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 souÌd ⪠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 harâs of the hearers to beleue then at the length the Gospell obtayneth his power to make safe Wherefore the lawe of sinne ⪠and of death from which we are deliuered is it whereof before it was sayd that it leadeth vs captiââs 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 crâwneth vs saith he and furnishing vs on euery side with stayes and âelpes 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 ãâ¦ã at liberty but yâ they were with greeuous perils greate teÌptacions 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 concupisceÌntia 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
requestes for they knew not what they asked And to the declaration of this matter he saith it is wonderfull necessary not to be ignoraunt of the maner of the primitiue church For at the beginning there was in Christian men an incredible force of the spirit For some excelled in the word of vnderstanding some in the worde of knowledge some in the gift of tonges some in the gift of healyng Which giftes Paul in yâ first to the Corrinthians in many other places reckoneth vp And amongst those giftes The gift of praying a right also was the gift of true praying wherby certaine were assured of such thinges which were to be asked of God so that they were fully certained what should be profitable vnto saluation Of these men some one when the Church was gathered together stept forth and in the name of them all prayed for those thinges which might be profitable not after any common or colde manner but being earnestly pricked forward and with many teares Of this thing there remaineth at this day A signe or tracke of the old manâr after a sorte remayneth in the church The holy ghost is here taken for the gift some signe or trace For when prayers are to be made publikely in the Church yâ Deacon with a loud voyce exhorteth yâ people to pray sometymes for yâ church somtimes for this necessity sometimes for yâ Wherfore Paul in this place taketh not yâ holy spirit for yâ third person in yâ Trinity but for yâ gift wherby any of the faithfull was stirred vp to pray or for the minde of a godly man so stirred vp of the spirite of God Wherfore Chrisostome thinketh that the spirit in this place signifieth a spirituall man Neither thinketh he that he so prayed as though God were to be taught but onely that they which were present might know what to aske The things which Chrisostome hath hitherto noted are not very vnlikely But here arise two doubtes the first is for yâ Paul amongst the giftes of yâ spirite which he in many places maketh mencioÌ of reckeneth not this kind of gift But this is âasely Whether Paul make any mencioÌ of the gifte of prayers aunswered vnto For the gift of prayers may be comprehended in that gift which Paul calleth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is muâuall charity For we do not only helpe our brethren by almes by assistance by guardonship and by good councell but also by daily and feruent prayers Neither do I thinke that Paul hath made mencion of all the giftes of the holy ghost For he hath omitted the spirit of feare of fortitude of which Esay maketh mention ⪠It was inough for him to reckon some by which the forme and maner of yâ rest might the better be vnderstand Although in Zachary is mencion also made of yâ spirit of prayers ⪠For thus it is written in yâ 12. chap. I wyll poure vpon the house of Dauid and vpoÌ the inhabiters of Ierusalâ the spirit of grace of prayers which place yet yâ Chaldey interpreter turneth coÌpassion For in Hebrue it is Tehannonim in the Chaldey Vehachamin The other doubt is for that this exposition of Chrisostome séemeth to draw into to narrow a compasse the helpe of the holy ghost namely to those only which had this peculiar gift as though those thinges which are here spoken are to be vnderstaÌd only of publique prayers wheÌ as the wordes of Paul séeme rather to pertayne vniuersally vnto all men For the faithfull can not in any place lift vp pure hands without the helpe of the spirit of God Ambrose expoundeth these thinges more generally But it is wonderfull how he red thus It is the spirite which helpeth the infirmity of our prayers neither doth he only so rede it but also so interpretateth it And our prayers saith he are by the spirite two maner of wayes corrected the one way is if peraduenture we aske thynges hurtfull the other is if we aske thynges ryght and profitable but before the tyme. The spirite saith he commeth and powreth hymselfe vpon our prayers to couer our vnskilfulnes and vnwarefulnes and by hys motion causeth vs to aske those thinges which are profitable Augustine in his 121. epistle vnto Proba De orando Deo at large handleth this place and demaundeth whether we thinke that these were so vnskilfull of Christian religion that they were ignorant of the Lordes prayer They were not vndoubtedly How then were they ignoraÌt what they should aske In the Lordes prayer are contained all thinges profitable and to be desired for Here is entrâated of asking of thynges indifferent when as in it are contained all thinges that are profitable and to be desired for He maketh answere that these men were in great persecutions and it is very likely that they oftentimes prayed to be deliuered which thing might be vnto them sometimes profitable and sometimes hurtfull Wherefore here is entreated not of all maner of thinges but only of thinges indifferent which if we obtayne not yet is there no cause why any man should be discouraged for peraduenture yâ thinges should be hurtful vnto vs which we beleue should be profitable vnto vs and if we obtaine them yet ought we not insoleÌtly to puffe vp our minds For although these thinges be geuen vs yet do they not alwayes conduce to saluation Those thinges which are contayned in the Lordes prayer are necessary The things that are coÌtained in the Lords prayer can not be ill wished for neither can be amisse wished for But such things are oftentimes geuen of God in his anger as vnto the Israelites in the desert was geueÌ flesh with so great wrath that a great multitude of them perished So at their reqâest they had a king geuen them not yet of good will but in the fury of the Lord. Vnto the deuill when he made request was Iob geuen to be vexed of him Christ also permitted the deuels to enter into the heard of swyne How beit Paul could not at his request haue the pricke of the flesh taken from him Yea neither could Christ also obtaine that the cuppe which was now at hand mought passe away from him And yet no man dare say that either the deuill or the ângodly Israelites were more acceptable vnto God then Christ or Paul But what it is the spirit to pray for vs with vnspeakeable sighes Augustine in the same epistle which we haue spoken of declareth for he saith that we in thys thyng are disseased of a certayne learned ignorance For we know not what is profitable for vs. But on the other side the spirite insinuateth it selfe and causeth vs to sighe for good thynges And they are called vnspeakable sighes because it is not we our selues that speake or vtter that which we aske but it is the spirite The third person abaseth not it selâe as though he were lesser then the father He prayeth because he makeâh vs to pray which stirreth
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 notwithstaÌding those euills which doo enclose vs in on euerye side yet our saluation is neuertheles sure for the prouidence ⪠of God whereby we are predestinâte 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 coÌtained 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 coÌmendation Law of sinne and of death This is it for which he gaue thaÌks 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 descriptioÌs 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 condeÌnation 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 âª namely to haue our sinnes forgeuen vs that is to be deliuered from the guiltines of them And this is it which
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 ⪠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 conâumelious 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 SacrameÌts 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã of makingâ cleane and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 obnoâius vnto it but in yâ it was so bold to lay haÌds vpon Christ being most innocent it deserued coÌdeÌnatioÌ But Ambrose semeth to signifie that sin is here takeÌ for the deuill who in yâ he killed Christ tempted him more theÌ
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 draweÌ 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 GeÌtiles were vnbeleuers but when the Iewes were made blind the Gentiles came vnto the true fayth and from the serching out of these secretes meÌ 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 froÌ the certainty of fayth opinions For when meÌ 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 FroÌ 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 yâ 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 sufficieÌt 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
made his oration to Agrippa the king when he sayd that the lord had said vnto him For to this end haue I appeared to thee to appoint thee a minister What was the ministery of Paul and a witnes both of those things which thou hast sene and of those thinges in which I will appeare vnto thee deliuering thee from the people and nations to whome I now send thee that thou mayst open theyr eyes that they may be conuerted from darkenes to light and froÌ the power of Sathan to God that they may receaue forgeuenes of sinnes and inheritance amongest them which are sanctified by fayth in me And with how great diligence Paul executed this office it is manifest when as towards the end of this epistle he writeth that from Ierusalem to Illiricum he had filled all the places rounde about with the Gospell which thing he with so feruent a minde performed that in the 20. chapiter of the Actes he in effect spake these wordes to the Ephesians I haue by the space of three yeares preached the Lord and that night and day How Paul behoued himselfe in the ministery with many teares and haue opened vnto you all the counsel of God I haue not coueted any mans gold or siluer amongst you these handes haue ministred to my necessities and to theÌ that were with me These wordes haue a wonderful emphasis He sayth that he had preached vnto them not one day or twayn but whole 3. yeres not by turnes times but night day not with a cold affection but with many teares not guile fully or disceitfully for he opened vnto theÌ all the couÌsel of God not in a quiet peace able state when as the Hebrues sought sundry and manifold ways to destroy him neither had he a regard to his owne thinges when as he desired nothing that pertayned to any man neyther finally tooke he small paynes in this office when as In what sort all men ought to imitate Paul with his owne handes he gott thinges necessary both for himselfe and his These thinges can not we without shame heare which so leue destitute our wiues children famely frendes kinsfolkes and cosins and finally all those with whome we are conuersant that we neuer at any time preach either Christ or his doctrine vnto theÌ vnto whoÌ yet we ought most feruently to preach For we are no lesse Apostles to these then Paul was appointed for that Gentiles And wheÌ as he sayth that he had opened vnto theÌ all the counsels of God it is to be wondred at how that many will so with tooth and nayle hold fast things as necessary to saluation which we know of what Bishoppes of Rome and of what counsels of what decrees of men they were brought in and are not prescribed vnto vs of Paul nor of any part of the holy scripture Paul for the better executing of his office conteÌned wonderful great dangers and where he saw the gate open thither he slacked not to go although he had many aduersaries which sought to withstand him He was made all thinges to all men to the Iewes a Iew and to those that were without the law as one that wanted the law Yea and to the Ethnikes wheÌ as they had no skill in the prophets Why Paul some times in his sermoÌs vsed verses of Poets Paul came to Ierusalem to conferre hys gospel with the apostles What fruit is to be loked for of counsels That Paule at the beginning persecuted the church waÌted not fruite Paul was not of the meane sort Paul was most studious in the law Of those thinges which are sayd to be done of a good enteÌt From whence the epistle to the Galathians was written Why Paul spake more gently touching the obseruyng of the law to the Romanes theÌ to the Galathians Pauls secretary was named Tertius From whence these letters were geuen ArgumeÌts whereby the Iewes thought that the Gentles were to be excluded from the Gospell neither had any knowledge in the scriptures he cited verses out of theyr Poets as out of Aratus Menander and Epinemides And the same Paul was not aferd to go vnto Ierusalem to conferre the Gospell with the chiefe Apostles not as though he had small confidence in his doctrine which he had receaued from the Lord out of heauen for he had an assured persuasion and as the GreaciaÌs say such a ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that he pronounced him to be Anathema or accursed which preached any other Gospel neither as touching this thing spared he the angels Neither is it any meruail for such a certaintie fayth requireth Wherefore we learne that Counsells are not to this end to be called as though our fayth ought to depend of theyr determinations but that there we should make manifest that those thinges which we beleue exactly agree with the holy scriptures and playnly to proue the same to our aduersaries Neither is there any more fruite or commodity therehence to be looked for The louing mercy also of God prouided that that also turned to good to the Church that Paul had at the beginning so vebemently persecuted it For they which afterward saw him sodenly coÌuerted vnto Christ could not beleue that this could haue happened with out the mighty power of God For as a man doth not vpon the sodaynâ become most vile so also is not a man of a wicked man straight way made most holy vnles the Spirite of God worke the same Paul was none of the commoÌ and meane sort he was not an obstinate Iewe which wanted learning and knowledge but he was most studious in the law neither had he bent his study to it only but also applied himselfe to the traditions of the fathers And thereof it came that he persecuted the Church of Christ For if he had geuen himselfe to the law of God only without adding vnto it the leuen of humane traditions he should the easelier haue acknowledged Christ But whosoeuer haue addicted themselues to humane traditions they must nedes be persecuters of the Church of Christ They say that Paul did these thinges of a good pretence and not of an euill purpose but of an holy entent as they vse to speake For my part as I confesse that this somewhat diminisheth the greauousnes of the sinne both before God and before man for I do not make all sinnes a like so also affirme I that the case is thereby the more dangerous For they which sinne vnder the shew of holines and vnder a godly pretence and not of an euill purpose do with the more difficulty returne agayne into the right way for that they are farre of to vnderstand that they sinne Wherfore in that case there nedeth the wonderfull great mercy and helpe of God But this is all that I mind at this time to write touching Paul Now in what order his epistles were written Chrysostome as I thinke hath sufficiently shewed From whome herein only I dissagree that I thinke
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 froÌ 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 froÌ the dead by whoÌ 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 theÌ are grace and peace indeede the chiefest thinges which of men can bee attayned vnto RhethoriciaÌs 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 loÌg 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 coÌmon 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 froÌ performing it For seruauÌtes do speÌd 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 grauÌted vs we speÌd 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 strikeÌ do humbly desire pardoÌ 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 froÌ 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 heÌ both fedeth and nourisheth vs hath also brought vs forth hath geueÌ vs eueÌ 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 theÌ he was before Also we geue litle or nothyng vnto our seruauÌts 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
therfore he geueth vs charity and other most noble vertues He addeth Called Sainctes by which worde he admonisheth them of their state past If they be called to holynes for as much as there caÌ be no motioÌ but where limites are apointed therfore they mought well conclude that they were called from vncleanes and Why the Romanes were called holy vnpurenes to holynes Neither say thou All they which were at Rome ought not to be called holy for that there were many there whiche were not absolute and not yet perfecte for these thynges let not For Paule first had a regarde vnto the better sort and in theyr name and prayse beautified the whole church For certayne preregatiues of singular members do redounde vnto the other members Further the Apostle had a consideracion wherevnto they were called namely to be made holy He sawe that they were called to the communion Augustine of Sainctes whereof they also tooke theyr name And Augustine in his 6. booke against Iulianus admonisheth vs not to thinke that this woord holynes signifieth This word holynes signifieth not perfection perfection And he citeth a place of Paul in the first epistle to the Cor. where he sayeth The Temple of God is holy which Temple ye be And no man is ignorant but that the Corinthians were infected with many vices And if we wil serche out the strenght of the significacion of the worde Sancti that is Sainctes or holy as the same Augustine teacheth in his booke de Symbolo fide it cometh of this Whence this word holynes is deriued worde Sanctio that is to constitute For that is called holy whiche is constant and firme and appoynted to abyde but nothing more letteth vs to abyde for euer then doth sinne for it is sayd that the reward of sinne is death Therfore it cometh to passe that holynes consisteth chiefely in the forgeuenes remission of sinnes FroÌ which seÌtence that disagreeth not which Paul hath in the first to the Cor. when he sayeth after he had rehearsed a cathaloge of enormious sinnes And these thinges were yee sometymes but nowe yee are washed yee are sanctified But the forgeuenes of sinnes is had by the holy ghost If that we shal call any thynge holy by reason of preparatioÌ they mought truly be called holy which haue beleued in Christ because that by the grace and spirite of Christe they are prepared to glory and highe purenes of lyfe to come Ambrose semeth Ambrose to searche out who are they which are called the beloued of God and called Sainctes And he aunswereth that these are they which thinke well of Christ If thou wilt agayne demaund what those are he aunswereth That those thinke What those be that thinke well of Christ well of Christ which thinke that we ought to put our confidence in hym only and that in hym is perfect saluation And of it may be concluded as of contraries that they thynke not well of Christ which trust in theyr owne strengthes or workes which thinge such as doo are not to be nombred amonge the called Sainctes and beloued of God as Ambrose now speaketh of them The called he nameth Sainctes because men of theyr owne nature are not able to attayne Holynes is not the cause of calling vnto holynes vnles they be led by the celestiall might of the holy Ghost And this is not to be left vnspokeÌ of that men are not therfore called of god because they are holy but that they are therefore holy because they are called Paul doth not rashely vse this kind of speach because the Iewes for that they had theyr original The Iewes claymed holynes vnto themselues only froÌ the holy Patriarches Prophetes boasted that all holynes consisted in theyr stocke only as thoughe other nacions were so wicked that it shoulde be counted an vnlawfull thing to communicate with them this proprietye of holynes But now yt is manifest that through the grace of Christ it is brought to passe that as well the Gentiles as the Iewes haue obtained the prerogatiue of holynes in an equall balance so that they haue the fayth of Christ Here we see also that Paule in placing of these two wordes obserued a iust order For fyrst he setteth to the beloued of God before called Saintes because that holynes A tâimâ placing of wordes breaketh forth of no other thing then of that charity and loue wherewith God loueth vs. And he might haue set forth the Romanes with other most ample titles namely that they had the dominion ouer the whole world ruled ouer all But passing ouer these things he speaketh only of yâ things that are of more value chiefly because it was not expedieÌt to flatter yâ Gentiles more then yâ Iewes and especially because there was risen no smale discord betwene both nacions Wherefore he ouerskippeth those titles which were proper vnto the Romanes he toucheth the coÌmon prayses of all such as beleue that they which were of the Gentiles and they which were of the circumcisioÌ might in that church be the better vnited together betweene them selues But we may not therfore be afrayd It is lawfull to call Princes by their titles both to salute and also to call Princes by their proper titles For in so doing we both admonishe our selues what we owe vnto theÌ and also we put theÌ in minde of theyr duety For Paule also when in the actes of the Apostles he made an oration to Agryppa was not afraid to call him by the title of a king Hetherto we haue expounded the second parte of the salutation that is what they were whom Paule saluteth Now let vs see what good thinges he wisheth vnto them Grace saith he to you and peace c. By the name of peace he vnderstandeth What peace signifieth with the Hebreues after the maner of the Hebrues the increase of all good thinges For as the Ethnikes say ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is grace salutem that is health so the Hebrues say Schalom that is peace And in the olde testament this salutatioÌ is ofteÌ vsed Yea and Christ also comming vnto the Apostles sayd Peace be with you And he commaunded Luke 24. the Apostles that into what house soeuer they entred they should say Peace be vnto this house To this salutacion commoÌly vsed among the Hebrues Math. 10. Paule addeth this word grace which word is not often found in the olde testament Grace is ioyned with peace added vnto salutations But Paule herein nothing offendeth For it aunswereth vnto his vocation for he was a preacher of grace and in the meane tyme admonisheth them to whom he writeth that peace is not to be looked for that is the heape of all good thinges from our owne strengthe and merites but from the grace of God He sheweth the roote and putteth it fyrst from whence other good thinges are powred vppon vs that we may haue the childe together
in this life but the crosse persecutions and all aduersities moreouer they were commaunded to leade a straite lyfe to put away pleasures to dispise the world and to mortefy wicked affections All which thinges do rather withdraw men from any religion then allure them vnto it For God is my vvitnes After that he hath shewed how he gaue thankes unto God for them he addeth the perpetuall memory that he maketh of them in his dayly prayers And all these thinges tend to this ende that they should perceaue that Paule loued them For these thinges neither are found nor can be found without beneuolence and a singular charity Neither affirmeth he these thinges simply but ioyneth vnto them an othe For his chiefe care was that they should geue credite vnto him whom I serue in my sprite By spirite he vnderstandeth a mynde inspired What the spirite signifieth with the holy ghost And Ambrose when he interpreteth this place sayth that the spirit is the minde wherewith we ought chiefly to worship God For he is a spirite and therefore it is meete that he be serued inspirite The false Apostles accused Paule as a forsaker of the law an Apostata from Moses Wherfore the crime of impiety was layd to his charge which should excedingly haue alienated the mindes of the Romanes from him if they coulde haue bene so perswaded Therefore he purgeth himselfe that althoughe he worshipped not Why Paul so often putgeth himselfe A place to Timothe expounded God with the ceremonyes of Moses and rites of the law yet neuertheles he serued him in spirite Which thing he testified also vnto Timothe when he wrote that he had from his progenitors worshipped God with a pure conscience By which words we must not thinke that he excuseth his sinne and persecution agaynst the Sainctes but only sheweth this that it was not agaynst his conscience as some which by reason of weakenes suffer not those things to take place which by a sound iudgement of the conscience they know to be vpright Paule fell of ignoraunce which without doubt was sinne but not of that kinde that it should be sayd that he did agaynst that which he thought in his mynde But that which he sayth here that he serueh God in spirite Christ expressed when he spake vnto the woman of Samaria sayinge of the true worshippers that they should worship in spirite and in truth And that was spoken to this ende to The true worshippers worship in spirite and in truth expres that one day it should come to passe that the describing of any certayne place wherein God should be worshipped should be taken awaye and the ceremonies of the Iewes should be abolished so that to worship in spirite may be referred vnto the place and ceremonies of the lawe and that which is added and in truth declareth the thinge it selfe excluding shadowes whiche were setforth in the olde Testament These did in deede helpe the fathers in theyr tyme because they had the worde of God ioyned with them which might be coÌprehended in them by fayth Wherefore God blessed them so that if fayth were present they were in their tyme very profitable but when Christ came they ought to geue place But as touching rites inuented by men we can not in like maner say that they much profited bycause they had not the worde of God Therfore they are worthely to be extingueshed and put away excepte some of them as touching outward pollicy may be iudged profitable We serue in spirite when no part of our flesh is any more circumcised but the mynde and vices beastes are not slayne but we crucify our owne fleshe with the lustes there of Which selfe same worshipping in spirite Paul in an other place expressed when he sayde I desyre you throughe the mercye of God that ye geue your bodyes a lyuely sacryfyce holy and acceptable vnto God and that your woorshyppynge be reasonable He vseth this verbe ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã from whence they saye is deriued this word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which signifieth that worshipping which is dew vnto God ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Augustinâ only whereby we vtterly addicte our selues vnto him neither can it as Augustine testefieth in his 5. booke De ciuitate Dei the first chapter be expressed by one word of the Lattins For pietas that is piety or godlines is not only towardes God but also towards our parents and country Also Religio that is religion is not drawen onelye to holye thinges but also belongeth to that duety which we owe vnto kinsefolkes and humane affinityes But in the meane Augustines distinction betwene ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã while he iudgeth that by the Greke wordes diuers thinges are in thys thyng distincted so that this worde ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifieth the worshipping which is geuen vnto God and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã the worship whiche is geuen vnto Princes and magistrates As touchinge the thing we easely graunt that there is a difference For we worship God after one sorte and we honour Princes after an other manner Chrisostome in hys 33. homelye vpon Iohn sayth that it longeth vnto the Chrysostome The body of Christ created A similitude The reason why the worship of Christ depeÌdeth of his deuinity creature to worshippe and vnto the creator to be worshipped And he obiecteth vnto him selfe why doo we woorship Christe a man when as he hath in verye deede a body created He answereth No man when he would reuerence a king sayth vnto hym Put of thy purple garments and laye away the crowne and other ornameÌts for I wil worship thee naked he dareth not speake these words but honoreth hym beinge both clothed which purple adorned wyth a crown So we when we worship Christ do not put away his humanity from hys deuyne nature but worship it together with it But the reason whereon adoracion dependeth is hys deuinity But as touching the Greeke wordes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is al ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as touching the Greeke words signity one and the selfe same thing ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã to to serue for a reward Augustine one with ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã For as Suidas testifieth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã But afterward it was vsed to signifye ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã yâ is godly to worship And he addeth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is a hired bondage And this signification is manifestly had in xeniphon in his 3. booke of the education of Cirus where the husband speaketh thus ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is Vndoubtedly O Cirus I will spende euen my life rather then she should be brought to bondage Then the wife answered ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Yea and we reade in the holy scriptures that in Leuiticus it is sayd you shall not do any seruile worke ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã And ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã in
he is God must be worshipped as he hath declared in the word of the scripture set forth vnto vs in the holy scriptures as a Lord and father they worship him obey him and study to aduaunce his honour as muche as they are able And agayne when they see hym declared as a iudge they set his iudgement seate before theyr eyes in all theyr actions lest they shoulde transgresse in any thinge and incurre the anger of theyr mighty iudge But they doe not so feare hym that they hate hym or that they woulde flye from hym yea and thoughe there were graunted them a place to flye vnto they woulde chose rather to embrace him punishing and chasteninge them And amonge these thinges whiche oughte to haue the principall place as touchinge this spirituall worshipping God is worshipped by obedience is obedience wherof we rede that it is better then sacrifices Neyther had God a regard in a manner to any other thinge in the whole lawe and rites of ceremonies than to haue men truly subiect and obedient vnto him But we forasmuche as we haue contracted a corrupte and viciate nature by the sinne of Adam are in nothyng more diligent and exquisite then to obtrude our own inneÌcions and fayned rytes for the worshipping of God and greater seueritye is vsed agaynst the transgressors of the Commaundements of men then there is agaynst those which publikely violate the Commaundementes of God A man shall euery where see blasphemers whoremongers adulterers and periured persons laughed at by the magistrates so farre are they of from punishynge them But agaynste hym whiche will vse the sacramentes of the Euchariste in both kinds they rage euen vnto the fyre And to be brief men are condemned to death for neglecting of humayne traditions but for violatinge of the lawe of God they are not so muche as once accused Wherefore God did not without a cause in Deut. commaund Moyses Onely the thynges whyche I haue commaunded shalte thou keepe neyther shalte thou adde nor diminyshe any thynge And we haue A remedye agaynst humane traditions no prâseÌter remedy against this pestilence then dayly to be occupied in the holy scriptures and to gather out of them by what meanes God would declare him selfe vnto vs and to picke out such wayes whereby he hath chieflye commaunded vs to worship him in thus doyng we may wtout any great difficulty serue god in spirite And contrary to this spiritual worshiping is to serue god in flesh To serue God in flesh that is onely wyth fayned rytes and outward ceremonies laying away faith and inward piety This Antithesis or contrarye posicion Paul touched when he sayd vnto the Galathians Yee which began in the spirite beware ye end not in the flesh Those Galathians were rightly instructed but by the deceates of false Apostles they declined vnto the Iewishe ceremonies and outward rites which thyng was to fynish in the flesh that whych was with holynes and vpright ãâã begonne Vnto the Philippians also he sayth We are the circumcision whiche serue God in sprite hauing confidence in God and not in the flesh Then he manifestlye declareth What it is to trust in the flesh what it is to trust in the flesh saying Although I if any other may put confidence in flesh as whych am of the kindred of Israel of the tribe of Beniamin an Hebrew borne of the Hebrewes and of the secte of the Pharisies by feruentnes persecâtinge the church of Christe and as touchinge iustifications of the lawe I was conuersante without blame c. Thou seest nowe that carnall woorshippynge consisteth of all these thynges But spirituall worshippyng consisteth altogether of fayth and charity Paule addeth In the gospell of his sonne By which wordes he declareth that thys spirituall Nowe God is serued in the Gospell of hys son worshipping if it be expressed in outward workes consisteth principally in this the we should preach Christ that we should allure vnto him as much as lyeth in vs as many of our neyghbours as we can He hath alreadye declared what God he called to witnes now he goeth to the thyng which he woulde haue signifyed vnto the Romanes And that is that he contynually made mencion of them in his prayers Neyther can it hereby be gathered that Paule did alwayes so praye that he neglected other duetyes He preached he iorneyed be laboured with hys handes and fynallye he executed all such thinges as pertayned vnto hys office Wherefore we must not expound those thynges which are here spoken accordyng to the word but according to the sense and we must vnderstand them no otherwise theÌ that as often as the Apostle prayed he made mencion of them And the prayers of the Saincts are deuided into two kyndes Two kindes of prayer For there are certayn which are appoynted as wheÌ they are had in a publique congregation at appoynted and prescribed dayes the Lordes day I say and if there be any other oppoynted by the Church for publike prayers Farther it is the duety of a Christian man to haue euery day also appoynted haures wherin to pray vnto God and that three times in a day or fyue tymes or seuen times as hys busines wyll suffer him There is an other kynd of those prayers which are called vncertayne for we vse them so often as any present daunger vrgeth vs. But Paule sayth now that he alwayes maketh mencion of these men in his prayers and in some bookes is added this aduerbe ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which signifyeth euery where althoughe some exemplars haue put it out There were heretikes which were called Messaliani and of them Tripartita Historia maketh mention An heresye of the Messalianits or Euchites They attributed all things vnto prayers and that so much that they vtterly derogated both the word of God and also the sacraments affirming that al these things do nothing profyte but what commodity soeuer we haue the same coÌmeth by prayers and they could not abyde to labour wyth theyr handes or to do any other thing If a man had vrged them to worke they would haue said that that nothing profyted for as much as we oughte to do nothinge but pray when as yet the Apostle expressedly admonisheth that he whiche laboureth not ought not also to eate He also wryteth that a man must not neglecte to haue a care ouer his owne especially his houshold which fault if any man commit he should be counted euen as an infidell But omitting this superstition we ought The children or God ought to pray often to attribute much vnto prayers forasmuohe as this is the nature of the children of God to geue themseltes oftentimes to prayers for that is to acknowledge the prouidence of God For whilest we beleue that a man can obtayne nothyng whych is not geuen him of God we are oftentimes prouoked to emplore hys ayde for such necessities as happen And whilest we pray we doo no lesse submitte
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 aduauÌce 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 workâ 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 coÌmunicateth 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 writteÌ 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 precept of God vrgeth there reasonynges and such like can not persuade nor conuince to cause vs to do otherwise And though there seme to be some comparison betwene those thynges which are prohibited and those thynges whiche are permitted yet oughte we neuer to take vppon vs to make those thynges a lyke betwene which the worde of God hath put a difference These are those ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or vayne disputations and reasonings which haue ingendred supersticions â brought in idolatry And though there were none other thyng to aunswere yet Those things betwene which the woord of God hath put a difference ought not to made a like A differeÌce betwene writing and painting Painting expoundeth not it selfe were this sufficient Howbeit we coulde put a difference betwene writyng and payntyng that although in the holy Scriptures there are set forthe one or two similitudes of GOD there is yet in the same place expounded and declared what is the meanyng of them And yf a man reade farther he shall at the length fynde that God is a spirite infinite and whiche filleth heauen and earth Which thing paynting teacheth not neyther doth it declare it self wherfore it should easely at the length bring men into errors and make them to be of that minde to thinke that God is like a man Augustine also in his little booke De fide Simbolo the 7. chap And yet sayth he must we not therfore thinke that God the father is circumscribed as it were with the forme or shape of a man that when we thinke of him we should couceaue in our minds that he hath a right or left side oâ for that the Father is sayd to sitte we should therfore thinke that he doth it with bowing of his knees least we fall into that sacriledge for which the Apostle execrateth those which changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likenes of a corruptible man For all Christian to erect vnto God such an image to place it in a temple it is wicked much Of the pictures of Christ of the Apostles and of holy histories God forbad not grauing caruing molding nor painting The beginninge of Images more wicked is it to place such a one in the hart Now resteth to consider touching Images which represent corporall things as Christ the Apostles holy histories Vndoubtedly as touching the nature of these things ther is no cause but that they may be resembled by signs and pictures Neither are the arts of grauing caruing or molting or painting at any time forbiddeÌ by the commanndement of God Augustine affirmeth that the beginninge of Images came of the desire whiche men bare towardes the deade For when men tooke it vnpaciently by death to be bereft of them whom they dearely loued they desired at the least to solace themselues with the images of them Which pretence as shall afterward be declared the deuill abused to idolatry And by thys meanes the Images of the elders were kept and that was counted an honour vnto the dead and brought some solace or comfort vnto theyr friendes It is written of Alexander Emperour of Rome the sonne of Mamnea that he had in hys Temple the Images Alexander the sonne of Mamenia had Images in his temple Images out of temples are not to be condemned so that they be not woorshipped nor filthye Marcellina a fellow coÌpanion of Carpocrates A copper image of Christ of Christ of Moses and of Abraham The Turkes haue no Images at all neyther publikely nor priuately In carpets they weue knots small flowers and certayne other thinges but neuer any perfect Images Which Images yet if they be had without worshipping and that out of Churches can not be condemned so that they be rightly vsed and not worshipped Wherfore Marcellina is iustly condemned which woman Augustine in hys booke de haeresibus ad Quoduult Deum sayth was a fellowe companion of Carpocrates and had the Images of Christ of Paul of Homere and of Pithagoras which she both worshipped also offred incense vnto which thing only was to be condeÌned Otherwise to haue images was not among the elders counted worthy of reproofe Eusebius Cesariensis affirmeth that he saw the Images of Peter and Paule which certayne of the faythfull kept by them And he telleth that in Cesarea Phillippi which was called Paneas was a Image of Christ made of copper at whose feete lay prostrate an other Image of that woman whiche by touching the hem of hys garment was healed of her flux of bloud And he sayth moreouer that vnderneath it sprang vp a certayne herbe whiche when it grewe so high that it came to the hem of the garment of the image of Christe gate thereby such power that it healed all maner of diseases And Socrates in his 7. booke of the Tripartite history writeth that Iulianus the Apostate remoued thys Image and commaunded his owne Image to be put in the place thereof whiche was so strikeÌ with lightning that it was vtterly destroyed And although that Image of Christ was by the Ethnikes drawen throughout the whole world yet it was An appocripha history of king Abagarus by the Christians after a sort gathered together again reserued Eusebius writeth also of our Lord Iesus Christ that he sent his owne Image by hys disciple vnto king Abagarus but forasmuch as thys is Apochriphall I can not easely be perswaded that it is true But let vs see whether these Images of Christ and of Saintes may be had in holy places where the faythfull assemble together or whether rather they be forbidden There were certaine of the Ethnikes which as touching this thing had no very ill iudgement Numa Pompilius as Plutarch declareth in his lyfe erected no kynde of Images in holy Temples And so continued it at Rome for the space of 150. yeares That king had learned The opinion of Pythagoras touching God Pithagoras sentence Who taught that God is a mynde and a spirite and vtterly tooke from him the nature of a body Wherefore these meÌ were of this minde that they thought it a thing most vnworthy to represent a more noble nature by viler thinges Although by the verity of the history it is certayne that Numa was before Pithagoras neyther could he learne thys of hym But how soeuer it be we may inferre that that thing which they repelled out of their Temples We ought not to haue Images in our Temples ought we much more to banishe from ours For those thinges which are there set forth may withdraw the mynde from the wordes of God For our mynde is of such condition that it is so vehemeÌtly withdrawen by those things which are offred vnto the senses that it can not attentiuely applye it selfe vnto other thinges Wherefore the Lacedemonians gaue straight charge that in the The maner of the Lacedemonians court wherein the Senate was kept there shoulde stand no signes or Images for that it behoueth that
pietie And contrarywise that the Iewes being destitute of fayth and holy lyfe are not holpen by circumcision to bee therby preferred before the Gentiles And where as we haue in our reading ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is shall be counted or imputed Chrysostome readeth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã or ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is shall be turned Neither doth hée onely read it so but also interpreteth it so so that he sayth that the Apostle sayd not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã And he sayth plainly that Paule here so speaketh as before when he sayd Thy circumcision is made vncircuÌcision He would sayth he speake that which is of more waight and greater to the end to speake with more efficacie Thys diuersitie of readyng Erasmus weighed not neyther will we contende therefore for that the sense eyther way remayneth sounde And vncircumcision which is by nature if it kepe the lawe shall iudge thee which by the letter and circumcision art a transgressour of the lawe To iudge is taken iij. maner of wayes To iudge may be taken thrée maner of wayes eyther that the Ethnickes shall pronounce sentence agaynst the Iewes as Paule sayd to the Corinthians Knowe ye not that we shall iudge the Aungells also or by comparison as the Lorde sayd of the Sodomites and of the Niniuites and of the Quéene of Saba that they should iudge the Israelites or to iudge is to reproue to accuse and to beare witnes agaynst a man For euen as before were alleaged the cogitations which shall accuse one an other for the good shall accuse the euill for that they corrupted the man and agayne the euill shall accuse the good because they helped not so the holy and iuste Ethnickes shall accuse the wicked Iewes for that they being adorned with so many giftes and spirituall graces serued not God He calleth it vncircumcision by nature because we are naturally so borne And they whiche are Vncircumcision by nature Ethnickes purpose not in their minde to circumcise them selues Or to speake more rightly as I thinke vncircumcision by nature is an Ethnicke man which is led onely by the light of nature By the letter hee vnderstandeth what soeuer is What the letter signifiâth outward and is not grafted in the hart to moue hym to doe well Augustine in hys 3. booke and 5. chap. De Doctrina Christiana writeth that they sticke in the letter which take the signes for the thynges and that which is figuratiuelye spoken in the holye Scriptures they take it so as if it were spoken properly and so lowe créepe they on the grounde that when they heare the name of the Sabboth they remember nothyng but the seuenth day which was obserued of the Iewes Also when they heare of a Sacrifice they thinke vpon nothyng but vpon the sacrifices which were killed And though there be some seruitude tollerable yet he calleth that a miserable seruitude when we take the signes for the It is a seruitude most miserable to count the signes for the things An errour concernyng the Eucharist thinges Wherin there is great offence committed in these dayes in the Sacracrament of the Eucharist For how many shall a man finde which beholdyng the outward signes of thys Sacrament calleth to memorye the death and passion of Christ wherof it is most certayne that they are signes or which thincketh with him selfe that the body and bloud of Christ is a spirituall meate of the soule through faith euen as bread and wine are nourishmentes of the body Or which weigheth with hym self the coniunction of the members of Christ betwene themselues and with the head These thinges are not regarded and they cleane only to the sight of the signes And men thinke it is inough if they haue looked vpon bowed their knée and worshipped Thys is to embrace the letter and not to geue eare vnto the sayd Augustine who in the place which we haue now cited and a litle afterward most apertly affyrmeth that to eate the body of Christ to To eate the body of Christe and to drinke his blo ud are figuratiue speaches drinke hys bloud are figuratiue kinds of speaches So are the Iewes accused because they cleauing only to the letter circumcisioÌ wer traÌsgressours of the law For he is not a Iewe which is one outward neyther is that circumcision which is outward in the fleshe But he is a Iewe which is one within and the circumcision is of the hart in the spirite not in the letter whose prayse is not of men but of God For he is not a Iewe which is one outward Here he more apertly sheweth what is the true Iewishnes what the true circumcisioÌ And he vseth iiij antithesis or contrary positions Outward inward the fleshe the hart the spirite the letter the prayse of men and the prayse of God But thys is to be marked that where as he sayth That he is not a Iew which is a Iewe outwardly neyther is that circumcision whyche is in the fleshe these thynges oughte to be vnderstanded by exclusion as they call it so that this woorde onely or alone be added For that circumcision whyche is onelye in the fleshe is not circumsion And he whiche is a Iewe onelye outwardlye is not a Iewe. But Paule seemeth to deny that simply which should be denied but partly because to exaggârate That sometimes is simply denied which is denied onely partly What the Fathers ment when they sayd that the Eucharist is not bread Against the Anabaptistes or amplify his matter he speaketh Hyperbolically Such as is that saying wheÌ he sayth that he was not sent to baptise Neyther ought we any otherwise to vnderstand the Fathers when they say that the Eucharist is not bread They speake hiperbolically and vnderstand that it is not breade onely or alone or coÌmon breade because vnto the bread is added the woorde of God whereby it receaueth the nature of a sacrament And this is a stronge reason againste the Anabaptistes which haue euer in theyr mouth that saying of Paule vnto the Corrinthians Circumcision and vncircumcision are nothing but the obseruation of the coÌmaundements of God So they saye that Baptisme and the Eucharist and the Ecclesiasticall ministery are nothing but pretend onely the obseruing of the coÌmaundementes of God But we aunswere them as we haue now sayde of Paule that other thinges are nothyng if they be alone without fayth and piety and a holy life But what it is to consist of the spirite and not of the letter is thus declared that by the spirite we vnderstand the renuing of the minde whereby it willingly What is ment by the spirite and the letter embraceth and desyreth that whiche is contained in the outward commaundement of the law For the spirite sometimes is taken for the excellenter part of the minde and sometimes for the power and faculty whereby God chaungeth and regenerateth a man But we here by the spirite
as it became theÌ neyther praid they for theÌ so much as they oght to haue done Wherefore the holy prophets acknowledging in themselues such a communion of sinnes sayd with others We haue sinned we haue done iniquity Vnto thee belongeth righteousnes vnto vs confusion of face Now he reÌdreth a reason why the Iewes haue nothing wherein they excell the Gentils Because sayth he vve haue alredy proued and shevved causes that asvvell the Ievves as the Gentils are vnder sinne And now besides his accusations he alledgeth testimonies also of the scriptures in which were most manifestlye comprehended the Iewes For it is not likely that the prophets and the scriptures would reproue the sinnes of other nacions and speake nothing of theyr sinnes vnto whome they chiefely pertayned Whensoeuer the Gentils are reproued in the scriptures thou shalte see them expressed by name The burthen of Damascuâ sayth Esay The burthen of Egipt the burthen of Tyrus and such like There is none iust no not one This testemony is written in the. 14. psal and in the Hebrew is redde En esah tob non facieÌs bonum not doinge good The Greeke interpreters haue turned it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which is to do a good dede or a thinge profitable to our neyghbour Therin he playnely sheweth that they were without loue and charitie It followeth There is none that vnderstaÌdeth ther is none that seketh after God These words are red in the. 53. psal And it is a generall oracle as well against yâ Gentils as against the Iewes For before these wordes it is there writteÌ The Lord looked down from heauen vpon the sonnes of Adam to see whether there were any that hadde vnderstanding and sought after God Which thinges are spoken per Anthro popathian as though God were affected with the selfe same proprieties as men are wonte to be And this serueth to driue an efficacy into those thinges which are spoken otherwise God seeth all thinges neyther needeth he ether to beholde or to sârche How God is sayd to looke vpon men out any thinge By this kinde of figure in the booke of Genesis he is sayd to haue descended vnto the Tower when it was in buildinge and in the same booke he sayth that he woulde go to Sodome to se whither the thinge were so as the cry fame had declared vnto him Althoughe Augustine entreatinge vpon this place writeth that God beholdeth and looketh vpon menne when he stirreth vp those whom he hath inspired with his holy spirite to do any thinge according to those phrases of speache whereby he is sayd to tempte or txye to knowe whither he be beloued or no. For he knoweth also with out any trials but yet by them he bringeth to passe that we are admonished and do know that which before we knew not So Paule sayth that the spirite searcheth out the profound thinges of God For forasmuch as the holy Ghost is God he nedeth no searching out for the knowledge How the spirite searcheth out the profounde thinges of God of any thing But yâ Apostle so speaketh because by his impulsion we are stirred vp to serch out those things which pertaine to God But because there is added From heauen least that should be a let Augustine affirmeth that no man can vnderstand this corruption of men vnlesse his mind be conuersaunte in heauen and inspired with the spirite of God But the first interpretacion is both easier redier And in that men are said not to vnderstaÌd God it is not ment of the simple Whether men are truly said not to vnderstande God If God be euerye where why is it sayd that he must be sought for Faith is not natural in men and vulgare knowledge but of the mighty knowledge and whiche is of efficacy so that to vnderstaÌd is as much to say as to feele and to sauour God Nor seking after God Although all thinges are full of God yet is he to be sought for of godly men by reason of the darkenes which coÌpasseth our mynds through originall sinne For both the fleshe and the senses and earthly affections do let vs from knowing of hym yea though he be present And by this second testimony all men are proued to be without fayth It followeth All haue gone out of the way and are made altogether vnprofitable There is none that doth good no not one Those thinges are spoken as it were out of the mouth of God after that he had beheld from heauen the maners of men And this vndoubtedly is a consequent that they which are destitute of fayth and charity do go backward and do depart from God For so soundeth this word in the Hebrue which is here sayd They haue gone out of the way And that which is here written They are become vnprofitable is in the Hebrue they are become rotten and haue brought forth a stinking sauor which commeth to passe when sinnes are publikely and dayly committed There is none no not one Some by this word one vnderstand Christ because he alone was free from sinne Which sentence although it be true yet is not their interpretation agreable with these woordes when as in the Hebrue it is En gam eched that is no not one And by that meanes this sentence is of great force to exaggerate and amplify the customable wickednes of men Paraduenture this semeth strange why the holy prophetes as Dauid and such other like are not excepted Some aunswere that herein is vsed the figure hiperbole because the greater parte of men was so infected But in my iudgement this semeth to be more agreeable with the truth that the holy ghost speaketh of the nature of men as it is of it selfe For they which were comprehended in Christ were exemted out of this number which thing yet was geuen theÌ not by their owne strengthes or in respect that they were men but because they were regenerate and renued by Christ Their throte is an open sepulchre They haue vsed their tongues to deceite These wordes are read in the v. Psal Hetherto he hath shewed that they were not profitable to their neighbours neither sought they after God But now he declareth that both in tonge and also in dedes they were hurtfull toward their neighbours He compareth their mouth to a sepulchre because it spake filthy things and stanke as a sepulchre doth A sepulchre also sendeth not agayne the The Metaphore of a sepulchre deade whome it hath once swallowed vp So these men with their tongues and vncleane mouth vexe men without measure ende Further a sepulchre is sayd neuer to be satisfied So these meÌ are not content with the destructioÌ of one or two but are redy if it lay in them to deuour all men In soÌme he affirmeth them to be such maner of men that whosoeuer is once wrapped with the nettes of their words is as vtterly cast away as they are which are already layd in the sepulchre or graue Neither wanteth this
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 vnderstaÌd 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 coÌmeth 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 iustifâing is to be r ãâ¦ã 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
the law is two maner of wayes coÌfirmed by fayth First because by it we obtaine the holy ghost whereby are ministred vnto vs strengthes to obey the lawe But a man may paraduenture doubt how this can be that by fayth we haue the holy ghost when as of necessity he alwayes goeth before fayth For fayth The holy ghost goeth before fayth in vs. Betwene causes and effects are certayne circuites The holy ghost both goeth before and also followeth fayth The Law maketh vs vncertaineof the good will of God The Law with out fayth is weake and can not consiste is both his gift and also commeth from him to vs. But we answere that betwene the causes and the effectes seme to be certayne circuites as it is manifest by cloudes and showers From cloudes discend raynes out of waters which are in the inferior places are taken vp vapors by the heate of the heaueÌs which are thickened into cloudes out of which againe discend showers vpon the earth But in this circute we must alwayes haue a recourse to the first according to the order of nature which is wheÌ there is supposed an humor of which cloudes may encrease So also must we do here We will grauÌt that fayth by the benefite of the holy ghost springeth in vs. By which fayth is increased the aboundance of the selfe same spirite whose encrease the former fayth hath preuented and of a greater fayth is still made a greater encrease of the spirite But yet notwithstanding we constantly affirme that there is but one thing chiefely from whence all these good things flow namely the holy ghost Secondly saith Augustine the lawe is by the helpe of fayth otherwise confirmed Because by fayth we pray and calling vpon God with prayers we do not only obtayne remission of sinnes but also so greate a portion of the spirite and of grace that we haue strengthes to obey the lawe Vndoubtedly the lawe if it be taken by it selfe maketh vs both vncertayne of the good will of God and after a sort bringeth desperation vnles fayth come and helpe which both maketh vs assured that God is pacefied and mercifull towards vs and also by grace obtayneth the renuing of strengthes And the Apostles phrase whereby he sayth that by fayth he establisheth the lawe is to be noted For thereby he signifieth that the lawe if it be left vnto it selfe and without fayth is weake so that it can not consiste And therefore vnles it be vpholden by fayth it shall easely fall And The woonderful sharpnes of wit in Paule The Law and sayth helpe one an other this is the poynte of a singular artificer not only to depel from him that which is obiected but also to declare that the selfe same maketh most of all for hys purpose The lawe and fayth helpe one an other and as the common saying is geue handeseche to other For the lawe doth as a scholemaster bring men vnto the fayth of Christ and on the other side fayth bringeth this to passe that it maketh them after a sort able to accomplishe the lawe For strayght waye so soone as a man beleueth in Christ he obtayneth iustification and is liberally endued with aboundance of the spirite and with grace The entent and purpose of the lawe was that a man should both be made good and also be saued But this thing it was not able to performe Then succeded fayth and did helpe it for through it is a man renued so that he is able to obey God and his commaundementes Chrisostome sayth that Paule here proueth three thinges First that a man may be iustified without the lawe Secondly that the lawe can not iustify Thirdly that fayth and the lawe are not repugnant one to the other Ambrose teacheth that therefore by fayth is the lawe established because that those thinges which by the lawe are commaunded to be done are by fayth declared to be done And we haue alredy before heard that this righteousnes which Paule here commendeth hath testemony both of the lawe and of the Prophetes And if any man obiect that therefore the lawe is made voyde by fayth because by it ceremonies are abolished he answereth that this thing therefore so happeneth because the lawe it selfe would haue it so and foretold that it should so come to passe In Daniell we reade that after the comming of Christ and after that he was slayne the dayly sacrifice should be taken away and the The Law Would and fortold that ceremonis should be made voide Testimonis witnessing that the ceremonis of the Hebrues should cease holy anoynting and such like kinde of ceremonies Wherefore Christ did not without cause saye The lawe and the Prophetes endured vnto Iohn baptistes tyme. Ieremy also most manifestly sayd that an other leage should be made farre diuers from that which was made in the olde tyme. The epistle vnto the Hebrues thereby concludeth that that which was the olde leage and was so called should one day be abolished Zachary the Prophet in his 2 chapter sayth that the city of Ierusalem should be inhabited without walles Which signified that the Church of the beleuers should so be spred abroade and dispersed through out the whole world that it should not be enclosed in by any borders or limites Which selfe same thing Esay semeth to testefy when he sayth That mount Sion and the house of the Lord should be on the toppe of the hilles so that the Gentiles should come vnto it out of al places And Malachy the Prophet pronounced that the name of God should be called vpon froÌ the rising of the sunne to the going downe of the same so that vnto God should euery where be offred Minchah which many haue transferred vnto yâ Eucharist as though it were a sacrifice when as yet the prophet thereby vnderstaÌdeth prayers and the offring vp euen of our selues as Tertullian testefieth in his booke agaynst the Iewes and also Ierome when he interpreteth that place Wherefore when the Prophets seme to affirme that ceremonyes should be transferred vnto the Ethnikes they are so to be vnderstaÌd as though by the signes they ment the thinges themselues The Ethnikes being conuerted vnto Christ receaued that which was represented by the ceremonies of the elders But they reiected the How the Ethnikes receued the ceremonis of the Hebrues outward signes and thys was by fayth to confirme the lawe And forasmuch as the Prophetes foretold that ceremonyes should be abolished the same is to be taken as if it had bene spoken of the lawe for that the Prophetes were interpreters of the lawe And that Christ when he should come should chaunge the ceremonies euen the Iewes them selues doubted not whych thing is manifest by Iohn Baptist shewed that ceremonis should bee abrogated the historie of Iohn Baptist which we reade in the Gospell For when he would purge menne conuerted vnto God he sente them not vnto sacrifices and vnto the ceremonies of Moses by
chaunce to dye ether after death we shal haue no fealing or if there be any we shall be in a better state In this maner did they frame themselues after a sort to beare al aduersities But in godly meÌ the consideration of valiantnes and of patience is farre otherwise they haue other causes and other meanes wherby to confirme themselues For they beare not these thinges as though they happned rashly But for that they know that by a singular prouidence they come from the most louing and almighty God from God I say theyr father which with a louing minde and by his right haÌd Consolations of the godly sendeth those afflictioÌs yâ is to the saluatioÌ of the Elect. And for the same cause they also with theyr hand that is patieÌtly receaue them and take them in good parte cryinge with Dauid It is good forme that thou hast humbled me and with Iames All ioy they think coÌsisteth in those aduersities which the most good and most wise God theyr father sendeth They alwayes lift vp the eyes of theyr minde to these promises of Christ Blessed are they which mourne for they shall receaue consolation Blessed are they that suffer persecution for righteousnes sake for theyrs is the kingdome of heauen They suffer al things valiantly not bycause by sorrow they caÌ not be changed but bycause they know that in valiantly suffring the offer themselues an acceptable sacrifice vnto God and perswade themselues that they shall one day be deliuered from those euills for which are layd vp for them most ample and euerlasting ioyes with which no fortune be it neuer so froward can be compared For the suffringes of this time are not worthy the glory to come which shall be reuealed in vs. The Ethnikes oftentimes gaue ouer in the middest of theyr miseries bycause they wanted strengthes to perseuere nether vnderstoode they from whence they should require strengths by reason they knew not the true God nor theyr owne imbecility But holy men stand fast abide by it and perseuer Causes why the Ethnikes geue ouer in afflictioÌs and the sayntes perseuer for that knowing the infirmitye of theyr owne strengths they flye vnto Christ who strengthning them they are able to suffer all things if he coÌfort theÌ they doo not only perseuer but also euen in the very feruentnes of the payne reioyce and be glad The Apostles went from the sight of the Counsell reioysing for that they were counted worthy to suffer contumely for the name of Christ Patience bringeth experience This experience is a certayne triall both of our selues of our owne streÌgths also chiefly of the goodnes might of God For in this suffring of aduersityes we learne how greate the corruption of our nature is which vnles the holy ghost helpe when it is touched with any aduersity streight way bursteth forth into blasphemies and complaynts agaynst the prouidence of God Hereby we learne how broken and weakned our strengths What triaâ springeth of patience An example be by reason of sinne For we should sincke vnder afflictions if we were not stayed vp by the might of Gods helpe Of this thing we haue an excellent example set forth in Iob for he being deliuered of God vnto the deuill to be tried how great blasphemies powred he out in his affliction How much complayneth he of the prouidence and iustice of God The light of the holy ghost had no soner illuminated him but how agayne plucked he vp his spirits How godly and holy an opinion had he of God The peruersnes of our nature lieth hidden from vs. For the hart of man is vnserchable But looke how soone fyre is striken out of the flint stone so soone bursteth forth our peruersnes when affliction oppresseth vs. And this triall as sayth Peter is as a fornace vnto gold And therfore God answered vnto Abraham when he was now redy to sacrifice his sonne and had his sword redy drawen and stretched out to strike him Now I know that thou fea rest God God in dede knew that well inough before but by that fact he brought to passe that this obedience was the better knowen vnto others For we are like vnto certaine spices whose sauor is not smelt vnles a man bruse them wel we are also like vnto stones whereout is fire striken which shew not forth that force which they haue to burne but when they are well pressed betwene the A similitude fingers Experience bringeth hope So hath God disposed these his instrumeÌts that they helpe one an other and one is the cause of an other By reason of the hope of the glory of God afflictions are not troublesom vnto vs but God geuing vs strengths we beare them with a valiant minde In this pacieÌce we haue a greater profeâ and triall of the power and goodnes of God towards vs. Thereof we conceaue a greater hope So hope engendreth and bringeth patieÌce and againe patience hope For when we consider that God hath holpen vs to beare afflictions patiently we hope that he will also hereafter helpe vs and at the length make vs blessed The sicke man for yâ he hath confidence in the phisitioÌ suffreth his botche or sore to be cut Afterward as he feeleth himselfe relieued he more A similitude more putteth confidence in the phisition so that if neede were to cut his foote also he would not be afeard to commite himselfe to his discretion The deuill as much as he can driueth vs to desperation and by afflictions goeth about to perswade vs that God is our enemy But contrariwise the holy ghost saith bicause thou hast quietly and patiently borne affliction it ought to be a sure token vnto the that God in it declareth his fauor towardes the. Wherefore haue hope for he will vndoubtedly deliuer the. And although Iames putteth experience before ConsiliatioÌ of Paul Iames. patience wheras Paul putteth it after yet is there no disagreemeÌt betwene theÌ For Paul meaneth that experience which is geuen at length after the battayle that we mought haue a full triall of our selues and Iames meaneth the selfe same experience but yet as it is gotten and engendred by the exercise of tribulations But that which Iames addeth Patience hath a perfect worke may be expounded A place of Iames. two maner of wayes either that he exhorteth vs to perseuerance in suffring that our patience may be absolute and perfect as which falleth not away or els that we should be of a perfect mynde towardes those which afflict vs of so perfect a mynde I say that we desire not to haue them recompensed for the iniuries which they do vnto vs. And hope confoundeth not This is a notable chayne and an excellent connexion of Christian degrées Of this chayne the first linke is fastened to the A chaine post of afflictioÌs in this worlde from thence the godly ascend to pacience from pacience to experience and from experience to hope which hope
sort hope But we deny that it is such a hope as is ours which we haue in this life Bicause as we haue before declared out of the woordes of the Apostle our hope hath ioyned with it as companions sighing and sorrowe which thinges vndoubtedly in the eternall felicity which the blessed haue fruition of in heauen can haue no place Farther our hope cleaueth fast vnto fayth which engendereth an vnperfect and an obscure knowledge For as Paul sayth vnto the Corrint We se now by a glasse in a ridle we know but by a part But the saints in heaueÌ know most perfectly most clearly Moreouer forasmuch as fayth hath chiefely a respect vnto the last chiefe good thing there ought not to be ascribed vnto the blessed which now hold possesse that good thing such a hope as is ours For the true proper hope caÌ haue Hope is in life as an anker no place in eternall felicity It is only so longe as we liue here geuen vnto vs as an anker for so the epistle which is written vnto the Hebrues calleth it For so long as we are tossed with the waues and tempests of this world vnles our minde be confirmed and stablished by the anker of hope our shippe will easely dashe agaynst the sandes and rockes Chrisostome calleth it a golden chayne let downe from heauen which chayne if we take holde of we shal be drawen vp Hope is in a chaine into heauen Wherefore we must diligently prouide that this hope be dayly more and more confirmed in vs which thinge shal then chiefely come to passe if as Paul straight way declareth we diligently wayght the singular benefites of God Which benefites forasmuch as they are most playnly contayned in the Hope is confirmed by the consideration of Gods benefites holy scriptues by reading of them our hope shal be very much coÌfirmed Which thing Paul most clearely taught in this epistle when he sayd Whatsoeuer thinges are written are written for our learning that through patience and consolation of the scriptures we should haue hope Which selfe same thing Dauid also sayth They hope in thee which haue knowen thy name Wherefore seing the nature and namâ of God is no where better vnderstand then in the holy scriptures it followeth that by theÌ we ought to confirm our hope which thing if we diligently obserue our mynde shall not be discouraged when God as oftentymes his maner is permitteth our doinges to come euen to shame which thing we sée happened in God semeth sometimes to forsake his Christ our sauior For he was so vtterly forsaken of God that he was put vpon the crosse and died a most ignominious death betwéene two thieues Dauid also was brought to that poynt that not only being expelled out of the kingdome of Israell he was fayne to wander in desert places but also was in a maner fast holden and closed in the handes of Saule The selfe same thing we sée very oftentymes to haue happened in other of the Saints that they were iudged in a maner to haue bene deceaued and to haue fallen from their hope But the spirite of Christ geueth strength that men are able in the middest of their calamityes to reioyce and to say These thinges shoulde haue no power in vs if it were not geuen theÌ froÌ aboue Which seÌtence Christ layd agaynst Pilate when he boasted of his power The 42. Psalme also hath excellently wel tought vs how we ought to comfort our selues and with a good hope to erect our mynde For thus it is written Why art thou deiected oh my soule Why art thou Why God spoyleth his of outward helpes so discouraged Hope in God for I will yet make my confession vnto him My health is in his countenance Nether doth God for any other cause commonly depriue his of outward helpes and aydes of this world but to gather together their dispersed hope not to suffer it to leane vnto too many aydes And these sondry and manifolde aydes he changeth for one principall ayde and the same most firme to the ende we should wholy depend of him By this difference of a firme hope Christians much differ from Epicures and Ethnikes For if there come any great calamity vnto them straight way they exclame and cry out If there The Ethnikes howe they are destitute of hope be a God that hath a care ouer these thinges If there be a God that séeth these thinges So they call not vpon God but being in dispayre vtterly discourage themselues But contrariwise godly men most constantly crye vnto God nether doubt they but that their prayers reach vp euen vnto heaueÌ and that God hath a care both ouer them and all theirs But because humane wisedome continually wrastleth and faineth that it doubteth not indede of the power of God but only doubteth of hys will therefore let vs sée how of this thinge Paul hath made vs certayne Because the loue of God is shed abroade into our hartes by the holy ghost which is geuen vnto vs. These wordes signify all one as if he had sayd hereby thou mayst gather that thy hope shall not be made frustrate for that God loueth thee Which loue the holy ghost hereby perswadeth thée of for that the only sonne of God was for thy sake deliuered vnto the death Wherefore now oughest thou not any more to be in doubt of the will of God It is geuen vnto the fréely and that as it is afterward sayd when thou wast an enemy weake wicked and a sinner All which things declare that God loued thee not meanely but most aboundantly Nether hath he only geuen thee these thinges but also hath geuen thee the holy ghost that thou mightest throughly féele them And this is done in regeneration for there whilest by fayth thou takest holde that Christ died for thee thou art borne agayne and made partaker of the nature of God For euen as the spirite of man maketh a man so the spirit of God By the holy Ghost we are adopted by adoption maketh vs the children of God whiche spirite if it were geuen vs as sayth Chrisostome euen now from the beginning before we lauboured vndoubtedly many more thinges shall be geuen vnto vs seing that we go aboute continually to frame our selues to the will of God Now we take holde of the roote and fountayne of all good thinges From this spirite commeth that glorious resurrection as we are taught by this epistle For he which raysed vp Christ Of the holy Ghost is the resurrection from the dead sayth Paul shall rayse vp also your mortall bodies because of his spirite which dwelleth in you Nether is this life which we liue in Christ couÌted to come from any els where then from the holy ghost For the wisedome of the flesh saith Paul is enmity agaynst God But the wisedome of the spirite is life and peace God would that we should in this life haue a pledge and
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 geueÌ 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 amoÌgst 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 froÌ wrath thorough him For if wheÌ we wer enemies we wer recoÌciled 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 reasoÌ wherby we may knowe that God loueth vs namely for that he gaue his sonne for vs wheÌ we were yet weake sinners vngodly enemies Wherfore we manifestly gather that yâ hope caÌ not confound vs wherby we haue full confidence yâ 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 childreÌ Wherfore The Methode of Paules reason Paul first setteth forth the benefite bestowed vpon maÌkind the sonne of God I say which was geueÌ vnto the death Secondly he maketh a comparisoÌ 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 scleÌderly declare how much good God hath bestowed vpon vs when he gaue his sonne for our saluatioÌ but with greate amplificatioÌ 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 meÌcion 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 substaÌtiuely 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
lyeth a sléepe in them as Augustine sayth in his 2. booke of the merites and remission of sinnes following yâ which is spoken of Paul sayth I liued sometimes without a law not yâ there was at any time no law prescribed vnto Paul but bycause in his childhode by reasoÌ of age he felt it not Wherefore sinne sayth Paul was dead which Augustine interpreteth was on slepe But when the commaundement came yâ is when I began to know yâ law sinne reuiued He had sin in him before but forasmuch as it was not felt it semed dead Now appeareth how those thinges which we haue spoken agree with the holye scriptures Yet still Pigghius vrgeth that these thinges nothing An obiection of Pigghius pertaine vnto infantes for they oughte not to haue a law prescribed vnto them which can not be auoyded But in so saying he vnderstandeth not the meaning of the holy scriptures for they sufficiently declare that those things which A law may be geuen eueÌâor those thinges which can not be performed are commaunded in the law can not perfectly be performed of vs when as yet they are most seuerely commauÌded Paul saith in this epistle That which was imposible vnto the law forasmuch as it was weakened through the flesh God sending his sonne c. By these words it most manifestly appeareth that we caÌnot performe the law âs it is commaunded For if we could we should be iustified by works nether had Christ neded to haue suffred death for vs. There ar also other offices Vtilities of the law of the Law for which it is written For it is profitable to direct the actions of the godly but it is most profitable to declare sin For by the law sayth Paul coÌeth the knowledg of sin Again I was ignoraÌt of lust vnles the law had sayd Thou shalt not lust Farther by the law sinne is also increased doth more lead vs greuouslier oppresse vs. For the law ãâ¦ã ed in that sin should abound to the Corrint The power of sin is the law And al these things teÌd to this end yâ maÌ should as it were by a Scholmaster be brought vnto Christ and implore his ayd and desire to haue streÌgth geuen him whereby at the least in some part and with an obedience now begon to performe those thinges which are commaunded and that those things wherin he fayleth might not be imputed vnto him but might be made whole by the righteousnes of Christ Augustine in his first boke against Iulianus reproueth the The pelagians boasted that God commaundeth not those things which can not be done Augustine reherseth the sinnes of infantes Pelagians for that they thoughte that they had taught some great point of doctrine when they taughte that God commaundeth not those thinges whiche can not be doone and he declareth those to be the endes of the lawe whiche we haue now expressed Yea and Augustine also in his bookes of confessions maketh mencion of those sinnes which euen suckinge infantes doo committe Agaynst which no maÌ caÌ say they could resist And they should not be sins vnles they wer referred to some law which is by them violated Nether doth yâ any thing helpe Pigghius or put away their sinnes for that they vnderstand them not For that which is filthy although it seme not so to vs yet of his owne nature is it filthy Thinges filthy although they seme not filthy yet ar they neuerthelesse of their owne nature fylthy The opinioÌ of Augustine and Anselmus differ not in very deede The definition of Original sinne ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as he saith ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã yâ is That which is filthy is filthy whither it seme so or no. This opinion of Anselmus concerning the lacke and want of originall iustice doth in very dede nothing differre from the sentence of Augustine wherein he calleth originall sinne luste but that whiche in Anselmus is spoken somewhat more expressedlye is more obscurely wrapped in the word concupiscence But bycause this want of originall iustice may so be taken as though we vnderstoode onely the priuation of the giftes of God with out any vice of nature therefore it shall be good to set forth a more full definition of originall sinne Originall sinne therefore is the corruption of the whole nature of man traduced by generation from the fall of our first parent into his posterity which corruption were it not for the benefite of Christ adiudgeth al men borne therin in a maner to infinite euills and to eternall damnation In this definition are contained al kinds of causes We haue for the matter or subiect all the partes strengthes of man The forme is the deprauation of them al The efficieÌt cause is the will of Adam which sinned The instrument is the propagation of traduction which is done thorough the flesh The end and effect is eternall damnation together with all the discomoditis of thys life And hereof sprange sondrye Sondry names of this sinne names of this sinne so that sometimes it is called a defect or want sometimes peruersenes sometimes vice sometymes a disease sometymes contagiousnes sometymes malice and Augustine calleth it an affected quality and ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is a disorder And that the whole maÌ is corrupt hereby appeareth because he was to this ende created to cleaue vnto God as to the chiefe good But now he vnderstandeth The corruption of the partes of man is declared not things pertayning vnto God nor with patience waiteth for the promises which are set forth in yâ sciptures but with grief he harkeneth vnto yâ preceptes of God and the paynes rewardes he vtterly coÌtemneth The affections rebelling agaynst sound reason do wantonly deride the word of God The body neglecteth to obey the soule All these thinges although they be experimeÌts of naturall corruption yet are they also confirmed by testimonies of the holy scriptures Of the corruption of vnderstanding Paul sayth The carnall man vnderstandeth not those thinges which are of the spirite of God yea he can not because they are foolishenes vnto him In which wordes let vs marke by the way agaynst A proofe of the impossibility of the law Pigghius that the lawe was geuen of such thinges which of vs can not be performed For the lawe doth chiefely commaund vs to haue knowledge in things pertayning to God which thinges yet Paul apertly affirmeth that the carnall man can not vnderstand And to our purpose we sée that Paul affirmeth that this blindnes or ignorance is grafted in man and that of nature for we can not imagine that it commeth by reason of tyme or age For the elder in yeares a man is so much the more and more is he instructed concerning God Wherefore in that he is carnall and vnapt to vnderstand thinges pertayning to God it commeth of his corrupt nature And this corruption is of so great waight that Augustine in his 3. booke agaynst Iulianus the 12.
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 ãâ¦ã 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 regeneratioÌ 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 yâ 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 commeÌded 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 reconciliatioÌ 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
difference which Augustin assigneth betwene ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 obedieÌce 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 vnderstaÌd 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 CorrinthiaÌs 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 iââas sufficient not to coÌmit adultery but vnto vs is also prohibited the lustful loking vpoÌ an other maÌs 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
them but yet by the will of God Wherefore if thinges happen otherwise then they hoped for they comfort themselues for that they know that God theyr most louing father prouideth better both for his kingdome and for theyr saluation then they coulde haue prouided for themselues And they haue alwayes that in theyr mouth which Dauid sang Vnles the Lord builde the house they labour in vaine which build it Wherefore this is theyr care to frame theyr counsels to the word of God And the euent they committe vnto God And so on euery parte they worke surely But in those workes which are acceptable In thoâ workes which are acceptable vnto God they ãâ¦ã r straungers from Christ haue no liberty at all and greatefull vnto God men being strangers from God haue no libertye at all Hereof it came that Augustine sayth in his Enchiridion That man vsing frâe will ill lost both himselfe and free will For when in the battaile sinne got the vpper hande it broughte man into bondage I knowe there are some whiche thus interpretate thys sentence of Augustine that Adam lost free will as touchinge grace and glorye wherewyth he was adorned but not as touchynge nature Verelye here I will not muche striue to denye that reason and will whiche pertayne vnto nature were left vnto man after the fall But that the same nature After sinne nature remayned but âet mayned and wounded is mayned wounded nether can they themselues vndoubtedly deny For thys thinge also affirmeth the Master of the Sentences in hys 2. booke and xxv distinction For he sayth that man nowe after hys fall is in that state that he maye sinne and that he is in such condition that he can not not sinne And although Augustine and others should not so affirme yet may most firme reason teach it For holy workes depend of two groundes namely of knowledge and of appetite Of knowledge Paul sayth The naturall man vnderstandeth not A reason why man can not not sinne the thinges which are of the spirite of God yea neither vndoubtedly can he For vnto him they are foolishenes But now if we know not what is to be done and what pleaseth God by what meanes then can we performe it in act ⪠And in what sort our appetite and cogitacions are towardes those holy workes it is manifest by the sixt chapter of Genesis My spirite sayth God shall not striue in man for euer for he is flesh And straight way God saw that the malice of men was great and all the imaginations of the thoughtes of his hart were only vnto euill continually And in the 8. chapter The imagination of mans hart is euilleuen from his infancy And these things speaketh God himselfe And we ought touching our strengthes to beleue none Touchinge our strengthes we must most of all beleue him that made vs. more then our maker when he geueth testemony of his owne worke In Ieremy the 18. chapter the people sayd we wyll go after our own thoughtes Which place Ierome expounding thus writeth Where then is the power of free wyll without the grace of God and the iudgement of a mans owne wyll When as it is a great offence to God for a man to follow his own thoughtes and to do the will of his wicked hart That we are obnoxious vnto seruitude Christ declareth in Iohn saying he which doth Without grace we ar seruants sinne is the seruaunt of sinne Wherefore seing we sinne in many thinges and haue from our mothers wombe sinne fast cleuing vnto vs we must of necessity confesse that we are seruanntes But then shall we be in very deede frée when the sonne hath deliuered vs. Otherwise we serue a most bitter seruitude Wherefore Paul sayd that he was sold vnder sinne and so solde that in his fleshe he confessed to dwell nothing that is good and that he did the thinges which he would not and which he hated and felt an other lawe in his members resisting the lawe of hys minde and leading him away captiue vnto the lawe of sinne And vnto the Galathyans he sayth that the flesh fighteth agaynst the spirite and the spirite agaynst the fleshe so that we do not the thynges which we would Which thinges if they be true of so great an Apostle and of holy men regenerate by Christ what is to be thought of yâ vngodly which pertain nto vnto Christ For they can not come vnto him vnles they be draweÌ For Christ sayth No man can come vnto me vnles my father draw hym He which before would of his owne accord go is not drawen as sayth Augustine No man can come vnto Christ vnles he be drawen Places prouing that we are not free before regeneratioÌ but is led Wherfore if we must be drawen vnto Christ before we would not which is a most gréeuous sinne And therefore we will not because the wisedome of the fleshe is enmity towardes God For it is not subiect vnto the lawe of God yea neither vndoubtedly can it And as many as are not by Christ set at liberty liue vnder the lawe and as Paul aâdeth vnto the Galathyans vnder the curse whiche should not be true if they could fulfill the lawe of God For none incurre the curse but they which transgresse the lawe Farther Paul expressedly sayth It is not of hym that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy For our saluation is his worke and not the worke of our strengthes For it is he which worketh in vs both to wyll and to performe Before he bringeth that to passe if he deale any thing with vs ether by the lawe or by the doctrine of his worde he dealeth with stones for our hartes are stony vnles Christ chaunge them into fleshy Which thing in Ezechiell he promiseth that he will do and will so worke that we shall walke in his commaundemenntes And doubtles if we coulde without grace liue iustly and vprightly we should be able also by our workes to be iustified which sentence is vtterly condemned both of Paul and of all the whole scripture Ieremy It is Gods worke and not ours to be conuerted vnto him sayth Conuert me Lord and I shal be conuerted And Dauid sayth Creat in me O God a cleane hart And that this commeth not to passe in all men we playnly sée by the 29. chapter of Deutromony where it is thus written The Lord hath not geueÌ vnto you eyes to see nor an eare to heare nor an hart to vnderstaÌd And in the 30. cha God promised to circumcise their hartes and the hartes of their séede that they may walke in his preceptes For he both beginneth and maketh perfect our saluation For so Paul sayth vnto the Phillippians I hope that he which hath begon in you wyll accomplishe it euen vnto the day of Christ This thing holy men right well vnderstanding pray with Dauid Incline myne hart to thy testimonyes and wyth Solomon The Lord
they be moued with lesse desire to sinne and if they take lesse pleasure in their sinnes yet take they so much in them that they cannot be plucked away from them If with any zeale they heare the woorde of God yet when they haue heard it they haue it in derision when as they hope that those things which are in it promised shall happen vnto thâm leading their lyfe in such sort Wherfore we sée that all these thinges stray from the marke and appoynted end And seing that al these motions are of small efficacy and leaue men vnder the wrath of God there can nothing that is sound be hoped for at their handes But let vs heare what Esay in his 58. chapter pronounceth of this kinde of workes They seeke me sayth he dayly and wyll know my wayes as a nation that wrought righteousnes and had not forsaken the statutes of theyr God They aske me of the ordinaunces of iustice and they wyll draw nere vnto God Wherfore do we fast say they and thou seest it not we haue afflicted our soules and thou regardest it not Behold in the day wherein ye fast ye seeke that which ye desire and ye all seeke and require your debtes Beholde ye fast to stryfe to debate to smyte wyth the fist Is this the fast that I haue choseÌ These wordes of the Prophet most plainly declare that it is sinne before God to enquire after his wayes to fast for a man to afflict himself when as such workes are done without the true worshippyng of God and without piety It cannot be denied but that these are in déede goodly workes and plausible howbeit God the iust iudge reiecteth them Augustine in his bookes of confessions in himself setteth God reiecteth works though they be neuer so goodly to the shew forth vnto vs a plaine example touching this matter For he describeth the motions which he suffred in his minde before he was conuerted vnto Christ For thus he writeth in his 8. booke and 11. chapter I liued in my bond vntill the whole was broken in sonder wherwyth although beyng very little I was holden yet I was holden Thou in my eyes O Lord dydst by thy seuere mercy double the scourges of feare of shame I sayd wyth my selfe inwardly Behold now let it be done Now in a maner I knew it and dyd it not And wythin a very little I euen nowe touched it and held it and touched it not neyther helde it And the worse they beyng in custome preuayled more in me then the better thyng vnaccustomed And that very moment of tyme wherin I would become a new man the nearer it approched the greater horror it draue into me I was holdeÌ back by trifles of trifles by vanities of vanities by myne old wanton louers whiche priuely whispered doost thou now forsake vs And shall we neuer any more after this tyme be wyth thee And from this tyme forward wylt thou neuer vse this or that And I began now to harken vnto them a great deale lesse then halfe These things mencioneth Augustine accuseth the meane works that he did before his conuersion as sinnes Whatsoeer wanteth his perfection is sinne A similitude Of the Publicane he and accuseth them before God as sinnes whiche yet are so highly commended of these men These were in dede meanes wherby God brought Augustine vnto saluation howbeit they were still in him sinnes For he obeyed them not but corrupted them with many abuses so that he could not be with efficacy chaunged by them But whatsoeuer wanteth his due perfection is sinne But these Sophisters are like serpents called Hydra for one argument being as a hed cut of there ariseth to them an other They obiect vnto vs the Publicane which thus prayed in the temple God be mercifull vnto me a sinner And he is said to haue returned to his house iustified Wherfore say they he was a sinner wheÌ he prayed For we read that he was afterward iustified But his prayer pleased God Wherfore we may say they do workes acceptable vnto God euen before we be regenerate But these meÌ should haue remembred that this Publicane prayed which as we haue declared of Cornelius he could not haue done without faith For how shall they call vpon hym in whoÌ they haue not beleued Wherfore he was iustified eueÌ then when he prayed Nether maist thou so vnderstaÌd these words as though he should be then first iustified When the publicane prayed he was iustified wheÌ he had finished his prayers For although it be said to be afterward done yet doth it not therof follow that it was by no meanes done before He obteyned a more perfecter iustification a more ampler spirit a more nerer féelyng of the mercy of God He calleth himselfe a sinner and that not vnworthely partely for that If he were iustified why then calleth he himselfe a sinner he still felt in himselfe that which he misliked For alwayes how iust so euer we be yet are we commaunded to pray Forgeue vs our trespasses And partly for that in minde he called to minde how greuous sinnes he had committed before he was iustified And holy men ought in their prayers chiefly to weigh and to consider how great the burthen of their sinne is For when with their prayers they come vnto God they are moued with a true repentaunce to say with Dauid My bones are consumed away in my crying out continually day and night is thy hand made heauy vpon me my iuyce is dryed vp as the moystnes of the earth is dryed vp in the sommer Euils without number haue compassed me about Myne iniquities haue closed me in on euery side that I could not see they are encreased more then the heares of my hed My hart hath forsakeÌ me I acknowledge my wicked actes my sinne is alwayes before me Against thee against thee haue I sinned don euil before thee And to that end holy men should afterward the better beware of sinnes God stirreth vp in theÌ a most sharp feling of his wrath the they may acknowlege what they had deserued vnles God had holpeÌ them by his sonne He openeth also theyr eyes that they may se what his fatherlye chaistisemente is towardes them and that the same maye be the better felt he oftentimes differreth from them the tast and fealing of his mercy Therefore they crye Make me to heare thy ioye and gladnes that my bones being humbled may reioyce hide thy face from my sinnes and blot out all mine iniquities A cleane harte create in me o God and renew a right spirite in my bowells cast me not away from thy face and take not away thine holy spirite from me Wherefore they also that are They that are iustified do still pray for theyr sinnes iustefied doo pray that that infirmity which is still remayning be not imputed vnto them They call to minde the thinges wherin they haue before greauously sinned and they
Paul here writeth He hath deliuered me from the right of sinne and of death That is from the guiltines or bond whereby we were bound vnto sinne and vnto eternall death And when this bond is taken away there then remaineth nothing why we should feare condemnation But forasmuch as that is said to happeÌ through the spirite of Christ it manifestly appeareth that men are not iustefied by workes For workes follow the spirite and are saide to be the fruites thereof And this deliuery pertayneth only vnto them which are in Christ that we may vnderstand that all they are excluded which boast of faith and of the Gospell yet in the meane tyme do wallow in most grosse sinnes and are straungers from Christ and whereas they committe many thinges against their conscience yet are they not touched with any repentaunce This which is added which walke not according to the fleshe but according to the spirit expoundeth yâ which was before saide To be in Christ And that we may the better vnderstaÌd that it is all one we must repeate that whiche the Apostle a litle before wrote Let not sinne raigne in your mortall body that this although ye be stirred vp by these lustes yet ye ought not to permitte vnto theÌ the dominion of your minde And that which the Apostle in this place declareth bringeth with it a great consolation They which are shut vp fast in prison and do know themselues to be A similitude guilty do looke for nothing els but sentence of death now if to them pardon and forgeuenes should be offred they not looking for it they can not but excedingly be glade and reioyce So we when we see that damnation is dewe vnto vs for our sinnes can not but excedingly reioyce at these tidinges when we heare out of the holy scriptures that all thinges are freely forgeuen vs for Christes sake Wherefore if we desire to haue the fruition of this so great a benefite it is necessary that we beleue the pardon which is offred vnto vs. For thys liberalitye of God wyll nothynge profite vs without faythe Althoughe by that whiche we haue nowe spoken I doubte not but that men maye vnderstande what the meaninge of Paul is yet are there sower thynges Foure thinges put forth to be examined whiche shall not be vnprofytable more dilygentlye to examyne Fyrste what that is wherby we are deliuered Secondly from what kind of euill we are deliuered Thirdly what maner of thing this deliuery is Lastly vnto whome it pertaineth As touching the first the Apostle saith that condemnation is taken away by the law of the spirit of lyfe wherby we vnderstand the holy ghost which gouerneth our mindes and ruleth them by his inward motions With which exposition agréeth Chrisostome For euen as saith he the law of sinne is sinne so the lawe of the spirite is the spirite But in that this worde of lyfe is added some do thus vnderstand it as though that worde should be ioyned with the worde law so that the law should be called the law of the spirite and the law of life But the nature of yâ Greke tong semeth to vrge that that worde should be an epitheton or proprietie of the spirite For thus it is written ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã That is of the spirit of lyfe Here the article ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã coupleth this word ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is of lyfe with the spirit and not with the law Wherfore the sence is that we are deliuered by the spirite the author of life and not by euery spirite which is cold and wanteth lyfe Ambrose by the law of yâ spirite vnderstoode faith which law he putteth as a meane betwene yâ two other lawes betwene the law of Moses I say and the law of the flesh Faith driueth not nor forceth vnto vices as before Paul taught that the law of the members and of the flesh doth Neither is faith as the law of Moses which only admonisheth what ought to be done but geueth not strengths to do it neither forgeueth wheÌ any thing is committed against it For faith both teacheth what is to be don and also bringeth strengths to do the same and when any fault is committed it obteyneth pardon for the same Hereby we sée what is to be vnderstand by the law of the spirite of life namely the holy ghost or els fayth For either is true for in very deede yâ author of our deliuery is yâ spirit of Christ And yâ instrument which he vseth The efficicient cause and ãâã of our saluation to saue vs by is faith For it is the first gift wherwith God adorneth and decketh men that are to be iustified by it to embrace the promises set forth vnto theÌ Now to vnderstand the second part namely fro what we are deliuered We are deliuered from the law of sinne and death By these wordes is not signified the law of Moses although by faith in Christ we ar deliuered from it also ⪠But the Apostle entreateth not therof at this present neither is the law of Moses called in yâ The law of Moses is noâ called the law of sinne holy scriptures the law of sinne For although thorough it sinne be encreased yet doth it not commaund sinne neither was sinne the author of it yea rather the law of Moses is called spiritual partly because the holy ghost was the author of it who gaue it in Mount Sina and partly because all those things which it commaundeth are spirituall neither are they agreable vnto lust nor vnto our flesh It may It is called the law of death but yet per accidens that is by chaunce in dede after a sort be called the law of death for in the latter epistle to the Corrinthians it is called the ministery of death but these thinges are not to be applyed vnto it but thorough our default For otherwise of it selfe it setteth forth those things which should be profitable vnto lyfe But it lighteth vpon the peruersenes of our nature and therof it commeth that death followeth it Which reason if we should follow the Gospell also might be called the instrument of death For Paul The Gopell is per accidens the instrument of death in his latter epistle to the Cor. thus writeth Vnto some we are the sauour of lyfe vnto lyfe but vnto other some the sauor of death vnto death Wherfore there is great coÌsideration to be had with what maner of sauor we sauor the Gospell For it is not to be meruailed at that of one and the selfe same thing do follow contrary effectes For we sée daily that one and the self same sonne both drieth vp clay and also melteth waxe But seing it is so a man may meruaile why the Gospell is not in the holy scriptures called the ministery of death as the law of Moses is Ambrose answereth Because the Gospell of hys owne nature condemneth not but those which beleue not it leaueth
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 ââ 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 peradueÌture yâ rootes of yâ wheat and of yâ tares being intricated together should be together plucked vp But herein as we haue said coÌsisteth not the coÌtrouersy 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 streÌgth 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 ⪠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 substaÌce 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 PelagiaÌs which wer not ashamed An error of the Pelagians to say yâ man by yâ streÌgths of nature is able to kepe yâ coÌmaundemeÌts 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
are assured of iustification and deliuery from sinnes And as it is the part of a man to be gouerned by the mynde and humane reason and the part of a philosopher to be ordred by the preceptes of doctrine and discipline of wysedome and the part of a souldier to frame all hys doinges by the arte of warrefare so is it the part of a Christian to be moued by the spirite and sence of Christ And although euery man hath hys proper vocation and ought to follow such offices and duties as are méete and conuenient for hym yet as many of vs as are of Christ ought to measure our selues by this A propriety common to aâl Christians propriety and certayne rule continually to haue a regard how much we haue profited in the obedience of the spirite Forasmuch as the spirite of Christ dwelleth in you For he which hath not the spirite of God the same is none of his That which he before spake he now proueth by a stronge reason that they are not in the fleshe hereby he gathereth because the spirite of Christ dwelleth in them whereas he saith Forasmuch as the spirite of God dwelleth in you he maketh no doubt sayth Chrisostome that the spirite of God dwelled in them for this word forasmuch as in this place is all one as if he had sayde because so that the Greeke woorde ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã is a particle causall Ambrose thinketh that Paul in this place speaketh somewhat staggeringly for that the Romanes séemed somwhat to haue erred and to attribute more vnto the lawe then was méete Here are two thynges to be diligenly The spirite of God and the spirite of Christ is all one By the spirite is not here vnderstand any part of our soule A metaphor of dwelling An argument taken of coÌtraries The flesh the spirite are not so repugnante the one against the other but that they may be both together in one and the selfe same man marked first that the spirite of God and the spirite of Christ is one and the selfe same spirite whereby appeareth that Christ is God Secondly that Paul by the spirite vnderstoode not the excellenter parte of our mynde as many dreame he doth For he sayth that that spirite whereof he speaketh is the spirite of God and of Christ which spirite he saith dwelleth in the faythfull Romanes and in those which are of Christ The metaphore of dwelling is hereof taken for that they which dwell in a house do not only possesse it but also do commaunde in it and at their pleasure gouern all thinges So the spirite filleth the harts of the saints beareth rule in them And the Apostle seemeth to take his argument of contraries Therefore ye are not in the fleshe neither walke ye according to it because the spirite of God dwelleth in you Not that these two thinges are so repugnant one against the other that they can not be both together in one and the selfe same man but these being compared together are as contrary qualities which when they are in the vttermost degrée the one can not suffer the other For it is not possible that with a most feruent colde shoulde any heate be mingled But if the cold be somewhat remisse then may some of the contrary quality succéede Wherfore forasmuch as in this life we haue not the spirite in the highest degrée thereof it commeth that there remayneth in vs somewhat I wyll not say much of the flesh and of corruption though the spirit in the meane time haue the vpper haÌd For otherwise we should be in the flesh neither should the spirite as Paul saith dwell in vs. For by this metaphore as we haue sayde is signified that the spirite possesseth our myndes and beareth dominion in them But if the nobler partes of the mynde be geuen vnto the fleshe the spirite departeth awaye The sp ãâ¦ã suffereth not thâ ruââ of the flesh for it canne not abyde the dominion of the fleshe Wherefore Dauyd when he had fallen into gréeuous sinnes was for that tyme destitute of the motion of the spirite of God and therfore he cryeth Restore vnto me the ioy of thy saluation and establish me with thy principall spirite ⪠Although in very dede he neuer fell away from election or predestination And when the Apostle saith He whiche hath By the spirite we are coupled with Christ not the spirite of Christ the same is none of his He therfore by the spirite iudgeth our coniunction with Christ bicause by it we are coupled with hym and by it we are regenerate Wherfore Christ in Iohn sayth Vnlesse a man be borne agayne of water and the spirite c. Wherby is signified yâ that by which we are chiefly regenerate is the holy ghost but yâ water doth in yâ sacrament of baptisme represent the same as an outward signe Water washeth watreth maketh fertile and hath in it many Effectes of the spirite other qualities by which the nature of the spirite is declared which spirit wheÌ it is come vnto our mynde the disposition propriety towardnes sence and motions of Christ are grafted into vs so that he which hath obteyned it may say with Paul I lyue but not I nowe but Christ liueth in me And they which haue the spirite of Christ are said to be his not after the common maner wherby all creatures are called the children of God For Christ saith in the Gospel All things are deliuered We belong vnto Christ after a certayne peculier manner vnto me of my father But they are made his peculiar possession forasmuch as now they are both called and also are in dede his members and are grafted into him ar most perfectly knit vnto him receiuing nourishmeÌt of him Here we sée how folishly some answer which wheÌ they are reproued admonished of their duty say yâ they are not spirituall for they coÌsider not yâ by this answer they deny theÌ selues They whiche are truely Christians muââ needes be spirituall The words of the scripture are not to be prohibited to the lay men Christians ought not to doubt whetheâ they haue the spirite of Christ The spirite departeth from vs for two causes to be Christians for if they be of Christ they both haue his spirit and also must of necessity be spiritual They also are of an euil iudgemeÌt which take away yâ bokes of the holy scriptures out of the handes of the lay men bicause they thinke yâ they haue not the spirit For when they so say they say they are no christiaÌs For if they be christians they haue not only the spirit of Christ but also the wordes of the holy scripture which are the assured sayings of the spirite and are most conuenient for them Lastly who séeth not that they excedingly are deceiued which commauÌd vs continually to doubt whither we haue the spirite of God or no. For vndoubtedly if we oughte not to doubte whither we be Christians we
thing Paul sayth that we are the temple of God and the temple of the holy ghost and that God himselfe dwelleth in vs which vndoubtedly can not be referred vnto the humane nature of Christ but only vnto the deuine But the better to vnderstaÌd Augustines iudgement as touching Augustine âeclareth how Christ is with vs and how he is absente from vs. this matter let vs heare what he sayth in his 50. treatise vpon the selfe same Gosple of Iohn where he expoundeth these words The poore ye shall haue alwayes with you but me ye shall not haue alwayes For he spake saith he of the preseÌce of his bodye For according to his maiesty according to his prouideÌce according to his vnspeakeable inuisible grace is fullfilled that which he spake Behold I am with you eueÌ vnto the end of the world But according to the nature which the world tooke according to that that he was borne of the virgen according to that that he was apprehended of the Iewes that he was fastened vnto the woode that he was taken down from the crosse that he was wrapped in linnen that he was layde in the sepulcher that he was made manifeste in the resurrection ye shall not haue me alwayes with you Wherefore Bycause according to the presence of his body he was 40. dayes conuersaunt with his disciples and when he had brought them forth they seing him and not following him he ascended vp into heauen He is not here for he is there and sitteth at the right hand of the Father And he is here for he hath not departed hence touching the presence of his maiesty According to the presence of hys maiesty we haue Christ alwayes according to the presence of the flesh it was rightly âayd vnto the disciples Me ye shall not haue alwayes For the Church had him a few dayes according to the preseÌce of the flesh now it holdeth him by fayth and seeth him not with the eyes There ar also very many other places in which Augustine most manifestly declareth that he was of this selfe same iudgmeÌt Wherefore yâ this which Paul now sayth If Christ be in you is not to be vnderstaÌd of his humane nature or body those things plainly declare which haue bene spokeÌ of the spirit How we receaue Christ and are ioyned vnto him in the Euchariste By this place of Paul we are plainly tought how we receaue Christ in the eucharist in what maner we are in it ioyned with him For we haue hard yâ by yâ deatâ of Christ we haue obtayned his spirite But in the supper of the Lord is celebrated the commemoration of the death of Christ and of his body done vpoÌ the crosse and of his bloud shed for vs and this not only in wordes but also in the simbols of the bread and wyne which represent the body and bloud of Christ Wherefore if by faith we embrace those thinges which we are put in mynde of we then obtayne the spirite of Christ and Christ himselfe is in vs as Paul in this place testifieth But there is no néede to require the body and fleshe of Christ according to hys naturall and real presence which yet we haue sufficently spiritually present when we apprehend them by fayth Chrisostome out of this place gathereth very many and gréeuous discommodities which men that are destitute of the spirite The discommodities which hapâeÌ vnto theÌ which are âestitute of the spirite of Christ of Christ fall into for they are holden in death and in sinne they excercise enmities agaynst God they can not obserue his lawe and though they séeme to be of Christ yet are they not For Paul will declare that they are not pertakers of the death and of the resurrection of the Lord. For he saith And if Christ be in you the body in dede is deade because of sinne but the spirite is life because of righteousnes The Apostle in this place as we haue before taught declareth that by the benefite of the spirite we are endued with the coÌmunion of the death and of the resurrection of Christ And althoughe all interpreters consent that in the latter part of this sentence is entreated of the true resurrection of the bodyes yet touching the first parte all men are not of one mynde For some thus vnderstand that the body is dead as if it should haue bene sayd that the lust and prauity which cleaue vnto vs are by the benefite of the spirite mortified and become as it were dead So that after these interpreters this word Body signifieth the naturall lyfe of men not as it was instituted of God but as it is now corrupted through sinne Thys life say they ought to be deade because it is sinne But the spirite is life because of righteousnes By the spirite he here vndoubtedly vnderstandeth the spirite of God and not any part of our mynde as it is manifest both by those thinges which shal be spoken and by those thinges which haue already bene spoken Here Paul changeth the Antithesis For he saith not the spirite liueth as he had before sayde of the body that it is deade but he The antithesis is chaunged The sâirite of God doth not onely lyue but also communicateth life vnto others sayth The spirite is lyfe Which thing is most agréeable vnto the spirite of God For that spirite doth not only liue it selfe but also communicateth life vnto others and continually breatheth into the beleuers a new and holy life Farther forasmuch as Paul ment in this place highly to commend the dignity of the spirite this abstract nowne vita that is lyfe serued better for his purpose then the verbe viuit that is lyueth Because of righteousnes In Greke it is written ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã and it fitteth very well For righteousnes is both an antithesis vnto sinne and also is the life of God For so long as a man worketh iustly and liueth holily he leadeth the life of God Although the Latten interpreter hath Propter iustificationeÌ that is by reason of iustification as if he had red in the Greke ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Which reading Chrisostome followed and bringeth this reason thereof for that we haue an experience of life by reason of iustification for by it sinne being taken away succeded life For these two are so repugnant one to the other that when the one geueth place the other must nedes succede The same father addeth That the body is theÌ at the last dead when we are no more affected with the motions thereof theÌ we are moued by our karkases being now buried and hid vnder grounde And thys he saith is the communion with the death of Christ because Christ dyed to dissolue the body of sinne And if his spirite which raysed vp Christ from the dead dwell in you he that raysed vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodies because of his spirite that dwelleth in you This declareth howe we are
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 forgeueÌ 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 theÌselues 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 resurrectioÌ 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 reresurrectioÌ 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 resurrectioÌ 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 yâ 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 yâ 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 heaueÌly 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 resurrectioÌ Farther we doubt not but that our flesh and body doo
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 mortâfy 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 resiââ 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 coÌmeth 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
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 meÌcion 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 streÌgths 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 ⪠For Paul sayth that the sacrameÌtes 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 sacrameÌtes 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 nâne 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 damnâd 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 purifycatioÌs But this is a great deale more sorer that he addeth That they restrained their haÌds froÌ euill works but we restrayne both yâ minde and coÌscience 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 iudgemeÌt to be red Augustine entreating vpoÌ this place saith that here is put a differeÌce of the olde new TestameÌt 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
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 thâe partes For some of them Three kindes of peopâe amongst the Iewes wer vtterly wicked vngodly which besides name habitatioÌ outward Circumcision had nothing coÌmon 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 haâe 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 commoÌly reueled as we now haue in the Gospell Wherfore although amongs vs are many wicked meÌ a great nuÌber 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 sacrameÌts misteries of saluatioÌ obtained through Christ made more clere more manifest theÌ theirs commoÌly 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 vehemeÌtly 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
it should not desperation would easely succede For euen as the lawe ought alwayes to be ioyned with the Gospell so also ought feare to be euer ioyned with faith We do not so embrace the Gospel but that we alwayes thinke vpon the obedience of the commaundementes of God And when we see how often and how greeuously we fall we call our selues backe agayne to repentance And contrariwise the lawe is not to be receaued without the Gospell for if it should we could neither obey it without Christ nor also obtayne pardon for the offences which we haue committed against Paul calleth vs back from that feare which wanteth faith The propriety of the giftes of the holy ghost How many the giftes of the holy ghost are it Wherefore Paul calleth vs not backe vtterly from all feare of God but from that feare only which wanteth faith and which flieth from God as from an enemy and from a cruell tyranne But that feare which hath faith to moderate it can not be reproued For it is the gift of the holy ghost as we rede in the xi chapter of Esay And the property of the giftes of the holy ghost is that by them we remitte all our vertues and affectes to the moderation of faith and make them to serue God truly and sincerely And these giftes are commonly counted to be seuen And if a man demaunde how they proue that straight way they cite the 11. chapter of Esay But if we examine that place by the Hebrew verity we shall finde there only sixe giftes namely the spirite of wisdom of vnderstanding of counsell of fortitude of knowledge and of the feare of the Lord. But these men were deceaued by the lattine translation which followed not the Hebrew verity but the 70. interpreters For they betweene the spirite of knowledge and of feare haue put the spirite of piety ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is pertaining to the obedience of God Whereby it seemeth that they ment to interpretate what yâ feare of God should be which should light vpon the Messias of whome is in that place mencion made For that feare was neither seruile What manner of feare was in Christ nor filial but only an obedience piety and reuerence towardes God his father Neither haue the 70. only once so interpreted the feare of God For in the booke of Iob where we rede Fearinge God they haue turned it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is Obeying God Howbeit vndoubtedly we ought not to contract into so narrow a number the giftes of the holy ghost to thinke them to be only sixe or seuen The nomber of the giftes of the holy Ghostâ is great For besides all those which are reckoned in that chapter the same Esay in an other place reckoneth the spirite of iudgement and of zeale and Zachary maketh mencion of the spirit of righteousnes and Paul here of the spirite of sanctification and Iohn of the spirite of truth Paul againe in an other place of the spirite of adoption and to the Ephesians of the spirite of promise and a greate many other like giftes And this so being let vs now see how both in this life and in the other life feare may haue place The Saintes when they are in heauen What manner of feare can be in those which are deade for that they shal then haue perfect charity properly to speake of feare as it is a motion stirred vp by reason of some greeuous euil that hangeth ouer vs shall haue no feare This doth Augustine confesse vpon the 5. Psalme vpon these wordes I will worship towardes thyne holy temple in thy feare But in them can only be that ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã yâ is obedience reuerence worshipping piety towards God as the 70. haue expounded the spirite of the feare of the Lord. And so such a gift mought be found in Christ who otherwise coulde neither feare sinne nor hell fyre nor fatherly chastismentes of God And if a man would say that How Christ feared death he feared death that ought to be vnderstand of naturall feare of which we entreate not at this present And in this maner is Ambrose to be taken when in his booke of the holy ghost he affirmeth that the giftes of the holy ghost are in the Angels Out of which wordes the Scholemen gather that in them is the feare of God For doubtles seing they are in blessed state that can no otherwise be vnderstand but after that maner that I haue now spoken of But touching The saints so long as they liue here can not want the filiall feare the godly in this life we must thus be perswaded to thinke that they can not want the filial feare so that that feare be as I haue before tought in such sort vnderstand that they do not only flye from offending of God and are aferd of falles against his will but also are moued with the feare of hell fire and of the wrath of God and of punishmentes vnto which feare yet a quiet faith and confidence Threatninges in the law are not vaine but profite the saintes also in the mercy of God are as a present comfort For we ought not to thinke that the threatninges in the holy scriptures are vayne for they are profitable also vnto the godly especially when they haue not as yet obtayned perfect charity and absolute regeneration Christ saith vnto the Apostles I wyll shewe you whome ye shall feare namely him which when he hath killed the body can also send the soule into hell fire And Paul to the Corrinthyans bringeth forth examples of the Hebrewes in the olde tyme whereby he declareth that they for abusing the sacramentes of God were destroyed in the desert by which examples he ment to admonishe the Corrinthyans to beware of the like vengeance Many saith he are weake and many slepe And if we would iudge our selues we should not vndoubtedly be iudged But now forasmuch as we are iudged we are corrected of the Lord that we should not be condemned with this world And vnto the Phillippians With feare and with trembling worke your saluation And vnto the Romanes Be not ouer wise but feare Hereby we see that godly men liue not vpoÌ the earth without the feare of God And here feare hath a respect vnto many kindes of euils For the godly are afeard of sinne of often fallinges of the wrath of God of fatherly chastismentes of scourges which God inflicteth also vpoÌ his wheÌ they sinne and finally of hell fire which they sée they haue deserued vnles God by his mercy and Christ by his sacrifice which he offred vpon the Crosse should helpe and succour vs. But what meaneth it that Iohn saith Perfect charity casteth out feare ⪠A place of Iohn declared I know there are some which interpretate those wordes in this sence That they which loue God truly are not afeard for piety sake to put themselues in al maner of dangers neither do
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 seâte 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 InheritauÌce 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 yâ 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 yâ 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 yâ 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 yâ we are yâ 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 yâ we shall at the length not be defranded of it For no small or light power of God is declared in theÌ which valiantlye for paciently piety sake suffer aduersities persecutions I know there are some The condition or estate bâ 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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 froÌ that purpose which he had in hande but with one and the selfe same labour both prosecuteth that which he began and also comforteth theÌ And it is all one as if he should haue said ye shall in dede be heyres but yet vpon this conditioÌ 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
Which haue the first fruites of the spirite By this phrase of speach he signifieth ether aboundance or els only a certain smacke or tast before For so may those good thinges be called which we now haue fruicion of if they be compared vnto those good thinges which we waite for Wherefore from creatures Paul passeth vnto men which are endued with faith and with the spirite of Christ Those also he saith do grone and with ernest desire waite for that our adoption and the redemption of our body may at length be made perfect Wherefore it is manifest that they go foolishly to worke as Chrisostome noted which being led by entisementes of pleasures desire to abide here perpetually and thinke not vpon their departing hence without great griefe For what a great infelicity is this that we should reioyce euen of our misery Ambrose commendeth the excellently approued olde man Simeon which with greate cherefulnes prayed after this maner Lord now lettest thou thy seruant depart in peace Waiting for the adoption What meaneth thys saith Chrisostome that thou so often to and froo tossest thys adoption as though we had now alredy gotten it seyng that thou calledst vs beleuers the sonnes and heyres of God and fellow heyres of Christ But now thou semest to make vs frustrate of it for that thou writest that we although we haue the first fruites of the spirite do yet styll wayte for that adoption He answereth vnto this and saith that the Apostle in thys place is to be vnderstand of the perfect and absolute adoption For euen so that semeth he to signifie when he addeth The redemption of our body These wordes I take not in that sence as though we are now redemed in spirite but the body remayneth which shall afterwarde be renewed For there is some what still in the soule whiche hath neede of instauration For we féele that we haue in vs man âe corrupte motions yea euen against our willes there are also still remayning sinnes not As touching the soule also we are not perfectly ren ãâ¦ã Our body and flesh is in some part renued Why Paul maketh meÌ ãâã rather of the body thââ oâ the soule when he entreateth of the redemption which we waite or Of the chaunge of thinges in the end of the world in all pointes healed the body also that we haue now is not without some inchâation or beginning of redemption for it is now made the temple of God and the holy ghost dwelleth therin Paul to the Ephesians calleth vs fleshe of his flesh and âoâe of hys bones Which could not vndoubtedly âe sayd vnles both our flesh and the body it selfe were in some parte alredy renewed But sithen we wayte that somewhat should be restored both in spirite and in body why doth Paul make mencion rather of the body then of the soule I will tell you Bycause he had a respect vnto the fountayne of euills which are traduced from Adam thorough séede from the body For herehence began our contamination nether can it euer be weded vp by the rootes vnles the body be first extinguished by death or doo put on glory by the last changing whiche is to come Hereto tendeth the course of the Apostle when he so often maketh mencion of our body which shall in the last time be redemed For vnto the Corrinthians he sayth When this corruptible shall put on vncorruption And vnto the Phillippians He shall conforme the body of our humiâity to the bodye of hys glory These thinges being thus declared the place it selfe semeth to require to speake somewhat of the chaunge of thinges which shal be in the end of the worlde First I thinke it good to declare those thinges which the Master of the sentences writeth of thys matter in hys 4. booke of sentences the. 48. distinction WheÌ the lord shall come to iudge the Sunne and Moone shall be darkened not saâth he that theyr light shal be taken from them but by the presence of a more plentifuller light For Christ shal be present the moste bright Sunne therefore the slarres of heauen shal be darkened as candells are at the rising of the Sunne The vertues of the heauens shal be moued which may be vnderstand of the powers or as some speake of the influences whereby the celestiall bodies gouerne thinges inferior Which shall then forsake theyr right and accustomed order Or by those vertues we may vnderstand the Angelles which by their continuall turning about moue the orbeâ of the heauens Peraduenture then they shâll ether cease from theyr accustomed worke or els they shâl execute it after some newe maner After he had gathered these thingâ out of Mathevv and Luke he addeth out of Ioell that there shall be eclipses âf the Sunne and of the Moone The Sun sayth he shal be darkened and the Moone shal be turned into bloud before that greate and horrible day of the Lord come And out of the 65. chapter of Esay Behold â create a new heauen and a new earth And streight waye The moone shall shine as the Sunne and the light of the Sunne shall be seuenfold that is enduring seuen dayes And out of the Apocaâps There shal be a new heauen and a new earth Although there be no mencion made of the amâlifieng ether of the light of the Sunne or of the Moone Ierome interpretateth that place that the light of the Sunne shal be as it was in those first seuen dayes wherein the world was created For by reason of the sinne of the first parentes the light sayth he both of the Sunne of the Moone was diminished Which saying some of the Scholemen vnderstand not of the very substaunce of the light but bycause both the world and men haue receaued lesse fruites of these lights after the fall then they had before But all these thinges are obscure and vncertayne Whereunto I adde that some of the Rabbines thinke that these are figuratiue speaches For there shall be no chaunge in the starres but they say that vnto men being in heauines and bewaylinge the vnluckye state of theyr cases shall come so small fruite of the light of the Sunne and Moone that vnto them those starres may seme to be darckened and vtterly out of sight But contrariwise when they begin to be in more felicity and to liue according to theyr desire then at the last the light of the Sunne and of the Moone shall seme vnto them to be doubled and a greate deale more brighter then it semed before Which exposition as I deny not so also I confesse that at the end of the world shal be a great change of those things Wherfore I graunt either to be true both that in thys life oftentimes happen thinges so dolefull that dayes being otherwise most bright seme vnto vs moste darke and also that when all thinges shall haue an end the state of the worlde shall be troubled Yea also whilest we liue here sometymes it happeneth that those lights of
faith and of hope the holy ghost is present with vs when the godly grone and crye and that they are in daunger that nature should ouercome hope and faith he is redy at hand and refresheth their mindes and bringeth so much consolation as the waight of the affliction was as Paul in his first chapter of the latter epistle vnto the Corrinthians saith Euen as the afflictions of Christ abound in vs so also through Christ aboundeth our consolation By these our infirmities which the holy ghost helpeth Paul vnderstandeth the weakenes of our naturall strengthes which of themselues are not equall vnto the grieues and aduersities wherewith the faithfull are continually What the helpe of the spirite is vexed But the helpe of the spirite is nothinge els but a certayne inwarde and hidden strength whereby our mindes are confirmed not to geue ouer in temptacions Augustine in his 19. booke De Ciuitate Dei the 4. chapter excellently The end of good âueâ after the Christans declareth how Christian hope is caried vnto those good thinges which can not be séene For if thou demaund saith he of a man endued wyth fayth what ende he appoynteth of hys good or euyll deedes he wyll answere eternall lyfe and eternall death These things can not be sene neither be vnderstand of humaine reason and therfore the wise men of the Ethnikes being puffed vp with pride would not put their hope in them Wherefore some held that the endes of good thinges are the The endes which the Ethnikes appoynted good thinges of the minde some the good thinges of the body some vertue some pleasure some both ioyned together But God derided them and saw how vaine their thoughtes were For they chose rather to counte those thinges for the chiefe good thinges which are enterlaced with many miseries and calamityes then to receaue those sincere found and most firme thinges which are by the word of God set forth For who can exactly declare vnto how miserable and horrible calamities The ââels whereunto we are in this life obnoxious can not be tolde our body is obnoxious It is sicke it is wounded it is dissolued it is made crooked it is torne it is maymed men oftentimes become blind oftentimes deaffe and as touching the minde men are oftentimes madde and in a phrensy neither attaine they to the truth without mixture of many errors which are euen most diligent searchers out thereof How could the Ethnikes boast of vertues as the The morall verâues are witnesses of our calamities chiefe good thinges when as they are vnto vs witnesses of our calamities To what thing serueth temperance which is therefore geuen that dronkennes glotony lustes and filthy and corrupt motions of the minde should be bridled For these thinges declare that it hath no place but in mindes still obnoxious vnto such corruption which corruption how much the more it is inward so much the more miserable maketh it vs and as a domesticall enemy rangeth abroade in the entrailes of our hartes These affectes saith Augustine are vices for as Paul sayth they hynder vs from doyng those thynges which we would Farther what is the office of prudence but to prouide that we should not through error be deceaued in chusing of good thinges and auoyding of euill thinges Vndoubtedly if we were not wrapped with errors and darkenes this remedy should not haue neded but forasmuch as we nede it it declareth that men are not yet in happy estate but are wrapped with great and gréeuous errors vnles prudence some way helpe Iustice also whereby is rendred vnto euery man that which is his is for no other cause necessary but to restraine thefts extorcions and violences Neither can it so thoroughly exercise his office amongst men but that good and godly men oftentimes suffer many thinges filthyly and vniustly Now what shall we say of fortitude It armeth men patiently to suffer sorrowes dangers torments and finally death it selfe if nede require Amongst these so great euils those wise appointed the chief goodnes which euils yet they sayd mought somtymes be in such sort encreased Some thought that a man mought kill himselfe by reason of the too great burthen of calamities that a man mought therefore kill himselfe O blessed lyfe crieth Augustine which to come to an ende seketh the helpe of death For if it be blessed why do they breake it in sonder and flye it But if it be miserable why do they put in it the chiefe goodnes So were they derided of God for that they contemned hope which is neither sene nor by humane reason vnderstand And because when they heard it preached out of the word of God they derided it therefore God by his heaueÌly doctrine condemned them as fooles and men worthy to be made a laughing stocke The reason of Paul to returne to it againe is this hope is of thinges absent and of those things which are not sene but by hope we are made safe Wherefore our saluation is not yet sene nor by humane reason vnderstanded yea rather vnto vs are offred The things which are offred in this life seeme to bâ contrary vnto our saluation The precept touchinge hope is not a thing indifferent all thinges contrary vnto our saluation and plainely repugnant vnto it For we are infected with corrupt affectes we are assaulted with temptacions we are exercised with sorrowes and vexations so that if we should leane vnto natural reason we should be much rather counted vnhappy then blessed And yet notwithstanding if we will geue credite vnto the commaundementes of God we must valiaÌtly hope in the middest of these euils For it is not frée for a man to hope or not to hope for the coÌmaundemeÌt of hope bindeth all men vniuersally For euen as we are commaunded to worshippe God as true and constant in his promises so also are we commaunded to hope in him For Dauid sayth Sacrifice the sacrifice of righteousnes and hope in the Lord. And Ose saith Hope in God at all tymes And Peter Hope in that grace which is offred And let no man make an excuse that hys ill lyfe Sinnes ought not to be a let vnto hope past and sinnes committed let hym that he can not hope for the precept of God hath not thys conditioÌ annexed vnto it And although it had yet should it be taken as a condition pertaynynge vnto the law whiche byndeth not vs that are vnder the Gospell we must rather haue a respect vnto the promise of the Gospell which sheweth that we shall haue felicity geuen vs for Christes sake and that fréely For the Apostle when he had said The stipend of sinne is death straight way added But grace is eternall life Such a promise doth faith appreheÌd so deliuereth it ouer vnto hope to waite for it Wherfore hope ought not to adde any coÌditioÌs vnto it wheÌ as it receiued none of faith whatsoeuer yâ master of yâ senteÌces writeth touching The master
priuately applied vnto himselfe generall that no man can priuately be assured of himselfe Doubtles he which calleth vpoÌ God and calleth hym his God applieth that generall God seuerally vnto himselfe Nathan sayd vnto Dauid The Lord hath taken away thy sinne which thinge is likewise sayd vnto euery one that asketh The Gosple is to that end preched to euery creature that euery one should singularly embrace yâ promise and haue remission of sinnes The Minister sayth I baptise thee in the name of the father and of the sunne and of the holy ghost and that is to be vnderstand into the remission of sinnes And euery one priuately to hymselfe receaueth the Eucharist And these thinges are certayne seales and sealinges of the promises of God but they should seale nothing vnles the promises should now be applied perticularly vnto this man or to that man But let vs consider the scriptures Abraham beleued God and it was imputed vnto him vnto righteousnes and he receaued circumcision the seale of the righteousnes of fayth Did CircumcisioÌ seale the generall promise No vndoubtedlye but rather the singular promise and whiche was now applyed vnto Abraham Wherefore let these men ceasse thus to bleare mens eyes and let them confesse that hope hath that certaintye of saluation whiche it hath receaued of fayth by reason of the firmenesse of the promises And that thou mayste vnderstand that hope is repugnaunt vnto doubt count Hope is repugnant vnto doubting To what end hope was geuen vnto men with thy selfe to what end it was geuen of God vnto men Vndoubtedlye to no other ende but that they shoulde haue wherewith to striue againste doubting For when we doubt of our saluation we haue no other weapons wherby to ouercome that doubtinge but hope onelye whiche springeth of a liuelye fayth Wherefore seeing it alwayes striueth agaynste doubtinge there is no cause that anye man should ascribe vnto it doubting as a perpetuall companion Let vs looke vpoÌ and consider the other commaundements of God so shall that which we auouch be yet more playne God hath commaunded vs to worship him only and bicause he Why God gaue the coÌmaundementes saw vs of our own accord earnestly bent vnto idolatry and vnto supersticioÌ therfore woulde he haue vs with the word of his law fight against this euill He hath commaunded also that we should not steale nor kill nor commit adulteries for yâ he saw that we by reason of our corrupt nature are prone to these euils So also Why God hath commaunded vs to hope God hath commaunded vs to hope for that he saw our vnbeleuyng hart to be infected with continual doubting And as in beleuing we ought not to haue a regard vnto those things which seme to be against the promises of God which thing Abraham excellently well performed when he considered not his body past children gettyng nor his wife being olde and barren but gaue the glory vnto God so in hoping we ought not to haue a regard vnto our workes for they by reason of theyr deformednes and filthines would rather feare vs away from hoping We ought In hopinge we ought not to haue a respectâ vnto our workes The security of the fleshe and the security of faith differ to fixe our eyes in the only promise and mercy of God Neither also when we vrge this certainty of hope do we open a window vnto lose lyfe as many falsly lay to our charge For the security of the flesh farre differeth from the commendable certainty of faith and of hope For neyther doth it as our aduersaries thinke expell the feare of God out of the mindes of the godly We haue before at large taught that the certainty of saluation and the holy feare of God very well agrée together in the hartes of the faithfull Likewise also the spirite helpeth our infirmities for we know not what to pray as we ought But the spirite it selfe maketh request for vs with sighes which cannot be expressed Besides that stay of hope wherwith our patience is vpholden Paul sayth that there is an other helpe also of the holy ghost geuen vnto vs. This is yâ which Christ when he should depart out of the world promised to his Apostles I wyll not leaue you orphanes but wyll send you an other comforter If the power of the holy ghost be compared with the weakenes of our strengthes it wil The holy ghost is mightier then our in firmity Against the Pelagians farre passe our infirmity Therfore Paul vseth this comparison that therby might be increased in vs cherefulnes and confidence Here the Pelagians are put to a great foyle For so farre is it of that by the strengthes of our nature we can helpe our selues that without the helpe of the holy ghost we can not of our selues so much as know what thinges shal be profitable vnto vs and what things hurtful But in what maner we know not what to aske and how the spirite maketh request for vs with vnspeakable ⪠sighes bicause it is very obscure to vnderstand first How we know not what we ought to aske I thinke it good to declare the expositions of the fathers and secondly to declare what in them is the best Chrisostome forasmuch as at that time were greuous persecutions against the Christians thinketh that they with prayers feruently desired of God that they might at the leÌgth be deliuered from so great euils and this thing not coÌming to passe they conceiued a great sorrow in their minde And therfore Paul after this manner comforteth them for that we our selues know not what to pray or what to aske Wherfore God who knoweth all this right well ofteÌtimes geueth not vnto vs those things which we aske but those things which he himselfe knoweth shall be most profitable for vs. And that he should not séeme to deiect their mindes vnto whom he writeth as though he iudged them rude and vnapt vnto things spiritual he numbreth himselfe also together with those which are troubled with this ignoraunce neither did he that falsly or only for consolation sake For he himselfe in dede oftentimes prayed that he might go to Rome and yet Paul was not alwaies heard in his prayers God heard him not He prayed also that the pricke of the flesh mought be taken froÌ him that is that his tribulations might be slaked as Chrisostome in this place interpretateth it And he receiued an answer of the Lord that his grace ought to be sufficient vnto him Moses prayed that he might enter into the promised land Examples of other saintes which prayed were not heard The maner of the primitiue church Ieremy prayed for the health of the people Abraham prayed for pardon for the Sodomites Samuel prayed that Saul mought be forgeuen The two Apostles prayed that the one of them mought sit on the right hand of Christ and the other on the left in the kingdome of God But these men could not obteine their
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 ârieth because it maketh vs to crye Against the Arâians forth the spirit of hys sonne into our hartes crying Abba father Here the spirite is said to cry not vndoubtedly for any other caââe but for that it maâeth 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 bâast 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 âut 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 afflictioÌâ 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 âe 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 coÌsider not For we are somtimes so oppressed with the greatnes of temptacioÌs 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 ⪠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 sighânges 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 ignorauÌt 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
they shall not bring to passe so great is the loue of God towardes vs. But we can not suspect any such matter of good angels for they as much as lieth in them cal home againe to God those that go astray and wonderfully reioyce of the repentance of sinners although they also somtimes are sent forth to punish Howbeit Chrisostome declareth that this place may by the figure Hyperbole or by supposition be vnderstand also of good angels For although good angels do not so in déede yet if they should their endeuor should be voyde For after the same maner Paul writeth vnto the Galathyans If an angell from heauen teach you any other Gospell then thys which ye haue learned be he accursed vnto you And vnto the Corrinthyans If I haue all faith so that I can remoue mountaines and haue not charity I am nothyng Those wordes are not so to be taken as though true faith can in deede be without charity but if it were possible so to be yet it should nothing profite Nor principalities Paraduenture he vnderstandeth the higher spirites who haue no other charge committed vnto them but ouer prouinces empires and kingdomes This ment Daniell when he wrote of the Prince of the Grecians and of the Persians and brought in Michaell the Prince of the people of God Nor powers Power called in Greke ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã Paul taketh for that power which is geuen of God to worke miracles whereby are restrayned the vngodly whereunto is opposite ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is the gift of healing For euen as by that power Power and the gift of healing are opposite wicked men were chastised so by this they that were vexed were healed By this power Peter slew Ananias and Saphira Paul made blinde Elimas the sorcerer and deliuered vnto Sathan many which had gréeuously sinned But here by angels he meaneth those which are sent of God to punishe the wicked as were those which destroyed Sodoma and Gomorha And such was that Angell which went betwéene Angels haue sometimes inflicted punishmentes the host of the Egiptians and the people of God and which drowned Pharao with all his in the sea and whome Dauid saw standing on the threshold destroying the people of God and which destroyed with fire the host of Senacharib Although God sometimes do the selfe same thinges by euill angels For so Dauid writeth in the Psalme that God inflicted plages vpon the Egiptians by euill angels Wherefore Paul in this place nameth the orders of the angels by their ministeries and offices And that the selfe same titles are assigned both vnto good angels The titles of orders are assigned as well to euell Angels as to good The ministeries of Angels shall not be perpetual and vnto euill it is manifest by yâ epistle vnto the Ephesians in two places For thus it is there writteÌ Against the principalities and powers that are gouerners of the world And in the 2. chapter he saith That we once liued according to the course of this world and after the prince that hath power in the ayre And these ministeries of Angels shall not be perpetuall For Paul writeth in the first vnto the Corrinthyans That all principality and power shal be blotted out when Christ shall deliuer vp the kingdome vnto God and vnto the father but yet not that the very natures and substances of angels shal be abolished but for that these offices shall serue to no more vse after we shall be once transferred vnto eternall felicity And this is worthy We haue but few thinges in the holy scriptures touching Angels of notinge that in the holy scriptures are very fewe thinges mencioned of angels For exactly and subtelye to enquire touching them serueth rather to pertayne to our curiosity then to our saluation But those thinges which serue to edification are most diligently set forth in the scriptures Which thing I would to God the Shoolemen had obserued For then had they left many intricate and vnprofitable thinges which at this day are in vayne and with great offence disputed of It is profitable for vs to vnderstand that there are some angels appointed to our ministeries for therby we vnderstand the goodnes of God towards vs. On the other side it is profitable for vs to vnderstand that there are some euill spirites of whom we are continually assaulted both that we may beware of them and also that we may implore the helpe of God againste them And these thinges vndoubtedly forasmuch as they are profitable to be knowen the holy scripture hath not kept in silence Ambrose expounding this place sheweth that we are in vayne assaulted of euill spirites For he saith that Simeon the forcerer being lifted vp into the ayre flew all about that this was openly séene and yet did the truth of God geue place to these deceates Nor thinges present nor thinges to come These wordes may be vnderstand of this world and of the world to come or of good thinges and euill which are offred vnto vs presently or of those thinges which are promised shall happen vnto vs well or ill as it happened in the temptacion of the first parents For then the fruit forbidden offred it selfe beutifull to sée vnto and swete to tast of There was promised a likenes to God and a new wisedome as though then they were blynd and had their eyes shut The lattin interpreter addeth Fortitude which word yet is not found in the Greke bookes Wherefore I thinke it best to omitte it and especially seing it hath not his Antithesis which we see is diligently added vnto the other wordes Nor heigth nor depth Heigth signifieth whatsoeuer new and vnaccustomed thing happeneth from heauen depth signifieth whatsoeuer bursteth forth out of yâ lower parts regions of yâ erth And heigth may be takeÌ otherwise for yâ heigh goodly shew of humaine reasons which are coÌmonly takeÌ out of philosophy For Paul in the latter to the Cor. saith The weapons of our warrefare are not carnall but mighty through God to the ouerthrowyng of all munitioÌs wherby we ouerthrow couÌsels and euery heigth that exalteth it selfe against the knowledge of God And after this seÌtence by depth we may vnderstand humblenes of minde and hurting of the body after the precepts and doctrines of men which in wordes haue a shew of wisdom as it is written vnto the Col. in the 2 chapter Nor any creature can seperate vs from the loue of God which is in Christ Iesus our Lord. This part Paul addeth as Ambrose thinketh to declare yâ we can not be plucked away froÌ God by any other creature which is brought forth of new As though before he had reckoned vp those creatures which are extant and theÌ afterward addeth that neither any other creature if it could be brought forth shall haue so much streÌgth to breake that loue of God wherwith he loueth vs. And he citeth Iannes and Mambres which when before Pharao they resisted
of those yâ say that the wil of God in willing or not willing ⪠is either of efficacy or remisse his wil doubtles he permitteth it not for nothing can be done against gods wil wherefore he willingly permitteth it And therefore his will is that sinne should not be letted Some to auoyde this appoint in God a double will the one of efficacy the other remisse And the signe of his will of efficacy they say are commaundemeÌtes preceptes and lawes but of his remisse wil they put counsels and exhortacions to be the signe They adde also that God will not sometymes with efficacy somtimes remissedly And the signe of his not willing with efficacy they say is prohibitioÌ but of his not willing remissedly they put permission to be the signe And after this maner they say that God willeth not sinne But because they sée that if God with efficacy willed not sinne it could by no meanes be committed they say that he in dede willeth not sinne but yet remissedly This is in dede a witty distinction but I am somwhat in doubt whether We can not put in the will of God either increace or diminishing it can in such sort take place in God But that we shoulde not in vayne contend graunt that it were so yet for all that they auoyde not but that God may be sayde after a sort to wil sinne For how commeth it that he in dede willeth not sinne but yet remissedly Here they haue nothing to answere but that he after a sort willeth it For reiection is not remisse vnles something of the contrary be mixed with it namely of the wil as water froÌ whote water is not made luke warme vnles some cold be mingled with it Wherefore in that they say that God willeth not sinne but yet remissedly that can be by no other meanes but that he after a sort willeth it wherefore this permission which they imagine is at the lengthe reduced to the will But it is a thing ridiculous that they should be aferd least God by this meanes should seeme to be vniust for thâ will of God is the first and chiefe iustice so that whatsoeuer he willeth the same Permission is reduced to the will The wil of God is the first iustice God when he will punish sinnes by sinnes withdraweth hys grace straight way is of necessity iust And one and the selfe same action as it is in vs and commeth from vs forasmuch as it proceedeth from a corrupt ground is sinne but as it commeth from God it is iust These men seke some way to satisfie humane reason which yet they can not by this meanes attayne vnto For they are compelled to graunt that God when he wyll punishe sinnes by sinnes withdraweth his grace by which stay only our will may be vpholden that it sinne not Wherefore if of purpose he remoue away that by which onelye sinne is prohibited although he doo not vniustly how can he be sayde vtterly not to will sinne which of necessity followeth the withdrawing of grace Wherefore we say that God in dede willeth the action which is by nature produced for vnles God would it coulde by no meanes be produced but the deformitie and priuation of iustice whereby that action faileth and straieth froÌ his rule he in consideration of it selfe willeth not ⪠but so farforth onely as it is a punishement of sinne and as we haue sayd an instrument to declare the iustice of God Yea also Augustine sayth That God will not onely remoue awaye his grace but also hiddenly worketh in the mindes of sinners no les then he vseth to worke in the bodyes and inclineth their wils either to good according to his mercy or to euill according to hys iudgement being in dede iust but yet hidden And this sentence he hath against Iulianus in his 5. booke and 3. chapiter And in his booke de Gracia libero arbitrio the 21. chapter and he proueth it by sundry and many testimonies of the scriptures But in that God is said not to will and to hate sinne that is to be vnderstand as touching the law and the Scriptures and the rule of lyfe reueled vnto vs He is said also to hate sinne because he punisheth it and because he willeth it not for his owne sake but as we haue sayde in consideration of an other thing Wherefore in that he worketh sinne he hateth it not and in that he hateth it he worketh it not ân suÌme if we will speake properly Election reiection depend of the wil of God We are not wonne but by those things which please vs and simply we cannot say yâ God ether willeth sin or is the author therof Thus much by the way but now to returne to August He goeth on to declare that both election reiection depeÌd of the wil of God He saith in dede yâ we haue free will but what auayleth that to these things For who caÌ beleue vnles his will be moued But it is not in our power that we should be moued by those things which are offred for we are not allured takeÌ but by those things which please vs. But that preaching reading coÌteÌplacioÌ vpoÌ things diuine do please vs it coÌmeth by the breathing of the holy gost And August addeth that as touching the masse or loÌp of al humane nature By the spirit of God ââ commeth to passe ⪠that thinges in very deede good do please vs. wherof all we are brought forth there is no difference wherby God mought be moued to elect this maÌ rather then that yea rather if setting aside the grace of Christ we consider only the nature of men there can come no difference at all but that one is more witty then an other or contaminated with fewer wicked factes or endewed with better artes But if any man would say that God in election or reiection hath a respect to these things he shall playnly speake agaynst the holy scripture For Paul to the Corrinthians thus writeth Be hold your calling brethern for not many wise men not many noble men not many mighty men are called but the folish thinges of the world hath God elected c. There haue bene moreouer a greate many philosophers endewed with most excellent wittes and other men of singular grauity as Socrates Cato and Scipio who if they be compared with others may seme to haue bene enfected but with a very few vices There haue bene others endued with most excellent artes and sciences whom God yet hath ouerpassed and hath called vnto him men vnlerned sinners and wicked men wherefore this only remayneth that if God haue not a respect vnto these thinges they must say that he hath notwithstanding a consideration to the will But neither doubtles can that be affirmed For as we haue sayd it lieth not in the power of our will to be moued with good and holy perswasions For An example of Paul what maner of will had Paul at that selfe
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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã But in Hebrue it is written Iechannathy atta Scherachan Ierechamthyatha Schereracham ⪠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 SeueÌty 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 ⪠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 streÌgths are subiect vnto our choyce and will althoughe we beleue and preache that How we worke being impelled of God A differeÌce 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 vârely 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 deiâded 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 ruÌneth but of God that
neither dealeth he with them rashly Of this example here alleaged the Apostle concludeth Wherefore he hath mercy on whome he will and whome he will he hardeneth Some contend that this is an obiection vnder the person of the aduersary but the order and course of the wordes if it be diligently considered will not suffer this interpretacion For straight way after these wordes the Apostle himselfe addeth an obiection when he thus writeth Thou wilt say then vnto me why do we yet complayne For who can resist his will Seing therefore that the Apostle himselfe distinctly and playnly sheweth the obiection why should we preuent and of purpose confound the order of his wordes ⪠Any man that is not willingly blind and will not sée may perceaue that this last obiection is brought agaynst those thinges which were now concluded But in these wordes being taken in that order that they ought to be this is worthy of noting that the holy scripture when it entreateth of the iudgementes of God vseth harrible and sharpe words as are these Hebrew words there touching Pharao Caschah hokib bad And in other places to make to erre to The sharpe wordes which God vseth against the reprobate seduce to blynde to make fat the hart to deliuer into a reprobate sense and into shamefull affectes and other such like by which wordes forasmuch as the holy ghosts wil is to cause men with great terror and daunting of the mynde to be aferd of the iustice and vengeance of God they which séeke by fayned interpretations to extenuate and to lenefie them as though God doth nothing touching these thinges but onely as they say suffreth and permitteth do seme of purpose to be enemies to the counsell and decrée of God Goddes will is to shewe forth how horrible and God inflicteth most greuous punishmentes not only vpon the bodies of the wicked but also vpon their minds miserable punishementes ⪠he vseth to inflict not onely vpon the bodyes but also vpon the mindes of the wicked but these men as much as lieth in them wonderfully darken these things It is true in déede that we reade in the booke of Exodus that not only God hardened and aggrauated the hart of Pharao but also that Pharao himselfe hardened his hart but this maketh very much to the explication of the matter so farre is it of that these thinges are repugnant the one to the other For ech part is true both that God hardened the hart of Pharao and also that Pharao himself hardened his hart For Pharao had as al other men also haue Both God hardened Pharao also Pharao hardened himselfe Note diligently this explication God instilleth no new malice into men a peruerse and corrupt nature wherout as out of a spring when occasion is offred burst forth all kindes of sinnes Wherefore when God maketh men destitute of his helpe and leueth them in so corrupt an estate if afterward he lay before them occasions whereby the minde is prouoked it can not be denied but that he after a sort but yet not properly is the cause of the actions that burste forth Wherefore when God is sayd to harden or to deliuer vp into lustes we do not thereby meane that he of his owne instilleth into men any new malice or sinne Some when they heare such wordes imagine that God doth that which men are wont somtimes to do when they fill empty vessels as though man hath no sin but God powreth it from without into him but the case is farre otherwise For man is borne and conceaued in iniquities who then can be without sinne This foundacion Man is borne in iniquity and sinne as firme and founded by the holy scripturs we ought by all maner of means to defend Now forasmuch as man is in this estate namely the childe of wrath and set vnder yâ curse vnles he be by a peculiar grace and help of the spirit through Christ made whole he hath in himself aboundance of sins wickednes We haue also an other argument which euen the philosophers saw namely that God forasmuch God suffreth nothing in the world to be idle as he is a simple pure act perpetually moueth all things neither suffreth he any thing to be idle But forasmuch as he gouerneth all things most wisely he moueth not things but according to the coÌditioÌ of the nature which euery thing hath if we speake of the common and vsuall gouernment of the world He maketh the heauens to moue circle wise for that that motion is most aptest for them and after the selfe same maner he moueth and impelleth other creatures Man is moued of God according to his nature So must we confesse that man is moued of God according to his nature namely to worke by reason and will and that in such sort that his choyce or will is not coÌpelled but whatsoeuer he doth he doth it willinglye and of his owne accord whether the same be good or whether it be euill Wherfore forasmuch as in mankinde some are deliuered and by grace and by the spirite red âmed from the corruption of that masse which is contaminated in Adam and forasmuch also as other some are left in sinnes and obnoxious vnto vice therfore GOD séeing that by his perpetuall mouing he moueth all thinges impelleth either of these kindes of men to worke neither suffreth he either of them to be idle Wherfore men iustified and endued with the spirite of God are moued rightly and do thinges acceptable vnto God so much as the condition of this life suffreth by their nature being amended by the power of grace and of faith But they also which are not regenerate are perpetually Aliantes from God in all their doinges sin moued and althoughe sometimes they morallye and ciuilly do some good thinges yet can they do nothinge whiche maye be acceptable vnto God yea rather whatsoeuer they do they alwayes sinne But how that sin procéedeth both of God and of them I thinke I haue sufficiently declared Wherefore it is true both that God hardened the harte of Pharao and also that he himselfe hardened his owne hart And to make this more plaine we wil declare it by this similitude which D. A similitude Luther also vsed Suppose that there were a carter hauing many horses which he continually whippeth forward neither suffreth he them to stande still they beinge driuen forward must néedes moue and as many as are whole and sound of legges and féete do go vprightly but if there be any amongst them that hath lame and diseased fete or legges they also goe when they are whipped forward but yet slowly and euill fauoredly for they halt But that halting should not be vnles they were driuen forward For when the horses stand stil the halting is not perceiued but the beginning of haltinge that is the disease or lamenes of the legges the horses haue in themselues and receaued it not at the carters hande So God
seme doubtfull whether it ought to be referred vnto Moses whome he had before cited or vnto the righteousnes of faith which is brought in as if it should speake But thys is no matter of wayght and there are some greke exeÌplers wherin is added ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã yâ is But what saith the scriptures Nether is this to be passed ouer yâ in the Hebrue is had not only nigh or next but there is also added this aduerbe Meod which signifieth very whereby is noted a very nigh inward néerenes The Seuenty intepreters haue in their translation not onely in the hart and in the mouth but haue added in the handes But that is not had in the Hebrue and Paul hath left it out Augustine in his questions vppoÌ Deut. who readeth after the translation of the Seuenty diligently noteth that But if it be added it nothing hindreth yea rather it helpeth the interpretacion of the Apostle whereby is declared that in that place is entreated of the commaundement of God as it is grafted in the hart as it is confirmed by the mouth and as it is expressed in worke But all these thinges are to be referred vnto Christe and How great the streÌgth of fayth is vnto faith for that is it which causeth our mind and harte to be opened and made able to receiue those thinges which are vtterly repugnant vnto reason iudgemeÌt and sence and so is that made nigh vnto vs which is by nature most farre of from vs. And that the scripture by name mencioneth the hart it wanteth not a mistery for although faith pertaine vnto the assent of the minde yet notwithstandinge hath it most nighly ioyned with it the affect of the will which is by the hart described for that if vnto our vnderstanding or minde be offred those thinges which are most manifest and plaine it is so ouercome that it straight way geueth assent nether The minde when it asseÌteth vnto thinges very manifest waiteth not for the consent of the will How the vnderstanding will are vnto faith waiteth it for the commaundement or consent of the will as it is euident in the first principles of all sciences and in mathematicall demonstrations But wheÌ thinges doubtfull are set foorth and that the reasons on either side are obscure and many thinges are agaynst the proposition set foorth the minde and vnderstanding geue not assent but by the commaundement and consent of the will which in that case peiseth and examineth the ambiguity Wherfore when faith is engendred in vs the holy ghost therein vseth two workes The one is so to illustrate the minde that it may be made certaine of the thing set before it although it be not very euident The other is that the will be so strengthned that by the affect therof it may ouercome whatsoeuer sence or reason do set foorth which is repugnante vnto the word of God geuen vnto vs. For in the worke of faith vnto our will is ioyned the holy Ghost for the assente whiche by beleuing we geue vnto the oracles of God is firme and of efficacy for the spirite chaungeth the will and maketh it of hys owne accorde vtterly to will those thinges which it before refused Wherfore God wheÌ he geueth vnto vs faith gouerneth ech power of the soule as is agreable vnto their nature And forasmuch as this pertaineth to the wil not to iudge any thing of it self but to follow the iudgemente of vnderstanding the minde is by the spirite of God made assured of the thinges which are to be beleued and vnto it therewithall it is made plaine that we must wholy be obedient vnto God Therof it commeth that the wil resisteth not but represseth all thinges which otherwise shoulde be a let to this assent required at our hands He calleth the Gospel yâ word of faith for none other cause but for that by faith it is apprehended whereby a figuratiue kinde of speach the obiect is illustrated and described by the vertue which apprehendeth it This is the worde of faith which we preach This is not spoken that we should beleue that the Gospell is not ioyned with the law for how then could repeÌtance be preached But therfore it is written for that the chiefest parte of the ministery of the Apostles is occupied about the righteousnes of faith And when it is said This is the word of fayth which we preach by a certaine Emphasis is declared that the doctrine of the Gospell is in no wise repugnant vnto the lawe of Moses yea rather it excellently well agréeth with it It is not onely sayd that the woorde is nigh in the hart but also in the mouth Which thing Paul weying moste aptly applied it to his purpose for this he saith beloÌgeth to confessioÌ which euer straight way foloweth a true effectuall faith Some of the Iewes vnderstood this place as though Moses should say now the word is in your mouth yâ is ye haue it in sight before you for this woorde Pi disagréeth not from this signification for it is sayde Keephi lephi which signifieth hard by and nighe Others also haue not vnaptlye by in the mouthe vnderstanded expressing or rehersing for the lawe being geuen and written the Iewes mought repeat and recite with themselues the woordes thereof And the Leuites daylye repeated it in the Tabernacle or in the temple of God and in this wise it was said to be had in the mouth But this is to be considered that it was for no other cause had in handes and sighte or recited either of the Leuites or of any of the people but to bring men vnto Christe and to stirre them Why the law was oftentimes repeted vp to faith in him and to prouoke the godly to confesse to praise and to allowe that which the Lord had spoken If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the lord Iesus and shalt beleue in thine harte that God hath raised him vp from the deade thou shalt be saued For with the hart maÌ beleueth vnto righteousnes and with the mouth is confession made vnto saluation For the scripture saith whosoeuer beleueth in hym shall not be made ashamed For there is no difference betwene the Iew and the Grecian For there is one lorde ouer all who is riche vnto all them that call vpon him For whosoeuer shall call vpon the name of the lord shal be saued If thou shalt confesse with thy mouth the Lord Iesus and shalt beleue in thine hart that God hath raysed him vp from the deade Althoughe Paul séemeth not here to obserue a right order for first we beleue before we make confession The fayth of an other maÌ is knowen onely by confession In the resurrectioÌ is accomplished our saluation yet because that we cannot iudge concerning our brother whether he beleue vnles we heare him first confesse for this cause the Apostle putteth the effect before the cause And amongst other thinges which are to be beleued he
Wherefore God is not without iust cause angry for that the ministery is so conterfeated And it is much to be lamented that this office is of a great many of the laity had in contempt neyther can the ministers iustly complayne hereof when as the greatest part of them haue first and before all others thorough their licentiousnes idlenes slouthfulnes and neglecting of their office brought this functioÌ out of estimation Wherfore we must earnestly pray vnto GOD that he would vouchafe now at the length to succour his Church in sending woorkmen which The false Apostles spake ill of Paul ⪠will labour diligently The Apostle mought haue sayd I glorifye the grace which is geuen vnto you for that ye should come vnto Christe and vnto his Gospel for thereby the Iewes were stirred vp to emulation but he would make mencion of his ministery to the end to commend it and to set it forth and that not without néede for there were many false Apostles which sayd that Paul was not the true Apostle of Christ and euery where as much as in them lay extenuated his authoritye And that Paul was an instructer and teacher of the Gentiles it is manifest by the Epistle to the Galathians where he sayth that Peter Iames and Iohn had geuen vnto hym their right hands that he should preache amongst the Gentiles as they Paul was an instructer and teacher of the Gentles Paul first preached vnto the Iues before he preached to the Ethnikes did vnto the circumcision And vnto Timothe he testifyeth that he was appointed a teacher and instructer of the Gentiles Although as he went thoroughout the world before that he preached in any city vnto the Gentiles he went first to the Sinagoge of the Iewes beginning thereto publishe abraode the Gospell according to the order appointed by God that the Iewes should first be called but yâ charge of the Church of Ierusalem he wholy left vnto others In as much as I am the Apostle of the Gentles That which in the Greke is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is in as much the lattine interpreter turneth quamdiu that is so long and this also he doth in Mathew the 25. chapiter saying So long as ye haue done these thinges to one of my least when as in that place also in the Greke is reade ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which is more aptly turned in that in as much and as For when it standeth for an aduerb of time the Apostle commonly addeth this greke worde ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which signifieth tyme. As in the first to the Corrinthyaus ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã yâ is the wife is bound vnto the law so long as her husband liueth And vnto the Galathians ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã c. that is So long as the heyre is a child But Origen I know not how readeth quamdiu that is so long and doubteth whether it should at the leÌgth come to passe that Paul should cease to be the Apostle of the Gentiles and that Paul sawe that after this life he should be the Apostle of inuisible spirits and that vnto him should be sayd that which we reade in the Gospell Come hether good seruaunt and faythfull for that thou hast bene faythfull in fewe thinges I will set thee ouer many thynges But because he sawe as I suppose that thys is somewhat to harde to be easely beleued he addeth Shall we vnderstand thys saying to bee as that is I wyll be wyth you euen vnto the ende of the worlde not as though I wyll not afterwarde also bee wyth you so nowe also he sayth so longe as I am the Apostle of the Gentiles not as though at any time he should not be the Apostle of the Gentiles Paul sayth that he glorifieth his ministery for yâ he laboured by all maner of meanes that the ministery of his preaching might be of efficacy and that that which he The ministery is glorified so loÌg as it is of efficacy in the hârtes of the hearers Nothing in the world better then the church spake without might by the power of the spirite be written in the hartes of the hearers wherevnto he bent all his industry and laboured by continual prayers to obteyne that at Gods hand to the end to prouoke them of his flesh to emulation Men labour to the vttermost of theyr power to followe that whiche they iudge to bee good honest and godlye But I thinke that there is nothing in the world more goodly or better then the Church being wel and holily ordered which Church God so loueth as the husband doth his wife This gaue occasioÌ to Salomon to write those songes of loue which are called Cantica Canticorum And Christ omitted nothing though it were hard horrible which was eyther to be done or suffred for it At this Church doo the Angels woÌder of it learne many thinges pertayning to the sondry and manifold wisedome of God And men if they want not theyr right wittes embrace and reuerence it Wherfore in the first to the Corrinthians it is written And if they shoulde prophesie and behaue themselues in a decent order in the Church and there should enter in any vnlearned hearing his secretes touched and made manifest namely by preachinges they would fall downe and worshippe and will they or nill they should confesse that God is amongst theÌ Wherefore let theÌ vnto whome is committed the charge to enstruct and adorne so amiable and wonderfull a society take hede what they doo for they haue committed vnto them not only the charge of those which are preseÌt with them but also of others which by emulation of yâ church being wel ordred may be brought vnto Christ He calleth the Iewes his flesh after the maner of yâ scripture wherein The Iews are called the fleshe of Paul meÌ vse to speke of theyr brethern and kinsfolkes He is our mouth and our flesh And in so saying he obteyneth theyr good will to heare him That I might saue some of them He sayth not all for that he knew that this was not now possible for him to doo for at that time it behoued that yâ greatest parte should be made blinde and be shut vp vnder incredulity Towardes the end of the world is to be looked for a generall conuersion of the Iewes Thys phrase of speach is to be noted wherein he sayth That I might saue some of them For no man doubteth but yâ it is God which saueth as many as are saued but The ministers by a certaine propertie of speach are said to saue The holy ministery ought not to be conteÌned Paul so sayth for that he knew that he was a minister of the newe Testament and of the spirite And after the same maner wrote he vnto Timothe when he exhorted him to be diligent in doctrine and in reding This doing sayth he thou shalt saue both thy selfe and them which heare thee Wherefore that which is proper vnto God is by a
certayne communicating of proprieties of speach attributed also vnto the ministers And if God vouchsafe so honorably to speake of the holy ministery they then greuously sinne which contemptiously disdainfully despise it If the casting away of them be the reconciliation of the world He sayth the casting away of them and not the remnauntes so that it may be referred vnto the Apostles which were counted cast away as though they were the reconciliation of the world but by casting away he vnderstandeth theyr fal excecation And A proposition causall this is a proposition causall for casting away can not be reconciliation but it is so called for that the one springeth of the other as if we should say that study is wisedome or that drines is barennes and by reconciliation he vnderstandeth saluation For we haue by the benefite of Christ obteyned reconciliation with God And in summe God in the Gospell will haue no other thing to be preached vnto vs but such a reconciliation Vnto the Corrinthians in the latter epistle it is sayd God was in Christ reconciling vnto himselfe the world to the end not to impute The suÌme of the Gospell is our reconciliation with God vnto it the sinnes thereof And of the Apostles he sayth God hath put in vs the word of reconciliation We besech you for Christes sake be ye reconciled vnto God VVhat shall the reaceauing be but life from the dead In the exposition of this part life from the dead the interpreters much disagre For Origen and Chrisostome here vnderstand the true and proper resurrection from the dead which shal be in the last time at the end of the world as though soone after the conuersion of the Iewes vnto Christ it should follow And some thinke that the Iewes shal be conuerted in the ouerthrowe of Antechrist as though there should be a certayne analogy or proportion that euen as by the cutting of and the fall of the Iewes the Gentiles were called so when many nations haue falleÌ by the seducing of Antichrist the Iewes shall then be receaued into yâ Church by whose helpe the Gentiles which haue fallen shal be holpen vp agayne But these things are doubtfull vncertayne and obscure therfore I will of them affirme nothing as touching the maner forme and reason how they shal come to passe This we must beleue as the holy scriptures testifye that it shall come to passe that Antichrist who now by his ministers worketh the mistery of iniquity shall deceaue many as also at this day manye are by him deceaued and that ye shall at the length by the power of the spirite of Christ be destroyed and that the Iewes towardes the end of the world shall come vnto Christ But whether the Gentiles that haue fallen shal be by them repaired or no the scriptures declare not Ambrose thinketh it to be an allegory wherin is shewed that the world shall receaue greate vtility of the conuersion of the Iewes and that therefore it is called life from the dead for that that shal be vnto the world greate increase thorough the fayth of Christ and the worlde shal be made on liue in men thorough the fayth of Christ Verily that the felicity of the Church shal be greate all the Prophetes in a maner write and especially Esay which as it is most likely it as yet had not but shall then haue Neyther of these opinions doo I reiect neither is it necessary vnto saluation to know assuredly whether of them is the truer howbeit this I suppose to be more probable that the Apostle speaketh of the commodity which shall come by the conuersion of the Iewes which shal be in this life and not of that commodity which we shal haue in the eternal resurrection But these thinges are of no greate force And if we receaue the allegory of Ambrose we shall seme to attribute small fruite vnto the conuersion of the Iewes yea rather not one white more then to theyr reiection for if thereof shall come only the encrease of fayth and spirituall life by the death of sinnes this selfe thing was before geuen vnto the world in theyr reiection Howbeit my mind beÌdeth more to this senteÌce and to that which is obiected I would say that the Apostle describeth not vnto vs a diuerse nature of the commodity and vtility but only amplifieth one and the selfe same ⪠as though it shal be a degree more and extend farther And if the first fruites be holy then is the lompe also holy and if the roote be holy the branches also shal be holy That the nation of the Iewes is not abiect and to be contemned he confirmeth by the promise of God made vnto the fathers for in the fathers it was by reason of the leage which was made with theÌ sanctified and as touching this the Iewes were of greater estimation theÌ other Here is entreated of the whole nation and not of perticuler persoÌs nations Howbeit in this place is not entreated of men perticularly for there were amongst the Hebrewes many wicked men which thorough theyr obstinacye incredulity and most heaynous factes wickedly perished Wherefore Iohn Baptist called them Generation of vipers And Christ said Ye are of your father the deuill Wherefore here is entreated of that nation generally which was called the people of God and came of the most holy partriarch For so is it to be considred in this place not as it had his beginning of Adam for that way it nothing Here is spoken of the Iewes not as they had their beginnyng of Adam excelleth other nations For in Adam we are all sinners we are all dead and we are all the children of wrath But in Abraham Isaake and Iacob were the Iewes seperated from other nations and especially by reason of the couenaunt which God in times past made with those fathers Which couenaunt for that it thorough the vnfaythfulnes of men which liued in this latter time semed to be obscured Paul now aptly putteth the Ethnikes in mind of the first fruites and roote of that stocke wherof consisted the greate nobility of that nation And nobility What nobilitie is What is the nobility of any natioÌ or people as saith Aristotle in his Rhetorikes is nothing els but the honour great fame of elders And he saith also that when we speake of any perticular famely or person or nation or people to the nobility thereof belongeth that they be ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is men first inhabitting the land which thing the Iewes were not for they were brought from an other countrey into the land of Chanaan but which is of much more excelleÌcy then this they obteined the possession of yâ laÌd not by yâ force of man but of God yâ by many miracles wonders This also belongeth to nobility yâ men be frée and liue vnder no man but vnder their own lawes The nobilitie of the Iewes is described The Iewes were set at
argument that he should be God when as it belongeth vnto him only to forgeue sinnes Men may indede remitte the punishmentes which they which haue sinned should suffer and not take vengeaunce of them but they are not able to blot out the sinne for the the giltines abideth still and he which hath sinned is obnoxious vnto the iustice of God Only God whome the sinner offendeth is able to blot out such guiltines Wherefore the Pharises when they saw that Christ toke away the disseases paynes of the body which are the effectes of sinnes and heard him say moreouer Thy sinnes are forgeuen thee cried out that the blasphemed for that he attributed vnto himselfe that which was proper vnto God But paraduenture Of the kayes some man will say doth God so forgeue sinnes that men may not remitte them Whereto then serue the kayes in the Church In this case by this The kayes of the churche are the worde and faith meanes is committed error for that the Papistes imagine farre other thinges of the kayes theÌ the word of God teacheth Christ hath left vnto the Church the kayes wherewith sinnes should be forgeuen which kayes are the word and fayth For in the word of God is set forth vnto men the promise of God whereby thorough fayth in Christ sinnes are forgeueÌ and he which beleueth not shall be condemned and his sinnes shall be imputed vnto him This is one kay which the Churche vseth whilest in it is both publiquely and priuately preached the word of God The other kay is fayth for if any heare and geue theyr asseÌt vnto these things which are set forth vnto theÌ they haue remission of sins And these two kayes the Euangelists haue excellently wel declared vnto vs. For in Iohn Christ breathed vpon the Apostles said Receiue ye the holy gost and whose sinnes ye forgeue c. And what he wrought by this brething spirit is declared in Luke where it is said that he had opened vnto theÌ the sence of the scriptures This kay also is set forth in Math. wheÌ Christ coÌmaunded the apostles to go preach c. The other kay belongeth vnto the heares namely the they beleue He which beleueth shal Although the kayes be in the church yet do not men geue remission of sins Whether the old Testament and the new be vtterly diuers be saued Wherefore although the kayes be in the Church yet do not men geue remission of sinnes for the kayes are the instrumentes wherâby God offreth it But bycause Paul sayth out of the testimony of Esay that this is a Testament and we read the same in the 31. chapiter of Ieremy that the new couenaunt herein consisteth that the deliuerer should come and be mercifull vnto inquities there ariseth a doubt whether the new Testament and the old be diuers or no. Of which matter I haue before spoken somewhat but nowe I entend more at large to entreate thereof At the first sight they seme vtterly distinct so that the one is altogether diuers from the other for in Ieremy it is sayd that there should be a new Testament and not according to that which he made with the fathers And the epistle to the Hebrewes addeth When he sayth a new then is that abolished which was old but who seeth not but that when one thing abolisheth and maketh voyde an other thing it vtterly differeth from the same There is also an other argument for that as they say in the old testament was not forgeuenes of sinnes For the epistle vnto the Hebrewes in the 10. chap. sayth That the bloud of Goates and of oxen and of calues could not take away sinnes But in the new testament no man doubteth but that there is remission of sinnes wherefore no man will say but that the thinges which in so greate a matter differ are diuers But on the other side One the selfe same maner of iustification in eche One and the same mediator The promise of the forgeuenâs of sinnes of eternall lyfe is in eche The selfe same morall commaundements the selfe same signication of the sacrameÌts The selfe same roote and tree The substance of either Testament is one the same the accidences differ In the olde Testament was iustification that is remissioÌ of sinnes this is to be considered that that fayth whereof iustification consisteth is in eyther Testament one and the same moreouer that the mediator is one and the same namely Christ Iesus one and the same promise of the remission of sinnes and of eternall life thorough him the selfe same commauÌdementes as touching morall commaundementes one and the same signification of the sacramentes one and the selfe same roote and plant from which some of the Iewes are cut of and we grafted in theyr place All which thinges playnly declare that eyther Testament as touching the substance or essence if I may so call it is one and the same thing although there must be granted some differences by reason of the accidences which are that Christ was there knoweÌ as which should come but with vs he is knowen as which is alredy come And also theyr simboles or figures were diuers from ours in forme but of like strength in signification as Augustine sayth Moreouer they had a certayne and assured pub welth for the preseruation whereof they had ciuill precepts deliuered vnto them which we haue not And finally vnto the promise of the remission of sinnes by the Messias were in the old time added a greate many other promises as of the encrease and preseruation of theyr posterity and of the possession of the land of Chanaan which promises we haue not And besides all this our sacramentes are more easy and fewer in nomber and also more manifest and extend much farther wheÌ as they are not shut vp in a corner as theirs were in Iewry but are spread abrode thoroughout the whole world Wherfore we may affirme that the new testament and the old are in very dede one as touching the substance and differ only in certayne accedences which we haue now mencioned But now resteth to answere vnto the two argumentes which were before brought Touching remission of sinnes we deny that it was not in the old Testament for if we consider the promise which there also was of force by it the elders were iustified For it was sayd of Abraham He beleued God and it was imputed vnto him to righteousnes as the Apostle hath declared And Dauid sayth Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuen and whose sinnes are couered But if we looke vpon the sacramentes or ceremonies they did not remitte sinnes as touching the worke yea neyther haue out sacramentes strength so to doo But whereas Paul sayth vnto the Hebrewes that the bloud of goates oxen and calues could not take away sinnes We deny not this to be true but yet in the meane time neyther doth Paul deny but that The bloud of Christ and not the bloud
imitate to approue the glory of God so often as occasion serueth with all our harte to wishe it and with a willing and glade assent to affirme and ratify it Of Iustification BVt now to make an end of the long disputation which we haue had it shall not be amisse more fully to entreate of Iustification which is the The questioÌ put forth scope and end of all that which Paul hath hitherto spoken of And in this sort let the question be put forth Whether men be iustified by workes or by fayth But first of all it shall be good to pease and discusse the woordes of the question proposed and let vs beginne with this woord Iustification The signification of this worde to iustifie This verbe Tsada with the Hebrues in the first coniugation signifieth to be iust But if it be transferred vnto the third coniugation it signifieth to transferre righteousnes into an other and to make iust for this is the nature of the forme of those verbes which they call Hiphil Euen as Amad signifieth to stand so Heamid signifieth to appoint that is to make an other thing to stand Wherfore Hitsadik in the Hebrue signifieth to iustifie that is to make one iust which thinge God is said two maner of wayes to iustifie when it is done of God is done of him two maner of wayes For sometymes he doth in very deede bring forth righteousnes in men First when with his holy spirite he frameth them agayne wholy reneweth them in restoring the strengths of their mindes and deliuering the powers of man from a great part of his naturall corruption and this is the first righteousnes which sticketh and cleaueth to our mindes by the benefite of God thorough Christ Then when he hath so restored and made them new agayne he geueth good and holy workes by the vse and frequency of which workes is engendred in our minds a quality or as they call it an habite whereby we are made prone to lyue honestly and holyly And we deny not but this kind of righteousnes is in the harts of the regenerate But sometimes God iustifieth in absoluing vs from sinnes and ascribing and imputing vnto vs righteousnes And then this woord Hitsadik is a woord taken of the lawe whiche pertayneth to iudgements as also this word Hirsehig ⪠which signifieth to declare one to be wicked and hurtfull And to iustifie is by iudgement words testimony and affirmation to count one for iust And forasmuch as there are two significations of this word to iustifie namely eyther in deede or in accompt and estimation And God is the author of either of them whether of these two shal we followe We now in treate of the latter forme of iustification in the disputation proposed Forsothe the latter and that for because the renouation inspired by the spirite of God and our righteousnes as touching the habite gotten by good workes are whilest we lyue here so vnperfect and mayned that if iudgement should be geuen by them we were neuer able to stand before the iudgement seate of God Besides that Paul disputing of this matter after he had brought forth the authority of Dauid and a testimony of the history of Abraham in Genesis vseth this word of imputing and by the proper signification thereof he reasoneth touching this present cause or question And this I suppose to be sufficient as touching the declaration of the first word namely of Iustification Now let vs entreate of fayth A man with the Hebrues in the first coniugation signifieth to be firme which self same verbe in the third coniugation which as I What this worde faith signifieth haue sayd is called Hiphil signifieth to geue constancy and assurednes to any promise or thing Wherefore the Latines say Fidem homini aut verbis tribuere which is in Englishe to geue fayth vnto a man or vnto words and it signifieth as much as if a man should say to beleue Wherefore this Hebrue verbe Heemin signifieth none other thing then to suppose or thinke a thing to be firme constant and sure And as touching God he which beleueth not him maketh him a lyar For Iohn sayth in his first Epistle the 5. chapiter He which beleueth not God maketh him a lyar Which thing how greauous a sinne it is let euery man consider with himself Contrariwise he which beleueth God adorneth him with glory and honour For in this Epistle to the Romanes it is written of Abraham that he staggered not thorough doubting in hauing consideration to his own body being now almost dead or to the wombe of Sara being past child bearing but gaue the glory vnto God being strong in fayth and fully persuaded that he was able to performe whatsoeuer he would Wherefore there semeth to be a certayne Analogye or proportion betwene this verbe to beleue and to iustifie as we in this place take it for as to iustifie An analogy or proportioÌ betwene to beleue and to iustify A double certainty of faith is by iudgement and estimation to ascribe righteousnes to a man and not to make him to be in very deede iust so to beleue is not in very deede to make the words and promises of any man sure and firme but to thinke and setle with our selfes that so they are But this acte of beleuing whereof we now intreate hath two maner of firmenes and certaynety First of the things namely of the words and promises of God which abide much more firmely then heauen and earth Secondly as touching the persuasion which forasmuch as it is wrought by the power of God is also most firme and most certayne and of an assured persuasion that is that it is neuer naked but alwayes draweth with it many and sundry motions An assured persuasioÌ is not naked ⪠it draweth with it also other motions of the mynde of the mind For experience and dayly vse teacheth that in things ciuile a man being well and fully persuaded of pleasaunt promises is filled with confidence reioyseth sheweth a mery contenaunce is glad and pleasaunt and cleaueth vnto hym that made the promise so that he doth by all meanes allowe him But contrariwise when he beleueth not the persuasion he laugheth at it neglecteth and contemneth it or waxeth cold and bendeth the browe wherefore it can neuer be that he which beleueth in very deede can want such affections whiche are accustomed to followe a full and stronge persuasion And therfore those that are the pure professors of the Gospell do iustly affirme that to beleue hath a very greate coniunction with action or withe the motion of confidence hope and such like affections But most of all with a sincere and firme affiance which it alwayes draweth with it Whereby it commeth to passe that in the holy Scriptures promises are made Vnto true faith is ioyned an assured confidence Promises are in the scriptures geuen both vnto saith also to coÌfidence Why in the olde TestameÌt is
order appoynted by God in nature For God for the conseruation good order God will haue an order to be kept in outwarde thinges How Roboam is said not to haue prepared his harte of thinges will that this by a certayne connexion should follow of the other But I meruayle what these men meane when out of the bookes of the Chronicles they say that Roboam the sonne of Salomon did euil in that he prepared not his hart to enquire of the Lorde They mought easely haue sene that this serueth nothing to thys present purpose vnles they be if I may so terme them table doctors which haue more skill in the tables then in the bookes For as often as they finde in the table of the holy bookes thys woorde to prepare or preparation that strayght way whatsoeuer it be they snatche and thinke that it maketh for theyr purpose and pertayneth vnto theyr preparatory woorkes But the holy history when it declared that the kinge behaued hymselfe wickedlye addeth by exposition as it oftentimes doth that he had not an vpright hart redie to séeke the Lord. Neither doth this any thing helpe theyr cause which is written in the 16. chapter of the prouerbes Why it is said yâ it pertaineth to man to prepare the harte It pertaineth to a man to prepare the hart but the aunswere of the tonge is of the Lord. For we ought by those woordes to vnderstande nothinge els then that men indéede are wonte to purpose wyth themseues manye thinges but the euent and successe is not in their power but dependeth of GOD. Men oftentimes appoynte wyth them selues what they will saye in the senate house in the iudgement place before the kinge vnto the souldiours and vnto the people But what shal come to passe lieth in the pleasure of God They indéede prepare the hart but God ordereth the aunswere of the tounge according to his prouidence Such an other waighty reason they cite out of the 10. Psalme The Lord hath heard the desire of the poore thy eare hath heard the preparation of their hart But in this place these The preparation of the hart of the poore good masters make two flat errors For first they vnderstand not that which they speake secondly they cite not the place accordinge to the truth of the Hebrue For the sence is That God despiseth not the prayers of the poore but according to hys great goodnes accomplisheth for them those thinges which they had determined in their mind to desire of him And this is the preparation of the harte For there is none that is godly desireth any thing of God but first he deliberateth in his harte that the same thing is to be desired Otherwise he should come rashly vnto God should pray foolishly But these men wheresoeuer they finde in the holy scriptures this word to prepare straight way snatch it vp euen against the nature thereof to establish workes preparatorye But nowe let vs sée what the sentence is after the Hebrue veritie Taauah anauim shamata iehouah tachin libbam tacshib osnecha That is Thou hast heard the desire of the poore Lord thou hast prepared or shalt prepare their hart thy eare shall heare Here we sée that Dauid affirmeth that God heareth God prepareth the hart of the saintes the desires of the saintes whome he calleth poore And he addeth a cause namely because God prepareth their hart to require those thinges whiche may serue to their saluation and please God But by whome God woorketh such a preparation in the hartes of the faithfull Paul teacheth in this Epistle when he thus writeth God prepareth our hartes by his holy spirits What we should aske as it behoueth vs we know not But the spirite prayeth for vs with vnspeakeable sighes But it is God which searcheth the hartes he seeth what the spirite will aske for the saintes We sée therefore both by Dauid and also by Paul that God heareth those prayers of them that pray vnto him which are by the impulsioÌ of his spirite stirred vp We learne also of the Ethnike Philosophers and that in mo places then one that those are worthy of reproofe which without consideration and rashly require any thing of God But they which professe Christ euen as they beleue that he is the author of their prayers so also do they close them vp in thys sentence Thy will be done But say they Ezechiell saith in his 18. chapter Walke in A concilition of places of Ieremy and Ezechiell my wayes and make ye a new hart Ieremy also saith Be ye conuerted vnto me saith the Lord. Wherefore a man say they may of himselfe prepare himselfe to the obteyning of righteousnes But these men should remember that it is no vprighte dealing to cite some places of the scriptures and to ouerhippe leaue vnspoken other some Let them goe therfore and sée what Ezechiell writeth in the. 30. chapt I saith the Lorde will bring to passe that ye shall walke in my wayes Agayne I will geue vnto you a fleshy hart and will take away from you your stony hart Ieremy also in the 31. chap. Conuert me O Lord and I shal be conuerted Wherfore Augustine very wel sayd Geue what thou commaundest and commaund what thou wilt They abuse also an other place out of the Prophet Ionas to confirme their error For in him it is writteÌ that Of the fact of the Niniuites God regarded the woorkes of the Niniuites Beholde say they the affliction of the Niniuites wherby they afflicted themselues with fastings and cried vnto the lord prepared theyr mindes and made them apte to obteine pardon As though it behoued not the Niniuites first to beleue the woorde of God before they coulde eyther pray healthfully or els repent Séeing therefore they beleued before they did any workes they were iustified by faith and not by works which folowed afterward And God is sayd to haue regarded their works because they pleased him Neither did we euer deny that the workes of men being now iustified are acceptable vnto A profitable rule for the right vnderstanding of sentences of the fathers touching iustificatioÌ God So often as we finde in the scriptures such places which séeme to attribute righteousnes vnto our workes we muste according to the doctrine of Augustine haue a consideration out of what foundation those workes procéede And when we perceaue that they springe out of faith we oughte to ascribe vnto that roote that which afterwarde is added as touching righteousnes And how fowlye these men ârre in their reasoning hereby we may perceaue for that they take vpon them to transferre those thinges which are proper vnto one kinde of men vnto an other Which thing eueÌ humane lawes wil not suffer For as it is had in the Code As touching testaments or last willes If rusticall and vnlearned men which dwell out of cities A similitude and haue not store of wise and learned
thinketh is much more plainly confirmed by Iohn For he saith that many rulers of the priestes beleued in Christ whiche yet durst not openly professe hym But they which abhorre from the confession of the name of Christ ar farre from saluation For Christ himselfe sayth he that is ashamed of me before men of hym will I be ashamed before my father These arguments although at the first sight they séeme to haue some shew yet if a man more narrowly examine them he shall sée that The iudgement of Epictetus touching hys own bokes A similitude that very wel agréeth with them whiche Epictetus pronounceth of his bookes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã yâ is these are but sights or ghosts of the dreames of hell Wherefore we must diligently ponder these reasons and not iudge of them by the first sight And euen as in coynes of mony we vse not so much to haue a regard vnto the inscriptions or Images as to the goodnes and waight of the matter so also in arguments ought we to weigh and regard not so much the shew and coulour of them as the thing it selfe and the strength of them We first deny that fayth can be seperated from iustification And whereas Pigghius sayth that that is not repugnaunt vnto the nature and definition of fayth we in no wise admit it For agaynst that sentence are all the holy scriptures and the true sense of the definition of fayth and also the fathers For as touching the scriptures Iohn saith he that beleueth that Iesus is Christ the sonne of God is borne of God And he which is borne of God sinneth not For so long as faith beareth sway in our hart we commit not those sinnes which destroy the conscience and alienate vs from God How theÌ sayth Pigghius that it is not agaynst the nature of fayth to be seperated from iustification and from good workes especially seing Iohn sayth he which sinneth knoweth not God This thing also saw the fathers For Ciprian de Simplicitate Prelatorum where he complayneth of the infelicity of his tyme for that charity feare good workes and such like things were waxen very cold thus writeth No man thinketh vpon the feare of things to come no man considereth the day of the Lord and the wrath of God and that vpon the vnbeleuers shall come punishments and that euerlasting tormeÌts are appointed for the vnfaythfull Of which things our conscience would be aferd if it beleued because it beleueth not therfore is it vtterly without feare but if it beleued then also would it beware and if it did beware then also shoulde it eschape These words declare that with true fayth is ioyned the feare of God and the eschewing of eternal punishments and auoyding of sinnes Now let Piggbius go say that true faith can be seperated from holy motions of the mind and from good workes This self same thing together doth Ierome with Ciprian affirme agaynst the Luciferians And if sayth he I beleued truely I would clense that hart wherewith God is sene I would with my hands knock my brest I would with teares water my chekes I would in my body haue a horror I would in mouth waxe pale I would lye at the feete of my Lord and would washe them wyth weeping and wipe them with my heares I would vndoubtedly cleue fast vnto the stocke of the crosse neither would I let go my hold thereof before I had obtayned mercy Hereby also it is manifest that with true faith The definition of faith declareth that it can not be separated from iustificatioÌ A similitude are ioyned good workes and repentaunce But as touching the definition and nature of fayth it may easely be proued that it can not be seperated from iustification and from good workes that is from his effects For fayth is no common but a firme and vehement assent and that proceding from the holy ghost And if in case a poore miser being condemned to ây should receaue a promise only at the hand of a maÌ that he should be deliuered and should geue credit vnto those words straight way his mynde would wholy be chaunged to mirth and would begin to loue him that promised hym such things and would pleasure him in what thing so euer lay in his power How much more is to be attributed vnto the true faith which is geuen vnto the word of God and is inspired by the spirit of God Wherfore if that human fayth do draw with it wonderfull motions of the mynd how can we say that the true and Christian fayth is naked without good works and destitute alone Wherefore we now playnly sée both by the holy scriptures and by the Fathers and by the definition and nature of fayth that it can not be seperated from righteousnes and from holy workes Now let vs come vnto Paul He sayth If I haue all fayth c. But how knoweth Pighius that Paul there speaketh of that generall fayth which cleaueth vnto the promises of God and iustifieth and not rather of a perticular fath wherby are wrought miracles and which is a fre or gracious gift of the holy ghost This faith is not applied vnto all thinges which are found in the holy scriptures but only is a certayne vehement confidence wherby we certaynly beleue that God will doo this miracle or that miracle Of this sayth Chrisostome interpreteth Paul in thys The fayth of doctrine the faith of miracles ⪠place And to the end of this distinction either part should haue a distinct name the one calleth the fayth of doctrine the other the fayth of signes And vnto this latter fayth Chrisostome applieth those wordes If ye haue of fayth as a grayne of mustard seede and shall say vnto this mountayne Get thee hence and hurle thy selfe into the sea it shal be done Neyther vndoubtedly can it be denied but that there is such a kind of fayth For Paul in the 12. chapter of the first epistle vnto the Corrinthians wheÌ he reherseth vp the frée gifts which the holy ghost distributeth vnto euery man as it pleaseth him thus writeth Vnto one is by the spirite geuen the word of wisedome and to an other the word of knowledge by the same spirite and vnto an other is geueÌ faith by the same spirit and vnto an other the gifts of healing by the same spirit Here we sée that amongst the frée gifts of the holy ghost is reckoned fayth and that in the third place bicause Paul spake not there of the generall fayth wherby we are iustified And if we diligently peyse thinges we shall sée that Paul kepeth the selfe same order in the 13. chapter of the first to the Corrinthians For as here in the first place he putteth the woord of wisedome so there he putteth prophesieng and as here in the second place he putteth knowledge so there also in the selfe same place he putteth knowledge and as here so also there he putteth faith in the third
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 wheÌce 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 ⪠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 dâriued 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 preseÌt and the word preached yet part do beleue and part beleue not we answere in one word that that coÌmeth 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 bouÌd 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
gone about to haue proued what their strength could haue done their endeuor for that they were not as yet iustified should haue bene in vaine and sinne As if a master should bid his seruaunt which is lame to walke and he shold excuse himselfe and say that he were lame and could not goe without great deformitie it is not to be thought that therefore he is excused We are not of that minde that we thinke that all sinnes are alike Yea rather we teach that they which omit or neglect those outward workes which they might performe and put not to endeuor and study to do wel do much more greuously sinne then they which according to their strengthes obserue some certaine outward discipline And as Augustine sayth Cato and Scipio shal be much more tollerablier dellt with then Catiline or Caligula But I would haue yâ Pighius whome our opinioÌ so much misliketh to declare himselfe when he thinketh that the holy ghost is geuen vnto men He will aunswere when as now these preparations haue gone before when a man hath beleued feared hoped repented and sincerely loued What more could Pelagius haue sayde As though to beleue to loue and such other like shoulde spring of humane strengthes He alleadgeth this also and thinketh it to make for his purpose Come vnto me all ye which labour and are laden and I wil refresh you For he thinketh that labours burthens contrition confession and as they say satisfaction fastings teares such other like make to the obteynment of iustification But this place is to be vnderstand farre otherwise For Christ calleth them laboring and loden which were oppressed with the law and felt theyr owne infirmity and the burthen of sinnes and which had now long time laboured vnder humane tradicions These men being now weried and in a maner without all hope the Lord calleth vnto him For they are more apt vnto the kingdome of heauen theÌ are other blessed secure men which by theyr own works good dedes thought theÌ selues very iuste God sayth Pighius requireth workes preparatory and them he promiseth not to fayle them of his grace This was vtterly the opinion of the Pelagians against which the holy scriptures are vtterly repugnant For they teach that it is God which geueth both to will and to performe according to his good will that it is God which beginneth in vs the good worke and accomplisheth it euen vnto this day that it is God froÌ whome only we haue sufficiency when as otherwise we are not able to thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues Wherfore it is manifest that Pighius confoundeth the lawes of God disturbeth those things which ar wel setforth in yâ holy scriptures Farther when as we say that vnto iustification is not sufficient an historicall fayth he fayneth him selfe to meruayle what maner of historicall fayth we vnderstand For if sayth he they call all those thinges which are written in the holy scriptures an history wil they bring vnto vs an other faith wherby we may beleue those things which are not in the scriptures But we reiect not an historicall fayth as though we would faine some new obiects of fayth besides those which are The difference betwene aâ historicall faith and a straunge faith setforth in yâ holy scriptures or are out of theÌ firmely coÌcluded But we require not a vulgar or cold assent such as they haue which are accustomed to allow those thinges which they read in yâ holy scriptures being thereto led by humane persuasioÌ some probable credulity as at this day yâ Iewes Turkes confesse beleue many things which we doo but an assured firme strong assent such which commeth froÌ the afflation of the holy ghost which changeth maketh new the hart and the mind and draweth with it good motions and holy workes In this maner we say that that fayth which is of efficacy differeth very much from an historicall assent And that we are by that fayth which we haue now described iustified we haue thrée maner of testimonies The first is of the holy ghost Which beareth witnes vnto our spirite that we are the children of God The second is of the scriptures The third is of workes But contrariwise they which hold and crie that a man is iustified by workes haue no sufficient testimony For the holy ghost testifieth it not the holy scriptures deny it only works are brought forth and those without piety and fayth such as were in times past the workes of the old Ethnikes and at this day the woorkes of many which beleue not in Christ and are strangers from God But it is woorthy to be laughed at that he hath cited also a place out of the 66. chapiter of Esay by which and if there were no more places then it only his cause is most of all ouerthrowen Vnto whome sayth God shall I looke but vnto the poore man vnto ⪠the contrite of harte and vnto him that trembleth at my woordes By these wordes Pighius thinketh are signified those workes wherby God is drawen to iustifie vs. But the matter is farre otherwise For the scope of the Prophet was to detest the suspition of the Iewes For they neglecting the inward piety of the mind trusted only to outward ceremonies Wherfore this thing God by yâ voyce of the Prophet condemned and declared how odious it was vnto him Heauen sayth he is my seate and the earth is the footestoole of my feete As if he should haue sayd I nothing passe vpon this your temple which ye so much boast of For heauen is my seate such a seat as you can not frame nor make and the earth adorned with all kind variety of plants liuing creatures herbes flowers is the footestoole of my féete Where theÌ shall be that house which ye wil build for me And where shall be my resting place And straight way to declare yâ it was not the teÌple built with handes All these thinges sayth he hath mine hand made and all these thinges are made sayth the Lord. By which wordes we learne that God delighteth not in these thinges and in outward ornamentes and sumptuous buildinges for theyr own sakes but chiefly requireth fayth and inward piety of the minds that he may dwel in them And who they be that beleue and are in very déede godly is declared by theyr certayne and proper notes Whosoeuer is poore and séeeth him selfe to want righteousnes and whosoeuer is contrite of hart that is to say afflicted in this world whosoeuer is of a moderate and deiected spirite and not of an arrogant and proud spirite whosoeuer with great reuerence and feare receaueth the wordes of God he most iustly may be nombred amongst them These are fure tokens and as it were the proper coulours of faith and true piety Afterward the Prophet declareth how much God estemeth the workes of men that beleue not and are not as yet regenerate though these workes be neuer
other with mutual benefites For of our owne accord we loue both our children and brethen although they haue not bound vs vnto theÌ by any theyr benefit to vs ward And forasmuch as these things ought to be obserued in christiaÌ loue therfore Paul calleth it ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã although it come not of nature but of the spirite of God and of grace And how much the consideration of brotherhoode is of force to stirre vp loue betwene The loue of brethren is of great efficacy Christian men we are taught by the example of Moses For he the next day after that he had slayne the Egiptian when he went to visite the Hebrues and saw a certayne Hebrew doing iniury to an other Hebrew as S. Stephan reciteth the history sayd vnto them Ye are bretherne why doo ye in this sorte iniury one an other The force of this affect Ioseph also declareth For he when he ment vpon the sodayne to reconcile himselfe to his brethren who had solde to be a bondman sayde vnto them I am your brother Ioseph And so soone as he had spoken that he could not restrayne him selfe from teares So great is the force of this affect with the godly Neither is the mutuall loue betwéene Christians without iust cause called a brotherly loue For Christ called his disciples brethreÌ and yâ at that time chiefly when after his resurrection he was now endued with immortality Aristotle in his 9. booke of Ethiks wheÌ he entreteth of frendship Amongst brethreÌ saith he one and the self same thing is distributed amongst many and therefore for as much as they communicate among themselues in one and the selfe same thing they by good right loue the one the other By that one and the selfe same thing wherin brethren communicate he vnderstandeth the substaunce of the father and of the mother whereof eche haue their part The like consideration also is there betwene the faithful For as Peter sayth they are made partakers of the nature of God wherfore they ought to loue one an other as brethren which thing if they neglect to doe they are worthely called ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is without naturall affections Which vice as a sinne most greuous Paul in the first chapiter of this Epistle attributed to those which fell away from the true worshipping of God and were therefore deliuered of him into a reprobate minde In geuing honor ⪠go one before an other This is the proper effect of brotherly The âffects of honour of contempt loue that whome we loue those we labour by all meanes to honoure and in so doing we allure those whome we honour to loue vs again as contrariwise when we contemn our brethren we breake in sonder the senewes of loue and prouoke our brethren to hatred and enmities towardes vs. For what thing els is anger but a desire of vengeance sprong by reason of contempt Honor is here taken not only for a certaine outward reuerence wherby we reuerence the dignitye of our What honour signifieth neighbour but also for an outwarde helpe succor and aide wherby we help those which stand in néede So Paul admonisheth Timothe to honoure widowes And Christ reproued the Phariseis for that they contemned the precept of God which commaunded that parents should be honored when they gaue counsell to yâ children to offer vp those things in the temple which ought rather to haue ben bestowed towards the relief of their parents And of how great force the neglecting of this kinde of helpe towardes our brethren is to stirre vp hatred and enmities we The neglecting of our brethren stirreth vp contentioÌs may gather out of the Actes of the Apostles For straight way in the primitiue Churche there arose a grudge for that the widowes of the Gréekes were contemned in the daily ministery Hereunto Christ exhorted his when he willed that they should not prease for the first roomes in the sinagoges and that being bidden to feasts they should sit downe in the lowest rowme This worde ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which is in this text may haue a double sense by reason of the diuers significatioÌ of the verbe ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã For sometimes it is taken for existimo or reputo that is to estéeme or make accompt of And so the sence shall be let euery man thinke that others are more worthy of honour then him selfe As to the Philippians in the. 2. Chapiter it is written ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is in humblenesse of minde euery man esteeming others better then him selfe And sometimes ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifieth nothing els but to be a captaine and to goe before And so the sense is let euery one of you preuent the other with honour and suffer not himself to be preuented Not slouthfull to doe seruice For as much as these things which he hath now reckened vp ought not slenderly to be put in vre therfore Paul sayth therein we must doe our diligence And the slouthfulnes which he commaundeth to be put away is that slownes in executyng of offices whereby men declare that they doe those things which they do grudgingly From which fault they are cleare which doe it with such cherefulnes and willingnes that sometimes they contemne euen their own commodities In suÌme Paul requireth that we loue not only in words but also in very dede and with an effectual endeuor and that we be not professors of this Philosophy ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is all in words but nothing in dedes which thing was reproued in diuers wise men amongst the Ethnikes Feruent in spirite Those things which he hath now made mention of for that they bring with them troubles lothsomnes laboures and costes therefore commonly seme irksome vnto the fleshe Wherfore Paul requireth that we suffer not our selues to be seduced by the flesh but rather that we be feruent in spirite Men neither hot nor colde highly displease God I would to God sayth he thou wert either hot or colde but for that thou art luke warme and neither hot nor colde I will begin to spew thee out of my mouth This word spirit may here signifie two things either the power and instincte of God or els our soule And it is doubtfull whether sense Spirit somtymes signiâeth our soule we ought here to sollow And that spirite sometimes signifieth our soule it may be gathered by many places of the scriptures For it is written blessed are the pore in spirite Againe he bowed downe his head and yelded vp the spirite ⪠Againe that the spirite may be saued in the day of the Lord. Again that it may be holy both in body and in spirite Againe the body without the spirite is dead Againe Christ went to the spirites whiche were in prison Howbeit I graunt that this word spirite hath either signification And I here thinke that it hath either signification namely bothe our soule and also the power of the spirite of God
moued By the first righteousnes the mind of a sinner is pacified wheÌ as he beleueth that thorough Christ his sinnes are forgeueÌ and so also is it by the second for that our hart accuseth vs not of any crime of any such crime I say which may plucke vs away from God and may wast the conscience After this in order followeth ioy whereby we alwayes reioyce in the Lord and assuredly hope for perfect good thinges and doo now presently fele the same good thinges to be begoone There is a certayne other peace of the flesh which Christ came not to send vpon the earth And touching the ioy of the flesh Christ sayth in Luke Wo be vnto you which laugh now and pronounceth them to be blessed which mourne This particle in the holy ghost is added for that by him all these thinges are geuen vnto vs. Wherefore it is witten in the 5. chapiter to the Galathians The fruites of the spirite are ioy peace and patience But thou wilt paraduenture say Although the kingdome of God as it is sayd be spirituall yet notwithstanding outward thinges also seme to make somewhat eyther with it or agaynst it For they are commonly commended in the Church which liue temperately and they which geue themselues to dronknes and glottony doo greauously sinne That hereof commeth for that whatsoeuer eyther vprightnes or wickednes is in these thinges the same as Christ sayth commeth out of yâ hart And when Paul saith yâ the kingdoÌ of God is not meat or drinke he most sharpely reproueth those whose bealy is theyr God These are the things whereof the kingdome of Christ consisteth by which also it is confirmed and aduanced In these thinges let vs excercise our selues and let vs decline from those thinges which are contrary to them namely iniustice brawlinges and sorow of the spirite These stronger sorte are in my iudgemeÌt greauously reproued in these woords for that they vniustly reiected theyr weake brethern and for that by those theyr vntimely disputations they troubled the common peace and also for that they in liuing licentiously ouer fréely did by theyr exaÌple fill others with sorow For vvhosoeuer in these thinges serueth Christ is acceptable to God and is approued of men The latine interpreter as it should seme red not ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is in these thinges but ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is in this For he hath thus turned it Qui enim in hoc that is for he which in this which reading Origen followeth and also Ambrose and eyther of them semeth to referre this sentence to the holy ghost as if he should haue sayd he which thorough the holy ghost serueth Christ If we follow this sentence then much more greauously are these coÌtencions and brawlings of the Romanes reproued bycause that they semed hereof to spring for that in In what things coÌsisteth the true worshipping of God spirite they serued not Christ but attributed to much vnto carnall thinges But we will follow the Greke reading For by it we are with great fruite taught in what thinges the true and proper woorshipping of God consisteth But in the Papacy all thinges are full of dâme and supersticious ceremonies He which after this maner woorshipeth God is acceptable vnto him For he worketh those things which without doubt come not of our selues but of God And men will they or nil they shall be compelled to geue testimony vnto the truth The thinges which are An argument takeÌ of contraries here promised are most high and most excellent namely that we shall be gratefull and acceptable both to God and to men wherfore of the contrary we may wel conclude that they which are occupied wholy in outward woorshippings in meat and drinke and afflicting of the body shall neyther be gratefull nor acceptable to men that be of an vpright and true iudgement nor also to God And this is that which Paul writeth to Timothe The excercise of the body hath litle commoditte but piety that is the spirituall woorshipping of God stirred vp by fayth loue wherof spring righteousnes peace and ioye auayleth to all thinges as that which hath promises both of this life and of the life to come And Paul so writeth not of the supersticious excercise of the body for otherwise that is vniuersally condemned in the holy scriptures as it is manifest by the second chapiter to the epistle to the ColossiaÌs but he speaketh of that which was of many most highly and singularly estemed and reuerenced as though the whole stay and foundacion of all religion consisted in it only Let vs therefore follow those thinges which concerne peace and mutuall edification Destroy not the worke of God for meate sake All thinges indede are pure but it is euill for the man which eateth with offence It is good neyther to eate flesh nor to drinke wine nor any thing wherby thy brother may stumble or be offeded or be made weake Hast thou fayth haue it with thy selfe before God Blessed is he which iudgeth not himselfe in that thing which he alloweth For he that doubteth is condemned if he eate for that he eateth not of fayth For whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Let vs therfore follow those thinges which concerne peace and mutuall edification He auocateth them from thinges vnprofitable to the end they should geue themselues to the principall and chiefe thinges and very sinnewes of the Church namely to peace and to edification Which he declareth are to be followed not lightly or negligently when he sayth ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã For peace as Origene saith semeth to be driuen away thorough the default of men and to be taken away froÌ theyr doinges But the more it flieth away the more earnestly is it to bee followed after yea though it bâ to the hinderaunce of our commodities After peace he putteth edification for that no man can abide to be instructed of him whome he thinketh to be his enemy Neyther can men be closed together as liuely stones to the building of the church vnlesse they be ioyned together with the glewe of peace and of charitie Neither destroy the worke of God for meate sake Chrisostome calleth the saluation The saluation of men is yâ worke of God of men the worke of God This doubtles beséemeth vs not that whereas we are the workemen of God to this ende appoynted to be an helpe to him in aduauncing the Gospel we should through our default ouerthrowe that which God will haue to be established For so shall we be rather the workmen of the deuill and of the fleshe then of God But in my iudgement they nothing stray from the meaning of Paul which by the worke of God vnderstande faith although it be weake or a sparke of Christian pietie kindled in the hearts of our brethren which it is our partes by al maner of meanes to cherish and not to oppresse and to extinguish as the Romaines did and especially séeing that
hande and exhorteth the stronger sorte and theÌ that were confirmed in doctrine to beare with the weake and that with great loue And first he bringeth an argument taken of the ende of the giftes of God For they are to that ende geuen vnto vs that with them we should helpe our brethren that our strengthe should serue to make others stronge and that our knowledge shold serue to instruct others Chrysostome sayth that here are reproued those froward and in a maner superstitious persons in that they are called weake but others are called strong which ought to beare with them And thereto he thinketh Paul had a respect in that he counteth himself in the nomber of the stronger sorte And this he doth not as sayth Origen as a boaster abrode of his owne praises but by his example to stir them vp who though in might strength he were not inferior vnto them yet he made himselfe all things to all men Neither is this word to beare lightly to be peised For in Greke it is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã that is An argument takeÌ of the deniall of our selues to beare and after a sorte to carye vpon a mannes shoulder So Paule in an other place beare ye one an others burthen and so shall ye fulfill the law of Christ wheras he addeth and not to please our selues it is a newe profe taken of the deniall of oure selues which deniall we professe For not to please our selues is nothing els as Ambrose interpreteth it but not to seke that which may be profitable and plesant to our selues but that which may be commodious to our brother For let euerye man please his neighboure in that that is good to edification Therefore he addeth in that that is good and to edification that no man shoulde thinke yâ we ought to please our brethreÌ as touching filthy and hurtful affections In that he before sayd vve ought here he vseth a kinde of commaunding he declareth that euery one of vs is bound to these things neither pertaine they to gratification but to the bonde of the law and of loue For Christ pleased not himself To the ende the more vehemently to stirre vp theyr mindes he exhorteth them thereunto by an example For in wordes to professe Christ to be the master of our life and in very dede to abhorre from his instistitutions These are preceptes and not councels is both ridiculous and also ful of ignominy and shame In this sentence this word to please which in Greke is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã signifieth to obey to satisfy and to be seruiceable For otherwise that worde being vnderstanded in the common signification should ouerthrow the senteÌce and meaning of Paul For there is none of vs which ought not to please himselfe when as he examineth his doings by a sound iudgment and is fully persuaded that they are through faith acceptable vnto God Neither did Christ at any time after this maner displease himself in those things which he did But how he framed himself to the commodities of other meÌ we are plainly taught by the holy scriptures He abased himselfe and toke vpon him the forme of a seruaunt when as in very déede he was Lord ouer all and being of all men the most holiest he did eate with Publicanes and sinners and being most chaste he prohibited not his feete to be washed with teares and to be wiped and anoynted of a woman noted of great infamy finally being condemned with most wicked theues he vouchsafed for our saluation to be crucified betwene them He which did and suffred so many and so great things could he seme to haue sought to haue pleased himselfe or rather to frame himselfe to our commodities Wherfore the Apostle rightly setteth this example before our eyes But as it is vvritten the rebukes of them vvhich rebuke thee haue fallen vpon me This testimony is written in the. 69. psalme And Paul vseth it in this sense as thoughe the sonne should thus talke vnto the father Not only the zeale of thy Now the coâtumelies of god light vpon Christ house hath eaten me vp but also what so euer contumely and rebukes are done against thée which doubtles is done through al the sinnes of al men the same wholy lighteth vpon me and that am I ready euen by the deathe of the crosse to beare and to make satisfaction for The heartes of men thoughe they were of iron and harder then euen the most hardest stones may yet notwithstanding by this example be softned to suffre any thing for the saluation of our brother Dâubtles in this example is much more comprehended then Paul requireth of the Romaines ⪠For he commaundeth them not to beare the blames of the weake but only tâ be an helpe vnto them and to heale their infirmitie For vvhatsoeuer things are vvritten afore time are vvâitten for our learning This he addeth in the commendation sake of the holy scriptures least he shoulde seeme not very aptly to haue alleaged that testimony of Dauid The things sayth No part of the holy scripture without fruite he which were in times past written by the instinct of God pertaine to vs that we should be instructed by them Wherfore no part of the holy scriptures is without fruit For Paul sayth whatsoeuer things are written are written to our learning in other bookes though they be excellently and exactly wrytten yet thou shalt finde in them somewhat which thou mayst reiect as that which in no case pertaineth to thée But in the holy scriptures thou shalt neuer finde any thing which serueth not to thy instruction and saluation so that thou weigh the thing rightly And I would to God that as many of vs as doe read the holy scriptures would with this purpose and minde read them and wold out of euery parte of them seke our owne edification But a man shal sée many which by reading the holy scriptures are in How the scriptures are to be read déede made the learneder but yet they become nothing at all the better For they doe not at euery clause thus question with themselues what pertain these things to thée What pertaine they to thy conuersation and what belong they to thy doings This without doubt the holy Ghost had chiefly a regarde vnto not to teach any thing in the holy scriptures which should be superfluous In this thing chiefly ought the holy bookes to excel prophane bokes that nothing can be cut away from them as ouerplus or superfluous If these properties be agreable with the olde testament then much more agrée they with the new testament For one the same Against the Libertines spirite was author of them bothe Where now therefore are the Libertines of all men the most arrogantest which brag that they are so high and celestial that they haue no néede of the holy scriptures For they thinke that the scriptures are geuen only to weake men and to little ones Verely Paul nombreth
are thorough Christ receaued of God therefore Paul sayd the God of hope He sayth he the author of so great a gifte fill you with ioy and peace in beleuing that is thorough fayth He putteth fayth first and out of it springeth hope and thereout are deriued peace and ioy For when we beleue and hope we obteyne righteousnes And after that followeth peace and ioy And in these thrée thinges as we haue before declared consisteth chifely the kingdome of God And as before he made mencion of the holy ghost saying Righteousnes peace and ioy in the holy ghost so here also maketh he mencion of him For he addeth That ye may abound in hope thorough the power of the holy ghost Neither They whiche trust ãâ¦ã in God are heauy is this lightly to be passed ouer that he sayth That ye may abound For hope engendereth not peace and ioy vnles it be ample and plentifull For those which haue but litle fayth we sée when aduersities come are heauy and sore troubled For euen as theyr harte is ouer runne with feare so theyr speach yea and theyr contenance is ouerwhelmed with heauines Peace and ioy although they may be referred vnto the mynde for they which beleue and which are coÌfirmed in hope do reioyce in the Lord and haue peace both in their conscience and also towards God yet notwithstanding by reason of the consent and vnity whereunto Paul exhorteth the church of Rame I encline rather to this sentence to vnderstand that ioy whereby euery man reioyseth for the commodities and giftes of his brother and likewise that peace whereby the faithfull with an entier affect of loue embrace one an other and are knitte together with an indissoluble bond of mutuall loue Neither sayth Paul only thorough the holy ghost but also expresseth his power For forasmuch as he wished that those giftes might be in the Romanes ful perfect and aboundant he by the way signifieth that it is requisite to implore a great force of the spirite that they might attayne to those giftes And I my selfe also am perswaded of you brethren that ye also are full of goodnes and filled with all knowledge Forasmuch as Paul hath hetherto at large discoursed as touching doctrines to teach that man is iustified without workes by faith only in Christ and also hath as touching maners exhorted them to be obedient to the publique power to loue one an other to receaue the weake and that the weake should not iudge the stronger and that they should agrée amongst theÌselues now least the Romanes should be displeased with him as though he had attributed vnto them that they had very litle profited in the religion of Christ and had taken vpon himselfe more then was méete by this conclusion he warely remedieth that affect which otherwise mought casely haue séemed to haue sprong of What is done â â this conclusion It is profitable for vs to prayse our brethren the fleshe And as Ambrose noteth whilest he prayseth them he more feruently inflameth them to those things which he had admonished them of For when a man perceaueth that he is praysed especially of excellent men he commonly more diligently applieth hys study and endeuor least he might séeme to haue ben adorned with a false commendation And by this meanes Paul bringeth himselfe out of the daunger of ill suspition in that he sayth that he is fully persuaded of theyr excelleÌt goodnes and singular knowledge but for that he was the generall minister of the Gentiles it had not bene his parte to haue pretermitted his duety towards them Goodnes in this place which in Greke is ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã as Erasmus noteth signifieth all kinde of vertues and is opposite to ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã which on the contrary side comprehendeth all kinde of vices But how coulde Paule without a lye pronounce these things of the Romaines When as in that Church were many weake ones and they were enfected with greuous dissensions and brawlings amongst themselues Whether Paul could truly thus prayse the Romanes Is it lawfull for the minister of the worde of God to lye to beare with the wicked affects of the people which paraduenture would take it in ill parte eyther to be taught or to be stirred vp to doe well or to be accused Doubtles I thinke that in yâ Churche were many very weake members which were infected with those vices which haue bene reproued of the Apostle Wherefore the thinges which are here written nothing pertaine to those members But it is likely that amongste them were many most perfect and most holy men which were aboundantly adorned of the holy Ghost both with muche knowledge and with honest maners To these men the Apostle referreth this parte of his talke Neither here only doth he after this maner write but also in the first to the CorinthiaÌs For he saith through him ye are enriched in all thinges in all kinde of speache and in all knowledge so that ye are not destitute of any gift These things was not Paul afeard to pronounce of the Corinthians who yet did néede to be taught what giftes of God were more excellent then others and to be confirmed touching the resurrection and to be admonished to abstaine from fornication to excommunicate the incestuous person to vse the supper of the Lorde rightly not to prefer themselues before others because of theyr institutions and a great many such like things which vndoubtedly he ought not to haue written if all the members of that Church had bene by the holy ghost so adorned with the gifts of God and with knowledge that they wanted nothing And if the case were so then what shold we now at this day loke for that our people should in all poynts be perfect Which yet I would not that any man shoulde thinke I speake as thoughe I were of this mind that the slouthfulnes and negligence of pastors is to be borne withall For euen as at that time they which were of the excellenter sorte mought by very good right be adorned with great praises for that they coÌtinually labored in admonishing teaching and enstructing others for Paul and the rest of the Apostles omitted nothing which was to be done for the common saluation so ought these men to behaue themselues to the ende these Apostolicall prayses might iustly be applied vnto them also Origen somewhat curiously Whether any may be truly sayd to be full of al goodnes The apostle with that that he beganne this epistle with the same Iâ say enbeth it enquireth how they are sayd to be ful of all goodnes and knowledge when as there is none in this life which is without all maner of faulte and we nowe sée through a glasse only in a riddle And to contract al his sayings into a few words he sayth that these things are to be expounded according to the small measure of this life and according to the degrée and time of euery mannes conuersion
are committed to a mans charge to be caried are commonly sealed vp that it may the certainlier be knowen that they are all whole and without fraude rendred to theÌ which ought to haue theÌ which seales if they be vnbroken whole theÌ is his fidelity yâ brought theÌ discharged Wherfore Paul by this kind of speachment to signifie his innocency simplicitie vpright dealing touching this mooney For meÌ are yâ willinger redier to bestow theyr goods vpon yâ poore if they vnderstaÌd yâ they shal Almes is called fruit be administred faythfully He here calleth almes by the name of fruite which he before called a communion or communication and that for many and iust causes First for that after the Gospell is sowed and receaued with a pure and liuely faith straight way is geuen iustification before God Then is it requisite that there followe some fruite both of a pure and perfect life and also loue towardes our neighbours that there may be had some assured signification of our inward righteousnes Moreouer those almes are called friute for that such liberality was fruitefull to those nations which dealt so louingly with the poore saynts Last of all that communion semed to bring to them of Ierusalme some fruite of theyr piety For he which putteth his trust in Christ and professeth him when he is in extreante troubles although he haue a reward in heauen yet here also oftentimes when it semeth good to God he reaâeth such fruites Further lest the Romanes should suspect that the time would be very long and vncertayne before Paul would come vnto them therefore when he speaketh these thinges he setteth and appointeth a certayne time So soone sayth he as I haue performed this which I am in hand with I will come vnto you Agayne he maketh meÌcion of his iorney into Spaine which although he accomplished not yet ought not Paul therefore to be reproued of an vntruth For this is sufficient to discharge his faith that when he wrât those It is not â lie except it be done with amind to deceiue letters he purposed the same thing is his mind which he wrote For no mortall man hath the euents of thinges in his owne hand But to the full and perfect nature of a lie as Augustine testifieth is required a will to deceaue And thereof we haue a manifest testimony in the latter to the Corinthians The same thing touching this matter writeth Gelasius in the 22. the 2. question For sayth he so much as his will was then to doo he pronounced that he would in dede performe For I know that when I come I shall come to you with fulnes of the blessing of the Gospell of Christ Chrisostome semeth at the first sight to referre this fullnes of blessing to almes for that Paul many times caled them by that name which Almes are a blessing thing I thinke he did according to the custome of the old scripture wherein a gift or reward is oftentimes called a blessing For Iacob desired Esau to vouchafe to receaue the blessing which he had sent before him And Abigail desired Dauid to receaue the blessing which she brought And Dauid sayd to the elders of Iuda Receaue ye the blessing of the pray of the enemies of the Lord. And so the meaning of this place that Paul hopeth that wheÌ he shall come to Rome he shall find layd vp with them a great and plentifull almes for the poore which he here calleth a blessing This sence were apt inough but that this woord of the Gospell is added which is a let thereunto After that Chrisostome had peysed that woord he at the length leneth this way to interpretate blessing for the aboundance of all vertues and good A demonstratiue kinde of speach vsed for a deliberatiue woorkes and they without doubt are a most plentifull blessing of the Gospell namely that they which beleue should shine most brightly with excellent woorks Chrisostome also is of this mind yâ Paul by a certaine spiritual prudence coÌmendeth those things in yâ Romanes wherunto he chiefly exhorted theÌ And this is much vsed amongst yâ best lerned orators to vse a demoÌstratiue kind of spech for a deliberatiue kind But Ambrose expoundeth yâ aboundance of the blessing of yâ Gospel to be a confirmation of the dectrine of yâ Gospel by miracles Origen addeth yâ this pertaineth to yâ gift of prophesieng as though Paul should prophesie that he should come to Rome with most excellent gifts This exposition disliketh me not and especially when I consider with my selfe those wordes which were before cited out of the 19. chapiter of the Actes For Luke in that place saith that Paule purposed in spirite to goe to Rome And he might boldly promise vnto himself that he should bring aboundaunce of spirituall giftes who knew assuredly that vnto him was graunted the grace of the Apostleship which he doubted not but that it shold amongst them Wherof coÌmeth the fruite of preaching be fruitfull And I thinke that no man is ignorant but that the fruit of preaching is sometime muche holpen by the piety of him that preacheth and sometimes by the simple and pure faith of the hearers although in very déede all whole ought to be ascribed to the power force and working of God Also brethren I beseche you for our Lord Iesus Christes sake through the loue of the spirit that ye helpe me in my busines with your prayers to God for me That he wold dâliuer me from the vnbeleuers in Iury and that this my ministery which I will doe at Ierusalem may be acceptable to the saintes That I may come to you with ioy by the will of God and may together with you be refreshed The God of peace be with you all Amen I beseche you brethren c. The force of this obsecration or prayer is héereby made plaine for that it is set forth not only through the name of our Lorde Iesus Christ then which there ought to be vnto vs nothing more holy but therewithall The spirit of loue also is mingled the loue of the spirite And this particle throughe the loue of the spirite is all one I thinke as if he had sayd through the spirite of loue For as in Esay is mention made of the spirite of strength of wisedome of fear of counsel c. to geue vs to vnderstande that all the excellent faculties or powers of the minde come from the spirite of God so here is mention made of that gifte of the holy Ghost whose helpe Paul most néeded namely that the Romains should with a feruent loue pray vnto God for him Verely the corrupt affects of our vnclene nature doe so draw and plucke vs one from an other that vnles we be holpen by the bond of the holy Ghost we can not be ioyned together with a true and holy society and if that society want then shall there vtterly be no fruit of mutuall prayer It may
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 ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã ãâã 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 Paââ was aboâââ all the other Apostles odious to the Iewes Moses should be taken away And in this iorney as it is set forthe in the ⪠2â and ⪠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 sâate 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 ⪠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 coÌpelled to suffer yâ which we se he hath suffred What is to be sâne 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