without alteration of minde not mutable his knowledge certeine not ignorant of any thing All thinges past and to come are still present before him Neither is it with God as with men to be of one mind to day and of an other mind tomorow but God is still faithfull One and the selfe same from the beginning to the ende I say without alteration from his first decree in his secret counsell Thē all this being thus vndoubtedly true it cannot be saide that man can by himselfe otherwise or by any other meanes merit and worke out his owne saluation then hath beene alreadie wrought through the mercy and loue of God in and by Christ our Sauiour the onely ful worker of the same by suffering his most greeuous passion and death For how can it bee saide in any respect that man by his good workes can merit his owne saluation seeing before he was it was made sure to the elect in God his secrete counsell and decreed to stande firme without alteration being aduisedly purposed by God in Christ Before the foundation of the world So that without all contradiction and doubting all the good workes that hath bene wrought by mankind can not be said to merit their saluation The Iesuites in their last disputation in the Tower held those to be the works of Christ that man woorketh for that Christ worketh them in man and being the workes of Christ that are wrought in man they merit saide hee saluation But this cānot be true For electiō being decreed before euer man was and in that election mans saluation made sure and certeine by that decree through Christ his passion death and for his sake onely for that he would giue his life for the same in the appointed time How then can it bee saide without great absurditie and derogation of the maiestie of Christ Iesu his passion and death That mans good workes can merit or deserue that which many thousand yeares before hee wrought any good workes was made sure and certeine vnto him for and by Christ as is aforesaide Surely it is more then extreame doltishnes once to thinke it As for example A prodigall seruant that had consumed his maisters goods and thereby hee greatly indebted to his maister yet his maister in mercy loue not only forgaue him his debt but made him heire to all his landes Now if after that his maister had thus forgiuen his debt and made him heire to all his lands to the end the seruant should be a faithfull friend to him and loue him with all his hart the seruant would yet say I will so please my maister I will worke and doe so much good in his sight that I wil deserue that hee shall not onely forgiue me the debt which I owe him and the euill life which I led towardes him but also make me heire to all his lands Were not this to bee iudged a verie foolishe speach and the speaker a right paterne of an insolent foole To say he would merit or deserue that which before was made sure to him of meere mercie and loue Wisdome would rather haue exspected this kinde of speach from him my maister hath done much for me he hath not onely forgiuen mee the debt which I ought him and am neuer able to pay it but also he hath made mee heire to all his landes I will therefore by the helpe of God according to my bounden dutie extend my whole indeuour to the vttermost of my power to doe him the best seruice I can all the daies of my life and shall thinke all that I am able to doe to be nothing in respect of that more then fatherly kindnesse which hee hath done for mee This had beene rightly spoken and this must bee our speech which are the elect of God For we were elected before the foundation of the world that we by the working of the holie Ghost should be holie and blamelesse and not elected for that God sawe wee would bee holie and blamelesse to merit our owne saluation for that is contrarie to the meaning of the holy Ghost vttered by Saint Paule in the first to the Ephesians And so Gods election and decree vncerteine which is most certeine if our saluation should rest vpon our owne well or ill doing which cannot be For Gods election being once decreed which as Paule saith was before the foundation of the world it standeth sure for euer and resteth not vpon our well doing yet if wee leade not a godlie Christian life we showe our selues to be damned creatures and not of the number elected in whom the holie spirit of God worketh And here we see that God the father by his mercy and loue is the first efficient cause of our saluatiō The sonne of God the seconde efficient cause The passion and death of Christ Iesu the materiall cause and Faith the instrumentall cause For Faith apprehendeth and so cannot works and thereby we take hold on Christ his passion and death and man beleeuing Christ to be the sonne of God God and man and that hee died for his sinnes he thereby is certeinly assured that he is the elect of God the father bought and redeemed by Christ the meritor redeemer and Sauiour and written in the booke of life before the foundation of the worlde Faith now being the instrument wherewith we take hold on Christ assureth vs that wee are elected And good works proceeding from iustifieng faith declareth to the world that wee be the elect of God and we please God by doing of good workes but we merit not saluation thereby neither hath good workes any part in the merit of our saluation but onely Christ Iesu For when wee haue done all the good that euer wee are able to doe yet are we but vnprofitable seruants And how then can wee merit our owne saluatiō The best works that euer were without Faith pleaseth not GOD For without Faith it is impossible to please God Yea if it had not beene appointed that Christ shuld haue died in the world all the good workes that euer Christ did himself in the world without his death could neuer haue merited heauen for vs which if they could Christ would neuer haue died neither should hee haue needed But if Christes good works besides his death were not able to merite our saluatiō much lesse our good works which are as a stained cloth polluted Therefore only Christ by his passion death and not the woorkes of the lawe and of grace neither doth Faith merit saluatiō because it is the proper office of Christ onelie to merit the same much lesse then our good workes yet if we be voide of good workes and haue not Faith chiefly to beleeue that Christ is the sonne of God God and man and that he died for our sinnes then may wee be sure that as long as we remaine in that state wee be none of those whome God hath elected but are of the reprobate
to falling The second Adam was Of heauen heauenly and could not fall The fift cause and end of all his good workes his godlie life and conuersation in this world was to set foorth the glorie of his heauenly father And he so glorified him thereby that his heauenly father from heauen said This is my welbeloued sonne in vvhom I am well pleased c. And that we also which are the elect of God Might haue our light so shine before men that they may see our good workes and glorifie our heauenly Father which is in heauen according to the example of our maister Christ. Now here you may perceiue to what end the godly life and good workes which Christ did in this worlde did tende too which was not to merit saluation for mankind neither was that the pointed price for the same neither could that obteine it But as it is saide the verie price of our saluation was onelie the passion and death of Christ Iesu and not the works of grace And in Gods election before the creation of the worlde the saluation of mankinde was made as sure for them and Christ as sure of his elect whiche hee bought before they were though the price for the same was not then paid but to be paid in the appointed time as a man is sure of a peece of lande that is voide of encombrance which hee buyeth to paie for the same at a daie appointed The bargaine of which lands being set downe vnder hande and seale and all thinges done that ought to be touching the sale sauing payment which is reserued to the appointed daie The land is now the buiers and no man can take it out of his hands and the seller hath no more to do with the landes though yet hee bee not paide for the same neither can the seller haue action against the lande but against the buier And so the lande doth remaine firmely to the buyer still euen from the first concluding of the bargaine Euen so standeth it with the iustice and lawe of God and the mercie and loue of God in Christ for mankinde elect They haue nowe no more action against the elect which were bought by Christ and in time paide for the same then the seller hath against the lande which hee solde and in time was paide for it The elect were Christes from before the beginning after hee had bought them and they could not be taken out of his hands after the bargaine was once set downe and written vnder hande and Seale that is to saie written in the booke of life and sealed with the promised passion and death of Christ Iesu and so remained surely his owne for euer And therefore it is plaine that good woorkes hath no part in the saluation of the chosen children in Christ seeing the same was made sure to them before they were created or had done either good or euill neither could Gods election rest vncerteine vpon woorkes to come as a cause of saluation which are but the fruits of Gods children and of Faith And although good woorkes proceeding from iustifying Faith haue no part in the merit of our saluation yet be they of great vertue and force and haue their crowne For a godlie and a vertuous life in the children of GOD and the good workes which they doe which are the children of God elect in Christ Iesu doe please God and doe staie the wrath of God that the plagues due for sin as war pestilence famine and such like fall not vpon vs as a iust rewarde for our wickednesse And therefore to staie the wrath of God that his heauie hande fall not vpon vs and that the fauour and loue of God may still be bent towardes vs. The children of God by the operation of the holy Ghost who worketh both the will and the worke in all the elect of God because of our selues we are not able to thinke a good thought do make their humble prayers vnto God doe all the good workes that they are able to doe to the glory of God and are made by the holy Spirite of God to hunger thirst after righteousnesse to detest and abhor sinne and thereby doe worke out their saluation That is to say they outwardlye shewe vnto the world by their good life and conuersation that they are the elect of God And they are assured in their owne consciences hauing a feeling of the holy Ghost working in them and by leading a godly Christian life that they are of that number which were chosen and appointed to saluation before the creation of the world And God blesseth that land that peple that obey and worke good in his sight by true faith in Christ geueth his peace plenty of al good thinges vnto them And thus the Lord doth crowne our good works rewardeth the same by these blessings the worldly blessings which god giueth vs are infinitely of greater value and more then al the best works that all the whole world is able to doe or deserue Therfore O miserable man what art thou that darest presume to lay thy defiled workes which euen the very best of them are most impure before the most high iust mighty pure god the iudge of righteousnes to merite thy saluation who setting aside his mercy cānot abide inperfection Augustine cryeth out woe be to the most vpright life of man if God examin the same setting his mercy aside Then when all the best workes that we are able to doe cannot deserue one of the least blessings which God hath daylie doth bestowe vpon vs what shouldest thou meane O miserable man to holde them meritorious to purchase saluation For thy best works thy best life is sin wilt thou haue sin to merit thy saluation what saith Gregory vpō the words of Iob in the 9. chapter whose words be these Man cannot be iustified being com pared to God The holy mā saith Gregorie doth perceiue that all the deseruing of our best works are faulty if they be weied in the righteous ballāce of the iust iudge And can that which is faulty deserue other then damnation if mercy in Christ Iesu go not betwixt therefore is Christ only the merite for vs and not our good works Wil you heare what Barnard saith who making a long discourse as out of a learned fathers booke I gathered of the vnrighteousnes of mans righteousnesse demaunding in the end of what value all our righteousnes may be in the sight of GOD. Shall it not be imputed filt hie like vnto a foule menstruous cloth according to the saying of the Prophet and if strickt narrowe examination be made thereof shall not all our righteousnesse befound vnrighteousness and nothing worth But there is yet another shifte in the Papistes storeboxe which I trowe will strike the matter dead And what is that trowe you Forsooth that by grace we be renouated which grace is geuen vs from
God the father whereby we fulfill the lawe And men by grace fulfilling the lawe doe merite their saluation But forasmuch as this grace cannot be geuen vs but by faith in the death merite of Christ Iesus therfore we say that by grace infused into vs by faith in Christ good works are wrought which are not now our works but the workes of grace and those workes merit saluation Who is able to ouerthrowe this Bulwarke buylded vpon so sure a rocke which being so profound is not possible for a man to vndermine the depth nor come neare the toppe thereof being so high But the God of heauen will with the breth of his mouth ouerthrow such wicked blasphemie whereupon by the helpe of whose power thus I aunswere that this is but a subtle cauill and vntruely spoken to say that they be not our works For although that by grace we receiue the holy Spirite of God who by his mighty power mightely stirreth vp our hearts replenished with faith in Christ Iesus to worke such charitable works as are prescribed in Gods booke though yet vnperfectly perfourmed on our parts yet can it not be saide but that they be our works euen as faith is saide to be our faith which wee receiue by grace As for example who will doubte of the woman which was diseased with an issue of bloud twelue yeares hauing a strong faith in Christ Iesus but that she had the same by grace And yet Christ saide vnto her thy Faith hath made thee whole here you see that Christ called it her faith though shee had the same by grace so of works they be our works though they be done by grace But let it be graunted for trueth that by the grace of God we being renouated receiue the holy spirite of God who worketh in vs all good things yea all the good workes that are wrought by man according to the saying of Saint Paul who saith It is God that worketh in you both the wil and the deede euen of his good pleasure And that wee could not haue obteyned grace from GOD the Father but by faith in the death and merite of Christ Iesus so that they are not now to bee called our workes but the workes of grace Let all this that is saide be graunted yet that by fulfilling of the law by the same grace we merite saluation that is vtterly false and repugnant to the word of God For Saint Iohn saith Beholde the Lambe of God which taketh awaie the sinnes of the world The sinnes of the worlde being taken away what followeth then The kingdome of heauen and saluation to them whose sinnes are taken away by the slaine Lambe Christ Iesus But it is not saide Beholde the good workes of grace which take away the sinnes of the worlde but Behold the Lambe of God which taketh away the sinnes of the worlde Then it is only Christ that meriteth heauen for vs by taking away our sinnes and not the workes of grace nor our fulfilling of the Law And why is hee called a Lambe because of his innocencie For Saint Peter saith He is a Lambe vndefiled and without spot And because hee was to be sacrificed and slaine as a sheepe to the slaughter He was innocent and as the Prophet saith He did neuer violence nor vnrighteousnes neither hath there beene any deceitfulnesse in his mouth He was without sin deserued not to die but he dyed therfore for something Trueth he died for our sins which were laid vpon him for Esay saith The Lord threw them al vpon him and so made him to be sinne for vs which knevve no sinne But by imputation were they made his sinnes And our sins being thus taken from vs and laide vpon him death had therby power ouer him which slewe him for our sinnes So that as by imputation Christ was made the only sinner for the elect and therfore dyed so are all the elect by imputatiō made as innocent Christ. And Christ clothing his elect with his innocencie God the Father beholdeth them no more as sinners to damnation but as Christ Iesus because Christ hath washéd cleane away in Gods iudgement all the filth of sinne from vs with his precious bloud which he hath shed vpon the crosse so as the filthy Chanelraker polluted with the filth of the Chanel durt is by the Barber washed cleane that no spot thereof is to bee seene so hath Christ out blessed Barber washed away all our filth the durt of sin in such sort as our heauenly father for his Christes sake beholdeth them no more And Christ once dying for the sinnes of his elect accordinge to the purpose of God in his secreate counsell before the creation of the world which purpose could not be altered but must stand still for euer hath thereby onely merited saluation for vs then is it great blasphemy to maintaine such an heresie which doth cut away the cause of our saluation by the only death and passion of Christ our Sauiour and attributeth the same to me rites and works by grace whereby they haue made the works of the lawe to put Christ cleane out of office in the merite of our saluation and only the workes of the lawe which are wrought by Faith and grace to be the meane to merite the same And Christ by his death and passion but only the cause of grace who in deede is the onely effectuall cause in the merit of our saluation so that the works of the Lawe and Grace haue no parte in the cause therof but only as effects do de clare vs to be the elect of God Saint Luke saith Feare not litle flock for it is your fathers plesure to giue you a king dome To giue you a kingdome see here is the kingdome of heauen giuen vs and that which is giuen cannot be said to bee bought or merited and if it were either bought or merited it cannot be said properly nor rightly to be geuen Then being geuē vs we by the works of the law and grace haue not merited it And so are we not iustified by them before God so the proposition that the workes of grace or the deedes of the law doe merit or iustifie before God is false though they be wrought through faith by the power of the holy Ghost and by grace because it is the proper office of Christ immediatly that is to say without any o ther mean or cause to purchase mans saluation and not the office of the holye Ghost by grace working in man for saluation coulde not bee purchased but by death and the holy Ghost coulde not die but Christ only by taking our flesh was lead as a sheepe to be slaine and made a sacrifice for sinne Therefore Christ is the onely purchaser of our saluation Neither doe the workes of the Law iustifie vs before God nor merite saluation for vs though they bee done after grace receiued But with what face can you O
plaine woordes of Christ how he ouerthroweth all the workes of man as meritorious to deserue anye thankes from God He sayth playnelye to all the world aswell as to his Apostles When you haue done all those things which are commaunded you yet say you are vnprofitable seruants and deserue nothing for that which we do is but our bounden duetie being bound to do the commaundement of God vpon paine of damnation As if a maister commaund his seruant to do a thinge and the seruant doeth not that which he is commanded to doe doeth not the mayster lay him on with stripes Then must the doing of his maisters commandement be not onely for obedience due according to the duety of a seruant towards his master but also to saue him from many stripes which hee should deserue according to the saying of our Sauiour Christ He that knoweth his masters will and doeth it not shal be beaten with many stripes Now not that the seruant in doing his masters commaÌ„dement should therfore deserue to haue his masters inheritance as the Papists do maintein that by their good works they merite the kingdome of heauen And so standeth it with vs towardes God yea much more for no earthly master coulde euer doe for his seruants that our master Christ hath done for vs and therefore though we doe all that euer we are able to doe to the vttermost of our power yet are we still vnprofitable seruants and deserue nothing at the handes of God And behold the wisdome of the lord what person he hath chosen by whome to make this similitude touching this matter A ploughman a seruant plowing or seruing his cattle which kinde of people of all men in the world best deserue their hire and yet vnprofitable seruants deserue nothing For the Lord saith Doth he thank that seruant because he did that which was commanded vnto him I trowe not Here is a question demaunded by the Lord whether thanks be to be geuen to a seruant that doth his masters commandement the Lord making the answere himself said I trowe not Then is it thus much to say if a temporal master is not to geue thaÌ„ks vnto his seruant for doing his commandement much lesse our Lord and God vnto whome no temporal master is to be compared is to geeue thankes to any person that is bound to do his commandement But if there be no thankes to be geuen by god to man for doing his com maundement which man in duetie is bound to doe then is it cleere that man doeth not merite heauen by his good workes nor deserueth thankes for the same And thus hath the Lord him selfe ouerthrown the popish error of meriting heauen by workes done after grace And now for finall conclusion if to much obstinate wilfulnes do not remaine within the brestes of the aduersaries that if the Lord haue not vtterly cast them of as reprobates it is not possible but that these wordes so plainely set down and written with the pen of the holy Ghost by the hand of the holy Apostles and saintes of God and here incerted must needes perce their flinty hartes and mollifie the same which if grace be allotted vnto theÌ„ wherby they may haue fleshie hartes and yeelding spirites to Gods truth It can not be possible for them to hold out against this truth but will yeeld them selues vnto Christ acknowledging him to be the only sufficient sauiour of all the elect without any helpe of man And so reposing their whole trust and confidence onely in Christ and casting off their good works as not meritorious and thinke that if they could fulfill the lawe in greater perfection then the best that liueth is able to doe that yet they should do no more but that which in dutie they ought and are bound to do No doubt but as the Lord is altogither mercifull so will he in mercy receiue them and bring them into his fold euen vpon his shoulders as he did the strayed sheepe and imbrace them as hee did the forlorne sonne if they can departe from their errors and imbrace this truth which leadeth to eternall life And for that the Lord God hath made prayer a meanes to obtaine any thing that shall be asked of him by faith and according to his will And also for that prayer may be made for such as we know not but may yet stande in the state of grace whereby the Lord maye drawe them to him selfe And for that also manye numbers of papistes haue willinglye departed from their popish religion and turned to the gospell of Christ Iesus And hoping that a great number of them by prayer and by reading the word of God and such good bookes as be agreeable to the word of god may be brought to the acknowledg ing of their errors to fall froÌ„ the same I pray and desire al Christians to pray to the eternall almighty God for their good conuersion and reformation and that they may haue the spirite of GOD to guide them into the way of trueth that they may cast off their heresies and vaine popish opinions either of merit by works or whatsoeuer els not agreeable to the word of God and so to cleaue to Christ Iesus our only Aduocate Mediator Intercessor Sauiour and Light of eternall life Vnto whome with God the father and the holy ghost be all honor praise and thanks for euer and euer Amen Rom. 5 12. 18. 1 Cor. 15 22. Rom 5 19 Ro. 6 23 2. Cor. 5 21. 1. Pet. 2 24. Esai 53. Mat. 8 17 Rom. 8. 29. Mat. 25. vers 12. Galat. 4 4. Esai 53 9â—… 1. Pet. 2 23. 1. Pet. 2 24. Esai 53. 5. Ioan 17 4. 17 30. Luk. 24 26 27. Ioh. 17 4. Esa. 25 8. Cor. 15 54. Osee. 13 14 Ephe. 1 4. R. 9. 11. Ro. 11 29. Sam. 15 29 Ioh. 17 12. Nom. 23 19. Cor. 1 7 10 13 Thes. 5 24. Ephe. 4. 1. Ephe. 1 4. Ioh. 3 16. Luk. 17 10. Heb. 11 6. Esai 64 6. Luk. 23 42. Luk. 10 28 3 â—… Pet. 2 â—… 1. â—…oh 13 15 Ephe. 5 1. 4 Gen. 1 26. 27. Mat. 4 9 August contra AdamantuÌ„ Cap. 12 5 Mat. 3 17. Mat. 5 16. Phil. 2 1â—… Cor. 3 2. epist. 2 5. Phil. 2 12. Deu. 7 13. 14 Aug. conf li. ca. 13. Greg. cap. 9 of Iob. Barnar in festo om sanct ser. 1. Mat. 9 20. Mar. 5 25. Mat. 9 22. Phil. 2. 13. Ioh. 1. 29. 36 Esa. 53. 7. Act. 8. 32. Esa. 53. 9 1. Pe. 2 22 Esay 53 6. 2. Cor. 5 21 Luk. 12 32. Esay 53 7â—… Rom. 3 2â—… Psal. 14. 〈◊〉 53. ver 2 〈◊〉 Rom. 3 10 â—…1 12. Gal. 3. 10. 11 12. Deut. 27 2â—… Abac. 2 4. Rom. 1 17 Heb. 10 3â—… Le. 18 5. Eze. 20. 11 Rom. 10. 5â—… Rom. 3 12. Rom. 3 20â—… Rom. 3 10 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. Rom. 3 19. Iâ—… v. 2 10. Rom. 3 27. Rom. 3. 31. 1. Pet. 2 22. Rom. 2 13. Luk. 10 18. Iam. 2 10. Deut. 27 26. Iam. 2 21. 22. Answere to the obiectioÌ„ Ia. 1 26. 27 Iam. 1 27. Iam. 1 17. Rom. 3 20. Rom. 2 6. Rom. 2 13. Iam. 1 22. 23. Answere Ro. 2 17. Rom. 3 10 12. 13. 14. Rom. 4. 2. 3. 4. 5 Gen. 15. 6 Gal. 3. 6 Iam. 2. 23 Obiection Rom. 6. 2. Answere 2. Tim. 4. 14 Rom. 2. 7 Rom. 3. 2â—… Rom. 8. 21. 22 Act. 13. 38. â—…9 Rom. 8. 3â—… Rom. 9. 11 Aug. can 1 â—…m 1. 17 â—…ph 1. 4. 5 Rom. 9 16. Rom. 9 31. 32. 33. Esai 28 8. 14. 16. 1. Pet. 2 6. Gal. 2 15. 16. 21. Iob. 25 4. Gal. 5 4. 5. Tit. 3 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Tim. 2 1. 9. Ephe. 2 9. 10 Phil. 3 8 9. Phil. 3 7. Phil. 3 8. Rom. 7. 24 Gal. 3 19. 〈◊〉 22. 23. â—…4 Luke 17. ver 7. 8. 9. 10. Luk. 12 47