Selected quad for the lemma: truth_n

Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
truth_n	faith_n	justify_v	work_n	4,711	5	6.9461	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A08830	The benefite that Christians receiue by Iesus Christ crucifyed. Translated out of French into English, by A.G. 1573; Dal beneficio di Christo. English	Benedetto, da Mantova, fl. 1534-1541.; Flaminio, Marco Antonio, 1498-1550.; Golding, Arthur, 1536-1606, attributed name.; Paleario, Aonio, 1503-1570, attributed name.	1573 (1573)	STC 19114; ESTC S120980	53,945	119

that the iustification by fayth was sufficient of it selfe but went about stil to be made rightuous by the law Unto whom S. Paule saieth Iesus Christe shall nothing profyt you that iustifie your selues by the Lawe for you be falne from grace bicause that we thorough the spirit of fayth wayte for the hope of rightuousnesse Now if the séeking of rightuousnesse forgiuenes of sinnes by the kéeping of the lawe which God gaue vppon mount Sinai with so great glorie and maiestie be the denying of Christ and of his grace what shal we say to those that will néedes iustifie themselues afore God by their owne lawes and obseruāces I would wish that such folkes should a little compare the one with the other and afterward giue iudgment themselues God myndeth not to doe that honour nor to giue that glorie to his owne lawe and yit they will haue him to giue it to mennes lawes ordinances But that honour is giuen onely to his onely begotten sonne who alone by y sacrifice of his death and passion hath made full amends for all our sinnes past present and to come as sainct Paule and sainct Iohn declare Wherfore as oftē as we apply this satisfactiō of Iesus Christs vnto our soules by fayth out of all dout we obteyne forgiuenes of our sinnes and become good rightuouse before God through his ryghtuousnes And therefore after that sainct Paule hathe said that as touching the ryghtuousenes of y lawe he had liued vnblameable he addeth yit whatsoeuer I haue gayned by it I haue accounted it in al respects to be but losse for the loue of christ And specially I esteme al things to be losse for the excellēt knowledge of Iesus Christ my Lord for whome I haue counted all thinges to be losse déeme them but as dung so I may win Christ bée foūd in him not hauing myne owne rightuousenesse which is of the lawe but the righteousnesse which is by the fayth of Iesus Christ which rightuousnes is giuen of god I mene the rightuousnes of faith that I may come to the knowledge of Iesus Christ. O most notable wordes which all Christians ought to haue ingrauen in their hartes praying God to make them to tast it perfectly Lo how S. Paule sheweth plainly that whosoeuer knoweth Christ aright estéemeth all the works of the law to bée hurtful for so much as they make vs to swarue from our trust in Iesus Christ to whom euery man ought to impute his saluation to trust only vnto him alone And to inforce this sentence the more he addeth further that he estéemeth all things but as dung so he may gayne Christ and be foūd incorporated in him declaring thereby that whosoeuer trusteth in his own workes and pretendeth to iustifie him selfe by them getteth not Iesus Christ nother is ingreffed into him ▪ And forasmuch as the whole mistery of our faith consisteth in the truth hereof ●o the end we might the better vnderstand what he ment to say he addeth and repeteth oftentimes y he had nothing to doo with al the outward iustification al the rightuousnes that is groūded vppon the keping of the law but that he wold cloth him selfe with y rightuousnes which God giueth by faith to al thē y beleue that all our sinnes are fully chastized punished in Iesus Christ that Iesus Christ as S. Paule saieth is made our wisdome rightuousnes holines redemption to the end as it is written y he which will glorie should glorie in the lord not in his own workes Uery true it is that in the holy scriptures ther are some texts to be found which being misvnderstode séeme to gaynsay this holy doctrine of S. Paules to attribute iustification remission of sinnes vnto works to charitie But those authorities haue alredy bin wel expounded by somme who haue shewed playnly y such as haue vnderstode thē in the sence aforesaid vnderstode them not aright Wherfore my déerebeloued brethren let vs not folow the fond opinion of y bewitched Galathiās but rather let vs folow y truth which s. Paul teacheth vs let vs giue the whol glorie of our iustification vnto Gods mercy to y merits of his sonne who by his own bludshed hath set vs frée frō y souereintie of the law from y tyrannie of sin death hath brought vs into y kingdom of god to giue vs life and endlesse felicitie I say yet further y he hath deliuered vs from y dominion of the lawe insomuch as he hath giuen vs his holy spirit who teacheth vs all truth and that he hath satisfied the lawe to the full giuen the same satisfaction vnto al his members that is to wit to all true Christians so as they may safely appéere at Gods throne bicause they be clothed with the rightuousnesse of hys Christ and by him deliuered from the curse of the lawe Then cannot y lawe any more accuse vs or condemne vs nor moue our affections or appetites nor increase sin in vs And therefore Sainct Paule saieth that the Obligacion which was against vs is cancelled by Iesus Christ discharged vppon the trée of the crosse insomuch as he hath set vs fr●e from the subiection of the lawe and cōsequently from the tyrannie of sin death which can no more hereafter hold vs oppressed bicause it is ouercome by Iesus christ in his resurrectiō so cōsequently by vs which are his members in such maner y wée may say with Saincte Paule and with the Prophet Osee Death is quyt● vanquished destroyed O Death wher is thy 〈◊〉 O Hel wher is thy victorie The sting of Death is ●in and the strength of sin is the lawe But God bée praysed who hath graunted vs vic●orie by our Lord Iesus Christ. He is the bles●ed séede that hathe crusshed the head of y ve●emous Serpent that is to wit of the Diuell insomuch that all those which beléeue in Ie●us Christ reposing their whole trust in his grace doo ouercome sin death the Diuel and Hell as Christ hath done Hée is that blessed séede of Abraham in the which god hath promised blissednesse to all Naciōs It behoued euery particuler person to fight with the sayd horrible Serpent and too deliuer hym selfe from that curse But that enterprise was so great that all the force of the whole world knitte together was not able too go through with it Wherfore our God y father of mercie being moued with compassion of our miseries hath giuē vs his only begottē sonne who hath deliuered vs from y veni● of the Serpent is him selfe become our blissednesse rightuousnes condicionally y we accept the same renoūcing al our own otward iustifications Then my déere bréethren let vs imbrace the rightuousnesse of our Lorde Iesus Christ and lette vs make it ours by means of fayth let vs assure our selues that we bée rightuouse not for our

lyght of our trust which hath great recompence reward But thys so holy and diuine affiance is gendred in our harts by the working of the holie ghost who is cōmunicated vnto vs by fayth which neuer goeth without the loue of god And hereof it commeth that wée bée prouoked to dooe good works with a certeine liuelines and effectuall cherefulnes wherby we gather such a strength and inclinacion to doo thē as wée be throughly redie and foreward to doo and suffer all intollerable things for the loue and glorie of our moste graciouse and mercyfull father who hath inryched vs wyth so abundaunt grace through Iesus Christ and of his enemies made vs hys moste déere children This treue fayth is no sooner gyuen a man but he is by and by indewed and imprinted with a certeine violent loue of good works to yéeld right swéet and amiable frutes both vnto God and likewise to his Neybour as a verie good frutefull trée And it is no more possible that he should bée otherwise than it is possible that a fagot should be set on fyre not cast light immediatly This is the holye fayth without the which it is vnpossible that anie man should please God and wherby all the holie men as well of the old Testamēt as of the new haue bin saued according as Sainct Paule witnesseth of Abraham concerning whome the Scripture sayeth that Abraham bel●●ued GOD and it was reckened too him for rightuousenesse And therfore hée sayth a little before We beléeue that a man is iustified by fayth without the déedes of the Lawe And in another place he saith Sothen in that time shall the remnant be saued according to the election of grace and if they be saued by grace then is it not by workes for then were grace no grace And to the Galathians he sayeth it is a manifest matter that no man becommeth rightuouse before God by the Lawe bicause the rightuouse liueth by faith And the lawe consisteth not in beleefe but he that performeth the thinges that the Lawe commaundeth shall liue by that performance And further hée sayeth that a man cannot become rightuouse by the déedes of the law but onely by beléeuing in Iesus Christ. Agein a little after he sayeth that if a man can become rightuouse by the Lawe Iesus Christ dyed in vayne Moreouer to the Romaines making comparison betwene the rightuousnesse of the Lawe and the rightuousnesse of the Gospell he sayeth that the one consis●eth in the dooing of workes and the other in beleuing For if thou confesse our Lord Iesus Christ with thy mouth and beleue in thy hart that God hath raysed him vp from death thou shalt be saued For the beléef of the hart maketh a man rightuouse and the confession of the mouth maketh him safe Lo how this good teacher Sainct Paule sheweth euidently that faith maketh a man rightuouse without any workes And not only Sainct Paule but also the holy Doctors that came after him haue confirmed and allowed this most holy trueth of Iustification by fayth among whome Sainct Augustin is the chiefe who in his booke of fayth and workes and in his booke of the Spirit and the Letter and in his booke of fourescore and thrée questions and in his booke which he did write to Boniface and in his treatise vpon the xxxj Psalme and in many other places defendeth this article shewing that we become rightuous by faith without any help of good works howbeit that good works are the effects of rightuousnesse and not the cause of it And he sheweth that y wordes of S. ●ames being soundly vnderstood are nothing contrary to this article Whith thing Origen doth also affirme in his fourth booke vpon the Epistle to the Romanes saying y S. Paules meaning is that fayth only is sufficiente to make men rightuouse insomuch that a man becommeth rightuouse only by beléeuing although he haue not doone anye good work at all For so it is that the théefe became rightuouse without the workes of the lawe forasmuch as the Lord sought not what good workes he had done in time past nor wayted vntill he had done any after he had beléeued but hauing accepted him for rightuouse vpon his only confession tooke him for hys companion euen when he should enter into Paradyse Likewise that so renowmed woman in the gospel of Sainct Luke while she was yit at the féete of Iesus Christ herd it sayd vnto hir thy sins are forgiuen thée And a little after he saieth vnto hir thy faith hath saued thée goo thy way in peace Afterward Origen sayth In many places of the Gospel a man may sée how our Lord Iesus Christ hath spoken in such wise as he sheweth that fayth is the cause of the saluation of the beleuers Thē is a mā made rightuouse by faith and the workes of the lawe further him nothing at all On the contrarie where faith is not which faith maketh the beléeuer rightuouse although a man doo the workes which the law cōmaundeth yit notwithstanding forasmuch as they be not builded vppon the foūdation of faith albeit y to outward appearance they séeme good yit can they not iustifie him that doeth them bicause he wanteth fayth which is the marke of thē that are become rightuouse before god And who is he that cā boast himselfe to be rightuouse whē he hereth God say by his Prophet ●say that all our rightuousnesse is as a defiled cloth of a menstruouse woman Then can wée not iustly glorie in our selues but in y only faith of the crosse of Iesus Christ. S. Basill in hys Homilie of humilitie sayeth y the Christian ought to hold himself for rightuouse through beléefe in Iesus Christ and his wordes are theis The Apostle sayeth that he which glorieth should glorie in the Lord in that God hath made Iesus Christ to be our wisedome rightuousenes holinesse and redemption to the end y he which would glorie should glorye in the Lord bicause that the perfect and sound glorying is to glorye in the lord For in so doing a man presumeth not vppon his owne rightuousenes but acknowledgeth his want of the true rightuousenes and that he is made rightuouse only by beléeuyng in Iesus Christ. And Sainct Paule gloryeth of the despyzyng of hys owne rightuousenesse and of his séeking of Christes rightuousnes by fayth which commeth of god Sainct Hilary in his ninth Canon vppon the exposition of Sainct Matthew sayeth these words The Scribes considering Iesus Christe but only as mā were troubled that a mā should forgiue sinnes and pardon that thing which the Lawe could not doe bicause that onely fayth iustifieth Sainct Ambrose in expounding these wordes of Sainct Paule vnto him that beleeueth in him vvhich iustifieth the vngodly his fay the is accounted for rightuousnesse according to the purpose of Gods grace like as Dauid also sayeth that the man is blissed whom God accompteth rightuouse

rightuousenes doth supply all our vnclennes imperfection which are not laied to our charge forsomuch as thei be couered vnder the pur●nes and innocēcie of Iesus Christ and come not to iudgement before god And hereuppon it commeth to passe that all our workes which procede of trew faith notwithstanding that they be wholly sinfull and corrupt of themselues shall neuertheles be praysed allowed by Iesus Christ in the generall iudgement bicause they be the fruites and testimonies of our fayth wherby we be saued For insomuch as we haue loued y brethren of Iesus Christ we shal shewe euidently y we haue also bin faithful and brethrē of Christ and therefore by fayth we shal be put in full possession of the euerlasting kingdome which our souerein Lord god hath prepared for vs before the creating of the world not for our merits sakes but through his mercie wherby he hath chozen vs called vs to the grace of his gospel and made vs ryghtuouse to the intent to glorifie vs euerlastingly with his only begottē sonne Iesus Christ who is the holines and rightuousenes of vs but not of them which wyll not confesse that faith is sufficiēt of it selfe to make a man rightuouse and acceptable to y Lord God who through his fatherly goodnes and louingkindnes offereth giueth vs Iesus Christ with his rightuousenes without any desert of our owne workes What thing can worke or cause a man to deserne so great a gift treasure as Iesus Christ is This treasure is giuen only through the grace fauour mercifulnes of god and only faith is the thing that receiueth such a gift as to make vs inioy the forgiuenes of our sinnes And therfore when S. Paule other doctors say that on●ly ●ayth maketh men ryghtuouse without workes they mene that it maketh vs to inioy the generall forgiuenes of our sinnes to● receiue Iesus Christe who as saieth sainct Paule dwelleth in our hartes by fayth ouercomming and pacifying the trubbles of our consci●̄ces satisfieth gods iustice for our sinnes Furthermor it appeaseth gods wrath iustlimoued ageinst vs quencheth the fyre of hell wherin our natural corruption did throw vs headlong chéerfully destroieth ouerthroweth y Diuel togither with al his power and tiranny Which thinges all the works that all the men in y world can lay togither are not able to deserue nor to bring to passe That glory and that prerogatiue is reserued alonly to the sonne of God that is to wit to the blissed Iesus Christ who hath power aboue all the powers that are in Heauen in Earth and in Hell and giueth himself his merits to al such as distrusting in thēselues do set their whole hope of being saued in him and in his merits And therefore let no mā begwyle himselfe when hée hereth it sayd that only faith iustifieth without works and think as fal●e christians doe who drawe al thinges to liue fleshly that the trew faith cōsisteth in beleuing the bare storie of Iesus Christ after the same maner as men beleue y storie of Caesar or of Alexander Such maner of beléef is but an historicall beléef groūded merely vppon the report of men and vppon their writinges lighly imprinted in our conceyt by a certeint custome is like to the faith of the Turkes who for the lyke reasons beleue y fables of their Alcorane And suche a fayth is but an imagination of man which neuer reneweth the hart of mānor warmeth it with the loue of God neyther do any good works insew or any chaūge of life which faith should bring forth And therfore they fal●●y hold opinion ageinst the holy scripture and ageinst the holy Doctors of the church that only faith maketh not mē rightuouse but y they must also haue works Unto whom I answer that this historicall and fond beleef and all the works that insew thereof are not only vnable to make a man rightuouse but also do cast the parties headlong to the bottom of hel like vnto those that haue none oile in their Lampes y is to say no liuely faith in their harts The fayth that maketh men rightuouse is a work of God in vs wherby our old man is crucified and wée being transformed in Iesus Christ become new creatures and the derebeloued childrē of god This heauenly fayth is it that graffeth vs into the death and resurrection of Iesus Christ and consequently mortifieth our flesh with the effectes and lustes therof For when we by the operation of fayth do know our selues to be dead with Iesus Christ we are at a full point with our selues and with the world and are throughly resolued how it is méet that they which are dead with Iesus Christe should mortifie their earthly● members that is to wit the sinfull affectiōs of their mynd and the lustes of the flesh and forasmuch as we know we be raysed again which Christ we bend our selues to the leading of a spirituall and holie lyfe like vnto that which we shall liue in heauen after the last resurrection This holie faith making vs to inoy the generall pardon that is published by the gospel bringeth vs into the kingdome of our good god and pacifyeth our consciences mainteyning vs in continewal ioy and holie and spiritual swéetnes This selfe same faith knitteth vs vnto god and maketh him to dwell in our harts and clotheth our sowle with himself so as thenseforth the holie Ghost moueth vs to doo the same thinges wherunto he moued Iesus Christ whyle he was in this world was conuersant among men that is to wit vnto lowlines mekenes obedientnes vnto God louingnes and other perfections wherthrough we recouer the image of god For this selfesame causes Iesus Christ did rightly attribute blissednes vnto this inspyred fayth which blissednes cannot be without good works holines of lyfe And how can it be that a christian shold not become holie seing y Iesus Christ is become his holines through fayth Therfore by fayth we be iustified and saued and therfore S. Paule doth in a maner alwaies call those Saincts whom we call now christians who if they haue not Christes spirit are none of Christes and consequently no christians at all But if they haue the spirit of Iesus Christ to rule and gouerne them we must not dowt but that although they know well y they be made rightuouse thorough fayth onely yit for all that they will become neuer the more slouthfull to do good workes For Christes spirit is the spirit of loue and loue cannot be ydle nor cease from the dooing of good workes But if we will say the truth a man can do no good workes except he first know himselfe to be become ryghtuouse by fayth for before he knoweth that his doing of good workes is rather to make himselfe ryghtuouse than for the loue and glorie of God and so he defyleth al his works with selfeloue for the loue of himself for his

vnto vs not only allureth vs to giue our selues one to another but also by making himself common to vs all maketh vs also to be all one selfsame thing in him In respect wherof wée ought to couet and procure that in all of vs there may be but one mind one harte one tung accorded and vnited togither in thoughtes words and déeds And we must mark well that as oft as we receyue this holy and worthy Sacrament we bind our selues to al the deuties of charitie as not to offende any of our brethren nor to leaue anything vndon that may be profitable and helpfull in their necessitie But if there come any to this heauenly table of the Lord that are diuided at variance with their brethrē the same must assure themselues that they eate vnworthely and are gilty of the bodie and bloud of the Lorde and that they eate and drinke their own damnation for that there wanted nothing on their behalf but that the body of Iesus christ was rent and plucked in péeces again whilest they by hatred are deuided frō their brethren that is to wit from the members of Iesus Christ and haue not any parte with him and yit neuertheles in receiuing this holy communion pretended to beléeue that their whole saluation consisteth in the participation and vnion with Iesus Christ. Then let vs go my brethrē to the receiuing of this heauenly bread to celebrate the remembrance of our Lordes passion and to strengthen and fortifie the beléefe and assurance of the forgiuenes of our sinnes with the remembrance thereof and to quicken vp our myndes and tungs to prayse and exalt the infinite goodnes of our God and finally to cherish brotherly loue and to witnes the same one to another by the streyght vnion which all of vs haue in the bodie of our lord Iesus christ Besydes prayer thé remembring of Baptim and the often resorting to the most holy communion ther is one other verie good remedy against distrust and fearfulnes which is no lesse fréende to christian charitie namely the remembrance of our predestination and election to eternall lyfe grounded vppon the word of God which is the sword of the holie Ghoste wherwith we may beate backe our enemies Reioyce yée in this sayeth the Lorde that your names are written in heauen There is no greater ioy in this life nor any thing that more comforteth the christian that is afficted tempted or falne into anie sinne than the rememberance of predestination and the assuring of our selues that we be of y nomber whose names are written in the booke of lyfe and which are chosen to be fashioned like vnto the image of Iesus Christ. O how vnspeakable is the comfort of him that hath this fayth museth cōtinually in his hart vppon this exceding swéete predestination whereby he knoweth that although he fall often yit notwithstanding god his father who hath foreordeined him to euerlasting life holdeth him vp and reacheth out his hand vnto him continually And he sayeth continually in himselfe if god haue chozen me and predestinated me to the glorie of his children who can hinder me If God be with vs sayeth sainct Paule who can be ageinst vs Nay rather to the ende that the predestination may be accomplished in vs he hath sent his déere beloued sonne who is a most sure earnest penny and pledge vnto vs that we which haue receyued the grace of the Gospell are gods Children chozen to eternall lyfe This holie predestination maynteyneth the trew Christian in a continuall spirituall ioye increaceth in him the indeuer of good works inflameth him with the loue of god maketh him enemie to the world to sinne Who is so fearce hardharted which knowing y god of his mercy hath made him his child frō euerlasting will not by and by bée inflamed to loue GOD Who is of so vyle and ba●e courage that hée will not estéeme all the pleasures all the honours and all the riches of the world as filthy myre whē he knowes y god hath made him a citizen of heauē yea theis are thei y worship god rightly in spirit truth receyuing all things as wel in prosperitie as in aduersitie at the hand of God their Father and euermore praysing and thāking him for all as their good father who is rightuouse and holy in all his workes These being inflamed with the loue of God and armed with the knowledge of their predestination feare neither death nor sin nor the Diuill nor hell neyther knowe they what the wrath of god is for they sée none other thing in god but loue fatherly kindnesse towards them And if they fall into any troubles they accept them as tokens of gods fauour trying out with S. Paule who is it that shall separate vs from Gods loue shall tribulations shall anguish shall persecution or hunger or nakednesse or perill or sword as it is written for thy sake are we killed all the day long and counted as shéepe appointed to the slaughter But in all these things we get the vpper hand thorough him that hath loued vs Wherefore it is not for nought that sainct Iohn sayeth how the true christians know right well that they must be saued and glorified and that by reason of the same affiance they make themselues holy as Iesus Christ is holy And when Saint Paule exhorteth his Disciples to a good and holy life he is wont to put them in remembrance of their election and predestination as of a thing of very great force to stirre vp the mynds of the true Christians to the louing of God and to the performance of good works And for the same cause our good lord Iesus christ speaketh openly of this holy predestination as one that knew of howe great importance the knowledge thereof is to the edifying of his elect But perchaunce thou wilt say to me I know wel that they whose names are written in heauen haue cause to liue in continuall ioy and to glorifie GOD but in word and deed but I know not whither I am of that number or no and therefore I liue in continuall feare specially bycause I knowe my selfe to bée an excéedinge weake and frayle sinner from the violence wherof I am not able to defend my self but that I am ouercome of it daily And furthermore for asmuch as I se my self cōtineually afflicted and troubled with dyuerse temptations methinks I do as it were behold with myne eyes the wrath of God squorging me Too answere to theis dowtes of thyne I say my ryght dere brother that thou must assure thy selfe that al theis are but temptations of the deuill who by all meanes séeketh to rob vs of that faith and confidence that springeth of faythe and assurethe vs of Gods good will towardes vs He laboreth to strip our sowle out of this preciouse garmēt for he knoweth that none is a trew Christian except he beleue Gods

some one may say to mée that the christian can not by any means know that he is in gods fauour without some speciall reuelation and so consequently that he cannot knowe whither he be predestinated or no. And hée may specially alledge these woordes of Salomon A man knoweth not whither he be worthy of hatred or of loue and also these wordes of the Apostle Sainct Paule to the Corinthians I féele not my selfe gilty of any thing and yit féele I not my selfe iustifyed for all that It séemeth to be sufficiently declared by the textes of holy Scripture that the saide opinion is false and now remaineth onely to be shewed briefely that these two textes whereuppon the same opinion is chiefly grounded ought not to be taken in that sence As touchinge Salomons sentence although it bée scarse well and faythefully translated in the common translation yit is there not any man so dul who in reading Salomons whole discourse may not playnely perceyue by saying so he ment that if any man will take vppon him to iudge by the casualties ▪ that happen in this lyfe who is loued or hated of GOD he laboreth in vayne considering that the selfesame chaunces which light vppon the rightuouse light also vppon the vnrightuouse vppon him that Sacri●●zeth as wel as vpon him that sacrifizeth not as soone vpō the good mā as vpō y sinner Wher of it may be gathered y god doth not always shew his loue towards those whō he indueth with outward prosperities contrariewyse that he sheweth not his displeasure towards those whom hee punisheth Then my right deere brethren in Christ Iesus our Lorde doe you thinke it reason to conclude that a man cannot be sure of Gods fauour bycause the same surenesse cannot bee perceyued by the sundrie chaunces that happen euery day in theis transitory temporal things A litle afore Salomō saith y a man can not discerne any difference betwene y soule of a mā the life of a beast for it is seene that both mā beast die after one maner Shal we then conclude by this outward accident y the persua●iō which we haue conceiued of the immortality of the soule is groūded but only vppon coniecture No surely and it were a great follye to stande vppon a thing so notablye knowen And as for Saincte Paules words I say that for asmuch as he was sp●aking of the administration of the gospell hée ment that his hart misgiues him not of any misdealing therin and yit for all that that he is not sure he hath done his whole duetie to the full and therein obteyned the prayse of rightuousenes to Godward as if hée had done all that pertained and was conuenient to be done by a faithfull Steward and therfore in speaking of his office like a iust and discrete persone he durst not iustifie himself nor auow that he had discharged his deutie to the vttermost and satisfyed his lords wil but ●eferred all things to the only iudgemēt of his lord And verely who soeuer readeth these words of the Apostle Sainct Paule and considereth the wordes going afore them with some iudgement and likewise the woordes that folowe will not doubt but this is the true sence of them I know well that some men in expounding these words of the Apostle sainct Paule say that although he knewe himself to be without sin yit he knewe not whether he were rightuouse to Godward or no accordinge as Dauid affirmeth that no man can perfectly knowe his owne sinnes But these mē perceiue not that Saint Paule groundeth not rightuousenes vppon woorks but vpon faith and that hée vtterly refuseth his own rightuousenesse to imbrace only the rightuousnes which God hath giuen vs thorough our Lord Iesus Christ. Also they consider not that he was most certein to bée accepted for rightuous in maynteining the soundnesse and purenesse of the christē faith and that he knewe well howe the crowne of that righteousnes was layd vp for him in heauen and also that hee was fully assured that no creature in heauen earth nor hell was able to separate him from the loue of God and that he longed to dye bicause hée knew for a truth y after his death he should be with Iesus Christe All which thinges should be false if he had not bin well assured that he was rightuouse I meane by faith not by works Therfore my déerbeloued brethren let vs cease to speake that thing of the Apostle Sainct Paule which he neuer once thought of himself but féersly fought agaynst it continually in answering such as measured rightuousenes by woorks not by faith in our Lord Iesus Christ. But besides these two auctorities of Salomon and sainct Paul a man might alledge some other places of holy scripture which wheras they warne and incorage men to feare God séeme to be contrarie to the assurance of this our predestination And if I would declare them all particularly I should be ouer long But I say generally that y feare of punishment was proper to the old Testamēt and childly loue to the new Testament according as S. Paule witnesseth when he sayeth to the Romanes ye haue not receyued the spirit of bondage to feare but ye haue receiued y spirit of adoptiō wherby we ●rye father father And likewise vnto Timothie he sayeth y god hath not giuē vs y spirit of fearfulnes but rather of power and loue which spirit Iesus Christ hath giuen vs according to the promis made by the mouth of the holy Prophets and brought to passe that we being deliuered out of our enemyes handes may serue him without feare before his holy presence in all holinesse and rightuousenesse all the dayes of our life By theis many other places of the holy Scripture a man may plainly gather that y peynfull and slauish fearfulnesse agreeth not with a Christian and this is alredie confirmed by this that such maner of fearfulnesse is vtterly contrarie to the spirituall cherefulnes and ioy which is peculiar to the christian as the Apostle Sainct Paule sheweth openly to the Romanes saying that the kingdome of God is rightuousenesse peace ioy in the holy ghost that is to say y euery man which entereth into the kingdome of the grace of the gospel is become rightuouse through fayth and afterward addeth peace of conscience which consequently bréedeth such a spiritual and holy rest gladnesse in respect wherof the same Sainct Paule doth oftentimes incorage the christians to liue merily And sainct Peter sayeth that all they which beleeue in Iesus Christ do continually reioyce with an vnspeakable and gloriouse ioy notwithstanding that they be afflicted with diuerse temptations And therfore whē the holy scripture threateneth and frayeth the christians they must vnderstand that it speaketh to such as are so licenciouse that forsomuche as they kepe not the thankfulnesse and honestie that belong to GODS children they must