they haue done not according to that whiche they haue professed and spoken Manye shall saye vnto mee in that daye saith Christ Lorde wee prophecyed in thy name caste out diuels and done many greate woorkes in thy name and yet for all their so saying Christe sayth he will tearme them workers of inniquitie and bid them depart from him For not euery one that saith Lord Lord shal enter into the kingdome of heauen but he that dothe the will of my father shall enter into the kingdome of heauen so that many good wordes shall bee found in hell but good workes goe all to heauen I speake not this as houlding that wee are iustified by our woorkes No we are saued by grace through faith and that not of our selues it is the gift of god But if thou braggest of faith shews me that saythe of this harte by the sruictes of thy life for true christianitye consisteth of owo parts profession practice or to vse the phrase of the scripture of fayth and good woorkes and to the perfection of a christian man both are necessarye and each doth mutually accompanye other as the shadowe goeth with the bodie And as the bodye is knowne to haue lyfe by it mouing so is the lyfe of faythe perceiued by working The life of the bodye is the soule and the life of faith is loue and as the bodie is dead withoute the soule so is fayth withoute loue and as circumcision profited the Iewes nothing without the lawe so neither doth faith profit vs without charitye Whatsoeuer wee professe howe muth soeuer we knowe our Sauioure Christ pronounceth vs so farfoorth blessed as we doe that wee professe and followe that we knowe They that profes the fayth of christians and doe not confirme it with a Christian lyfe are like belles in the steeple whiche call others to churthe with their sounde but neuer come into it them selues lyke fayre paynted sepulchers whiche are full of gaye golden pictures and immages without but ful of dead carcases and filthie corruption within like salte which hath his colour but lost his sauour like a candell whiche is lighte but hidden vnder a bushell But let youre lighte saith Christ speaking to Christians so shine beefore men that they maye see your woorkes c. If you be the sonnes of Abraham doe the workes of Abraham If ye call mee Lorde Lorde dooe the woorkes that I commaunde you The tree is not coÌ„mended for bearing leaues but fruites euen so the commendation of a Christian consisteth not in speaking but in dooinge They shall leaue their woordes beehinde them but theire woorkes shall followe them and they receaue according to that whiche they haue doone Dooing is double and of two sortes 1 Well dooing 2 Ill dooing And boeth shall bee rewarded accordinglye Hee that hathe doone well shall receaue accordinge to his well doing not that any man doth wel of him selfe For all fleshe hath corrupted his way and all the immaginations of oure hartes is euill euerie daye There is not one that doth good no not one our lips are full of cursing and bitternesse not apt or abell to vtter a good word much lesse are we able to doe a good worke Men doe not gather grapes of thornes nor figges of thistles we beinge shapen in wickednes conceiued in sinne are as vnapt as vnable to bring foorth good fruites as thornes are to bring foorth grapes or thistles figges But yet as the stocke of a sower crabbe may bring foorth a sweete apple if the graffe bee good so we being the children of wrath by nature may bring foorth good fruits by grace if Christe bee ingraffed into our hartes by faith For withoute mee sayth hee you can do nothing I am the vine you are the braunches he that abideth in me and in whom I bide he bringeth forth much fruit But as the braunch cannor bring forth fruit of it self except it abide in the vine so neither can you except you abide in me To make our workes good therefore it is necessarie to obserue these foure circumstaunces that we doe them in loue with a pure hart a good conscience and faith vnfayned Howe glorious a shewe of godlinesse or good intention soeuer our woorkes doe carrye before men if these foure conditions bee not obserued in doing them wee that are the doers of them as saythe the Apostle are but vaine ianglers and no frutifull workers To make the woorke good sayth Augustine It is not onelye requisite vt aliquid fiat quod in suo genere bonum sit sed prâ—cipue vt bene fiat 1. that the thinge whiche is donne bee in his owne nature good but especiallye that it is well done For many things being of their own nature good may be done they notwithstanding not doeing them wel of whom they are done It is good to helpe anye man in necessitie but he that seeketh the glory of men therby rather then of God bonum facit non bene saith Augustine he doth that which is good but he doth it not well because hee doth it not with a good minde and conscience Hence it is that Christe condenmeth the prayers fasting and almes of the scribes and pharisees who sought not to please God therin but rather to procure themselues a name and credit before men Many excellent morall vertues were in the heathen philosophers which notwithstanding bicause they referred them not to God were no hetter then sinnes before him Sine cultu veri dei etiam quod virius videtur esse peccatuÌ„ est nec placere vllus deo si deo non potest that is without the worship of the true God that which seemeth a vertue is a sinne neyther can any man please God without god Omnis vita infidelium peccatorum est nihil bonum sine summo hono The whole lyfe of infidels is sinne and nothing good without him that is the perfection of all that is good And to say all in one word without faith it is impossible to please God why saith Iulianus to Augustine if a Pagan should cloth a naked christian bicause it is not of faith were it sinne yea indeede were it saith Augustine Ipsa miserico dia per se opus est bonum at hoc bonum malefacit qui infideliter facit i. non fideli sed infideli 〈◊〉 Mercy it selfe is a good work but this good work doth he euilly which doth as infidels that is not with a faithfull but an vnbeleeuing hart And whatsoeuer is not of faythe is sinne Whereuppon Prosper de vita contemplatina lib. 30. cap. 10. Apostl non dicat quicquid non est ex fide nihil est sed dicendâ— peccatum est declarauit quod si non fuerint ex fide non sunt aliqua bona credenda sed vitia que non iuuant suos operarios sed eadem mane that is the Apostle saide not
field foules of the ayre and fishes of the sea to be subiect to man who likewise according to Gods firste ordinaunce is borne at his appointed time and at his appointed time also returneth againe to duste from whence he came and so obseruing all the workes of God to holde on that course of nature at this daye without any change which he gaue to euery one of them in their kind at their first creation many yeares since thereupon they promise and presume of an eternall perpetuitie in all thinges concluding with the Precher Mundus durauit hactenus ergo finem non habebit The wor◠hath endured hitherto ergo it shall haue no ende and thus as much as in them lyeth both in the examples of their liues and wordes of their lippes discredyting nay deriding the promise of the comming of Christe and mocking the threatninges of God his iudgementes Such mockers in these dayes of ours which the Apostle termeth the last are manye One sort of them saye in their heartes there is no God In which number the moste and greatest part of vs I feare me may be comprehended we are not so impudent to say with our tonges there is no God but loke into our liues our offices and functions marke how euery man walketh in that state of lyfe wherein he is placed of the Lorde and you shall see we are not ashamed to say in our heartes There is no God We all saye with our tongues that we esteeme our soules a thousande times more deare then our bodies but compare that which we do to the one with that which we say of the other and you shall see that in our heartes we haue a greater care to preserue our filthye carcase then to instruct our conscience we all say with our mouthes we would goe to heauen if wishing would bringe vs to heauen but we frame our lyues as though in our hearts we neither hoped for heauen nor beleeued there is a hell but looked alwayes to liue vppon earth Wee cry out with our mouthes fie of the flesh and we defte the Diuell in our wordes but we are ready to take his part in our workes and the least temptation that is offered vs is able to vanquishe vs and cause vs to giue the Diuell our consent with our heartes Thus we mocke God and we deceaue our selues but the Diuell he will neither be deceiued nor mocked of vs when time shall bee that the secreats of all hearts shall be opened and the deedes of all men iudged he will challenge that which is his and bring in good and sufficient euidence to prooue vs to bee his then by our owne workes and not his whose now we pretend to be with oure mouthes Then shall we finde that in earnest which now beeing preached to vs and yet not felt of vs we esteeme but as a mocke or iest A second sort of mockers there is who although they confes there is a God yet saye they non veniet dies iudicii that God will neuer come in iudgement Let vs therefore cate and drinke for to morrow we shall die there is noman known to haue returned from the graue We are borne at all aduenture and wee shall bee hereafter as though we had neuer bene our breath is like a smoke in our nostrels and words like a sparke raised out of our hartes which being extinguished oure bodie shall be turned into ashes and our spirite shall vanishe as the softe aire our life shall passe awaye as the trace of a cloude and come to naught as the miste that is driuen awaye with the beames of the same and put downe with the heate thereof our name also shalbe forgotten by litle and litle and no man shall haue our works in remembrance for our time is a day shadowe that passeth away and after oure ende there is no returning Come on therfore let vs enioy the pleasures that are present and let vs cheerefullye vse the creatures like as in youthe Let euery one of vs bee partakers of oure voluptuousnesse let vs leaue some token of our pleasure in euery place for this is our portion and this onely our lot Let vs oppresse the pore righteous let vs not spare the widowe or old man let vs not regard the heads that are graye for age and so forth as it followeth in the booke of wisedome where the life and manner of these second sorts of moekers and epitures is liuely described and set foorth at large The Apostle tearmeth them ennemies to the crosse of Christ whose end is damnation whose God is their belly and glory to their shame minding onely earthly things and not seeking after those thinges that are aboue The third sort of mockers there is which saye with the ill seruant Tardat dominus venire these proue there is agod that God wil at last come in iudgement but yet presuming of his mercy life they differ their repentaunce to the houre of death thinking they may repēt them when they will that they shall haue leisure enough when they are old ready to dye But O ye fooles and mockers of God remēber with your selues that like as God is mercifull so goeth wrath from him also his indignation commeth downe vppon sinners Make no tarrying therfore to turne to the Lord and put not off from day to daye for sodenlye shall his wrath come and in the time of vengeance he shall destroy thee Put not of thy repentance therefore in hope to attaine to old age or to find God mercifull at the laste houre For thou knowest not whether thou shalt liue till thou arte olde and death when he commeth hee asketh not howe long a man hath liued but as hee findeth him so hee taketh him But suppose thou liuest till thou art old how art thou sure that thou shalt haue the space of an houre on quarter or minute of an houre before that death doth strike thee with his dart Olde father Isaac confessed hee knewe not the day of his death much lesse dost thou knowe the howre of thy death For as fishes are taken with the angle and birdes cought in the share euen so are men ouertaken with death But when thou dost sicken what if thou doste liue an houre a day a weeke before thou die art thou sure in y e howre day or weeke to haue a mind to call for God his grace and repente thee of thy life misliked Or dost thou thinke that a wicked man can repent him when he will and when he list why then did not Caine repent why did not Saul why Iudas why Esau who as the apostle saith founde no place of repentance though he sought it carefully with teares No repentance is the free gift of the grace of God who giueth it to euery man when he will to whom he will and in what measure hee will according to the riches of his mercie which
whatsoeuer is not of faith is nothing but saying it is sin declareth that whatsoeuer thinges are not of faith they are not to be decided as good things but as vices rather which iustify not the doers of them but rather do condemne them When the scripture therefore saythe in this place Euerye man shall receaue according to that which he hath done in other places that euery man shalbe rewarded accordinge to that whiche hee hath doone that manner of speaking is not ment of the merite of oure dooinges for that wee shoulde all be rewarded with euerlasting damnation and hell fier but that we shall receiue and be euerie man rewarded according to the testimonye of that which hee hath done bearing witnesse of our faith with vs or of want of sayth against vs. If that which we haue done proceede of faith then doth God accept it and impute it to vs for a good woorlie not in respect of the woorke it selfe or for our sakes or for oure faythe sake but for Iesus Christes sake in whome he is well pleased and in whose name we do it and he doth accept it and in mercie reward it Now we are to consider that the Apostle saith Euery inan shall receiue according to his well doing so likewise Euery man that hath doone euil shall receiue according to his doing ill whiche must not be 〈◊〉 conâ—â—ued of vs as though man at the laÌ„tter iudgement shoulde receiue onely according to that ill whiche hee hath done and not aunswere at all nor receiue anye punishnent for that ill whiche hee hath spoaken For I tell you saith our sauioure Christ a man shall giue accompte for euerye euell woorde Quid ost in omni vit a nostra cutus nos minus rationis habeamus quam verborum what is there in the whole course of our life whereof we haue lesse regard then of oure wordes and therefore in what daunger stand we before God if we shal aunswere euery idell woorde wherein we haue offended before men Or if we shall aunswere euery idle worde Alas how shall we answere euery idell word If we must answere euery idell woorde how shall we answer euery lying word euery blasphemous word euery flandorous worde Or if wee cannot answere our idell words how shall we answere of one idell deedes and time mispent Or if we caÌ„not answere our idel deedes how shal we be able to susteine the punishment which we must receiue for our il deedes Heere we may all crye out and appeale from God his iustice and oure deseruings to his mercie Enter not into iudgement with thy seruants O lorde for no flesh is righteus in thy sight and haue mercie vppon me O God not according to my merites but according to the mercie doe awaye my offences c. For otherwise we must all prepare our selues to taste of the reward of sinne which be our sinne neuer so light or littell committed in thought woorde or deede is death of bodye and death of soule to euery one according to that which he hath done Vppon the vngodlye shall come snares fier brimstone stormie tempest this shalbe their portion to drinke The Prophet vseth many words wher of euery one may seeme more greeuous then other to teache vs that the greater shalbe the punishment which the sinner shal receiue according to that which he saith in the second chapter to the Romaines that the impenitent presumptious sinner doth heap vp wrath to himself c. as who should saye God will heape damnation vpon his head in life to come as he hath heaped one sinne vppon an other in this life not that there are many helles or many siers in bell but that the iustice of God re quireth to measure out y â— grieuousnes of their punishment accor to the grieuousnes of their sines vt et ignem non dissimilem habeant tamen eosdem singulos exurat that not hauing a diuerse fire yet euery one to be tormented the same w t fire euen as we feel in our do dies wheras many stand together in the sun the sun hath like power of them all alike yet doe they not all feele the like heat but some feele it hotter then other some euery man according to the complexion and constitution of his body Euen so according to the quality of his sinne shall euerye man receaue his punishment And therefore in the daye of iudgement it shall hee easie for Sodome and Gomortha then for those Cities Townes and persons which haue hard remission of sinnes preached in the name of Iesus yet haue not repented For the seruant that knew his maisters wil and did it not shalbe beaten with many stripes If that reuerend and childish feare of God therefore cannot win vs to eschue euill and do good yet let this seruile and slauishe feare the feare of punishement staie vs and make vs a fraide to perseuer in our ill least accordinge to the greeuousnes of the same in oure soules at last we reseaue double damnation in our bodyes For although euery man so sone as the soule and body are parted by death hath his particular iudgement and receiueth in his soul which presently mounteth either to heauen or is carryed to hell the rewarde of ioye or paine which either thorough sinne he hath deserued or the Lorde in merrye doth freely giue him yet doth he nor receiue the same in body which remayneth in the graue til the generall resurrection and iudgement of all flesh at what time the bodye shall be vnited to the soule and be made partaker of the same euerlasting ioyes in heauen or eternall torments in hell as it was partaker with the bodye in sin vpon earth If any man therfore aske wherefore and what there should neede to be a second iudgement since euerie man hath his iudgement already I answere out of the Apostle that euery man may receaue in his body that which hee hath already receaued in his soule Lâ—â— vs forbeare therefore to iudge of 〈…〉 mens sinnes to looke into other mens liues and either euery man that calleth vpon the name of the Lorde depart from iniquity and learne to amend him selfe For euery man shall receaue accordinge to that which he hath done in his body I shall not receaue accordinge to that which thou haste done in thy bodye nor thou shalt not receaue according to that which I haue done in my bodye but I according to that which I haue done in my bodye and thou according to that which thou 〈◊〉 done in thy body and so forth euery maÌ„ according to that which he hath done in his own bodye That soule that hath sinned that soule shall dye the death Though the father haue eaten sowre grapes the childrens teeth shall not be set on edge The sonne shall not beare the fathers iniquity nor the fathers beare the sonnes The righteousnes of the righteous shall be vppon him the wickednes of the wicked vpon him