reade in the scriptures was restored strength to beget children Nether is it any meruaile that By fayth we renounce the best part of our selues by y◠worke of faith is aduāced y◠glory of God forasmuch as in it for Gods sake we deny the best part of our selues which is our mynde and reason wherby we ether assent or not assent vnto thinges set forth vnto vs. Wherefore it is manifest that there can nothing more excellent be offred of vs vnto God For this is a wonderfull testification of the power and goodnes of God for his sake to seme to quench in our selues the sense of nature But I wonder at those which so diligently commend workes and so highly extoll chastity sole life and other workes and yet are so colde in setting forth the commendation of fayth when as by it commeth the victory whereby we ouercome both our selues and also the whole world For so Iohn sayth this is the victory which ouercommeth the world euen our fayth Which thing We are not iustified by fayth as it is a worke Faith meriteth not vnto vs iustification Fayth as it is a worke excelleth all other workes Proues that fayth cannot be without good workes The vertues of the vnderstanding are not repugnant to vices I speake not as though I ment that we are iustified by fayth as it is a worke For it is defiled by sundry blottes of our infirmity And Augustine sayth that this sentence is by no meanes to be admitted that fayth meriteth vnto vs iustification For fayth is not sayth he of our selues but as Paul to the Ephesians expressedly testefieth it is the gift of God Howbeit as it is a worke it many wayes excelleth all other workes Nether can it be expressed how far wide the scholemen erre when they imagine that fayth can consist without good workes For by their sentence fayth should not attayne vnto the dignity of prudence which both as the Philosophers write and also they themselues confesse can not be had without the rest of the vertues What maner of thing then shall Theologicall fayth be if it attayne not vnto the perfection of prudence Farther forasmuch as vertue suffreth not vice to be ioyned together with it and they themselues contende that fayth is a vertue how wil they haue true fayth to be in sinners and such as are strangers frō God But they will say that they put fayth to be a vertue of the vnderstanding vnto which kind of vertues vices are not repugnant For that we sée sometimes that the most wickedst men that are haue in them excellent sciences But nether will this any thing helpe them their owne fayned imagination is a let thereunto For they imagine that those thinges which are set forth vnto our vnderstanding are obscure and nothing euident and that we geue not assent vnto them but because the wil cōmaundeth the vnderstanding to geue his assent in that thinge to geue place to the truth of God Wherefore I will demaunde of these men whether the worke of y◠wil wherby it cōmaundeth y◠vnderstāding to geue place to assēt vnto the words of God be good or euell Vndoubtedly whether they wil or no they must The vnderstandinge cannot be commaunded to beleue without charity Fayth depēdeth not of the commaundemē◠of the wyl◠be cōpelled to say it is good But without charity it is not possible that the will should bring the vnderstāding to embrace y◠things that are to be beleued Wherefore these fonde deuises of theirs are repugnaunt the one to the other But we teach no such thing that fayth should depend of the commaundement of the wil For how should it be moued to commaund things that are to be beleued to be receaued as good and worthy of credit except it had first receued it by vnderstanding In dede we confesse that those things which we beleue are obscure and not very euident vnto humane reason But they are made plaine vnto the vnderstanding by the light of the diuine reuelation and illumination of the holy The deuine reuelation maketh those thinges playne which otherwise were obscure ghost Wherfore they are by the iudgment of reason apprehended and admitted with a singular certainty which thinges being so knowen and receaued as it must nedes follow the wil delighteth it selfe in them so earnestly embraseth them that it commaundeth vnto the other faculties of the mind workes agreable vnto that truth whiche the mind hath beleued And by this meanes of faith springeth charity and after it followeth hope For the things which we beleue and ernestly loue with a valiant and patient minde we wayt for which thing pertayneth chiefely vnto hope Nether let any man thinke that this is ether against reason or extinguisheth the nature of mā for that in beleuing we sem◠to renounce humane sence as though this were in vs a madnes as Agrippa the king sayd vnto Paul when he preached the fayth of Christ Much lerning hath driuen thee to madnes The matter is not so but rather by faith is brought to passe Fayth neyther extinguisheth the nature of man nor reason The foundacions of our resurrection that our reasō maketh it selfe subiect vnto the doctrine of God and vnto the reuelation thereof rather then to inferior reasonings and perswasions which being inferiors vnto the holy scriptures man is by them rather exalted then deiected And if a man should say that men in beleuing are madde we will adde farther it is aboue all things done with reason The Apostle maketh mencion that God rayseth to life the dead and that the body of Abraham was dead and also the wombe of Sara By which wordes Chrisostome sayth are layde the foundacions of our resurrectiō which we beleue shal come For if god could do these things then can not he wante ether meanes or power whereby to restore againe to life the deade And vndoubtedlye I am perswaded that this fayth was no small helpe vnto Abraham to moue him to sacrifice his sonne as God had required at his handes For although hee had receaued the promise that he should haue posterity by Isaake yet he saw that although he were slaine yet there was What faith confirmed Abraham to obey God still remayning place for that promise For he beleued y◠God was able to rayse him vp although he were slayne and make him to liue agayne And how commendable the fayth of the patriarch was Paul declareth when he sayth that he had not a regard to his dead body or to the dead wombe of Sara but gaue the glory to God being most assuredly perswaded this that God was able to performe and bring to passe whatsoeuer he had promised Ambrose by an Antithesis or contrary position declareth the excellency of this fayth for he compareth it with the incredulity of Zachary vnto whome when the angel shewed the birth of Iohn Baptist yet he remained still in vnbeliefe and therfore he was reproued of the
reason of inconstancy he doth not alwayes abyde still in one and the selfe same purpose partly because he performeth not those thinges which he promiseth and partly because he oftentymes bringeth forth a lye and that ether of infirmity whilest he is not able to attayne vnto the truth or els of an euill purpose to vse deceite This sentence is read in the 116. Psalme In my hast A place of Dauid out of the 116. Psalme I sayd euery man it a lyar And certayne interpreters of the Hebrues affirme that Dauid had then a respect vnto Samuell For when he was on euery side enclosed in by the host of Saule was in a maner past all hope to escape such cogitacions were offred vnto him through the infirmity of the fleshe as though the Prophet had made a lye touching those thinges which he had promised him concerning the kingdome Or els he mought speake these thinges against himselfe for that when according to mans reason he had cast awaye all hope of escaping and thought himselfe to be in a maner forsaken of God as soone as he came agayne into the right way he brake into this sentence Euery man is a lyer because he also had deceaued himselfe touching the goodnes of God And by the antithesis or contrary position it is playne that a liar here signifieth an vnconstant person For before he sayde Let God be true Wherefore we maye conclude The word of God and the sacramentes depend not of our fayth that the dignity of the scripture or of the sacramentes dependeth not of our fayth or misbeliefe For whether we beleue God or mistrust him they are to be estéemed according to their dignitie because they depend of the institution of God who is most true neither is hys truth chaunged through our defaultes as Dauid writeth That thou mightest be iustified in thy wordes and ouercome when thou arte iudged Thus the 70. interpâ—eters haue turned it whom Paule now followeth when as in the Hebrewe it is thus written Lemaan titsdek be dhob recha tizkeh beschoatecha And that which the 70. haue turned That thou mightest be iustified may accordyng to the Hebrewe be Therfore shalt thou be iustified And where as it is written agaynst thee onely haue I sinned Rabbi Dauid Chimchi expoundeth it thus I haue priuilie and in secret transgressed and therefore agaynst thée onely But thou art iustified and in iudgement ouercommest which hast by Nathan the Prophet shewed the thou knowest these thinges But thys exposition fitteth not very well with the wordes of Paule Wherfore we omitte it Others interprete it Although Dauid sinned agaynst Vrias and agaynst Bersabe and agaynst the hoste of Israell yet these were not sinnes but in respecte that they were prohibited by God in the lawe For there hence dependeth the iuste consideration of sinne But it is better to say that Dauid was so much gréeued because he sawe that God by reason of hys sinne was blasphemed and had in derision which bare fauour vnto such a kyng who to satisfie hys owne filthye luste permitted hys enemyes to haue the vpperhand These things I say so much vexed hym that in that feruencie of minde he had a regarde vnto these thynges onely And therfore by the figure Hyperbole he sayth Against thee onely haue I sinned As we when we are oppressed with many troubles at one tyme are accustomed to say of the chiefest and greatest trouble which afflicteth vs most Thys one thyng greueth me very much But afterward he comforteth hym selfe hauing conceaued a firme hope and sayth That thou mightest be iustified in thy wordes as if he shoulde say Vndoubtedly I haue greuouslye sinned but such is thy goodnes that hereby I sée it to bee more poured out so that alwaies when thou contendest in iudgement thou wilt in the cause haue the vpperhand Neyther is it to be thought that Dauid when he sinned had thys consideration in hys minde to illustrate the goodnes of God For there he sought onely to satisfie hys owne desire and luste Wherefore thys particle That hath Good haps are not to be ascribed vnto sinnes but vnto the mercy of God a respecte not vnto Dauid but vnto God by whose benefite it commeth to passe that of that which is euill shoulde come some good vnto them which loue hym Forasmuch as vnto them all thynges turne to good Wherfore the good things which followe after sinnes coÌ„mitted are to be ascribed not vnto our sinnes but to the mercy of God Neyther let vs maruaile that God is iudged as Paul saith For oftentymes it happeneth that men when they thinke them selues to be euill God is iudged of men handled of hym they reason concerning hys iudgementes and although not in wordes yet in thoughtes they striue agaynst hym But then if they shoulde call to memorye how many how greuous sinnes they haue committed they should alwayes pâ—rceaue that God is in hys cause iustified and ouercommeth Thys worde wordes which in Hebrewe is bedhobrecha may signifie iudiciall actions and in that sense haue I interpreted it Although other take that worde for the wordes of the promises and especially touchyng Christ For Dauid when he considered that he had greuouslye fallen desired God to make him cleane and that he woulde not by reason of the wicked acte which he had committed cease to accomplishe the promise which was that of hys séede shoulde Christ be borne Which interpretation Ambrose hath But besides the expositions now alleaged of these wordes there are two other expositions also Of which the one is thys For that Dauid was a kyng and was the chiefest in authoritie amongest the people of God he had no iudges ouer hym whose tribunall seate or iudgement or sentence he shoulde néede to be afrayde of But he saw that onely the wrath of God dyd hange ouer hys head Therefore he sayd Vnto thee onely am I giltie although men can not punishe me The other exposition is Vrias Bersabe and part of the hoste haue bene ill delte withall through my meanes but they vndoubtedly as they were men had sinnes for which they deserued those thynges which they suffred yea and thynges farre more greuous then them But thou O God hast nothing in thée for which I ought so to offend thée whom thou hast adorned with so many great benefites and exalted to so high a dignitie There were some also which thought that thys addition That thou myghtest be iustified in thy sayinges is to be referred vnto that which went before Haue mercy vppon me O God Washe me and clense me that being receaued into grace I may obtayne those thynges which thou hast promised me and so thou mayest be iustified and ouercome euen by the iudgement of men Here we sée that thys worde Of the woord iustifieng It is the part of perfect men when they are afflicted to acknowledge God to be good iustifying signifieth not to obtayne any newe righteousnes which thyng we can not
neither make those thinges doubtfull which are hoped for In which wordes he sheweth that two principall thinges are to be auoyded The one is that we be not with to much curiositie Two principal things to be taken hede of stirred vp to seeke out the proofe of thinges which we ought to beleue which proofe so long as we lyue here cannot be had the other is that though they be obscure we shoulde not yet doubte of the truth of them And the same writer entreating of the confessiō of fayth thus writeth It is manifest a falling away Basilius sayth that they erre from the faith which adde any thing to the scriptures from the fayth and a poynt of pride either to refuse anye of those thinges which are written or to bring in anye thing that is not written forasmuche as our Lorde Iesus Christ sayd My sheepe heare my voyce and before that he sayde but a straunger they will not follow but wyll flee from him because they haue not knowen his voyce The Apostle also hath by an humaine example straightly forbidden either to adde or to diminishe any thing in the holy scriptures when he sayth And yet no man disanulleth the Testament of a man when it is confirmed neither addeth any thing thereunto In which place a man may perceiue how warely this man affirmeth that as touching fayth nothing ought either to be added or diminished in the holy scriptures Which maketh chiefely against those which obtrude inuencions and traditions of men as necessary to be beleued Farther the same writer plainlye setteth forth the certaintie of fayth when he declareth the propertie thereof in Moralibus the. 80. Summe and 22. chapiter Where he writeth What is the propertie of fayth He aunswereth An vnseperable certaintie of the truth of the wordes of God which is not attayned to by any kinde of reasoning nor any naturall necessitye neyther being framed to pietie can euer be shaken And he addeth That it is the duty of one that beleueth to be in such a certaintie affected according to the power of the woord Basilius sayth that whatsoeuer is with out fayth and the holy scriptures is sinne spoken and not to presume either to dissanull or to adde any thing For if whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne as sayth the Apostle and fayth commeth of hearing and hearing by the word of God then whatsoeuer is not of fayth being not contayned in the scripture inspired by the spirite of God the same is sinne This Father confirmeth together with vs the certaintie of fayth and sheweth wherehence it dependeth when he calleth it inseuerable for that when we beleue we doo not examine by our own reasons what is possible or what is not possible to be done And he semeth to allude to those wordes which Paul speaketh of the fayth of Abraham that he doubted not through incredulitie where he vsed this verbe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Wherfore certaintie is contrarie to doubting which commeth of the examination of humane reason Moreouer that which in an other sentence he had spoken he agayne playnly repeateth namely that those things which are out of the scriptures are not to be beleued And this place of Paul Whatsoeuer is not of fayth is Note how Basilius vnderstandeth whatsoeuer is not of fayth is sinne Fayth differeth from opinion and suspicion sinne he vseth in his natiue and proper sense as we also vse it which thing our aduersaries can not abide Faith differeth from opiniō for opinion although it make vs leane vnto one part yet it doth that both wyth reason and also not without feare of the truth of the other partie And suspicion doth engender yet a weaker assent then opinion doth for that it both wanteth reason and also leaueth men doubtfull of the truth of the other part It is true in deede that science engendreth a firme assent but that is brought to passe by adding of demonstrations Seing now we sée playnly both what fayth is and also howe it differeth from opinion science and suspicion let vs sée howe manye wayes fayth is taken For there is one kinde of fayth which is mightie perfect and of efficacie whereby we are iustified there is an other which is voyde without fruite during but for a time vayne which bringeth not iustification Which thing is manifest by the parable of the Gospell where the séede the woorde of God I say is written to fall sometymes vpon good ground and sometimes vpon stony ground vpon thornes and by the high way side where it is lost and Fayth which iustefieth is not in all men equal bringeth forth no fruite Agayne that fayth which is good and profitable is not in all men a lyke for according to the greater or lesser infirmitie of the fleshe it hath degrées Wherfore Paul saith Euen as God hath deuided vnto euery man the measure of fayth And in the selfe same parable the seede falling on the good ground bringeth not forth fruite alyke in all partes For in some place it bringeth forth thirty fold in other some place lx folde and in other some an hundreth folde In sūme the entent of Paule in this place is to make the righteousnes of God whereof he entreateth in this place proper vnto fayth to the ende he myght vtterly take it away as well from our merites as from our workes But I meruayle that forasmuch as this is his scope how the Greke Scholies affirme that we are not so iustified that vnto the obtaynment of righteousnes The Greke Scholies and Chrysostome are noted we bring nothing our selues Fayth say they is brought of vs for that to beleue it behooueth vs to haue a valiant mynde And this selfe thinge signifieth Chrisostome These thinges must be vnderstanded warely neyther can they be admitted in that sense as though fayth proceded from vs when as vnto the Ephesians it is playnly declared that it is the gift of God neyther if it were of our selues could all boasting be excluded For we should bring much if out of our selues should come the power to beleue And this place playnely teacheth that it is not so to be vnderstanded for the Apostle addeth Being iustified freely But it should not be fréely if fayth as it is our worke should bring righteousnes I graunt indede that our vnderstanding and will do assent vnto the promises of God But that it doth or maye do the same it muste of necessity come of God Vnto all and vpon all that beleue There are three thinges now put in this proposition which the Apostle entendeth playnly to declare The first is this That the righteousnes of God is made manifest the second that it is without the law the third that it is by fayth As touching the first he sayth that thys righteousnes of God is declared vnto all and vpon all Which is not so to be Righteousnes is not in all men but only in the elect and in the beleuers ▪ vnderstanded
what also he meaneth by the Body of sinne which he affirmeth ought to be abolished When he speaketh of the Olde man he alludeth vnto Adam and vnderstandeth the corrupt nature which we all haue contracted of him Neither signifieth Not onely the body and grosser partes of the minde pertaine vnto the old man he thereby as some thinke the body only and grosser partes of the minde but comprehendeth therewithall vnderstanding reason and will For of all these partes consisteth man and this maliciousnes and oldenes so cleaueth vnto vs as the Greke Scholies note yâ— the Apostle calleth it by the name of man And men yâ— are without Christ are so much addicted vnto their lustes pleasures and errors that without theÌ„ they count not themselues to be men Farther by this Antithesis or coÌ„parison vnto the new man we may vnderstand what the olde man is In the epistle to the Ephesians we are commaunded to put on the newe man which is creatâ—d according vnto God in all righteousnes and holynes of truth And coÌ„trarâ—wise To put of the old maÌ„ which is corrupted according to the lusts of error Wherefore Ambrose expounding this place saith That the Apostle therefore calleth the deedes past the olde man Because euen as the newe man is so called by reason of fayth and a pure life so is he called the old man bycause of his infidelity and euill dedes The body of sinne also signifieth nothing els then the deprauation and corruptioÌ„ What the body of sinne is of our whole nature For the Apostle would not that by this word we should vnderstand the composition of our body And naturall lust although it be but one thinge yet bycause vnto it are associated and annexed all maner of sinnes which as occasioÌ„s are offred doo burst forth therfore it is expressed by the name of the bodye And Paul vnto the Colossians after thys selfe same maner calleth sondry sinnes our members Mortifie sayth he your members which are vpon the earth namely fornication vncleanes euill lust auarice and other whiche there followe Our members are the instrumeÌ„ts of sinnes if God prohibite them not And vndoubtedly vnles the spirit of Christ doo prohibite our members they are altogether organes and instrumeÌ„ts of sinnes Chrisostome vpon this place faith That the Apostle calleth not this our body only so but also all our maliciousnes for so calleth he all our maliceousnes the old man The Greke Scholies vnderstand by the body of sinne our condemned nature Although if we would referre that sentence vnto this our outward body it may seme that Paul so spake for that all wicked lust and all corruption of nature is drawen from nature by the body Thys is Humane corruption is drawen by the body The corruption of nature hath sundry names also to be marked that the Apostle setteth our corrupt nature as contrary vnto the spirite but yet by sondry names sometimes by the name of flesh sometimes by the name of the body of sinne sometimes by the name of the old man and sometimes of the outward man and sometimes by the name of naturall man all which things signifie whatsoeuer is in man besides Christ and regeneratioÌ„ and also whatsoeuer withdraweth vs from the law of God CoÌ„trariwise by the name of the spirite he vnderstandeth all those thinges which are done in vs by the inspiration instinction and motion of the holy ghost wherfore Ambrose by the body of sinne vnderstandeth also the soule that is the whole man As contrariwise the soule also in the holy scriptures signifieth sometimes the body and The soule The fleshe the whole man This word flesh also sometimes comprehendeth all the partes of a man that is not yet regenerate For Christ when he reasoned with Nicodemus of regeneratioÌ„ whatsoeuer saith he is born of the flesh is flesh by which words he sheweth that the flesh ought to be regenerated into the spirite And forasmuch as regeneration pertayneth not only vnto the body nor only vnto the grosser Reason and will are coÌ„prehended in the name of fleshe partes of the minde but chiefely vnto vnderstanding reason and will it sufficiently appeareareth that these thinges also are vnderstand by the name of flesh And Ambrose sayth that the flesh is sometimes called the soule which followeth the vices of the body Christ also answered vnto Peter when he had made yâ— notable confession Flesh and blood hath not reueled these thinges vnto thee Whereby fleshe and blood he vnderstandeth whatsoeuer humane reason can by nature come to the knowledge of Wherefore to retayne still the body of sinne and the old maÌ„ is nothing els then to liue according to that estate wherein we are borne And Naturall knowledges grafted in vs are of themselues good but in vs they may be sins The affections of them that are not regenerate are sinnes though they be honest if a man demaund whither these naturall knowledges grafted in vs touching God and outward dedes are to be counted good or no I answer yâ— of theÌ„selues they are good but as they are in vs not yet regenerate but vitiate corrupt vndoubtedly they are sinnes bycause they fayle and stray from the coÌ„stitution of theyr nature For they ought to be of such force that they should impell and driue all our strengths and faculties to obey him But they are so weake that they can not moue vs to an vprighte life and to the true worshipping of God which selfe thing we iudge also of the naturall affections towards our parents frendes countrey and other such like For although these thinges of their owne nature are good and honest yet in vs that are not yet grafted into Christ they are sinnes For we referre them not according as we ought vnto the glory of only true God and father of our Lord Iesus Christ nether doo we them of faith without which whatsoeuer is done is sin And Paul sayth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is knowing this and a litle afterward 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which wordeâ—â—each that those thinges which are here sayd ought to be most assured and certayne vnto vs and perfectly knowen of vs so that euery godly man should fele this in hymselfe This kinde of speach hath an Antithesis vnto that which was sayd at the beginninge Know ye not that as many as are baptised â—nto Christ Iesus are baptised into his death as though he should haue said Of this thingye ought not to be ignoraÌ„t And if ye once perfectly know this principle theÌ„ those thinges which thereof follow caÌ„ not but be knoweÌ„ of you Let it not seme straÌ„g that Paul doth Why Paul vseth so many tropes figures by so many so suÌ„dry figure hiperboles I say metaphors exaggerat aggrauateth is matter namely That we are dead vnto sin are buried with Christ and the old man is crucified that the body of sinne should be abolished and suche other like For we neuer sufficiently
put But Pighius sayth farther that God requireth these woorkes that he may◠fréelye impute vnto vs iustification Whosoeuer is but euen slenderlye exercised in the holye Scriptures shall easelye sée that thys man is euen directlye repugnaunt vnto Paul For he in the Epistle to the Romaines sayth Vnto hym whych worketh not a reward is imputed accordyng to grace But Pighius sayth vnto him which worketh God imputeth righteousnes fréely But to impute fréely and not to impute fréely euery childe may sée that they are contradictories But mark gentle Reader this reason of two members These workes which he speaketh of either profite vnto iustification or else profite not If they profite not why calleth he them preparations For amongst causes are reckened also causes preparatory But if he will say that they profite are in very déede causes preparatories with what mouthe can he affirme that he plucketh away nothing from the honoure of Christ but appoynteth him to be the whole and absolute cause of our iustificatiō But peraduenture this two membred argument a man will turne vpon vs touching those works which follow iustification For he wil say either they are profitable to obtaine saluation or they are not profitable If they be not profitable Wherunto good works profite after iustificatiō why are they required and why are their promises setforth vnto thē But if they be why doe we not allowe merite to be in them I answer that suche workes are profitable vnto men regenerate for that they liuing vprightly and orderly are renewed and made more perfect But that is nothing else but a certaine inchoation and as it were a participation of eternall life Farther it hath séemed good vnto God by suche meanes or rather by suche spaces to bring men vnto eternal felicitie But we can not cal these workes merites For Paul expressedly teacheth that the stipend of sinne is death but eternall life is grace But that which is giuen fréely vtterly excludeth merite And in the meane time we ought to remember that That which is geuē frely excludeth merite there is a great difference as we haue oftentimes taught betwene their works which are as yet straungers from Christ and from God and their workes which are now by grace grafted into Christ and made his members Afterward also he goeth about to confute that which we say that a man is iustified by that faith which hath a respecte vnto the promises of Christ and of the remission of sinnes as though we holde that faith is the proper correlatiue of such promises For he saith that faith hath equally a respect vnto all the thinges which are set forth in the holy scriptures Yea saith he he doth vnto God a thing no les acceptable which beleueth that he created the world or beleueth the thre persons of the diuinitie or the resurrection to come then he which beleueth that Christe was giuen to be our mediator and that by him is to be obtained the remission of sinnes For that faith is of no lesse worthinesse then the other And if we be iustified by faith he contendeth that that faith no lesse pertaineth to the other articles then to the remission of sinnes by Christ And this he thinketh may be proued by that which Paul wryteth in the. 4. chapiter vnto the Romaines And not for him only were these things written but also for vs vnto whome it shal be imputed so that we beleue in him which hath raised vp Christ from the dead Beholde saith he that faith is imputed vnto vs vnto righteousnesse whereby we beleue that God raised vp Christ from the dead and not that faith whereby we beleue that sinnes are forgiuen vs by Christ First here we confesse that our faith assēteth vnto all the things which are contained in the holy scriptures But forasmuche as amongste them there is but onely one principall and excellent truthe vnto which all the other truthes are directed namely that Christ the sonne of God suffred for vs that by him we might receiue forgiuenesse of sinnes what meruail is it if our faith haue a respect vnto this one thing chiefly For this our assumpt Paul proueth For he saith that Christ is the end of the law Wherfore séeing he is the end of al the scriptures he is also the summe and principall obiecte of our faith although otherwise Christ is the principal obiect of our faith by our faith we also embrase all other thinges which are contained in the holy scriptures And whereas he addeth that the faith which is of the other articles is no lesse acceptable vnto God then this faith which concerneth Christ and the remission of sinnes we may first say that that is not true if a man rightly way the dignitie of the action of faith For the dignitie of faith as also the dignitie of other suche like kindes of powers is measured by the obiects For as those obiects differ one from an other in excellency and dignitie so the assētings of faith ought according The dignity of faith is mesured by the obiect to the same to be counted inferior or of more excellency Séeing therefore God would in suche sort haue his sonne to die and that men should be by him reconciled that for this he hath instituted all the other things to be beleued which are set forth in the holy scriptures we can not put any doubt but that this pleased him much more then the other For that the other are directed vnto this as vnto their end And this is a common rule amongst the Logicians Euery thyng is such a thyng by reason of an other wherfore that other thyng shall much more be such Wherfore this actiō of faith wherby we assēt vnto this most noble truth ought to excell al other actiōs of faith whatsoeuer they be And so it is not by a thing like acceptable vnto God whither a man beleue this or that If we should vse this answere I know Pighius were neuer able to confute it but we say moreouer that he in vain contendeth about the greater or lesse dignitie of faith as touching this or that article For we are not iustified by the dignitie of faith For it is in euery mā weak◠and féeble But we therefore say that we are iustified by faith bicause by it as by We are not iustified by the dignity of fayth an instrument vnto this ende giuen vnto vs and by God appointed we apply Christ vnto vs and take holde of the forgiuenesse of sinnes Wherefore the worthinesse or vnworthinesse therof is to no purpose considered But that which he bringeth out of the. 4. Chapiter of the Romaines he bringeth cut of and maimed For if a man read the ful and perfect sentence he shal easely sée that plaine mention is there made of the death of Christ and of the remission of sinnes which by it we haue obtained For Paul saith that vnto vs it shall be imputed as it was vnto Abraham if
the Centaures and of the Lapethites But put â—e on the Lord Iesus Christ When he had taught that the olde man together with his works of darknes is to be put of he thought it good afterwarde to setforth vnto vs a new garment namely Christ him selfe This form of speaking What is our wedding garment Christ was geuâ—â— as a garment to our first parentes he vsed to the Galathians As many of you sayth he as are baptised haue put on Christ This is that wedding garment which euery christian ought to put on And if we will follow allegoryes this garment God commended to our first parents when he clothed them with the skinnes which were plucked of from deade beastes Christ geueth not to vs that garment but in as muche as he hath made himselfe a sacrifice for mankinde And take not thought for the flesh to fulfill the Iustes of it By the fleshe he here vnderstandeth not naturall health For that is not to be neglected that we may be able the more constantly to serue God Paul wryteth to Timothe Vse a little wine because of the stomake and often infirmities Here he prohibiteth only the pleasures and delites of the flesh For when we let loose the bridle to them the flesh is made vnruely Wherefore seing that we ought continually to wrastle agaynst the prone affects therof let vs take héede that with ouer much delicatenes we norish them not The fourtenth Chapiter HIm that is weake in the fayth receiue not for controuersies of disputations One beleueth that he may eate of all things an other which is weake eateth herbes Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not let not him which eateth not iudge him that eateth for god hath receiued him That we may the easelyer vnderstande those things which shall afterwarde be spoken let vs briefly declare the state of the Churche at the beginning The Here is declared the state of the churche in the first times Church in those first times consisted of Iewes Gentiles conuerted vnto Christ And the Gentiles liued more fréely as they which were not bounde to the lawes of Moses and as for theyr owne ceremonies of the Grekish religion they plainly saw to be vaine and dampnable But the Iewes which knew that their lawe was geuen of God himself could not straight way be persuaded that it was to be abrogated Therefore they stayed neither would they easely be plucked away from it And therfore they abstained from meates prohibited in the law and obserued the festiuall dayes of the Iewes All which things declared that they were yet weake in faith And this their infirmitie of faith the stronger and learneder sorte bothe sharpely reproued and also derided On the contrary side the Iewes reproued the Whereof sprang the discorde betwene the Gentiles the Iewes in yâ— church Gentiles as they which liued to fréely and condemned them as violaters of the lawes of God for that they did without putting any difference eate of al kindes of meates as it were with a certaine vnsatiable gredinesse of the belly And this discorde did not a little vexe the Churches at that time Therefore Paul earnestly as much as lyeth in him laboureth to put it away and admonisheth the stronger sort not to reiecte the weaker either as heretikes or as infidels but rather to instruct them and with all charitie to cherish them vntill they were confirmed in sound doctrine And on the other side he commaundeth the weake ones not rashly to condemne them that were better learned and stronger then themselues Him that is weake in the faith receiue That is adioyne him vnto you and through your humanitie and doctrine ease him of the burthen and payne of ignoraunce If thou demaunde whether that weaknes of faith were a let that they could not be iustified in Christ I thinke we may answere that it was no let For Weaknes of faythe is not a let to iustificatioÌ„ we are not iustified by the strength and excellencie of our fayth but by the obiecte thereof as we haue oftentimes taught for although some fayth be weake yet is it faith But these men thou wilt say beleued not all the things which are to be beleued for they beleued not that the ceremonyes of the law of Moses were abrogated But that faith which beleueth not all the articles of the fayth is not a true faith I graunt this in dede if that it happen throughe the default of him that beleueth as if a maÌ„ do contemne the truthes which he hath heard out of the holy scriptures and will not admit them but will be his owne iudge and arbitrer howe muche ought to be beleued of the holy scriptures and ascribeth more vnto himselfe then There is not always required an expresse faith touching all things to the testimony of the word of God this is not a true fayth For the holy Ghoste vseth not to breath into any maÌ„ suche a minde But if a man beleue not any thing which is not yet sufficiently knowen and tried out when yet notwithstanding in minde he is ready to receiue the truthe if it be once made plaine I sée no cause why suche a fayth shold not both be and be called a true faith iustifie the beleuer especially if he assent to Christ and to the principall poynts of religion Not for controuersies of disputations He prohibiteth odious contentions which rather alienate then edefie the mindes of the weake The mindes of men ought not in vaine to be wearyed but rather to be taught Paul in the last chapter of the first Epistle to Timothe sayth that certaine were sicke about vnprofitable questions and contentions of wordes And in the latter Epistle he admonysheth Timothe to eschue questions which he calleth foolish and without learning Which thing if the schoole diuines had obserued and taken héede of we shoulde not then haue had in theyr bokes so many intricate and darke I will not say vngodly and sacrilegious questions How be it all questions vniuersally are not to be condemned as vnprofitable â–ª Wherfore I can not commend certain men which are wise indéede and wary in other matters but in this one thing doubtles are not very circumspect which thinke that yâ— question touching the Eucharist which is at this day euery where debated in the churche is not conuenient and is vnprofitable The question touching the Eucharist is not vnprofitable For they consider not how much it auaileth to our saluation constantly to holde â–ª that Christ both had and at this day hath the true and perfect nature of man and to expell that detestable idolatry brought in by thys that men beleue that in the bread and wine or as they speake vnder the accidences of bread and wâ—ne is really and corporally the body of Christ When we labour for this that the horrible abuses touching Christian religion might be taken away we dispute not about the shadow of an asse or about
forasmuch as by reason of age they are as yet not able to do any thing are to be exempted out of the number of them vnto whome shal be rendred according to their workes For Paule speaketh of them whiche be of full age who mought haue brought forth good workes And that which Chrisostome writeth that this place teacheth vs not in any wise to put our trust in fayth only forasmuch as before the iudgement seate of God workes also shal be examined this his saying I say must be warely taken For true fayth neuer wanteth iust workes But Chrisostome in that place taketh fayth for that credulity whiche wicked men oftentymes boast of which is rather an opinion and vayne perswasion then that it can be called fayth which selfe same Iames calleth a dead fayth And forasmuch as it A deade sayth is no fayth is sayd to be deade it can in no case be true fayth As that man which certaynly is dead is no more sayd to be a man Wherefore Ambrose vpon thys place hath made the thing playne saying That we haue neede not only of profession but also of good life Wherefore where men do worke wickedly and yet in the meane tyme boast of fayth it is rather a vayne profession then a Christian fayth But vnto those that are contentious and which obey not the truth but obey vnrighteousnes Here is expressed the other part of iustice namely that whereby sinners are most worthely punished And by two signes he expresseth Two notes whereby the vngodly are expressed A wicked kinde of contēcion such as are wicked in that as touching rules of doctrine they are contentious and as touching maners they obey not the truth but vnrighteousnes Contention which is here ment is when a thing without iust cause and with a more vehement strife then is nedefull is taken in hand to be defended And oftentymes it happeneth that contentions men labour to defend that which in their mynde and conscience they beleue not to be true but only study to get the victory Wherefore they do nothing with any mediocritye but altogether with most vehemency and they are so tossed with the perturbation of the mynde that they alwayes farther and farther depart frō the truth Howbeit there is some A certayne contention laudable kynde of contention which is pardonable namely that which is taken in hād for the defence of the truth And such contention is without obstinacy whiche thing we may behold in Paule For he as soone as he knew himselfe to be deceaued abode not still stubburnely in hys purpose but strayght waye sayde Lord what wilt thou that I shall do But these men whom God will thus punishe are in prosecuting their matters not a whit better then they were in rules of doctrine because they obey not the truth which they know yea rather they hold it captiue with themselues as we haue before hard and are obedient vnto vnrighteousnes For truth and lust are euer present with men to geue counsell and Two perpetuall counsellers of men perswade them in intreating of matters In the wicked the worser counseller namely lust prenayleth and so they are miserably deceaued Which thing the Apostle expresseth in hys latter Epistle to the Thessalonians the second chapiter where he writeth that Antichrist shall come with power with signes and lying waytes and with all maner of deceite of vnrighteousnes in those which perishe because that they receaued not the loue of the truth to the ende they mought haue bene saued Therefore shall God send vpon them the efficacy of illusion to beleue lyes But this vnrighteousnes which they obey is afterward in the 7. chapiter called The law of the members namely because wicked luste is from the fall of the first parentes ingenerate in men and is obiected to our mynd by the ministery of Sathan who vseth it as a most apte instrument for his purpose Vnto these mē I say shal be indignatiō anger afflictiō anguish against euery soule of man that committeth euill of the Iew first and also of the Grecian Betwene 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is indignation and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is anger semeth to be a difference for that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it is a more vehementer impulsion or motion and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a more easier which differences yet haue no place in the high iudge For God is not troubled with these affections But the scripture vseth thys trope or fygure to set forth the vengeance whiche followeth these thinges whiche afterward is expressed in that he addeth Affliction and anguishe And as touching anguishe which in Greke is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we must vnderstand that the minde of man delighteth in liberty Wherefore whē we are brought to such a straight that we can not by any meanes eyther moue our selues or els fynde a way out thinke we to be most greuous vnto vs. And by these wordes is described the great punishement and a desperation of the felicity to come The soule signifieth man Agaynst euery soule There are some which by this place argue that therfore is mencion made of the soule because the affliction thereof shal be a greate deale more greuous then the affliction of the body But me thinketh it is more playne to say that after the Hebrewe maner by the soule is signified the whole man or to speake more vprightly all the powers and partes of man Neyther doth this any thing let that here in the texte man is put in the genetiue case and because the Iew and the Grecian is here expressed For that tendeth to thys ende to comprehend all mankinde whiche Paule deuideth into two partes so that some he calleth Iewes and other some Grecians namely the Gentiles as many He beginneth to reprehend the Iewes as were not subiect vnto the law of Moses And here the Apostle beginneth to ioyne the Iewes to the selfe same reprehension which he vsed agaynst the Gentiles because he entendeth to reproue them also And easely by litle and litle he turneth his speach vnto thē vnto whom hereafter by name he speaketh whē not much afterwarde he saith Behold thou art called a Iew and restest in the law c. He Why the first place is assigned vnto the Iewes therefore geueth the fyrst place vnto the Iewes because in the knowledge and vnderstanding of God and of righteousnes they had the principalitye if they be compared with other nations Further forasmuch as Paule came of their kinred here hearseth them in the first place least he should seeme to spare his owne when as he had sharpely reproued the Ethnikes It was meete also that they shoulde be named before Gentiles to the ende they mought the more greeuously be accused and more sharpely punished for that they were not ignorant both of the true God and of the religion due vnto hym But glory honour and peace to euery one that worketh good to the
forasmuch as so great a price is payd for our saluation we By the vse of the sacramēts we are put in minde of the benefit receaued The wayght of sinne is to be waighed by the price of our redemption ought not to suffer so great a benefite lightly to slippe out of our memory For the auoyding whereof we are holpen not only by doctrine and the scriptures but also by sacramentes For euen as among the elders the often sacrifices shadowed Christ to come so now the often vse of the misteries bringeth to memory his death and bloud shed for vs. And by this price of redemption may we perceaue the greeuousnes of sinne forasmuch as the waight thereof was so great that it kindled agaynst vs the iust wrath of God and such a wrath as was not rashely conceaued which wrath being an appetite or desire of vengeance by a most iust consideration required a most excellent sacrifice vpon which might be transferred all our sinnes And forasmuch as the same wrath is by no other thing asswaged but by the bloud and death of Christ they are to be coūted most greeuous blasphemers which dare attribute the same either to our workes or to outward rites VVhome God hath set forth a propitiator In that Christ is sayd to be set forth vnto vs by God thereby is shewed that the doctrine of the Gospell is God two maner of wayes setteth forth Christ vnto vs to be beleued The merite of the death of Christ dependeth of the predestination of God no new thing nor inuented by men But in what sort Christ is set forth vnto vs is declared by two principall pointes First because God by reuelation setteth forth vnto vs thinges to be beleued vnto the knowledge whereof by the light of nature we could neuer attayne Secondly in that he causeth vs to haue a pleasure in thinges shewed vnto vs and to geue our assent vnto them and moueth and stirreth vp our mynd inspiring vs with fayth This may also be referred vnto the good pleasure and blessed predestination of God wherehence dependeth the merite of the death of Christ Otherwise God mought by any other thing haue redemed vs and deliuered vs from sinnes Wherefore we must count that by his determination and purpose only haue we receaued that he would vouchsafe to accept the death of Iesus Christ his sonne and by it reconcile vnto him the sayntes Of this purpose and good pleasure is mencion made vnto the Ephes in the first chapiter Where it is thus writtē According to his good pleasure which he had purposed in himselfe euen vnto the dispensation of the fulnes of tymes that he might set vp all thinges perfectly by Christ both the thinges which are in heauen and the thinges which are in earth in whome euen we also are by lot called being predestinate according to his purpose which worketh al things according to the counsell of his wil that we which before hoped in Christ should be to the prayse of his glory in whom also we hope forasmuch as we haue hard the word of truth euē the Gospell of your saluation c. And in an other place oftentymes and in this selfe same epistle is mencion made of the purpose of God Although this reason of the will and A probable reason of the counsel of God counsell of God is not to be contēned yet as I thinke this reason may be assigned that by him it was mete the world should be restored to his olde estate by whome all thinges were created This word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is here put may signifye these three thinges a propitiator propitiation and propitiatory I rather allow the latter signification because Paule semeth to allude vnto the How Christ is our propitiatory oracle of the olde Testament and couering of the arke which is there called the propitiatory or mercy seate For vpon the arke of the couenaunt there was layd a board or table for the oracle of the arke at whose endes stoode two Cherubins but the midle place was empty out of which were answeres geuen vnto them that asked and God was made fauorable vnto the people and was sayd to dwel there It is playne and manifest and not to be doubted but that all these things may aptly be referred vnto Christ as in whom dwelleth the whole fulnes of the godhed corporally as Paule sayth vnto the Collossians and therehence are most certayne oracles geuen of the will of God as touching our saluation And that by hym God is pacefied and reconciled vnto vs there is no doubt we may also interprete it a propiciator as though that word were put in the maskuline gender that euen as we call Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a sauior so we may call him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is a pacefier Neyther paraduenture is this farre from the true and proper sence if we vnderstand Christ to be our pacification For Iohn in his epistle the 2. chapiter calleth Christ 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is our pacification where he thus writeth My little children these thynges I write vnto you that ye sinne not But and if any man sinne we haue an aduocate with the father Iesus Christ the iust and he is the propitiatiō for our sinnes and not for our sinnes only but also for the sinnes of the whole world But as I haue sayd the first exposition pleaseth me best and that for this cause chiefely because a little afterward is sayd By his bloud For the maner of the high priest of the Hebrues was once euery yeare to sprinkle the propitiatory or mercy seat with bloud when he entred into the place which was called Sancta sanctorū that is the holy of holyes Nether is it without a cause that the Apostle here straightway addeth By faith forasmuch as our aduersaries also do graunt y◠by Christ commeth rightousnes vnto vs but they will not once declare by what meanes we apply the same vnto vs How Christ is sayd of the Papistes to be our redemer and make it ours which thing Paule now plainly expresseth They seme alwaies to tende this way that Christ therfore hath redemed vs because he is to be counted the chiefe and hed of our merites as though as their common phrase of speache is Christ deserued for vs onely the first grace and afterward leaueth vs wholye to our selues But this is to muche niggardly and maliciously to vse the benefite of God Wherefore seing now we vnderstand hym we wil continually oppose vnto the iustice of God the death of Christ as a full satisfaction of our sinnes To declare his righteousnes Hitherto we haue spoken of the efficient cause of iustification which is God and his mercy But those whiche are iustified pertaine to the materiall cause are men of all sortes being guilty of sinnes and destitute The order of iustification of the grace of God The instrumentes also haue bene declared The one
Vndoubtedly they that consider the thing it selfe diligently will say that the sentence of Anselmus is for many causes better then this opinioÌ„ of Pigghius For we know that to be true which Ecclesiastes saith namely That God made man right The sentence of Anselmus better then the opinion of Pigghius But when he had once sinned streight way followed crookednes For he doth no more now behold God and heauenly thinges but is perpetually made crooked to earthly and carnall thinges and is made subiect vnto the necessity of concupiscence And this is to want Originall iustice For actions or doinges are not taken away from men but the power to vse them well is taken away As we sée happeneth in those that haue the palsey They do in dede moue the hand but bicause yâ— power is hurt wherby to gouerne that motion they moue it deformedly and weakely This hapneth also in vs. For forasmuch as the deuine righteousnes is wanting in vs the A similitude grouÌ„d is corrupt wherby our workes ought to be rightly ordred accoÌ„plished But saith Pigghius to want this gift cannot be sinne in yong childreÌ„ For they are not bound by any debt or bond to haue it And if the aduersaries saith he wil say otherwise let them shew some law wherby we that are borne are bound Which thing saith he seing they cannot do let them cease to say that this wante of Originall iustice is sinne But we canne alledge not one lawe onely but also thrée lawes The first is the institution of man God made man after his owne image and similitude By what law they that are borne are bound to haue originall righteousnes What is the nature of the image of God Wherefore we ought to be such For God doth iustly require that in our nature which he made And the image of God doth herein chiefly consist to be endewed with deuine proprieties namely with iustice wisedome goodnes and patience But contrarywise Pigghius crieth oute that this is not the nature of the image of God for he sayth that it consisteth in vnderstanding memory and will as Augustine hath taught in his bookes de Trinitate and in many other places These thinges in deede do the Scholemen teach but we wil proue that the matter is far otherwise both by the scriptures and by the sentences of the fathers Firste in the Epistle to yâ— Ephesians it is thus written Put away the old man coÌ„cerning the conuersatioÌ„ in time past which is corrupted though the concupiscenses of error but be renued in the spirite of your mind put on the new maÌ„ which after God is created in righteousnes holines of truth And to the Collosians the 3. chap. Ye haue put on the new man which is renued in knowlege after the image of him that created him And a little afterwarde A trimme reason concerning the image of God he expresseth yâ— coÌ„ditions of this image saying Put ye on teÌ„der mercy goodnes modesty kindnes gentlenâ—s long suffering forbearing one an other forgeuing one an other And in yâ— 8. chap. to the Rom. Those which he foreknew he also hath predestinate to be made like vnto the image of his son All these things sufficieÌ„tly declare what that image of God is which the holy scriptures set forth vnto vs in the creation instauracioÌ„ of man Neither abhorred the fathers from this sentence Ireneus in his 5. booke saith that by the powring into vs of the holy ghost man is made spirituall euen as he was created of God And Tertullian against Marcian saith that that is the image of God which hath the selfe same motious and senses with God And the reason which perswadeth vs therunto is that man was therefore at the beginning made like vnto the image of God to be ruler ouer all things created as it were a certaine vicar of God And no man can doubt but that God will haue his creatures well gouerned For he continually commaundeth vs not to abuse them and we are bound by a lawe to referre all those thinges whereby we are holpen vnto God as from whome all things do flow But the good vse and right administration of thinges can not be had vnlesse we be endued wyth those condicions whiche we haue sayde are required vnto the Image of God But in that Augustine assigneth the Image of GOD to bee in the vnderstandynge memorye and wyll wee saye that he therefore Augustine is defended The faculties of the minde are the image of God but not when they are spoyled of vertues The law of nature requireth originall righteousnes did it to setforth vnto vs some form or example of the deuine persons in what case they are one to an other But he oughte not so to be vnderstanded as thoughe he would make these faculties of the mind being naked and spoyled of these vertues which we haue declared the image of God Wherfore we haue a law geuen vnto vs either by the institution or by the restitutioÌ„ of man which Paul commandeth and by this bond we are bound to haue originall iustice whiche we haue loste We haue also the law of nature to liue agreably vnto it as Cicero saith in his 3. booke de finibus is the principall and last end of mans estate And this lawe dependeth of that other law which we before put For it commeth of no other thinge that we haue in our mind cogitatioÌ„s accusing and defeÌ„ding on an other but onely for that they are taken of the worthines of nature as it was instituted of God For whatsoeuer Philosophers or lawgeuers haue written of the offices of mannes life the same wholy dependeth of the fountaines of our constitution For those preceptes The offices of the law of nature ar had of the institution of man cannot come out of a corrupt nature out of selfe loue and malice whereby we are prone to euil but they come of that forme of vpright nature which they imagine is required of the dignity of man and which we know by the scriptures was instituted of God and commaunded of vs to be renued And to this pertaineth as some say that law of the mind against which the law of the members resisteth There is also a third law which God would haue put in writing namely Thou shalte not lust Which precept although our aduersaries wrest vnto actual sinnes yet we wil By this precept thou shalte not lust is condemned the want of originall righteousnes Infantes feele not these lawes in the 7. chapt of this Epistle declare that it also belongeth to originall sinne and that God would by the commaundement haue all manner of wicked lust vtterlye cutte of from men Wherefore we haue now lawes whyche so longe as they be in force wyll perpetuallye bynde vs and make vs debitors all our lyfe tyme to performe that ryghteousnes whyche they require It is true in déede that infantes féele not these lawes and by that meanes sinne
other where Wherfore the cause must be proued by the word of God not by yâ— iudgement of multitude or fewnes Wherfore ther is no cause why the Anabaptists or Papists should so much glory the one of their fewnes and the other of their multitude For the truth of the doctrine must be proued by true and necessary argumentes taken out of the worde of God and not by probable argumentes I speake the truth in Christ I lye not my conscience also bearing me witnes By these wordes are not only ouerthrowen those thinges which are repugnant vnto that doctrine which we haue now set forth but also there is declared the very Election the fountaine of all good things fountayne of our saluation the fountayne I say of iustification and grace For it is the election of God from which doo flow all good thinges Wherefore the Apostle minding to speke of those things which the hearers would not take in very good parte thought it good by some preface to prepare theyr myndes to geue eare vnto him For he which goeth aboute to perswade any thing vnto an other man ought firste of all to labor to win the hearer vnto him For we do not easely hearken vnto those whom we suspect to hate vs. But this oration of the Apostle is so conterpeysed and tempered yâ— it mought neither to much displease What preâ—chers ought to obserue the minds of the Hebrues neither yet in yâ— meane time mought hide any thing froÌ„ theÌ„ which was nedefull for theÌ„ to know which thing yâ— preachers of our times ought to obserue For ofteÌ„times we se yâ— meÌ„ oâ—feÌ„d in either part For certain do so flatter theyr aduersaries yâ— they remit vnto theÌ„ many things which are not to be remitted they kepe in silence many things which yet to saluatioÌ„ are very necessary to be knoweÌ„ On the other side some seme to be moued with so great a zeale of piety yâ— they thinke it not inough to teach those things which are true necessary vnles also they do al maner of waâ—es exagitate stir vp theyr aduersaries by that meanes it coÌ„meth to passe that those men whome they would bring vnto Christ being with such reproches and clamors so made wery do not only not embrace the truth so offred them but also doo dayly more and more go backe from it The chiefe sentence of the Apostle in this place is this I haue conceaued What grief is an exceding griefe in mind by reason of the reiectioÌ„ of the Iewes Griefe as sayth Cicero in his Tusculane questions is a dissease which vexeth the mind and it is taken by reason of the euill which semeth to be alredy at hand and to be present For that dissease which is taken for an euil which is come is not called griefe but feare If a man demaund from whence this griefe springeth I Loue the cause of griefe aunswere from loue For when it goeth ill with them vnto whome we would good we beginne to be grieued But if vnto them whome we care not for or who are not deare vnto vs there happen anye misfortune that is not customable grieuosome vnto vs. The Apostle wonderfullye amplyfyeth hys sentence For he sayth not only 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is griefe but also he addeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The griefe or sorrow of wemen in trauail which word signifieth not a common griefe but yâ— wherewith wemen are payned when they are in trauell then which griefe there is in a maner none counted more grieuous or more bitter And when he had sayd Great he added also Continuall For there are many grieues which continuance of tyme mitigateth But Paul sayth that his griefe is perpetuall In my hart This is not a quality during but for a tyme as is that which springeth indeede of a vehement passion but yet such a passion as is short and during but for a while But this griefe had taken most deepe rootes in the hart of Paul He calleth the Hebrues his brethren although he was oftentymes very ill handled of them He himselfe was an Hebrew of the tribe of Beniamin as he writeth in his epistle to the Phillippians And he calleth them brethern according to the fleshe to signifie that in religion he dissented from them as such which had not obtayned either iustification or adoption by the faith of Christ I would wishe to be Anathema He mought haue sayd I would or could be content to be Anathema But by a more vehement word he would signifiâ— the force of hys wyll To be Anathema is a much more greater thinge then to be plucked away or to be seperated For these thinges may haue some end but It is neuer lawfull to put Anathema to any vse that which is made Anathema it is neuer afterward lawfull to vse And to adde a greater emphasis vnto his wordes I my selfe saith he would wishe By whiche doubling of the pronoune he would most expressedly signifie himselfe And when he addeth From Christ he yet also heapeth vp a greater waight for he speaketh of that Christ whome he affirmeth to be vnto him life knowledge wisedome iustification and redemption and from whome a little before he sayde he coulde by no maner of What Anathema is meanes be plucked away What thing Anathema properly is Chrisostome vpon this place at large declareth Anathemata saith he are those thinges which being consecrated vnto God are layde apart from other thynges and which also no man dare once either touch or vse Wherefore by translation those men are called Anathemata which are as persons contagious and execrable remoued from the Church and with whome no man dare afterwarde vse familiarity Vnto either of these Anathemata this thing is common to be seperated and remoued from men but the consideration is farre diuers For the first are seperated for honor sake but these men for horror and hatred sake because they are detestable Wherefore sometymes they are called piaculares that is polluted Sacer that is holy takeÌ„ in good and â—uell part The lattines also do after the same maner vse this word Sacer that is holy both in good and also in euill part For Horace sayth Sacer intestabilis esto that is let not the wicked man be receaued for witnes Also Virgill Auri sacra sames that is the wicked hunger of golde The Hebrues also vse in the same maner this word Cadosh in the either part so that that word signifieth sometymes to sanctifie and sometymes to pollute as it is written in the 2. chapter of the Prophete Haggeus and in the 22. chapter of Deut. And amonge the same Hebrues by one and the selfe same word is signified both this worde holy and also an harlot as well male as female as it is written in the 23. chapter of Deut. But Anathema in Hebrew is called Haram But to returne to the Greke worde Anathemata are by an other name called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
as God had commaunded in the booke of the law This exposition in dede semeth to be somewhat more witty and more likely Howbeit by the wordes of the holy history it is confuted For when Moses feruently prayed the Lorde answered Let me alone I wyll kill all thys people at once for their contumacy towardes me and will make thee a prince of an other people both much greater and also more noble Wherefore there is no reason why Moses shoulde desire to bée putte out of authority that he shoulde not bee the head of that people when as God of hys owne accorde and wyllingly offred that thinge vnto hym Wherefore we must nedes confesse that Moses desired none other thing then that which Paul now wisheth for Chrisostome is so much against this opinion which Ierome defendeth to Algasia that he sayth That such as so thinke are so farre from the truth as a blindeman is from the light of the sunne And of this his confutacion this reason he bringeth Paul saith he had before spoken many thynges of that straighte coniunction which he had wyth God when he sayd that neyther tribulation nor anguishe nor persecution nor hunger nor nakednes nor daunger nor sworde is able to seperate hym from the loue of God After that as though he had not yet satisfied himselfe he addeth neyther death nor lyfe nor aungels nor principalities nor powers nor thynges present nor thynges to come nor height nor depth nor any other creature Now after the rehearsall of so many and so great thynges what more weighty or more noble thyng could he bryng which could excell these thynges Could this that he would gladly suffer death to bring hys brethren vnto Christ But this sayth he is a very small matter if it be coÌ„pared with those thynges before spoken For before he had twise mencioned death but he whiche refuseth to geue hys lyfe for the truth and for the health of his neyghbour seperateth hymselfe froÌ„ God by feare of death And therfore he should haue added no new thing to that which he before had spoken Wherfore we ought to thinke that Paul had a regard to farre greater thynges then these men suppose he had There is an other opinion of those which thinke that Paul referred not these thinges vnto the time wherin he wrote them but vnto that tyme wherin he liued a straunger from Christ For the better declaration wherof we ought to vnderstand that there are certaine men which after that they haue cast themselues hedlong into any thing endeuour themselues by al meanes to draw others to the same not that the place and estate wherinto they haue transferred themselues liketh them but that hauing many companions ioyned vnto them they might either be the lesse reproued or els the thing which they haue yll begon might haue a more tollerable ende And thus these men expounde the woordes of Paul The Iewes mought haue suspected that Paul for that cause desired to bring al other meÌ„ vnto Christ for yâ— he himself had already geueÌ„ himselfe vnto him not for that from the harte he counted the thing good But not so saith the Apostle yea rather so deare is your saluation vnto me that so from the hart I desire to communicate this good thing vnto you that I would wishe my selfe to be accursed from Christ and not to be yet called vnto him so that ye might come vnto him that is I would earnestly desire that ye might haue come to Christ before me And this thinke they is to be made accursed for his brethreÌ„ And to haue some shew to proue this Thou séest say they that he saith not that he desireth now to be made accursed for that could he not do after he was once conuerted but onely he wisheth himselfe to be made accursed that is when he was not yet conuerted vnto Christ But euery man may easely sée that this interpretacion is wrested and troublesome and yet if we should receiue it Paul should not auoide it which he semeth most of all to eschue For what do they not consider that he which of loue desireth to haue bene once in times past accursed from Christ the selfe man desireth this also now to be made accursed For if he should haue done that to the honour of God how should he not do this also to the honour of God Howbeit this interpretation among others haue the Gréeke Scholies I will not now stand any longer about Graeca Scholia the confutatioÌ„ therof for that I doubt not but there are not many which wil defend it There ar others which go about to proue this desire of Paul by the law of God Men say they are so framed yâ— euery man when he is in trouble aduersity desireth gladly to be redemed by some other man yea euen with the hurt of him which should redeme him They adde moreouer that the law of God is that we should loue our neighbours as our selues Wherfore forasmuch as we our selues would gladly desire that an other man should be damned for vs therefore we ought also to wyshe the same to others that we our selues should be damned for them least we would otherwyse to be done vnto oure neyghboures then we woulde to bee done vnto oure selues if we were in the like case And farther they say that euery one of vs ought so to loue his neighbor as Christ hath loued vs but Christ for oure sakes did not only geue his life vpon the â—rosse but also was made a curse and was after a sort forsaken of the father For he cryed My God my God why hast thou forsaken me Wherefore they conclude that that thing which Paul and Moses did was dew hy the Law Here if thou demaund who caÌ„ performe this Law They will answere no man but yet are not godly men for that cause condemned For say they we all dayly want muche of the iuste obseruation of the Law but our dayly falles are forgeuen vs for Christes sake and that which wanteth of our righteousnes is made good by the righteousnes of the Lord which is ascribed vnto vs through â—ayth And yet ought not anye man therefore to slake his endeuor to performe this kynde of commaundement We must labor as muche as lieth in vs if it succede not we ought to lament and so shall it come to passe that â—inne shall not be imputed vnto vs so that we doo not vtterly shake of our endeuor which thinge some men doo which so farre fall that they hate theyr enemies and persecute them but we ought not so to flatter our selues For there are certayne kinds of sinnes so greauous that they can not stand with fayth and charity Howbeit we must confesse that this vertue which we se was in Moses in Paul is a verye rare vertue Wherefore this vertue may be called heroicall or noble This in dede is a good interpretation and commended of those men vnto whome in very dede for piety and
the foreknowledge of merites For acception of persons is when contrary to iustice distributiue we haue a A similitude respect vnto the conditions which make not a man worthy either of y◠gifte which is distributed or of the office which is committed to his charge as if a bishoppricke should be geuen vnto a man bycause he is beawtifull and of a tall stature or for that he is a stout warrior neglecting in the meane time other men more worthy and méete But of this fault God cannot iustly be accused For he findeth in vs no persons or qualities or conditions For we come all equally of the corrupte Masse of Adam Wherefore whatsoeuer afterward commeth either as touching giftes or worthines the same we haue not of our selues but of the goodnes of God But to returne to Ambrose who thinketh that some are elected for that God knoweth that they shall beleue and others are reiected for that he knoweth that they wil be enemies vnto the truth It appeareth also that Augustine beinge yet rude nor as a then a Bishop followed this sentence of his father Howbeit afterward when he had better examined the matter he reuoked it And Ambrose minde is that the loue and hatred of God springeth of faith or infidelitye foreséene Therefore he addeth Wherefore God foreknowing that they should be endued wyth an euyll wyll counted thē not in the nomber of the good although Christ said vnto the. 72. disciples whiche afterward fell awaye from hym as it is written in the 6. chapter of Iohn Reioyse and be glad for your names are written in heauen For they are sayde to be written accordinge to a certayne present iustice and not accordinge to foreknowledge And God forasmuche as he is a iust iudge iudgeth according to present iustice and not according to foreknowledge Wherefore that which the Lorde sayth to Moses in Exodus the 23. chapter If any man sinne against me I wyll blot him out of my booke is so to be vnderstanded that according to the righteousnes of the iudge he seemeth then to be blotted out when he sinneth but according to the foreknowledge of God he was neuer writen in the boke of life For Iohn sayth they wente out from vs for that they were not of vs for if they had bene of vs they had doubtles abiden with vs. Afterward Ambrose defineth the foreknowledge Definitiō of the foreknowledge of God after Ambrose of God and sayth that it is that whereby God hath certainelye appoynted what manner of will euery mans will shal be wherein he shall abide and whereby he shall ether be condemned or crowned wherefore there is no acceptation of persons in the foreknowledge of God And he saith that it is possible that they which shall be good to the end become sometimes euill as it came to passe in Dauid contrariwyse that they which shall at the last become euill and shal be condemned yet notwithstandinge sometimes seeme good as Saul Iudas Salomon and Ioas as long as Ioiada the priest liued We sée that Ambrose in this his sentence was brought to that pointe that to auoyde the acceptacion of persons he referred the election of God to the foreknowledge of workes least God should séeme vniust But we haue already declared that the equitye and The iustice and equitye of God is not here put in any danger iustice of God is nothing put in daunger if we rightly vnderstande wherein consisteth the fault of the acception of persons But amongst the new writers Phocius whose sentence is rehearsed amongst the Gréeke Scholies by purpose vnderstādeth as other do foreknowledge of woorkes and thereof he affirmeth springeth election when as by it is put a difference betwene men But election cannot be vnles there be put some difference in those things which ought to be elected But we Election cā not be but when there is differēce of thinges The difference of things to be lected is not taken of the nature of the thinges themselues but of the purpose of God say that this difference is not to be considered by the thinges themselues which are elected but by the sondrye purpose of God towardes them For whatsoeuer good thing is founde in men the same commeth from the méere mercye and goodnes of God Neither can God foreknow that any thing shal come to passe but that which he willeth to be For forasmuche as all thinges that are haue by his will that that they be whatsoeuer he foreknoweth shal be it is of necessitye y◠he willeth the same to be Wherfore God found no difference in men but he himselfe putteth differēce in thē The same Phocius addeth Although there were no other reason of the election of God but his will yet ought we therewithal to be contēt But there is an other namely his foreknowledge of workes But we haue alredy declared what deceiued this mā namely for that he thinketh y◠the difference which must of necessity be in election is alwayes taken of the thinges that are to be elected when oftentimes they come of the méere will of him that electeth But nowe will I come to Augustine who in his questions to Simplicianus in his first booke and 2. question at large entreateth of this matter He demaundeth in that place why the mercye of God which was present with Iacob was wanting in Esau And he maketh answere that it cannot be sayd because that the one should beleue the other should not beleue for that fayth it self is the gift of God which thing others also sayth he do confesse but therfore they say the one beleued for that he woulde receaue that when it was offred and y◠other beleued not for that he would not receaue it But this aunswere is not sufficient For then mought euery man ascribe his faith Our faith is not an effect of our will to his owne will and thus say Therfore haue I beleued for that I woulde And by that meanes he should haue wherof he might glory and the grace of God and our fayth should be of workes Farther vnto the Phillippiās Paul writeth that it is God which worketh in vs both to will and to performe according to his good will Wherefore no man can haue a will to beleue vnles God geue vnto him that will Moreouer A good wil is the gift of God it should then not be of God that hath mercye but of man that willeth runneth And it is meruaile sayth Augustine if these men were demaunded whether a good will be the gift of God if they durst deny it but peraduenture they wil say God in vayne hath mercy if man will not Which is imprudently spoken For euery man hath a will vpon whome God hath mercy But if thou demaunde what maketh in vs this good wil we answer the calling of God But that séemeth to be The calling of God of two sortes against this which we reade in the Gospel That many are called but fewe
would declare that this his assent to the truth resembled some We are also sorye by reason of the morall workes of the Ethnikes certaine shew of piety and of duty Wherefore in such workes which are morally called good the minde of the godly delighteth although therewithall also it sorroweth that those workes are not done as they ought to be done And as touching this present sentence of the Apostle we must not gather that he of sinne that is of zeale without true knowledge conceaued a loue and good will towardes the Iewes for he reasoneth not from the cause yea rather by the effect he declareth his loue towardes them namely in that he not onely prayeth for saluation for them but also agrauateth not the crime which they were guilty of but rather Paul loued not the Iews for their euill zeale as much as the thing suffreth excuseth it It should be a false kind of reasoning a non causa vt causa that is taking that for the cause which is not the cause if a man would hereby proue that Paul had a delight in the sinnes of the Iewes But if a man will nedes contend that this argument is taken from the cause we say that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which is englished harts desire is in this place an affect What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in this place signifieth The zele of the Iewes was sinne which pertaineth to mercy and so Paul had compassion vpon the Iewes for that he saw the Iewes so miserably erred And this sentence is of no small force to proue that that zeale of the Iewes though it were goodly to the shew was sinne for nothing stirreth vp mercy but only misery and calamity neither are we moued to pray for any that they might be conuerted from euil workes vnles the same workes were sinnes and that very hurtfull Wherefore I wonder at the Nicodemites of our tyme which obiect the history of Elizeus and of Naaman The Nicodemites of our time The fact of Naamā the Siriā very ill cited the Sirian to proue that it is lawful for them so that they thinke wel in in their hart to be present at vngodly supersticions For Naaman the Sirian although he were newly conuerted yet he vnderstoode that that was sinne and for that he had not as yet so farre gone forwarde to departe from his commodities he required of the Prophet to pray for him which declareth that he iudged that such a sinne neded pardon Wherefore we conclude that this zeale of the Iewes whereunto the Apostle now beareth record was in very deede sinne and although it haue some shew of vertue yet is it very farre of from it For as it is plaine by moral philosophy that vertues and vices are as touching Vices and vertues are occupied about one the same matter where about they are occupied one and the same but in forme much differ as fortitude and feare temperaunce and intemperance iustice and iniustice For one and the selfe same affectes when they are by right reason bridled to a mediocrity and when thorough vice they either want or exceede differ not in matter although the habites or qualities which are occupied about them are much differing And that which the Philosophers speake of vertues and of vpright reason we ought to transferre also vnto the holighost and vnto faith geuen vnto the scriptures And although in a good and euil zeale the affect be one and the same yet is the difference most great when it is gouerned by true knowledge and faith and when it is gouerned of it selfe and wanteth true knowledge As A similitude the water of the sea and rayne water although they agree together in matter of moisture yet are they sundred by very many proprieties differences These A good intent is not sufficient to make the worke good thinges haue I therefore alleadged to confute those which oftentimes defend wicked actes for that they are done of a good minde purpose or as they say entent as though euery zeale were sufficient to make the worke good Whose sentence if it were true mought easely excuse the Iewes in that they killed Christ and afflicted his Apostles for they beleued that by these meanes they defended the lawe of God and ceremonies of their fathers But the Apostle Errors in matters of faith is hurtfull Against workes of preparation saith otherwise when he attributeth vnto them zeale but yet a zeale ioyned with error but when error lighteth in matters of faith it is a deadly sinne Wherfore let them well aduise themselues what to say which so stoutly defend workes preparatory doubtles their meaning is nothing els but that men although before iustification they absolutely worke not good workes yet by reason of a certaine vpright purpose and zeale of congruity they deserue grace Such workes for as muche as they want true knowledge whiche is fayth it followeth that they are such a zeale as the Apostle nowe speaketh of We deny not but that God sometimes vseth suche our wycked workes by thē at length to bring vs vnto iustification but that we our selues do thorow them deserue iustification it is farre from the truth yea rather oftentimes Goodly workes are sometyme a let vnto saluation it commeth to passe that such workes are a great let vnto saluation For the Philosophers and Pharesies being dronken glutted with those goodly workes were ouermuch puffed vp and for that they delighted in thē selues they contented them selues with those workes neither endeuoured they to ascend vnto the true degree of righteousnes We are by this doctrine also of Paul We must not streight way geue place to zele admonished not straight way to geue place vnto zeale we must first trye and diligently examine it for oftentimes vnder the goodly shew thereof lyeth hidden most great impietie as it is manifest in the Iewes which slew Christ and persecuted the Apostles and as this place euidently declareth It is a greuous sinne to refuse to be subiet vnto God A rule to try zeale For they being ignorant of the righteousnes of God and going about to stablish their own righteousnes are not subiect vnto the rightousnes of God What more wickednes could haue bene deuised then to refuse to be subiect vnto God and to seeke to prefer their own righteousnes before the righteousnes of God The Apostle in these wordes geueth vs a rule whereby we may be able to trye and examine our zeale And that rule is this to see whether we will be subiect vnto God whether we can abide that all thinges shoulde bee attributed vnto God and claime nothing vnto our selues as the true knowledge of God requireth There are a great many in our daies which as it were by a certain zeale labour to defend worshipping of Images pilgrimages and other suche supersticious actes vnto whom if a man manifestly declare that those thinges are repugnant vnto the word of God they
our saluation they should haue no place at all left Howbeit afterward when he after a sort sawe that he neded not so much to be aferd of this matter he saith workes in deede are not required but yet they are to bee had that grace be not in vayne For Paul saith And his grace was not in vayne in me Wherefore good works saith he are to be had that we be not ingrate to the grace of God And if thorough grace it is not of workes Or els were grace now no grace Chrisostome not vnaptly knitteth this parte together with that whiche went before The Iewes saith he mought haue said vnto Paul It is true indede that we haue bene called of God not only by his word but by benefites miracles irritaciō but so greuous and hard thinges were required at our hands that we were not able to beare thē and therfore we folowed him not when he called vs. Not so saith Paul Grace was set foorth vnto you without woorkes and to séeke woorkes to the ende to attaine vnto grace had bene to darkē it But God suffreth not nether at any time hath suffred his gifts so to be darkened Wherfore workes are not required of you After that he moueth this question Why then are not all men saued Bicause saith he all men will not neither are anye saued but onelye those whiche will These thinges in déede are true if they be warelye vnderstanded otherwise they may deceaue the Reader It is true that they whiche It lieth not in our power to assent vnto the Gospell Grace is not commō vnto all mē How none are saued but they that will repell the Gospell will not beleue it and will not geue assente vnto the truth offered vnto them but yet muste we not therefore imagine that it lieth in their hand to will and to assent They will and beleue whose minde God boweth and whose hart he softeneth Neither muste we thinke that grace is common vnto all men Farther when it is sayd that they are saued whiche will two thinges are to be taken heede of The one is that we thinke not that this will is the cause why we are made pertakers of grace when as rather that assente of the will commeth of grace Againe we must beware that we ascribe it not vnto humane strengthes and vnto frée will as they call it and these two errors being excluded we graunte that none are saued but such as will for no man beleueth againste his will nor is Workes ar not to be◠counted as causes of saluation An argument taken of contradictoris compelled by any violence to receaue the Gospell The second part of the proposition namely that workes are to be excluded from being causes of saluation Paul proueth by an argument taken of opposites And for that the nature of opposites is manifold he vseth those kindes of opposites which are called contradictories which can by no meanes be true both at one time For then saith he grace shoulde not be grace and worke should not be worke But who séeth not y◠it is impossible y◠one and the self same thing should at one and the same time and in respect of one and the selfe same thing be called grace and not grace woorke and not woorke Doubtles this is the nature of contradictories that the one being put the other is destroyed the one being taken away the other followeth Paul also before proued this self thinge although not so manifestly when he sayd Beinge ignoraunte of the righteousnes of God and seeking to stablish their owne righteousnes they are not subiecte vnto the righteousnes of God In which wordes also we were then taught that they which went about to be saued by theyr owne righteousnes that is by workes fell away from the righteousnes of God which is the perfect and true saluation Moreouer by this reason of Paul is most strongly proued that that moste high grace of the election of God consisteth not of workes which God from eternally foresaw for that knowledge of God or as they cal it foresight causeth not but that a work is a worke And Paul when he here maketh mencion of election in plaine wordes declareth and testifieth that it is not had by workes Which being true as in very déede it must néedes be true neither can iustification be of woorkes when as the A rule of the Logicians If election were of workes we should by them also be iustified An argument taken a maiori rule of the Logicians which euen children knowe is this That whatsoeuer followeth of the consequente followeth also of the antecedente Wherefore if election should depend of workes forasmuch as vocation and iustification depend of electi◠it should of necessity followe that iustification commeth also of workes Neyther doth the difference of the time anye thinge helpe our aduersaries yea rather the proofe may be made a maiori that is of the greater If woorkes whilest they are extant and present haue not the power to merite either iustification or election much les can they do it when they are not yet extant but are onely foreséene For who can deny but that a thing which is is of more efficacy to bring forth a worke then when yet it is not Peraduenture vnto Ethnikes it is lawfull by workes to séeke righteousnes and by them to establish the fauor and election of God and so is it also for these Sophisters which as touching this doctrine little or nothing at all differ from Ethnikes But we which follow the oracles of the scriptures and wil cleaue fast vnto them ought by no meanes to graunte that the election of GOD dependeth of our woorkes The foundation of the Apostles reason is Thinges The foundaciō of the reason now brought whiche are rendred vnto woorkes are rendred of duety but thinges whiche are of grace are not of duety where we plainly sée that duety and not duety haue manifest contradiction And this roote of this argumente the Apostle before declared vnto vs in the. 4. chapter when he said If Abraham were iustified by works he hath in deede glory but not with God for vnto him which worketh reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt But of Abraham it is written that he beleued and it was imputed vnto him to righteousnes Wherefore Pauls argument leadeth to an absurdity or as they vse to say to an impossibility And doubtles they sinne greuously which acknowledge not the grace of God and they more gréeuouslye which séeke to obscure it but they intollerably and most gréeuously of all which vtterlye ouerthrow it Of this it followeth not but y◠God rewardeth good woorkes which How felicity may be called a reward are done of his faithfull but hereby followeth that merite is taken awaye is denied that the things which are geuen are due by the force of the worke Wherfore eternall life may indéede be called a rewarde but not that it
end and willeth them to weigh with themselues that they stād by fayth whereof they can not glory for that they haue freely receaued it at Gods handes In the first to the Corrinthians the 1. chapiter he sayth likewise that the beleuers stand by fayth Neyther is that hereunto repugnaunt which is written in the selfe same epistle in the 15. chapiter That the Corrinthians stoode in the Gospell for fayth is referred vnto the Gospell as to his proper obiect yea rather after a sorte it thereof springeth as we haue before hard Neyther is in this place entreated of men perticularly but of the congregation body of the beleuers And therefore he not without iust cause addeth Be not high minded but feare For euen as the Church of the Iewes is now extinguished and Affrike likwise and Grecia and Asia haue lost many churches The comparison is declared No perticuler mā oght to stand in doubt of his saluation So long as we liue here we cannot vtterly shake of all feare so is it to be feared lest the self same thing happē now vnto the Churches which seme to stand Wherefore let them not puffe themselues vp But no man of the member of the faythfull ought to be in doubt of his own saluation For the nature of fayth is to make men assured of the promise of God Howebeit thys is to be knowen that it is not possible that so long as we liue here we should vtterlye shake of all feare For we are continuallye tossed betwene two cogitations the one of the goodnes fayth and constancye of GOD the other of our corruption infirmitye and prones to euill For when we consider howe weake we are and prone to euill and consider also the filthines and imperfection of our workes thoughe they be neuer so good there with all the seuerity of the lawe in requiring euen to the vttermost the thinges which it commaundeth This consideration I say if it be vehement can not but excedingly make a feard the minde and deiect it But on the other syde when we consider the clemency goodnes and mercy of God and his constancy in his promises and therewithall also remember that all the merites of Christ are communicated vnto vs we are refreshed and recreated and the feare is eyther lenified or els sometymes vtterly layd away And these affectes where they are perfect vehement doo succede the one the other for they can not be both at one tyme or if they be both at one tyme then are eyther of them remisse and not vehement But in what maner they geue place the one to the other we may by daylye experience vnderstand For if any man be set vpon the toppe of an highe toure and if being there his mind runne vpon nothing els but vpon the heigth of the tower and what a déepe way he should fall so that he can not fall without daunger of death it is not possible but that his mind being still vpon this he should be altogether smitten with an horrour But if he turne his eyes a syde to the barres or battlements which stay him vp so that he can not fall then will he plucke vp hys spirites agayne and put away all feare Neither ought it to seme vnto any man straunge that we say that fayth expelleth that feare which is ioyned with doubting Faith doth no lesse expell feare then doth charity of saluation when as in Iohn it is sayd that charity dryueth feare out of doores For it is most certaine that that which the scripture attributeth vnto charity ought much more to be attributed vnto faith for charity springeth of it But as we haue alredy sayd Paul in this place entreateth not of men perticularly but of the publique profession of Christ and of the preaching of the Gospel and of his religion receaued in any whole nation or prouince And that which is here spoken ought to stirre vp godly men to most feruent prayers for the preseruation of the churches After that he addeth a reason of his sentence For if God spared not the naturall branches take hede that he also spare not thee He reasoneth à minori that is of the lesse for it séemed les likely that the naturall branches should be broken of then they which are agaynst nature Now if they be broken of thē is it much more to be feared lest others also should be cut of But let vs sée what is to be vnderstanded by the natural branches or by the brāches of nature which phrase Paul a litle afterward also vseth Chrisostome sayth Forasmuch as in things natural is found necessity in this place can not be put that necessity for that holynes and these gifees of God whereof we now entreat may both be in vs and also be remoued away from vs. Wherfore he thinketh that here is rather to be vnderstanded a certayne likelines of truth and consequence as we commonly saye that that is naturall whiche reason iudgeth probable and agreable Ambrose expressedly writeth these woordes For if they which throughe the prerogatiue of the fathers were woorthye vnto whome also was made the promise and which were adopted of God into childrē were for theyr incredulity sake made blind what shall become of them which are without any commendation exalted on high and which being of no dignity at all are brought to honour But Origen by nature vnderstandeth frée will as though this whole dignity should depende of frée will which opinion we haue a litle before confuted Wherfore Ambrose commeth nerer vnto the truth who referreth this dignity or worthines to the promise of God althoughe none of them haue properly declared why mencion is made of nature And Paul in my iudgement therfore maketh mencion of nature for that the children of the saints were so borne that they came out of a good trée and out of an holy roote The etimology of this worde nature And verely the etimologie of this woord nature is deriued of this woord nasci that is to be borne And yet is not this so to be taken as though they should haue in themselues the beginning of holynes for that dependeth of the goodnes promise and will of God For there is no part of the blessing of God to be attributed vnto the stocke of the fleshe being considered apart by it selfe but so far forth as vnto the stocke or propagation is ioyned the promise which is a thing of great efficacy which promise if we will know of how great force it is let vs looke vpon How the blessing of God in towardes the stocke and propagatiō of the flesh the nation of the Iewes which was in déede sinfull and contaminated with many kinds of sinnes and yet it cessed not to be the people of God vntill they had publiquely denied and reiected Christ although euen then also remnants of them were saued Howbeit that people was first corrected with the rodde and with afflictions and sometymes sent into captiuity
before that grace And in the 25. chapter We ought to preach and to beleue that by the sinne of the first man free will is so decayed and diminished that no man afterwarde can either loue God as he ought to do or beleue in God or for Gods sake to worke that which is good vnles the grace and mercy of God preuent him Wherfore iust Abell Noe Abraham Isaac Iacob and all the saintes in the olde tyme are in the Epistle vnto the Hebrues sayd by faith to haue done those thinges which are in the holy scriptures mencioned to haue ben done by theÌ„ which faith we haue before taught to come of God And Paul writeth of himself I haue obtained mercy that I might be faithful But he saith not I haue obteyned mercy because I was before faithfull but contrariwise And in the self same chapter This also we plainly confesse and beleue that in euery good worke it is not we our selues that do first begin and afterward are holpen wyth the mercye of God but that he first inspireth in vs both fayth and the loue of hym and that without any of our merites goyng before Wherefore we must without all doubt beleue that both Zacheus and the thiefe and also Cornelius attayned not to beleue by nature but by the gift of the goodnes of God These thinges haue I alleaged out of the Synode of Arausicanum peraduenture more largely then may seme to be conuenient for this place but for this cause haue I the willinglier done it for that I saw that al those things which are there affirmed are confirmed by the holy scriptures and do excedingly muche serue for our purpose Such Councels vndoubtedly gentle Reader are to be harkened vnto which leane vnto the worde of God For whatsoeuer commoditie or discommoditie the church hath the same ought wholy to be ascribed vnto the obseruation or contempte of the worde of God For in the olde and auncient councels how were Arius Eunomius Nestorius Eutiches and other pestiferous heretikes onercome but by the worde of God For without doubt they could neuer by any other engines be ouercome and vanquished And contrariwise when began yâ— church to geue place vnto abuses supersticions but when the word of God was conteÌ„ned And now in our times vnles the word of God had bene sought for and called agayne in a maner out of exile how could we euer haue bene deliuered from the tiranny of the Pope Let these few thinges be a warning vnto vs not rashly to beleue euery councell but let vs receiue those councels only which haue soundly Tridentinum consilium coÌ„firmed the decrées of their doctrine by the scriptures But to make that which I say more manifest I will speake somewhat of the Councell of Trent that by the contrary the truth may yâ— better be vnderstand In that Councel the 5. SessioÌ„ from the 5. chap. vnto the 11. chap. is entreated of iustification There these good holy Fathers namely the hirelinges of the Pope do thus decrée That the beginning of iustification is of grace But what grace they there vnderstaÌ„d they straight way make plaine For thus they say It calleth and it stirreth vp they which are to be iustified are so holpeÌ„ by it that beyng called and stirred vp they geue assent vnto this grace and worke therwith and are made apt to regeneration but this assent and workyng together they affirme as the wordes declare to be done by frée will What more could Pelagius say if he were now on lyue For neither did he also deny grace if thou take it for an admonitioÌ„ calling and stirring vp He also attributed this vnto What is the worke of grace in â—â—stificatioÌ„ frée will that it had power to assent and to obey the commaundements of God But the grace which the holy scriptures set forth vnto vs renueth our vnderstaÌ„ding and will and in stead of a stony hart geueth vs a fleshy hart For it doth not only counsel our reason but also fully persuadeth it and boweth and changeth the will Our men of Trent graunt in dede that God toucheth the hart of man by yâ— illumination of the holy ghost but lest a man himself should do nothing they adde yâ— he receiueth the inspiration as he which may also refuse it Wherfore they fully coÌ„clude yâ— it pertaineth to man to receaue although they confesse that he can not do that vnles he be called and stirred vp by grace But how can the hart of man vnles it be renued by the spirite and grace of God receaue those thinges agaynst which by reason of his nature being yet corrupt and vitiate it resisteth Assuredly though it be neuer so much stirred vp taught and moued yet vnles it be vtterly chaunged it wil continually withst and and resist Wherfore Augustine It is not in our power that those thinges which are set forth vnto vs should please vs. ad Simplicianum writeth very well That it is not in our power that those thynges which are set forth vnto vs should be acceptable and pleasant vnto vs. But we chuse not that thing which is neither acceptable nor pleasant though we haue neuer so many admonishers to stirre vs vp As if there should be offered vnto a sicke man good healthfull meates and very pleasantly dressed yet because they are neither pleasant nor acceptable vnto him he refuseth them though there stand many by and say vnto him that those meates are wholesome and very well dressed The selfe same thing vndoubtedly happeneth vnto a minde not yet regenerate but that as touching the receiuing of the grace of God there can be done no violence vnto the minde but the sicke person may be compelled to take meates that are vnto him vnpleasaunt Wherfore so long as our will and vnderstanding is not changed by the spirite of God it will not admit any healthfull admonitions And euen as a sicke person before he be restored to health neither abideth nor gladly receiueth meates when they are offered him so also the minde of man vnlesse it be chaunged from infidelitie to faith from impietie to godlines as saith the Synode of Arausicanum it neither obeyeth nor geueth place vnto grace which calleth and stirreth it vp which thing yet the good Fathers A place of Zachary declared of Trent affirme But lest they should seme to speake without scriptures they bring forth two testimonies The one out of the first chap. of Zacharie Bee ye conuerted vnto me and I will be conuerted vnto you This say they hath a respecte vnto the man who is commaunded that euen in iustification he shoulde doo somewhat But Ieremy sayth Conuert vs Lord and we shall be conuerted by which word is declared that vnto this conuersion is also required the helpe of God And by this meanes they deuide the whole matter betwene God and man But Augustine many other of the Fathers ascribe the whole acte of our iustification vnto God onely But as touching
tonges And yet notwithstanding Paul speaketh truth that if they had tonges and I should speake with them yet that shold nothing profite me without charitie And this exposition Basilius confirmeth in an Epistle aâ— Neocaesarienses For hâ— saith that the Apostle minded in this place to commend charitie and he saith that he vseth those reasons not that al those things which he here maketh mention of can be seperated from charitie Wherfore of the former interpretation we haue Chrysostome for an author and the latter interpretation Basilius confirmeth Let Pighius goe now and of this saying of the Apostle conclude if he can that which he so much contendeth for But as touching those words of Mathew Lord haue we not in thy name prophesied and in thy name cast out Deuils c. which things Pighius denieth can be done without faith and yet they which haue done them are not iustified when as they are excluded from the kingdome of heauen we may answere with the selfe same solution which we haue now brought namely yâ— they whoÌ„ Mathew maketh meÌ„tion of had the faith of signes or a deade faith but not a true and iustifying faith moreouer I sée not how true this is that miracles can not be done without faith For God sometimes worketh miracles not for his faiths sake by whoÌ„ they are Miracles are not always done for fayth sake done but either to illustrate his glory or to beare testimony vnto true Doctrine Vndoubtedly Moses and Aaron when they strake water out of the rocke of strife wauered in faith And yet God to the ende he would stand to his promesse with a great miracle gaue water vnto the people and reproued Moses and Aaron of infidelitie And Naaman the Syrian doubted of recouering his health in the waters of Iordane yea also he would haue gone his way for that he sayd that the riuers of his countrey were muche better then Iordane And yet notwithstanding God left not his miracle vndone And when the dead body was cast into the sepulchrâ— of Elizeus by a great miracle it came to passe that at yâ— touching of the dead bones of the Prophet life was restored vnto it But there was no faith there neither in the dead corps nor in the bones of the Prophet nor in them which brought the dead man thither And yet not alwayes when faith is absent is graunted vnto theÌ„ that aske to doe miracles For in the Actes we read that when the sonnes of the high priest Skeua the exorcist would haue cast out Deuils in the name of Christe whome Paule preached the Deuill answeared Iesus I know and Paule I knowe but who are ye And straight way ran vpon them Here we sée that God woulde not geue a miracle when it was asked as it is most likely of wicked and vnbeleuyng men Howbeit contrariwise we haue in Marke the 9. chap. that a certayne man did cast out Deuils in the name of Christ who yet followed not Christ and when Iohn would haue reproued him Christ alowed him not By this Pighius myght haue séene that to the working of miracles is not alwayes required â—aith And yet if I should graunt him that faith is of necessitie required thereunto were sufficient either the faith of signes or also a dead faith Wherfore Pighius in his second confirmation proueth nothing for it hath nothing in it that is sincere Now let vs examine his thirde proue Iohn saith many of the princes beleued in him But they confessed him not for feare they should haue bene cast out of the sinagâ—ge Wherfore they were not iustified by faith This reason is but a watrish reason not so stroÌ„g as he thinketh it to be For we deny yâ— they had the true faith truly For yâ— asseÌ„t of theirs was nothing but an humane asseÌ„t For wheÌ„ they saw yâ— by Christ wer wrought woÌ„derful works that his doctrine was confirmed by most euident signs they began by a certayne humane perswasion to geue credit vnto hym The There is a certaine saith which is humane and is not in 〈…〉 led of God deuil also for yâ— he certainly knoweth of many things done by God asseÌ„teth vnto yâ— truth and beleueth it And yet it is not to be thought that he is by a true fayth induced to beleue And that these rulers had not the true and liuely fayth hereby it is manifest for that Christ sayde vnto them How can ye beleue when as ye seke for glory at mans hand By which words we vnderstand that that they which more esteme humane glory then piety can not beleue truly in God And those Princes were to be numbred amongst them for they so much did set by their estimations and the iudgement of men that rather then they would be cast out of the Sinagoge and be noted of any infamy with the people they would forsake the confession of the name of Christ Wherefore when as the Lord saith that such could not beleue and Iohn affirmeth that they did beleue it is manifest that they spake of a Two places conciliated which seme at the first sight to be repugnaunt diuers and sundry fayth vnles we will say that two contradictories may both at one and the selfe same tyme be true Wherefore Iohn spake of an humane fayth but Christ of the sincere and true fayth Which true fayth ought to be ioyned with confession as Paul declareth saying with the hart we beleue vnto righteousnes and with the mouth is confession made vnto saluation He which séeth the connexion bebetwene righteousnes and saluation must nedes also sée the coniunction which ought to be betwene fayth and profession Wherefore we say that their faith was a dead fayth But a dead fayth is not fayth no more then a dead man is a man Although A dead faith is not faith D. Smith one Smith in a certayne litle booke of his Iustification which he wrote agaynst me contendeth that a dead fayth is fayth which he proueth chiefly by this argument for that the body of a dead man although it be dead is notwithstanding a body And this good wise man wonderfully delighted in this his similitude In which yet he hath vttered a sophistical argument not vnméete for his diligeÌ„ce and wit For let vs a litle examyne this notable similitude I would haue him to answer me whether a carkase be the body of a dead man or simply the body of a maÌ„ I thinke he will not answer that it is the body of a man for the body of a man a dead carkase differ much the one from the other and that in very déede more theÌ„ two formes of one and the selfe same general word for that they are contayned vnder diuerse generall wordes being next together I graunt that the carkase of a dead man is a body in the generall word of substaunce as are stones stockes and Whether a karkase be the body of a man such other like But that
Germanie the Electors of the Empire vse somtimes to doe But to returne to Paul those two offices of powers which he mentioneth are the principallest and most necessary and such that they compreheÌ„d in maner all other offices of power Solon was wont to say that the coÌ„mon wealth consisteth in two things in rewarde and in punishment And Antistenes the Philosopher was accustomed to say that those Cities tended to destruction and present ruine where was no difference betwene good and euill His meaning was that good Citezens ought to be adorned with rewardes and wicked men scourged with punishment Vvilt thou be about feare of the power He vseth a kinde of reasoning where in is a preuention ioyned with the confutation of that thing which mought easely come into a mannes minde These powers although they bring many things profitable To be astâ—id of the powers is irkesome yet oftentimes they are terrible and they driue into men a terror feare which is a thing very irkesome Wherfore Paul sayth behaue thy selfe wel thou shalt be without feare For know thou for a certaintie that either thou shalt receiue praise of the power or if the same power be ouermuche violent and cruell God will geue vnto thée so muche strength and constancie that thou shalt be able with a valiaunt and stout courage to suffer all manner of extremities For if he gaue this thing vnto Socrates Anaxarchus and Seneca which were Ethnikes and to infinite martyrs of Christ then doubt not but that he will geue vnto thée the selfe same thing wherefore be not afeard of the power if thou behaue thy selfe vprightly and blamelesly Thou shalt haue praise of it It is no small praise to be acquited in iudgment It was counted a praise vnto Cato that whereas he was so oftentimes accused he It is no small prayse to be absolued in iudgement was alwayes absolued and acquited It is also a great praise if a man liue so holily and innocently that in iudgement nothing can be layde against him As when Fimbria had accused Sceuole and was demaunded what fault he could lay against him which was counted a man so vertuous and innocent he answered for that when he strake him his weapon ran not through out his whole body For he is the minister of God He is as it were his vicare on the earth And as Monarches or Emperors doe not in waighty matters leaue destitute theyr lieuetenaunts and deputyes so God forsaketh not his ministers and those whome hâ— hath appointed to be rulers but when the state of things are by these earthly powers God leueth not the magistrate destitute of his proâ—ection Tokens of the gouernment of god as touching powers brought into extreme daunger he sometimes by his owne power and myght endeth all things and worketh wonders For we haue oftentimes séene in very great authoritie certaine wicked gouernoures or rather pestilences of common wealthes which haue bene punished by a wonderfull meanes and way when as otherwise they were in great estimation with their Princes We haue also ofteÌ„times great offenders which wheÌ„ as otherwise they mought most easly haue fled away haue bene so daseled and ouerwhelmed with darknesse that they could not flye I would to God princes would take the rules of their administration out of these offices here described of Paul They should not then so be led by theyr lustes neither should they commit those things which God by Samuel describeth in the law of a kind and which he foretolde tyrannes should doe The Prince is appoynted to be in stéede of GOD betwene GOD and men and shall vndoubtedlye one day render an accompte to GOD of hys doinges It is his dewty to be carefull for those that are his subiects and vnder him and to Good princes maâ—e vertues â—asy procure for them whatsoeuer is profitable and commodyous Verye well wrote Chrisostome when he sayth that good princes make vertues easy when that they both vrge them by example and impel men vnto them by feare and punishmeÌ„ts A man shal sée many that doo as it were abhorre vertuous life which yet wheÌ„ they are by the force of the lawes and by feare compelled to acquaint themselues with it are by litle and litle so taken with the woorthines therof that afterward they diligeÌ„tly practise it And this was the reason why Augustine wheras before he was An example oâ— Augustine of this iudgement that the magestrate ought not to punish heretickes afterward changed his mind For the other Bishops alledged for examples many Churches which for feare of the Emperors and of the lawes fell away from the sect of the donatistes had now by long continuance so acquainted theÌ„selues with the catholike truth that they would be no meanes depart from it For when those reasons had bene very often inculcated into them which before they could not heare at the last they appeared vnto them as they were indede most true Chrisostome also The magistrate hâ—â—peth the ministers of the church admonisheth that publique powers doo helpe the ministers of the Church For we sayth he teach the people piety chastitye and modesty we dehorte them from murthers false witnesses adulteries and thefts But the magestrate draweth them to accompt for these thinges by theyr iudgementes wherefore it semeth sayth he that he conspireth with vs and woorketh together with our function Origen also is of the same mind entreating of a place in the 15. chapiter of the Actes The Apostles decréed that the Gentiles should obstayne from flesh offred to idolls from fornication from bloud and from that which was strangled And they sayd they would lay no other burtheÌ„ vpon them And at the last they thus conclude If ye absteyne from these thinges ye shall doo well Fare ye well If sayth Origen they would not charge them with mo precepts doo they therefore leue vnto them murthers theftes periuries lustes and adulteries free Not so sayth he But there was no nede to decree any thing touching these thâ—ngs For these are iudged by the magestrate and are prohibited by ciuill lawes For he beareth not the sword for nought Therefore he sayth that the magestrate is to be feared of the wicked for that before him are borne swoordes and The sword which is borne before the Prince what it signifieth scourges axes Which are tokens and iustruments of punishmentes wherwith are punished those which offend agaynst the lawes The sword declareth yâ— they as the lawiers vse to speake haue a mere impery Vlpian sayth yâ— that is a mere impery which hath the power of the sword to punish wicked offenders For he is the minister of God an auenger to wrath As he is the minister of God to thy good and commodity if thou doo well so is he the minister of God to wrath that is to vengence if thou behauest thy selfe ill Neither ought he to whoÌ„ The magistrate iâ— a keper both of the first table
himselfe amongste those which receiue profite out of the holy scriptures For he saythe not they are written for your learning but for our learning Neither is there any cause why the Anabaptists together with the Maniches and Marcionites should bark against The thinges which are in the olde Testament pertain to vs. the olde Testament For here Paul bringeth a testimony out of the Psalmes in the olde Testament Origen by a certaine learned induction proueth that those things which are written in the olde Testament pertainâ— also to vs. Paul in the first Corin. sayth that those things happened to them in a figure and were sealed in wrytings for our sakes vpon whome the ends of the world haue come And in the same Epistle he citeth this sentence Thou shalt not binde the mouth of the Oxe that treadeth out the corne and this he declareth was not so spoken as though God hadde a care ouer Oxen but for that they rather serue for vs. And to the Galathians he sayth that Abraham had two sonnes which in very dede shadowed vnto vs two Testaments And to the Corinthians he saythe that the Israelites did eate Manna in the wildernes and dranke of the rocke that we might knowe that they did eat the spirituall meat and drink of the spirituall drinke namely of the rocke that folowed them and that rocke was Christ Thus much Origen And doubtles it would be tedious if a man The common people ought not to be prohibited from the reading of the holy scriptures The vtilitie of the holy scriptures should recken vp all such kind of testemonies By these thinges also let those men consider which seke to prohibite Christian men from the reading of the holy scriptures how ill they prouide for theyr commodity whilest the labour to defeÌ„d theyr owne obstinacy inueterate abuses and supersticions That we thorough patience consolation of the scriptures might haue hope This thing Paul attributeth to the doctrine of the scriptures that it easely bringeth men to patience and maketh them willing wholy to committe all that they haue to the gouernaunce of God And thereout he declareth are taken most swete consolations and most feruent exhortacions wherby the minds may be thoroughly stirred vp to execute the dewties of piety and of loue And by that meanes being fensed with a strong and sound hope we shal neuer afterward wauer in nor out as children and reedes doo These notable and excellent giftes sayth Origen he attayneth not vnto out of the scriptures which only redeth them when yet in the meane time he beleueth them not neither vnderstandeth them but he which both vnderstandeth them and beleueth them Although I thinke that vnto these woordes is to be added that God of his goodnes geueth at the length vnto men that dayly rede the holy scriptures grace both to vnderstand and to beleue and chiefely seing that fayth The reading of the holy scriptures is profitable both to the beleuees to the vnleuers Patience and consolation commeth of the scriptures commeth of hearing the light of fayth shaketh away the darkenes of ignorance Wherefore the reading of the holy scriptures is most profitable both to them that that beleue and to them that doo not beleue And patience and consolation is sayd to procede of the scriptures both for that God geueth these thinges vnto them which pereseuer in reding of the holy scriptures and whith beleue them and also for that in them we rede that Christ and his members haue for the truth and for innocency and piety sake suffered many greauous and sharpe things and by such examples we are mooued moreouer also for that by them we vnderstand that God hath alwayes bene present with his so that he hath eyther vtterly deliuered them or ells he hath made them constant and valiant to suffer all thinges And thereof we conceaue a good hope that God wil also be the same God towardes vs and that he will haue vs in the same place and nomber that in times past he had them which are commended vnto vs in the holye Scriptures Neyther are we mooued by such examples only but also we heare God himself exhorting vs to patience and to valiantnes and also promising vnto vs his helpe And therby we are made couragious and doo fele sondry and manifold consolations and also we are stirred to a good hope of the chiefe felicitie Novv the God of patieÌ„ce and consolation geue you that ye may be like minded one towards an other according to Christ Iesus That we should not thinke that the very scriptures can of themselues engender in vs patience and hope and consolation â–ª Paul pronounceth God to be the true author of these giftes He vseth indede The scriptures are not of them selues the efficieÌ„t cause of these giftes the holy scriptures as lawfull instruments by which he engendreth these things in our hartes Neyther doth Paul in vayne adde this kind of prayer For thereby we vnderstand that it is not inough that we teach vprightlie and faythfully vnles God geue strength and efficacy to our doctrine Wherefore they which preach and teach the people ought also with dayly and feruent prayers to helpe them whome they instruct that they being by God made good ground may receaue sede with fruite He calleth God the God of patience and of consolation for that he can God is named by his effâ—ctâ—s not be named otherwise of vs but of his effectes And amongst other effects which are attributed vnto God Paul in this place mencioneth those chiefely which serued most to his purpose and which a litle before he had attributed to the holy scripture He wisheth vnto the Romaines mutuall agréement for that at that time they somewhat disagréed amongest themselues as it is manifest by those thinges What agrement is wished which we haue before red Howbeit he wisheth not vnto them euery kind of agrement but yâ— which is according to Christ For many conspire together and well inough consent in committing of wicked actes and that very oftentimes agaynst Christ But we must not pray vnto God for such an agreement but rather must pray against it Or els by According to Iesus Christ he vnderstandeth that they should be instructed according to his example That ye with one minde â—nd with one mouth may glorify God and the father of our Lord Iesus Christ It is not inough with one mouth with one the selfe same words to glorifie God Christ vnles also be added one the self same mind which is to be vnderstanded by the coniuÌ„ction of charitie namely that all discords be vtterly banished away There is also required an agréement in the principall Touchyng what thinges an agrement is necessary in the church poyntes of doctrine and in the articles that are necessary to saluation As touching thinges probable it is not of necessity that all men be of one the same mind concerning them so that charity be
are rich beawtifull mighty and in honour they ought to know that this is not the Apostolicall loue Riches indede and beawty and honour are the giftes of God but yet not such that we ought with a singular loue to embrace them And the Church that 〈◊〉 in theyâ— house Paul writeth the selfe same thing of these persons in the first to yâ— Corinthians the last chap either bycause that theyr famely was so godly enstructed that it mought seme to be a Church or els for that the faythfull gathered together into theyr house to celebrate holy assemblies And this interpretacion I thinke to be the likelier although Chrisostome Origen and Ambrose follow the first The first fruites of Achaia They which before all others come to professe religion plainely declare that they litle regard men and the iudgements of the flesh but only follow the impulsioÌ„ of the holy gost Origen in stede of Achaia redeth Asia whome he that will follow let him vnderstand Asia the lesse wherein is Ephesus I meruayle at Ambrose which referreth first fruites to present dignity as though he were placed in some magestrateship or principality which semeth not vnto me very likely and especially for that this word in Christ is added My kâ—nsmen and fellovv prisoneâ—â— Kinred alone could not haue moued him but he the gladlier mencioneth them for that they had suffred together with hym They came to Christ before Paul they are called notable amongst the Apostles not that they were of the number of the 12. Apostles but for that as it is most likely they had sowed abrode the Gospell in many places and had built many Churches Origen thinketh that it is possible that they were of the number of the 72. disciples Which I thinke can not be for they fell away from Christ But how attributeth he this vnto his wife as though the office of the Apostleship could agrée also with her Paraduenture they are called notable amongst the Apostles for that they were well knowen vnto them and were of no small reputation in the Church of Christ This sence I dislike not so that the very wordes be not repugnaunt thereunto Them which are of Aristobulus house He biddeth not them to salute Aristobulus Narcissus made a freman by Claudius Cesar himselfe peraduenture for that he beleued not in Christ Yet he had of â–ª his housholde that were Christians Which self thing is also thought of those whome he addeth the friendes of Narcissus This man was made a frée man by Claudius Cesar and was a man of great might but otherwise wicked an extorcioner and one euill spoken of howbeit Ambrose thinketh that he was an elder In the Lord For all the family of Narcissus beleued not the gospel Vnto these men he ascribeth no titles paraduenture for that they were weake and did not so boldly professe the Gospell Apollo Origen thinketh that Apollo was that Apollo borne at Alexandria but I know not how I should be of his minde touching that For so great a man without doubt should haue bene adorned with some most notable title He therefore peraduenture sayth that these women â—hryphona Tryphosa Persis Mariae laboured for that they had suche a ministery as before we sayde Phebe had His mother and mine He calleth this woman mother bicause of her affection The boke of Hermas is not in the Canon towardes him and not that she was so by nature So before he called Phebe his sister Hermas Origen thinketh that this man was the author of the boke called the booke of the Pastor which scripture he sayth séemeth to him holy and inspired by God which is a plain argumeÌ„t that that boke is not to be receiued as Canonicall VVith an holy kisse This amongst the Hebrues was a token of peace and of brotherly amitie All the churches of Christ salute you Here are ment those churches through which Paul had passed or which were nigh to those places Now brethren I besech you marke them diligently which cause diuision and offences contrary to the doctrine which you haue learned and auoide them For they that are such serue not the lord Iesus Christ but their owne bellyes and with faire speche and flattering deceiue the hartes of the simple For your obedience is come abrode amongst al. I am glad therfore of you but yet I wold haue you arise vnto that which is good and simple coÌ„cerning euill The God of peace shall treade sathan vnto your fete shortly The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you I beseche you brethren marke them diligently which cause diuision and offenceâ— He had willed them before to salute the godly Now he admonisheth them to beware of the wicked He willeth them diligently to marke and to consider them for that as it oftentimes happeneth they can not easely be found out but after loÌ„g time and after that they haue done some great mischief In these words are noted the false Apostles and as Chrysostome sayth diuers of the Iewes which by reason of the ceremonyes of the lawe did cause diuision and dissension in the Churches These men serued theyr voluptuous pleasures and their bealy and not God such as they were also whome the Lord sayd deuoured the houses of widowes Suche men Paule to Timothe calleth intractable vaine speakers deceiuers of mennes mindes and which were of the circumcision They ouerthrow sayth he houses they teache those things which are not meete for filthy gaine sake whose mouth oughte to be stopped A certaine Prophet of theyrs sayd That the men of Crete haue alwayes bene liers â–ª euill beasts and slouthfull bellies And in the latter Epistle to Timothe which crepe into the houses of widowes and lead captiue wemen laden with sinnes always learning and neuer comming to the knowledge of the truth They vse fayre speach sayth he but by theyr flattering they seke nothing else but to deceiue you These are two marks to know false Apostles by They serue theyr bealy and speake fayre or flatteringly Such men sayth Origen ment Christ when he said They come vnto you in shepes Two markes to know false Apostleâ— â–ª by Onely by the word of God false doctrine is discâ—rned from true clothing but within they are rauening wolues shéepes clothing are fayre wordes the gredines of the belly signifieth the rauening of Wolues And Origen addeth See in how great daunger they are which exercise not them selues in the holy scriptures by which only these men are discerned These wordes are diligently to be noted that true doctrine is discerned from fals by the holy scriptures only We make not discordes in the churche as the bondslaues of the Pope falsly slaunder vs but we as muche as lieth in vs and as our bounden duety is resist theyr conspiracye which they haue made against the truthe and with which they haue so long time oppressed it And auoyde them The Church hath no other sword but excommunication This sword the Apostle admonisheth them to vse against
these men Your obedience This he therfore addeth least by reason of this adnioâ—ition he might séeme to haue no good opinion of them And this in déede is the common interpretation But I like very wel that which Origen sayth that here is couertly reproued the ouermuch easenes and redines of the Romaines to beleue For yâ— redynes putteth liers and false Prophets in hope to deceiue them Wherefore he exhorteth them not so easely to suffer them selues to be deceiued Which exposition yet if any man shall thinke not to agrée with this that foloweth I am glad therfore of you we ought to vnderstand that it is better to offend on that behalf For if they should haue true doctrine taught them and sound teachers there shold follow very great fruit Wherfore hâ— exhorteth them and stirreth them vp to prudence namely to heare with iudgement and to try examine those things which are spoken before that they beleue them I would haue you sayth he wise to that which is good and simple concerning euill as if he should say Be ye without guil and fraud and be not crafty and subtil to deceiue and to doe iniuryes Paule requyreth at theyr hands simplicity but yet ioyned with prudence he requireth also prudeÌ„ce but yet a simple prudence So Christ sayde Be ye prudent as serpentes and simple as doues Wherfore let no man boast of the ignorance of the scriptures or of the want of knowledge in doctrine or of vnskilfulnes in doing of thinges as thoughe this should be counted vnto him a praise For God will haue vs vnskilful to committe things vniust but prudent wary circumspect industrious to finde out to iudge and to performe those things which are good And the God of peace shall tread Sathan vnder your fete shortly Out of this notable promise the Romanes in times past mought and we at this day may receiue We are made sure of the victory most swéete consolation and confirme our selues valiantly to fighte séeing that we are assured of the victory He promiseth that the troubles dissentions and offences wherewith the Church of Rome was troubled should be diminished and broken and therewithall also sheweth that all our temptatioÌ„s are to be ouercome by the strength and helpe of God There is no small emphasis in this word Conterere that is to treade vnder For it is vsed in those things which are so broken that they can by no meanes be restored againe But this perfect full and absolute victory we haue not in this life For here the deuil still renueth warre against the seruaunts of God Therefore some thought that this saying of Paul is to be referred to the comming of Christ which for that Paul beleued to be euen at the dores therfore he addeth shortly But Ambrose thinketh that this is to be vnderstanded of Paules comming to Rome For by it they should so be confirmed that all impediments of saluation should vtterly be expelled But I thinke neyther of those expositions to be of necessity For we may simply vnderstand that Sathan shall be ouercome and so ouercome that he shal no more be able to do any thing to hinder our saluation And Paule by this kinde of speche séemeth elegaÌ„tly to allâ—de to that which is written in Genesis that the serpent in déede should bruse the héele but his head should be broken in pieces by the séede of the woman Which thing for as much as Christ hath performed he hath also geuen power to his members to be able to doe the same In Luke the 10. chapiter the disciples sayd vnto Christ Euen Lord the deuils also are through thy name subiecte vnto vs. Vnto whome Christe answered I saw Sathan like lightning fal downe from heauen Behold I geue vnto you power to treade vpon Serpents and Scorpious and ouer all the power of the enemy And yet is not this victory to be taken in this sense as though henceforth we shal no more be assaulted with temptations for oftentimes temptations are profitable for vs. And Temptations are profitable for vâ— lest we shald geue ouâ— selues to idleâ—es euen when we are in to much security and haue all things quiet and in tranquillity God himself stirreth vp vnto vs an aduersary that our strength being at conflict with him should not waxe heauy in slouthfulnes but should with a godly exercise be stirred vp The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you Vnder the name of grace he comprehendeth both the fauor of God towards his and also the effectes thereof that is sundry giftes and faculty and endowmentes All which vnder one word he wisheth vnto the Romanes Towardes the end of the chapiter going before he wished vnto them peace saying The God of peace be with you all Here he wisheth vnto them grace that forasmuch as he had begonne thys epistle with these words Grace vnto you and peace so also he mought wyth the selfe same wordes end it Timotheus my fellow worker and Lucius and Iason and Sosipater my kinsemen salute you I Tertius which wrote thys epistle salute you in the Lord. Gaius myne host and the host of the whole Church saluteth you Erastus the receauer of the City saluteth you and so doth Quartus a brother The grace of our Lord Iesus Christ be with you all Amen Timotheus my fellovv worker saluteth you Before with great diligence he reckoned vp those whome he would haue at Rome to be saluted in his name now also he reckeneth vp those which send salutacions vnto them And before that we come to the rehersall of theÌ„ this is not to be passed ouer that amongst those which No mencioÌ„ is made of Peter dwelled at Rome and were saluted of Paul no mencion at all is made of Peter who if he had then ben at Rome it is not likely that Paul would haue ouerhipped him For these so diligently whome he sendeth salutacions were much inferior to him Of Timothe I will speake nothing For his name is famous both in the Epistes of Paul and in the Actes of the Apostles And this semeth to be sufficient to the commendacion of him that Paul oftentimes calleth him his sonne and his naturall Lucius peraduenture is Luke sonne And in this place he calleth him fellow worker Lucius This man Origen supposeth to be Luke whose name is drawen of Paul to the forme of the names of the Romanes Iason Of this man is large and manifest mention made in the Actes of the Apostles the 17. chapiter The Iewes that were at Thessalonia were troublesom vnto him and accused him vnto the Magestrate for that he had geueÌ„ lodging and harbrough to Paul and Silas Sosipater This man paraduenture as Origen thinketh is that Sosipater the son of Pirrhus of Berea of whome also Luke maketh mencion in the Actes I tertius which wrote this epistle salute you in the Lord. Tertius sayth Ambrose not in nomber but in name No man is ignoraÌ„t but that the Romanes were called