that once founde farwell their market and sale of all their trashe It appeareth by that whiche haue bene sayde that in their definition the name of grace is not applyed vnto the true genus or generall woorde vnder which all the dyuers propertyes thereof bée comprehended but onely vnto one effect thereof namely that whereby wée are prouoked vnto good woorkes Let thys touchyng the true vnderstandyng of grace and their errors about the same suffice Thys beyng declared next commeth fayth to bée consydered Namely in what signyfication it is to bée taken where it is sayde to iustifye or what that fayth is thorough whiche wée bée iustyfied For declaratyon whereof it is also necessarie to note howe dyuersely the woorde is taken It is sometyme taken for the matter or thynge which wee do beleue as the Créede or beléefe is called the Chrystian fayth It is also taken for that wherewith we beléeue and that is that fayth whereof we haue to entreat There bée also other distynctions as a liuely fayth and a dead fayth whiche dead faith is onely fayth in name and not in déede euen as a dead man is called a man though hée be no man in déede and of thys fayth doth S. Iames remember There is also fayth to do miracles whereof Chryst him selfe speaketh sayyng Verely I say vnto you that whosoeuer shall saye vnto thys mountayne take thy selfe awaye and cast thy selfe into the sea and shall not wauer in hys heart but shall beleeue those thinges whyche hee sayeth shall come to passe whatsoeuer he sayeth shall bee done vnto hym And thys fayth is common as well to the reprobate as to the elect as by these woordes of Chryst appeareth Many sayth hée will say to mee in that daye Lorde Lorde haue we not by thy name prophesied and by thy name cast out deuils and by thy name done many great woorkes and then wyll I professe to them I neuer knewe you Depart from mee ye that woorke iniquite There is also momentany fayth or fayth for a time whereof Christ speaketh in the parable of the séede where he affirmeth that some falling in the stony grounde springeth vp for a tyme vntill the heat of the sonne or rage of persecution commeth but then it withereth away because it hath no roote But now omittyng all the rest of the significations of fayth it is in thys place only that firme and constant assentyng of the mynde vnto the truth of Gods promises in Chryst whiche bringeth with it hope charitie sure confidence and all other good woorkes Whiche for more playne vnderstanding may thus be defined Fayth is a full assentyng of the minde vnto the truth of Gods promyses in Christ puryfiyng the hartes of the receyuers The trueth of thys definityon is gathered out of the Scriptures in thys sort First that it is a full assenting of the mynde vnto the trueth of Gods promises in Christ it is thus proued Paule to the Hebrues sayth thus Let vs drawe neare in a true harte with assuraunce of fayth And agayne Let vs keepe the profession of our hope wythout wauering And Saint Iohn in the first of his canonicall epistles sayth thus He that beleueth not God hath made hym a lyer More haynous synne then the which none can be committed Where-fore fayth is so full an assuraunce of the truth of Gods promyse in Chryst as can admit no whit of suspition or doubt for looke how muche it wanteth of full assurance so muche suspition by these wordes of Saynt Iohn it admytteth of Gods vntrueth any iot whereof were more thē horrible to be suspected whereby it followeth that fayth is a full assenting of the minde to the trueth of Gods promyse in Christ whiche was first to be prooued And hereunto well agréeeth these woordes of Hillarius Ergo regnum coelorum quod Prophetae nunciauerunt Iohannes praedicabat Dominus noster in se esse positum est professus vult sine aliqua incerta voluntatis ambiguitate sperari alioquin iustificatio ex fide nulla est si fides ipsa fiat ambigua Therefore the kingdome of heauen whyche the prophetes foretolde Iohn preached and our Lorde professed to bée placed in hymselfe hée will haue it hoped for wythout all waueryng doubte of mynde otherwise if fayth it selfe bée made incertayne then is there no iustyfication of fayth And Augustine sayeth Quid est enim credere nisi consentire verum esse quod dicitur For what signifieth thys to beleeue but to consent that that thing which is sayd is true Nowe touchyng the seconde parte namely that it puryfieth the hearts of the receyuers Peter in the Actes of the Apostles affirmeth it in playne woordes for thus he sayeth He put no difference betweene vs and them after that hee had by fayth puryfyed their hartes Thus the definition beyng by euident wordes of the scrypture confirmed the truth thereof is manyfest and that this definition doth agrée with that which S. Paule geueth to the Hebrues it is manifest if we note the matter wherabout fayth hath his vse whiche is the word promise of God hys definition is this Fayth is the grounde of thinges hoped for a certaynty of thynges whyche are not seene In that he calleth fayth the grounde of thynges hoped for and that the thyng hoped for is the promised fauour of God in Chryst Therefore is fayth the grounde of the promised fauor of God in Chryst And what he meaneth by calling it the ground thereof he presentlye declareth in that hée termed it a certainty of thynges that are not sene whereby it is euident that by hypostasis or ground hee meaneth a certayntye or full assuraunce And vnto fayth as it were a present possession of that promised fauour of God in Christ whyche is yet neuertheles but hoped for and in expectation and not present vnto the senses whereby appeareth the truth of that definition whyche I haue put And by this definition of S. Paule it also appeareth how much they erre that accompt fayth wythin the predicament of qualitye wher in déede it is a relatiue in the predicament of relation for fayth is not but in respect of hys obiecte namely the promise of God perfourmed in Chryste so that if no promise were there coulde be no fayth at all touching iustyficatyon Now hauing shewed a true definition of fayth I thinke it not amysse somewhat to note what the scholemen and papistes hold concerning the same that thereby their error may partly be apparant The maister of the sentences geueth out of S. Augustine thys definition thereof Fides est virtus qua creduntur quae non videntur Fayth is a vertue wherewyth thinges are beléeued that are not séene The generalitie of whyche definition by a certaine contraction hée presently streyghtneth thus Whyche sayth he is not to be vnderstand of all thynges that are not séene but onely of suche thynges as appertaine to religion In this definition as the
the shiftes which these busie hunters to robbe God of his honoure haue found out is this fayth say they doth iustifye but fayth is a worke therefore woorkes do iustifye To whome wee aunswere that faith in respect that it is our worke expressed by our will or vnderstanding iustifyeth not because it is feeble and weake for no man beléeueth so assuredly as hee is bounde nor doth so earnestly assent vnto the truth of Gods promises as he ought to do Wherefore whersoeuer fayth is sayde to iustifye fayth is there taken for the obiecte of faythe Namely for Christ and the mercye of God in the promise And for asmuche as it is the instrument which taketh holde thereof therefore is iustifycation imputed vnto it According to Saynt Paules sayinge Abraham beleeued God and that was imputed vnto him for ryghteousnesse so that fayth is sayde to iustify because it taketh holde of Chryst in the promise who doth iustifye and not in respect that fayth is a woorke of ours Wherefore examining thys argument of the aduersaries you shall sée how finely at the first they foist in a fallax called of the logitians fallacia accidentis That is the deceipt of the accident Inferring that in the conclusion wherunto that worde whereuppon it is inferred did not stretch it selfe in the second proposition for where it is sayde faith is a worke to be a worke of ours is but an accident vnto faith in respect of iustification for iustification commeth not because fayth is a worke of ours but because the mercie of God doth in the promise fréely geue it to al beleuers So that faith in the first proposition is referred and hath relation vnto the obiect of faith namely Christ and the mercy of God in the promise And in the second proposition fayth is there otherwise taken namely as it is a worke of ours Wherefore fayth not béeing one in bothe propositions the conclusion is falselye inferred Or more briefely it is aunswered thus Faith in the firste proposition is a relatiue in the predicament of relation as in the 8. chapter is declared and in the seconde proposition where it is considered as a worke it falleth in the predicament of qualitie wherby the argument hauing fower termes the conclusion must needes bée false An other of the aduersaries argumentes is thys Saint Paule affirmeth that of fayth hope and loue loue is the greatest or most excellent and in that the fulfillyng of the lawe consisteth and therefore iustification is rather to be imputed to the more excellent then to the inferior That loue is most excellent of the three it is euydent for fayth and hope haue only continuaunce vntill the thinges that bée beléeued and hoped for bée fully in mannes possessyon At whyche tyme they both shall ende but loue doth continue and florishe through all eternity and that it is the fulfilling of the law is in the. 4. chapter euydent For who so loued God and his neighbour so muche as he ought to doe shoulde surely fulfill the lawe But now touching their argument that because it is more excellēt therfore it must iustify that is more then childishe The eare is a farre more excellent instrument or organ of the bodye then is eyther the hand or mouth for thereby we receaue the glad promyses of God touchyng our whole felycytie Shoulde wee therefore inferre because the eare is the more excellent Organ or instrument that therefore we shoulde receaue oure meate wyth oure eares and not rather with the hand and mouth whiche though they be meaner yet are they instrumentes appoynted to that vse And so fayth though it bee the meaner yet is it the instrumēt appointed to that vse An other of the aduersaries shifts is this works say they iustified not in respect that they be our workes but in respect that they be the workes of God in vs Here is the shew of a goodlye substaunce but launch it a litle and you shall finde it nothing else but an emptye bladder puffed with wind onlye Marke whose be the woorkes whiche here they alledge are they not the workes of God in vs Doe they not imagine God to worke in vs but as hath bene before euidently shewed God woorketh vnto saluation in none but in those that bée hys children that is to say iustified for they that are led by the spirite of God they are the children of God that is iustified Why if they be his children alreadye the questyon is ended for those workes that come after they be his children can not be the purchaser of that estate whereof the doer was possessed before they were wrought wherefore those woorkes doe not iustifie him that was iustified before euer hee wrought them for he was the childe of God before he wrought them for they confesse God to dwell in hym and woorke in hym but God dwelleth and worketh in none vnto saluation but in hys children that is in the iustifyed as it is sayde before Wherefore gentle reader that thou mayest bee hable to vnfolde all the subtyll shyftes of the deceytfull aduersaryes intricate snares of thys kynde kéepe thys for a generall and sure rule whiche can neuer fayle thee Marke diligently whether in that worke wherby they wil haue iustification obtayned they auouche God to be anye worker or no. If they auouche hym to be no worker then by the. 4. and 5. chapters thou euidently séest that the work is abhominable vnto him If they auouch him to bée a woorker as in thys argument which I am sure they must néedes do thē say vnto them séeing God woorketh in them to saluation they are before hand the childrē of God that is iustified already for the Scripture affirmeth that they that are led by the spirite of God are the children of God but none bée hys children tyll they be iustified and therefore these workes whiche they auouch are the woorkes of such as be alredyiustified which is not in question for those woorkes can bée no helpe to obtayne hym that estate whereof hée was possessed before they were wrought and wythout the possessyon whereof they coulde neuer haue béene wrought Wherefore if they will haue woorkes to iustifie they must alledge such woorkes as God is no woorker in for God worketh in none vnto saluatyon but in such as be already iustified for whosoeuer is led by the spirite of God he is already iustified for he is the childe of God as I sayd before Nowe touchyng these Scriptures whiche I put in the last sort namelye where the righteous challēge and craue of god the reward of their innocencye and righteousnesse and as it were offer the same to be examined before hys iustice of whiche examples there be principally in the Psalmes whereof I will rehearse one or two Fyrst Dauyd in the. 7. Psalme Iudge me O Lord accordyng to my innocency and according to the cleanenes of my handes in thy sight And
to the heresie of the Eutychians And the Calcedon councell woulde haue geuen to Leo Byshop of Rome the name of vniuersall byshop if the good father being absente had not vtterly refused it But thys your blinde guides do hold for sound doctrine But no former Coūcel would euer so iudge it The Councell where Cyprian was chiefe did consent to the rebaptising of hereticks And did not the Councell of Constaunce breake the institution of the sacrament of the bloud of Christ in withholding the cup from the laitie which no Councell before woulde haue allowed Thus in the Councels you see open error and that they alwaies teach not a constant truthe But Salomon affirmeth that a true mouth is euer constante but you see the councell not so and therefore by these wordes of Salomon subiect to vntruth wherby it appeareth that they containe not the fountaine of truth wherupon to gather the direction of your fayth and what authoritie the fathers them selues attributed to the Councels may easely be iudged by these wordes of Augustine against Maximine an Arrian byshop Thus he writeth Sed nunc nec ego Nicenum nec tu debes Ariminense tāquam praeiudicaturus proferre concilium nec ego huius authoritate nec tu illius detineris scripturarum au thoritatibus non quorumcunque propriis sed vtrisque communibus testibus res cū re causa cū causa ratio cum ratione concertet But nowe neyther may I alledge the councel of Nice nor you the councell of Arrimine to others preiudice neyther stande I bound to the authoritie of thys nor you to the authoritie of that but by the authoritye of the Scriptures which are witnesses proper to neither of vs but common to vs bothe let matter bee compared with matter cause with cause and reason with reason Thus you may see your leaders abuse you theyr stuffe is but feeble they flie from the rocke and builde vpon sande theyr groundes bee vnconstant ye ought to forsake thē theyr hope is still doubtfull their faythe is vncertaine their sute without comfort Refuse them for the better and geue eare to him that cryeth I am the way the truth and the life Know you who spake it He that neuer told lye he in whose mouth was no guile he that liueth in truth in equitie and righteousnes he at whose anger the mountaines shall melt euen the Lorde Iesus Christ him selfe he it is that speaketh it vnto you If he wished not your saluation he would not teach you the way In that he sayth he is the way haue ye not warning enough that there is no other way besides him Why then do ye stray into pathes of perdition returne heare him his word is a light vnto the feet of the righteous Thy word saith Dauid is a light to my feete Thē folow the light that ye may bee sure to see whether ye goe at the presence thereof al darknes doth vanish desire you to be blessed I know you desire it Then put on the badge whereby to be knowne put on the delight which they that be blessed are furnished withal His delight saith Dauid is in the law of the Lord and in his law will he exercise him selfe both day and night The scriptures be that light that whosoeuer foloweth can not walke in darkenes whereby not onely the fathers and Councelles but the whole worlde shal also be iudged as Christ him selfe witnesseth The worde sayth he which I speake shal iudge in the last day The maiesty whereof the fathers had in due reuerence as partly ye haue heard in that they acknowledged the same onely iudge of all councelles and writinges And touching farther confirmation hereof thus writeth Hierome Omne quod loquimur debemus affirmare de scripturis sanctis Whatsoeuer we affirme we must proue it by the holy scriptures And agayne Chrisostome speaking of these wordes of Abraham in the parable of the ritch glotton that If they would not beleue Moses and the prophetes neyther would they beleue him that should come from the dead Writeth thus Haec autē Christus ipse inducit in parabola loquentem Abraham declarans se velle plus fidei habendam esse scripturis quā si mortui reuiuiscant Paulus verò porrò cum Paulum dico ipsum Christum dico hic enim erat qui eius mentem agebat etiam Angelis è caelo descendentibus praeponit scripturas idque valdè congruenter Siquidem Angeli quà mlibet magni tamen serui sunt ministri Coeterum omnes scripturae non à seruis sed abvniuersorum domino Deo venerunt ad nos Christ him selfe in the parable bringeth in Abrahā to speake this to declare that he would haue more credite to be geuen to the scriptures then vnto the dead if they should reuiue agayne And Paule when I name Paule I name Christe for hee it was that directed hys mynde Paule I say preferreth the Scriptures before the Angels though they should discend from heauen and that very aptly for although they be mighty yet be they seruantes and ministers but al the scriptures came vnto vs not from seruantes but from the Lord and God of all thinges And agayne Augustine Titubat fides si diuinarum scripturarum vacillat authoritas If the authoritie of the holy scriptures wauer then doth fayth stumble Agayne Augustine in his 157. Epistle hath this sense Sine Scripturarum authoritate nihil desiniendum Nothing is to be affirmed without authoritie of the Scriptures Thus you see the good and holy fathers in the Primative Church gaue the whole preheminence and iudgementes of all truth vnto the holy Scriptures Wherefore in forsaking your blind and vnfrendly teachers and following the example and counsel of these reuerend fathers apply your selues to the study thereof and ye shall soone finde out infallible rules to be wray the treachery of your guilfull deceauers this is one of the easiest and it can neuer faile it is gathered out of Paul to the Romanes as a sure touchstone to discerne truth frō errour his wordes bee these But nowe is the righteousnes of God declared without the law hauing witnes of the lawe and the Prophets By which wordes this rule is plainly gathered that the righteousnes of God hath alwaies the witnes of the lawe and the Prophets what soeuer is truth the lawe and the Prophets that is to say the Scriptures will euer acknowledge and what soeuer doctrine they geue not witnes vnto is falsehoode and errour Now if your blind teachers would make you beleue that the search of the scriptures belongeth not vnto you Christ him selfe doth teach you the contrary And whether it be more right to follow him or thē iudge your selues Search the Scriptures sayth he for those are they that beare witnes of me Ye see how Christ him selfe doth followe the rule he claimeth witnes of the law and the Prophets he geueth the Scriptures for the discerner of truth And in an other place
veniall for to bée veniall and remyssible is all one thing and therfore all sinnes which through fayth are forgeuen are veniall wherby the truth of the definition appeareth and hereby it is euident that no sinne can be called veniall in respect of his owne nature for so it is deadly but for that through mercy it is remitted so that one and the selfe same sinne is in diuers respectes both deadely and veniall for in him where sayth is it is veniall and where faith is not it is deadly Whereby it is also euident that vnto the wycked no synne is denyall so then the dyfference betwene veniall sinne and deadlye consisteth not in the nature of the sinne but in the wil of God which to the faythfull remitteth it and to the vnbeleuers reteineth it Now touching the opinion of the scholemen concerning veniall sinne it is a world to sée how they turmoyle them selues about it some of them thinke thē to be called veniall sinnes because they be light and easily remitted or els washt away with holy water as they terme it others thinke it so called because after death it should be remissible by the fire of Purgatorye ▪ others thynke them called remissible or venyall in respect of the sinne agaynst the holy Ghost which is called irremissible or vn forgeueable But the better learned amongst them accompt venyall synnes the dysposition or pronenesse towardes the thoughtes and affectyons whiche leade vnto deadly synne Herein is this one thyng worthy the notyng that howsoeuer they amongest them selues disagrée in diuersitie of opinions about the same yet in this one thyng they all agrée that none of them all taketh either counsell witnes or authoritye out of Gods worde concernyng the same The errour of all whiche can not be hidden from him that considereth what hath bene sayde before And vpon these false groundes thy inferre dyuers opinions of corrupt doctrine whereof I will rehearse one or two First they affirme that some synnes in the wicked be veniall synnes which is proued false Agayne that venyall synnes should be light synnes and not of their owne nature damnable Againe that they should bée washed away wyth holye water or clensed by the fire of Purgatory And yet Iohn Baptist sayd Beholde the Lambe of God that taketh away the sinnes of the world And againe the Angell sayd to Ioseph He shall saue his people from their sinnes Neither sayd Iohn nor the Angel coniured water or Purgatory shall take away the sinnes of the world or saue the people from their sinne These thinges suffice for a faste of their errors herein Now forasmuch as it doth plainly appeare both what originall and actuall sinne is it is therby gathered that the difference betwene them is onely this That in actuall sinne that which is as it were the matter or substance of the sinne remaineth not after it be committed but onely the giltiship or bonde to the penaltie As when a man committeth whoredome murther theft or any such like soe soone as the acte is done the sinne is ended so that the whoredome murther or theft is past and gone but the giltiship and bonde to the penaltie remaineth but in originall sinne both the substance and matter of the sinne and also the giltiship remaineth still for the corruption remaineth still whereby euery man féeleth in his nature repining against all goodnes and a gréedy lust to the contrary Thus by Adam sinne entred into the world death by the meanes of sinne and all naturally are become the children of wrath and all dead in sinne so that death and damnation raigne ouer euery man Thus hauing shewed the excellencie of mans creation and horror of his transgression whereby all his ofspring are naturally rebells vnto God and slaues vnto sinne and death it followeth Cap. 2. ¶ That that transgression made man an apt subiecte for the two properties of God namely mercy and iustice to worke vpon NOw man hauing thus throwne him selfe headlong into the dolorous dūgeon of deadly dispaire ouerwhelmed with swallowing surges of distroyng distres being now dedicate vnto the iust conceiued wrath of God as the coniured foe to his owne former felicitie Now lyeth his caitife conscience displayed before the offended Maiestie of his late louing Creator but now reuenging Lord so farre hath his rebellious outrage banished all grace and stampe of the diuiue nature that no print or image therof remaineth perfect within him In stede of all those glorious ornamentes he hath endued himselfe with peculiar beauties of his own choice namely ignorance enuie pride crueltie carnalitie and all other sinne and that so naturally that the same now lurketh not in him as an accident which may be remoued from his nature but all his whole corrupt nature is now nothing els but sinne it selfe The whole man body minde thought worde and déede vtterly peruerted into the same so that the whole endeuour and disposition of his nature through rauishing sway of insatiable luste vnto sinne trauelleth with vnquenchable thirst the execution of the fruite therof Whereby it appeareth that man is now become a most apt subiect and conuenient matter wherin the iustice of God hath to display the magnificence of his power For he being now nothing els but wickednes it selfe which the iustice of God vtterly abhorreth and hateth in due punishment of him all the creatures of God haue to testifie and magnifie the pure and vnspotted righteousnesse of God which with holy and iust power punisheth most duely the hatefull and rebellious monster sinne and wickednes But as his iustice hath here an apt subiect wherin to manifest to the whole world the holy fearfull and reuerent Maiestie therof so hath his other most victorious proprietie namely hys triumphant and superaboundaunt mercy such a subiect of the same man wherin to manifest the glorious conquest therof as the whole world by vewe of the same shal be enforced to testifie and confesse the infinite largenes of hys mercy farre to excede and surmount all the residue of his glorious workes Wherefore the diuine Maiestie being not onely louing and merciful but in déede loue and mercy it selfe willing yet of his infinite bountie incomprehensible goodnes to loue that which now by nature was most vnworthy hys loue pittying the vtter dissolution and deserued destruction of mankinde God I say vewing beholding with a blincke of vndeserued grace the miserable calamitie of this cursed and iustlye condemned caitife glaunsed by him with a certain dimme slent of comfort concerning his restitution and adoptiou againe into the glorious libertie of the sonnes of God in promising that by the séede of the woman the Serpentes head should be brused Thus being apparant that Adams transgression bringing in sinne and death made him and his ofspring rebells to God and consequently an apte subiecte for the mercy and iustice of God to worke vpon It follweth Cap. 3. ¶
also admit another deuision For some of them be onely inward workes or workes of the mynde as to beleue to hope to feare to loue and such like And some other are from the mynde produced into external or outward acte to geue geue almes to succor to preach to teach and such lyke All which be called outwarde workes And workes in both these latter significations be those whereof in thys matter is spoken but for so much as some of them be good and some euill therefore that the difference may appeare good workes may thus be defined Good workes are onely such workes as in the commaundementes of God be required or in any other place of Scriptures for the further explication of them expressed which tend to the true worship of God and outward witnessing of mans election in Christ The truth of thys definition is thus proued for the firste parte Namely that all the workes be good whiche in the commaundementes or any other place of the Scriptures for theyr further explication be appointed It is euident for so muche as hereby we know them to be good workes for that by God the doyng of them is commaunded Secondly that they tende to the true worshippyng of GOD it is thus proued by Christ hymselfe where he sayth Let your lyght so shyne before men he telleth the ende wherefore it should shine namely that others seeing your good woorkes may glorifie your father which is in heauen Here is the ende of good workes namely the glory and worship of god And for asmuch as God is not worshipped vnles he be truely worshipped for he is worshipped in spirite and truth therefore they onely be good workes which tende to the true worship of God which secondly was to be proued Nowe touching the last part that they be a testimony of mans election in Christ it is euident by these wordes of Peter Brethren sayth he be more diligent by good woorkes to make your election sure whereby it appeareth that good works are a testimony of the assurance of his election in Christ whereby the truth of the definition appereth and by this definition it is plaine that all superstitious workes of mans inuention be no good woorkes forasmuch as they tende not to the true worship of god Here resteth againe somewhat to bee opened of the erroures of the papistes aboute woorkes whereof they haue for their purpose deuised diuers strange distinctions as theyr preparing workes of congruent merite their Opus operantis or worke of the woorker their Opus operatum or acte of outward execution and their vndue woorkes or woorkes of supererogation Wherefore first touching their preparing worke of congruent merite wherof somwhat hath bene sayd before in the discourse about iustification first what they feigne them it appeareth namely the fruites of that theyr preuenting grace which they imagine to reduce a man into such a traunce as they faygne him therin as a man might say neyther dead in sinne nor aliue in Christ whereby all morall or ciuill woorks wrought though of nature they be not absolutely worthy workes to merite full righteousnes yet by a certayne conueniency as they terme it in equity they deserue fauour and so prepare toward the full attaynment of iustification and these be all the morall workes which be wrought by such as be not regenerate The error of which drowsie dreame is more then palpable for the scripture of God can acknowledge no middle estate betwene God and the deuill He that is not against him is directly with him he that gathereth not together letteth not thinges lye vntouched but he scattereth abrode He that is not aliue in Christ is dead in sinne S. Paule could paynt out no meane estate betwéene both he consessed all eyther quicke in Christ or dead in sinne The rewarde saith he of sinne is death And again You hath he made aliue that were dead in trespasses and sinne And agayne to the Colossians And ye which were dead in sinne and in the vncircumcision of your flesh hath he quickened with him so that there is no meane estate Eyther the woorkers of theyr preparing woorkes be aliue in Christ or dead in sinne But a liue in Christ they cannot be by these woordes of Paule for all before regeneration are dead wherefore euen as a dead man hath in him selfe no power at al to prepare himselfe towardes life againe so al being before regeneration dead in sinne haue no power at all to woorke any worke that may prepare them vnto lyfe or regeneration And for that cause doth Paule call them dead in sinne that they might know themselues as vtterly vnable to helpe towardes their own regeneration as a dead carcas is to helpe it selfe to the attaynment of life agayne Whereby the vilenes of this presumptuous inuention of preparing woorkes appeareth Now touching their workes called Opus operantis or worke of the worker after theyr meaning it is thys namely the acte and holy purpose of the minde wherewith the worker goeth about any worke which they counte holy and theyr Opus operatum or acte executed is the outward execution of the same woork Now touching theyr vndue workes or workes of superogation it is necessary for playne vnderstanding what they meane to rehearse the inuention of the forged fable thereof For the grounde wherof they begin wyth a goodly and bewtifull shewe of aduauncemente of Gods vnspeakable sauour towardes vs God say they who might haue prescribed vs such straight and seuere precepts to haue bene obserued as had ben vtterly to vs impossible hath notwithstanding delt more fauourably with vs and commaunded vs nothing but that which if we list we be able to perform and a great deale more And yet notwithstanding he demaundeth no farther of vs but to performe the same by the doing whereof we shall deserue saluation though we do no more But if any be towardes God so liberally minded that he will of hys francke disposition do more neyther shall he lose the prayse nor reward of the same And this ouerplus aboue the fulfilling of the cōmaundementes is that they call theyr vndew workes or workes of supererogation superabhominatiō I should say Who euer heard a more presūptuous blasphemy Doth not the commaūdemēt require a full obediēce willing desire natural pronenes of the whole man as in the 4. chapter is euidently shewed Now then if the whole indeuour of all the parts of man be thus tyed by iust bond of dutie vnto the cōmaundement from whence then commeth theyr ouerplus of vndue woorkes Nay is it not both there and in the v. chapter euidently proued that man is vtterly vnable to fulfill the commaundement and that the Lawe was not by Moyses deliuered vnto man to the ende he should enable him selfe to the fulfilling thereof but contrariwise by vew of his insufficiency to driue him to Christ But will ye know why these men inuented this
of Mathew VVhere a certayne ruler came to Christ and asked of him what good thyng hee shoulde doe that hee might haue eternall lyfe Christ aunswered if thou wilt enter into lyfe keepe my commaundementes here say they it appeareth that kéeping of the commaundementes whiche is but woorkes do iustifie That the kéeping of the commaundementes is able to iustify him that were able to obserue thē it was neuer doubted of For Moyses witnesseth that he that doth them shall liue thereby but that no man hath power to kéepe thē it is euidently proued already neyther by nature as now it is corrupt nor by grace in the .iiij. and .ix. chapters Wherefore gentle reader marke the circumstaunce first who asketh the question A ruler or Lawier who dreamed of nothyng but the outward obseruaunce of the lawe Secondly what is the question namely What good thing hée might doe to haue euerlasting lyfe Marke that this hys whole question was not otherwise to learne the waye to euerlastyng life then by déedes or workes in asking what thing he should do Wherefore what directer aunswer could be geuē then that which Christ vsed séeing the question was onely of woorkes namely kéepe the commaundementes séeing no other works could serue that turne But peraduenture some of them will say If Christ had not knowne him able to kéepe the commaundementes hée surely woulde haue taught him the way possyble to him Surely these be tender hartes that will teach the holy ghost to bée pitifull but Christ him selfe sayde he came not to call the righteous but sinners to repentaunce that is hée came not to call suche fellowes as woulde iustifie themselues but such as would humble themselues to hys iustyfication Wherefore Christ seing the filthy pride of his heart euen in the due aunswer of hys questyon offered hym the glasse of the Lawe whereof he bragged in hys heart to see his owne filthinesse therein that by the fight thereof he might haue trained him to haue framed a more humble question concerning the waye to heauen But what aunswer maketh he goeth he not on in the iustification of himselfe in saying Al this haue I kept from my youth vpward what lack I yet Then Chryste to open to his eyes the packe of hys corruption applieth to his verie heart a corsiue to teache him that the law is spirytual and challengeth the entire obediēce of the heart If thou wilt be perfect sayeth he sell that thou hast and geue it to the poore thou shalt haue treasure in heauen and come and follow me which when hee hearde hee went hys waye mourning because hee had great possessions So that it appereth by the whole course of the action that Christ enabled him not to the satisfying of the lawe but contrariwise by example of hys owne wickednes compared with the lawe he sought to teache him beyng a teacher of others how farre he him selfe was short from the vnderstandyng of the Lawe in supposing it to consist onely in outwarde action And to conclude Christ offered the law to this proude ruler to no other ende then before generally it was géeuen to all the Iewes namely to sée hys owne filthinesse thereby to be driuen to seeke reliefe in Christe and it was also the very direct aunswer to hys questyon Other of the aduersaryes cauyll thus In déed say they there bee two iustifications the one in regeneration or baptisme and that is fréelye bestowed vpon vs neyther is it needefull that any good woorkes shoulde goe before this iustification But nowe fallinge after thys regeneratiō it is needefull say they that to the iustification of vs agayne satysfaction by good woorkes must bee made The error and impietie of this doctryne is not onely manifest by that whiche is sayd before where it is proued that no workes but onely the woorkes of the iustified by fayth can appeare in the presence of God but also for that it fayneth Christ in respect of diuers tymes to bée a mediator of diuers power or abilitie For they confesse him sufficyent to restore man vnto Gods fauour and to iustifie him that is not yet conuerted but to restore him that after regeneration by filthinesse is fallen from God they make his power to weake and that porcion of power whiche in this case they take from Christ they attribute the same vnto that man which of all other may séeme most hatefull vnto God namely vnto him that by cruell ingratitude and wycked contempte is fallen from the grace bestowed vpon hym preferring his condicion before the condycion of them that neuer were conuerted in geuing him power to woorke his owne iustification which they playnly confesse the other to want and yet is the condicion of the other in reason to bée preferred before theirs who by theyr cruell ingratitude deserue iustly the most abhorfull estate as the holy ghost beareth witnesse For it is not possible saith he that they which were once lightened haue tasted of the heauenly gift and were become partakers of the holy ghoste and haue tasted of the good worde of God of the power of the worlde to come if they fall away shold be againe renued vnto repentance forasmuch as they haue as concerning thē selues crucified the Son of God a fresh making a mocke of him And againe If we sinne willingly after that we haue receiued the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice for sinnes but a fearefull loking for iudgemēt violent fire which shall deuour the aduersaries And againe Christ himselfe saieth The seruaunt that knoweth his masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes This is the horrible estate of them that are fallen frō Christ And yet are the aduersaries nothing ashamed to robbe Christ of a péece of his power or honor or his office to painte vp thys their Isops crowe withall making the power of hys offyce or mediation in respecte of diuers times and subiectes greater or lesser But wel hath the holy ghost in the first Epistle of S. Ihon mette wyth thys wranglyng shift thus My lytle chyldren sayth hee these thinges I write vnto you that yee sinne not but if we do sinne wee haue an aduocate with the father euen Iesus Christe the ryghteous And hee it is that obtayneth grace for our sinnes By which words it playnely appeareth that when we fal after regeneration or baptisme Christ is our iustification euen as he was at the first and not our owne workes so that our fyrst iustification in regeneratyon and our latter with repentaunce come both by one meanes namely by the free gyft of God through faythe in Christe Howbeit in déede thys dystinction of theirs is more then wicked for whosoeuer is by regeneration once iustifyed hée can neuer agayne be vniustifyed for whomsoeuer God once loueth hee loueth hym to the ende for God is not mutable as man neyther can he deny himselfe Another of
where he teacheth the cause of errour he sheweth the same to bee ignoraunce of the Scriptures Ye erre sayth he because ye know not the Scriptures Wherefore if your blinde teachers seeke to witholde you frō the Scriptures you see they deceaue you for these be they only that can witnes the truth How greatly in the Actes of the Apostles are they of Berea commended where the reason is geuen of their great readines in receauing the Gospell for they dayly searched the Scriptures whether those thinges were so you see that the Scriptures the law and the Prophets are onely the witnes and auouchers of the truth These men went not to the fathers writings to enquire whether the Apostles sayd true but they went to the Scriptures as to the piller of trust whose witnes they were sure could neuer deceaue them Thus where your seducers would make you beleue that the Scriptures belong not to you they falsely deceaue you as now they may see the text beareth recorde that these of Berea were both men women and that not a fewe Chrysostome in his Homely of Lazarus and the riche man exhorteth all men to the reading of the scriptures and specially by name occupiers marchantes and householders alledging that they can neuer attain saluation without continuall trauell in the Scriptures affirming that they haue more neede to read the Scriptures then holiermen for that they continually passe their life in greater danger Thus vehemently doth this good father exhort all mē to the reading of the Scriptures which your vncharitable teachers aboue all thinges forbid you and yet you see both out of Paul and Christ himselfe this rule confirmed that all true doctrine hath the witnes of the lawe and the Prophets that is the witnes of the Scriptures Whereby you must examine the truth of your fayth and vtterly condemne all maner of doctrine that hath not this witnes he geueth to the Galathians this absolute decree If we sayth he or an Angell from heauen preach vnto you otherwise thē that which we haue preached vnto you let him be accursed By these rules examine the counterfeite doctrine of your faithles deceiuers search the bottome of their Masse or propitiatory sacrifice say iustly vnto them it hath not the witnes of the lawe and the Prophets no witnes of the Scriptures They bring a newe doctrine ye muste holde them accursed Likewise for theyr praying to Saintes their Purgatory their pilgrimages theyr holybread theyr holy water theyr ringing their senssing their worke of the worker their executed workes their vndewe workes their lyftynges theyr crossinges theyr breathynges their bendynges theyr dombe shewes their washyngs their annoyntings theyr shauynges their reliques and a thousād such follies you may iust ly say to them they haue not the witnes of the law and the Prophets no witnes of Scriptures they preach a new doctrine you must hold thē accursed If they gentle Reader ment to deale playnely with you they could easely tel you that their doctrine can not abide to be examined by the Scriptures of God they could tell you that the greatest indeuour and study of the chief pillers of their fayned Religion is clerely to deface and discredite the scriprures but they will neuer tell you that for thē they be sure you will credit them no farther And because you may know that I tell you the truth I will in hys owne wordes rehearse the sentences of one of their owne Cardinals concerning the same Thus writeth the Cardinal Cusa Certè hoc te non moueat quòd diuersis temporibus alius alius ritus sacrificiorum etiam Sacramentorum stante veritate inuenitur Scripturásque esse ad tēpus adaptatas variè intellectas ita vt vno tempore secundum currentē vniuersalem ritum exponentur mutato ritu iterū sententia mutaretur Truly let not this moue thee that with diuersitie of tyme there is founde diuers formes both of sacrifices and Sacramētes the truth neuertheles remaynyng and that the Scriptures are framed to the tyme and diuersly vnderstand so that one tyme they must be vnderstand accordynge to the vniuersall custome and when that custome agayne is chaunged the meanyng of the Scriptures agayne must be chaunged Gentle reader marke this opē blasphemy for the word of God abydeth for euer That is to say is euer one the same And Dauid sayth that it is an vndefiled law But if this man say true no doctrine can be more filthy for what greater corruption can be attributed to any then to be inconstant vncertayne still mutable with time but beare him yet further Thus sayth he in an other place to confirme the same doctrine Quare nec mirum si praxis Ecclesiae vno tempore interpretatur scripturam vno modo alio tempore alio modo Intellectus enim qui cū praxi cōcurrit est spiritus viuificans It is no merueile if the practise of the Churche interpret the Scriptures at one tyme one waye and an other way at another tyme for the meanyng whiche goeth with the practise is a quickenyng spirite If this to a Christiā cōsciēce be not horror then what may offend it Truly gentle reader if thou belong vnto God thy hart can not but tremble at such fearefull blas phemy and yet is this one of the principall pillars of that bewitchyng Synagoge wherevpon your teachers would haue your faith grounded if you knowing and seyng wil runne to destruction ye worthely perishe but I hope better of you This haue I sayd to make you know them what they would tell you if they durst vtter all Nowe touchyng this treatise I haue therin offred no doctrine vnto you but that which is witnessed by the lawe and the Prophetes Namely by the Scriptures vnto euery part wherof after the same is confirmed by the Scriptures I haue added the fathers sentēces which were of the sounder iudgement to shew that both they we do acknowledge one truth whereunto I haue added the shameles and subtile shifts of some of your false teachers captains I meane Some of the head Papistes and principall Scholemen bewraying their trechery wherin gētle reader this onely I craue at thy handes to read with patience examine by the rule of S. Paul and Christ him selfe which of vs soeuer hath not witnes of the law and the Prophetes the Scripture of God thinke he bryngeth a new doctrine holde hym accursed The Lord if it be his holy will open your eyes that you may perfectly see and constantly confesse hys victorious truth in the will of his onely begotten sonne Iesus Christ before whom in that great day shall truth be crowned and errour cōdemned to the glory of hys name and endeles felicitie of all the eelect amongest whom the Lorde place vs to whom be all glory and prayse for euer Amen ¶ The Argumentes of the Chapiters 1. THat Adams willfull transgression made him his ofspring rebels to God
brute sēseles nature is not capable thereof and the soule we receyue not of our parentes but of god How then commeth it that from our parentes we shoulde receyue this corruption The which is thus by some learned fathers answered that the soule is not by hys creation sinfull but forasmuch as mans disobedience hath vtterly spoyled hys whole nature of original righteousnesse and forasmuch as the soule is in the creation knit vnto a body subiect vnto that losse and made a part of the accursed man Therfore it is forthwith both depriued of the original grace and vertue wherwith by creatiō it was indued and wherewith it should haue gouerned the body And also it hath no meanes to vse it selfe but by the instrumentes or organes of the body whiche through the curse are naturally indewed with nothing but filthines and vtterly vnapte to all spirituall woorkes wherby it stubburnlye resisteth and impugneth the spirit who beyng now depryued of many of those vertues wherwith it was by creation indued is vnable to encounter the corruption of the fleshe and specially in her owne organs or instrumentes and therefore yeldeth vnto the inclinations thereof so that where it shoulde haue raygned ouer the bodye now contrarywise the body raygneth ouer it and suppresseth it and carieth it away captiue vnto the lusts aunswerable to the body And euen naturall Philosophy teacheth this that betwéene the soule and the body there is a certaine sympathy or knitting of affection for who seeth not that in melancholy bodyes the mynde is heauy and solitary in sanguine bodies mery and lyght c. whereby it appeareth that the mynde beyng thus inclosed in thys house of corruption is greatly blinded and drowned in the perfection thereof and so caryed away vnto the delight thereof Surelye thys curious searche of the propagation of originall sinne as it is very hard and difficulte so it is more then vaine and vnto saluation nothyng at all necessary Wherefore the aduersaryes ought rather in following the counsell of Saint Augustine in thys matter to labour and study to finde the way howe they must be drawen out of the danger of this originall filth corruption then curiously to stand questioning how they fell into it he rehearseth a pretye story how a certayne man chauncyng to fall into a déepe pitte lying there shouting crying an other hearing him came to the pitte and began very diligently to ēquire of him how hée fell in I pray thée saith he neuer aske me how I fell in but study diligentlye how thou mayst helpe me out Hauing thus briefly spoken of originall sinne I thinke it not conuenyent because thys deuysion is receaued to speake now of actuall sinne whiche in déede is nothyng els but a fruite or effect of the other Wherefore it may bée thus defined actuall synne is euery thought woorde and déede or whatsoeuer is contrary to the lawe and wyll of God and what soeuer is not of fayth The truth of this definition is thus gathered forasmuch as it is already proued that the whole nature of man is by original sinne vtterly corrupted Therefore the same synne triumphyng in his nature as a cause continually woorkyng can not but bring forth her effectes or fruites And by the woordes of Christ the fruite must bée aunswerable to the trée therefore all thoughtes woordes déedes what soeuer procedeth frō that corrupt nature is corrupt vncleane so actuall sinne and that thoughtes be herein cōprehended it is playne for that they bée the effectes of the originall corruption For Christ himselfe sayeth Out of the heart goeth euill thoughtes and if any acte beside be not comprehended vnder these woordes thought woorde or déede the same is comprehended vnder these generall wordes of Paule whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Whereby it appeareth that not onely euyll thoughtes wordes and déedes be actuall sinne but also those thoughtes wordes déedes which otherwise morally of their owne nature be honest and good yf they bée done out of fayth that is to say if they be done by enuy not through fayth acceptable vnto God in Christ euen those thoughtes wordes déedes séeme they neuer so holy bée sinne Now forasmuch as there is a deuision of actuall synne which hath bene of long tyme receyued it is expedient that somewhat bée sayde concerning the same The deuision is thys into deadly sinne and into veniall sinne About both which partes not only how triflingly but also how wickedly the scoolemen do holde shal partly be shewed Wherfore first touching deadly sinne in that they bynd them to a certayne number affirming onely seuen sinnes to be deadly they doe not onely geue vnto man securitie in that hys enemy hath but seuen wayes to assaulte hym vnto death from which if hée can imagine hym free he thinketh hymselfe in any other offence not to synne deadly whereby all other synnes are extenuate and all wicked inclinations affections and thoughtes excluded from the number of deadly sinnes And yet sinnes be called deadly for no other cause but because death is due vnto them And therefore vnto what sinne soeuer death is due that sinne is consequentlye deadlye but death is due to all synne For Paule sayth generally the rewarde of sinne is death and therefore all synne is in respecte of hys owne nature deadly And though there bée synnes whyche God imputeth not to man yet that commeth not through the smalnes and lyghtnes of the synne but through the mercye of god And where agayne they affirme that deadly sinne doth not exclude fayth but that they maye both stande together they no lesse deceaue you as hereby appeareth for S. Paule sayth they that walke after the flesh can not please God wherefore who so pleaseth God walketh not after the fleshe but whosoeuer walketh in fayth pleaseth god Therefore whosoeuer walketh in fayth walketh not after the fleshe but to walke after the fleshe is to walke in deadly sinne Therefore they that walke in fayth walke not in deadly sinne whereby it followeth that faith and deadly sinne cā not stande together Agayne whosoeuer is dead hath no lyfe in hym but whosoeuer hath no life in hym hath no fayth in hym For the iuste do liue by fayth Therefore whosoeuer is dead hath no fayth in him but they are dead in whom deadly synne raygneth For hee that synneth is the seruaunt vnto synne Therefore they in whō there is deadly synne haue no fayth in thē Let thys for a touch or say of their errours concernyng deadly sinne suffice Now touching veniall or remissible sinnes they may thus be defined Ueniall synnes are all those synnes whiche through fayth are forgéeuen The truth of thys definityon is euident by these woordes of Peter in the .x. of the Actes To hym geeue all the prophets witnes that through hys name all that beleeue in hym shall receaue remyssyon of synnes but whatsoeuer is remytted is