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
which lasteth but for a daye and not respect that which is eternall I must therfore héere againe admonish ye that such as will haue proofe of their faith by good works must exercise the same as wel to the soules as to the bodies of men and because therein doth stand the greatest loue of all other they are therein to shewe themselues most earnest There is no more excellent note of faith and of the true feare loue of God then when a man is gréeued and mourneth to sée men out of the waye to life running headlong in their sinnes vnto destruction and when as he doth in loue and pitie admonish them and séeke by instruction to draw them out of the snares of the Diuell On the contrary side he can neuer say he hath anye droppe of grace which delighteth and sporteth himselfe at the lewde and wanton behauiour of other men Iudge déere bretheren these Cockbraines which cannot be merrye but at the sinfull and prophane speaches of vaine men doe they shewe the fruites of Faith Those abhominable beasts which delight to make mē dronk to the intent they may laugh are they of God or of the Diuell We must diligently exercise the contrary labouring to draw one another to God and to conuert their soules which go astray which is the speciall and chiefe good work that we can do vnto men To féede the hungrie to cloth the naked to visit y e sick those which are in bōds to opē as it wer the bowells of mercie and compassion to all that are in misery are verye excellent and glorious fruites of faith haue great promises of reward in y e holy Scriptures yet are they not comparable to these when the soule is sicke in prison and in the chaines of Satan to visit and reléeue it When it is pining away for want of heuenly food to minister vnto it when it is full of grieuous sores and deadly wounds to giue wholsōe medicines salues vnto it to mourn with the bowells of pittie compassion for it From hence it ariseth that al true faithfull hearts doe sob and grone with sorrow when they sée men left without instruction and when they behold the desolations and ruines of the Church it doth pinch them euen at the heart it causeth bitter teares to flow out of their eyes when they behold any famine and dearth of the foode of life and when they sée them runne from Sea to Sea and from the one ende of the land to the other to séeke for it When they sée the young man and the beautiful virgin perish for thirst he that shall denie this or stand in doubt thereof neuer knewe as yet what the vse and benefit of the word is nor yet what that loue in the spirite is which the Lord commendeth vnto vs. I might héere stand long in perticulars to shewe the crueltie of those Parents which suffer their children to be without the knowledge of God and to perish in their sins For one of the chiefe fruites of their faith doth stande in this which the Apostle commaundeth Fathers prouoke not your children to wrath but bring them vp in the nourture and instruction of the Lord. For those which haue the riches and wealth of the world the Holy ghost saith He that hath this worlds good and séeth his brother stand in néede and shutteth vp his compassion from him how dwelleth the loue of God in him If this be true that the rich men of the world do not loue God when they wil not part with their riches to reléeue y e miserable carcase of their bretheren then doubtlesse it is a more strong argument against them when as so many soules perish for want of good pure instruction which by their wealth they might procure if they did not make more account of their riches then of the saluation of men Gods word pronounceth them blessed which imploye theyr goods to féede the poore then how much more blessed a thing is it when they are imployed to the ministring of spirituall foode which neuer perisheth But let vs come to those which haue the charge of soules what is the principal good work which they are to shew their faith by wherein they are to declare their loue towardes Christ and his Church Simon Ioanna louest thou me Féede my shéepe féede my Lambes féed my shéepe When as therefore the hireling the idle Drone and the Idoll shepheard haue the flocke of the Shéepe Lambes of Christ and doe not féede them or at the least doe so féede them that they are neuer the better where is the faith which they boast of is it anye other then the dead faith and the faith of Diuells Whosoeuer therefore will haue the testimonie of his faith in this callyng he must execute the office as the Scripture bindeth him Is it possible that he can giue credit to the word of God and be of a right beléefe and not regard this The rest of his good déedes whereby some man will say he doth shewe his faith are no good déedes for if he did them of loue towards God and his bretheren would he not then doe that wherein his loue to both should most of all shewe it selfe Can he loue God and hate God Can he loue men and hate men Or can hée loue God and not regard to do his wil Or can he loue men and not care for the saluation of their soules O my bretheren who cannot say to such a man Shew me thy faith by thy works Who will be so blinde as to think such are in good case I will nowe drawe towardes an ende onelye by this place exhorting euerye man while God giueth him time and abilytie to giue himselfe to the exercise of good workes and the seruice of God And déere bretheren what shoulde make vs so slacke considering howe shorte our time is and howe great reasons ther are to perswade vs as first to begin with that which is taught in this place is it not a meruelous blessing to haue the witnesse of our faith Is it not a miserable curse to be without the true peace of conscience and to abide stil in doubt Doeth not GOD promise vs also although we can deserue nothing but when we haue done all that we can we are still vnprofitable seruaunts that all our good workes shal be rewarded euen to a Cup of cold water which is giuen for his sake Make yée bagges which neuer waxe olde or treasure which neuer faileth in heauen c. Shall not the promise of reward mooue vs Go further how déere and precious ought the name of our God to be vnto vs how much ought it to delyght vs to heare it magnified how much ought we to abhorre to sée it stayned and dishonoured Is not his name honoured when those which call vppon him are fruitfull in good workes Héerein saith Christ is my Father glorified that ye goe and bring foorth much fruite Also he saith Let your light so shine before men y t they may sée your good works glorifie your father which is in heauen Is not Gods name dishonoured by the euill conuersation of those which professe his worde Saith not S. Paule The name of God is euill spoken of through you among the heathen Ought not the Gospell to bée déere vnto vs Is it not in the mouth of y e greatest number of worldlings when they sée y e euill déeds of professors Loe these are your Gospellers héere is their holye doctrine these are they which hunt after Sermons ye may sée what they are what their teaching is they haue as fewe good works as other men they are all in wordes O wretches shall not these things moue vs to let the world sée our faith and loue towards God by our good works likewise is ther any greater loue which can be shewed towards men thē when they shall be moued by our good déeds to glorifie God in y e day of their visitation when our godly deling shall cause them to confesse that it is an holy religion which we professe so giue eare ioyne themselues vnto the same Happy man which by his holy life is a meane to drawe others from their euil wayes to bring thē to be schollers in y e same schoole that he is Contrariwise what a woful and miserable wretch is that which slaundereth dishonoureth the holy word by his sinfull life which driueth other from it and so thrusteth them on headlong to destruction O vncharitable man shall not the bloud of such in some sort be layd to thy charge when thou driuest them from the Lord and his truth as much as lyeth in thée and driuest them headlong to destruction I might procéede to many perticulars but then I should be ouer tedious The Lorde plant these things in our hearts and giue vs grace to continue in all goodnesse to our liues ende to his glorie and our eternall comfort Amen FINIS ¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas East for Tobie Cooke dwelling at the Tigers head in Paules Churchyard 1582. Mat. 12. 33 Luk. 6. 43. Iam. 3. 11. 1. Ioh. 3. 7. Ephe. 4. 5 1. Tim. 2. 5 Gen. 21. Gen 21. 12 Ro. 4. 12. Ioh. 8. 3. Gal. 3. 10. Psa 51. 4 Luk. 16. 15 Ephe. 6. 4. 1. Ioh. 3. 17 Ioh. 21. 15 Ma. 10 42 Luk. 12. 33 Ioh. 15. 8 Mat. 5 16. Rom. 2. 24