Ninevites did and what God himselfe did The actions of the Ninevites concerning The people King of Nineveh The actions of the people are Their faith Fruits of faith The actions of the King are set downe His example Verse 6. His proclamation 7.8 His proclamation is published confirmed The publishing and proclaiming thereof instructeth What they must not doe What they must doe The actions of God what he did He saw their workes that they turned Verse 10. He repented of the evill threatned Verse 10. The beginning of their conversion stood in this that they beleeved the word of God And this helped and furthered to stirre up faith in them that they considered they had to doe with God himselfe and not with the Prophet onely Wherein consider 2 King 14.6 that albeit hee was sent to them with heavy tydings as the Prophet said to the wife of Ieroboam Act. 7.27 yet they did not thrust him away from them as the Israelite did Moses Act. 7.27 they did not stretch forth their hand saying lay hold on him as Ieroboam did to the man of God 1 King 13.4 they did not mocke him and misuse him as the lewes did the Prophets 2 Chro. 36.16 they did not account him a mad fellow for his strange message Act. 26.24 as the Captaines did one of the Children of the Prophets 2 King 9.11 they did not waxe wroth and put him in a prison house as men in a rage as Asa dealt with Hanani the Seer 2 Chro 16.10 then bid them feed him with the bread of affliction with the water of affliction as Ahab gave charge to the Governor of the City concerning Micaiah 1 King 22.27 They did not put him to death and stone him with stones as they dealt with Zechariah at the commandement of the King 2 Chro. 24.31 they did not suggest to the King Ionah hath conspired against thee in the middest of the Citie the land is not able to beare all his words or say unto him O thou Seer goe fly thee away into the Land of Iudah and there eate bread and prophecie there but prophecie not any more at Nineveh for it is the house of the kingdom as Amaziah said to Amos Amo. 7.10.12 Neither did they put him in the stockes and smite him on the mouth with the fist as Pashur did Ieremy and the standers by did Paul Ier. 20.2 Act. 23.2 Neither did they apprehend him and throw him into a dungeon or accuse him saying This man is worthy to die for he hath prophecied against this Citie all the words that ye have heard as the Priests and false Prophets pleaded against Ieremy at an other time Ier. 26.11 neither did they drive him out of their coastes and thrust him out of their Citie as the people of Nazareth dealt with Christ Luk. 4.29 and the Gadarens when they had lost their Swine Math. 8.34 Neither did they stop their eares and gnash on him with their teeth and runne upon him with one accord as they served Stephen Act. 7.54.57 Neither did they beat him or charge command him that he should speak no more in the name of the Lord his God and then let him goe as they dealt with Peter and the other Apostles Act. 5.40 but they heard him attentively patiently and readily they accounted him not as a troubler of the state as the filth of the world 1 Cor. 4.13 and as the off-scouring of all things but they received his words as the oracles of God they perswaded themselues that he was sent unto them of God and constantly beleeved that those things would undoubtedly come to passe which he had spoken Of this faith what it was see more afterward vers 9. This threatning for the certainty of it is utttered in the time present for in the originall it is word for word is overthrowne and therefore the destruction being so neere and so certaine it was high time for them to looke about them We learne from hence that the word preached is the ordinary meanes ordained of God to worke in us faith Doct. 4 The word preached is the instrument of faith as Rom. 1.16 1 Cor. 15.1.2 Iam. 1.18 Examples hereof are plentifull to be found in the Acts of the Apostles after the hearing of the word they were pricked in their hearts and said What shall we do Act. 2.37 they received his word gladly and were baptized vers 41. many of them which heard the word beleeved Chap. 4.4 Cornelius is directed to Peter who should tell him words whereby he and all his house should be saved Act. 11.14 The Gentiles were glad when they heard the word and as many as were ordained to eternall life beleeved chap. 13.48 the Lord opened the heart of Lydia that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul chap. 16.14 some beleeved and clave unto him chap. 17.4.12.34 and 18 9.10 The Souldiers the Publicanes and the people that came out to heare the preaching of Iohn were converted and said Master what shall we doe Luk. 3.10.12.14 The reasons Reason 1 First because this is the high ordinance of God which he hath appointed to beginne and worke in us faith and so the conversion of a sinner 1 Cor. 1.21 If he had ordained other means other means should have bin effectuall Secondly faith cannot be without knowledge knowledge cannot be without instruction Mat. 2.7 instruction cannot be without such as instruct us in the faith and therefore we must necessarily heare their voyce and seeke the law at their mouthes Mal. 2.7 Thirdly to this end and purpose God gave gifts to men and called them to beare his word to his people Eph. 4.11.12 so the Prophet teacheth that the Priestslips must preserue knowledge Mal. 2. Lastly our first parents were turned from God and drawne to unbeleefe by hearing the voyce of the old Serpent the devill it is therefore convenient that the elect by hearing the voyce of God should be converted to the faith and returne to him that calleth Obj. 1. If this be so Obiect 1 then it must needes goe hard with deafe men that cannot heare For if faith presuppose knowledge knowledge instruction and instruction hearing which is the sense of learning what shall we thinke of them that are borne deafe How shall they beleeve and be saved Answ Blind men may heare but deafe men cannot I answere albeit God doth ordinarily worke faith by hearing yet he can and doth extraordinarily worke faith without it and of stones raise up children to Abraham as he gave faith to Rahab the harlot by hearing of his workes not of his word Ios 2. For the holy Ghost that teacheth by inspiration supplieth the want of outward meanes by an inward motion in their hearts So that albeit they cannot have knowledge nor salvation by the hearing of faith yet they may have them by an inward worke supplying the defect of the outward senses Secondly Object 2 how shall infants and children
heaven he beholdeth all the sonnes of men from the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth And touching the second branch to wit the approoving of of that which is good Moses declareth when Israel offered their submission to the ordinary ministery being ready to heare from his mouth all the words of the Lord he gave this testimony and commendation of them Devt 5.28.29 I have heard the voice of the words of this people which they have spoken they have will said O that there were such an heart in them Math. 8.10 15.28 26.13 that they would feare me and keepe my Commandements alwayes c. Thus Christ our Saviour commendeth the faith of the Centurion Math. 8. of the Cananitish woman Chap. 15. and of the woman that anoynted his feet with precious oyntment I say unto you wheresoever this Gospel shall be preached in the whole world there shall this which she hath done be told for a memoriall of her chap. 26. Let us see both these branches confirmed unto us Reasons of the first branch Touching the first it is great brutishnesse and folly not to know that God knoweth all things This is as much as to deny his nature and to make God to be no God He may be said to be all an eye all an eare all an heart but to deny this principle what is it in effect but to turne the true God into an Idoll which hath eyes and feeth not eares and hearth not Psal 115.5.6 94.89.10 and an heart and vnderstandeth not Hereunto came the words of the Prophet Vnderstand ye brutish among the people and ye fooles when will ye be wise he that planted the eare shall he not heare he that formed the eye shall he not see he that teacheth man knowledge shall not he know All things have sight hearing knowledge and understanding from him therefore he must heare perceive and see forasmuch as that which causeth a man to be so is it selfe much more so Secondly nothing can hinder his sight nor want of light nor distance of place nor dimnesse of the eye which are causes of want of seeing in us Therefore the Prophet saith Psal 139.7.8.9 c. Whither shall I go from thy spirit or whither shall I fly from thy presence If I ascend up into heaven or make my bed in the grave or take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea thou art there c. Touching the second Reasons of the second branch he approoveth every good worke for who is it that hath wrought it in us or from whence doth it proceed is it of our selves no doubtlesse every good and perfect gift is from above and commeth downe from the Father of lights And as he must worke it before we can have it Iam. 1.17 so he must strengthen that which he hath wrought in us Secondly to encourage and provoke us to perseverance and continuance in wel-doing It is no lesse vertue to hold fast that which we have gotten then at the first to get it And we have as much need to be exhorted to go on as to beginne seeing we may perish as well by going backe as by not stirring at all or not walking in the wayes of God Heb. 10.35 as also it serueth to draw on others by our example as we also ought by the examples of others The uses follow and first of the first branch And first Vse 1 this directeth us in all our workes to propound to our selues alwayes the presence of God a speciall foundation of Christian religion When thou hast any tentation to sinne or inclination of thy heart thereunto if thou couet to be kept in the feare of God perswade thy selfe of the truth of this principle that whatsoever thou thinkest or speakest or doest Heb. 4.13 all things are naked and open unto the eyes of him with whrm we have to doe Gen. 39.9 because he searcheth all hearts and say with Ioseph How can I doe this great wickednesse and sinne against God Enoch walked before God and pleased him that he had his power and presence evermore before his eyes Gen. 5.24 in Heb. 11. and Gen. 17.1 On the other side this is a maine cause of all wicked nesse prophanenesse and ungodlinesse among men to be perswaded that God seeeth us not Psal 94. They prate speake heard things Psal 94.4.5.6.7 they smite thy people and spoyle thy heritage flay the widow and murther the fatherlesse what is the cause where is the reason they say the Lord shall not see neither will the God of Iacob regard it It is neere to Atheisme to have such a blasphemous thought as to jmagine that we can hide our counsels deuises from the Lord Esay 29.15 as Esay 29 Woe unto them that seeke deepe to hid our counsel from the Lord their workes are in the dark and they say who seeth us and whoknoweth us True it is men will not speak thus prophanly with the tongue for then all men would condemne them cry shame of them as unworthy to live upon the earth but what should we looke to their words when we may looke upon their deedes or what shall it avail them to hide their counsels when they lay open their conuersations to keepe their mouthes silent when their lives proclaime they thinke there is no God Happy are we if we have the Lord ever before us and have our eyes upon him as we know that his eyes are upon us as the eye of the Master upon the servant to give to every man according to his workes Secondly this offereth much comfort to the afflicted and putteth such as afflict them in mind of their wretched condition wherein they stand 2 Thess 1.6.7 seing it is a righteous thing wâ—th God torecompence tribulation to them that trouble you and to you who are troubled rest when the Lord Iesas shall be revealed from heaven The Lord seeth the afflictions of his seruants will regard revenge them get glory to his great name in the confusion of their enemies When the children of Israel were oppressed by the Egyptians and afflicted with sore burdens the Lord comforteth them with this I have seene I have seene the affliction of my people Exod. 3.7.9 which is in Egypt and I have heard their groning Act. 7.34 and am come downe to deliver them He considereth the cruelty and injury of the enimy as 2 Chro. 16. 1 Chro. 16.9 the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth to shew himselfe strong in the behalfe of them whose heart is perfect toward him It is strange to see the folly of men abusing the essentiall properties of God as were easie to shew in our several state and condition of life sometimes abridging them and cutting them too short and sometimes enlarging them and stretching them too farre See
grace life by Christ be fruitfull effectuall Let us then be warned that we do not coÌ„tent our selves to live in the Church for so false Israelites doe and hypocriticall Christians who professe Christ in word Tit. 1.16 Revel 3.1.2 but deny him in their workes who have a name that they are alive but indeed are dead Let us therefore be watchful strengthen the things which remaine that are ready to dy repent speedily because wee know not what houre hee will come upon us This is the use that the Apostle teacheth having shewed that in a great house are sundry vessels some to honour some to dishonour he addeth 2 Tim. 2.21 Let us purge our selves from these that we may be vessels unto honour sanctified meet for the masters use and prepared to every good worke Math. 3.8 Let us strive to bring forth fruit worthy amendment of life Let us clense our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the feare of God and purging our consciences more and more from dead workes that so we may gather comfort and assurance that we are vessels to honour and for our better assurance let every one depart from iniquity that nameth the name of Christ 2 Tim. 2.19 Doct. After that thou shalt cut it downe Here is the finall doome of this fig-tree without any farther repriving or sparing thereof Though the Lord suffer long yet he punisheth at the last if it cannot be made fruitfull From whence I might observe that the Lord howsoever he be very patient and doth forbeare long yet at the last he wil come to visit and punish men for their sinnes Ier. 5.7.9 How shall I pardon thee for this thy children have forsaken me and sworne by them that are no gods when I had fedde them to the full they then committed adultery and assembled themselves by troupes in the harlots houses So Esay 42.14.15 1 Sam. Reason 1 5.6 The reasons first in regard of his love and mercy to his children he will not suffer them to live in their sinnes unpunished thus he doth manifest his goodnesse yea that he is goodnesse it selfe and consequently opposite to evill and so will visit them for their sinnes Secondly his justice will not suffer him to let the wicked escape but hee will and must punish He is just nay justice it selfe and therefore cannot but doe justice Rom. 2.6 3.5.6 and give to every one according to his workes as Rom. 3. Is God unrighteous who taketh vengeance I speake as a man God forbid for then how shall God judge the world This teacheth the children of God Vse 1 that they have no cause at all to be envious against the wicked for their prosperity and happinesse in this world for let them waite a while and abide but a short time which the Lord in his providence hath appointed they shal behold him comming against them with his drawne sword and visit their iniquities to the full Exod. 34.7 for hee will by no means clearethe guilty Secondly it admonisheth every man to labour to breake off his sinnes whatsoever they be and not to harden himselfe because God spareth him because howsoever God spareth him and maketh as though he did not perceive him yet at the last he payeth home How neere hath Gods hand beene to many in this great visitation in the same house and in the same bed when the one hath beene taken away and the other spared and his life given him for a prey O consider this ye that have already forgotten this mercy of God and labour to appease his wrath before yee come to his judgement-seate for then it will be to late to call and cry for mercy let us labour too repent betimes here that so we may find mercy before the throne of God hereafter Lastly it warneth us of the wofull estate of all such as despise his patience for what doe such but heape up wrath against the day of wrath Rom. 2. Thou shalt cut it downe Dcto The Lord of the Vineyard waited yeare after yeare to receive some fruit Such as grow desperate are neere to destruction and the dresser thereof obtained the continuance of the standing thereof another yeare if nothing will serve none will intreat any farther it must be cut downe This teacheth us that when once we grow desperate without hope of amendment and past recovery God is determined to destroy us and to pull us up by the rootes as trees that are altogether withered dead and rotten Thus it was with the sonnes of Eli the sonnes of Belial 1 Sam. 2.12.25 they knew not the Lord neither would they give eare to the warning of their father but what was the end They hearkned not to the voyce of their father because the Lord would slay them This we see also 2 Chro. 36. the Lord gave his people over into the hand of the Caldeâ—s but when came the wrath of the Lord upon them to the uttermost when there was no remedy He had sent his Prophets continually and successively one after another among them 2 Cor. 36.15 16. but they could do no good with them they grew worse as those that are desperately diseased caÌ„not be healed There was therfore no remedy neither other way with them then to cut them off utterly Thus our Saviour speaketh Math. 23.37.38 I would have gathered you together but ye would not behold your house and habitation is left unto you desolate Esay 6.10 so that it came to passe as the Lord had threatned Make the heart of this people fat and make their eares heavy and shut their eyes lest they see with their eyes and herewith their eares and understand with their heart and be healed The reasons are first because there is nothing left that can doe them any good Reason 1 All the meanes that the Lord hath used or can use will not profit them but like Dogges and Swine they tread the precious pearles of the Gospel under their feet Ier. 17.6 They are like the heath in the wildernesse which shall not see when any good commeth but shall inhabit the parched places in a salt land and not inhabited The heath hath good meanes comming upon it to make it good the Summer commeth the Sunne shineth the raine falleth the influence of the heavens descendeth yet euermore it remaineth the same a dry and barren heath It is with the barren soule as with the barren soile the word the Ministers the Sabbathes the Sacraments the dayes of grace nay Christ Iesus himselfe can doe them no good no good nay the Word which in it selfe is the savour of life to life becommeth to them the savour of death to death 2 Cor. 2.16 Christ himselfe is a recke of offence and a stone to stumble at and all the rest of the meanes ordained to Salvation turne to their finall destruction 1 Pet. 3.8 Secondy such
this Iam. 1.18 Of his owne will begate he us with the Word of Truth And Paul to like purpose Hee hath opened to us the mystery of his Will and hath made us accepted in his Beloved Ephes 1.6 Phil. 2.13 according to his rich grace And elsewhere It is God that worketh in you both to will and to doe of his good pleasure This will further appeare to be the first mover that setteth forward the other second causes For our whole salvation proceedeth from the grace of God as election Christ himselfe vocation faith justification regeneration love good workes conversion of sinners the finall perseverance of the Saints and eternall glorification Even as the body and branches of the tree issue from the root so is the good pleasure of God the root out of which all these blessings grow which in due time we partake Let us see this better by induction of particulars No man can bee saved and obtaine eternal life except he be predestinated chosen unto it For the Kingdome is not given but to such for whom it is prepared Matth. 25.34 20.23 Ephes 1.4 Matth. 25.34 20.23 but this is done according to the good pleasure of his will Ephes 1.4 No man could be saved except Christ Iesus had come and had satisfied the wrath of his Father for the sinnes of the world Acts 4.12 for there is no other name under Heaven whereby we can be saved But this benefit proceedeth from the grace of God Ioh. 3.16 and his everlasting love toward us Ioh. 3.16 For God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne for all that beleeve in him There is none saved that is come to yeeres of discretion except he be effectually called to Christ and his Gospell but whence commeth this but from his grace for he hath called us with an holy calling according to his owne purpose 2 Tim. 1.9 Gal. 1.15 which was given us in Christ Iesus before the world began 2 Tim. 1.9 No man is saved except he have faith and beleeve in Christ for the Just shall live by his faith Hab. 2.4 Heb. 11.6 and without it It is unpossible to please God and whatsoever is not of faith is sinne But from whence have wee faith it is by grace Ephes 2.8 Ephes 2. By grace yee are saved through faith it is the gift of God No man can be saved except also he be justified Psal 34.15 for the eyes of the Lord are over the iust but the face of the Lord is upon the evill to root out the remembrance of them from the earth Psal 34. Now whence is this but from his free grace Rom. 3.24 We are iustified freely by his grace Rom. 3.24 No man can bee saved except he be regenerated and sanctified by the holy Spirit for except a man be borne againe of water and the holy Ghost he cannot enter into the Kingdome of God Ioh. 3.3 Joh. 3.3 But whence is this also but from grace that we should be holy and without blame before him Ephes 1.4 5. Tit. 2.11 12. 1 Cor. 16.14 22. Ephes 1.4 5. Tit. 2.11 12 No man can bee saved without love toward God and our neighbour 1 Cor. 16.14 For he that loveth not the brethren abideth in death 1 Joh. 3.14 1 Ioh. 3.14 4.7 19. But this love proceedeth from grace for love is God 1 Ioh. 4.7 19. and we love him because he loved us first No man can bee saved without bringing forth good workes Ephes 2.10 and walking in them for wee are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good workes which God hath ordained that we should walke in them But this commeth from his grace who hath promised to give us his Spirit Ezek. 36. Ezek. 36.27 I will cause them to walke in my wayes No man can be saved without remission of sinnes for in many things wee all offend daily Jam. 3.2 Iam. 3.2 Ephes 2.7 Esay 43.25 but this is from grace Ephes 2.7 Esay 43.25 No man can bee saved except hee persevere and continue in faith in good workes and in all Christian duties for hee that continueth unto the end shall be saved Matth. 24.13 Matth. 24.13 but when the righteous turneth away from his righteousnesse and committeth iniquity all his righteousnesse that he hath done shall not bee mentioned but in his sinne that he hath sinned he shall die Ezek. 18.24 Ezek. 18.24 Now whence is this that we stand fast Is it from our selves No it is from his grace who will give them an heart to feare him for ever Ier. 32.39 Phil. 1.6 that they shall not depart from him Jer. 32.39 40. Phil. 1.6 Lastly no man can be saved without eternall life for what is our salvation but our glorification now this is also of grace for here Christ saith It is the good pleasure of our heavenly Father to give us the Kingdome and the Apostle elsewhere Eternall life is the gift of God Rom. Rom. 6.23 6.23 The reasons first Reas 1 because God will have the praise of all his workes Ephes 1.11 12. Ephes 1.11 12. Rom. 11.36 All things are from him and through him and for him To him be rendred all glory for ever Rom. 11.36 But if our salvation were any way of our selves that we did part stakes with him in the grace there were reason wee should also share with him in the glory Hence it is that the Apostle saith Rom. 4.2 If Abraham were iustified by workes he hath whereof to glory but not before God Secondly grace otherwise were no grace at all and salvation were not of his good pleasure but of our owne good pleasure For grace is not grace except it be every way gracious or free Rom. 11.6 Rom. 11.6 If it bee of grace then it is no more of workes otherwise grace were no more grace but if it be of workes then it is no more grace otherwise worke is no more worke Thus the Apostle reasoneth from the contrary Thirdly God oweth nothing to any man neither taketh he ought of any man so that hee may give or not give what when where to whom and how much it pleaseth him being independant upon any creature and free from all obligation which might binde him to any of them He hath absolute right and jurisdiction over all men as the Potter hath over his clay Hee may doe with his owne what he please and who shall say unto him Iob 9.12 Rom. 9.20 Esay 10.15 45.9 What doest thou Shall the thing formed say to him that formed it Why hast thou made me thus Shall the clay say to him that fashioned it What makest thou Shall the Sonne say to the Father What begettest thou or to the Woman What hast thou brought forth Shall the Axe boast it selfe against him that heweth therewith Ier. 18.6 Or shall the Saw magnifie it selfe against him that shaketh it As if
addeth that word without any correction or corruption or without any violence to the Text. Againe the Scripture teacheth that we are justified without workes not by the workes of the Law If then works be excluded what can be included or what is there established but faith what can have place in our justification beside the same For to say that a man is justified by faith onely and to say that a man is justified by faith without the workes of the Law are equivalent and in effect all one thing Even as he that saith The husband ought to be master of the house and not the wife saith in effect that the husband onely ought to be master especially when the Question ariseth whether the man or the woman ought to be master for albeit he expresse not the word onely yet all men know it is necessarily to be supplied So he that saith a man is justified by faith without workes implyeth withall that a man is justified by faith onely when the Question standeth whether a man be justified by faith or by good workes or by the one and the other joyned together albeit he doe not expressely adde the word onely But it is further objected Obiect that the works which Saint Paul excludeth are the workes of the Ceremoniall Law and that sometimes he excludeth the works of Nature onely and not of Grace I answer Answ As though the Churches of God after their embracing the Gospell and walking many yeeres in the wayes of godlinesse were so simple and so foolish as to make any Question whether they could bee justified by workes wrought before their conversion when they were poore miserable Idolaters having no hope and being without God in the world Wherefore the Apostle as if of purpose he would prevent this tricke of evasion Rom. 4.2 6. bringeth in the example of Abraham and David even when they were in Gods favour Observe farther for the clearing of this point that he in all his treatises of justification which are many and large never exhorteth us to be justified no more then he doth to be elected Search the Epistle to the Romanes to the Galatians and other his Epistles or the Epistles of Peter and John and James yee shall never finde an exhortation to be justified but in these and other Scriptures we have a thousand exhortations to be holy and sanctified True it is we are warned to make our election and calling sure as also wee may be to make our justification sure But what may be the reason hereof doubtlesse because justification is not a vertue in man but a grace of God whereby he absolveth sinners in beholding his Sonne as in Civill Courts Iustification is an Act of the Iudge not a vertue in him that is to be judged Rom. 5.9 Therefore he saith Wee are justified by the blood of Christ but if by justifying hee had meant sanctifying or regenerating of us he would rather have said we are justified by the Spirit of Christ besides they are expressely distinguished else-where 1 Cor. 1.30 Againe the same Apostle concluding that a man is justified by faith without the workes of the Law Rom. 3.20 must be understood to understand the Morall Law to wit the same Law by which he teacheth that those which have sinned shall be judged And afterward that the Gentiles which have not the Law Rom. 2.12 14. 4.2 doe by Nature the things contained in the Law And againe chapter 4. when he insisteth upon the example of Abraham that he was not justified by workes it had beene in vaine to goe about to prove that he was not justified by the workes of the Ceremoniall Law For what had this beene but to fight with his owne shaddow seeing the Ceremoniall Law was not then ordained neither was established untill foure hundred yeeres afterward The like I might shew out of the Epistle to the Galatians For when he teacheth Gal. 2.16 that a man is not justified by the workes of the Law he excludeth the works not onely of the Ceremoniall Law but of the Morall Law especially as appeareth in the next Chapter where he sheweth that Christ Iesus hath delivered us from the curse of the Law even of that Law which saith Gal. 3.26 5.14 Cursed is every man that continueth not in al things which are written in the Booke of the Law to doe them where onely the Moral Law is spoken of And in the 5. Chapter he telleth them that all the Law is fulfilled in one word which is this Obiect Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thy selfe O but it may be said This is no better then to abolish and destroy good workes utterly when they are excluded from justification and to make our selves enemies to good workes that we may live as we list because we teach that we cannot stand righteous by them in the sight of God God forbid Nay Answ we hold that no man can be justified being without good workes albeit he cannot be justified by good workes Even as the eyes are not without the eares in the body yet the eyes onely see and not the eares So faith onely hath the vertue to justifie us that is to cause us to be absolved from our sinnes and to be accounted just before the judgement Seate of God because it hath this property and nothing else but it to apprehend the benefits of Christ Iesus and to apply and appropriate his righteousnesse to the person that hath it And that we are not enemies to good workes neither reject them as superfluous let Bellarmine himselfe as a witnesse no way partiall to us speake for us lib. 4. de Justif cap. 7. Bellarm. lib. 4. De Iustific cap. 7 Adversarij in eo conveniunt c. ut opera bona fieri debeant quoniam alioqui fides non esset viva nec vera nisi fructus bonos faceret quomodo ignis non est ignis nisi calefaciat that is It is agreed by our Adversaries that goodworkes in regard of the necessity of their presence are necessary to salvation and ought to be done because otherwise faith could not be lively and true unlesse it doth bring forth good fruits as fire cannot be fire except it give heat So then we cannot be judged to condemne good workes even our Adversaries themselves being judges yea we confesse a necessity of them as themselves confesse Besides the same Bellarmine after all his magnifying of the dignity of good workes to the highest straine as the wringing of the nose bringeth forth blood Prov. 30.33 so hee teacheth they are able to endure the Iustice and Iudgement of God yet I say after all this hee witnesseth and confesseth thus much in his owne words Bellarm. De Iustific lib. 2. cap. 3 Justificamur à Deo gratis id est ex mera ejus liberalitate quantum ad nostra merita nullo enim nostro opere meremur justificari that is We are justified of God freely that