and howe thys fayth is geuen by measure accordynge to the wyll of the geuer ¶ The .viii. Chapter THerfore sayth whiche is the mother of good wyll and iuste workynge of what fountaine she springeth the Apostle declareth whiche geueth thankes to god for the fayth of the Romaines saying Fyrst I thanke my God through Iesus christ for you al because your fayth is spoken of throughout al the worlde And writinge to the Ephesians he sayth For this cause after that I heard of your fayth which is in Christ Iesus and your loue towardes all the sainctes I cease not to geue thankes for you making mention of you in my prayers that the father of our Lord Iesus Christ the God of glorye myght geue vnto you the spirite of wysedome and open vnto you the knowledge of himself lightening the eyes of your heartes that ye myghte knowe what the hope is whervnto he hath called you what the rychesse of hys gloryous inheritaunce is vpon the saintes Lykewyse also he geueth thankes to God for the fayth of the Collossians We geue thankes to God sayeth he and vnto the father of our lord Iesus Christ alwayes praying for you since we hearde of youre fayth in Chryst Iesus the loue which ye haue towards al the saintes for the hopes sake that is layde vp in store for you in heauen And she wyng what he prayeth for thē that is that they might receyue other good thynges of the same aucthour he sayeth For this cause we also since the first day we haue heard of you cease not to make prayers and supplications for you that ye maye be fylled with the knowledge of his wyll in all wysedome and spirituall vnderstandinge that ye may walke worthely of the lorde in all thinges that please him beynge fruitefull in all good workes and encreasinge in the knowledge of GOD strengthened in vertue through hys gloryous power in all pacience and longe sufferynge with ioyfulnesse Also to the Thessalonians whiche serued in the spirite of fayth and loue he saith I thanke god alwayes for you all makynge mention of you in my prayers without ceassing remembryng the worke of your fayth youre laboure in loue and your perseueraunce in the hope of oure Lord Iesus Chryst in the sight of God oure father And afterward for this cause we thanke god without ceasinge because that when ye receaued of vs the worde where with GOD was preached ye receiued it not as the worde of man but euen as it is in deede the worde of GOD who worketh in you that beleue Could it more fully or more euidently haue bene shewed that the fayth of them that beleue is the gift of God then that thankes should therfore be geuen to GOD for thei to whom the worde of god was preached by men doubted not therof as of y e word of men but beleued it as god speaking by men who wrought in them that they might beleue In hys seconde Epistle also to the same Thessalonians the Apostle speaketh of the fayth of them that profite and come forwarde in Christ on thys maner We ought to thanke GOD alwayes for you my brethren as it is mete because that your fayth increaseth and your charitie is aboundant euerye one to another of you So that we oure selues reioyse of you in the Congregations of GOD ouer your pacience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations whiche ye suffer whiche is a token of the iuste iudgement of God that ye bee counted worthye of the kyngdome of God for the whiche ye also suffer The Apostle Peter also shewynge that fayth commeth of God wryteth on thys wyse Knowyng that ye are redemed not with corruptible golde and siluer for your vaine conuersation whiche ye haue receyued by the traditions of your fathers but by the precyous bloud of Chryste as of a lambe vndefyled and without spot whiche was ordeyned before the worlde was made but was declared in the laste tymes for your sakes whiche by hys meanes haue beleued in God whiche raysed hym vppe from death and glorified hym that your fayth and hope might bee in the Lorde Also the same Peter in his seconde Epistle speaketh on thys wyse of the receyuing of faith Simon peter the seruaunt and Apostle of oure Lorde Iesus Chryste to them which haue obtained like faith with vs by the ryghteousnesse that commeth of our lord Sauiour Iesus Chryst But Iohn y e Apostle teacheth most playnely from whence we haue the spirite of fayth saying Euery spirite that coufesseth that Iesus is come in the fleshe is of God and euery spirite that denyeth Iesus is not of God and the same is Antichrist He sayth also that he in whom the spirite of veritie is receyueth the Gospell we are of God sayeth he he that knoweth God heareth vs hereby we know the spirite of veritie and the spirite of errour Also Peter in the Actes of the apostles declareth that faith commeth through the lorde Iesus This man saith he which ye see and know hath the name of him made whole and fayth whiche is by hym hath geuen this perfect health in the sight of you all In lyke maner also it is shewed in the same History of the faith of Lidia whose hart the Lorde opened amonge other women whiche heard the gospell And on the Sabboth day we went out of the Citie sat down by a ryuer side where thei were wont to pray and we spake vnto the women whiche were come thyther and a certaine woman whose name was Lidia a seller of purple of the Citie of Thiatira a worshipper of god heard vs whose hart the lord so opened that she attēded vnto y e things that Paul spake And it is confirmed by y e words of the veritie it selfe that fayth commeth not by mans wisdom but by the inspiratiō of god for the lord saith to hys Disciples But whom saye ye that I am Simō Peter answered saying Thou art Christ y e sonne of the liuing god Iesus aunswered said vnto him Blessed art thou Simon the sonne of Ionas for fleshe and bloud hath not reueled this vnto the but my father whiche is in heauen Paule the Apostle also telleth y t this faith is geuen by measure at y e pleasure of him y t geueth it on thys wise I sai vnto you al through the grace y t is geuen to me y t no man esteme of himself more thē becommeth hym to esteme but that he discretely iugde of himselfe as god hath dealt to euery man the measure of fayth Also the same Paule declaryng y t the vnitie and agreemente of the right faith and the consenting to the honour of god doth procede and come of god saith The god of pacience and consolation graunte you to be like minded one towardes another of you after thensample of Iesus Chryste that ye agreynge together maye with one mouth prayse GOD the father
of the Lorde Esay the prophet speaketh likewyse of the spirituall rychesse whereof God is the aucthour Our saluacion commeth with treasures as for wisdome and godlynesse and nourture they come from the Lorde these are the treasures of ryghteousnes Also he speaketh these wordes of the depth of the riches of the wisdome knowledge of God whose goodnesse is preuented with the merite of no manne whiche hath measured the water with his hande the heauen with his spanne and the whole earth with thre fingers which hath wayed the mountaines in the skaoles and the rockes in the balaunce who hath knowen the minde of the Lorde or who hath bene hys counseller who canne instruct hym or of whom hath he asked counsayl and he hath taught hym Or who hath shewed hym iudgement or who hath shewed hym the waye of wisedome or who hath fyrst geuen to him that he may recompence him whereof also in the booke of Iob the words of the lord are red in the same sence sayinge who hath geuen to me fyrst that I should recompence him All thynges that are vnder heauē are mine Ieremias also sayeth on thys wise that a mā hath right wisdome from god O lord I know that it is not in mans power to order his owne way neyther is it in man to rule his own iourney Also the Lorde protesteth by the same Prophete that the conuersion of the hart to God is of God and he sayeth I will restore them vnto thys lande and I will newe buylde them and will not destroye them I wyll plant them and not pulle them vp I wyll geue them an heart that thei may knowe me for I am the Lorde and they shalbe my people and I wyl be theyr God for they shalbe conuerted vnto me with theyr hole heart Also the same Prophete she wynge that it cōmeth of god that we knowe god sayth And they shal knowe that I am the Lorde theyr God and I wyll geue them an hearte to knowe me and eares to heare me The Apostle in the firste Epistle to the Corinthians teacheth that euery good word and euery holy worke is the secrete working if the holy spirit without whō nothing is well done saying Therfore I do you to vnderstād that no man speakynge in the sprite of god defieth Iesus And no man can saye that Iesus is the Lord but in the holy ghost For ther be diuersities of giftes or graces and yet but one spirite and there be differences of administracions and yet but one Lorde and there be diuers maner of operacions and yet but one God which worketh al in all The gyftes of the spirite are geuen to euery man to edifie withall For to one is geuen the vtteraunce of wysdome by the spirite To another is geuen the vtteraūce of knowlege by the same spirite to another is geuen faith by the same spirite to another the gyft of healynge by the same spirite to another prophesie to another iudgement to discerne spirites to another diuers tongues to another the interpretacion of tongues and al these worketh one and the same spirite deuidyng vnto euery man euen as he wyll The same Apostle vnto the Ephesians saith that euery man hath so much grace as the Lord hath geuē him One body one spirite saith he as ye are called in one hope of your callynge One Lorde one faith one baptisme one God and father of all which is aboue al men and ouer all thynges and in vs all For to euery one of vs is geuen grace according to the measure of the gifte of Christe For the which cause he saith He ascended vp on hyghe and hath led captiuitie captiue and geuen gyftes to men Also the same Apostle in the second Corinthes saith that we are not able to thynke that that is spirituall but by the grace of God Such truste haue we towardes God throughe Chryste not that we are sufficiente of our selues to thynke anye thynge as of our selues but our sufficiencie is of God whiche hath made vs meete ministers of the new Testament not in the letter but in the spirite for the letter killeth but the spirite geueth lyfe Agayne in the same Epistle teachynge that the desyre and the sufficiencie or ablenesse vnto good woorkes are ministred of God he saith God is able to make all grace to abounde in you that ye all hauyng sufficient of all thynges maye be ryche in euerye good woorke as it is wrytten He hath dispearsed abrode and geuen to the poore his ryghteousnes abydeth for euer For he that ministreth seede to the sower shall geue you foode to eate and shall encrease the fruites of your ryghteousnes that ye beynge made ryche to the vttermoste may haue plentie vnto all singlenesse And the Apostle wryting to the Ephesians teacheth that all good thynges where with God is pleased are the gyftes of GOD and that it behoueth them to be asked of God that he may geue thē to those which haue them not For this cause saith he do I bowe my knees vnto the father of our Lord Iesus Christe of whom is named all fatherhod both in heauen and in earth that he woulde geue you power accordynge to the richesse of his glory that ye might be strengthed by his spirite in the inner manne that Chryste myght dwell in your hartes by faith that ye beyng rooted and grounded in loue myght be able to comprehende with all Saintes what is that breadth and length depth and heyghte and to knowe what the loue of Christe is whiche loue passeth knowledge that ye might be fylled with all maner of fulnesse that cōmeth of God And vnto hym that is able to do to worke all thinges more aboundauntlye in vs then we can either aske or thinke accordyng to that power wherwith he now worketh in vs. To him he prayse and glory in the congregation by Iesus Chryste throughout al worldes Amen And Iames the Apostle telleth in lyke maner that God is the aucthour of euery good thyng whose giftes are neither vncertaine nor mutable but proceadyng of the eternall wyll saying Do not ye erre my deare brethren Euery good gyft and euery perfecte gyfte discendeth from aboue from the father of lyght with whom there is no variablenesse neyther is he chaunged vnto darkenesse Of his owne good wyll begate he vs with the woorde of trueth that we myght bee the firste fruites of his creatures Vnto whom the Prophete zacharias agreeth saying In that daye the Lorde shall saue his people as sheepe for holye stones shall be rolled vppon his lande For yf any thyng be good it is his yf anye thynge be precious it commeth of hym And in the Gospell of Saint Mathe we it is tolde lykewyse that knowledge and vnderstandynge are the gyftes of God whiche he geueth to whom he wyll Then his Disciples came vnto hym and sayde Why doeste thou speake vnto them in parables But he aunswered and
equall in al thinges vpon al generations or vpon all men For after one maner hath he holpen those men whom he taught to know hym by the testimonyes of the heauen and the earth and after another maner those for whom he had prouyded to bee holpen not onely by the seruyce of the Elementes but also by the doctrine of the lawe by the oracles of the Prophetes by myracles and signes by the helpe and succour of aungelles And he much more otherwyse declared his mercy to all men when the sonne of god became the sonne of man y t he myght be found of thē that sought not after him and might apeare to them that asked not for hym And that he might haue y e preeminence not only in one people of y e stocke of Israel but that the multiplied sede of Abraham might springe in euery nation which is vnder heauen Into the which succession of heritage not the Chyldren of the fleshe but the Chyldren of promyse shoulde enter And that there should be nowe as great a scarsenesse of grace among y e pleople of the Iewes as was in tymes paste amonge other nations Neuerthelesse it is promysed that when the fulnesse of the gentiles is come in then their drynesse shal be watred also Who now cā tel what the causes should be of these diuersities vnliknesses being al vnder one and the same grace Or what the reason of it is seynge the scriptures doe not tell it And forasmuch as the knowledge of thapostle Paul in these thinges passeth from disputacion vnto wonder who dare presume so far as to thinke y t these cā be opened by disputing and are not rather to be merueyled at with silence Let this secrete therfore be pacientli gentelly vnknowen that is set so far frō mans vnderstandynge Yet because things y t are close shut vp cannot be knowen the intraūce to things that are opened may not bee ouerpassed and let slip For manye aucthorities of the holy scriptures haue manyfestly declared and the continuall experimentes of all ages haue taught that the iuste mercye of God and hys mercifull iustice hath not ceased at any tyme to norishe the bodyes of men nor to teache them nor yet to helpe their vnderstandings mindes For it hath euer rayned on the good and bad he hath made his sonne euer to aryse vppon both the iuste and vniuste he hath euer geuen the breath of life he hath euer geuen the continuall courses of the day the nyght he hath euer geuen fruitfulnes to the grounde encrease to the seedes and fecunditie or multiplyinge to the generation of men And if he haue at ani time diminished any of these things he hath chastened with gentle correction the backtourninges and slouth of those that abused them to the intente that they shoulde seeke his mercy in theyr aduersitie whose iustice they feared not in theyr prosperitie Furthermore yf we haue recourse to the very beginning of the worlde we shall fynde that the spirite of God was the gouernour of all the saintes that were before the fludde for the whiche cause they were named the sonnes of God For as thapostle sayth whosoeuer are ruled or led by the spirite of God thei are the sonnes of God And when they hadde neglected the obseruations of theyr fathers by mynglynge them selues in the vnlawfull mariages of the reprobates and for that wicked societie and mingling were iudged worthye of destruction the lorde sayde My spirite shal not abide in these men for they are flesh Wherby it appeareth that the same people whose generation are sette in a diuerse order with the number of their yeres was afore that spirituall euen in the same wyl which the holy ghost doth gouerne bestowinge the temperauncye of hys regyment and gouernaunce in such sort that he toke not away the power to declyne to synne the which power if this people had not hadde they coulde neyther haue forsaken God nor yet bee forsaken of God It shoulde bee that same of whom it is spokē Happye is he that was able to offende and hath not offended Duryng the tyme therfore that thys people abode in God they remayned in that wyl that god inspyred and gouerned For the wyll as it is wrytten is prepared of the Lord. But of this preparation there is not alwaye one successe nor yet one measure for the workes and gyftes of grace are disceuered in dyuerse wise and by innumerable differences and in euerye kinde of the said gyftes there are vnlyke degrees and vneuen quantities For lyke as in the comming vp of earbes trees that the earth bringeth forth there is not al one beauti or likenes nor one kynd of thē al but euery one of them cōmeth forth in y e forme of his owne seede in the quantitie of his own kynd neither do thei receiue ful beautie incontinent assone as they come foorth but come forward by certayne orderly encreasing vntyll they come to the perfyte quantitie of theyr state that happened vnto thē by the same increasinge or growinge Euen so the sedes of the gyftes of the holy ghoste and the plantes of vertues do not growe in euery fielde of mans heart hollye the same and attonce that thei shal bee afterwardes And it is an harde thinge to fynde ripenesse in the beginning and perfection in the first entraunce Yet many tymes the mightie and mercyfull God doth poure forth these meruaylous effectes of his workinge and whatsoeuer he wyl geue that same conueyeth he into certaine mindes altogether and at once the tariynge for encrease not wayted for Leui is sanctified in the loynes of Abraham and with hym is also the house of Aaron and priestly order blessed In Isaac conceiued by promise and borne contrarye to the hope of the olde barreyne parentes is the callyng of all the Gentyles and the fourme of Chryst layde vp and hyd Iacob beyng beloued without any helpe of merite is elected before he is born To Iheremye it was sayde Before I fashioned thee in the wombe I knewe thee and or euer thou were borne I sanctified thee Iohn reioyseth being filled with the holy ghost in his mother Elizabethes wombe And that there maye be none greater among the chyldren of women he feeleth the begynnynges of grace before the begynnynges of nature But although there wante not other examples of the lyke doctrine the whiche I ouerpasse because I woulde be briefe yet is that sort of men thicker and more in nombre vnto whom what soeuer the heauenlye liberalitie particulerly geueth doth grow by lyttle and lyttle to thintent that the causes of the gyftes which are to be geuen maye be brought forth of y e giftes which are already geuen Some there be which after they haue receiued faith are not without diffidencie mistrust which doubtlesse he knewe to be in himself whiche sayde Lorde I beleue helpe mine vnbeliefe And the which they perceiued not to be quite out
also mens wittes although they do not filthilye serue the lustes of theyr bodies but frame their desires accordyng to the lawes of Iustice honestie yet obteyne they nothing aboue the reward of a tēporall praise And though they decently garnyshe this presente lyfe yet haue they not the reward of eternall blisse for they referre not their good deedes good studies to the prayse honour of him of whom they receiued that they were able in y t reasonable discretion to come to more profounde vnderstanding and to appeare more excellenter then other men For although some mē haue bent the entent of their vnderstādinges not onelye to the learnyng of most profitable artes and doctrines of liberall sciences but also to the knowlege of y e moste hygh God and haue beholden the inuisible thinges of god by the knowledge of those thinges which he hath made yet forasmuch as thei gaue not thankes to God nor confessed him to be the aucthour of that knowlege and facultie but sayd that they them selues were wyse that is they gloried not in GOD but in them selues as though they had attayned to the knowledge of the truth by their owne connynge and reason they haue come to nought in their cogitations And that whiche they had founde out by the grace of God whiche gaue them lyght they lost through pride whiche made them blynde fallyng againe from the heauenly light vnto their owne darknesse that is to wete from the immutable and eternal God vnto mutable and corruptible nature Wherfore when such fal backe again into the loue of them selues in suche wyse do please them selues that all thyng that they iudge commendable in them selues they referre it not to the gyftes of god but do chalenge it vnto themselues and ascribe it to the studies of theyr owne wylles they are banished farre from the spirituall wyl haue nothyng in them selues whereby they maye be promoted to euerlastyng lyfe begynnyng in them selues to corrupte also those temporall gyftes of god to translate themselues from theyr good vse into the custome of innumerable vices For though it be wrytten that when the hygheste deuided the Nacions lyke as he dispearsed the childrē of Adam he appointed the nacions their limittes accordyng to the numbre of the Angels of God and his people of Iacob became the portion of the Lorde and Israell the lotte of his inheritaūce And though it be written that the Lord said vnto Israell ye shalbe holy vnto me for I the Lord your god am holy which haue chosē you for my selfe out of all Nacions And though it be writtē in the boke of Hester by Mardocheus saying O Lorde we geue thee thākes for thou hast done new signes wonders such as haue not ben done among y e Heathen deuiding al the world into two partes hast chosen thy selfe one part of thy people leauing the part to y e gentiles And though Paule and Barnabas saye we are mortall men like vnto you admonishyng you to conuert to the liuing God who made heauen and earth and the sea and all thynges that are in them which in times past suffred all nacions to walke in theyr own wayes Although therfore that the Scripture of veritie doeth pronounce these and many like sayinges yet we beleue most humbly confesse accordynge to the same Scriptures that the care of Gods prouidence neuer fayled the vniuersal nombre of men who though he directed vnto Godlinesse by speciall institucions and lawes a certeine people excepted to him selfe yet hath he not withdrawen the giftes of his goodnes from any naciō of men That thei might be conuinced that thei haue receiued the voyces of the Prophetes and the preceptes of the lawe in the obsequies and testimonies of the Elementes Wherfore also thei became with out excuse because they made the gyftes of God their Gods and they did reuerence and worshippe those thynges that were created for theyr vse Into the which vngodlynesse also euen the same nacion that the Lorde had segregated to hym selfe out of all nacions had wholly turned thē selues had not the purpose of his mercye pretended to staye the backslydynges of his elected For the bookes of the olde Testament are full of relacions of the fallynge awaye of the people of Israell that it maye playnly appeare that the grace of GOD was euer the cause whye all that people departed not wholly frō the lord On this wyse the nature of mā being defyled in the transgression of the first man is euer redy and bent to the worse wyll yea euen in the middes of the benfites of the preceptes and aydinges of god Vnto the which wyll to be committed is nothing els then to be geuen ouer or let runne astraye This wyll therefore is waueryng vncertaine vnstable vnexperte weake to brynge anye thyng to passe readye to darre take any thyng in hande blind in desires hye mynded in honour doubtefull in cares vnquiete in suspicions more desirous of prayse then of vertue more diligēt to get a fame then a good conscience and by all experience of it selfe more miserable in hauynge the thynges that it desyreth or lusteth for then in beyng without them It hath nothynge in it owne power but onlye a redynesse to runne in daunger For the mutable will that is not ruled and gouerned by the immutable wyll doeth so much the sooner approche to iniquitie as it is more earnestly bent to anye action Wherfore so long as those thinges do please a man whiche do displease God his wyll is carnall For though he vse good maners yet liueth he euyl if he liue not to the glory of god For this is a thing that is proper the chiefe thynge of them that are godly that they glorye reioyce in the Lorde do not loue thē selues but in God For they loue them selues wel y t loue the workes of God in them selues For God also loueth the thyng in vs that he hath made and hateth that which he hath not made Therfore yf we loue the work of God in our selues then loue we rightly a good wyll in vs the which if it were not the worke of Godde doubtlesse it ought not to be loued And what man is it except he be of an euyll wyll that loueth not a good wyll in him selfe which is the first planting of the heauenly husbandman For the veritie hym selfe saith Euerye plant that my heauenly father hath not planted shalbe plucked vppe by the rootes What thyng soeuer is not to be plucked vp by the roote it is manifest that the same is planted of the father And a good wyll is the fyrste budde of all vertues who leaninge vppon her originall beginninge restith in the eternall and immutable wil to the ende it maye be made verye spirituall For he that cleaueth to god is one spirite with hym whyle through the Communion of the geuer of lyght and him that is lightened the iustifier and hym that is iustified
the commaundement and faith should take no place whiche beleueth that all sinnes are forgeuen throughe baptisme yf it were taught that grace were not geuen vnto the euyll wicked men but vnto good and righteous men Therfore the beginning of true lyfe and ryghteousnes consisteth in the Sacrament of regeneration that where a man is renued there also the veritie of these vertues shoulde springe and they beginne to profyte by fayth vnto perpetuall glorye who coulde scarse come to the temporall rewarde of vayne prayse For whether he be a Iewe that swelleth throughe the knowledge of the lawe or a Greeke puffed vp throughe the studie of naturall wisdome before he be iustified by the faith of Christ he is shutte vp vnder sinne And yf he continue in his infidelitie y e wrath of God abideth vppon him euen that same which he had drawē vnto himselfe in the transgression of Adam wherof the Apostle speaketh saying And ye when ye were dead in your trespasses synnes wherein ye walked in times past according to y e tyme or course of this worlde after y e prince of the power of this ayre the spirite which worketh now in the chyldren of vnbeliefe among whō we also had our conuersation in tyme paste in the lustes of our fleshe fulfylled the wyll of the fleshe and of the mind and were by nature the chyldren of wrath like as other were And agayne ye were at that tyme without Chryst aliens from the common wealth of Israell and strangers from the Testamentes hauynge no hope of the promesse and were without God in this worlde And agayne ye were somtime darkenesse but nowe are lyght in the Lorde And againe geuing thankes to y e father whiche hath made vs worthy to be partakers of the inheritaunce of saintes in light which hath deliuered vs from the power of darknes hath trāslated vs in to y e kingdom of his welbeloued sonne And againe for we also wer somtime folish vnfaithful goyng astraye seruing diuers lustes plesures liuing in malice enuie hateful hating one another But whē y e benignitie gentlenes of our Sauiour apeered not for y e workes of righteousnes which we haue done but acording to his mercy hath he saued vs through the lauer of regeneraciō of the holy ghost whom he hath powred foorth aboundantly vpon vs through Iesus Christ our sauiour that we being iustified by his grace shulde be heires of eternall lyfe by hope VVhat the nature of man is vvithout grace ¶ The .vi. Chapter AND that it maye briefly apeere what the nature of man is without grace lette Iude the Apostle tel what eyther the ignoraunce of the vnlearned or the doctrine of the wyse can doe But they saith he what thinges soeuer they knowe not that do they blaspheme and what soeuer thinges they knowe naturally as brute beastes do therin corrupt they them selues Let also the Euangelist Luke vnder the wordes of zacharie tel in what a nyght mankynde doth wander before the illuminacion of grace and out of what a darknesse of ignoraunce the people of God is deliuered And thou childe saith he shalt be called the prophete of the hyghest for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his wayes To geue knowledge of saluacion to his people for the remission of theyr sinnes Through the tender mercye of our God whereby the daye spryng from an hyghe hath visited vs. To geue light to them that sitte in darkenesse in the shadowe of death to guide our feete into the way of peace And this tender mercy hath the lord shewed not to the redemption of one people onely but vnto the saluacion of all Nacions as the Euangeliste saith For Iesus must dye for the people and not for the people onely but also that he myght gather together the children of god which were dispersed And that thing doth the voyce of the Lorde whiche throughe the trumpe of godlynes soundynge throughout all the worlde doth both call and gather together al mē For whē he had said I thank thee oh father lord of heauen and earth because thou haste hydde these thinges frō the wise prudent haste reueled thē vnto babes Euen so O father for so was it thy good pleasure he added All thinges are geuen to me of my father no man hath knowen the sonne but y e father neyther hath any man knowen the father but the sonne he to whō the sonne wyll reuele him And thē he added Come vnto me all ye y e labour are laden and I wyl refresh you Take my yoke vpon you learne of me for I am meke and humble of harte and ye shal finde rest vnto your soules for my yoke is sweete my burden is light Iohn Baptist also in the Gospel of Iohn protesteth in y e spirit of prophesie saying He y t came frō heauē is aboue al mē he doth testify that y e he hath sene hard and no man receiueth his witnesse howbeit he y t receiueth his witnes hath set his seale that God is true Therfore in somuch as perteineth to y e blindnes of mākind gotten with y e long night of ignorance pride the creator of y e world came into this world the world knew him not the lyght shyned in the darknesse but the darkenesse comprehended it not He that is aboue all testified that that he had seene and hard and no man receaued his testimonie But because the sonne of God came not in vain into the worlde but gaue hym selfe for all men he dyed not onely for the people but also that he myght gather into one the children of God which were dispersed And he said vnto all men Come vnto me all ye that labour and are laden I shall refreshe you And he maketh him selfe and his father knowen to whom he wyll reuele it reseruing vnto him selfe the libertie of the election vnable to be knowen All the chyldren of lyght the chyldren of promesse the sonnes of Abraham the sonnes of God the electe generation the kyngly priesthood the true Israelites foreknowen and fore ordeyned to the kingdome of god who hath called them not onely out of the Iewes but also out of the gentiles do receyue the testimonie of hym that came downe from heauen and sette theyr seales that God is true that is to say they declare in that thei are saued that GOD is true that he kepeth touch and perfourmeth that that he promysed vnto Abraham the father of all nations Who when God promysed him that he should be the heyre of the worlde doubted not by mistrust But beinge comforted in faith gaue glory vnto God knowing moste certainely that he was able to perfourme the thynge that he had promysed And who is so enstraūged from the fayth of Abraham who is so farre growen out of kynde from the father of all nations that he will say eyther that the promyse
sayinges and ouercome when he is iudged Neyther may the complaynt of him that is damned be iust nor yet the arrogancie of hym that is iustified bee true If eyther the one saye he hath not deserued to be punished or y e other say that he hath deserued grace And lyke as those sayinges the whiche I haue declared out of the holye scryptures for the settynge forth of grace cannot be confuted nor stayned by any reason or craft of disputacion so that so great a nomber of sentences playnely agreynge together in them selues myghte bee drawen or wrested into any vncertaintie of a false exposicion Euen so also that that is founde in the same body of the scriptures touchynge the saluation of all menne cannot be reproued by any contrarye argumentation So that the harder the same is to be vnderstanden and apprehended with so muche the more laudabler fayth it ought to bee beleued Great is the force of consent to whom thaucthoritie is sufficient to folow the truth yea although the reason of it be vnknowen Therefore let vs diligently consider what the Lorde commaundeth the preachers of the Gospell For in Saint Mathewes Gospell he sayeth thus All power is geuen to me both in heauen and in earth Go your wayes therefore and teache all nations baptizinge them in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost teachyng them to obserue all thynges that I haue commaunded you And beholde I am with you alwayes vnto the ende of the worlde And in Saint Marke it is sayde to the same Apostles on this wyse Go ye into all the worlde preache ye the Gospell to euery creature and whosoeuer shall beleue and bee baptized the same shall be saued but whoso wyll not beleue shalbe dampned Is there anye difference made here of anye nation or of anye menne in thys commaundement He hath excepted no man for merite he hath seperated no man for hys stocke or linage he hath made no difference of the state of men The Gospell of the Crosse of Chryste was sent euen to all men And leste the ministerie of the preachers shoulde seeme to bee done by the onely woorke of manne beholde sayeth he I am with you alwayes euen vnto the worldes ende That is to saye when ye shall enter in as shepe amonge wolues be not afraide of youre owne infyrmitie but put youre truste in my power whiche vnto the ende of the worlde wyll not forsake you in all this worke or businesse Not to the ende that ye shoulde suffer nothynge but that that muche more is I wyll brynge it so to passe that ye shall not be ouercome with the ragyng crueltie of any tyrauntes For in my power shall ye preache and by me it shal come to passe that euen amonges the denyers and those that speake agaynst you yea euen amonges those y e rage against you Abrahams childrē shalbe raised vp of stones I wil put into theyr mindes whatsoeuer I haue taught and I wyl perfourme that whiche I haue promised They shal betray you in theyr counsayles and shall scourge you in their sinagoges and for my names sake shall ye stande before Kynges and Rulers in a witnesse to them and to the gentiles But when they shall delyuer you vppe take no thought howe or what ye shall speake for it is not ye that shall speake but the spirite of your father that speaketh in you For the brother shall betray the brother vnto death and the father the sonne and the Chyldren shall arise against their fathers and mothers and shall put them to death and ye shall be hated of al men for my name sake But whosoeuer shall endure vnto the ende he shall bee saued The grace of GOD oure Sauyoure hath therefore appeared sayeth the Apostle vnto all menne and yet were the gyftes of grace hated of all men And whyle there were some that hated other some that were oppressed with the hatred of them that persecuted yet was there neyther of the parties depriued of the name of all men the portion of the rebelles hauynge the losse of theyr saluacion but the dignitie of the faithfull obteynyng the nombre of al fulnesse For the Apostle Saincte Iohn saith But yf any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father euen Iesus Christe the righteous and he is the propiciation for our sinnes and no◠for our sinnes only but also frr the sinnes of the whole world And it is a misterie of a great vnspekable Sacramēt that vnto those preachers to whom it was said Go ye into al y e world preach the Gospell to al creatures vnto the same was it sayde afore ye shall not go into the waye of the Gentyles and into the Cities of the Samaritanes shall ye not enter but rather go ye to the loste sheepe of the house of Israel For though the Gospell shoulde be directed vnto the vocation and callyng of all men and the Lord would al men to be saued and to come to the knowledge of the trueth yet notwithstanding he hadde not taken away from himselfe the power and aucthoritie of his dispensation so that the order of his councell shoulde run otherwyse then he had appointed in his secrete and iust iudgement wherefore the murmuringes of obstinate mens complaintes take no place For it is sure that whatsoeuer GOD would haue done ought not to be done otherwise the he wold And in tyme paste what tyme the Lord Iesus sate in the glorye of God the father and the preachers of the worde dyd labour in the businesse that they had taken vpon them the Apostles wyllynge to preache the worde in Asia were forbidden of the holye ghoste And when they purposed to goe into Bithynia they were forbydden of the spirite of Iesus Doubtlesse not that the grace of God was denyed to that people but as it shoulde appeere it was protracted delayed for a time For afterwardes the Christian fayth was of power among thē also But what the cause was of the deferring of their calling it is not knowen And yet are we taught by the example of the thyng that done it was because that amonge generalles whether they bee promises or workes or els preceptes God knoweth by a secrete reason how to ordeyne and dispose certayne thynges beyng excepted from the common causes I beleue for that intent that those thyngs which shine more dymlye hauing shadowes ouer them myght apeere the more marueylous to vs when we see them least our sight should become the more dull and negligent through the facilitie and easynes of the sight therof and shoulde after a certayne maner slumber in accustomed thinges yf it were not styrred vp by vnaccustomed thynges And we haue knowen these incognoscible delayes of illuminations to haue happened in manye houses and families amonge whō doubtlesse many peryshe in vnbeliefe not onelye amonge the wicked whiche are farre from the trueth but also euen in the Cities of the
planteth any thing neither he that watreth but God that geueth the encrease He that planteth and he that watreth are one neither of them better then other yet shall euery man receiue his rewarde according to his labour We are gods labourers ye are gods husbandry ye are goddes buyldynge Therefore euerye man is so farre forth an helper a workeman and a minister of this husbandry and buyldyng as the Lord shal geue vnto euery man And those whiche are tylled through the laboure of the ministers do encrease vnto that measure whereunto the aucthour of the encrease shall aduaunce them For in the field of the Lorde there is not al like and one maner of plantynge And though the buyldyng of al an whole temple do agree into one beautie yet haue not al the stones therof one place nor one vse Lyke wyse also in a bodye euery membre hath not one office as the Apostle saith But nowe hath God disposed and ordered the membres and euery one of them at this owne pleasure And wherof these sayde membres become apte wence they become profitable and whence they become so beautiful the same doctour declareth saying Therefore I do you to vnderstande that no man speakinge in the spirite of God defieth Iesus and no man canne call Iesus the Lord but by the holy ghost And there be diuersities of graces and yet but one spirite and there are differences of administrations and yet but one Lorde and there be diuers maner of operations and yet but one God which worketh al in all The gyft of the spirite is geuen to eueri man to edifie with al For to one is geuen through the spirite the vtteraunce of wisdome To another is geuen the vtteraunce of knowledge by the same spirite to another is geuen fayth by the same spirite to another power to do miracles To another prophecie To another iudgement or trial of spirites To another diuers tongues To another the interpretacion of languages And al these thinges worketh one and the same spirit deuiding them to euery man euen as he wyll Seynge that the teacher of the Gentyles hath shewed these thynges with so great a lyght and suche a playnesse by what reason or for what cause should we doubte of it Doth not the budde and beginning of al vertue springe to vs from GOD Also who except he be to mad wil complayne of the difference of Gods giftes Or thinke that it is to be ascrybed vnto vnlyke merites that it is not equallye geuen of the heauenly liberalitie For yf thys distribution shoulde come from hym according to the merites of any workes that went before the Apostle woulde neuer haue knitte vp the cataloge and rehearsall of those giftes with such a conclusion as to say Al these thinges worketh one and the same spirite deuidinge vnto euerye man as he wil where no doubt yf he woulde haue the causes to be vnderstande of merites he would haue said deuiding vnto euery one as they deserue Like as he promised a rewarde of deuotion to the planters waterers saying Euery mā shall receiue hys owne rewarde according to his worke therfore it is geuen to eueri mā w tout merite wherby he mai come to merite And it is geuen afore anye labour whereby euery man may receyue rewarde accordynge to his laboure The which thinge to be euen so is also knowen bi the testimonye of the euangelicall trueth whereas by a certayne comparison it is sayde that a certayne man goinge into a farre countrey called hys seruauntes and deliuered vnto them his substaunce and vnto one he gaue fiue Talentes and to another two and to another one to euery man according to hys abilitie that is to say according to theyr proper and naturall possibilitie and not according to theyr proper merite For it is one thynge to be able to worke and another thynge to worke and it is one thing to bee able to haue charitie and another thing to haue charitie and it is one thynge to be capacious of Charitie of iustice of wisedome But it is another thing to be chast iust and wise Wherfore euery thinge that is repayrable is not repayred nor euery thinge that is curable made hole For it commeth of nature to be repayrable and curable but to be repayred and cured is of grace And to conclude those to whō an vnlyke number of Talentes was geuen vnto accordynge to the measure of the capacitie that the distributour of the substaūce foresaw in them they did not receiue the reward of merite but the matter or substaunce of the woorke in the whiche the vigilant diligence of the two seruauntes is not only honorable rewarded with gloryous prayses but also is commaunded to enter into the euerlastyng ioy of theyr Lorde But the dul ydelnes and slouth full wickednes of the thyrde is no suche wyse punyshed that both is he dyshonored with an opprobrious checke and also is dispatched of the porcion or talent that he hadde receyued for worthye was he to lose his vnprofitable fayth that had not exercised charitie Wherfore in the wordes folowing wherin moste euidently is declared the maner of the iudgement to come when the sonne of man shall sytte in the seate of hys maiestie all nations beinge fyrst gathered together some are led to the ryghte hande and other some shall bee set on the lefte hande When he hath praysed those on his right hand for the workes of charite nothing is els obiected to them on the left hande but the neglectinge of mercy and louynge kindnes These therefore hadde also receyued fayth but they had not folowed loue Neyther shall they bee dampned because they haue not kept the gift but because they haue not encreased it For although that all good giftes are of god yet some of them are geuen of God vnasked to the intente y t by those whiche are receiued those may be sought which are not yet geuen The sede y t is sowen in the ground is not sowen to y t intēt it should remaine only y e same but y t in bringing forth fruit it shuld become manifold great nomber the prosperitie wherof commeth from hym that geueth the encrease But nowe a ground beyng lyuely and fruitfull through the raine of grace hath that that is looked for of it accordyng to that that it receiued to be increased ¶ The .iii. Chapiter THese thynges as I suppose and as far as the Lorde hath geuē me knowlege beyng rightly handled let vs retourne vnto that from whence oure disputacion made digression that is to say to the consideration of the differences wherby the workes and gyftes of gods grace are variated and made diuerse The high nesse of the rychesse of Goddes knowledge and wisdom whose iudgementes are vnsearchable and his wayes paste fyndynge out hath alwayes in such wise moderated his merci and iudgement that in the moste secrete wyll of hys eternall counsayle he wold not that the measures of his giftes should be