leane vnto fayth neyther know we whether they heare vs or vnderstand what thinges are done among vs. And we must take bede that when we honour Princes and fall downe before them we desire not any thing of them through flattery which lieth not in their power to geue vs as is to aske eternall life spirituall giftes conseruacion of life and such like But of a king let vs desire the helpe belonging to a king of learned and wise men to communicate theyr doctryne of rich mē to deale somwhat of their goods These ar the circumstances which we must vse And to speke briefely this worshipping of god which is to serue in spirite is reduced vnto fower principal points which are adoracion To what principall poynt the worshipping and adoracion of god must be reduced trust inuocation and geuinge of thankes Adoracion is an humble and religious submission whereby we vtterly submitte our selues vnto God and that in al thinges Trust is wherby we rest in him considering the power wisedome and high goodnes wherewith he is adorned For whiche thinges we cleane vnto him neither do we thinke that he will forsake or frustrate vs. Inuocation is whereby we flye vnto God in al perils and aduersytyes as which know that he is euery where at hande and that accordinge to his promises he both can and will succor vs with his defence Geuing of thankes is wherebye we referre all good thinges vnto him as vnto the firste author These fower things are due vnto God onely neyther can they as we haue defined them be By what meanes the deuill hath darckened this worshipping of god ascribed to other creatures The Deuil hath with much deceat diligently traueled to obscure this kynd of worshipping when he perswaded the worlde that men might in deede principally worship one chief God and in the meane time adioyne vnto him a number of lesser Gods Whereby came to passe that that was deuided which God would haue most of all vnited and ioyned together so the Ethnikes were deceaued Farther in our times such certayne distributions and proper offices are so distributed vnto those which are numbred among the saintes that very oftentimes inuocation is made vnto them This moreouer God is worshipped with reuetence of the childe to the father is to be considered that that which Paule sayth To serue in spirite comprehendeth a fatherly reuerence that is of the children towarde the father and not a seruile feare wherewith the Ethnikes being perswaded hated the iudgement of God and would haue no God to be at al. Wherfore they haue alwayes applied theyr cogitations vnto fayned religions and they performed certayne outward woorkes whereby they thought themselues ful of all pietie and yet in the meane time they absteyned not frō witked actes But godly mē forasmuch as they serue him in spirit are careful that they faine not vnto thēselues a God after theyr owne fansy but do embrace him euen as it hath pleased him to declare himselfe in the woorde of the scriptures And when they see that
iust desire For we must not coldely desire those thynges whiche we implore of God in our prayers This was Paules care towardes Paule had a care ouer the Churches of God the churches Eyther he went thether hymselfe when néede required or when he could not goo he wrote or sent some that were very deare and nigh vnto hym Hys charity did alwayes burst forth into acts which myght profite hys neighbours He sawe that the saluation of the Romanes was now at hand therefore he would aduaūce it also by his labour And in that he prayeth in his prayers for a prosperous iorney it is nothyng els but to desire to be sent euen as Esay offred hymselfe saying Behold Lord I am redy send me And the same Paule sayd He which desireth a bishoppricke desireth a good worke Furthermore it Holy men desire to be coupled ioyned together is a perpetuall affection of good men to desire to be ioyned together forasmuch as they haue hym to be their God which is euery where in the holy scriptures called the God of vnity peace Moreouer their meetinges together are not without profyte For alwayes there is some increase of the spirite and grace of God and it séemeth that God geueth strength vnto the members of Christ then chiefly when they are ioyned together Which sentence some abuse when they cry that we must geue credite vnto Synodes and counsels as though god can not permitte so holy fathers which haue assembled together to be deceaued The assembly of Byshops vnto Synods why it is not vnprofitable That holy assembly say they of holy men coulde not be had without fruite but they as Paul sayth ought to haue bene such as had serued God in spirite had geuen them selues to aduaunce the gospell of God had powred out prayers wyth most feruent fayth and attempted nothyng of the flesh or of humane affection but suffred all thynges to be done by the will of God But that they performed not these thynges the euent sufficiently declareth For they haue brought in many supersticions and sometymes haue most seuerly decreed things that are apertly against the word of God I wyl not deny but that those which assemble rightly and orderly namely after that maner that I haue now expressed may bring forth farre greater fruites then when they deale seperatly and apart Of thys thyng Chrisostome bringeth a very apt similitude Burning A similitude firebrandes sayth he when they are seperated a sonder do conceaue and retayne within them some heate and light but yet not very much But if they be put all into one place eyther into a chimney or into a fornace they wyll stirre vp both a very greate and also a most feruent flambe In lyke maner must we thinke of holy men being eyther assembled together or seperated a sunder To bestovv among you some spiritual gifte He declareth why he so much desired to come vnto them namely to make them partakers of the giftes of God The Apostle was a vessell filled with deuyne gyfts Wherfore whether soeuer he went he bestowed and destributed them vnto the beleuers But forasmuche as God is both the author and geuer of all spirituall giftes why doth Paule here seme to chalenge or clayme them vnto hymselfe Forsoth bycause he was The work◠of God and of the ministers of the Church is ioyned together a minister of the Church and God hath so much honored the ministerye that he also cōmunicateth euen his own proper worke vnto the ministers For as touchyng theyr functions they are not seperated from God whych is the authour of them but rather are so to be ioyned with him as though one the selfe same woorke proceeded from them both And after thys manner are ministers sayd to forgeue or to retayne sinnes to beget men vnto Christe and to saue them But if thou looke vpon God and the minister a parte eche by hym selfe then heare what Paule sayth I haue planted Apollo hath watred but God hath geuen the increase Also who is hee whyche planteth And who is he whyche watreth And in an other place he sayth that the holye Ghost distributeth his giftes By the ministers of the church the faythful are more strayghtly bound together vnto euery man as it pleaseth him and according to his will But as we haue sayd the ministers must not be seperated from God who by this dignity which he geueth vnto them prouideth chiefely for thys that the faythfull should more streyghtly be bound together in the church For euen as a citye is counted one because men helpe one an other when as some are able to geue counsell other excell in strength and other in handycrafts and industrye so would God haue it to be in the church namely that some should teach and other som be taught some helpe theyr brethren through prayers some dispense the sacraments and other some receaue them to the ende that by these mutuall offices Christians shoulde bee so bounde together that the spirite and grace of God shoulde spreade from one member to an other by ioyntes and cloysures together as it is wrytten vnto the Collossians and vnto the Ephesians All these woords are here set as much conducinge to wynne the hartes of the Romaykes that they should looke for hym chearefullye and wyth greate loue receaue hym when he should come as though therewythall they should receaue some excellente gyfte of the spiryte accordynge to hys promise These thynges serne also to stirre vp theyr mindes to reade hys Epystle For vndoubtedlye he wrote it for no other cause but that that whych by presence of hys body he coulde not performe he myght yet at the least expresse by hys Epistle Whych self thynge is a cause also why we ought in lyke manner wyth exquisite diligence to reade and heare Horrible blasphemies of certaine in our tyme. that whych is here written Neyther must we harken vnto those blasphemers whiche beyng enemies vnto pietie and vnto the true doctrine of iustification and predestination are not ashamed to crye out and say I would to God Paul had neuer writtē this epistle Which saying though they go about to mitigate affirming that they spake it because of these daungerous tymes yet bring they not any sufficient excuse For what is this els but to reprehende the counsels Assemblies together of Christians ought not to be vnprofitable of God and of the holy ghost Further let vs marke that it is not conuenient that assemblyes together of Christians should be vnprofytable and idle as prophake assemblyes are but they ought to haue in them some spirituall commodity And thys Greake word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 contayneth in it a vehement signifycation For thereby the Apostle declareth that he will geue nothyng vnto them but that which he had first receaued of God For he sayth he wyll make them pertakers of those giftes which he himselfe had now obtained And in such sort we ought
the selfe same wordes that they are here when he saith We are by nature Iewes and not sinners of the Gentiles Because we know that man is not iustified by the workes of the lawe but by the fayth of Iesus Christ. Also we haue beleued in Christ Iesus that we mighte be iustified by the fayth of Christ and not by the workes of the lawe For no fleshe shall be iustified by the workes of the lawe And vndoubtedly Paule reproued not Peter but onely touchyng ceremonies And in the same place in yâ— third chapiter he writeth Haue ye receiued the spirite by the workes of the law or by preaching of fayth Are ye so foolish that hauing begonne in the spirite ye should now make an ende in the fleshe where by the workes of the law seing he expoundeth them by the flesh he manifestly vnderstandeth the ceremonies of Moses But although therehence sprang the controuersie yet was it most commodiously done for Paule to reuoke it to the genus or generall worde of workes of the law Forasmuch as the tyme should come that ceremonies being banished many would in successe of tyme attribute iustificatioÌ„ to moral workes which is most manifestly confuted by this so pithy a reason of Paule And this is to be noted that this is an argument that may be turned For euen as we may inferre that no workes of the law do iustifie therfore neither do ceremonies iustifie so contrariwise may we conclude if ceremonies iustifie not therfore neither any other part of the law forasmuch as they were the principall part of the lawe If ceremonies iustefy not neither doth the morall part instefy For they are the offices of the first and greatest commaundement I am sayth the Lord thy God Wherfore it is mete that I be worshipped of thée bothe in spirite and in outward confession not only by voyce but also by rites apointed by me Neither did those ceremonies any lesse bynde the olde fathers then do Baptisme and the Eucharist in these dayes binde vs. Wherfore euen as they most greuously sinned when they were not content with the worshipping prescribed them by God but sought new ceremonies and rites inuented by men for that was to go aboute to adde vnto the wisedome of God and that the worshippyng instituted by God was the chiefe wisdome we rede in Deut. the iiij chapter so our men do most greuously sinne when besides Baptisme and the Eucharist and those thinges which we haue deliuered vs by Christ they appoint other thyngs which meÌ„ haue inuented as worshippings of God and as necessary vnto saluation As are the masse the inuocation of saintes and such other like And that by the workes of the lawe are vnderstanded also morall workes Paule teacheth by that which followeth For by the law is the knowledge of sinne For although other partes also of the law do after a sort declare sinne yet is that chiefly the office of the morall part What groundes or principles the proper workes of the law haue A distinctioÌ„ of the workes of the law A conciliation of places repugnant Which thing is expressedly declared in the vij chap. where he writeth For I should not haue knowen what lust had bene if the law had not sayd Thou shalte not lust And this is furthermore to be noted that the workes of the law as I before said when they are taken properly haue ioyned with them fayth and charity and therfore are they not without iustification For wheresoeuer is true faith there iustificatioÌ„ followeth But the Apostle by workes of the law vnderstandeth as they were done of them beyng vnprofitable and proceding also of hipocrisie Otherwise the law in dede is spirituall wherfore the workes therof must nedes be good if they be considered as they are whole and perfect And by this meanes may we conciliate those places which as touching this thing seme in the holy scriptures to be repugnant Moses said that he did set before the Iewes life when he spake of the lawe And in the 119. psalme Dauid prayeth oftentimes that God would quicken him with If the fathers at any tyme attribute righteousnes vnto good works that is to be vnderstand by reason of faith which they haue as a roote his commaundements and with his law And in this selfe same epistle the law is called both good and spirituall and the commaundement holy and good But on the contrary side Paule calleth it the ministery of death in the next chapter he saith that it worketh anger and againe that it sheweth sinne and therfore condemneth and accuseth So must we vnderstand the fathers also when they ascribe so excellent thinges vnto workes For they take them ioyned with faith grace and the holy ghost And so they ascribe vnto them eternall life and other suche like things which are vnderstanded to be geuen vnto them by reason of faith and the spirite And to declare the same this is a very apt similitude We say that man is reasonable vnto whome yet we ascribe reason not because of the body but because of the soule which is included in the body So when iustification semeth to be ascribed vnto workes we must vnderstaÌ„d yâ— that is done by reason of faith wherunto workes By faith alone we are iustefied which yet is neuer alone which are in very dede good do chiefly lene But we when we wil speake of iustification ought to bring forth our sentence prospicuously expressedly Wherefore we say yâ— iustification coÌ„meth by faith only which faith yet we confesse is neuer alone For if it be a true faith it ought alwais to haue good workes ioyned with it But the holy fathers spake hyperbollically of workes to the ende to stirre vp The fathers spake hyperboilically of workes Fayth as it is a worke iustifieth not men more and more to vse them But they are so to be vnderstanded as I haue sayd vnles we will leaue them without Christ But some obiect that fayth also it selfe is a worke of the lawe Therefore we answere that as it is our worke comming out of our will and vnderstanding it iustifieth not Because it is feble and weake For none beleueth so much as he ought neyther so strongly cleaueth vnto God as he should do But when fayth is sayd to iustifye it is taken for his obiect namely Christ and the promises of God Neyther is fayth that The power of iustifâ—ing is to be r 〈…〉 erred to his obiect A similitude thing which iustifyeth but the instrument whereby iustification is receaued Neyther must we thinke that by the worthynes thereof it is of it selfe sufficient to iustifie a man A most euident similitude may be brought as touching a begger which with his weake hand or peraduenture with his hand enfected with leprosy receaueth almes And that benefite is not weighed according to the weakenes or disease of the hand which receaueth it but according to the quantity of the monye which is geuen Wherefore
whiche sinnes were sayd to be purged but baptised them into repentaunce to the forgeuenes of sinnes adioyning therunto doctrine wherein he made mention of the Father and of the Sonne and of the holy Gost Which thing vndoubtedly the high Priestes and Scribes and Phariseys coulde in no case abyde that he reiecting the ceremonies which were receaued shoulde put in their place a new maner of purging Wherefore they sent a Messenger vnto him to aske of him whither he were the Messias or Elias or the Prophet as it were confessing that vnder the Messias it should come to passe that the ceremonies of the law should be abolished the the same was not lawfull for other mē to doo And if a man demaūd why God gaue ceremonies which should afterwarde be abolished Chrisostome hath thereof a very apt similitude If a man haue a wyfe very prone to lafciuiousnes he shutteth her vp in certayne places in chambers I say and parlers so that shee cannot wander abroade at her pleasure He appointeth vnto her moreouer Eunuches wayting maydes and handmaides most diligentlye to haue an eye vnto her So delte God with the Iewes He tooke them vnto him at the beginnyng as a spouse as it is said in the Prophet I haue wedded thee with mercy and with loue And by this natiō his wil was at cōueniēt tyme to enstruct the whole world Which thing he did by the Apostls when Christ was now departed frō the earth But that people was very weake and feble and aboue measure prone to adulteries of idolatry Wherfore God seperated them from other nations and would haue them to dwell in the land of Chanaan aparte by themselues and to be kept in on euery side with ceremonies and rites as it were by scholemaisters vntill this spouse was so strengthened and confirmed that her fayth was no more had in suspicion Which thing when husbandes perceiue in their wyues they suffer them to go at their pleasure whither they will and to be conuersant with menne neither do they any more set any kepers to watche them So God when he had nowe by Christ geuen vnto the church the holy ghost he remoued away from it the custodye of ceremonies and sent forth his faithfull to preach throughout the whole world The selfe same father proueth in an other place that the ceremonies and rites of the Iewes were not instituted of God of a principall entente and purpose For God woulde haue a people which should worship him in spirite and in truth But the Israelites which had bene conuersant in Egipt and had contaminated themselues with idolatry woulde needes in any wise haue both sacrifices and ceremonies so that if these sacrifices and rites had not bene permitted vnto them they would haue bene redy to turne to idolatry Wherefore God so A similitude delt with them as the maner of a wise phisition is to do who lighting vpon one sicke of a burnyng agew whiche by reason of his wonderfull great heate requireth in any wyse to haue some colde water geuen him and if he haue none geuen him he is redy to hang himselfe or by some other meanes to destroy himselfe in this case the phisition beyng by necessity cōpelled commaundeth to be brought a viole full of water which he himself hath prepared and geueth the sicke man leaue to drinke but yet with suche a charge that he drinke out of nothing els but out of that viall So God graunted vnto the Hebrewes sacrifices and ceremonies but yet so that they should not exercise them otherwise then he himselfe had commaunded them And that this is true he hereby proueth For that God gaue not ceremonies vntill alter they had made the golden caife God prescribed not ceremonies but when he had made open his wrath against the Israelites who hurling in theyr braselets earinges and ringes caused a calfe to be made for them which they worshipped And seyng it is so Paul saith rightly when he sayth that the law is not by faith abolished although those ceremonies be taken away Which sentence Christ also confirmeth when he saith that he came not to take away the law but to fulfill it The sence of which wordes may easely be gathered out of those thinges which we haue before spoken The reasons which afterward follow are brought to confirme this proposition now alledged namely That man is iustified by faith and that without the workes of the law Hetherto when as at the beginning Here is repeated the methode or order which the Apostle hath hether to kept the Apostles had set forth that by the Gospell and the faith of Christ commeth saluation and righteousnes he vsed this reason that whersoeuer the Gospel and faith want there is most great vnrighteousnes and vncleannes of life but on the contrary side where these haue place there is both righteousnes and true holines Therfore by them saith he come saluation and iustification The Minor or second proposition was proued chiefly as touching the first parte For first the Gentles liued most filthely although they knew God by the nature of things Farther the Iewes were not in their conuersation one whit better then the Gentles And this done he declareth wherehence the true righteousnes should be sought for t namely of faith without workes Which thing before he would proue he thought it good to confute an obiection namely that by faith he ouerthroweth not the law but rather by faith confirmeth it This selfe same thing is obiected vnto vs in our dayes that by faith which with the Apostle we affirme to iustifie we ouerthrowe all honest and holy workes Of this thing do they cry out which defend the worke wrought in the sacramentes which boast of workes of supererogation whiche defend purgatory inuocation of saintes and obtrude vowes and sole life What shall we answer to these things Paul sayth y◠he by faith abrogateth not the law but rather confirmed it In which wordes he geueth a reuerence to the ceremonies instituted of God which for their tyme were of necessity obeyed especially for the they were founded vpon the word of God But we can not so say as touching those things which we are accused to haue ouerthrowen Bicause they are abuses and mere superstitions In this disputacion the condition of Paul and ours is diuerse which are vtterly repugnaunt vnto the worde of God Wherfore we confesse that these thinges we ouerthrow by the fayth of Christ and doctrine of the Gospell Now haue we heard the purpose and state of the question which shall be entreated of which we ought continually to haue before our eyes so that vnto it must we referre whatsoeuer is sayd in this whole discourse And this shal be with fruite to heare those thinges which the Apostle writeth The fourth Chapter VVHat shal we say then that Abraham our Father hath found concerning the flesh For if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath wherein to reioyce but not with God
things But we speake so of sacramentes as Paule now speaketh of circumcision Now because we haue sufficiently spokē of the word we will adde the definition of a sacrament Definition of a sacrament What a signe is and this definition is most receaued A sacrament is a visible forme or a visible signe of an inuisible grace And that is called a signe which besides the forme which it offreth vnto the senses bringeth some other thing into our knowledge And a signe as Augustine writeth and the master of the sentences affirmeth is deuided into a naturall signe and a signe geuen Smoke is a naturall signe of fyre and cloudes a naturall signe Distinction of a signe Thinges signified haue theyr distinction by diuersities of times of fyre and cloudes a naturall signe of rayne But a signe geuen and appoynted of the will is diuers as letters wordes gestures beckes and many such like And these signes may pertayne to diuers and sondry senses But the things that are signified are eyther thinges past thinges present or thinges to come The tables of the lawe the Manna the rodde of Aaron which were kept signified thinges past For God would haue these thinges to remayne as certayne monumentes of thinges past Other signes betoke thinges to come as the raynebow in the cloudes which was geuen in the tyme of Nohe the flese of Gedeon and the shadow of the Sunne which in the tyme of Ezechias the king went backward Sometimes are signified thinges present as in the garments of the priestes in the apparell of the Leuites in the ornamētes of magistrates and in the miracles of Christ For all these signified the present power of God Our sacramentes are visible signes not indede of theyr owne nature but geuen vnto vs by the will of God and they pertayne to many senses For the wordes which are set forth in the sacramentes are receaued with the eares but the notes and outward simboles are perceaued eyther by sight or féeling or smelling or tasting and they demonstrate both thinges present thinges past and thynges to come for the death of Christ is represented in them which is now past and the promise and gift of God which in the mynde and by fayth is presently embraced and the purenes of lyfe and mortification and duties of charity which are afterward to be performed of vs. By those thinges it is manifest what maner of signes we put to be sacramentes But it may séeme to be sufficiēt to take that definition which Paule here vseth namely to say that Definition of a Sacramentout of this place of Poule What is the chiefest◠promise which is sealed in a sacrament sacramentes are 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is sealinges of the righteousnes of fayth For they seale the promises by which so that fayth be adioyned vnto them we are iustifyed If a man demaund what it is that God promiseth vnto vs to aunswere briefely it is that he will be our God which thing where it taketh place saueth vs maketh vs blessed happy This is the promise which is by diuers outward simbols sealed in the sacramentes Which thing we haue in the boke of Genesis the 17. chapter where circumcision is geuen whereby was confirmed the couenant made betwene God and Abraham The summe of that promise was as we haue sayd that God would be his God and the God of hys séede Which selfe same thing Ieremy also testefieth of the new couenant of the Gospell where he sayth that the lawes shoulde not only be written in the bowelles and hartes of the beleuers but also that God would be vnto them theyr God and they agayne on the other side shoulde be vnto hym his people That also we well allowe Sacramentes consist of two thinges We must haue a consideration vnto the analogy of the signe vnto the thing signified We must also kepe a diuersity betwene the signe and the thinge signified which is commonly sayd that the sacramentes consist of two thinges namely of outward signes which the scholemen count for the matter and of the thing signified Which is chiefely expressed by the words adioyned vnto the simbols out of which we may gather the forme Which is not so to be vnderstand as though those thinges which are signified are bound to the outward signes or lye hidden vnder them otherwise as many as should receaue the outward clementes should together therewithall receaue the thinges signified And it is necessary that betwene the signe and the thing signified there be kept some analogy that is proportion and conueniency For if signes had no similitude with those thinges that are signified then shoulde they not be signes of them And yet notwythstandyng wyth thys conformity is styll to be kept a diuersity betweene that which is signified and those thinges whiche signifye Whiche thinge Augustine moste manifestly teacheth agaynste Maximinus the Arrian in hys 3 boke where he sayth that Sacramēts are one thing signify an other thing Wherby oftentymes it commeth to passe that these things which are attributed vnto the Oftētimes are thinges spoken of signes which are not agreable with theyr nature A place out of the epistle of Iohn signes agree in no case with the nature of them but onelye are to bee referred vnto the thinges by them signified And he citeth a place out of the epistle of Iohn where thys thing is manifestly shewed For he saith y◠there are thrée things which bear witnes bloud water and the spirite and these thrée saith he are one This can by no meanes be true if we haue a consideration to the nature of bloud water and the spirite For these things are not one as they vse to speake in essence or in kinde But this verily agréeth with the father the sonne and the holy ghost which are the thing signified And that thing which Augustine here writeth may we easely perceaue in the sacramēts which we now entreate of in which the properties of the signes and of the thing of the sacrament are put one for an other Now that I haue sufficiently spoken of the name and definition and also of the matter and forme of the sacraments there resteth to speake of the finall and efficient cause of them The end of the sacramentes The ende for which the sacraments were instituted is that our mynde being admonished by the senses might be stirred vp and by faith take holde of the promises of God and so be inflamed with a desire to attaine vnto them For we sée y◠signes tend to no other ende but to transferre and to imprint those things which we our selues haue in our mindes into the minde of an other man that therby he may be made the more certaine of our meaning and will And this is not cōmonly done but in matters of great weight For if they be but light matters we are not accustomed to confirme them with signes But in things of great importance they are To
vnto the promises But now they which after this maner attribute more theÌ„ is mete vnto the sacrameÌ„ts may be called sacramentaries bicause they put to much affiaÌ„ce in theÌ„ The other thing which we said is repugaant vnto the nature of the sacraments is when we count them to be nothing but bare naked signes For by that meanes they shuld nothing differ from Tragicall and Comicall significations and from colours and garments Nether are they only signes of our actions but also of the promise and of the will of God and are sealinges therof And the holy ghost doth no les vse these signes to stirre vp our hartes then he vseth the woords of God which are in the holy scriptures And hereby also we may se that they likewise are agaynst the sacraments which will haue them to be sacrifices For the nature of a sacrifice is to be offred of vs vnto God but the nature of a sacrament is to be offred of God vnto vs. I confesse indeed that in the celebracion of the supper of the Lord are contayned thankesgeuing almes prayers and other such like things which may haue the consideration of a sacrifice But we deny that the very sacrament The sacrificing priestes offer not Christ vnto God the father The instrument wherby the thing of the sacramente is receaued is fayth of the Eucharist may properly be called a sacrifice And much les is that to bee borne with all which the sacrificing priests make theyr boast of that they offer vp vnto God the body of Christ Our lord hath offered vp himselfe nether hath he nede of any other to offer him vp Now that we haue well considered all these thinges we nede not manye woordes to expresse the instrument whereby the thing of the sacrament is receaued For Paul hath most manifestly declared it when he sayd that CircumcisioÌ„ is the seale of the righteousnes of fayth For it is faith wherby yâ— righteousnes which is signified in yâ— sacrament is receaued of vs for nether can our sense or reason therunto attayne And Augustine expouÌ„ding these woordes of Iohn Now ye are cleane bycause of my word sayth that in that the sacraments doo make vs cleane they haue it of the word of God For if thou take away sayth he from the element the word there will nothing remayne but water only The woord commeth vnto the element and it is made a sacrament For how commeth it sayth he that the water toucheth the body washeth the hart He answereth that the same commeth to passe thorough the force and power of the word not bycause it is spoken but bycause it is beleued By these thinges it is manifest that fayth is it whereby we receaue clensing and sanctification which thing also is written in the Actes of By the power of the word we aâ—e wâ—â—hed not because it is spoken but because it is beleued the Apostles By fayth purifiing theyr harts And Paul to the Ephesians sayth that Christ loued the Church and clensed it with the lauacre of water But there is added In the woord that is by the word which as Augustine sayth is vnderstand to be done bycause it is beleued and not bycause it is spoken For by the pronunciation of the woords are neither changed the natures of the signes nor the benefites of God geuen for so it mought seme an enchantment Fayth I say is the instrument wherby we receaue the woordes of God and let them downe into The benefites of God are not geuâ—n by the pronounciatioÌ„ of the woordes The sacrameÌ„ts must be administred as Christ hath instituted them our mindes But now touching the maner of administring the sacrameÌ„ts there ought none other maner to be brought in then that which Christ himselfe the author of the sacramentes hath commended vnto vs. For if the Iewes durst not deale otherwise in the ceremonies of the old law theÌ„ was prescribed theÌ„ of God much more ought we to obserue those ceremonies which christ hath prescribed vnto vs after the selfe same maner that he hath prescribed them Farther forasmuch as those signes came from the wil of God and of theyr own nature signifie nothing what is more reasonable then to referre all thinges vnto his wil which hath geuen them But his will can by no other wayes be knowen but by the holy scriptures And vndoubtedly no maÌ„ will presume to alter the letters patents of kings graunts much more ought the same thing to be takeÌ„ hede of in the sacramentes of God And the minister by whome these thinges ought to be exercised and distributed althoughe it be conuenient that he be godly and of an honest lyfe for such a one is to be maintayned and when he behaueth himselfe The wickednes of the minister corrupteth not the sacramentes A similitude otherwise and is knowen so to be he ought no longer to be suffred yet though he be wicked so long as he kepeth still that funcioÌ„ he can not vitiate the sacraments so that he doo those thinges which Christ hath commaunded to be done Augustine hath a very trime similitude of a pipe of stone through which water is brought into a garden For although the pipe be made nothing the more fertile by meanes of the running through of the water yet is the garden by it watred and made fruitfull The dignity of the sacramentes dependeth not of the minister but of the institution of God which thing the donatistes not vnderstanding raysed vp much tumults agaynst the Church That is true which is commonly sayd of liuing creatures that by a dried vp member the spirite of life can haue no passage into the other member For if the arme be dead and withered Solucion of the argument obiected vp the life and spirite can not come vnto the hand But in the Church there is no suche greate coniunction betwene menne For the power of the sacraments is to vs as the light of the Sonne which light although it bee dispersed through vile and filthy places yet is it not therfore contaminated or infected But the times of the sacramentes may be deuided into two partes For some were before the comming of Christ and some after And these differ the one froÌ„ the other by outward notes and signes Nether was that done rashly or without Of sacraments some were before the comming of Christe and some after The sacraments of the elders our sacramentes are aptly distinguished vp signes Two errors to be eschewed in the sacramentes A similitude An other similâ—â—ude How the signes of the elders are taken away and how they abide What are the thinges of the sacrament By the second comming of Christ shall our signes be taken a way Our sacrameÌ„ts more excellenter then the sacramentes of the elders The nature of the thinges signified is one and the same We and the Iewes in the old time haue one the same stocke and one and the same roote The diuersity of tyme distinguisheth them
Wherefore besides the holy Scriptures there is nothing that shoulde be beleued For it can not be constant and firme And whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne For if the conscience doo not by fayth beleue that that which we doo pleaseth God or also if it suspect that it is not acceptable before him and yet in the meane time we do the selfe same thing vndoubtedly that which we do is sinne And so doth Basilius in his Moralls the 80. sum in a maner towards the end of the boke interpretate that place which we haue alleadged Wherfore we ought not ether to add any thing vnto the word of God or to take any thynge from it as in which only are contained the promises Otherwise both our faith and our cōscience should haue no certainty whervnto to lean And this certainty Two principal points whereupon dependeth the certainty of the promises wherof we speake dependeth of two principal pointes Of which the fyrst is that it be plaine by the word of God then which can nothing be more firme or constant But some man will say God by the prophet Ionas sayd it should come to passe that the city of Niniue shoulde be destroyed and that after 40. dayes And by Esay the Prophet he shewed vnto Ezechias the king that he should dye which thinges yet came not to passe as they were fortold Yea also the lord him selfe in Ieremy the 18. chapter thus speaketh If I shall speake of any kingdome or nation to roote it out and to destroye it and they in the meane time repent them I also will repent me And on the other seede if I shall speake to plante and to build any kingdome or nation and they in the meane tyme behaue themselues wickedly I will not performe these thinges which I haue spokē But we answeare that the promise whereof Paul here Paule speaketh not of such a promise as is annexed with a condition That which consisteth freely is not conditionally speaketh dependeth not of any condition as doo a greate many promises of the law vnto which pertayne these threatnings which are now alledged yea the Apostle himselfe sufficiently expresseth of what kind of promises he speaketh whē he sayth By fayth that it should be of grace For if it consist frealy thē hangeth it not of any condition or supposition and by this means the promise can in no case be made frustrate This may the easier be vnderstand by a similitude If a phisition should by taking of any medicine promise health but yet vpon this condition that he would haue for his paynes infinite summes of money that the A similitude sicke persō should obserue a very hard diet a poore man mought easely answere that that promise of health is vayne both for that he hath not the money to pay and also for that being weake he is not able to obserue the diet which is prescribed him But contrariwyse if a man promise a medicine which he will geue freely nether requireth any worke of the sicke person but only that he woulde drinke or some other way receaue his medicine this promise is easely made firme So vndoubtedly standeth the case here the promise is offred vnto vs and that freely For only is of vs required that by fayth we receaue it And this is the first principall poynte whereupon dependeth the certaynty of the promise namely for that the promise consisteth of the word of God and is offred freely The other principall poynt is the nature of fayth For fayth is an Fayth is not an vncertayne or doubtfull assent Of the certainety of saluation We must not doubt of perseuerance The testimony of the spirite is firme assent not vncertayne or doubtfull but fixed and constant as the Apostle wyll afterward more at large declare when he discourseth the example of Abraham By these two principall poyntes it is manifest how wickedly they deale which teach mē continually to doubt of the promise of saluation For if as the holy scriptures teach vs we ought to hope and such is the nature of hope not to confound we may manifestly inferre that we ought not to doubt of our saluation There are which pretend that their doubt hereof springeth for that they are vncertayne whether they shall perseuer vnto the ende or no. But these men should consider that we ought alwayes to pray for perseuerance For as saith Ciprian whome also Augustine followeth In all the thinges which we aske in the Lordes prayer is included perseuerance And as Iames teacheth we must aske without doubting Wherefore it is manifest that we must by no meanes doubt of preseuerance and especially seing we haue in our harts the holy ghost alwayes They which beleue that their sinnes are a let vnto the promes are easely driuen into desperation They which are not sure of theyr saluation can nether haue peace nor tranquility of consciēce What thinges are to be taken heede of as touching certainty of saluation Sinne that wasteth the conscience We are neuer so assured but that there ariseth some doubt These thinges are not repugnant in a man to be certaine yet somewhat to doubt bearing an excellent testemony vnto vs thereof For as Paul sayth in this epistle It is the spirite which beareth witnes vnto our spirite that we are the sonnes of God And he which hath not the spirite of Christe is not hys And Paul writeth of himselfe that he is sure that nether life nor death nor principalities nor powers can plucke hym from the loue of God namely from that loue wherewith God loued him But that is friuoulous which some alleadge namely that Paul speaketh these thinges of himselfe only and that by a certayne peculiar and assured reuelation For when we come to that place we will declare that those thinges pertayne to all men vniuersally Other say that sinnes feare vs away from the assured confidence of our saluation But so long as we are in this life we can not be without sinnes For Iohn sayth If we say we haue no sinne we deceaue our selues and the truth is not in vs. Wherefore so to teach is nothing els but to driue men to desperation Finally forasmuch as Paul saith that we being iustified freely haue peace towardes God it manifestly declareth that the faythfull are certayn of theyr saluation otherwise there can be no tranquillity peace in the conscience Howbeit there are certayne thinges to be taken hede of that we be not dangerously deceaued in this certaynty For first we ought to know◠that it springeth not of any righteousnes which is in our mindes and farther that they which are most assured do not for all that want trembling and feare but are sore afrayd of falles and of offending of God Neither can that certaynty which we speake of haue ioyned with it that kinde of sinne which as Augustine speaketh wasteth away the conscience And we must chiefely beware that this certaynly be not applied
to licentiousnes and liberty of the fleshe But in such sort ought we to frame our selues that we should alwayes dispayre as touching our selues but contrariwise put all our confidence in God only Lastly this is to be knowen that it is not possible that so long as we lyue here we shoulde be so assured in fayth that there should neuer aryse any doubt Neyther are these thinges repugnant one to the other but that we may both beleue and also be assured and yet in the meane time be moued with some doubtfulnes For these thinges procede of diuers principles As for example reason iudgeth that the orbe of the Sunne is bigger then the whole earth but yet in the meane tyme the sence both doubteth touching that matter and also testifieth otherwise Certainety and doubting come of diuers grounds Iohn also sayth he which is borne of God sinneth not Howbeit contrariwise he sayth If we say we haue no sinne we lye for we do not alwayes worke by that grounde whereby we are regenerate and therefore we oftentymes fall sinne So also must we think of certainty doubting that they procede not out of one the self same principles or grounds For doubting procedeth frō our flesh frō humane weaknes humane wisdome But certainty cōmeth of the faith which we haue towards god But because we do not alwayes worke by faith therof it commeth that we oftentimes doubt But at the last the strength of fayth getteth the vpper hand and driueth away the cloude of doubting Now let vs sée Certainety getteth the vpper hand how Paule declareth vnto vs the certaynty of the promise by the second principall poynt namely by the propriety and nature of fayth This thing he doth in discoursing the example of Abraham of whome he thus writeth Which is the father of vs all As it is written I haue made thee a father of many nations Abraham is a father of many nations that is of all those which beleue in what place of the world so euer they be And he is called the father of the beleuers both bycause he was an example of faith vnto the beleuers and also taught and preached the same This is that communion of Saintes The communion of sayntes which we professe in the Simbole or Creede According to the example of God In Greeke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Chrisostome interpreteth by this aduerbe of similitude 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as though Abraham Abraham like vnto God were like vnto God And this likenes the same Chrisostome declareth two maner of waies First for that as God is not the father of one nation and not also of an other So also Abraham is not in such sorte the father of some beleuers that he is not also the father of other beleuers Secondly for that as God is not our father by kinred of the flesh but by a spirituall maner So Abraham is not in such sort the father of all the beleuers that he hath begotten them according to the fleshe but as we haue sayd by a spirituall kinred That Greke word may signifie Before so that he was the father of all the beleuers before God namely because it can not be vnderstand by humane sense and reason that Abraham is the father of all the beleuers but this is vnderstand onely before God that is by the power of the spirite This word also 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 may signifie Before in such sort as in the booke of Genesis the woman is sayd to be made a helper vnto the man the she should be Benegdo that is before him as if a man should say a thing apte and hauing proportion and iust analogy vnto the man and which shoulde euer be at hande which maner of helpe coulde not be found for Adam amongest the other liuing creatures And if a man demaund seing that we differ from God by an infinite distance of perfection What analogy or proportion can we haue towards him How w◠may by fayth be cōpared wyth God I aunswere that that commeth to passe by the helpe of faith For by it we receiue the giftes and promises which God hath decreed to fulfill in vs when yet our strength and power can by no meanes be made equall with God Suche a lyke thing haue the Philosophers of God the first cause of all thinges vnto whom A similitude they say by a certaine proportion and analogy answereth that which they cal the first matter for that in power it is apt to receaue all maner of formes whych God would bring forth So we by faith are made apt to receaue the promises of God and so we are set before him or ouer against him Howe be it euerye man must diligently take heede that he haue so muche faith as is sufficient least hee The wrestling of Iacob with God should be ouercome of the promises of God This is that wrestling of Iacob with God For he would not be ouercome of him but wrastled against him and receaued the blessing Whom he beleued Ambrose readeth Thou hast beleued as though it were an Apostrophe which is a turning of his speche to the Ethnike But the reading which is vulgarly receaued is the playner And calleth those thinges which are not as though they were This apeared in the creation of the world For when God did onely commaund that any Why God is sayd to call creatures thing should be straight way it was By which kinde of speeche is shewed the easines of creation of thinges for in it there is no more griefe to God then it is to vs when we call anye manne Here is declared also that by the sonne whiche is the word of the father were and are all thinges made We also when we are regenerate are sayd to be called Which aboue hope beleued vnder hope This kinde of speach seemeth at the first sight absurde For how is it possible that a man shoulde aboue hope haue notwithstanding hope Chrisostome very well expoundeth this Aboue the hope saith he of man and vnder the hope of God And it is all one as if a man shoulde haue sayd he hoped euen in thinges desperate or elles when there was no hope at all yet hoped he But in that word is vsed the figure Metonymia For by hope in this place we vnderstande those thinges whiche are hoped for The meanyng is Contrary to those thinges whiche moughte by man haue bene hoped for he wayted for those thynges whyche were set foorth by God to be hoped for In this example of Abraham which the Apostle hath taken in hande to entreat of is verye The nature and property of fayth aptly described the nature and property of faith For faith is the gift of God wherby we firmely assent vnto his promises striuyng agaynst the flesh and humayne wisedome That it is the gift of God Paul to the Ephesians by expresse wordes testifieth when he sayth that by fayth we
ernest peny and a triall of the saluation to come And therefore in those which are in Christ he hath engrauen and emprinted his spirite Nether nede we sayth Ambrose forasmuch as we are so deare vnto God to be aferd that we should of him be deceaued And Paul hath not without a cause made mencion of the holy ghost For he it is which beareth witnes vnto our spirite that we are the sonnes of God and by him we chiefely acknowledge the thinges that are geuē vs of God For as it is written in the first to the Corrinthians we haue not receaued the spirite of this world but the spirit which is God to know the thinges which are geuen vs of God But because we can not by certayne demonstracions or by experience of the sence teach vnto the infidels this loue of God whereof the holy ghost maketh vs assured therefore it is A similitude sayd to be powred into our hartes For we are in this life like strangers which although at home they come of a noble parentage and are rich yet so long as they are abiding amōgst strange nations they are not had in estimation But yet they knowing their owne nobility reioyce in their hart and passe not vpon the vayne opinions that other men haue of them So we hauing the loue of God shed abroade into our hartes when we are as fooles miserable men derided of the wicked are nothing at all moued with their iudgement being fully contented with our state and condition Augustine somewhat otherwise expoundeth this place For he thought that by loue is to be vnderstand that loue wherwith we loue God which exposition in my iudgement can haue no place For we haue not therefore our hope vnshaken because we loue God but because we are loued of God Farther the scope of Paul is to confirme our hope by the benefit of the death of Christ which maketh vs assured not of our loue towards God but contrariwise of Gods loue towardes vs. Wherefore he concludeth his argument with these wordes And God hath set forth his loue to wardes vs. c. Although we also gladly acknowledge with Augustine that the hope of godly men is somewhat confirmed for that they now feele by the holy ghost that they are inflamed with the loue of God when they vnderstand that for their sake the sonne of God was of hym deliuered vnto the death And that our loue is deriued of that loue of God wherewith he embraseth vs it is playne and manifest Our loue springeth of the loue of God but as touching the sence of the Apostle the former exposition is more naturall For Christ when we were yet weake according to the consideration of the time died for the vngodly For a man will scarce dye for a righteous man For for a good man it may be that one dare dye But God setteth forth his loue towardes vs seing that while we were yet sinners Christ died for vs. Much more then being now iustified by his blood we shal be saued frō wrath thorough him For if whē we wer enemies we wer recōciled vnto God by the death of his sonne much more being reconciled we shal be saued by his life And not only this but we also reioyce in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by whome we haue now receaued the attonement For Christ when we were yet weake c. Now he expresseth the reasō wherby we may knowe that God loueth vs namely for that he gaue his sonne for vs whē we were yet weake sinners vngodly enemies Wherfore we manifestly gather that y◠hope cā not confound vs wherby we haue full confidence y◠seing we are now regenerate and reconciled vnto God we shal at the length obteine eternall felicity For if he vouchased to geue so much for enemies and sinners sakes vndoubtedly he wil geue much more vnto his frindes and childrē Wherfore The Methode of Paules reason Paul first setteth forth the benefite bestowed vpon mākind the sonne of God I say which was geuē vnto the death Secondly he maketh a comparisō wherby is excedingly confirmed the hope of the faythfull Last of all he sheweth that we doo not only hope but also excedingly reioyce of this loue of God towards vs. As touching the first part he doth not coldly or sclēderly declare how much good God hath bestowed vpon vs when he gaue his sonne for our saluatiō but with greate amplificatiō he setteth forth the matter namely that his sonne was not geuen for all men but for those which were vtterly vnworthy of all mercy For before we wer by the benefite of God made pertakers of this redemption we could by no helpe or force of our owne helpe our selues And therfore Christ is sayd to be geuen for weake ones which wholy neded all maner of helpe And those selfe same being wicked and vngodly refused the helpe offred vnto them And when they were sinners these euells dayly encreased more and more For both the infirmity was encreased and the remedy grew the more in hatred by reason of theyr impiety which more and more encresed This also helped therevnto for that men were now declared to be open enemies And it was a greate matter to vndoo and make voide those thinges which were once decreed This is the meaning of these wordes vveake vngodly sinners and enemies For a righteous man and for a good man Seing that all men are loth to dye thereby is manifest how greate was the loue of Christ towards vs which would dye for such as once were we as hath now bene declared For the righteous Some hereby haue vnderstand a iust cause For they whiche haue deserued death canne skarslye bee perswaded too take theyr death patient For the Good That is they more willingly dye for that which is profitable and plesant as the parentes for theyr children the husbands for their wiues merchants for theyr merchandise Origen bringeth an example of the Martirs which suffer death for Christs sake who is in very dede good Others make mēcion of the Decians Curtians Codrians and the bretherne called Phileni which of theyr owne accorde gaue theyr liues for theyr countrey For all these semed to haue bene moued to geue themselues to the death both for that which is iust for that which is profitable For it was a thing iust that they should be so kind vnto theyr countrey in the defence thereof to be willinge to shedde theyr liues Farther also by theyr death they semed to preserue those who were vnto them most deare Vndoubtedly for my part I thinke with Chrisostome that by these woords Iust and Good are simply to be vnderstand good men and iust men although Ierome to Algasia in his 7. question taketh Iust and good substātiuely for a thing iust and good But why Paul sayd Scarce for a iust man and addeth peraduenture for a good man I thinke this to be the cause for that they which seemed sometimes to
Vndoubtedly they that consider the thing it selfe diligently will say that the sentence of Anselmus is for many causes better then this opinioÌ„ of Pigghius For we know that to be true which Ecclesiastes saith namely That God made man right The sentence of Anselmus better then the opinion of Pigghius But when he had once sinned streight way followed crookednes For he doth no more now behold God and heauenly thinges but is perpetually made crooked to earthly and carnall thinges and is made subiect vnto the necessity of concupiscence And this is to want Originall iustice For actions or doinges are not taken away from men but the power to vse them well is taken away As we sée happeneth in those that haue the palsey They do in dede moue the hand but bicause yâ— power is hurt wherby to gouerne that motion they moue it deformedly and weakely This hapneth also in vs. For forasmuch as the deuine righteousnes is wanting in vs the A similitude grouÌ„d is corrupt wherby our workes ought to be rightly ordred accoÌ„plished But saith Pigghius to want this gift cannot be sinne in yong childreÌ„ For they are not bound by any debt or bond to haue it And if the aduersaries saith he wil say otherwise let them shew some law wherby we that are borne are bound Which thing saith he seing they cannot do let them cease to say that this wante of Originall iustice is sinne But we canne alledge not one lawe onely but also thrée lawes The first is the institution of man God made man after his owne image and similitude By what law they that are borne are bound to haue originall righteousnes What is the nature of the image of God Wherefore we ought to be such For God doth iustly require that in our nature which he made And the image of God doth herein chiefly consist to be endewed with deuine proprieties namely with iustice wisedome goodnes and patience But contrarywise Pigghius crieth oute that this is not the nature of the image of God for he sayth that it consisteth in vnderstanding memory and will as Augustine hath taught in his bookes de Trinitate and in many other places These thinges in deede do the Scholemen teach but we wil proue that the matter is far otherwise both by the scriptures and by the sentences of the fathers Firste in the Epistle to yâ— Ephesians it is thus written Put away the old man coÌ„cerning the conuersatioÌ„ in time past which is corrupted though the concupiscenses of error but be renued in the spirite of your mind put on the new maÌ„ which after God is created in righteousnes holines of truth And to the Collosians the 3. chap. Ye haue put on the new man which is renued in knowlege after the image of him that created him And a little afterwarde A trimme reason concerning the image of God he expresseth yâ— coÌ„ditions of this image saying Put ye on teÌ„der mercy goodnes modesty kindnes gentlenâ—s long suffering forbearing one an other forgeuing one an other And in yâ— 8. chap. to the Rom. Those which he foreknew he also hath predestinate to be made like vnto the image of his son All these things sufficieÌ„tly declare what that image of God is which the holy scriptures set forth vnto vs in the creation instauracioÌ„ of man Neither abhorred the fathers from this sentence Ireneus in his 5. booke saith that by the powring into vs of the holy ghost man is made spirituall euen as he was created of God And Tertullian against Marcian saith that that is the image of God which hath the selfe same motious and senses with God And the reason which perswadeth vs therunto is that man was therefore at the beginning made like vnto the image of God to be ruler ouer all things created as it were a certaine vicar of God And no man can doubt but that God will haue his creatures well gouerned For he continually commaundeth vs not to abuse them and we are bound by a lawe to referre all those thinges whereby we are holpen vnto God as from whome all things do flow But the good vse and right administration of thinges can not be had vnlesse we be endued wyth those condicions whiche we haue sayde are required vnto the Image of God But in that Augustine assigneth the Image of GOD to bee in the vnderstandynge memorye and wyll wee saye that he therefore Augustine is defended The faculties of the minde are the image of God but not when they are spoyled of vertues The law of nature requireth originall righteousnes did it to setforth vnto vs some form or example of the deuine persons in what case they are one to an other But he oughte not so to be vnderstanded as thoughe he would make these faculties of the mind being naked and spoyled of these vertues which we haue declared the image of God Wherfore we haue a law geuen vnto vs either by the institution or by the restitutioÌ„ of man which Paul commandeth and by this bond we are bound to haue originall iustice whiche we haue loste We haue also the law of nature to liue agreably vnto it as Cicero saith in his 3. booke de finibus is the principall and last end of mans estate And this lawe dependeth of that other law which we before put For it commeth of no other thinge that we haue in our mind cogitatioÌ„s accusing and defeÌ„ding on an other but onely for that they are taken of the worthines of nature as it was instituted of God For whatsoeuer Philosophers or lawgeuers haue written of the offices of mannes life the same wholy dependeth of the fountaines of our constitution For those preceptes The offices of the law of nature ar had of the institution of man cannot come out of a corrupt nature out of selfe loue and malice whereby we are prone to euil but they come of that forme of vpright nature which they imagine is required of the dignity of man and which we know by the scriptures was instituted of God and commaunded of vs to be renued And to this pertaineth as some say that law of the mind against which the law of the members resisteth There is also a third law which God would haue put in writing namely Thou shalte not lust Which precept although our aduersaries wrest vnto actual sinnes yet we wil By this precept thou shalte not lust is condemned the want of originall righteousnes Infantes feele not these lawes in the 7. chapt of this Epistle declare that it also belongeth to originall sinne and that God would by the commaundement haue all manner of wicked lust vtterlye cutte of from men Wherefore we haue now lawes whyche so longe as they be in force wyll perpetuallye bynde vs and make vs debitors all our lyfe tyme to performe that ryghteousnes whyche they require It is true in déede that infantes féele not these lawes and by that meanes sinne
instructed Adam immediatly as they are wont to speake without all outward ministery The signe of baptisme is in no case to be coÌ„temned For such as neglect it wheÌ„ they may attain to it obtain not regeneratioÌ„ But if they caÌ„ not attayne to it it shal be no hurt vnto a godly man and to him that is conuerted vnto Christ though he bee not baptised And hereof it came that the fathers made mencion of the Baptisme of blood and of the spirite And Ambrose vpon the death of Valentinian the Emperor sayth that he wanted not the grace of Baptisme for as much as he so excedingly desired it although he were not baptised But if I should be demaunded concerning infantes of Christians which dye without Baptisme I would answere that we ought to haue a good hope of them that the same hope leaneth vnto the word of God namely vnto the league and couenaunt made with Abraham wherein God promiseth to be not only his God but also the God of his séede Which promise yet forasmuch as it is not so generall that it comprehendeth all therefore I dare not perticularly promise saluation to any which so departeth For there are some children of the saintes which pertayne not to predestination as we rede of Esau Ismaell and many other whose saluation was not therefore letted bycause they were not baptised Howbeit whilest we liue here there remaine euen in them that be regenerate remnantes of this sinne For originall sin is not vtterly taken away by regeneration The guiltines indede is taken away and such thinges as remayne are not imputed to eternall death But euery â—hinge ought to be iudged by that that it is in it selfe wherefore if we be demaunded whether it be sinne which remayneth in the regenerate we answere that it is sinne And if thou rede at any time that it is not sinne thou must vnderstand that to be spokeÌ„ That which remaineth of this sinne after regeneration is sinne of the guiltines thereof But of this matter we will speake more at large in the 7. chap. But in death this kinde of sinne shall vtterly be ouerthrowne For in the blessed Resurrection we shall haue a body renewed and apt for eternall felicity But in the meane time so long as we are here our old man and naturall corruption is coÌ„tinually dissolued that in death at the last it may cease to be Now haue we sene three thinges how originall sinne is spred abroade by what thing it is takeÌ„ away and what is to be iudged of the remnantes thereof Now let vs speake of the payne due thereunto Some of the scholemen thinke that the payne shal be without feling What is the punishment of originall sinne The Pelagians thought that they should only be banished out of the kingdoÌ„e of heauen and farther they affirme nothing but Pigghius addeth this also that they which dye hauing but this sinne only shal be blessed with a certayne naturall felicitye and shall loue God with all theyr hart with all theyr soule and with all theyr strength and shall set forth his name and praises And although he dare not affirme these thinges as certayne yet he alloweth theÌ„ as very likely But Augustine de fide ad Petrum and in other places also oftentimes adiudgeth infantes that are not regenerate if they dye so to eternall fire And in dede diuers sentences of the holy scripture seme to agree with his opinion For in the last iudgement sentence shal be geuen but to maner of wayes nether is there appointed any third place betwene them that are saued and them that are condemned The Papistes also although they thinke that Purgatory shall continue vnto the day of iudgement yet after that day they put no middle place And it is manifestly writteÌ„ that they whiche beleue not in Christ shall not only not haue eternall life but also the wrath of God abideth vpon them And so longe as we be without Christ we are called the childreÌ„ of wrath nether is it to be doubted but that God punisheth those with whome he is angry Wherefore we will say with Augustine and with the holy scriptures that they shal be punished but how or in what sort we can not define but that for asmuch as there are sundry punishementes of hell for euen the scriptures affirme that some shall be delt with more tollorably then other some it is credible that they forasmuch as they haue not adioyned other actuall sinnes vnto originall sinne shall be more easely punished Howbeit I alwayes except the children of the sayntes for that we doubt not but that they may be nombred with the beleuers although in very dede by reason of age they beleue not as the children of the infidels are nombred among the vnbeleuers although by themselues they resist not fayth Wherfore the children of the godly departinge without Baptisme may be saued thorough the league which God hath made with theyr parentes if so they partayne vnto the nomber of them that are predestinate I except also if there be any other which by the secret counsell of God belong vnto predestination These thinges being now thus discussed let vs come vnto the argumentes of the Pelagians whereby they sought to proue that there is no originall sin Their The argumentes of the Pelagians against originall sinne first argument is that it is not very likely that God will still persecute the sinne of Adam wheÌ„ as he hath long since sufficieÌ„tly punished it especially seing NahuÌ„ the prophet saith that God wil not twise iudge one the selfe same thing I know there be which aÌ„swer yâ— he hath not twise geueÌ„ iudgemeÌ„t vpoÌ„ yâ— sin but â—â—s only for in one iudgement he coÌ„preheÌ„ded AdaÌ„ all his posterity But to declare the thinge more manifestly I say that in euery one of vs as often as we are punished there Euery man beareth his owne sinne and not an other mans How this is to be vnderstande that God reuengeth in vs the sinne of Adam A similitude is a cause why we ought to be punished and therefore in euery man is condemned his owne proper fault and not an other mans And though we reade that God doth reuenge in vs the sinne of Adam that is so to be vnderstand by reason our sinne had his beginning of him As if a man being sicke of the pestilence should infect other and they dye we can not say but that euery one of them died of his owne and proper pestilence and not of an other mans But if a man will say that they perished by his pestilence from whome they drew the contagiousnes that is so to be vnderstand because he brought in the pestileÌ„ce first and with tooch infected them But that sentence of Nahum the prophet maketh A place of Nahum nothing to this matter In déede Ierome when he interpreteth that place sayth that by those wordes Marcion is confuted For he falsely alledged that the God of
difference which Augustin assigneth betwene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not alwaies obserued For yâ— Scriptures vse either word indifferently to signifie yâ— worshippyng of God Vnto the spirite is attributed newnes For the spirite by regeneration reneweth vs both in body and in soule and moreouer in the beleuers it sheweth forth new and Why newnes is attributed vnto the spirite What is to be vnderstand by the name of letter vnaccustomed workes The antithesis also is to the oldnes of our old estate which yâ— Apostle expresseth by the name of letter in which word he comprehendeth whatsoeuer doctrine may be outwardly set forth vnto vs. For whatsoeuer is such procedeth from the strengths of nature And it is called old bicause it commeth not froÌ„ a hart regenerate and a will chaunged In this also is a certaine kind of obedieÌ„ce but yet not such an obedience as God requireth And therfore it is called yâ— oldnes of the letter for that it is a certaine slender imitation of that doctrine which is set foorth vnto vs. Woorkes of this kinde come not of the impression of the lawe in the harts of men For God in Ezechiell promiseth to geue vnto his people a fleshy hart Those thinges also may after a sort pertaine to outward discipline But they neither please God and moreouer to them that do them they are sinnes and therfore Paul sayth that they pertaine to oldnes Certaine of the fathers imagine many thinges touching the spirite and the letter but by the letter they vnderstaÌ„d The difference receaued touching the spirite and the letter is refelled an historicall sence by the spirit they thinke are signified allegories But the Apostle ment farre otherwyse But of this matter we haue spoken somwhat vpon the second chap. of this epistle vpon these wordes of Paul the circumcision of the hart is which consisteth of the spirite and not of the letter Neither ment Paul any thing els in the latter to the CorrinthiaÌ„s when he sayth That the law killeth but the spirit quickeneth For he calleth the law grauen in stones the ministery of death sayth that he is not appointed the minister of the letter but of the spirite Chrisostome thinketh that this sentence that we should serue in newnes of spirite is therfore added of the Apostle that we hearing mention made of liberty should not liue losely through licentiousnes of the flesh but should vnderstand that we are bound to a certaine other kynd of seruitude and that is to serue God Although as we before To obey God is not a seruitude Not all the fathers of the olde testamente liued in sinne admonished it can not properly be called seruitude for in it we follow not an other mans will but our owne Neither are these wordes of Paul so to be taken as though all the fathers of the old Testament liued in sinne and in the oldnes of the letter They pertaine vnto them only which either in this tyme want Christ or in the old tyme liued without him such as were many of the Israelites which waited for Christ according to the flesh as though Messias should be onely a pure man which should come and bring nothyng vnto the Iewes but a carnall kingdome pompe riches glory and a large dominion But the godly fathers as Abraham Iacob Dauid Esay and many others of that race wanted not the benefite of Christ but beyng endewed with the spirite of God had the fruicion of the liberty of the Gospell so much as the nature of the tyme then suffred They in dede obserued the ceremonies of their times such other like precepts but this they dyd of their owne accord not being compelled neither bare they any hatred against the law of God And although at this day after yâ— Christ hath appeared yâ— spirit of God be more largely poured abrode and the mysteries of our saluation are more plainlier manifested then they were in times past yet dare I not affirme that those holy patriarches had lesse of the spirite of Christ then haue many cold Christians in our tyme. And I wonder at Chrisostome beyng so great a man yâ— when he wrote vpon this place he would say That the elders had a body heauy and sluggish and vnapt vnto vertues but our bodies after the commyng of Christ are made lighter reddier The interpretacion of the law deliuered of Christ pertained also vnto the elders Somwhat was graunted in the law whiche is denied vnto vs. and cherefuller and for that cause the preceptes of the Gospell are more hard higher then were the commaundementes of the law For vnto them it was sufficient not to kill but vnto vs it is not lawfull so much as to be angry Vnto theÌ„ iâ—â—as sufficient not to coÌ„mit adultery but vnto vs is also prohibited the lustful loking vpoÌ„ an other maÌ„s wife And such other things of yâ— same sort I graunt in dede yâ— certaine things wer permitted in yâ— old law which were reuoked by Christ For it is not lawful for christians as it was for yâ— Iewes for euery light cause to geue a boke of diuorcemet But those thinges which Christ admonished of lust of anger pertained no lesse vnto yâ— Iewes in the old time theÌ„ they do to vs in this time And wheras Christ saith It was said to theÌ„ in olde tyme that is not to be referred vnto the sentence of the law but vnto yâ— wicked Christ retected the corrupte interpretations of the scribes and of the Phariseis An error of many of the fathers Sondry affectes stirred vp by the law interpretations of the Scribes and Phariseys For otherwise when as in the ten commaundements it is sayd Thou shalt not lust all maner of wicked lust both of the flesh and of vengeaunce and of other mens goods is vtterly forbidden But not only Chrisostom but also many other of the fathers erred in this matter But to returne to our purpose we ought to know that certaine men are by the lawe stirred vp only to certaine outward ceremonies and certaine cold workes which pertaine only a certaine discipline but those selfe same can in no wyse attaine to the iust and perfect obseruance of the will of God but there are others which wheÌ„ they very diligently consider the law and behold the horror of sin and the vncleanes and weakenes of their strengths at the last vtterly dispaire and begin to hate and abhorre God and to blaspheme him and his law and to fall hedlong into all mischiefe and wickednes vntill they drowne themselues in eternall destruction But vnto godly men the consideration of the lawe is profitable and healthfull for when as in it as in a glasse they consider their owne infirmity they are compelled to get them vnto Christ as vnto an hauen of whome they may both obteyne forgeuenes of sinnes and also day by day greater instauration of strengthes What shall we say then is the law sinne God forbidde But
the gift of God But our aduersaries will say that they also teach that the grace of God goeth before good workes and that of that grace is some faith geuen vnto men But this at yâ— beginning is so weake that it can not haue the power to iustifie how Whether a weake gracâ— anâ— faith haue the power to iustâ—fy An hiâ—â—ory of Pelagius beit there may some workes be done whiche may be acceptable vnto God But let vs remember what Augustine writeth of Pelagius in his 105. Epist to Innocentius the Bishop of Rome he saith that Pelagius in the Counsell of Palestine to the end he would not bee accursed accursed all those whiche should say that they could lyue vpryghtly without grace But he by grace vnderstoode nothyng els but the giftes geuen vnto vs in our creation as free choyse reason wyll and the doctrine of the law The Byshops of Palestine beyng beguyled by thys blynd shyft absolued and released him Augustine excuseth them for that they did it plainely and simplye For when they heard Pelagius coÌ„fesse the grace of God they could vnderstand no other grace but yâ— which the holy Scriptures set forth namely that whereby we are regenerate and grafted into Christ wherfore it is plaine that they whiche faine vnto them selues any Augustine caâ—leth Catechumentes before baptisme conceaued other grace then that wherby we are iustified and grafted into Christ obtrude vnto vs an inuention of man or rather Pelagius shift or starting hole whiche the holy Scriptures acknowledge not Farther Augustine in that place whiche we now spake of affirmeth that the Catechumeni and such as beleue although they be not Baptised are yet notwithstanding conceaued But they whiche are now conceaued to be the sonnes of God can not be straungers from him or enemies vnto The grace which succeedeth is one the same buâ— it differeth in degree and quantity him Wherefore it followeth that they are now iustified although not so perfectly Which is hereby manifest for that Augustine calleth the grace which succedeth a more ful grace as that which differeth not from the first in kind and in nature but only in degrée and in quantity And seing it is of the selfe same kinde that the other is it must nedes also iustifie Which is hereby made playne for that Cornelius is said to haue done workes which pleased God neither is that of any greate force that Augustine addeth that that grace was not so great that it could be sufficient vnto Cornelius or vnto the Catechumeni for the obteyning of the kingdome An other place of Augustine declared of heauen For these wordes affirme not that after this grace or fayth of the Catechumeni is to be looked for an other fayth which may iustifie as though by that former fayth they were not iustified This thing only he would declare that the Catechumeni ought not to stay in this degrée of faith of grace but ought to receaue baptisme and to go forward vntill the saluation and regeneration now begonne shoulde be made perfect For if any man should contemne the sacrament of Baptisme he should be excluded from the kingdome of heauen For they which haue beleued ought chiefely to sée vnto that they be by the sacrament grafted into the Church They which will not do this or neglect it sufficiently declare that they haue not ernâ—stly beleued Wherefore it is not absurd tha Cornelius and the Catechumeni had that grace which iustifieth which yet if they had contemned baptisme had not bene sufficient to the obtaynment of the kingdome of heauen And The omission or baptisme is then a let vnto saluatioÌ„ when iâ— springeth of contempt that Augustine had hereunto a respect hereby it is manifest in that he addeth that we ought not only to be conceaued but also to be borne which is so to be vnderderstand so that there be no lawfull impediment to let For if a man beleue and desire baptisme and can not attayne vnto it Augustine denieth not vnto such a one saluation For he confesseth together with other of the fathers that there is a baptisme of the spirite and that the power of the holy ghost worketh in our harts without outward signes And this he teacheth vpon Leuiticus in his 84. question For he saith that Moses without the outward ordination of the priesthode and without visible signes receaued the priestly grace and that Iohn Baptist was without outward sacramentes annoynted with the holy ghost in his mothers wombe that the thiefe vpon the crosse was without any sacramentes saued onely by the grace of God Lastly when as he saith that we are by the first grace of God conceaued and by the latter borne it is very plaine that he which is conceaued he which is borne is of one and the same kinde For a liuing creature when it is conceaued is not of any other nature then of that that it is when it is brought forth into the world This is the onely difference yâ— the one is more perfect the other Grace is encreased in baptisme more vnperfect Wherefore he that is Catechumenus when he is baptised may by the grace which he receaueth in baptism séeme more perfect theÌ„ he was before when he only beleued although theÌ„ also he was iustified through faith wherby he embrased the promises of god touching Christ Now resieth for vs to examine a place of Chrisostome in his homely De spiritu Natura lege Although if I should therin speake my iudgement I thinke that that oration is not Chrisostomes For it is both repugnant vnto it selfe and also contayneth thinges not hanging together which can by no meanes be conciliated But whosoeuers it be this is certayne that it maketh more on our side then on our aduersaries side For first he sayth that men vsing mercy haue by their almes no fruite at all before they haue faith but so soone as a man is adorned with it straight way follow good and fruitfull After Chrisostomes minde we are saued by faith onely workes but before they are not had And he addeth that we are by fayth only saned when as workes without faith coulde neuer saue them which worke them And he citeth the thiefe whom he affirmeth was saued by faith only without workes And that we should not doubt of what fayth he speaketh he speaketh of that fayth whereby we are made the citizens of heauen and houshold seruantes of God But these thinges can be ascribed only to that faith which iustifieth Farther He saith also that with out faith there is nothing good The soule is deade without faith he expressedly auoucheth that without fayth there is nothing that is good and of his saying he bringeth this reason for that that soule is dead which wanteth fayth And more plainly to declare himselfe he saith that those which do excellent workes without faith are like vnto dead carkases and to the reliques of dead men which
implore some tast of the mercy of God and of the righteousnes which is bestowed vpon them And this is the very naturall meaninge of such godly prayers Nether must we thinke that yâ— publicane prayed any otherwise He did not in that sense calâ— himselfe a sinner for that he was minded to abide still in sinnes for he was not so minded that he would still retaine his old purpose to sinne but he was truly and from the hart coÌ„uerted vnto God But our aduersaries faine that they whiche still perseuer in theyr sinnes nether haue in minde to change theyr life do yet notwithstanding some good which pleaseth God But we are taught by the holy scriptures that he which beleueth in God hath eternal life and therefore is iustified but other things are nether good nor yet please God Wherefore seinge that the publicane prayed and with fayth prayed it is moste certayne that he had eternall life nether wanted he iustification But to make What thinges are required to workes which are acceptable vnto God al these things the more planly to be vnderstaÌ„d it shal not be froÌ„ yâ— purpose to declare what things are required vnto a good worke to make it acceptable vnto God First he which doth a good dede must nedes be moued by yâ— spirit of God for otherwise in vs that is in our flesh dwelleth nothing that is good and they which are led by the spirite of God are doubtles the sonnes of God Secondlye it behoueth that fayth be present whereby we may certaynly vnderstand that that worke which we take in hand is of those kindes of things which God willeth and by his law commaundeth to be done For whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sin Nether ought we so to handle the matter that our hart should accuse vs in that thing which we doo Thirdly whatsoeuer we doo must wholy be directed vnto the glory of God that hereunto we chiefly and aboue all things haue a regard that the prayse and glory of God be illustrated by our workes Whither ye eate or whither ye drinke or what soeuer other thing ells ye do doo all things to the glory of God saith Paul Fourthly forasmuch as by reason of the infirmity which is grafted in vs there alwayes wanteth somewhat in our workes yea euen in those which seme to be most vprightly done it is necessary that the grace and mercy of God thorough Christe be wyth vs whereby that defect or want maye be compensed Wherefore Dauid sayth Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen Blessed is the man vnto whoÌ„ the Lord imputeth not his sin And Paul sayth There is now coÌ„demnatioÌ„ to those which are in Christ Iesus Again That which was impossible vnto the Law in asmuch as it was made weake thorough the flesh God sending his sonne c. These testimonies playnly declare that both our workes want of perfection and of theyr dew end and that also it commeth thorough Christ and the mercy of God that that blame mingled with our workes is not imputed vnto vs. Lastly thys also is required that no man glory of that which he vprightly doth but in God only and that he acknowlege that that which he doth he hath of his goodnes and WhereheÌ„ce the definition of a good worke is gathered The vngodlye are farre distant from the conditioÌ„ of good workes not of hys owne strengths For who hath seperated thee sayth Paule to the Cor. What hast thou that thou hast not receaued But if thou haste receaued it why boastest thou as though than haddest not receaued it When all these thinges whiche I haue reckoned are obteyned then the workes without all doubt shall be good and acceptable vnto God The diligent reder may here out of these câ—ditions of a good worke gather the definition thereof Contrariwise if we consider the nature of a man not yet regenerate we shal easely perceaue that those conditions which we haue sayd to be necessary vnto a good work can not be found in theÌ„ For he is vtterly voyde of the spirite of God and of fayth and is so infected with selfe loue so yâ— whatsoeuer he doth he referreth it not vnto God but vnto hys owne commodity Farther forasmuch as he is a stranger from Christ it must nedes be that he is left vnder the Law Wherfore whatsoeuer defect or fault is in his workes which must nedes be much the same can not by any meanes be compensed Finally if he haue done peraduenture any notable or goodly worke he glorieth not in God but in himselfe for he is ignoraunt both of Christe and of the grace of God By these two descriptions of a good worke and acceptable vnto God and of a man that liueth without Christ I thinke it is now manifest that those workes can not be good and acceptable vnto God which procede from an infidel But our aduersaries contend to wrest from vs two most strong places which we vse for the confirmation of this matter The first is that we say that A Metaphore of the good â—â—ell tree an euil trée can not bring forth good fruite The second is That whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Of whiche sentences we will in this place somewhat speake That metaphore of the euill trée which can not bring forth good fruite Christ vsed not only in the. 7. chapiter of Mathevv but also in the selfe same Mathevv the 12. chapiter And thereof he inferred Ye generation of vipers howe can ye speake good things when as ye are euill But before I make open this cauillation I thinke it good to declare how Augustine agaynst Iulianus the Pelagian in his 4. booke and 3. chapiter contended for this selfe same place He setteth forth a godly worke of a man being an infidle namely to cloth a naked man and demaundeth whether this worke may be called sinne Verely vnles this worke be Without fayth to cloth a naked man is sinne of that kinde that pleaseth God I se not what other workes infidells can doo which can be acceptable vnto him And Augustine contendeth and playnly proueth that it is sinne And that lest he should seeme to speake this without reason he sayth that it is therefore sinne for that he which doth that so godly a worke glorieth of hys worke for he doth not by fayth acknowledge ether God or Christ nor thinketh that he hath receaued the same at his handes Farther he sayth that to auoyd the nature of sinne it is not inoughe that a good thinge be done but also that it be well and vprightlye done Shall we then say that an infidell hath done a good worke and wrought vprightly If we graunt not this then must we confesse that he sinned but if we graunt it then must we confesse the fruit to be good notwithstanding an infidell without Christ is an euill tre So shall we graunt that an euill tree can bring forth good fruite which thing yet Christe expressedly denieth Now
affirme that by regeneration is takeÌ„ away the guiltines of sinnes For although these vices remayne both as the scripture testefieth and also as experience teacheth yet their bond and guiltines is taken away Wherfore Augustine oftentymes saith that lust in dede remayneth but the guiltines therof is by Christ takeÌ„ away And he addeth that somtimes it coÌ„meth to pas that the act and worke of sinne passeth away as we see it is in theft and in adultery but the guiltines notwithstandyng abideth and sometymes it commeth to passe that the guiltines is takeÌ„ away but the fault remayneth Which is plaine to be sene touching this lust wherof we speake It remayneth in dede but yet we cannot by it be as guilty condemned to eternall death If thou demaund why it is called sinne when as the guiltines is taken away I aunswer bicause in that it is not imputed vnto vs it hath not that of his owne nature for as touching his owne nature as we haue before taught it deserueth death and damnation but this commeth by an other meanes namely of the mercy of God through Christ But euery thing ought to be considered by it selfe and of his own nature Wherfore seyng the proper nature of sinne Euery thinge ought to be considered by his owne nature is to striue against the law of God and this thing we sée to come to passe in this lust and in these first motions therfore they ought to be called sinnes Neither by this our sentence do we fall into that folishnes which the Pelagians vpbrayded vnto Augustine and to other of the catholikes as though they should say that by regeneration The PelagiaÌ„â— bâ—â—ided vnto catholikes folishnes is not blotted out sinne but only rased For when heares are shauen there remaine still vnder the skinne the rootes of the heares by which they grow vp againe For although we affirme that in men regenerate remaine still lust A similitude corrupt motions yet do we not deny but that God is perfectly reconciled vnto vs. Wherfore although of their owne nature they are sinnes yet by the mercy of God they are so blotted out that they now vtterly cease to be imputed wherfore if we As touchinge imputation sinnes are vtterly taken is regeneration haue a respect vnto imputation there remayneth nothing of them Last of al they obiect vnto vs that we do iniury vnto Augustine when we say that he affirmeth these to be sinnes when as he interpreteth himself that they are called sinnes improperly For as a scripture or writing is called a hand for that it is done with the hand so that these called sinnes for that they come from original sinne and as cold Why Augustine calleth these motioÌ„s sinnes is called slouthfull for that it maketh vs slouthfull so are these called sinnes for yâ— they stirre vs vp to sinnes but yet properly they are not sinnes So say they Augustine by this meanes doth not only interpretate himselfe why he calleth these sinnes but also hath geuen vnto vs a way how we ought to vnderstand Paul wheÌ„ he calleth these sinnes Hereunto we aunswer first that if either Augustine or any other of the fathers do deny that these are sinnes that is to be vnderstand by When the fathers say that these motioÌ„s ar not sinnes they vnderstand that they are not actual sinnes way of comparison if they be compared with actuall sinnes but not that the nature of sinne can wholy be taken away from them Which thing Augustine in another place most plainly declareth For against Iulianus in his 6. booke 8. chap. For it is not sayth he no iniquity when in one man eyther the superiour partes are after a vile maner seruantes vnto the inferiour partes or the inferiour partes after a vile maner resist the superiour partes although they be not suffred to get the maistry Seyng that he calleth this sinne iniquitie he plainly declareth that vnto it is agreable the nature of sinne which we before described And in his 5. booke agaynst the same Iulianus He expressedly calleth these motioÌ„s sinnes and affirmeth thâ— to be iniquities the third chapiter he thus writeth The luste of the fleshe agaynst which the good spirite lusteth is sinne for that in it is a disobedience agaynst the gouernment of the mind and it is a punishement of sinne for that it is rendred vnto the merites of the disobedient person and it is a cause of sinne thorough the falling away of hym that sinneth Here we sée that lust is of Augustine thrée maner of wayes called sinne Neither Note these wordes of Augustine can it be sayd that he writeth these thinges of a man not regenerate For he expressedly saith Against which the good spirite lusteth For in the wicked is not the spirite of God which striueth against lustes Wherfore we haue out of Augustine thrée places one which we before cited out of his 5. booke de libero Arbitrio and Lust remayning in vs is truly and properly sinne two against Iulianus wherin he expressedly confesseth that lust is sinne and bringeth a reason why he so thinketh Neither oughte our aduersaries as touchynge the interpretacion of Paul to runne vnto a figure to say that this is not properly to be called sinne For both out of Paul and out of other places of the scripture is brought good reason why lust is truly and properly called sinne And it is to be woÌ„dred at that these men otherwise are euery where so prone to figures when as in this one proposition This is my body they so much abhorre from al kind of figures when as yet notwithstanding a figure is there most conuenient And if thou desire other testimonies of the fathers wherby to proue that lust is sinne we haue before cited Ierome vpon Mathew And there are in Augustine against Iulianus found cited a great many other sentences of the auncient fathers All which make wholy on our side But now let vs come to the exposition of the 8. chapter The eight Chapter FOrasmuch as nowe there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus which walke not after the flesh but after the spirite For the lawe of the spirite of lyfe which is in Christ Iesus hath made me fre froÌ„ the law of sinne and of death For as much as in this chapiter are entreated many notable things it shall The Method of this chapt not be amisse to deuide the summe of them into the partes thereof Firste Paul remoueth away condemnation which he sayth is taken away by the Lawe of the spirite of life which spirite we haue obteyned by the benefite of the death of Christ And this liberty promiseth he not indifferentlye vnto all men but only vnto those whiche are in Christe and walke not accordinge vnto the fleshe but according to the spirite For they which seperate them selues from Christ can not be pertakers of his benefite TheÌ„ he addeth that we by this spirit are
pertakers not only of the death of the Lord but of his resurrectioÌ„ also for forasmuch as Christ was by it raysed vp from the dead as many as are endewed with the same spirite shall likewise be raysed vp from the dead For that cause he exhorteth vs by the spirite to mortefye the deades of the flesh that we may be made pertakers of euerlasting life Thirdly he amplifieth and adorneth this state and condition which by the spirite of Christ we haue obteyned namely that now we are by adoption made the children of God that we are moued by this spirit and made strong against aduersities to suffer all afflictions Which prayses serue not a little to quicken our desire that we should desire to be dayly more aboundantly enriched with this spirite Fourthly he confuteth those which obiected that state to seme miserable and vnhappy in which the faythfull of Christ liue For they are continually excercised with aduersities so that euen they also which haue the first fruites of the spirite are compelled to mourne And he writeth that by this meanes these thinges come to passe for that as yet we haue not obteyned an absolute regeneration nor perfect saluatioÌ„ for we haue it now but only in hope which when time shall serue that is in the end of the worlde shall be made perfect Fiftly he teacheth that notwithstaÌ„ding those euills which doo enclose vs in on euerye side yet our saluation is neuertheles sure for the prouidence â–ª of God whereby we are predestinâ—te to eternall felicity can nether be chaunged nor yet in any poynte fayle And by this prouidence sayth he it commeth to passe that vnto vs which loue God all thinges turne to good and nothing can hurt vs forasmuch as God hath geuen vnto vs his sonne and together with hym all thinges wherefore seing the father iustifieth vs and the sonne maketh intercession for vs there is nothing which can make vs afrayd Lastly he sayth that yâ— loue of God towards vs is so greate that by no creature it can be plucked from vs. Hereby it is manifest of how greate force the spirite of adoption is wherewith we are sealed so long as we wayte for the perfection of our felicity And these thinges serue wonderfully to proue that our iustification consisteth not of workes but of fayth and of the meare and free mercy of God This is the summe of al that which is coÌ„tained in the doctrine of this chap. As touching the first part the Apostle alledgeth that condemnation is now takeÌ„ away which he proueth bycause we are endewed with the spirite of Christe But this deliuery he promiseth vnto those only which are in Christ Wherfore seing it is manifest what his proposition or entent is now let vs se howe these thinges hange together with those which are alredy spoken Toward the end of the former chap Paul cried out twise first when he sayd Vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the body of this death And by the figure Aposiopesis he expressed not the deliuerer but here he sayth that that deliuerer is the Lawe The law of the spirit and life deliuereth of the spirite and of life Farther in that place with greate affection he sayd I geue thankes vnto God through Iesus Christe our lorde nether declared he wherfore he gaue thankes But nowe he playnly expresseth the cause For he sayth that now there remayneth no condemnation and that we are deliuered from the Thankes are to be geuen for that there remayneth in vs no coÌ„mendation Law of sinne and of death This is it for which he gaue thaÌ„ks Lastly he added how that in minde he serued the law of God but in flesh the law of sinne Now he more playnly expresseth what that is namely to be in Christ and not to walke according to the flesh but according to the spirite Hereby it manifestly appeareth how aptly these thinges are knit together with those which are alredy spoken The Apostle seemeth thus to speake Althoughe sinne and the corruption of nature where wyth the godlye are vexed be as it is alredye sayde styll remayninge in them yet is there no daunger that it shoulde brynge condemnation vnto men regenerate for they are holpen by the spirite of Christe wherewith they are now endewed And euen as before he aboundantly entreated of the violence and tiranny of sinne which it vseth against vs being vnwittinge What thinges auayle to know our selues and vnwilling thereunto so now on the other side he teacheth what the spirite of Christ worketh in the Saintes Wherefore seing not only the holy scriptures but also the Ethnike writers do expressedly commaund that euery man shoulde knowe himselfe peraduenture there is scarse any other place out of whiche the A godly maÌ„ consisteth of two principles same may better be gathered then out of these two chapiters For a godly man consisteth of his owne corrupt and vitiate nature and also of the spirit of Christ because we haue before learned what yâ— corruptioÌ„ of nature that is sinne woorketh in vs and now is declared what benefites of Christ we obtayne by his spirite by this may euery man as touching ether part know himselfe Vndoubtedly wonderfull great is the wisdome of the Apostle who when he wrote of the force of sin expressed it chiefely in his owne person to geue vs to vnderstand that there is no Why Paul chaungeth the persons in these two descriptioÌ„s man so holy which so long eas he liueth here is cleane ridde from sinne But afterward when he entreateth of the helpe of the spirite of Christ he bringeth in the person of other men least any man should thinke with himselfe that not all manner of Christians enioye this excellente helpe of God but onelye certaine principall and excellent men such as were the Apostles After these things which we haue before heard out of the seuenth chapter a man mought haue sayd forasmuch as we are so led away captiue of sinne and that by force and against our willes what hope can there be of our saluation Much saith Paul Forasmuch as now there is no condeÌ„nation to theÌ„ which are in Christ For by the spirite of Christ we are deliuered from the lawe of sinne and of death This reason is taken of the cause efficient whereby is not only proued that which was proposed but also euen the very carnell and inward pithe of our iustification is touched For although men being now iustified are so restored vnto the giftes of God that they begin to liue holily and do accomplishe some certayne obedience begonne of the lawe yet because in the iudgement of God they can not stay vpon them forasmuch as they are vnperfect and are not without fault of necessity it followeth that our iustification should herein consist Wherein consisteth iustificatioÌ„ â–ª namely to haue our sinnes forgeuen vs that is to be deliuered from the guiltines of them And this is it which
vnder the law And that is it which condemneth and killeth For it vnder the payne of damnation commaundeth that we should beleue in Christ. Wherefore they which beleue not by the condemnation of the law do perishe But the propriety of the Gospell is only to make safe It mought also be somewhat more plainly aunswered The Gospell as it onely outwardly maketh a souÌ„d â–ª differreth little from the law that the Gospell so long as it doth but outwardly only make a sound neither is the holy ghost inwardly in the hartes of the hearers to moue and bowe them to beleue so long I say the Gospell hath the nature of the killyng letter neyther differeth it any thyng from the Lawe as touchyng efficacye vnto saluation For althoughe it conteyne other thynges then the Lawe dothe yet it canne neyther geue Grace nor remission of synnes vnto the hearers But after that the holy ghost hath once moued yâ— harâ—s of the hearers to beleue then at the length the Gospell obtayneth his power to make safe Wherefore the lawe of sinne â–ª and of death from which we are deliuered is it whereof before it was sayd that it leadeth vs captiâ—â—s and rebelleth against the lawe of the minde In this fight saith Chrisostome the holy ghost is present with vs and helpeth and deliuereth vs that we runne not into dammation He crâ—wneth vs saith he and furnishing vs on euery side with stayes and â—elpes bringeth vs into the battayle Which I thus vnderstand that we are counted crowned through the forgeuenes of our sinnes and holpen with succors when we are so holpen with free and gracious giftes and with the strength of the spirite and instrumente of heauenly giftes that we suffer not this lawe of naturall corruption to raigne in vs. And let this suffice as touching that euill from which we are by the spirite of Christ deliuered Now let vs declare what is the nature of this deliuery This deliuery may indede be compared with that deliuery whereby the children Our deliuery is compared with that deliuery whereby the Israelites escaped out of Egipt of Israell were deliuered out of Egipt But they were not 〈…〉 at liberty but yâ— they were with greeuous perils greate teÌ„ptacions excercised in the desert and when they were come to the land of Canaan they had alwayes remnants of the Amoritres Chittits Heuites and Cetites with whome they had continuall strife We also are so deliuered from death and sinne that yet there still remayneth no small portion of these euils But yet as Paul saith they can not hurt vs. For although it be sinne yet is it not imputed But by death our body shall so be losed and the soule shall so be seperated from it that by meanes of the holy resurrection it shall neuertheles returne againe vnto life And for that cause Paul said not simply that we are deliuered from sinne and from death but from the lawe and power of them Augustine also in his first booke and 32. chapter De Nuptijs concupisceÌ„ntia saith that this deliuery consisteth of the forgeuenes of sinnes which thing also we see happeneth in ciuill affaires For if a man being A similitude cast into prison knowing himselfe to be guilty doth waite for nothing but for yâ— sentence of death and yet through the liberallity and mercy of the king he is not only deliuered from punishment but also the king geueth vnto him greate landes and aboundance of riches and honors if we should consider in him the principall ground and cause of his deliuery we shall finde that it consisteth in the forgeuenes of his crime and offence For what had it profited him so to be enriched if he should straight way haue bene put to death So although by the benefite of the spirite we haue our strengthes renewed and the power or faculty to beginne an obedience forasmuch as by all these thinges the lawe of God can not be satisfied we could neuer be iustified vnles we had first remission of our sinnes For we should still be vnder condemnation and should be vnder the power of sinne and of death And when Paul vseth this word law he speaketh metaphorically For by the lawe he vnderstandeth force and efficacy And he attributeth it vnto sundry This word law is here taken Metaphoricallye thinges vnto sinne vnto death and vnto the spirite and if there be any other thing which hath the authority of ruling and gouerning the same may be called the lawe of him whome it gouerneth and ruleth But as we haue already sufficiently tought when we heare of this word lawe no man ought to thinke that here is spoken of the lawe of Moses And thus much as touching the maner of this deliuery But in this place therecommeth to my remembrance a sentence of Chrisostome in his homely de sancto adorando spiritu wherein he admonisheth that this is an apt place to proue the deuinity of the holy ghost For if the holy ghost be the author of our liberty then it behoueth him to be most frée And that A place to proue the diuinitye of the holy Ghost he is the author of our liberty not only this place declareth but also that place wherein it is written Where the spirite of the Lord is there is liberty But Arrius Eunomius and other such like pestiferous men would haue the holy ghost to be a seruaunt For they in the holy Trinity put a greate difference of persones for the sonne they sayde was a creature and for that cause farre inferior vnto the father but the holye Ghoste they affirmed to bée the minister and seruaunte of the sonne But if he bée a seruaunte howe then can hée bée vnto others the author of libertye He hath indéede other argumentes out of the holy scriptures whereby he confuteth the Arryans but it sufficeth me to haue rehearsed thys one argumente onely because it serueth somewhat for this place Now let vs se who they be that are partakers of this deliuery For Paul doth not superfluously entreate thereof For when he had taught that this libertye commeth of the spirite of Christe althoughe it be the true and principall cause yet bycause it is oftentimes hid nether can it be seene of other men therefore Paul turneth himselfe vnto the effects as vnto thinges more euident For there are many oftentimes which boast of the spirite and of faith which yet are most farre from them and remayne vnder damnation This selfe same maner shall Christ obserue in the last iudgement He shall first say Come ye blessed of my Father receaue ye the kingdome prepared for you froÌ„ the beginning of the world By these wordes is expressed the chiefe and principall cause of our saluatioÌ„ namely yâ— we are elected of God predestinate But bycause this cause is hiddeÌ„ from the eyes The proue by the effectes declareth who are the elect of God of men to the end they might seme true heyres of the
kingdome of heauen he streight way declareth that thing by the effectes I was hungry sayth he and ye fed me I was thursty and ye gaue me drinke I was in prison and ye visited me c So Paul in this place expresseth the true cause of our deliuery namely the spirite of Christ Now to know who they are that be partakers therof he setteth forth yâ— effectes of this deliuery sayingâ— Vnto those vvhich are in Christ Iesus vvhich walke not according to the flesh but according to the spirite That which is added namely to walke according to the spirite and not according to the fleshe bycause it is afterward repeated shall in that place be expounded Let vs se therefore what it is to be in Christe First commeth that which is common vnto all men For the sonne of God bycause What is the coniunction which we haue with Christ he tooke vpon him the nature of man is ioyned and made one with al meÌ„ For sithen they haue fellowship with flesh and bloud as witnesseth the epistle vnto the Hebrues he also was made pertaker of flesh and bloud But this coniunction is generall and weake and onely if I may so call it according to the matter For the nature of men is farre diuers from that nature which Christe tooke vpon him For the nature of man in Christ is both immortall and also exempted from sinne and adorned with all purenes but our nature is vnpure corruptible and miserablye contaminated with sinne But if it be endewed with the spirite of Christ it is so repayred that it differeth not much from the nature of Christ Yea so greate is that affinity that Paul in his epistle to the EphesiaÌ„s sayth That we are flesh of his flesh and bones of his bones Which forme of speaking An Ebrue phrase our bone and our flesh semeth to be taken out of the writinges of yâ— old TestameÌ„t For there bretherne and kinsefolkes doo thus speake of themselues one to an other He is my bone and my flesh For they seme to acknowledge vnto them one common matter by reason of one and the selfe same séede of the father and one the selfe same wombe of the mother Whereunto this also is a helpe for that children doo draw of theyr parentes not only a carnall and corpulent substance but also witte affections and disposition This selfe same thing commeth to passe in vs when we are endewed with the spirite of Christ For besides our nature which we haue commoÌ„ with him we haue also his mind as Paul admonisheth in the first to the Cor. and the selfe same sence as he requireth vnto the Phillippians saying Let the selfe same sence be in you which was also in Christ Iesus Thys our coniunction with Christ Paul expressed in this selfe same epistle by graftinge wherein are verye well perceaued or sene those two things which we haue now made mencion of For the grafte whiche is grafted and the stocke whereinto it is grafted are A similitude made one thing nether only are yâ— matters which were diuerse ioyned together but also they are nourished together with one and the selfe same iuyce spirite and life This selfe same thing the Apostle testefieth is done in vs when he sayth that we are grafted into Christ The same thing also Christ teacheth in the Gospel of Iohn wheÌ„ he calleth himself yâ— vine vs yâ— braunches for yâ— braunches haue yâ— selfe same life common with the vine trée they burgen forth by yâ— same spirite and bring forth one and the selfe same fruite Paul also in his epistle to the Ephesians Our coniunction with Christ is compared with matrimony â–ª compareth our coniunction with Christ with matrimony For he saith that it is a greate sacrament betwene Christ and the Churche For euen as in matrimony not only bodyes are made common but also affections and wills are ioyned together so commeth it to passe by a sure and firme grouÌ„d betwene Christe and the Churche Wherefore the Apostle pronounceth them frée from sinne which abyde in Christe and be in hym after that maner which we haue now expressed to the end they should liue his life and haue one and the self same sence with him and bring forth fruites of workes not disagreing froÌ„ his frutes and they whiche are suche can not feare condemnation or iudgement For the Lorde Iesus is saluation it selfe as hys name suffycyentlye declareth Wherfore they which are in him are in no daunger to be condemned Hereunto Who are in Christ we adde that they also are in Christ which in all their things depend of hym and which whatsoeuer they take in hand or do are moued by his spirite For to depeÌ„d of him is nothing els then in all thinges that we go about to haue a regard vnto him and to séeke onely his glory but they which are moued by his spirit â–ª do not follow the affections and instigations of lustes Hereby it is manifest how faithfull and godly men are in Christ and that by all kindes of causes â—â—or we haue one the selfe same matter also the selfe same first groundes of forme for we are endued with the self same notes proprieties and conditions which he had The efficient It is proued that we are in Christ by all kindes of causes cause wherby we are moued to worke is the same spirit wherwith he was moued Lastly the ende is all one namely the the glory of God should be aduanced But that which was vnpossible vnto the law in as much as it was weake because of the flesh God sendyng his own sonne in the similitude of the flesh of sinne and by sinne condemned sinne in the flesh That the righteousnes of the Lawe might be fulfilled in vs which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit For they which are accordyng to the fleshe sauour the thinges that are of the flesh but they that are accordyng to the spirite sauour the thinges that are of the spirite For the wisedome of the fleshe is death but the wisedome of the spirite is lyfe and peace Because the wisedome of the flesh is enmity against God for it is not subiect vnto the lawe of God neyther in deede can be So then they that are in the fleshe cannot please God But that which was impossible vnto the law in as much as it was weakened by the flesh God sending his sonne Here is brought a reason wherby is shewed that this spirite of God is geuen vnto vs for a deliuerer to the ende we might be made the more certaine therof For when we heare that of necessity we must haue the spirite of Christ streight way we thinke with our selues that by reason of our vncleane affections and corrupt maners we are vnworthy of the receauing of it This doubt Paul taketh away saith that yâ— benefite commeth vnto vs by the death of Christ For this was the ende for which Christ would dye namely
the Gosple Dauid Manasses and Peter repented So long saith he as thys affection shall so remayne it can not be subiect vnto the lawe of God but forasmuch as it may be changed all hope is not to be cast away In writing thus he teacheth nothing but that which is sound But this is to be noted that this chaunge consisteth not in our strengthes For it is altogether of the spirite of Christ and of grace For as longe as we be as we were before we our selues caÌ„ neuer change our selues But afterward Chrisostome addeth that peraduenture this affection of the fleshe signifieth a wicked action and that Paul ment nothyng els but that an euill worke can neuer be good And in the same sence thinketh he is to be taken this sentence of the Gospell where it is sayde That an euill tree can not brynge forth good fruytes This interpretation I can in no wise allow for that I sée that Paul here speaketh not of any action or worke but speaketh of the affect féeling and corruption of nature Neither can I be perswaded that the Romanes were so blockish that they neded to be taught that an euill action could not be good But that Christ by the euill trée vnderstoode not workes but man those thinges doo manifestly declare which are in that place by Mathew rehersed For he had warned them to beware of false prophets which come in shepes clothing but within are rauening wolues By their fruites saith he ye shall knowe them Doe men of thornes gather grapes or of briers figges Either make the tree good c. And farther that we may be chaunged which thing we deny not he goeth about to proue by the parable â—â— tares Tares saith he are made wheate and chaunged into it And therefore the goodman of the house would not haue them weeded out But we finde not in the Gospell that tares ar chaunged into wheat Only the lord would not haue the tares plucked vp lest perhaps yâ— wheat being mixed with theÌ„ bicause peradueÌ„ture yâ— rootes of yâ— wheat and of yâ— tares being intricated together should be together plucked vp But herein as we haue said coÌ„sisteth not the coÌ„trouersy For we know yâ— such affects may be changed and broken But he afterward sayth that that is done by the spirite and grace of God which thing is both most true we also haue oftentimes affirmed the same Howbeit as Chrisostome is alwaies to much prone to defend frée wil humane streÌ„gth he addeth That this lyeth in our power to receaue the spirite and grace so that euerye Chrisostom thinketh that euery one of vs can do what he will him selfe and that it lieth in our power to haue the spirite grace An other hard place of Chrisostome Motions contrary vnto the law are in the regenerate dayly made more remisse man may do what he will Which thing we vtterly deny For if a maÌ„ can of himself receiue the grace of God when it is offred vndoubtedly such a worke should bâ— both good and also could not but please God which yet should be done of a man not yet regenerate and so a trée being yet euill should bring forth good fruites which according to the sentence of the Lord is not possible For vnles our stony hart be taken from vs and in stede therof a fleshy hart be geuen vs we shall continually abide the selfe same that before we were Farther he addeth that the law of the members doth no more rebell against the law of the mynde neither doth it leade vs captiues vnto the law of sinne And that this is not so I doubt not but that euery man hathe experience in himselfe And we haue before by most manifest reasons declared yâ— those thinges which Paul writeth in the 7. chap. of this epistle doo pertaine vnto men regenerate Vnles peraduenture this be Chrisostomes meaning that these motions in the regenerate ar daily made more remisse But he vndoubtedly hereunto had not a regard as those thinges which follow do plainly declare And it séemeth that he spake generally of this our tyme which is since Christ offred himself vnto the father and suffred death Augustine hath of this place a sound interpretation One and the selfe same soule saith he may be subiecte both vnto the affecte of the fleshe and also vnto the affecte of the spirite as one and the selfe same water is bothe made warm â–ª and is also by cold congeled and made I se So that then if thou wilt say that I se is not whote thou saist truly and if thou wilt say moreouer that I se can not be whote this also is true for I se so long as it is I se can not be whote But it is possible that heat may be put to it the I se may be resolued made whote But that I se should both keepe still his own nature yet in the mean tyme be whote it is vtterly vnpossible After this maner the affect of the flesh may either be taken away or be broken and a spirituall affecte succede in his place But that a carnall affect should be made spirituall it is by no meanes possible If thou demaund whither spirituall obseruings of the commaundements of God ar vnpossible or no I aunswer that in the oldenes of the flesh they are vnpossible but if the spirite and regeneration be added they are not vtterly vnpossible although the law of God cannot in this life be performed no not eueÌ„ of the most holiest For it pertaineth to the spirite of Christ to tame the frowardnes of yâ— flesh and when we are once come to death vtterly to extinguish it Now yâ— these things are thus expounded there remaine two errors to confute wherof one is of the Maniches An error of the Manichies which therfore thought the flesh to be called enmity against God bicause it was created of an euill God which continually resisteth the true and good God But the matter is farre otherwise For here is not entreated of the hypostasis or substaÌ„ce of the flesh but of the fault or corruptioÌ„ which by reason of the fal of the first man is alwaies ioyned with it An other error is of yâ— PelagiaÌ„s which wer not ashamed An error of the Pelagians to say yâ— man by yâ— streÌ„gths of nature is able to kepe yâ— coÌ„maundemeÌ„ts of God From whome the scholemen at this day differ not much For they affirme that a man without the grace of Christ is able to kepe the Law of God as touching the substance of workes although not according to the meaning of the Law for they which are of that sort whatsoeuer they worke it caÌ„ not be done of charity And so they are not afrayd to say that a man caÌ„ loue God aboue all things though he want the grace of God Nether in the meane time marke they that the Apostle here sayth that the wisedome of the flesh is enmity agaynst God If an Ethnike
to moderate the paines inflicted of God althoughe the bodye be sayde to be deade bicause of sinne yet ought we not therfore to thinke that God retayneth hatred or anger against his whose sins he hath forgeuē For death and aduersities which afflict the godly ought not to be counted amongest paynes or punishments God is wont in déede to exercise the faythfull with aduersities as we rede of Dauid who although he heard that his sinne was forgeuen hym yet he both lost hys sonne and also in his family suffred wonderfull hard chaunces Wherefore the sacrifising priestes ought not hereof to conclude that it is lawfull for them at their pleasures to impose paynes and satisfactions vpon them whome they haue absolued from sinnes For only Christ when he died vpon the crosse hath aboundantly made satisfaction for vs all Neither did Christ impose any paynes ether vnto the thiefe or to the sinfull woman or vnto the man sicke of the palsey vnto whome he sayd Sonne thy sinnes are forgeuen thee Neither haue these men one word in the holy scripturs of their satisfactions Howbeit we both may and ought to exhort as many as returne vnto Christ and do repent by good workes to approue themselues to shew worthy fruites of repentance and whome they haue before by their euil workes offended him now to reconcile and edefie by their maners being changed Although these men ought not The kayes of the churche can not moderate the scourges of God vnder this pretence to clayme or chalenge vnto thēselues their kayes as though they could at their pleasure moderate the scourges of God whether they are to be suffred in this life or as they fayne in an other For it lieth in Gods hand only ether to send or to release warres disseases hunger persecutions and such other like kinde of calamities Neither hath God when he afflicteth the Saints alwayes a regard vnto this by a fatherly chastisement to correct their sinnes For oftentimes An other end of the scourges of God it commeth to passe that he will haue his Saintes geue a testemony of his doctrine and make manifest vnto the worlde how much his mighty and strong power is of efficacy in them So was Iohn Baptist behedded so were Esay Ieremy and al the Martyrs slayn This matter is clearely entreated of in the booke of Iobe Howbeit it is profitable that the godly be oftentimes admonished of repentance The spirite of Christ is the ground of our resurrection The flesh of Christ really eaten is not the cause of our resurrectiō and of good workes that God may lenefye and mitigate those scourges and calamities which he vseth to inflict vpon sinners Wherefore this place seemeth nothing to confirme either purgatory or satisfactions Howbeit by these wordes we are manifestly taught what is the ground or beginning of our resurrection namely the spirit of Christ which first dwelt in him and afterward also dwelleth in vs. Wherfore they are deceiued which thinke that vnto our resurrection is necessary either transubstantiation or the presence of Christ in the Eucharist as though out of his flesh which they will haue to be eaten of vs really we shal draw eternall life as out of a true fountaine and a certaine ground For here they make a false argument from that which is not the cause as the cause Here Paul writeth that the beginning of a new life is that we haue the selfe same spirite which was in Christ which is the whole and perfect cause of our resurrection But how the spirit of Christ can haue place in the supper of the Lord we may easely vnderstand In the holy supper we are indued with the spirite of Christ How the fleshe and bloud of Christ are a helpe vnto the reresurrectiō Wherefore the fathers sometimes attribute this thing vnto the sacraments A place of Iohn in the vi chapt for there we renue the memorye of the death of Christ of which if by faith we take hold in the communion we are more plentifully endued with the spirite of Christ wherby not only the minde is quickned but also the bodye is so renued that it is made pertaker of the blessed resurrection Hereby it is manifest how the flesh and bloud of Christ conduce to the bringing forth of the resurrectiō in vs. For by faith we take hold that they were deliuered for vs vnto the death by this faith we obteine the spirite to be made both in minde and in body pertakers of eternall lyfe And if the fathers at any time seme to attribute this vnto the sacramentes y◠hereof commeth for that they ascribe vnto the signes the thinges which are proper vnto the thinges signified This may we perceiue by the 6. chapiter of Iohn for there Christ promiseth life vnto them that eate his flesh and drinke his bloud And it is not harde for any man to sée that in that place is spoken of the spirituall eatinge whyche consisteth of fayth and the spirite For the signes were not as yet geuen of Christe And whereas hee sayth The breade whiche I will geue is my fleshe whiche I will geue for the life of the worlde is to bee vnderstande of the fleshe of Christe fastened vpon the crosse whiche beinge by faith comprehended of vs shall so strengthen and confirme vs as if it were our bread and our meate And that Christ sayd in the future tempse I vvil geue it is not to be meruayled at for he was not yet dead But hys death which afterward followed brought to passe that y◠body of Christ was offred vnto vs not only in words but also in outward signes in that last time when he was at the poynt to be deliuered Augustine in his 26. treatise vpon Iohn defendeth this doctrine For he sayth To beleue is To eate And he sayth moreouer That the old Fathers vnder the law did eate the selfe same thing that we doo For theyr sacraments and ours were all one and though their signes were diuers yet the things signified are one and the selfe same And in his epistle vnto Marcellinus he sayth That the sacramentes of the elders and ours were herein diuers for that they ▪ beleued in Christ to come and we beleue in him being now alredy come And Leo bishoppe of Rome in his epistle vnto them of Constantinoble sayth that we receauing the vertue or power of the heauēly meate do passe into the flesh of Christ which is made ours Ireneus oftentimes sayth that our flesh and our bodies are norished with the flesh and bloud of Christ which so it be rightly vnderstand we deny not For euen as by naturall meates is made bloud whereby we are naturally fed so by the flesh and bloud of Christ being taken holde of by fayth we draw vnto vs the spirite whereby the soule is norished and the body made pertakers of eternall life which we shall haue in the resurrectiō Farther we doubt not but that our flesh and body doo
step or degrée as though he would therof inferre that therfore they must nedes cherefully and redily endeuour themselues vnto a righteous life But bicause here séemeth to be signified a difference of the old and new Testament it shall not be amisse to sée with what spirite we are now led in the Gospell and farther with what spirit the fathers were ledde in the law Vndoubtedly Chrisostome vpon this place writeth of that matter diuers things wherunto I do not fully assent For first he affirmeth that the Iewes in old tyme had not the holy ghost But bicause he séeth yâ— the Apostle in this place expressedly maketh meÌ„cion of yâ— spirit this he saith he therfore doth for that the law of yâ— elders forasmuch as it was geuen by the spirite of God was therefore called spirituall and bicause those men were instructed by that Law therefore is here mencion made of the spirite And although in the 10 chapiter of the first to the Corrinthians those Fathers are sayd to haue eaten one and the selfe same spirituall meate and to haue dronke one and the selfe same drinke of the spirituall rocke yet will not Chrisostome graunt that they were pertakers of the spirite but he sayth that therefore those thinges were called spiritual for that they were geuen not by humane streÌ„gths or the strengths of nature but by the power of God And it is to be wondred at that this Father should thinke that the people in the old time were excluded from the spirite of It is proued that the elders wanted not the spirite of God God wheÌ„ as in Exodus the 31. chapiter we rede that Bezeleel and Aholiam were replenished with the holy ghost and also with wisedome and vnderstanding to make all such thinges that God had commaunded to be made in the worke of the tabernacle and we rede that the 70. elders which were geuen to be helpers vnto Moses were in such sorte made pertakers of his spirite that they also prophefied and that Iosua was endewed with the holy ghost that Gedeon had geuen vnto hym the same spirite and that the same holye spirite departed from Saul which could not be vnles he had had it before And what meaneth this that Dauid sayth in the Psalme Take not away thy spirite from me Agayne thy spirite shall leade me Agayne Confirme me with a principall spirite Nether can we deny but that Elias and Elizeus had the spirite of God when as the one desired that he mought haue dooble the spirite of the other geuen vnto him We rede also yâ— Daniell had the spirite of the saints But vnto these so many oracles we wil adde also a firme reason That the Fathers were iustified we doubt not But they could not be iustified without fayth in Christ But fayth can nether be had nor retained without the holy ghost But whereas Chrisostome sayth that the Apostle therefore maketh mencion of the spirite for that they were gouerned by the Law which was geuen of the spirite it is friuolous for the Law can not execute The law cannot do his office vnles it be holpen by the spirite hys office to bring vnto Christ men being now by it made afraid vnlesse the power therof be holpen by yâ— spirite For how many Epicures godles men are there which when they heare the Law are nether brought to Christ not yet once touched for the wicked crimes which they haue committed And that place in the x chapiter of the first epistle vnto the Corrinthians is not so to be vnderstand as he thinketh â–ª For Paul sayth that the sacrameÌ„tes of the elders were the A place to the Corrin declared selfe same with ours For vnles it were so the reason of Paul mought easelye haue bene answered vnto For the Corrinthians mought haue thought that vpon the Iewes were therefore so manye punishementes inflicted for that their sacrameÌ„tes were not like vnto ours and contrariwise that they although they sinned should not be chastifed for that theyr sacramentes were more perfect which could pacefy God though he were neuer so much angry and could driue away all aduersities which honge ouer theyr heddes But when as Paul sayth that theyr sacramentes were one and the selfe same with ours thys place of refuge he vtterly taketh away from them And that Paul had herunto a regard it is therefore without all doubt to be thought for that he maketh mencion only of those sacramentes of the old Testament which answere vnto our two sacramentes omittinge all the reste whiche were innumerable For he affirmeth that they were baptised as we are baptised and sayth moreouer that they receaued one and the self same spirituall meate and drinke which we at this day receiue signifieng therby our Eucharist or supper of the Lord. If thou take away thys cause thou shalt finde nâ—ne other cause why he made mencion of these two sacramentes only Farther what haue we in our sacramentes which we receaue as the chiefe and principall thing Is it not Christ But the Apostle testefieth that the elders receaued hym in theyr sacramentes For he sayth That they dranke of the spirituall rocke whiche followed them And that rocke was Christe We can not drinke Christ without his spirite But we can by no meanes drinke Christ vnles together therewythall also we draw in his spirite Wherefore we ought not to thinke that the elders had not the spirite of God but thou wilt say peraduenture they had rewards and chastisements as though we haue not so also For is it not so Doth not Paul greauously threaten the Corrinthians if they should follow those sinnes which the elders had committed in the desert doth he not say that many are weake and many fallen one slepe for that they had after a filthy maner abused the Eucharist And doth he not say When we are iudged we are corrected of the Lorde leste we should be condemned with this world Moreouer in the New Testament also there want not rewardes promised vnto godly men For if we geue any thing in the name of a prophet we shall receaue the reward of a prophet And he which forsaketh that which is hys for Christs sake shall receaue an hundreth fold euen in thys world also But Chrisostome addeth that vnto them was promised a land flowing with milke and hony but vnto vs is promised the kingdom of heauen Vnto the elders was promised not onely temporall things but also eternal life I graunt in dede that the elders had many temporall promises but yet not in suche sort that vnto them was no mencion made of eternall life For Christe bringeth a testemony of the resurrection out of the Law I am the God of AbrahaÌ„ the God of Isaak the God of Iacob And god sayth vnto AbrahaÌ„ I am thy protector and thy most ample reward And Daniell sayth That they shall rise agayne which haue slept in the duste of the earth some to eternall life and some to
euerlastinge damnation And Esay sayth of the damnâ—d Theyr fire shall not be quenched and theyr worme shal not dye And to omitte all other testemonies which are infinite Christ himselfe is promised in the Law For he himselfe sayth that Moses wrote of him Paul sayth that he was the end of the Law Farther there are many such other testemonies both in the Gosples and in the Epistles of Paul whiche are all taken out of the old testament Chrisostom sayth moreouer That the elders vsed outward purifications Nether doo we deny but that they were bound to a greate many more and greauouser ceremonies then we are and yet are not we altogether The elders were bounâ— to more ceremonies theÌ„ we are Circumcision the sacrament of regeneration as is baptisme Chrisostom herein erred for that he thoughte that the elders were forbidden onely the outwarde woorke As we are not vtterly without feare so wer not the elders altogether without loue without outward signes For we also haue bread wyne and water as elementes of our sacramentes but one and the selfe same Christe was common both vnto our sacramentes and vnto theyrs For no man can denye but that circumsion was the sacramente of regeneration euen as is also our Baptysme Yea also the verye Schoolemen confesse that orygynall sinne was forgeuen the elders in Circumcision Wherefore sentence oughte not so lightly to haue bene geueÌ„ that they had only outward purifycatioÌ„s But this is a great deale more sorer that he addeth That they restrained their haÌ„ds froÌ„ euill works but we restrayne both yâ— minde and coÌ„science Chrisostome semeth alwayes to be of this minde that the law prohibited onely the outwarde worke and that the Gospell afterward prohibited anger hatred and lust of the mind and considered not that the elders had also this commaundement Thou shalte not lust and that the Prophets euery where required Circumcision of the hart and that in the first commaundement are comprehended faith hope charity and whatsoeuer pertayneth to the spirituall motions of the minde But whereas he saith that they were impelled by feare and we by loue it is true in dede after a sorte but yet not so that they were vtterly without loue and we vtterly without feare But of this matter we wil speake more at large afterward But that is most vntrue of all that he saith that they performed the lawe but we farre passe those thinges which are commaunded in the lawe For as we haue els where proued not euen the regenerate can so frame their workes that they can in all pointes satisfye the lawe of God He addeth moreouer that they could not be corrected and amended but by stoning mayning burning and other such like kinde of punishementes but we are only excommunicated when we deserue to suffer the extreamest punishement that the Church can lay vpon vs. But he should haue remembred that those punishementes which he maketh mencion of were ciuill punishementes which our Christian magestrates also inflict vpon malefactors But they saith he had only in name the honour of adoption and of children but we haue it in very deede Vndoubtedly it can not be denied but that God was in the olde Testament called the father of his people For of theÌ„ he sayth that he had called his first be gotten sonne out of Egipt The elders also were the sonnes of God by adoption And Moses saith in Deutronomy Thou hast forsaken God which begat thee And Malachi in his 2 chapter There is one God and father of vs all And Esay I haue nourished and brought vp children and they haue despised me And doth not Paul say Vnto whome pertaine the testamentes and adoption He spake then of the fathers of the Israelites of whome was Christ according to the fleshe And moreouer I said ye were Goddes and all the children of the highest They also called God their father when they sayd in Esay Thou art our father for Abraham was ignorant of vs and Israell hath not knowen vs. And so great an affection did God the father beare towards them that he saith Can a mother forget her child But although she can yet will not I forget thee And as Chrisostome hath thus written in this place so hath he in other places also many thinges like vnto the same which as I sayd are warely and with iudgemeÌ„t to be red Augustine entreating vpoÌ„ this place saith that here is put a differeÌ„ce of the olde new TestameÌ„t of which the one is set in feare the other in loue He addeth moreouer that it is without controuersye that the spirit of adoption it the holy ghost But the spirit of bondage he thinketh to be that which hath the power of death that is Sathan For so many are held vnder the euill spirite as are destitute of grace and being not regenerate liue vnder the lawe For they are addicted vnto temporall thinges and obey theyr lustes noâ— in dede through the default of the lawe but for that they themselues are strangers from Christ and from God For they can not obserue the lawe of God And therefore they are both wrapped in sinnes and also tossed with continuall furies He also signifieth that of this place there is an other interpretacion as though the spirite here should signifie our minde which is sometimes the seruaunt of lustes and sometimes liueth vnder the liberty of the sonnes of God But this opinion he saith can not stand for that the spirite of adoption is a litle The spirite of adoption is not our mind but a breathing from God afterward plainly sayd to be externe and accidentary namely being breathed in vs by god For so Paul writeth It is the spirit which bereth witnes vnto our spirite that we are the sonnes of God Which wordes plainly declare that there is to be put a difference betwene that spirite which perswadeth and that spirite which is perswaded And if this be true of the spirite of adoption the same opinion also must we haue of the spirite of bondage Wherefore herein Augustine agreeth with Chrisostome that they whome he thinketh to be vnder the spirite of bondage are quite voyde of the spirite of God For those kinde of men he affirmeth not to be regenerate and that they are also straungers from God yea rather addicted vnto the spirit of Sathan of whome we can not vnderstand Chrisostome to speake For out of the lawe and the sacramentes bringeth he a reason why the elders wanted the spirite But Augustine denieth that this came to passe thorough the default of the lawe Wherefore his sentence is more probable then Chrisostomes Howbeit herein I agrée not with Augustine to thinke that by the spirite of bondage is to be vnderstand Sathan For here as I said are to be vnderstand two effectes of the holy ghost The first is when we are touched with the The spirite of adoption and the spirite of feare is the spirit of God knowledge of the lawe and conscience of
as they are now in blessed state and do beholde the face of the father it can not be doubtles that they should for our sakes mourne and lament â–ª vnles peraduenture they seme to be in woorser estate then was Lazarus in the bosome of AbrahaÌ„ And moreouer Paul sayth that euery creature is subiect vnto vanity doth not only sigh grone but also shal be deliuered froÌ„ the bondage of corruptioÌ„ all which things can not fall vpoÌ„ the nature of Angels But saith Augustine nothing is rashely to be pronounced it is inough so that we beware of the absurd and fond opinions of heretiques which touching the groning and mourning of creatures haue fondly and vndiscreatly set forth many thinges In which wordes I thinke amongst others are noted the Maniches But now to speake somewhat of the sentence of Augustine whereby he thought that by euery creature are to be vnderstand men This is certaine that all mankind is to be deuided into two partes for some men are godly and some vngodly TheÌ„ is it to be demaunded whether of these with so feruent a desire waight for the reuelation of the sonnes of God I thinke no man wil say yâ— the vngodly do waite for it for they haue no care at all what shall happen in an other world Wherefore there remaine only the godly who forasmuch as they are such they are The vngodly are not carefull for the glory to come Onely the godly and the sonnes of God desire the glory to come without all doubt to be called the sonnes of God Wherefore it followeth that only the sonnes of God be they whiche waite for the reuelation of the sonnes of God and so they shal be one and the selfe same which both desire and also are desired But it semeth that Augustine was not hereof ignorant For he sayth that the sonnes of God forasmuch as they are now oppressed with sondry cares and troubles do desire a better estate which they hope shall one day be reuealed And this oftentimes happeneth that they which are in a carefull and hard estate do ernestly desire that they may once at the length attayne to a quieter condition But if we consider those thinges which Paul straight way addeth And not only it but we also which haue the first fruites of the spirite c. We shall see that godly men and such as are endued with the spirite of God are distinguished from the multitude of other creatures For so meaneth this particle Not only Although I know that there are some which by those which are saide to haue the first fruites of the spirite vnderstand not all Christians vniuersally but only those which at that tyme had great plenty of the spirite such as were the Apostles and Paul himselfe a few certaine others which were endued with the spirite of the Apostles as if it should haue bene sayde The reuelation of the glory of the sonnes of God is waited for not only of all the godly but also of vs likewise which are endued most aboundantly with the spirite of Christ so that the argument is taken An argument taken of the iudgement of the excellentest men of the iudgemente of the exellentest and wisest men which is of great force other to confirme or to amplify a thing But the Apostle seemeth not in thys place to vse that distinction For before he pronounced vniuersally that we which are of Christ haue his spirite dwelling in vs. Neither in that he maketh mencion of the first fruites of the spirite meaneth he to put a difference betwene the common sort of Christians and the Apostles but he calleth the first fruites The first fruites of the spirite of the spirite that spirite which we haue now for that in an other life we shall haue the full fruites and plentifull profites thereof And Ambrose when he interpreteth that place Not only it but also we which haue the first fruites of the spirite straight way addeth when as he had already spoken of euery creature now he speaketh of men The argumentes also which moued Augustine to fly the common interpretacion are not so waightie and firme that we shoulde attribute much vnto them For in that Paul maketh thinges insensible to desire our saluation and for that cause to grone and trauaile he therein vseth the figure * Prosopopaeia or Anthropopatheia They which are of this opinion are not Prosopopoâ—iâ— is a faining of persons farre out of the way to be found with heritiques and to beleue thinges absurd of the Sunne moone and the starres Here we are in doubt betwene two figures for Augustine followeth this figure to thinke that euerye creature signifieth man We thinke it rather to be the figure Prosopopaeia The controuersy That figure is rather to be vsed whiche maketh the argument of more waâ—ghte and most agreâ—th with the words of the Apostle is which of these two figures is here to be vsed In mine opinion that figure is to be admitted which best agreeth with the wordes of the Apostle and which maketh his reason of more waight and of more vehemency And forasmuch as our sence bringeth to passe ether I thinke it rather is to be admitted First the Apostle as we noted sayth Not only it but also we which haue the first fruites of the spirite c. Which wordes sufficiently declare that he before entreated not of men but of other creatures Farther this reason is of great force to the amplification of our redemption which we waite for when we see that it is wayted for of all kind of creatures Touching the Angels only this exposition seemeth not to be so playne for that they mought seeme pertakers of misery if they should for our sake ether grone or frauaile whome yet we must beleue to be The aungels although they be blessed are not to be spoyled of all manner of affectes holy and in blessed estate But their felicity is no let but that they may be touched with some kinde of affections Peter in his first epistle and 1. chapter sayth that they desire to looke vpon the promises of the Prophetes which pertayne vnto the Gospell For that place is not so to be red as our interpreter hath turned it In queÌ„ desiderant Angeli prospicere that is Vpon whome the Angels desire to looke but in quae 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is vpon which the Angels desire to looke Wherefore they In quae in the plurall nomber haue in them a desire to sée these promises performed In Zachary we rede that they amongst the Mirtle trées like a troupe of horsemen with feruent desire prayed for the holy city that it might be builte againe I will not speake how in the Gospell we reade that they haue great ioy when they sée sinners conuerted to repentance Wherefore it followeth by an argument of the contrary yâ— of necessity they are gréeued at the stubbernes and obstinatenes of the wicked Touching the soules
of the Sentences confuted this matter For I know yâ— he in his 3. booke teacheth yâ— our hope leneth not only vnto yâ— mercy of God but also vnto our merites And therefore saith he to hope without merites is no hope but a presumption Thys sentence is not to be receaued For it addeth vnto hope a condition when as fayth without any condition apprehendeth that which is to be hoped for out of the word of God Farther when a these or any other wicked man is sodenly conuerted vnto God hath he not hope Vndoubtedly he hath for if he dispaired of saluation he would not fly vnto Christ And how can any man say that such a hope leneth to any merites when as he hath alwayes before liued wickedly But as we haue before sayd these men thinke they haue here a trimme place of refuge if they answere that thys hope of a man namely conuerted vnto Christ dependeth of merites not in dede past but to come newely that he hopeth he shal obteyne the rewardes of felicity when he hath done workes which he trusteth to doo But here they committe a double fault first bycause if he which is conuerted vnto Christ doo hope that by merites he shall haue eternal life he hath no true hope for he resisteth the true fayth For it apprehendeth the chiefe felicity offred frely Secondly vnawares they auouch that yâ— which hath not as yet his being is the cause of yâ— vertue which in acte and very dede they confesse to be in the minde of the repentaÌ„t And if they meane that he hopeth for felicitie when he hath liued well but yet in such sort that he hath no confidence that he caÌ„ by committing of sinne attaine Workes ar not the cause of hope vnto it then speake they no other thing then we do But so are not workes the cause of hope but light betwene it and the laste end as certayne meanes and first beginnings of felicity that men forasmuch as they hope that eternall blessednes shal be geuen vnto them freelye shoulde also hope that God if they liue wyll freely also geue vnto them good workes For the holy scripture teacheth â—arre otherwise then do these men For Dauid when he sayd If thou Lord shalt loke streightly vnto iniquities who shall be able to abide it And when he saw that the sinnes wherewith our workes are contaminated auocate vs from hope added The cause of our hope My soul hath hoped in his word And by the word he vnderstandeth the promise of which promise he rendreth a cause Bycause with the Lorde is mercye and with hym is plentifull redemption These are the true and proper causes of our hope The promise of God and his aboundant mercy The same Dauid in an other place sayth Why art thou sad o my soule and why dost thou trouble me Hope in God for I will still confesse vnto hym Here some obiect that we ar not iustified by fayth only for Paul sayth that we are saued by hope But these men ought to haue considered that the Apostle in this place entreateth not of Iustification For touching We are saued by hope but we are not iustified by it it he before wrote that by fayth the spirite we are deliuered from the lawe of sinne and of death and adopted into sonnes and heyres and made the fellow heyres of Christ But here he speaketh of the perfect redemption which is still to be wayted for This we also confesse to be holdeÌ„ by hope when yet notwithstanding we haue alredy by fayth obteyned iustification and remission of sinnes Farther I haue oftentimes admonished that when the scripture semeth to attribute iustification ether vnto hope or vnto charity or vnto our woorkes those places are so to be vnderstanded that iustification is there taught not by the causes but by the effectes And we ought to vnderstand that whatsoeuer is The consideration of iustification is sometymes declared by the causes and sometimes by the effectes attributed vnto works the same is wholy done by reason of fayth which is annexed vnto them Wherefore as in a wall we haue a consideration vnto the fouÌ„dation and in the fruites of trées to the roote so whatsoeuer semeth at the first sight to be ascribed vnto works is to be assigned vnto faith as vnto the mother of all good workes Which thinge Augustine hath in many places excellentlye taught Others to proue that hope depeÌ„deth of our workes cite that which Paul before sayd Tribulation worketh patience patience worketh experience and experience hope Here say they it is playne that of patience springeth hope I heare in dede the wordes of Paul but I doo not by them acknowledge that patience is the cause of hope For first it is playne inough to him that will consider it that Paul in thys connexion compareth not causes with effectes For who will say that tribulation is the cause of patience For it bringeth many to desperation and to horrible blasphemies But those thinges which Paul knitteth together in this chayne are instruments by which the holy ghost vseth to stir vp in vs these vertues But graunt that there be some consideratioÌ„ of cause betwene these things yet should it not thereof follow that patience is the cause of hope but contrariwise Patience springeth of hope that hope is the cause of patience For no man with a quiet mind patiently suffereth any thing vnles by that patience he hope to attayne vnto some thing Vndoubtedly Martirs are by hope confirmed in theyr tormentes patiently to beare them And the marchant if he had not a hope to gayn would kepe himselfe at home nether would he wander about the world And the shipmaster vnles he hoped that he could ariue at the porte would not lose out into the depe nether striue agaynst the windes and waues I confesse in dede that here is somewhat encreased by patience For when we se that vnto vs is geuen of Christ for hys Hope is somewhat encreased by patience sake with a quiet minde to suffer many thinges we more and more haue confidence that those thinges also which are remayning and which we wayte for shall one day be geuen vs. But to beleue that hope wholy dependeth of patience I can not be perswaded For as we haue before sayd by hope rather we come vnto patience And in very dede the holy ghost is the author and cause of these vertues And he goeth orderly to worke of one to produce an other Agaynst this certainty which we sayd dependeth of yâ— promise of God Pighius vseth trifling reasons that the promises are generall nether is in them mencion made either of me or of thee and therefore there is still remayning a doubt when we must discend to the application of these promises Thys man semeth to me to make the promises of God to hange in the ayre when as he will haue them to be so Euery faithfull man knoweth that the promises ar properly
touching Ismaell and Esau whether they be faued or whether they be condemned And the like some do touching Salomon Origen and others such like But I omitte these thinges and thinke of Esau and Ismaell so much onely as the holy scripture hath set forth vnto vs. And I think that there are What is to be thought of Esau no places extant by which we may define any thing touching their saluation The scripture thus speaketh of Esau that he so vehemently hated his brother that he sought to kill him that he sold his birth right that he prouoked h 〈…〉 â—arentes to anger when he had take strange women for wiues that he was a violent man and despised the land of Chanaan promised vnto the fathers and in the epistle to the Hebrues it is written that he although he poured out many teares yet found he no place of repentance Of Ismaell also we reade that he was reiected not only What is to be thought of their stocke by the will of Sara but also by the will of God But touching both their posterities I deny not but that some of them mought be saued no les then some of the stocke of Iacob might become runnagates and obstinate For it is sufficient to the election and reiection of God that some part of ech stocke be either elected or reiected And touching this sentence I haue Ambrose on my side who affirmeth that the most holy man Iob was of the famely of Esau Which saying yet how much it is to be regarded I know not This thing only I dare affirme yâ— as many as were saued that came of Israell those were saued by the grace of God and had a promise of their saluation and on the other side as many as were saued of the stocke of Esau those also were saued by the mere grace of God but there was no peculiar promise touching their saluation But as many as were of that stocke condemed Indefinite promises at not to be vnderstanded of euery one perticulerly they were condemned for their sinnes And the sentence of the reiection of the posterity of Esau is indefinite neither is to be vnderstanded of euery one perticularly But it may séeme more then wonderfull that God in his election worketh not only contrary to our iudgement but also contrary to his own lawes For not only after the mauer of men the first borne are preferred before the rest of the brethern but also by the prescript of the lawe of God they were holy and obtayned a dooble portion of the inheritance But God therefore so doth that we should God doth thinges contrary to his lawes vnderstand that we are saued only by grace and not through any priuiledges or conditions of this life and moreouer to geue vs to vnderstand that he is vtterly free from all lawes For his will is euen iustice it selfe and the rule of all thinges that are vpright and iust But because men can not attayne to the knowledge of of this hidden election therefore we ought to frame our selues to the lawes of of God which are published abroade and set forth to all men For Isaack circumcised his sonne Esau as God had commaunded him neither was he greatly carefull whether he were elected of God or reiected for he was then vtterly ignorant of the counsaile of God But the mother for that she had hard the oracle gaue faith vnto it as it became her and had a care that the blessing mought be distributed according to the will of God And so by her industry it came to passe that Iacob preuented his brother of the blessing Touching which will when the father also was by the spirite of God made more certayne he would by no meanes make voide that which had now passed betwene him and Iacob Paul mought now seme to haue thoroughly defended the truth of the promises of God when as after the example of Ismaell and Isaack which were borne of diuers parentes and at diuers tymes he with so great diligence bringeth in also an other coople of bretheren Iacob and Esau in whome all thinges in a maner were equall For they were borne both of one and the selfe same parentes and in one and the selfe same day and as Augustine saith in his epistle to Sixtus both conceaued at one and the selfe same time least any man mought cauell that the father was better when he begat the one then he was when he begat the other And the mother which bare them both was one and the selfe same woman And although she myght in that space of time whilest she was with child alter her maners and disposition yet that could not in such sort profit the one to be a let vnto the other Although by the Greke it appeareth not that they were both conceaued at one and the selfe same tyme. Howbeit this is red That Rebecka had fellowship by one euen by our father Isaack But Augustine followed the latine translation Farther it is not vnlikely to be true yâ— they which were borne in one and the selfe same tyme were also begotten atone the selfe same tyme especially seing that the Apostle in this place endeuoreth The industry of yâ— holye ghost in Paul in this coople of twynes vtterly to take away all maner of differences In Paul also is to be considered the industry of the holy ghost who when he had affirmed out of the holy scriptures that of these two brethern the one was elected the other reiected bringeth no other reason or cause of the counsell of God but that election should abide according to purpose But because he saw that this would in no case satisfy humane reason therefore he confirmed his sentence by an oracle of Malach. who straight way at the the beginning of his first chapiter thus writeth The Lord hath loued you And ye haue sayd wherein hath the Lord loued vs And the Prophet maketh answere Iacob and Esau were they not brethern But I haue loued Iacob and haue hated Esau Wherefore with Malachy to loue is all one wyth that which Paul hath That the Election of God shoulde abide according to purpose Neither is this to be passed ouer that the Apostle in thus ioyning together these Paul most diligently red the scriptures two testimonies declareth that he had not negligently red the scriptures Wherfore we also must endeuor our selues to do the like when as we shall see places of the scriptures alleadged either of the Apostles or of other writers Paul when he red the Prophet Malachy and saw that God proueth his loue towardes the Iewes by that that he had loued Iacob and hated Esau when yet notwithstanding they were brethern and twines straight way turned himselfe to the history of Genesis and there considered many thinges which mought conduce to adorne and amplifye this matter namelye that they were borne bothe at one and the same time and of one and the selfe same parentes and that the
a stony hart shalt geue me a fleshy hart These men to no purpose imagine that God setteth forth a certayne common grace vnto all men so that whosoeuer will may receaue it as though it were in our power either to embrace it or to reiect it For if it were so the beginning of our saluatioÌ„ should be of our selues and so whilest we go aboute to defend the liberty of our owne will we spoyle God of his election and liberty For if he equally offer his grace vnto all men as these men imagine then shall he predestinate nor elect none for it shall rather lye in men either to reiect God or to elect hym But the scripture euery where attributeth vnto God the election of those whome he will to Our will is not the rule of the election of God be saued And Christ sayth Ye haue not chosen me but I haue chosen you It is a poynt of great arrogancy to seke to bring God into an order that our wyll shoulde be the rule of the election of God This thing me thinketh is very vnwarely spoken of these men to affirme that they are receaued of God which will admitte his grace and they are reiected which will not admitte it Notwithstanding yet these men by such wiles and subtleties satisfye not humane reason which is the thing they chiefly go aboute For if we should graunâ— that which these men imagine namely that that litle or as they call it that moâ—icum whereby we can either admitte or reiecte grace when it is offred is in vs comming of our selues yet forasmuch as it is of all men confessed that God can by his spirite so helpe that little whatsoeuer it be that it shall not decline from vocation nor be ouercome of lustes humane reason will still enquire why he performeth not that especially seing that he may do it without any his discommodity euen onely by his becke Verely if a father should se his sonne in danger to be striken or to fall is it not his duety to helpe him and to It is the fathers part when he may â–ª to deliuer his son from daunger remedy the danger yea rather it is not onely the duty of a father so to be but also of euery good man and chiefly if it may be done without any losse or dammage But this may be without all doubt affirmed of God for nothing can hinder him when he defendeth any by his grace and spirite Neither auaileth this any thing which some say that it is not mete that men should be compelled to good thinges for we say that men desire not to be compelled but to haue their will made good and so changed that it be not ouercome of sinne And that may be obtayned without compulsion for the Saintes which are The saints which are in their couÌ„trey are not compelled to will that which is good already in theyr countrey namely in heauen of their owne frée and voluntary accord cleaue fast vnto God and that perpetually without any compulsion had at all But they obiect that if it were so then should men haue no merites at all For those merites they say consist in that modicum which they say is remayning in vs so that we vse it rightly But here also humane reason will answer What do these thinges helpe with so great a danger and destruction of infinite men Farther it very much pertaineth vnto the glory of God not to ascribe any thing vnto our merites but to referre all whole vnto him Thou seest now into how sondry and blinde mazes these men throw themselues whâ—n they seke to excuse God who hath no neede at all of any such patrone For all the godly ought to be no les assured that the wil of God is iust then they are These men acquite not God by their excuses that God is But what I besech you get these men by these their excuses Forsoth euen this in stede of one blasphemy which they pretend to auoyde which yet in very dede is no blasphemy at all â–ª they vnwares fall into many absurdities Yea at the length they are brought to that poynt that wil they or nil they they holde that some good thing commeth from men which dependeth not of God They crye out that it is absurde to saye that God is the cause of induration God to harden-taken in that sence that was before declared is not absurd But I would gladly know of them vpon which article of yâ— fayth this absurdity lighteth Doubtles vpon none if they so vnderstand the matter as we haue before declared it namely that we must not thinke that God of himselfe poureth any malice into men But if they shal say as doubtles they do say that they so teach that men should not be offended I would know of them what part in man is offended by this doctrine They wil answere I know humane reason But if they so much weigh the offending thereof why do they not disanull in a maner al the articles of the fayth For doth not it thynke that the creation of all thinges is absurde Doth not it thinke the death of Christ If we should satisfie humane reason we must disanuâ— the articles of the faith and the resurrection of the dead is absurde Paul to the Corrinthyans sayth that the naturall man vnderstandeth not those thinges which are of the spirite of God for vnto him they are foolishnes And what in Gods name shall we say that may satisfy humane reason Shall we say that God as touching perticuler thinges hath not a regard to humane affayres but that he onely vniuersally prouideth for the world Or shal we say that he permitteth men vnto themselues and condemneth no maÌ„ vnto eternall paynes For these and such like thinges as they are not disagreable from humane reason so are they most of all repugnant vnto the holye scriptures Wherefore we sée that this deuise though it séeme goodly to the shew and wittye This witty deuise nothing auayleth yet doth it nothing profite these men Now will we examine the sentences of the Prophets wherein God séemeth somtimes to be said to be the cause of deceauing and of error Shall we say that they prayed against the ouermuche lenity of God and sayd after this maner O God why dost thou so long forgeue this people why doost thou not chastise them that they be not so deceaued and erre Here doubtles I cannot inough meruayle at the so great negligence of these men in weighing the sayinges of the prophets Verely if a man diligently read the 60. chapter of Esay Where it is thus read Why hast thou made vs to erre â–ª O God and hast turned away our hart from thy feare He shal sée that this complaint is rather of the deceates and The Prophets praid not against the lenity of God beguilinges of the false Prophetes then of the lenitye of God For Esay prayed not that the people should be
he sayth that they were once aleants from God strangers for the testaments and a litle before children of wrath Neither is it a small dignity to be noÌ„bred What are the duâ—ties of them that are made the people of God amongst the people of God for it herein consisteth that we beleue in God and haue our fayth sealed with the sacraments and that we publiquely professe that which we beleue and publiquely and priuatly inuocate and worship our God and so lyue as his woord prescribeth vs and as his spirite suggesteth vs. The latine interpreter hath Et non misericordiam consecutam misericordiam consecutam that is And here which had not obtayned mercy to haue obtained mercy But in Greke it is read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Beloued and not beloued Although Ierome expounding this place sayth that in some bookes it was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is not hauing obtained mercy and he alloweth this reading better then the other as more agreable vnto the meaning of the Prophet And peraduenture it happened that some writer considering this diuersity of readings thought he would kepe stil ech reading in the Latin translation When as Paul vsed only one And how great a dignity it is whereunto the Prophet and Paul say that the elect are exalted to be made the people of God Iohn declareth in the beginning of his Gospell He gaue saith he vnto them power to be made the sonnes of God namely vnto them which are borne of God and haue receaued Christ Peter also in his epistle had a respect vnto this oracle of Osea For he sayth yâ— we of such which were not his people are made his people and haue now obtained mercy which were cleane voyde of mercy But Origen obiecteth that the Iewes peraduenture in this place will say that these things pertaine vnto them only for in the holy scriptures it can not easely be shewed that the Ethnikes were called not his people and that they should one day be made the people of God Vnto this obiection he thus maketh answere God speaketh not vnto rockeâ— or stones but vnto the hartes and consciences of men Therefore they which worke wickedly and liue noughtely wyll they or nill they heare of their conscience and spirite that they are strangers from God and haue departed from hym as contrariwise when they beginne to amend themselues and to liue holily they heare in their hart that they are the people of God and that they are come to hym and do pertayne vnto hym But if The scriptures plainly testifie the callyng the GeÌ„tles the Iewes would obiect these thinges vnto vs we ought not therefore to go froÌ„ this ankerhold as though the vocation of the Gentiles were not plainly inough testified by the scriptures for they in many places aboundantly teach both namely yâ— the Gentiles of their owne nature are strangers froÌ„ God also that by the grace of Christ they should succeede in the place of the Iewes of which matter we will speake more at large afterward It is true indéede which Origen sayth that those testimonies of the scriptures little profit vs vnles the spirite speake inwardly within our mynde and testify that we are the sonnes of God Chrisostome agréeth with this interpretacion which we haue cited and sayth that the Iewes for that by reason of their sinnes they were reiected were made not the people of God and so became equall with the Gentiles But he sayth it maketh no matter that the Iewes were newly reiected when as the Gentiles neuer at any time were the people of God for the Iewes at the length fell into the selfe same estate All these thinges are excedingly wel to be liked although when That place of Ose why it can not be vnderstanded of the Iewes I diligently weigh that place of Ose I see that he speaketh onely of the kingdome of the ten tribes yea he excepteth the kingdome of Iuda by name Wherfore seing that the prophet prophesieth that that people of the ten tribes shoulde be brought to that poynt that it should be not the people of God and forasmuch as he agayne addeth that the selfe same people should agayne be called the people of God it is manifest that these thinges can not altogether be vnderstanded of the Israelites For those ten tribes were neuer restored froÌ„ that captiuity of the Assiriaâ—s For they which in the tyme of Nehemias and Esdras returned pertayned vnto the tribes of Iuda of Beniamin and partly also to the tribe of Leuâ— which dwelt scatredly in yâ— lots of these tribes Wherfore it semeth yâ— Paul toke the Prophet in this seÌ„ce that he vnderstoode yâ— not only the Iewes should be conuerted vnto Christ but also the GeÌ„tiles Although it may be that they which are blind amongst the Iewes shal in the last time be called home to yâ— Church of Christ as we shal straight way heare in the 11. chapter Now followeth forasmuche as the conuersion of the Gentiles is now proued by a testimony of Ose to declare that which was the second part of the Apostles discourse namely that the nomber of the Iewes which should be saued should be small And thys he proueth by an other Prophet Esay also crieth concerning Israell Though the nomber of the children of Israell were as the sand of the sea yet shall but a remnaunt be saued For he wil consummate and make short his woord in righteousnes for the lord wil make short his woord in the earth And as Esay sayd before Except the lord of Sabaoth had left vs a sede we had bene made as Sodom had bene like to Gomorrha Esay also crieth concerning Israell Though the nomber of the children of Israell vvere as the sand of the sea yet shall but a remnant be saued He sayth yâ— Why Esay is said to cry Esay crieth for that he speaketh playnly and distinctly and when he bringeth him in thus crieng he moueth the Iewes to attentiuenes more diligently to harken vnto theyr crier but in the meane time he semeth to haue had a respect vnto that which is written in Esay the 46. chapter Cry out cease not as a trompet lift vp thy voyce The summe of this oracle is Although by carnall propagatioÌ„ the people of the Iewes hath encreased into such a multitude that it may now be compared with the sand of the sea yet shall few of them be deliuered And this is vnderstanded partly of the time of Ezechias wherin the whole kingdome of Iuda also Ierusalem only excepted was inuaded and partly of the time of the captiuity of Babilon wherein many died before power was geuen them to returne Many of them also would not returne when they might for that they now dwelt freely amongst the Babilonians neither would they returne into Iewry to labours and pouerty and forsake the goodes which they had gotten There wer few of the Iewes conuerted vnto Christ but those
few were fruitfull in Babilon So also happened it in Christes time for very few were saued which few yet brought forth greate and most plentifull fruites for as we redâ— in this prophecy they made righteousnes to ouerflow For the Apostles although they were few yet they preached Christ thoroughout the whole world and that with such celerity that Paul toward the end of this epistle and vnto the Colossians sayth that in his time the Gospel was in a maner euery where preached Therfore the Prophet saith that God had consummated that is had excedingly diminished the nomber and out of that multitude which was like the sand of the sea had elected only a few And this is to be noted yâ— in this place Paul reasoneth of election by the effects and by that yâ— few of the Iewes were saued proueth that predestination pertayneth only to a few of them These wordes are taken out of the 10. chapter of Esay Ci im ijhich ammecha israel cechol haiom schear iâ—schus bo Cillaion sharuts schoteph tsedaka Ci calah venechratsa adonai iehouah tsebaoth oseh bekereb col haarets Whereas Esay sayth in the middest of the whole earth it is not to be vnderstanded generally but only of the land of the Iewes For the prophet speaketh of that land only and Paul writeth of Israel And this phrase is very much vsed amongst the prophetes Which I therefore put you in minde of for that I know there are some which sometimes referre these wordes to the whole nomber of the faythfull being indede moued thereto by that sentence of Christ Many are called but few are elected Which sentence as it is most true so is it not of necessity yâ— it should pertayn to this place Paul saw that these wordes of Esay are of great force to plucke away the mindes of men from the confidence in yâ— flesh and in humane procreatioÌ„ For by theÌ„ is taught that of so greate a multitude of the children of Israell which were like the sand of the sea very few attayned vnto saluation And thinges which were theÌ„ done were not only shadowes and tipes of the Church of Christ but also a certayne beginning and progresse therof And as those thinges at that time were not obscure so in the comming of Christe were they most euident Paul followed the translation of the seuenty interpreters that the Church of the Romanes vnto whome he wrote might vnderstand those things which he cited out of the Prophetes but that the Seuenty added this greke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is worde and yet obserue the Hebrue phrase For with the Hebrues Dabar which they turne vvord signifieth also a thing or a matter So we rede of the adultery of Dauid that the worde of Vrias displeased God And Moses sayth Man liueth not by bread only but also by euery word which commeth out of the mouth of God in which wordes he signifieth that the power of God is not bound to things but yâ— he can fede his if he will with any other thing as well as with bread and therefore it was not wonderfull though the Israelites were fed in the desert with Manna which fel from heauen Wherefore the sence is that God would make his word that is the matter of that people cut of shorte and extenuated so that that so greate multitude should be brought vnto a small nomber And this is it which Ieremy complayneth of in his 8. chapter and also Ezechiell in his 11. chapter And Amos the prophet compareth the remnantes of the people of the Iewes with a young shepe deuoured of a lion which when the shepeherd seketh to deliuer can recouer nothing but only a legge or an eare of it so sayth he when the Iewes shall be led away into captiuity a very small part of them shal returne home again In Hebrew it is writteÌ„ A consumption made Venehadtsah which signifieth not only a thing lessned and cut of but also a thing definitely appointed and determined as though the sentence were alredy geueÌ„ which signification serueth very well to the purpose of the Apostle For his meaning is to declare that thys diminishing and reiection of the people which God would bring to passe depended of the appoynted purpose and of predestination not that the Iewes had not thorough theyr sinnes deserued to be reiected but bycause all these thinges were appoynted by the sentence of election and reprobatioÌ„ For by these things Paul here reasoneth of the effects as it were by the effectes Paul declareth that few of the Iewes are elected but many are reiected Vnto this lessening cutting of of the Israelites Iohn Baptist semeth to haue had a respect when he sayd That the axe is put vnto the roote and that Christ hath his fanne in his hand to purge his wheat And to this purpose Paul afterward sayth That the remnantes shall be saued according to election thorough grace Micheas also the prophet faineth God to be like one that gathereth grapes who when he hath gathered his grapes leueth oftentimes certaine few clusters in the vineard And Esay sayth that the daughter of Ierusalem should be lefte as a cottage in a vineard And in the time of the sloud only eight soules were left on liue howbeit those few which were lefte brought forth incredible fruite For euen as sedes when they are few do yet notwithstanding draw vnto A similitude them greate quantity of ioyce and moystnes of the earth and conuert it into theyr owne nature and for euery grayne render somtimes thirty sometimes threescore and sometimes an hundreth so that little flocke of Christ by theyr preaching conuerted vnto the Gospel great Churches of the Gentiles And this is it which Osea the Prophet when he had entreated of the reiection of the people sayd yet notwithstanding that the nomber of it should be like the sand of the sea Which selfe thing Ieremy prophesied in his 33. chapter when he spake of The Gentles conuerted vnto Christ are Israelites the couenaunt which should be renewed thorough Christ For they which of Ethnikes were conuerted by the disciples of Christ were made Israelites for that they hâ—d Christ for theyr hed and became his members and liued by hys spirite and were made flesh of his flesh and bone of his bones And of this thing Christ admonished vs when he sayd yâ— God could euen of stones rayse vp sons vnto Abraham Neither ment Esay any thing els when in this place he added that righteousnes should ouerflow Origen sayth that the Prophet prophesied these thinges for that he foresaw the infidelity of the Iewes for which they should be reiected therfore he thinketh that the prophet said If thy people were aâ— the sand of the sea for that they by theyr sinnes had made themselues barren and were vnfruitful as the sand is out of which can nothing spring But the multitude he sayth of the godly which should come out of the sâ—de of Abraham is compared
with the starres and not with the sand It is true indede that the Iewes were reiected by reason of theyr infidelity and wickednes But if we wil attaine to the meaning of Paul we ought to vnderstand that by these thinges as by the effectes is declared that the election of God pertayned vnto a few of them only and so may these thinges bee knit together with that which went before Further Origen not considering the maner of the Hebrew phrase as touching that word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is word or speache thought that that sentence is to be vnderstanded of the doctrine of the now testament for that the workes of the law and of the old ceremonies should be taken away from it and for that all the thinges The things which we beleue are contracted into a most briefe simbole or creede which we now beleue are now contracted into a moste briefe simbole or crede And seing that Origen was not only of more antiquity then all the rest of the Fathers but also was as a certayne fountaine out of whome the greatest part of them drew theyr interpretacions it is no meruayle though Chrisostome writeth in a maner the selfe same things For he saith that those few whome y◠Prophet mencioneth of for that cause abode for that they had shewed themselues worthy God saith he passeth not vpon kinred or nomber but onely hath a regard to worthines But we ought to know that whatsoeuer worthines or good is in man the same commeth wholy of the good pleasure of God neither is there any thing in vs which we haue not receiued of God Wherfore Paul saith that our sufficiency is of God neither can we so muche as thinke any thinge as of our selues Chrisostome addeth moreouer that the Prophet ment to teach not onely that but a few of the Iewes should be saued but also how those selfe same should be saued namely not by workes of the law or by great preparation of ceremonies but by faith which is very brief he putteth faith for the obiect of faith namely for those thinges which are beleued And to this sentence touching the briefenes of doctrine haue our new writers subscribed which had not a respect to the manner of the Hebrue phrase It is true I confesse that from the Gospel are cut of the olde ceremonies howbeit as touching the principall point somme of doctrine we haue not one whit les now then they had then And because the Seuenty interpreters vsed the Gréeke worde 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 somme haue turned it in latine consummationem or perfectionem afferre that is to bring consummation or perfection as though the Gospell is not onely new but also perfect and absolute namely for that Christ when he entreated of mutuall loue said I geue vnto you a new commaundment and for that he hath contracted all the commaundementes into two principall poyntes namely into the loue of God and the loue of our neighbour And yet hath not Christ therfore altered the doctrine For although the thinges which we haue be more cleare yet are they the selfe same which the elders had Neither did Christ therefore say that he Our doctrine and the doctrine of the Hebrues is one and the selfe same How Christ gaue a new commaundement gaue a new commaundemēt as though that had neuer bene heard of of the elders but herein consisted that renouation for that by the working of grace and by the power of the spirite which Christ most aboundauntly powred into the Apostles he renued that commaundement being now in a maner blotted out in the minds of men The word also abbreuiated some thinke in this place to signify Christ for that he being the Sonne of God abased himselfe and toke vpon him the forme of a seruant But whatsoeuer these men say it is plaine inoughe euen by the woordes both of Osea and also of Esay that these expositions are wide frō the texte For both of them entreate of the multitude of those which should be reiected and of the fewnes of the remnaunt Which thing the text it selfe being diligently weighed doth teach For when it was sayd If the number of the children of Israell were as the sand of the sea yet shall but a remnant be saued straight way is added For God will consummate and make shorte in righteousnes By which words is declared forasmuch as this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is for is a particle causall that a reason of the sentence going before is geuen and therfore a remnant onely should be saued for that God would in such sort cut of and shorten the rest And as Esay said before Except the Lord of Sabboth had left vs a seede we had bene made as Sodoma and had bene like to Gomorrha When he sayth that Esay spake this before he meaneth that this is written in the firste chapter for that oracle which was before mencioned is written in the .x. chap. And forasmuch as the Prophet so complayned for that it so happened amongest the fathers in the old time that the nomber of those whiche were saued was excéedingly diminished in comparison of those which perished Paul doth therof conclude that these men vniustly complaine when as they sée that no other thinge happeneth vnto them then happened vnto the fathers then whome they coulde not doubtles say that they were better Vnles there had bene a few left sayth he like vnto seede we had bene as Sodoma For the inhabitantes of that city were all destroyed For although Lot escaped yet was not he of that country but a straunger Origen again descanteth in this place vpon the séede remaining and thinketh that the Prophet meaneth Christ for that he was that onely séede promised vnto Abraham of whō Paul writeth to the Galathians As if the Prophet should haue sayd vnles Christ should be borne of vs we should be in worse case then Sodoma But this interpretacion is not necessary For although Christ be the hed of al those which are saued yet is here expressedly entreated of the small nomber of the remnante But as touching the rest which were reiected I nothing doubte but that they were in worse case then the Sodomites For Ezechiell writeth that so greate was the iniquity of Israell that it iustified Sodoma And Christ as saith Mathew sayd y◠it should be more tollerable vnto Sodoma then vnto those cities of Galilie wherein he had The Iews that were reiected were in worse case thē the Sodomites preached and wrought miracles Yea he saith That if these thinges had bene done amongst the Sodomites those cities had still remayned And the reason is for that they were ouerwhelmed with all manner of lustes and shewed themselues cruell and barbarous towardes straungers But the Iewes besides that they were contaminated with these heinous sinnes or also with many more and more greuous contemned moreouer the doctrine and miracles of Christe and crucified him and most dispitefully
more excellency then the effect especially in that it is such a cause wherfore if workes be the causes of predestinatiō they are also more worthy of more excellency Our works cannot be of more worthines then predestination That which is constant certaine dependeth not of that which is vncertain vnconstant then predestination Moreouer predestinatiō is sure cōstāt infallible How thē shall we appoint y◠it depēdeth of y◠works of frée will which are vncertaine vncōstant may be bowed hither thither if a mā cōsider thē perticulaly For men are a like prone vnto this or y◠kinde of sinne as occasions are offred For otherwise if we will speake generally by reason of the sinne of the firste parentes frée will before regeneration can do nothing els but sinne Wherefore according to the sentence of these men it must néedes follow that the predestination of God which is certaine dependeth of the workes of men which are not onely vncertaine but also are sinnes Neither can they say that they mean of those works which follow regeneration For those as we haue taught spring of Grace and of predestination Neither do these men consider that they to satisfye humane reason We must not so defēd ou◠liberty that we spoile God of his libertie and to auoutch I know not what liberty in men spoyle God of his due power liberty in electing which power and liberty yet the Apostle setteth forth and saith that God hath no les right ouer men then hath the potter ouer the vessels whiche he maketh But after these mens sentence God can not elect but him only whom he knoweth shal behaue himselfe wel neither can he reiect any man but whom he séeth shal be euill But this is to go about to bring God into an order and to make him subiect vnto the lawes of our reason As for Erasmus he in vaine speaketh against this reason For he sayth that it is not absurde to take away from God that power which he himselfe will not haue attributed vnto him namelye to do any thing vniustly For we say that Paul hath in vaine yea rather falsly set foorth this We must geue vnto God that liberty whiche the scripture geueth vnto him liberty of God if he neither haue it nor will that it should be attributed vnto him But how Paul hath proued this libertye in God that place whiche we haue cited most manifestly declareth They also to no purpose obiect vnto vs the iustice of God for here is entreated onely of his mercy Neither can they deny but y◠they by this their sentence do rob God of a greate deale of his loue and good will towardes men For the holy scripture when it would commend vnto vs the fatherly loue of God affirmeth that he gaue his sonne and that vnto the death and that then when we were yet sinners enemies and children of wrath But these men will haue no man to be predestinated which hath not good woorkes foreséene in the minde of God And so euerye man may say with himselfe If I be predestinated the cause thereof dependeth of my selfe But an other which féeleth truely in his harte that he is fréely elected of Loue towards God is kindled of the true feling of predestination God for Christes sake when as he of himselfe was all maner of wayes vnworthy of so greate loue will without all doubt be wonderfullye inflamed to loue God againe It is also profitable vnto vs that our saluation shoulde not depende of our works For we oftentimes wauer and in liuing vprightly are not very constant Doubtles if we should put confidence in our owne workes we should vtterly dispayre But if we beleue that our saluation abideth in God fixed and assured for Christes sake we cannot but be of good comfort Farther if predestination shoulde come vnto vs by our woorkes foreséene the beginning of our saluation should be of our selues against which sentence the scriptures euery where cry out For that were to raise vp an idoll in our selues Moreouer the iustice of God shoulde then The consideration of the election of God ▪ and of the election of man is diuers haue néede of the externe rule of our workes But Christ sayth Ye haue not elected me but I haue elected you Neither is that consideration in God which is in men when they beginne to loue a man or to picke out a frende For men are moued by some excellente giftes wherewith they sée a man adorned But God can finde nothing good in vs which first proceedeth not from him And Ciprian saith as Augustine oftentimes citeth him that we therefore can not glory for that we haue nothinge that is our owne and therefore Augustine concludeth that we oughte not to parte stakes betwene God and vs to geue one parte to him and to kéepe an other vnto Vnto God is all whole to be ascribed our selues touching the obteinement of saluation for all whole is without doubte to be ascribed vnto him The Apostle when he writeth of predestination hath alwaies this ende before him to confirme our confidence and especially in afflictiōs out of which he saith that God will deliuer vs. But if the purpose of God shoulde be referred vnto our workes as vnto causes thereof then could we by no meanes conceaue any such confidence For we oftentimes fall and the righteousnes of our If predestinatiō shold depend of workes i◠woulde make vs not to hope but to dispayre workes is so sclender that it cannot stand before the iudgement seate of God And that the Apostle for this cause chiefly made mencion of predestination we maye vnderstand by the. 8. chapter of this Epistle For when he described the effectes of iustification amongst other things he saith that we by it haue obteined the adoption of sonnes and that we are moued by the spirit of God as the sonnes of God and therfore with a valiant minde we suffer aduersities and for that cause euery creature groneth and earnestly desireth to be at the length deliuered And the spirite it self also maketh intercession for vs. And at the last addeth That vnto them that loue God all thinges worke to good And who they be y◠loue God he straightway declareth Which are called saith he according to purpose These seketh Paul to make secure that they shoulde not thinke that they are hindred when they are excercised with aduersities for that they are foreknowne predestinated called and iustified And that he had a respect vnto this security those thinges declare whiche In which wordes of Paul the aduersaries a◠deceiued follow If God be on our side who shal be against vs Who shall accuse against the elect of God First by this methode is gathered that the aduersaries much erre supposinge that by this place they may inferre that predestination commeth of workes foreséene For Paul before that gradation wrote these wordes To them that loue God all
as Paul reckneth it vp as an effect of predestination Good workes also may be added seing thâ—â— God is sayd to haue prepared theÌ„ that we should walke in theÌ„ TheÌ„ followeth certaynty or confirmation of our saluation which certainty of what sort it is we will declare in the 10. chapiter Lastly is the declaration of the riches of God which ende Paul manifestly mencioneth in thys Effectes of reprobatioÌ„ Of the state of the first man 9. chapiter and vnto the Ephesians he writeth That we might be to the prayse of hys grace and glory But as touching reprobation if it be compared vnto the first man GOD from eternally decreed to produce hym that by free will and certayne grace geuen vnto him he mought haue stode if he had would and God could haue geuen vnto him greater grace so that he could not haue fallen but Whether the first maÌ„ were of the number of the predestinate or of the reprobate he would not But whether AdaÌ„ were of the nomber of the reprobate or of the predestinate can not be gathered out of the holy scriptures although all the fathers in a maner consent that he was saued and therefore pertained to the nomber of the predestinate But other men which were reprobated were offred vnto God in a masse of perdition and vtterly corrupted For God decreed to produce them not els where but out of the sede of Adam and forasmuch as by his free purpose he would not bestowe his mercy vppon the multitude which is made reprobate therof followed reiection wherby they were left in theyr natiue sin Further forasmuch as God suffreth not his creatures to be idle they also are perpetually pricked forward to worke and for that they were not healed they do all thinges of theyr corrupt ground which although they seme sometimes to be beautifull workes yet before God they are sinnes Moreouer according as theyr wicked factes deserue God continually punisheth in them sinnes by other sinnes as vnto the Romanes many are sayd to haue bene deliuered vp into a reprobate minde for that when they knew God they glorified him not as God But yet as touching the sinne of the first maÌ„ this is to be considered that that sinne could not be sayd to haue bene the punishment of an other sinne For if it were the first sinne it had not any other sinne before it and that God vtterlye willed not that sinne that can not be sayd for agaynste his wil how coulde it be committed And he sawe that he woulde fall if he were not confirmed with his spirit and with a more plentiful grace and yet he holpe him not neither put he to his hand to kepe him from falling Moreouer the deuil vnles God had would durst not haue tempted him Furthermore he had appointed by him to declare his goodnes and seuerity hereof he gaue an occasion when he set a law which he knew should not be kept and also in geuing him a wife which should entise him And finally the action it selfe which as a subiect or matter sustained the priuation of vprightnes could not without the power and might of God haue bene produced Wherefore it is euident that God after a sort willed that sinne and was some way the author hereof although that it were not a punishment of sinne going before But contrariwise he is sayd not to haue willed it and not to haue bene the author of it for that he prohibited it punished it and willed it not simply but for an other ende â–ª he of himselfe ministred not yâ— prauity neither infused he it into him but the wil of Adam not being letted by a more mighty grace of his owne accord declined from vprightnes Esay also bringeth as an effect of reprobation the blinding and making grosse the hart of the people that they should not vnderstand And God oftentimes either by himselfe or by euil angels sendeth cogitations and offreth occasions which if we were vpright mought be taken in the best part but for as much as we are not renued we are by them driuen vnto euil afterwarde iustly and worthely foloweth damnation for sinnes and finally the declaration of the power and iustice of God is the last effect of reprobation Al these thinges follow reprobation although God as we haue before declared is not God is not a like the cause of all the effects of reprobation a like the cause of them all But because al the benefites of God which are geuen vnto the predestinate are referred vnto grace as to their hed and fountain therefore let vs see whether that principall effect of Gods predestination be as some haue imagined set forth of God coÌ„mon vnto al men for if it were so then should al men be predestinated it should lye in their owne power or in their own handes as the saying is to be predestinated so yâ— they would receaue grace wheÌ„ it is offred We in no wise say yâ— grace is coÌ„mon vnto al men but is geueÌ„ Whether the grace of God be set forth as common vnto all men vnto some and vnto others according to the pleasure of God it is not geuen And to confirme this sentence we alleadge these places of the scripture In the 6. of Iohn iâ— is sayd No man commeth vnto me vnles my father shall draw him And I wonder that the aduersaries should say that al men are drawen of God but all men will not come As if a man should say no man can attaine vnto learning Whether â—â— are drawen of God A similitude or good artes which is not endewed with reason and witte And yet doth it not thereof follow that though al men haue reason and witte al men should attayne vnto good artes for besides those grounds are required an endeuor and wil. So say they al men are drawen of God but besides the drawing of God there is required that we haue a wil thereto and do geue our assent for other wise we are not brought vnto Christ But doubtles it can not be that in al those propositions whiche are spoken with an exception that exception shoulde belong vnto al men For Christ said vnto Pilate Thou shouldest not haue power against me vnles it were geuen thee from aboue shal we therefore take vpon vs to say that vnto al men was geueÌ„ power against Christ And wheÌ„ as it is writteÌ„ That no man shall enter into the kingdome of heauen vnles he be of water and the spirit borne agayne shal we thereof inferre that al men are borne agayne of water and the spirit And when the Lord sayth ye shall not haue life in you vnles ye eate the fleshe of the sonne of man and drinke his bloud shal we thereby vnderstand that al men eate the flesh and drinke the bloud of the Lord And if this ought not so to be why wil these men when we say No man commeth vnto me vnles my father shal draw him therof inferre that all
men are drawen vnto the father Verely if a man consider yâ— course of the text he shal see yâ— this sence caÌ„not stand After yâ— he had made mâ—ncioÌ„ of the eating of his flesh of the drinking of his bloud yâ— Iewes were by reasoÌ„ therof offended the disciples went their way Vpon occasion wherof Christ said No man coÌ„meth vnto me vnles my father shall draw him which he ought in no case to haue said if he had ment only to reproue theÌ„ of infidelity He should not doubtles haue made mencion of yâ— father as though he drew them not if he do bestow this gift vpon all men And Augustine when he interpretateth this place saith Why he draweth this man and draweth not that man do not thou iudge if thou wilt not erre In which words he declareth that all men are not drawen of God And in the selfe same chapter it is written Euery one that my father geueth vnto me shall come vnto me Wherfore if all men were drawen they should all come vnto Christ And in the same place it is written Euery one which hath heard of my father and hath learned commeth vnto me Wherfore seing that many come not vnto Christ therby is declared that many neither haue heard nor learned And in the 10. chapiter when Christ had sayd that he is the shepherd and hath his shepe amongst other thinges he sayth Those whome the father hath geuen vnto me no man can take out of my handes But we sée that many fall away from saluation and therefore we ought to thinke that many are not geuen of the father vnto Christ But here also the aduersaries cauille that although no man can take them away yet notwithstanding men of their owne accord may depart A cauillatio away As if a man had seruaunts being himselfe a Lord of great might he mought doubtles say no man can take away these seruants froÌ„ me but they may of their A similitude owne accord depart from me But how vayne this their cauillation is the words which follow declare For Christ addeth That which the father hath geuen vnto me is greater then all By which words he declared that therefore those whome he had receaued of the father could not be taken away from him for that he is most mighty wherefore if they which are in Christ can not be taken away by others neither also are they able to withdraw themselues not that they are compelled by force but by the way of perswasioÌ„ it is of necessity that they abide Which self It is of necessity that the predestinate do abide thing the Lord also spake touching the temptacion of the latter times namely that the elect should be deceaued if it were possible In the selfe same 6. chapiter of Iohn Christ sayd That no man commeth vnto him but he vnto whome it is geuen of the father Which place hath one and the selfe seme sence with that other sentence wherin he said No man commeth vnto me vnles my father shall draw him And Iohn Baptist as it is written in the 3. chapiter of Iohn when he heard of his disciples that Christ baptised many answered that no man can receaue any thing vnles it be geuen him from heauen And in the selfe same chapiter The spirite bloweth where it will which thing although it be spoken of the winde yet notwithstanding is it applied vnto the holy ghost which regenerateth For to declare the force of the holy ghost the similitude is taken of the nature of the winde But The reueling of Christ is not commoÌ„ vnto al meÌ„ this is more manifestly set forth in Mathew when it is said No man knoweth the father but the sonne and he vnto whome he will reuele hym In which place we are tought that the reueling of Christ is not geuen vnto all men which thing Christ in the selfe same Euangelist declared when turning him vnto the father he said I geue thee thankes o king of heauen and of earth for that thou hast hidden these thinges from the wise and prudent men and hast reueled them to infantes Here also is declared that the reuealing of true doctrine is not common vnto all men But if thou wilt say that therefore it is not reuealed vnto the wyse men A cauillation for that they wyll not receaue it The woordes whiche followe doo not render thys cause but rather declare that the wyll of God hath so decreed For it followeth For so hath it pleased thee And agayne when the Apostles enquired why he spake in Parables vnto the people he aunswered Vnto you it is geuen to knowe mysteryes but vnto them it is not geuen and he sayde that he so spake vnto them that they seeing shoulde not see and hearinge shoulde not vnderstand And he cited a prophesie out of the sixte chapter of Esay wherein was commaunded that the people should be made blind and that theyr hart should be made grosse lest peradueÌ„ture they should be conuerted God should heale theÌ„ Moreouer the apostle citeth out of yâ— boke of Exodus God thus speaking I wil haue mercy on whoÌ„ I wil haue mercy and wil shew compassion on whoÌ„ I wil shew coÌ„passion Also yâ— which is written of Pharao To this ende haue I raysed thee vp that I mighte shewe in thee my power And he saith also that some vessels are made to honor and some to contumely Which wordes most euidently declare that grace is not set forth common vnto all men Peter also in the Actes of the Apostles sayd vnto Simon the sorcerer Repent if peraduenture God forgeue vnto thee this thought But they saye that in this place Peter doubted not but that grace is common vnto all men but he was vncertaine whether Simon would receiue it and earnestly repent But this subtle shifte nothing helpeth them for as the Apostle teacheth vs vnto Timothe euen repentaunce RepentaÌ„ce is the gift of God also is the gifte of God For he admonisheth a Bishop to kepe fast sound doctrine and to reproue them that resist If peraduenture God geue vnto theÌ„ to repent Whereby is concluded that it lieth not in the handes of all men to returne into the right way vnles it be geuen them of God Moreouer some sinne againste the holy ghost who are not pardoned neither in this world nor in the world to come Wherefore it is manifeste that vnto these men grace is no longer set foorth nor common And in the Actes of the Apostles God is saide to haue opened the harte of the womaÌ„ that solde silkes to geue héede to those thinges which Paul spake which is spoken as a certaine thing peculiarly geuen vnto that woman And this place maketh that plaine which is written in the Apocalips Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man open vnto me c. For we are sayd to opeÌ„ in as much as God worketh that in vs for he maketh vs to open and it is
doth not without good consideration setfoorth vnto vs the resurrection of Christ for that doubtles in the resurrection is accomplished our saluatioÌ„ For that which is now begonne in vs we shall haue absolute and perfect when we shall be pertakers of that life which Christ in his resurrection hath gotten not onely for himselfe but also for vs. Farther if Christ had not risen again from the dead he should not now be with the father obteining by his intercession grace spirite life for vs. And as Augustine teacheth the faith whereby we beleue that Christ arose againe from the dead is proper vnto christians for that he died the Iewes also and the Ethnikes The fayth of the resurrection of Christ is proper vnto christiaÌ„s The article of the resurrection is a knitting together of al the rest of the articles and all infidels beleue but that he arose againe onelye the members of Christ are persuaded thereof Lastly the resurrection of the lord is after a sorte a knitting together and a bond whereby the articles going before and the articles following concerning the faith of our saluation are very well knit together For if Christ rose againe it followeth that he died for our sinnes and that his sacrifice was acceptable vnto God neither could these thinges haue bene done vnles he had for the redemption of mankinde taken vpon hym flesh and had in very dede become man Moreouer if he rose againe he hath eternall life he is ascended vp vnto the father neither is he in vaine with him in heauen yea there he is as he hath promised at hand to helpe vs and prepareth a place for vs. For with the hart man beleueth to righteousnes and with the mouth is confession made to saluation With a certayne exclamation and that doubtles very profitable he concludeth the entreaty of the place which hee alledged out of Moses wherein he attributeth righteousnes vnto fayth onely and ioyneth coÌ„fession thereunto because a man should not thinke that hee speaketh of a weake dead fayth but of such a fayth as bryngeth forth confession And although there are a great many good woorkes which followe fayth yet Paule mencioneth that which is the chiefest and may easeliest be gathered out of the woordes of Moses before alledged for he as we haue heard vnto the hart ioyned the mouth And Christ sayth Of the aboundance of the hart the mouth speaketh How be it this is to be noted and that noâ— negligently that Paule in this place attributeth iustification vnto fayth but some saluation he attributeth vnto confession And by saluation he here vnderstaÌ„deth not the chiefest saluation that is our reconciliation wyth God or absolution from sinnes as he before dyd when he sayd If thou beleue that God raysed him from the dead thou shalt be saued And afterward Whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued But by saluation he vnderstandeth a farther perfection which is geuen vnto them whych are now iustified for dayly the powers of their mynde and the instrumentes or members of theyr body are made perfect by doyng good woorkes And wythout doubt when wee confesse the Lord by this laudable and holy worke we get much profit So ment Paule vnto the Philippians when he sayd Woorke your saluation with feare and with trembling And if thou contend that in this place by saluatioÌ„ is vnderstanded iustification that we wyl not sticke to graunt so it be vnderstanded onely as touchyng the effect and a posteriori as they vse to speake that is by that which followeth namely yâ— a maÌ„ may hereby iudge that such a one is iustified â–ª This place also maketh very much against certaine Libertines whych renew againe the errour Against Libertines of the Carpocraâ—ians and say that we must not confesse the â—eâ—â—ye of fayth before the iudgement seates of persecuters From whych errour the Nicodemites of our time are not very farre of whych say that it is mought to thinke we in the hart although outwardly true pietye be dissembled and although men gâ— to the rites and ceremonies of the Papistes We must in deede sake héede that we doo not rashly cast our selues into daungers but when God â—ath brought vs into them and that wee are examined touching the truth wee must remember that they which are ashamed of Christ before men he at the length wyll he ashamed Faith consisteth not without good works of them before the father Let our aduersaries go noâ— and obiect vnto vs that fayth can consist without good workes The Apostle when he entreateth of iustification describeth alwayes such a faith which of necessity hath confession and good woorkes ioyned with it For the scripture â—ayth Whosoeuer beleueth in him shall not be ashamed Now is it manifest why the Iewes could not complaine of theyr reâ—ection namely for that they were vnbeleuers And it is euident that righteousnes if we speake of the true righteousnes whych is before God can not be had but by fayth onely Whereof we may inferre that wheresoeuer fayth is there also is iustification and contrary The complaint of the Iewes stopped wyse where it wanteth iustification can in no wyse haue place Wherefore the Iewes haue nothing whereof to complaine For euen as the chiefest cause of our saluation namely the election or predestination of God is not contracted vnto the Iewes but is also poured abroade amongest the Gentiles as it hath bene declared in the. 9. chapter so faith which is the next cause of saluation is not shut vp amongest the Iewes onely yea rather but fewe of them beleued therefore the Iewes ought not to haue bene displeased for the conuersion of the Gentiles Hereunto the Apostle now endeuoreth him self to proue the the sentence which he had before spoken indifinitly namely with the hart man beleueth vnto righteousnes is to be vnderstanded vniuersally Lest the Iewes paraduenture should say It is true in deede that thou sayest but yet in our stocke onely and in the seede of Abraham It is not so sayeth Paule when as the Prophet Esay in hys 28. chapiter speaketh it by this word of vniuersality whosoeuer for hee sayeth who soeuer beleueth in him shall not be made ashamed To bee made ashamed in this place is nothing els but to be frustrated of the successe which was loked for For What is to be made ashamed when men are deceaued they are ashamed of vayne confidence This testimony of Esay the Prophet is in the. 28 thapiter which Paule also before vsed towards the end of the 9. chapiter But forasmuch as we haue there declared how it is written in the Hebrew and haue by the exposition of the Hebrew verity and of the translation of the 70. interpreters which Paule followed shewed the natiue and proper sense thereof wee will now ommitte to speake any more touching it For there is one Lord ouer all This sentence firmely proueth that as toothing saluation there is not to be put
any difference betwene the Iewes and the Gentiles The selfe same reason in a maner he before vsed in this selfe same Epistle Causes haue an affect towards their â—ffects in the 3. chapiter in that place where he sayd Is God the God of the Iewes onely yea and of the Gentiles also And the argument of Paule is firme for that it cleaueth vnto a sure ground namely that nature hath so framed yâ— things which are ioined vnto any other things as causes of them or beginning haue a desire towardes their effectes As the father hath to his children the woorkeman to his workes the Lord to his seruauntes so also hath God to his But they noorish helpe and adorne the thinges which pertayne vnto them wherefore God also will be vnto his both a helpe and also saluation and that his propriety is to preserue them the common prouer be declareth wherein it is sayd Homo homini Why God helpeth not the damned Deus that is Man is vnto man a God And if thou demaunde why hee helpeth not the damned when as they also pertayne vnto him we answer bicause he is now compared vnto them as a iudge and an auenger and not as God in whom they may any longer put coÌ„fidence or whom they can any more inuocate Moreouer let vs note that this vniuersall sentence is to bee vnderstanded predestination and election remaining safe for God is not so the God of all that he God is the God of all but yet hee predestinateth not all electeth and predestinateth all This thing onely we ought to gather that there are certayne of all sortes of people whome hee hath from eternallye elected and vnto whom in dew tyme he will geue fayth and that also hee woulde that fayth should be preached vnto all meÌ„ without difference yet hath chosen out certain whom he bringeth to the obteinment of the promisses And in this sense also as Augustine teacheth and as we haue oftentymes admonished is to be expounded that sentence of Paule vnto Timothe God will haue all men to be saued And that the proposition now alleaged is in this maner to be contracted the wordes which follow plainly declare Riche vnto all them that call vpon him They which are brought vnto saluation call vpon God and through the singuler and principall gift of God do beleue which gift is not giuen vnto all men Wherefore it is euident that preaching Preaching is common vnto al meÌ„ but â—aith is not commoÌ„ vnto al meÌ„ In what seÌ„se God is called rich ought to be common and so Christ is sayd to pertayne vnto all men But they which haue saluation which are endewed with fayth and the spirite vnto whom God is sayd to be rich are not indifferently all men but are in a certayn and definyte number conteyned in the election of God And God is called riche toward his for that he enricheth them with his grace and giftes In Greeke it is written 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for God hath no neede to be increased and enriched but encreaseth and enricheth those that are his This sentence is of great force to pacifie the myndes of the Iewes which through a certayne enuy were grieued that the Gentyles were called vnto the Gospell which thing they woulde not haue done if they had bene perswaded that God is so rich that he hath aboundantly ynough both for the Iewes and for the Gentiles so that by the calling of the Gentiles nothing was taken away from the Iewes And it is a coÌ„mon phrase in the scriptures by the name of riches to signifie the most plentifull goodnes of God So it is said in this epistle doest thou contemne the riches of his goodnes patience and long suffering And vnto the Ephesians Who is rich in mercy And Christ to the Colossians is sayd to be he in whome are all the treasures of the wysedome and knowledge of God When he addeth Rich to all them that call vpon him he adioyneth an other worke of faith For before by the testimony of Esay it was said Who soeuer beleueth in him shal not be made ashamed Now for inuocation A place of Ioel. he annexeth a testimony taken out of the second chapiter of Ioell VVhosoeuer shall call vpon the name of God shal be saued So that again we see that there is required a liuely fayth And as before confession was added vnto faith and Moses made mencion not only of the hart but also of the mouth so now together with faith is mencion made of inuocation And without doubt Ioell in that chapiter spake of the Messias for he saith that in those dayes should be geuen bloud fire pillers of a cloude and the Sunne should be turned into darknes and the Moone into bloud And there is added I will poure my spirite vpon all fleshe and your sonnes and your daughters shall prophesie your olde men shall dreame dreames and I will poure my spirite vpon your seruauntes and handmaydens That all these thinges pertayne vnto Christ and vnto the pouring forth of his spirit no man doubteth Wherfore if Paul applie them to the inuocation vpon him he nothing erreth from the natiue sence The prophet had before said that there should be a great destruction throughout the whole world and throughout the regions adioyning â–ª but he added thereunto that whosoeuer should call vpon the name of the Lord should be saued which forasmuch as he pronounâ—eth generally and vniuersally Paul therby declareth that this proposition is to be taken vniuersally It is true in deede that the Prophet saith that this saluation should be geuen in Ierusalem and in Zion but yet notwithstanding that letteth not but that it may be applied vnto the Gentiles also for he speaketh of that Ierusalem of that Zion which are preserued by God but the carnall kingdome of the Iewes is destroyed wherefore it followeth that such cityes are figuratiuely taken for the people of the faithfull which liued in them And those faithful were in their time the Church which afterward was spred abrod thoroughout the whole world neither are there any which call vpon the name of Christ but in the Church onely And it may be as some thinke that by the inuocation of the name of God is vnderstanded the whole order of piety and of sound religion But in my iudgement I thinke it better by inuocation simply to vnderstand the prayers of the faithfull And this is diligently to be noted that the Prophet writeth of that inuocation which procedeth from the spirite and What maner inuocation obtayneth saluation from a sincere faith for prayers said but of a facion and mumbled vp without vnderstanding obtaine not saluation We must also cal to memory that which Paul said vnto the Corinthians that no man can say the Lord Iesus but in the spirite Moreouer the Prophet sayth not whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the Lord shall haue whatsoeuer he asketh but shal be saued For
that he in spirite come into their hartes and be applied vnto them by faith As concerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes but as touching election they are beloued for the fathers sakes For the giftes and calling of God are without repentaunce For euen as ye in times past haue not beleued God yet haue now obteined mercy through their vnbeliefe euen so now they haue not beleued by the mercy shewed vnto you that they also maye obteyne mercye For God hath shutte vp all vnder vnbeliefe that he myghte haue mercye on all As concerning the Gospel they are enemies for your sakes but as touching election they are beloued for the fathers sake The Apostle maye séeme here to speake thinges contrarye for before he wrote that the Iewes were reiected made blinde and vexed with the spirite of pricking whereby they were stirred vp againste God But now he séemeth to make them holy by their stocke and by the hope of the redemption whiche shall come vnto them to pertayne vnto GOD. What shall we then say of them For Gods frends and enemies are also our frendes and enemies For if we loue God it is méete that we count his enemies for our enemies and his frendes for our frendes The Apostle in a diuers respect affirmeth eyther to be true of them according to the Gospell which they beleue not which they resiste whiche they woulde not haue to be spread abroade and to be preached they are the enemies of God For your sakes also whose saluation they cannot abide and whom they enuy for that ye are adopin to children they are enemies so long as the Gospel whilst they are thus blinded is preached and ye brought to saluation How Hilarius in his 11. booke de Trinitate Dei calleth them the enemies of God we haue before declared Seing therfore What we ought to do against the Iewes which are enemies vnto vs. they are the enemies of God they oughte also to be our enemies but not that we should entreat them ill or hurt them but rather that we should withstande their wicked enterprises Will they not beleue Let vs do the best we can to bring thē to beleue Wil they not haue the Gospel preached Let our care be that it be more diligently preached Do they séeke to hinder our saluatiō Let vs séeke to aduaunce it But on the contrary side if we looke vpon election if we consider the fathers of whome they came we shall sée that they were beloued of God for he chose their fathers and would haue the séede y◠came of thē to be holy not as touching all which We ought not for own priuate cōmodity sake to coūt any for our enemies should come of them but as touching so many as should be able to adorn that kinred with the name of holines And this loue hath declared it selfe in those especially which are as remnantes saued and shall towards the ende be saued But in the meane time let vs obserue this rule that those whome we count for our enemies or frendes we so counte them for the Gospell or saluation sake and not for our owne priuate commodities or pleasures sakes and that that maner that we haue before described Whereunto this also is to be added that for the amplifieng of the Gospel we suffer at their hands thinges dispitefull and hateful we suffer them patiently As forasmuch as the Iewes are according to election and according to the couenant made with the fathers beloued God will not be vnmindful of his couenant But whereas Chrisostome saith here that this consolation of Paul which he vseth vnto the Iewes consisteth in woordes only is in no wise to be receaued For Paul saith nothing in words which is not firme and sound Neither is that of any force which is sayd that the fathers profited them not vnles they beleued for we also cōfesse that thing and affirme that the Iewes whiche are saued are saued by faith but we say moreouer that God is of his mercy and voluntary clemency moued to geue vnto thē faith and this also he doth for that he wil not be counted vnmindfull of the promises whiche he made with the fathers and for their progenitors sakes who were vnto him dearely beloued he bestoweth vpon thē many giftes for so would he honor them As it is sayde of Isaack in the booke of Genesis that God woulde doo good vnto hym for hys father Abrahams sake who had obeyed hys voyce And in the tenne Commaundementes the same our GOD promyseth that vnto the godly he will do good euen to a thousande generations Neither is Ambroses interpretacion to be allowed who saith that forasmuche as they are the children of good parentes when they repente they shal be receaued of God for that the remembraunce of their parents shal be stirred vp before God God is not forgetful neither nedeth he to haue his remembraūce to be stirred vp Farther his appointmēt How farforth the acceptation of the fathers conduceth vnto the children is y◠as many as repent shal be receaued into grace and whē they first beleue the acceptatiō of their fathers is not annexed thereunto but they are receaued for Christes sake in whom they beleue Howbeit to the end they should beleue and y◠God should adorne them with faith motions of the good spirit thefrendship leage wherby god was ioyned to their fathers may be of force yea is somwhat of force For the giftes and calling of God are without repentaunce By this reason he proueth that the election of God abideth still in that kinred For this is the nature of God not to repent him he is constant and is not chaunged his singular wisdome suffreth him not to repent This pertaineth to vnware men which haue an ill iudgement euen from the beginning and contrary to whose opinion many Why men repent thē and why God repēteth him not things oftētimes happen But in God can no such thing happen for he hath from eternally most wisely appointed all thinges nothing can happen but that which he foresaw and is thereof in a maner the author Wherefore seing that he hath promised the the sede of the fathers shal be holy he wil stand to his promises and wil thereout gather many his elect For his gifts and calling are without repentance although the Iewes seme for a tyme to be expulsed But this is worthy of consideration how this is true that God repenteth not when as he himselfe sayde It Places which seme to note that God repēteth repenteth me that I made man And it repented him that he had made Saul king And in the 18. chapiter of Ieremy it is written I will repent me of the good which I promised to a kingdome or nation if they decline to iniquitye And dayly experience teacheth that many giftes are of God taken away from many men Hereto we say that God is not moued with affectes as men are although the
to be harkened vnto We ought to receaue and reuerence those Counsels only which haue framed theyr doctrine to the rule of the holy scriptures Demosthenes in an oration against Androtion sayth that decrees of the senate ought not to be made but according to the prescript of those thinges which are alredy determined in the lawes So in ecclesiastical counsells ought not new decrées to be made as touching doctrine but of those things only which are either had expressedly in yâ— word of God or ells may assuredly and euidently be gathered out of it First we will begin with the Counsell of Aphricke in which in the 80. chapiter a curse is pronounced Concilium AphricanuÌ„ agaynst the Pelagians who sayd that the grace of iustification is therfore geuen that by grace we may the easelyer fullfill that which we are commaunded to doo as though also with out grace although with more difficulty we might by our frée will fullfill the commaundementes of God when as yet the Lord speaking of the fruites of the commaundementes sayde not Without me ye can hardlye doo anye thing but with out me ye can vtterly doo nothing By these wordes are reproued the Papistes of our time which are not ashamed to say that a man before iustification can do yâ— workes which are commauÌ„ded in the law and which do please God and prepare a man to regeneration For what thing ells is this then with the Pelagians to say that a man may indede also before iustification performe the law although not so fully and easely as after he is iustified And that is nothing which they say namely that they put a certayne grace preuenting whereby men not yet regenerate may doo those workes which they call preparatory For in thus saying they differ in name only from the Pelagians For they also taught no les then these men doo that there goeth before a certayne grace of the law and of the knowledge of the will of God and of illumination wherby a man vnderstandeth what he ought to doo But as for the rest they attributed it vnto frée will which thing these men also do And that the Pelagians were of that opinion the counsel Mileuitanum declareth wherin it is thus written in the 4. chap. We curse all them which say that the grace of God through Iesus Christ our Lord helpeth vs onely for that Concilium Mileuitanum by it is reueled and opened vnto vs the vnderstanding of the commaundements of God that we may know what we ought to desire what to auoyd and that by it is not geuen vs also to loue to be able to do that which we know ought to be done For forasmuch as the Apostle sayth knowledge puffeth vp but loue edifieth it is very wicked to beleue that we should haue that grace of Christ which puffeth vp and not that grace which edifieth especially seyng it is written in the 4. chapter of the 1. epistle of Iohn Loue is of God In the second counsel also of Arausicanum the 4 chap. it is thus writen That Concilium Arausicanum they resist the holy ghost which say that the Lord wayteth for our will when as SalomoÌ„ sayth The will is prepared of the Lord and also when as Paul saith vnto the Philippians It is God that worketh in vs both to will and to performe according to his good will And in the 5. chapter are reproued those which affirmed that of the grace of Christ is geuen an increase of faith not the beginning For the beginning also of faith commeth of the inspiration of the holy gost which correcteth our infidelitie bringing it from infidelitie to faith and from vngodlines to godlines And the proofe hereof is brought out of sundry places of the scriptures For Paul sayth vnto the Philippians I trust that he which hath begonne the good worke in you shall accomplish it euen to the day of the Lord. And againe in the same epistle Vnto you it is geueÌ„ not onely to beleue in hym but also to suffer for him And vnto the Ephes By grace ye are made safe through fayth and that not of your selues For it is the gift of God Moreouer they are there subiect vnto the curse which would say That the mercy and grace of God is geuen vnto the willing vnto the beleuers vnto them that are desirous vnto them that go about it vnto them that labour vnto them that watche vnto them that study vnto them that aske vnto them that séeke vnto them yâ— knocke but confessed not that by the infusion and inspiration of the holy ghost and by the gift of God is geuen vnto vs to haue a will to beleue to endeuour our selues and to labour They cite these testimonies out of the scriptures What hast thou â—that thou hast not receaued And if thou hast receiued why boastest thou as though thou hast not receaued And the Apostle writeth of himselfe By the grace of God I am that I am In the 7. chap. are condemned those which thinke that by the strengths we can thinke or attaine vnto any thinge that serueth to saluation or that we can without the illumination of the spirite geue credite vnto the worde of GOD preached This may be confirmed by the scriptures For Paul saith that we cannot thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues but our sufficiency is of God Christ also saith Without me ye can do nothing Also blessed art thou Simon Bariona for flesh and bloud hath not reueled this vnto thee They also are cursed which graunt that frée will is in dede in some maner weakened and hurt but yet not so but that men by it may be conuerted vnto saluation The scriptures are apertly repugnant vnto that sentence For the Lord saith No man commeth vnto me vnles my father shall draw hym Paul also vnto the Corinthians No man can say the Lord Iesus but in the spirite of God This is an excellent sentence God loueth vs beyng such as we shall be by his gift and not such as we are by our owne merite And in the 13. chapter it is thus written Free will beyng lost in the first man cannot be repayred and because it is lost it cannot be restored but by him by whome it was geuen at the beginning Wherfore the truth it selfe sayth If the sonne shall make you fre then are ye truly free Farther in the 17. chapter is decréed that the strength of the Ethnikes commeth of worldly lust which wordes declare that their vertues as we haue before shewed out of Augustine and other Fathers were not true vertues chiefly forasmuch as they sprang out of an euill ground But humane lust comprehendeth whatsoeuer is possible to be found in men not regenerate It followeth in the selfe same chap. that the loue of God maketh the force and strength of Christians which loue is poured into our hartes not by frée wil but by the holy gost which is geuen vs wheras no merites go
peraduenture séeme straunge vnto some as sayth Origen that the Apostle when as in the spirite of God he know that he should come to Rome wold yet notwithstanding implore those mennes prayers This in my iudgement no man shoulde call in question But we should rather learne that holy men althoughe they certainly know that God will geue vnto them whatsoeuer is expedient yet they also knowe that he will oftentimes geue it them throughe the prayers of his The We pray for those thinges which we know shal be geuen vnto vs. Lord also knew that the father would deliuer vnto him all things yet notwithstanding he continually prayed vnto him and so prayed that he sayde Father into thine hands I commend my spirite And as he knewe that his spirite should without all doubt be receiued of God so doubted he not but that the same was to be obtayned by his prayers Moreouer by those wordes we gather that the force of prayers consisteth not of our workes and merites For Paul so greate an Apostle desireth Prayers consist not of the worthines of them that pray to be holpen by theyr prayers who were far inferior vnto him although Ambrose sayth that many little ones if they be gathered together into one make great ones This saying I mislike not for Christ sayd where so euer shall be two or three gathered together in my name there am I in the midst of them Againe touching what thing so euer two or three shall agree together it shal be done vnto them as they desire And how much the prayers of the Church profited it is plainly declared in Peter For he was deliuered by the Angel when as continual prayer was made for him And seing now that publique prayers are so profitable they ought without all doubte most often How we ought to praâ— for other to be celebrated Wherfore godly men so often as they are either sicke or are in any great daunger ought to require the publike prayers of the Churche and afterwarde when they haue obtained theyr request they ought also to require yâ— church publikely to geue thanks to God for theyr sakes That ye helpe me in my busines In Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This doubtles is more then to helpe a man in his busines For that word signifieth properly a man to take vpon him one and the selfe same labor one and the selfe same trauail one and the self same striuing and conflicte with him for whome he prayeth And by this phrase of speache Paul doubtles instructeth vs with what affecte we ought to pray for others that is to transfer vpon our selues as much as is possible the miseries afflictions and sorowes of him for whome we pray That he vvould deliuer me from the vnbeleuers in Iury. The first thing that he desireth them to pray for him is that he might be deliuered from the vnbeleuing Iewes whome he knewe deadly hated him For they although they wished that all the Christians might vtterly be destroyed yet they hated Paule aboue all others for that no man more vehemently then he vrged that the ceremonyes oâ— Why Paâ—â— was aboâ—â—â— all the other Apostles odious to the Iewes Moses should be taken away And in this iorney as it is set forthe in the â–ª 2â— and â–ª 21. chapiters of the Actes Agabus and other Prophets foretolde vnto him greuous chaunces which should happen vnto him at Ierusalem wherefore both by that history and by this prayer it is manifest that the minde of Paul was troubled with no small perplexity Which perplexity yet God so restrained within certaine limites that it nothing letted him from the worke of the Lord For the Apostolical history most plainely testifieth that he most constantly answered vnto the Prophets and brethren which dissuaded him from this iorney I count not my soule and life so precious sayd he that I will delay to runne my course and to fulfil my ministery which the Lord Iesus Christ hath deliuered vnto me And I am redy sayd he not only to be bound but also to dye for our Lord Jesus Christes sake Wherefore Paule was not afeard to die but he therefore desired to be deliuered that he might minister vnto the saintes and that he might come to Rome and so goe into Spaine For it had bene muche better for Paul to haue died then so to haue bene vexed with perpetuall contumelies and to liue as one layd forth to all iniuries This he himselfe signifieth to the Phillippians saying To dye is to me a gaine How be it to abide in the fleshe is profitable for your sakes and I hope that I shall abide Paule after this manner maketh request to the Romaines not in dede for his owne commoditye but for theirs And doubtles if they had a desire to sée Paul it was theyr parts withal maner of prayers earnestly to contend that according to his desire he might be deliuered from the vnbeleuing Iewes And that this my ministery vvhich I haue to doe at Ierusalem may be acceptable to the saintes The other parte of his request is that the saintes might gently The sâ—ate of the godly is miserable as touching this world accept his trauaile and paines The condition and state of the godly is doubtles miserable as touching this world They take most grieuous paines for the saluation of others not only to prouide for theyr soules but also for theyr bodyes And yet oftentimes they doubt whether they shall be well accepted of them whome they séeke to profit Neither dothe Paul without cause suspect that this might happen also as touching them which fauoured Christ For in those first times there was in the Churche of Ierusalem a certaine great zeale to obserue the law From which when they hearde that Paule was fallen away they bare but small good Some of the Iewes that were Christians bare no great good effection towardes â–ª Paul wil towards him Wherfore Paul feared least his duety towards them shold haue bene reiected and least he should haue bene frustrated of that consent agrement which he saw was nedeful for him to the preaching of the gospell Wherefore the preachers of our time ought to comforte themselues if they sée that theyr paynes which they take in teaching are not accepted of the people Neyther ought they which faythfully handle the distribution of almes to be grieued if they can not please all men Christ himselfe the more paynes he tooke for our sakes so much the more incurred he the displeasure of the Iewes Wherfore it ought not to seme vnto vs any great iniury if we be coÌ„pelled to suffer yâ— which we se he hath suffred What is to be sâ—ne vnto in geuyng of almes Hereby also let vs vnderstand that we ought not only to helpe the poore but also we must haue a care that our oblations may be acceptable and pleasant vnto theÌ„ which thing they litle consider which when they geue any thing geue it with
witnes bloude water and the spirite 79. b Herein is charity perfect in vs that in the day of iudgment we haue confidence 383. a Iude. ANd Enoch the seuenthe frō Adam prophesied of such saying beholde the Lorde commeth c. 403. a Apocalips CHrist shal raigne a thousand yeares with his saints 88 Behold I stand at the dore and knock And if any man open vnto me I will enter in and sup with him 384. a Take vengaunce vpon the earth for our bloud 345. b Vntill he put his enemies vnder his feete 360. b Holde faste that thou hast least an other receiue thy crowne 347. b ⧠Common places Of Iustification 367 Of Predestination 285 ⧠The first Chapter PAule the seruaunt of Iesus Christ called to the office of an Apostle put aparte to preach the Gospell of God which he before had promised by his Prophets in the holy Scriptures of hys son which was begotten of the seede of Dauid as touching the fleshe and declared to bee the sonne of God with power according to the spirite of sanctification in that Iesus Christ our Lord rose agayne frō the dead by whō we haue receaued grace and the office of an Apostle to be obedyent to fayth amonge all nations in hys name of the number of whome ye also are the called of Iesus Christ To all you which are at Rome the beloued of God called Sainctes grace and peace to you from God the father and from the Lord Iesus Christ As touchynge the saluation fyrste we muste note who it is that wryteth Three things to be considered in this salutation it secondlye to whome it is written lastly what maner of good thinges hee which saluteth wisheth vnto them It is Paule which saluteth the Romanes are they whom he saluteth and the good things which he wisheth thē are grace and peace indeede the chiefest thinges which of men can bee attayned vnto Rhethoriciās precepts concernyng Prohemes are here obserued Rhetoricians vse in theyr Prohemes to gette vnto them selues authoritie diligent hearing and beneuolence which thinge the holy Ghoste here fullye performeth For whilest that Paule doth adorne him selfe with these titles he winneth vnto him selfe authoritie and he also when he maketh mencion what are the thynges that hee will entreate of maketh the mindes of the readers attentiue And in wyshing vnto them such excellent good thinges and opening hys great loue towardes them he obteyneth theyr good will For by that meanes are they drawen to loue agayne such a man which so well wisheth vnto them Why he is so lōg in his salutation If any man thinke that thys salutation is more full of wordes then nedeth they must remember that Paul was greuously accused of false Apostles that he had fallen from the lawe and agreed not with the other Disciples of the Lorde and that hee was not to be counted for an Apostle which had not bene conuersant with the Lorde in the fleshe as the other Apostles were To all these false accusations it was necessary to aunswere euen in hys Proheme that he might haue the better eare geuen vnto hym As touching hys name I will nothing speake for I know that the elders dyd not rashlye geue names But because the holy Scripture testifieth not for what cause he was eyther called Saule in the Iewishe religion or Paule after hys conuersion I will omitte coniectures neither will Paule claimeth vnto himself thre titles The propriety of a seruaunt I stand about thys thing In hys superscription hee setteth forth three titles wherby he beautifieth hys name the fyrst is The seruaunt of Iesus Christ and that name is common vnto all the faythfull And the propertie of a seruant is thys not to bee hys owne man but to doe the busines of hys maister Wherfore if we be the seruauntes of Christ thys is required of vs that what soeuer we liue breath and thinke be directed vnto Christ And in these wordes are false Apostles reproued which sought their owne thinges to satisfie the bellye and to increase their gaine and they wanne not men to Christ but rather to Moyses or to them selues For as much as to be the seruauntes of Christ is as we haue sayde a thing cōmon vnto vs all let vs diligently consider the Metaphore wherby we are so called namely because we ought so to obey God as seruauntes do their maisters But we are farre of frō performing it For seruaūtes do spēd the Note wherein the most part of men differeth from the seruice of God least parte of the daye about theyr own busines and all the rest of the tyme they are occupyed about their maisters affayres But we do farre otherwise We are a very short space or an houre of our time occupied about things pertaining to God but al the rest of the time that is graūted vs we spēd about thinges humaine and earthly A seruaunt hath nothyng of hys owne nor proper vnto hym selfe but we doo priuatly possesse many thynges whiche we will neither bestowe for Gods sake nor for Christes sake Seruauntes when they are beaten and strikē do humbly desire pardō and forgeuenes of their masters but we in aduersities resiste God murmure agaynst hym and blaspheme hys name Seruauntes do receaue onely meate and drinke and apparell and therewith are content but we neuer come to any ende or measure of heapyng vp of wealth and riches Seruaunts when they heare the threatnynges of their maisters do tremble frō top to toe but we are nothyng moued with the threatnynges of the Prophetes Apostles and holy Scriptures Seruauntes wil neither haue talke nor familiarity nor yet shewe any signes of amitye vnto their maisters enemyes but we are continually in fellowshyp with the deuill the fleshe and the world Wherfore We ought to serue God more then seruauntes ought to serue their maisters we are farre from that seruice whiche we owe vnto God whom yet we ought much more both to obey and to serue then our seruauntes ought to obey and serue vs. For God besides that hē both fedeth and nourisheth vs hath also brought vs forth hath geuē vs euē our being Farther what soeuer seruaunts do towardes vs all that is to our commoditie and nothyng helpeth them but we contrarywise when we serue God do bryng no profite or commoditie vnto him For thoughe we lyue iustly he is therby made neuer a whit the better or more blessed thē he was before Also we geue litle or nothyng vnto our seruaūts but God hath for vs geuen forth his onely sonne and together with hym hath geuen vs all thinges We promise vnto our seruantes a very small rewarde but God hath promised vnto vs the same felicity whiche Christ him selfe hath the fruition of Whereby appeareth how much more we are bounde to serue hym then are our seruauntes bounde vnto vs. But in that we haue sayd that this vocation is common to all to be the seruauntes of Christ it semeth not very