A Godlie zealous and profitable Sermon vpon the second Chapter of Saint Iames. Preached at London by Master George Gifford and published at the request of sundry godly and well disposed persons ¶ Imprinted at London for Tobie Cooke dwelling at the Tigers head in Paules Churchyard 1582. ¶ The second Chapter of Saint Iames verse 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23 24. 25. 26. 14 What auaileth it my brethren though a man saith he hath faith when he hath no works can that saith saue him 15 For if a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of daily foode 16 And one of you say vnto them Depart in peace warme your selues fill your bellies notwithstanding yee giue them not those things which are needfull to the body what helpeth it 17 Euen so the faith if it haue no works is dead in it selfe 18 But some man might say Thou hast the faith and I haue works shew me thy faith out of thy workes and I wil shew thee my faith by my works 19 Thou beleeuest that there is one God thou doest well the diuels also beleeue it and tremble 20 But wilt thou vnderstand O thou vaine man that the faith which is without works is dead 21 Was not Abraham our Father iustified through works when he offered Isaac his sonne vpon the Altar 22 Seest thou not that the faith wrought with his works and through the works was the faith made perfect 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham beleeued God it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse hee was called the friend of God 24 Ye see then how that of works a man is iustified not of faith only 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot iustified through workes when she had receiued the messengers and sent them out another way 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead euen so the faith without works is dead The second Chapter of Saint Iames verse 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. I Haue chosen this portion of Scripture to interpret because there is very great vse and commoditie in the true right vnderstanding thereof and the doctrine therein contained is most necessarye for all Christians to knowe First because it doth directly and fully ouerthrowe and beate downe all carnall profession of the Gospell shewing that the common and dead faith cannot saue a man Secondly because it is the principall pillar which the Papists doe leane vnto the chiefe place of Scripture which they doe peruert and abuse to proue and establish Iustification by workes and the merits of men to ouerthrow the free iustification we haue in our Lord Iesus Christ through faith The holde which they take in this point is vpon the speaches and phrases which the Apostle doth vse as when he saith Abraham our Father was iustified through works Also Rahab the harlot was iustified through works Likewise ye sée y e of workes a man is iustified and not of faith onely Héerein y e two Apostles of Christ S. Paul S. Iames do séeme to be flat contrary y e one to the other for wheras S. Paule saith Abraham was iustified by faith alone and not by workes Saint Iames saith he was iustified by works Saint Paule saith and proueth by sundrie and inuincible reasons that a man is iustified by faith alone without the works of the lawe Saint Iames saith ye sée that a man is iustified by works and not by faith onely This contrarietie is but in appearaunce for they both wrote by one spirite which is alwaies lyke himselfe and alwayes agréeth with himselfe The whole blame therefore is to lyght vppon vs that we are so dim sighted as not to sée how these two seruauntes of GOD doe iumpe agrée together without anye iarre at all I thinke it néedefull for this cause before I come to handle the wordes of the Text as they lye in order first to take awaye this shewe of discord If anye man will demaunde what cause there was which made them to appeare in outwarde shewe so contrarye the one to the other I aunswere that although there be no contrarietie in the matter it selfe which they teach yet the diuersitie of y e schollers which they lyght vppon and the contrarie affection of those whome they instructed caused them to vse a diuers and contrarie order of teaching Saint Paule hauing to deale with such as woulde séeke to bée iustified partlye by Faith in Christ and partlye by theyr owne déedes or the déeds of the Lawe vseth this order first shewing that wée were lost and condempned in our selues then next iustified and saued through the merits of Christ afterward that wée are sanctified in him and must shewe foorth the fruits of our faith in a pure and holy life S. Iames lighting vpon another sort of mē which cōfessed y e frée iustification through faith in Christ yet in this they were deceiued y t they did not consider how al those that are iustified are sanctified how all those that are in Christ Iesus are newe creatures that they are new borne and walke not after the flesh but after the spirite that the true liuely and iustifieng fayth doth bring foorth the fruites of righteousnesse in a holye conuersation Now because this cannot be remooued or separated from the right and liuelye faith Saint Iames goeth as it were backwarde and proueth that where this latter that is to say the fruites of faith are wanting there faith is wanting and so his drift is to shewe that all vngodly and carnall professours of Christ haue but a dead faith which in no respect is able for to helpe or saue them A second cause why they séeme so much to differ is héerein that men doe not marke well howe they handle not the selfe same matter nor haue not the same drifte For Saint Paule laboureth to proue that the true fayth doth ioyne vs to Christ and thereby saue vs. Saint Iames héere beateth vppon this pointe that the dead faith which is but a bare Image of the right Faith cannot profite a man this shall appeare in the wordes of the Text and also a thirde cause is that they doe not take this worde iustified in the same sence but diuerselye as it shall be prooued afterwarde Now will I come vnto the Text. What auaileth it my bretheren though a man sayth hée hath Faith when hée hath no woorkes canne the Faith saue him This is his proposition and the matter which hée will dispute vppon in the whole Text following thus much it is in effect that it doth not auaile a man to saye hée hath Faith nor it doth not profite him to boast and bragge and to make profession thereof when hee hath no good woorkes the reason is this because it cannot saue him marke and obserue this well for héere at the first enteraunce the blindnesse of the Papistes and their folly doth manifestly bewraie it selfe when as they doe
not sée nor vnderstand that it is not the purpose of the Apostle in this place to dispute vpon this point whether y e true faith doth saue iustifie or not but to shew that such as haue not good workes haue not the true faith in them and therefore whatsoeuer they professe they cannot be saued for he doth not propounde his matter thus what auaileth it though a man haue Faith and haue not workes but what auaileth it though a man saye he hath faith hath no workes Wherby it is very manifest that when Saint Iames doth attribute the name of faith vnto this dead Image hée doth it not in proper but in abusiue speach and after the manner of those men which called it faith when as in very déede it is none but onely a certeine resemblaunce and shaddowe thereof Thus much for this enteraunce state of his disputation now followe his reasons by which he doth proue that this kinde of Faith cannot auaile or profite a man for hee doth proue it very stronglye and pithely◠The first of them is taken from a comparison or similitude which he setteth downe thus If a brother or a sister bée naked and destitute of daylye foode and one of you saie vnto them depart in peace warme your selues and fill your bellyes notwithstanding ye giue them not those thinges which are néedfull to the bodie what helpeth it This is the summe of the matter There commeth vnto you a poore man or a poore woman which lacketh clothes and sustenaunce you giue them gentle and fayre wordes God helpe ye God succour yée and send ye reliefe but ye giue them nothing can this helpe the poore man or the poore woman Shall they not for all your louing words sterue for colde die for hunger if euerye man should serue them so and giue them no other almes why doe yée not sée then that as this almes liberalytie to the poore which is but in faire speaches is colde doth not help so in like manner y e Faith which is but in words and outwarde profession of speach although it be w c neuer so great brags is dead thē furder why do ye not vnderstand that a thing which is weak and dead in it selfe can by no meanes haue power to giue life and to saue But obserue it a little better thus the comparison standeth if that liberalitie which is onely in words be colde or dead and doth not profit the poore nor make him a liberall man which vseth it then it followeth also that that Faith which is onely in speach is dead and therefore cannot saue or profit him which hath it if wordes onely could profit or cause it to be faith why should not wordes also profit the poore man or woman which is destitute If words onely can make a faithfull man why should not words make a liberall man If for a man to saie hée hath faith be of that power to do the greatest things as namely to couple vs to Christ to raise the soule from death to lyfe to put the Diuell to flight and to ouercome the world Should it not be able to doe y e lesser that is to say so far to preuaile with vs to haue such power in vs as to bring forth good works Déere brethren know y t if it bée aliue do the former it must néeds doe this if it doe not this latter then surely it is dead can do nothing to saue vs. This is a most plaine and forcible reason to proue that the faith of a carnall and worldly Gospeller is but a dead shewe of faith and therefore he is not iustified nor saued neyther can bée iustified nor saued thereby séeing it hath no life in it selfe to worke and to bring forth fruites it cannot giue lyfe vnto him for how shoulde it bring that which it hath not To set it foorth more plainly thus y e Apostle addeth but some man might saye thou hast the faith and I haue workes shewe me thy faith by thy workes and I will shewe thée my faith by my workes He sheweth héere how euery simple man which is a true Christian maye be able to deale against the greatest and most skilfull Doctour that is to proue that he hath no faith if he hath not good workes for when hée saith Some man will say it is as much as if he had said any man may say thou hast faith that is thou makest thy boast that thou hast faith shewe it by thy workes because faith is an holy thing wrought by Gods spirite and a lyuely and mightie thing therefore it cannot be without holy good actions For as a man is knowen to be dead when he doth not breath cannot stir sée heare and such lyke and contrariwise when he doth any of these he is known to be aliue euen so is it with faith if it can or doe bring forth no good workes then is it dead on the contrary part the actions stirring thereof doe shew it to be aliue This is a strong place against all those which doe not onely vaunt themselues of a vaine and dead beléefe but also woulde leaue no mark to know who are of God and who are of the Diuell Let a man take thē tardie in any foule vice wherin they wallow say vnto them ye are out of the waye ye haue not the true beléefe in God ye are couetous ye are a worldling ye are a drunkard an adulterer or such like their aunswere is readie Who made you able to iudge can you tell how I beléeue will you take vppon you to sée what is in my heart whatsoeuer you say I haue as good a beléefe as your selfe Marke well now I pray ye for héere you may learne how to answere such fellows say thus vnto thē faith indéed of it selfe is a secret thing in the hart but yet because it can no more be without good déeds then fire can be without heate the Lord doth bid vs by his Apostle to say vnto ye shewe me your faith by your works whē your tongue is foule your déedes are wicked most certaine it is that the hart is vncleane there is no right faith for y t doth purge the hart as S. Peter saith Act. 15. Looke but vpon mens words outward brags of their beléefe ye would thinke there were such plentie of faith y t there could be almost no more euery man doeth so strongly beléeue in Christ But come to this touchstone trial which is héere giuen vs shew thy faith by thy works it shall by by carry vs so far on y e other side when we sée such flouds of all horrible beastly sins y t it will cause vs to think vpon this saieng When y e Son of man commeth shal he finde faith vpon the earth For if this be true as it is most true because God himselfe hath set it downe y t the faith which
is w tout good workes is dead and those are Infidels which like brute beasts care not but for the things of this worlde and make no conscience of committing all kinde of euill workes Doe ye suppose that if the Sonne of man shoulde now come that he shoulde finde anye great store of faith Alas alas how many are the sinfull déedes of the most men which shew that they haue no faith How fewe are the good workes and how weake euen in the small remnaunt of the godlye which doth declare how poore and slender their faith is But we must yet procéede further in this matter and as it were strike it a lyttle déeper As men are wily to deceiue themselues so they will héere yet finde a hole to créepe out at although they be neuer so wicked for thus they will saye It is true Gods word saith that faith is shewed foorth by good workes well I thanke God though I haue many vices in mée and am full of infirmities yet I am not altogether without good workes I am not so gracelesse but at some times I remember God by praier I doe according to my abilitie giue to the poore I am ready to pleasure my friend doe not these things sufficientlye shewe that I haue faith Déerely beloued take héed for héere you may soone be deceiued it is not the meaning of the Apostle when he saith shew me thy faith by thy works that a few scattered scraps of good déeds among great heapes of sinfull workes and as it were a few graines of Corne in a great heape of Chaffe should be a true witnesse of the same For it must be showed both in forsaking renouncing all euill wayes and also in following after all goodnes for it is without al controuersie y t those which séeme to be good works before men are not so before God in the man which is giuen ouer to commit sin can y t which is good come out of the same heart in which vngodlinesse raigneth either make the trée good saith Christ and the fruite good or els make the trée euill and the fruite euill A good trée cannot bring forth euil fruit neither can an euill Trée bring foorth good fruite Can the same Trée bring forth both good fruite and euill fruite Doth a fountaine at the same place saith S. Iames send forth both swéet and bitter water Be not deceiued saith Saint Iohn he that worketh righteousnesse is righteous he that committeth sin is of the Diuell Some man will say doth not the most godly man that liueth commit sin doth not y e good the bad come together frō him The godly are loden w t the corruptions of y e flesh but yet they doe not commit sin y t is to say they are not giuen ouer as vngodly men are to the obedience of sin they are spotted with imperfections but they do not take plesure therein as the wicked do although they féele a lumpishnesse in them vnto good workes yet their whole race is applied vnto good works they would very faine obey their God on both sides that is to say in forsaking all that is euill doing all y t which he commaundeth thē Contrariwise the fleshly Infidell doeth with all his heart giue vp himselfe in the whole race of his life to that which is filthy if he doe any thing which is good it is but in shew being not done sincerely nor comming from a good roote but of selfe loue vaine glorie or such like Hée doth not any thing for the Lords sake but for his own For loue him ye shal finde him ready to do ye good cease that his goodnesse doth dye Praise him he will praise you againe discommend him although he deserue it neuer so much ye shall not come in his books be ye neuer so good Forget not this then I praye ye good bretheren when God hath set down so plain a rule to trie our selues by whether we be faithfull or Infidells If we finde our selues ful of good workes our heart doth beare vs witnes that we do them euen for loue towards God well are we this doth declare our faith But if our euill déedes abound our hart be vncleane it is time to looke about vs we are in a most miserable case I wish of God that we might often thinke vppon this and be carefull to shewe our faith to the world by our good and pure lyfe Be not afrayde to applye this to our selues and also to deale against the vngodlye with it For in this dissolute age wherein iniquitie hath almost gotten the vpper hande it is most necessary that we vse this instrument which GOD hath put into our hands Thou saist thou beléeuest shew thy faith by thy workes Now followeth another reason Thou beléeuest ther is one God thou dost well the Diuells also beléeue and tremble Way this argument well and ye shall plainlye perceiue that it doth nothing at all helpe a man to saye he hath faith when he hath no good déeds if this kinde of faith could saue him then should the Diuells be saued also because they haue the same beléefe but because it is most certaine that the Diuels shall not thereby be saued therefore it is also as manifest that those men who haue no other beléefe but that which they haue cannot be saued Let vs sée then how farre the faith of Diuelles doeth goe Thou beléeuest saith he that there is one God or that God is one and so thou thinkest this a great matter not to beléeue as y e vaine Gentiles which did think there wer diuers Gods and indéede for so farre thou dost well but yet marke what a great matter thou hast attained the Diuells doe beléeue the same and yet haue therby no benefit or reconciliation with God for they tremble when they remember the terrible iudgement seate the euerlasting fire which is prepared for them This faith of the diuils is not to be restrained to some one point but stretcheth vnto the whole doctrine of Faith They doe stedfastly beléeue and knowe that Iesus Christ died for the sinnes of the worlde this is a sure reason that they know the doctrine of God when they séeke to deface and ouerthrow it by contrarie errours When a man therefore is of a sounde iudgement in the Scriptures for matters of Faith and is able to confirme euerye point and to ouerthrowe the contrarie errours though manye will saye hée is a sound◠man he taketh himselfe to be as great a Gospeller as any other yet if he haue no workes if his faith be not a liuelye regenerating faith he maye estéeme of himselfe what he will but the Lorde telleth vs that he is no more forwarde then thē Diuelles they are as sounde in the knowledge of truth as hée And if this common and general faith would serue they should be saued as well as he But it may be héere obiected that there is
left for a man to hide himselfe in nor to créepe out at but hée is holden fast to this that if hée will bée saued he must so beléeue that he declare and shew forth to the world by his good works and holy life how he walketh in the steps of his faithfull father AbrahaÌ„ But why doth he choose this one worke of Abraham before all the rest For his life did shine with holy works he was merciful to y e poore he interteined lodged strangers he was peaceable w t al men iust true in al his delings doubtles this did excel al y e rest so farre passe them that it maye well inough be mentioned in stéede of them all it did declare a wonderfull faith and loue towardes God as we may easily sée considering al the whole circumstaunces of the storie God had called him out of his-natiâ—â— Countrey and from his Fathers house into a straunge lande he had promised him a sonne by his wife Sara of whom the blessed séede should come he performed this promise in his olde age euen when Sara was by nature past childe bearing he had no other childe by hir the promise was made in none but in him In Isaac shall thy séede be blessed Each man shall now be driuen to confesse that héere was a great triall when God doth bid him take his onely sonne euen Isaac and goe thrée dayes iourney to the place which he would shew him and to offer him vpon the Altar a slaine Sacrifice How great a griefe is it for a louing father to loose a sonne which he loueth déerelye especially when he hath no more sonnes then how much griefe might this be not onely to sée his sonne slain but also to slay him with his own hands and most of all that childe in whom the couenaunt of eternall lyfe was made because Christ shoulde come of him who being dead all hope of saluation did dye with him Al this did not with-hold but y e faith of Abraham caried so great a loue in him feare towards God that he neuer grudged at the matter nor neuer made delay but went indéede to haue slaine his sonne hauing bound him vpon the woode and hauing taken in his hand the sacrificing knife to kill him Then the Angell of y e Lord froÌ„ heuen did forbid him Before y e Lord it was as if it had bene done because Abraham did fully purpose to do it then we sée plainlye by this what the true faith is But if any man should obiect and say this example is not fit euerie man cannot be lyke Abraham nor haue such a faith as he had he was a rare man few or none to be compared with him Saint Iames doth aunswere If ye thinke this example to be too high and that ye are not to be measured by it I will shew you another as lowe what say ye to Rahab the harlot was not she iustified by workes did not hir faith declare it selfe by good workes Can ye take any exception against this example Will ye not be ashamed that your faith shoulde not be lyke hirs As the faith of Abraham did vtter it selfe to the world so did hirs whereby she shewed hir selfe to be a right daughter of Abraham although she were not of his posteritie according to the flesh but came of one of those cursed Nations which God had commaunded the Children of Israel to roote out and destroy yet I say she was his daughter according as S. Paule setteth it forth in the Epistle to the Romanes that he should be the Father not onely of them which are of the Circumcision but also of those y t walke in y e steps of y e faith of our father Abraham like as all his children both of the Iews Gentiles must do which will be blessed w t their faithfull father AbrahaÌ„ Then we haue héere y e exaÌ„ple of y e father of all y e faithfull with y e exaÌ„ple of one of his daughters which had ben a poore harlot what excuse remaineth or what can we pretende shall we not blush and be ashamed to say that we beléeue well and take our selues to be the Children of Abraham and the Children of God when we are no more lyke him then as the common saieng is an Apple is lyke an oyster Christ our Sauiour doth vse this reason against the Pharesies in the Gospell of S. Iohn If ye were Abrahams Children saith he ye would doe the workes of Abraham but now ye goe about to kill me a man that haue tolde you the truth which I haue heard of God this did not Abraham And a little after Ye are of your father the Diuell and the lusts of your father ye will do What would we haue more plaine then this Euen the very séed and posteritie of Abraham which tooke theÌ„selues to be the children of Abraham 〈◊〉 the children of God yet Christ Iesus telleth them plainly they are the children of the Diuell and why Because theyr workes were not like the works of Abraham their beléefe was not lyke his but it was dead Shall not we then as boldly say at this day nay rather doeth not Christ speake as plainly as he did and telleth vngodlye men to theyr face howsoeuer ye brag of your faith it is but dead and howsoeuer ye boast and take your selues to be the Children of God yet in very déede vnlesse ye returne from your vngodly waies shew forth the fruites of a true and liuely faith ye are the children of the Diuell trust not vnto your vaine hope and dead faith for it will but deceiue you Déerely beloued let vs not be so mad when God telleth vs this with his owne mouth as to beléeue the contrary and to perswade our selues we shall do well inough although we continue in our sinnes This is a most pestilent craft of Satan and commeth from the roote of Infidelitie as ye may sée in our great grandmother Eue God had tolde hir and Adam that what day soeuer they shuld eate of y e trée they should dye the death the Diuell told hir ye shall not dye she beléeued him but beléeued not God she thought euen as the Diuel told hir she shuld do wel inough or els she would neuer haue eate therof we haue sucked this poyson from hir breasts when God telleth vs if your faith bring not forth good workes it is dead it cannot helpe ye if ye continue in these wicked déedes ye are the children of the Diuell ye must spéedelye repent for ye cannot when ye would No no saith the Diuell on the other side that is not true your faith is good inough goe on ye shall doe wel God hath mercie in store ye may repent afterwarde Now the most doth beleeue the Diuell in this and giue no credite at all vnto God and neuer séeke to try themselues whether they be in good case or not When the Apostle saith héer that Abraham was iustified by
workes and that Rahab was iustified by workes c. We must note that this word iustified is taken diuers waies in y e scriptures which is one cause as I noted before why S. Paule and S. Iames séeme to be contrarie S. Paule prouing that we are iustified by faith taketh it as cōtrary to this word condemned for being by our sins guiltie to receiue the sentence of condemnation we are in Christ into whose mysticall body we are incorporate thorough faith acquit and discharged which is called iustification this cannot be by the workes of the law because there is not perfection in the déedes of any but euen the most pure are vncleane spotted Therfore as S. Paule saith they are all vnder the curse which holde of the workes of y e law for it is written Cursed is euery one which cōtinueth not in al things which are written in y e book of the law to do them y e reason of this is to be considered in the most holy and pure nature of God vnto whom no vncleane thing can be coupled no vnpure thing although it be but in part can abide his presence or haue fellowship with him The word iustifie is also taken in this sence as when a man doth declare and shew forth before men y t he is a righteous person also before God that is the meaning of the word in this place that looke how by faith we are iustified before God so by the fruits of our faith we are iustified that is declared to be iust before men For proofe that the Scripture doeth vse the word iustified in this sence look vpon the saieng of Dauid That thou maist be iustified in thy saieng and pure when thou iudgest there it can signifie no more but that God might shew and declare himselfe to be iust In the Gospell of S. Luke chap. 16. ver 15. You are they saith Christ to y e Pharesies which iustifie your selues before men but God doth know your hearts In this saieng it is most apparant that there is a iustifieng before men which the Pharisies in coloured hypocrisie did séeke for but Christ telleth them they were neuer the better because they were not of vpright heart before God The word is also taken in other sense which I omit If any man will now demaund how it can be proued that S. Iames doth vse it in this latter sense rather then in the former I aunswere that the very place it selfe and go no further doth declare this thing for when the Apostle saith thus Some man will say shew me thy faith by thy workes is it not apparant that he speketh of that which is before men or declared vnto men and not of that which is before God In lyke manner when he saith Abraham was iustified by works when he offered his sonne Isaac vpon the Alter Doth not y e scripture shew that before God Abraham was iustified long before by faith If it be obiected againe y t if may also be sayd how he was before y e time iustified before men or that he had shewed by his déedes vnto men y t he did feare and loue God and then what shoulde hinder but that it may be taken for a more full and perfect iustification or an increase therof as well before God as before men I aunswere that before GOD a man being iustified to speake properly there is no increase thereof for he is fully and wholy discharged and acquite or els it is no iustification But because we haue receiued the grace of iustification but in part and not in full measure therefore our iustifieng before men is more and more declared by degrées as good workes doe more and more abound in vs and so Abraham was by this one worke more iustified before men thē by all y e rest of his déeds therfore it may well be set downe in stéed of al y e rest we sée héere then y t because by the scriptures this must néedes be taken for an increase of iustification in our father Abraham y t it must necessarily be vnderstood of that iustification which is before men ye sée now y e meaning of this text and the drift scope of the Apostle is laid open vnto ye but my chiefe purpose is yet behinde and that wherin we are to be wrought vppon yet remaineth which is a more particular application and handling of this doctrine For we must not passe away thus with y e matter vnlesse we minde to take smal fruit therby Ye will confesse these things which I haue handled to be true as of necessity we are forced thervnto we cānot but grant y e the holy ghost hath giuē a perfect touchstone then I am to exhort you in the name of God as ye tender and loue the saluation of your soules to giue attentiue héede a little not to let this thing slip away from ye do ye graunt that the faith which is without works is dead And that it is no better then the faith of diuels And yet wil ye still suppose that idolaters swerers railers adulterers couetous worldlings griping vsurers such like are in good case or continuing such canne hope for mercie Do ye confesse y t ther is but one true faith which was the faith of Abraham and Rahab Doe ye also acknowledge that the same faith in them did shew it selfe by good déeds And wil yée still accept it for a sufficient proofe of a good and sound testimonie of a true beliefe when any man can say I do hurt no man I liue vprightly pay euerye man his owne I haue alwaies ben reputed taken for an honest man what would ye require more of me I liue as my neighbours doe I trust God will hold me excused although he haue no regarde of any obedience to the worde of GOD to consider wherein his glorye doth consist nor yet anye care of men to profit either theyr soules or theyr bodyes but contenteth himselfe with this if hée doe them no good to doe them no harme I will shew you déerelye beloued howe these sortes of people are deceyued by two fowle errours which this text doth most strongly ouerthrowe the first is this that they looke but vnto mē and restraine their duetie vnto them whereas they should chiefly looke vnto that which they owe vnto God then to that which belongeth to their brethren the seconde is that they suppose themselues bound no further but to absteine from hurting without regard of doing the dueties of loue wherein one man is to profit and further another As concerning the first of these both the example of Abraham and also of Rahab do manifestly conuince them because the fruites of their faith or the works whereby they were iustified did not so much respect man as God for in Abraham there appeareth onely a loue towards God for whose sake he was cōtented to forget y e affection of a father
to shew that although he loued Isaac déerely yet he loued God more so y t if we féele our loue to the Lord our God to be so small that it cannot preuaile with vs to kill and mortifie the lusts of sinne and vaine plesures of the flesh how shall we perswade our selues that we are like Abraham which had denied the loue of himsefe so farre that he did neuer grudge but would willingly haue killed his sonne Rahab after shée had made confessiō what she did beleeue concerning the God of Israel for the same Gods sake for the true religion and for the Church or people of God tooke the messengers and did hide them to the hazard of her life all y t she had affirming to the king when he sent to séeke thē that they were departed Doth not this improue the faith of those which for the religion of God are so farre off from hazarding their liues goods that they dare not be séene when neuer so little daunger doth arise wherein are those like vnto Rahab which will turne with euery winde and a man cannot tell what religion they be of they will be sure to rowe with the tide and neuer to striue against the streame doe such now iustifie themselues lyke Rahab haue they such a faith as she had No déerely beloued they are as yet verye Infidells and loue themselues and the worlde more then they loue GOD and his truth this thing then is most euident y t the true beléefe doth make all those y t haue it ready willing to loose their liues their goods for y e gospel this must not séeme to be a strange doctrine whē as our sauiour telleth vs in sundry places y t he y t doth not forsake al take vp his crosse folow him cannot be his disciple Wel we must therfore be so hot and zealous in the profession of true religion that it cause vs to forget our own state and commoditie we must haue so burning a loue to Gods truth that nothing may be able to quench the same We must not stagger and varie because we shal endure trouble Let vs conclude this point wherein it is proued y t they erre are deceiued which doe not make account of kéeping religion pure of louing it before all other things and so of giuing to God his due honour Remember y t from hence ye are to fetch the first part of y e true description of a godly mā the triall of the iustifieng faith which is but one therfore worketh alike in all which are pertakers of it though not in the like mesure with all mark how far y e holye Ghost doth differ in setting forth a righteous man from y e common māner of worldlings wheras he taketh it to be y e chiefe work which respecteth God himself his truth they passe ouer that count it no matter though a man be an Idolater or superstitious or a swearer which doth not reuerence the name of God so y t he be a friendly man to his friend such lyke how great an enimy he be to y e word of God it skilleth not these are brute beasts w tout vnderstāding very Atheists which wil say plainly they can sée no differēce betwéen the papists the professors of y e gospel both because they are not able to iudge of doctrine also y t they looke but vnto men now let vs come to y e second thing wherin they erre which this text doth confute sharply they suppose as I tolde ye y e men are to haue no farther regard but to this not to hurt passing by all those duties wherin they are to do good vnto their brethren not duly cōsidering how y e law of god doth not only bind vs to abstein frō hurting our neighbor but also doth most straightly tie vs to do al good déeds vnto them so that he is guiltie before God not onely which committeth that which the law forbiddeth but also which leaueth the thing vndone which the law enioyneth Now then because the true faith bringeth vs to haue care to obey God wholy S. Iames requireth that a man should shew his faith not only by leauing y t which is euil but also by the performaunce of y t which is good for thus he saith shew me thy faith by thy déeds that faith which is without works is dead héere by y e way obserue by comparison how far of are those frō grace which swarme ful of vncleane vices their whole race is nothing but a continual sinning wheras this is euidently héere proued y t such mē as carie a great shew of vprightnes in refraining from sundry vices are stil without testimonie of true beléefe because their holy déeds do not appeare for when as y e holy scriptures do testify y t y e hart is purified by faith y t those are borne againe in the new spirituall birth that they are new creatures haue a new heart a right spirit created and renewed in them it must néedes be that they are prepared vnto euery good worke they haue not onely put off the olde man with his corrupt lusts but haue also put on y e new man which is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse as they haue walked in darknesse so now they walke in the light There is one step yet further in this matter I trust that as ye will confesse this that if those do not beléeue well which haue no good workes to shewe although they be in some things vpright and much more the foule and filthy liuers which dishonour God and his truth so ye will also be brought to sée that those miserable men are yet further off which barke against this holye doctrine and cannot abide that a man should say to the wicked and vngodlye thou art in the waye to hell thou shalt dye the death if thou returne not from these euills They may thunder raile against men and saye they vtter damnation but let them looke if they can quench the light which the Holy Ghost hath giuen in this text Let vs retourne to the former matter againe We must not onely abstaine from euill but also doe good there be many likewise deceiued in this doing good restraining it to the baser and lesser part they looke but vnto the bodies of their bretheren and suppose they are to haue no further regard but of them to reléeue and ease the miseries of the flesh let the soule be neuer so blinde neuer so sicke in neuer so great danger of eternall destruction they haue no pitie of that which doth bewray that they sée no further then this lyfe they haue no true loue nor pitie in thē for then woulde they loue the soules of men which are so precious they would pitie the wofull miserie that they be in For how absurd a thing is this y t one should be carefull to ease the calamitie