controuersye touching the ceremonies of the law Some haue by reason of these thinges takē occasion to withdraw men from studieng of this epistle and haue said that from the .xii. chapiter to the end it is worthy to be red for that there is set forth an excellent institucion touching maners But vnto that chapiter forasmuche as say they there is nothing entreted of but only striues and contencions concerning the ceremonies of the law it serueth litle to our vse to know them for that they of conduce not to our times wherein are vtterly remoued away the ceremonies of the Iewes But these men are farre deceaned themselues and seke also to deceaue others For the whole epistle doubtles is a golden epistle and most worthy to be red It contayneth places touching naturall knowledge and ciuill offices touching the law of Moses and touching the Gospell it expliraceth iustification and original sinne it setteth forth grace it entreateth of election predestination the execution of the Iewes and of the restoring of them agayne From the twelfth chapites it contayneth what kind of sacrifice we ought to offer and entreateth touching the magestrate and touching bearing with the weake and remouing away offence And who seeth not that these are great matters and most The question being moued touching ceremonies is reduced to the generalitie profitable to be knowen But whereas they obiect vnto vs that as touching the first part is entreated of ceremonies I graunt indede that by the meanes of them the question began first which Paul seking to dissolue reduced it to the genus or generall word And to declare that we can not be iustified by the ceremonies of the law he proueth generally that iustification can not come of any our workes And so when he had taken away the genus the species or parts could by no meanes consist For it followeth We are iustified by no workes therefore neyther by ceremoniall workes nor by morall workes nor by iudiciall workes And that the reasons of Paul extend so farre I will proue by these arguments Argumēts to proue that here are entreated of works generally and not of ceremonyall workes only following First he teacheth that we are iustified by sayth and by the mercy of God that the promise might be firme But that promise is not firme if it depend eyther of the execution of ceremonies or of the obseruation of the ten commaundements for that we are as touching ech part a like weake Moreouer he sayth that we are iustified freely which word Freely is of no effect vnles we exclude morall workes For he which worketh vnto him reward is rendred according to debt and not according to grace Afterward he entreateth of the obseruation of that law by which we haue the knowledge of sinne which thing belongeth rather to morall precepts then to ceremonies This is the law whirh worketh anger neyther doubt we but that God is more prouoked to anger if we transgresse the ten commaundements then if we offend in certayne rites and ceremonies And more ouer Paul putteth our iustification to consist of the grace and mercy of God to the end our boasting should be excluded But if thou remoue away ceremonies only and say that we are iustified by morall works boasting is not taken away for we may at the least boast of them Farther it is certayne that the ceremonies of Moses pertayned to the first table where the worshipping of God is commaunded Neyther were the elders any lesse bound to these ceremonies then we are at this daye bounde to receaue baptisme and the Eucharist And if Paul proue that we are not iustified by those thinges which pertayn to that first cable much more then is it proued that we can not attayne vnto righteousnes by the workes of the latter table Paul when he had declared that we are now by the benefit of Christ free from the law obiecteth vnto himselfe Let vs sinne more freely and abide in sinne that grace may the more abound If the question had bene moued touching ceremonies only he mought haue answered ye are not deliuered but only from ceremonies ye are still bound to the morall law But he maketh no such answere but sayth that we ought to sinne no more for that we are now dead vnto sin and grafted into Christ and buried together with him And the same Paul when he wrote that by the fauor of Christ we are deliuered and absolued from those thinges which in our flesh resist the law of God expressedly declared of what law he entreated For he made mencion of that commaundement Thou shalt not lust Lastly in the epistle to the Galathians where he entreateth of the selfe same matter be pronounceth him accursed which abideth not in all the thinges which are written in the booke of the law When he saith all doubtles he excludeth not morall workes Wherefore this disputacion of the Apostle is not superfluous Yea rather vnles he had taken it in hand the liberty of the Church had bene put in great danger which the deuill sought to bring vnder the law as though Christ of himselfe were not sufficient to iustifye men And the reasons which are perticularly brought in touching ceremonies are A sure reason wherby is proued y◠no man is iustified by the ceremonies of mē not superfluous For by the selfe same reasons we may proue that mens tradicions and the rites which men haue appoynted vnto vs are not such worshippinges of God as can not be changed nor omitted if they shall seme not to conduce to saluation For these thinges much les pertayne to the obteyning of righteousnes then do the ceremonies instituted by God himselfe Wherefore if these auayle not to righteousnes then can not those of necessity be required vnto it Thou wilt demaund paraduenture whether bicause of these reasons of the Apostle we ought to thinke our selues losed from all maner of law Not so vndoubtedly Whether we be free from the law neyther doth this follow of his sayinges vnles thou vnderstand that we are free and loosed from the law in respect that we can not be iustified by it Otherwise we ought to obey it and to the vttermost of our power to labour to execute it but yet not with this purpose to seke thereby to be iustifyed And as touching the ceremonies of the old law two extreme errors are to be takē hede of the one is of the Ebionites and others which Iewishly sought to ioyne of necessity Two errors to be taken hed ▪ of ▪ as touching the olde law the ceremonies of Moses to Christ Contrariwise the other extreme error is of the Marcionites which affirmed that the old law was not geuen of a good God but of an euil gouerner the maker of this world We saile in that middest betwene these extremities and affirme that now after Christ the ceremonies of the law are not still to be kept when as theyr time is now expired Howbeit we commend them as
whiche killeth a dogge and whiche offreth fiue swete cakes like vnto him whiche offreth the bloud of swyne But no man doubteth but that the workes whiche we worke are in a sorte sacrifices Wherfore if sinners offer them vnto the Lord they are displeasant vnto hym He addeth also an other reason He whiche worketh sinne is the seruant of sinne because when we be seruaunts vnto sinne it suffreth vs not to do any thing that is acceptable vnto God Lastly hee maketh thys reason that Christ said No man can serue two maisters neither is it by any meanes possible that we should serue both Mammon and God Wherupon hee concludeth that it is not possible that the wycked shoulde do good woorkes Wherefore the woorkes of preparation whyche our aduersaries fayne are What sins to be couered signifieth are vtterly excluded Augustine interpretyng the 31. Psalme sayth That sinnes to be couered is nothyng els then that God will not consider them And if sayth he hee consider them not then will he not punish them Wherefore sinnes are sayd to be couered before God because God will not punishe them They ought not so to bee vnderstand to be couered as though they were ouer couered and yet neuertheles remayne lining in vs. Their bonde and guiltines whereby punishment was due vnto vs is by forgeuenes taken away And for this thing the Prophet prayed when hee sayd Turne away thy face from my sinnes When Dauid made this Psalme hee was sicke and was troubled with a grenous disease For he maketh mencion that hys bones were withered away and that he felt the hand of God heauy vpon him and that the moystnes of hys body was in a maner all dried vp and manye other such like thinges Wherefore being by the disease admonished of his sinnes and of the wrath of God he brast forth into these woordes by which hee testified those to be blessed whose sinnes God had forgeuen And he taketh blessednes for instification For iustification as we haue sayde is a blessednes begon For Sins onely are a let that we are not blessed sins are onely a let that we are not now already blessed which whē they shall vtterly be taken away they shall no more hinder blessednes But men though they be neuer so good and holy yet so long as they lyue here are not vtterlye without sinne Therefore they alwayes aspire vnto blessednes that is vnto the forgeuenes of sinnes Wherefore in that selfe same Psalme it is afterward added For So longe as we liue here we pray for iustification He which prayeth not for the forthe forgeuenes of sins prayeth ill this shall euery one that is holy pray vnto thee Which thing our Sauiour also hath taught vs. For in the prayer which he made which euen the best and most holye oughte to saye he commaunded vs to saye Forgeue vs our trespasses And they which pray for other thinges and make not mention of this let them take hede that thyng happen not vnto them which happened vnto that Pharisey whom Luke sheweth to haue praid after this maner I geue thee thankes O God that I am not as other men are c. And for that cause saith Christ he departed not home to his house iustified bicause he rehersed before God his good workes onely But contrariwise the Publicane acknowledging his misery durst scarcely lift vp his eies vnto heauen And so being vtterly deiected in mynd he said Lord be mercifull vnto me a sinner And by this confession he acknowledged that he brought nothing vnto God but sinnes and therfore prayed that they might be forgeuen him He saith Christ returned home iustified Where as Dauid here as the Apostle citeth hym maketh no mencion of good workes yet some will obtrude it vnto vs out of these things which follow And in his spirite is no guile But vnto these mē August very well aunswereth In him saith he there is no guile which as he is a sinner so acknowledgeth himselfe to be and when he seeth himselfe vitiated with euill workes dissembleth What it is not to haue guile within one them not but manifestly confesseth them Therfore it is added in the selfe same psalme I haue said I will confesse mine owne iniquitie agaynst my selfe But yet againe suche whyche woulde so fayne weaken thys reasonynge of Paule obiecte vnto vs that there is vsed the figure Synecdoche so that wyth those thynges which Dauid setteth foorth wee shoulde also ioyne good woorkes to iustifye And to make their sentence of the more credite they gather other testimonies out of Dauid in which blessednes is also attributed vnto workes as Blessed are the immaculate which walke in the law of the Lorde Blessed is the man which feareth the Lorde Blessed is the man which hath not gone in the counsels of the vngodly and many other Whether blessednes be attributed vnto woorkes Here is entreated of the first blessednes and not of the last such like places in which they say that blessednes is as expressedly ascribed vnto workes as it is in that place which Paul now citeth vnto the remission of sinnes But forasmuch as these men doo recite againe the same argument in a manner which we haue a little before dissolued they shall also haue euen the selfe same answer Namely that here is not intreated of that blessednes or felicitie whiche follow the first iustification but here is disputed of the very first and principall iustification And why we can not here admit the figure Synecdoche we haue before alredy shewed bicause Paul expressedly affirmeth that this righteousnes cōmeth without workes And bicause it should not be said that he spake these things only of ceremoniall workes of the law he afterward addeth that the promise therefore consisteth of grace that it might be firme not wauer which excludeth not onely ceremonies but also morall works And a little before we reade forasmuch as iustification is geuen by imputation it cannot then be of workes And that he confirmed by a generall reason of working and of not working which vndoubtedly extend much farther then to ceremonies For we worke no lesse in morall workes then in ceremoniall workes He said moreouer that they which are iustified haue wherof to glory before God as though they had of him obteined righteousnes and not of their works Whiche reason remoueth from iustification eyther kynde of woorkes both ceremoniall and also morall Wherefore we moste manifestlye sée Ambrose saith we are iustifyed by faith onely that the figure Synecdoche canne by no meanes stande wyth the reasons of Paul Ambrose expounding these wordes oftentimes writeth that we are iustified by faith onely and he addeth without labour and any obseruation But that which he afterward addeth when he interpreteth this sentence of Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquityes are forgeuen he sayth Vnto whome iniquityes are forgeuen without labor or any worke and whose sinnes are couered no worke of repentance being required of them but only
speaketh he any thing of the ceremonies of Moses Wherefore forasmuch as those thinges which he there rehearseth are repugnaunt vnto the ten commaundementes and to the morall lawe we can not but thinke that of it also he vnderstandeth those thinges which he writeth And in the second chapiter he reproueth the Iewes for the like kinde of sinnes For he saith Thou which teachest an other dost thou not teach thy self Thou whiche teachest that a man shoulde not steale dost thou steale that a man shoulde not commit adultery doost thou commit adultery and thou which detestest idols dost thou robbe God of his honour Who séeth not that these thinges are contayned in the lawe of the ten commaundementes And in the third chapiter he yet more manifestly entreateth of the same when he writeth There is none iust there is none that vnderstandeth or requireth after God all haue declined and are together made vnprofitable there is none that doth good no not one These thinges we sée are of the same kinde pertayne vnto maners If the apostle would haue spoken only of ceremoniall lawes he woulde neuer haue made mencion of these thinges And this is also more euidently gathered that when he had sayd no fleshe is iustified by the works of the lawe he addeth For by the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne Wherefore that lawe iustifieth not by which we know sinne According to which meaning he said also in the 4. chapiter The lawe worketh anger so farre is it of that it should iustify but it is very manifest vnto al men that sinnes are knowen and the wrath of God prouoked against transgressors more by the ten commaundementes then by the precepts of ceremonies I will not speake also of that generall sentence wherein it is sayd in the 4. chapiter That vnto him which worketh a reward is not imputed according vnto grace but according to debt◠And also that God would haue the inheritaunce to consist of grace that the promise should abide firme and not be changed that our gloriyng might be excluded which glorying commeth no les of good workes morall then of ceremonies It is written also in the 5. chapiter that the lawe entred in that sinne should abound and where sinne hath abounded there also hath grace more abounded These thinges also can not be drawen vnto ceremonies only Moreouer in the 6. chapiter when it was obiected vnto him that by so depressing workes and the lawe he did séeme to open a gate vnto loose life and vnto slouthfulnes and vnto sinnes as now dayly they obiect vnto vs he aunswered That we ought not to abide in sinne forasmuch as we are now dead vnto it By baptisme saith he we are buried with Christ that euen as he dyed and rose agayne so also should we walke in newnes of life And he admonisheth vs that euen as Christ dyed once and dyeth no more so also should we thinke our selues dead vnto sinne but liuing vnto God And he addeth that we must haue a diligent care that sinne raigne not in our mortall body and that we geue not our members the weapon◠of iniquity vnto sinne but geue ouer our selues vnto God as men of dead folke◠now lyuing and our members the weapons of righteousnes to sanctification These thinges which we haue rehearsed and the rest whiche followe euen in a manner to the ende of the chapiter séeme they to pertayne vnto the ceremonies of Moses or rather vnto a iust sincere and morall life The thing is so playne that there nedeth no question therein yet those thinges which are written in the 7. chapiter are yet much more manifest The affection saith he which are in the members were by the lawe made stronge and of efficacy to bring forth fruit vnto death But what other thing are these affections then 〈…〉 es filthy desires anger hatred and enuy which affections are rehearsed to◠the Galathians in that Cataloge where the workes of the fleshe are seperated from the workes of the spirite And there is no doubt but that all these thinges pertayne vnto the ten commaundementes Which thing the better to vnderstand Paul addeth What shall we say then Is the lawe sinne God forbid but I had not knowen sinne but by the law For I knew not what lust ment vnles the law had said thou shalt not lust Also the lawe in deede is holy the commaundemente is holy and iust and good Agayne The lawe in deede is spirituall but I am carnall sold vnder sinne For that which I do I allow not For the good which I would I do not but the euill which I would not that I do◠wherefore it is not I now which worketh it but sinne which dwelleth in me For there dwelleth no good in me that is in my flesh I haue a delight in the lawe of God as touching the inwarde man but I feele an other lawe in my member resisting the lawe of the mynde Oh vnhappy man that I am who shall deliuer me from the law of sinne and of death Wherefore in mynde I serue the lawe of God but in fleshe the lawe of sinne Whosoeuer shall diligently weigh all these testimonies shall easely sée that the Apostle wholy speaketh of the ten commaundementes whereof also he plainly maketh mencion in those foresayd words But these words which afterward follow in the 8. chapiter That which was impossible vnto the lawe in as much as it was weake by meanes of the fleshe God sending his owne sonne in the similitude of the fleshe of sinne by sinne condemned sinne in the fleshe these wordes I say can not be expounded of the lawe of ceremonies and much les that which followeth in the same chapter We are debt ours not vnto the fleshe that we shoulde liue according vnto the fleshe for if ye liue according to the fleshe ye shall dye But if by the spirite ye shall mortifye the deedes of the fleshe ye shall liue Neither can this be referred vnto ceremonies euē as neither can that also which is written vnto the Galathithians The lawe was put because of transgressions for where there is no lawe there is also no transgression And it is certayne that neither boasting can be excluded neither can the promise be firme if our iustification should depend of the obseruation of the ten commaundementes and of the morall preceptes howsoeuer thou take away the rites and ceremonies of Moses But much more firme is this place out of the 11. chapiter of this epistle vnto the Romanes And if it be of workes then is it not of grace if of grace then not of workes This Antithesis is vniuersall neither can it by any meanes be contracted vnto ceremonies I will not speake of that also which Paul writeth vnto the Phillippians how that he besides those precepts of Moses was conuersant without blame also as touching the righteousnes which is of the law For y◠which he writeth vnto the Ephe. the second chapter Not of workes least any man should boast
false doctrine But this man vndoubtedly is so farre besides him selfe that he sayth that this was lawfull for the Fathers to do For in his booke de votis which not many yeares ago he set abrode he sayth that Augustine in his booke de Bono viduitatis whereas he writeth that their matrimonies which had vowed a vow of virginity or of sole life are true mariages not adulteries wrote the same for no other end but to perswade Iuliana the widow vnto whome he wrote the booke that mariages in generall are not euill And so in Gods name he confesseth that Augustine setteth forth one false doctrine to ouerthrow an other false doctrine And with the like wisedōe in the same booke he fayneth that Clemens Alexandrinus wrote that Paul had a wife which he thinketh to be most false only to proue that mariage is good and honorable And if it be lawfull so to mingle true thinges with false and to confound all thinges when then shall we beleue the Fathers What thing can at any time be certaine vnto vs but that we may be deceaued by them Farther he fayneth that Paul excluded from iustification only workes of the law But this we haue before aboundantly confuted and haue taught that the reasons of Paul are generall Yea the Fathers saw euen this also For Augustine in many places affirmeth that Paul entreateth not only of ceremoniall works but also of morall works But bycause the authority of Augustine is I can not tell by what meanes suspected vnto our aduersaries Ierome also was of the opinion that not only ceremoniall works are to be excluded from iustification let vs se what Ierome sayth He vnto Clesiphon agaynst the Pelagians vpon these wordes By the workes of the law no flesh shal be iustified thus writeth By cause thou thinkest this to be spokē of the law of Moses only and not of all the commaundements which are conteyned vnder this one name law the selfe same Apostle sayth I consent vnto the law of God There are others also of the Fathers which teach the same but I now ouerpasse them Let it suffice to shew that this other fayned inuētion of Smith is vaine and trifling Thirdly he sayth that they ment to exclude workes as he calleth them penal namely those woorkes I suppose which men repentant doo but to shew how rediculous this is also shall nede no long declaration For first such workes were required of men not that by them they should be iustified before God but only to approue themselues vnto the Church namely lest they should by a fayned and dissēbled repentance seke to be reconciled Farther it is not very likely that Paul spake of any such workes For they were not at that time in vse In dede Ambrose when he excludeth woorkes frō iustification hath hereunto once or twise a respect But we ought not so much to consider what one or two of the Fathers say but what agréeth with the holy scriptures Smith addeth moreouer that it is certayne that God requireth much more of vs then fayth For in Marke it is thus written Repent ye and beleue Here sayth he vnto fayth is adioyned repentāce And in an other place He that beleueth and is Baptised shal be saued He addeth also that in the epistle to the Ephesians the Church is sayd to be sanctified with the lauacre of water in the word And that Peter in his 3. chap. of his first epistle sayth That Baptisme hath made vs safe Ierome also thus writeth vpon the first chapiter of Esay The lauacre of regeneration only remitteth sinnes Behold sayth he iustification and remission of sinnes is ascribed not only vnto fayth but also vnto the sacraments As touching the first we graunt that Christ requireth more of vs then faith For who doubteth but that he will haue men that are iustified to liue vprightly and to exercise them selues in God requireth more of men then faith all kindes of vertues otherwise they shall not come vnto eternall saluation But these are fruites of fayth and effectes of iustification and not causes But as touching the sacramēts we haue many times taught how iustification is to be attributed vnto them For they are in the same respect vnto it as is the preaching of the Gospel and the promise concerning Christ which is offred vnto vs vnto saluation And very oftentimes in the Scriptures that which belongeth vnto the thing is ascribed vnto the Sacrament or signe And bicause Baptisme promiseth remission of sinnes by Christ and signifieth it and sealeth it in them which are washed therfore Ierome of all other sacraments attributeth this vnto it only Wherefore the wordes of the Fathers ought nothing to moue vs when as they thus write That fayth alone is not sufficient vnto saluation For they vnderstand that of eternall saluation vnto which we come not except some fruite follow our fayth But of theyr sayings we ought not to gather the a man is not iustified by faith only And though at any time those selfe same fathers seme to referre theyr wordes vnto iustification yet are they to be vnderstand that theyr meaning was to expresse the nature of the true and iustifieng fayth For it in very dede is neuer alone but hath euer hope and charitie and other good workes as companions Sometimes also by iustification they vnderstand the righteousnes which cleaueth vnto vs of which it is moste certayne that it consisteth not of fayth only They thinke also that this maketh agaynst vs for that Paul writeth vnto the Romanes By hope ye are made safe Neyse The righteousnes which cleaueth vnto vs consisteth not of faith only they that hope is there taken for the last regeneration which we hope we shall one day obteyne in our countrey For the Apostle a litle before spake of it And vndoubtedly we possesse that saluation onely in hope not as yet in very déede If there be any paraduenture whō this most iust and most true solution wil not satisfy let him follow the interpretation of Origen For he vppon that place sayth that hope is there put for faith which is no rare thing in the holy scriptures But they haue found out yet an other fond deuise whereby as much as lieth in them they goo about to lenifie this worde Only which is so often vsed of the Fathers namely that fayth only hath the beginning and as it were the first degrée of iustification which afterward is made perfect and full when other good workes come vnto it But how vayne this is Paul himselfe sufficiently teacheth For he doth not onely say that we are iustified by faith onely but also he addeth without workes Farther this also maketh against these men which is written in in the 15. chapter of wisdome To know is full righteousnes In which place it is a sport to sée how our Smith writeth himselfe First he dareth not deny the sentēce for he counteth that booke for canonicall but as he is
he wil geue any plasters to heale it withall And so commeth it to passe that the law openeth the way vnto the Gospel Neither is this to What is the property of the law be maruelled at that in this place by the law are vnderstanded the Prophets and Psalmes For what soeuer is found in the whole scrpture serueth to the institution of lyfe which is peculiar and proper vnto the law Because by the workes of the law shall no flesh be iustefied in his sight For by the law coÌ„meth the knowledge of sinne But now is that righteousnes of God made manifest wtout the law hauing witnes of the law of the Prophets Namely the righteousnes of God by the faith of Iesus Christ vnto all and vppon all that beleue For there is no difference for all haue sinned are depriued of the glory of God And are iustefied frely by his grace thorough the redemption that is in Christ Iesu whome God hath set forth to be a reconciliation thorough fayth in his bloud to declare his righteousnesse by the remission of the sinnes that are passed thorough the patience of God to shew at this present tyme his righteousnes that he mighte be iust and a iustefier of hym which is of the fayth of Iesus Christ Because by the vvorkes of the lavv sâ—all no flesh be iustefied in his sight Hitherto Paule hath by good argumentes proued that iustification is not to belooked for by those thinges which wheÌ„ we haue obtayned yet notwithstanding we lyue wickedly That philosophy and the law were such he hath manifestly declared forasmuch as by them were accused both the Gentles and the Iewes that they were excedingly contaminated with wicked actes Wherby is concluded that the mouthe as well of the Iewes as of the Gentiles is stopped so that the whole world is made culpable before God And in that he lastly chiefly inueighed by sundry testimonies of the holy Scripture it was because he should haue a sharpe conflict agaynst the A sharpet conflict against the Iewes theÌ„ against the Ethnikes Hebrues For the Ethnikes were easely ouercome For they openly liued filthily neither could they out of philosophy bring any thing but the inuentions and opinions of men But the Hebrewes pretended the law and the ceremonies which they had receiued at the handes of God and therfore it semed that they might lawfully put confidence in them And peraduenture they mought haue sayd yâ— those thinges which were brought against them out of the holy scriptures pertayned vnto theyr elders and vnto them which filthily liued in the tyme of the Prophetes and not to theyr whole kinred Therfore the Apostle bringeth in a generall sentence wherby vtterly to represse them and affirmeth that no man can be iustified before God by the workes of the law Where he taketh away the power of iustifieng not onely An vniuersall proposition that by the workes of the law no man can be iustified from men or persons but also from the workes of the law so that it followeth of necessity that we must not put any confidence in them For as they were coÌ„maunded by the law no man was able to performe them For forasmuch as two things were required by the law First that workes should procede from fayth grace and charity Secondly that throughout and exactly they should agrée with the law and sithen the law ministred not strengthes to do these thinges there remained onely outward obseruations and ceremonies of which the Apostle sayth that they had not the power to iustifie Afterward by a firme reason he concludeth that we must not thinke that iustification is receiued by the law bicause by it commeth the knowledge Forasmuch as the law coÌ„demneth accuseth it absolueth not Righteousnes happeneth without the law of sinne Seyng therfore the law condemneth accuseth it absolueth not nor iustifieth For these two offices are contrary and repugnaunt the one to the other And these thyngs beyng thus ordered he gathereth his chiefe proposition of which he will in this epistle dispute namely that righteousnes commeth wythout the law Wherby commeth to passe that it depeÌ„deth not of it Afterward he affirmeth that the righteousnes of God which hath his testimony out of the law and the prophetes commeth by the fayth of Iesus Christ And this is all one wyth that which he proposed at the beginnyng that the Gospell is the power of God to saluation to Righteousnes by the faith of Iesus Christ euery one that beleueth and that in it is reueled the righteousnes of God froÌ„ faith to faith and that the iust man as Abacuck saith liueth by faith Thus much as touching the disposition now let vs diligently examine euery thing by it selfe In that he saith That by the workes of the law no flesh shal be iustified in the fight of God It is necessary that we know of what workes of the lawe the Apostle here intreateth And here we affirme that he speaketh vniuersally of all workes so the those thinges which are here spoken ought not perticularly to be drawen vnto ceremonies wheÌ„ as they include the whole law We grauÌ„t in dede yâ— the controuersy sproÌ„g by reasoÌ„ of ceremonies For the false Apostles went about to obtrude theÌ„ as necessary vnto theÌ„ They which say that ceremonies are nedelul affirm Christ not to be Christ which beleued in Christ As though Christ could not wtout theÌ„ bring saluation to yâ— beleuers Which was blasphemous neither was it any lesse irreligious then to deny Christ to be Christ which thing they must néedes graunt that affirme that he cannot saue men without the workes of the law But as touching morall commaundementes they contended not For as well the Apostles as the deceiuers vrged them Neither was there any controuersie about ciuill or as they call them iudiciall lawes for they pertayned vnto the publike wealth Which forasmuch as it had maiestrates the church and the Apostles tooke no care of those thinges But although the contention sprong by reason of ceremonies yet by the benefite of the Workes ar to be taken vniuersally when they are affirmed not to iustify The question was moued because of ceremonies holy ghost it came to passe that Paule reuoked the question from the species or partes vnto the vniuersall genus or generall worde For if the generall worde be by negation ouerthrowen it followeth that the species also euery parte be clene destroyed For if generally the law iustify not neither vndoubtedly shall ceremonies iustify forasmuch as they are a certaine species and a part of the lawe And that the discention began by reason of ceremonies the Actes of the Apostles do testiffe in the xv chapter And not much afterwarde in this selfe same epistle the Apostle when he would proue that Abraham was not iustified by the lawe bryngeth a reason taken from Circumcision And also to the Galathians where he rehearseth hearseth this selfe same sentence and in a maner with
the selfe same wordes that they are here when he saith We are by nature Iewes and not sinners of the Gentiles Because we know that man is not iustified by the workes of the lawe but by the fayth of Iesus Christ. Also we haue beleued in Christ Iesus that we mighte be iustified by the fayth of Christ and not by the workes of the lawe For no fleshe shall be iustified by the workes of the lawe And vndoubtedly Paule reproued not Peter but onely touchyng ceremonies And in the same place in yâ— third chapiter he writeth Haue ye receiued the spirite by the workes of the law or by preaching of fayth Are ye so foolish that hauing begonne in the spirite ye should now make an ende in the fleshe where by the workes of the law seing he expoundeth them by the flesh he manifestly vnderstandeth the ceremonies of Moses But although therehence sprang the controuersie yet was it most commodiously done for Paule to reuoke it to the genus or generall worde of workes of the law Forasmuch as the tyme should come that ceremonies being banished many would in successe of tyme attribute iustificatioÌ„ to moral workes which is most manifestly confuted by this so pithy a reason of Paule And this is to be noted that this is an argument that may be turned For euen as we may inferre that no workes of the law do iustifie therfore neither do ceremonies iustifie so contrariwise may we conclude if ceremonies iustifie not therfore neither any other part of the law forasmuch as they were the principall part of the lawe If ceremonies iustefy not neither doth the morall part instefy For they are the offices of the first and greatest commaundement I am sayth the Lord thy God Wherfore it is mete that I be worshipped of thée bothe in spirite and in outward confession not only by voyce but also by rites apointed by me Neither did those ceremonies any lesse bynde the olde fathers then do Baptisme and the Eucharist in these dayes binde vs. Wherfore euen as they most greuously sinned when they were not content with the worshipping prescribed them by God but sought new ceremonies and rites inuented by men for that was to go aboute to adde vnto the wisedome of God and that the worshippyng instituted by God was the chiefe wisdome we rede in Deut. the iiij chapter so our men do most greuously sinne when besides Baptisme and the Eucharist and those thinges which we haue deliuered vs by Christ they appoint other thyngs which meÌ„ haue inuented as worshippings of God and as necessary vnto saluation As are the masse the inuocation of saintes and such other like And that by the workes of the lawe are vnderstanded also morall workes Paule teacheth by that which followeth For by the law is the knowledge of sinne For although other partes also of the law do after a sort declare sinne yet is that chiefly the office of the morall part What groundes or principles the proper workes of the law haue A distinctioÌ„ of the workes of the law A conciliation of places repugnant Which thing is expressedly declared in the vij chap. where he writeth For I should not haue knowen what lust had bene if the law had not sayd Thou shalte not lust And this is furthermore to be noted that the workes of the law as I before said when they are taken properly haue ioyned with them fayth and charity and therfore are they not without iustification For wheresoeuer is true faith there iustificatioÌ„ followeth But the Apostle by workes of the law vnderstandeth as they were done of them beyng vnprofitable and proceding also of hipocrisie Otherwise the law in dede is spirituall wherfore the workes therof must nedes be good if they be considered as they are whole and perfect And by this meanes may we conciliate those places which as touching this thing seme in the holy scriptures to be repugnant Moses said that he did set before the Iewes life when he spake of the lawe And in the 119. psalme Dauid prayeth oftentimes that God would quicken him with If the fathers at any tyme attribute righteousnes vnto good works that is to be vnderstand by reason of faith which they haue as a roote his commaundements and with his law And in this selfe same epistle the law is called both good and spirituall and the commaundement holy and good But on the contrary side Paule calleth it the ministery of death in the next chapter he saith that it worketh anger and againe that it sheweth sinne and therfore condemneth and accuseth So must we vnderstand the fathers also when they ascribe so excellent thinges vnto workes For they take them ioyned with faith grace and the holy ghost And so they ascribe vnto them eternall life and other suche like things which are vnderstanded to be geuen vnto them by reason of faith and the spirite And to declare the same this is a very apt similitude We say that man is reasonable vnto whome yet we ascribe reason not because of the body but because of the soule which is included in the body So when iustification semeth to be ascribed vnto workes we must vnderstaÌ„d yâ— that is done by reason of faith wherunto workes By faith alone we are iustefied which yet is neuer alone which are in very dede good do chiefly lene But we when we wil speake of iustification ought to bring forth our sentence prospicuously expressedly Wherefore we say yâ— iustification coÌ„meth by faith only which faith yet we confesse is neuer alone For if it be a true faith it ought alwais to haue good workes ioyned with it But the holy fathers spake hyperbollically of workes to the ende to stirre vp The fathers spake hyperboilically of workes Fayth as it is a worke iustifieth not men more and more to vse them But they are so to be vnderstanded as I haue sayd vnles we will leaue them without Christ But some obiect that fayth also it selfe is a worke of the lawe Therefore we answere that as it is our worke comming out of our will and vnderstanding it iustifieth not Because it is feble and weake For none beleueth so much as he ought neyther so strongly cleaueth vnto God as he should do But when fayth is sayd to iustifye it is taken for his obiect namely Christ and the promises of God Neyther is fayth that The power of iustifâ—ing is to be r 〈…〉 erred to his obiect A similitude thing which iustifyeth but the instrument whereby iustification is receaued Neyther must we thinke that by the worthynes thereof it is of it selfe sufficient to iustifie a man A most euident similitude may be brought as touching a begger which with his weake hand or peraduenture with his hand enfected with leprosy receaueth almes And that benefite is not weighed according to the weakenes or disease of the hand which receaueth it but according to the quantity of the monye which is geuen Wherefore
Christ for no other cause so long tyme differred his comming in the flesh but to kepe downe mans proude Pecoks tayle For if he had come straight way at the beginning vnto vs men would easely haue sayd that Why the sonne of god diffeâ—red his comming so long they had not then so great neede of hym that without him they could not be saued wherefore he would that mankinde should so long tyme be oppressed with the seruitude of sinnes and burthen of the lawe vntill they should vnderstand that they had vtterly nede of a redemer But why God so much laboreth to destroy our glory the holy scriptures aboundantly inough declare namely that Why God will haue our glory to be repressed his glory might the more brightly sinne forth Wherefore it is manifest that whatsoeuer glory we claime vnto our selues all that do we robbe from the glory of God Neyther nedeth it any greate exposition what Paule meaneth by the lawe of workes For by that word he vnderstandeth as well the lawe of nature as the lawe of Moses and also mans lawe For that all these lawes do engender glory if a man can vaunt that he can fulfill them VVe conclude therefore that man is iustefied by faith without the vvoorkes of the lavve Those thinges which he before sayd he confirmeth with a briefe conclusion which by a reason thereunto annexed he will afterward proue And where as he sayth Arbitramur that is we think in Greke it is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth not to thinke or to suppose but in this place it is to conclude to inferre and certaynly to demonstrate namily of those thinges which before were spoken In which signification it is taken in the 6. chapter when the Apostle sayth So thynke ye also that ye are dead vnto sinne but are alyue to God in Iesus Christ our Lord. Where this word thinke ye is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and that which is thereby signified is to haue for certayne And as touching this thyng Ambrose is of our mind and he vnderstandeth these words man is iustified without works of the Gentiles But Chrisostome contrary wyse thinketh that by this word man is ment nature to make the seÌ„tence of the Apostle more ample and large whose iudgement I mislike not for it agreeth as well with the Iewes as with the Gentiles not to attayne vnto sound righteousnes by workes but by fayth Further seing the Apostle so expressedly sayth that man is iustified without the workes of the lawe hâ—reof is inferred that which we before also tought namely that it is fayth only which iustifieth which thing not only Origine vpon this place but also Chrisostome acknowledgeth who fayth that fayth only Faith only iustifieth as OrigeÌ„ and ChrisostoÌ„e vpon thys place confesse is required to obtayne this righteousnes But I heare our aduersaries say that wheÌ„ we reade in the fathers That fayth only iustifieth that word only is to be vnderstanded principally for that it hath in iustification the chiefest partes And they bringe a place or two where this word only so signifieth But vndoubtedly if a maÌ„ weigh Pauls words well they wil not agree with this interpretatioÌ„ For he putteth righteousnes without the works of the law which is not true if works do so follow fayth that with it they bring forth iustification in the elect of God An obiectioÌ„ of the aduersaries Simple men sometimes herein gaue place vnto the papists but when they vnderstood theyr guile they returned againe into the rightway Dangers may be anoyded by an vprighte interpretation The aduersaries cry out that if we teach meÌ„ after this sorte we then open a window vnto sluggishnes and flouthfulnes Vnto which their coloured preteÌ„ces some of our men haue sometimes simply and without guile consented who when they saw that true faith whiche iustifieth hath alwayes ioyned with it good works absteyned in their sermons from that worde Onely But afterward when they vnderstoode the fraude of the aduersaries whiche obtruded this deuise to the ende they might at the length teach the people according to their owne fayned inuentions that men are not onely by faith but also by workes iustified they returned vnto their olde forme of speaking that the people should not be any more deceiued And seyng Paule most warely alwayes eschued flaunders and offences of the hearers so much as he might by the truth of the scriptures and we sée that he most manifestly teacheth those things wherof most plainely followeth That fayth onely iustifieth we ought not to be afeard of such daungers which may easily be auoyded if we aptly adde an vpright interpretation of that which we speake They agayne obiect vnto vs that workes of the law in this place signifie ceremonies Vnto whoÌ„ we aunswer as we haue before already said that the question in dede began about ceremonies but Paule dissolueth it vniuersally and answereth in suche sorte that he concludeth of all kinde of workes Wherfore the reason which he bringeth in in the first place That God is the God not onely of the Iewes but also of the Gentiles hath a respecte vnto ceremonies For the Ethnikes had not receiued the ceremonies of It is proued that here is entreated also of morall workes the Iewes But afterward when he addeth that by faith the lawe is not abolished but rather established he declareth that his exposition is chiefly to be vnderstanded touchyng morall workes which faith abolisheth not but rather confirmeth Which thing we cannot affirme of ceremonies whiche we sée are by Christ and his fayth taken away Farther in that he before sayd that all men haue sinned and were destitute of the glory of God and by that meanes euery mouth is stopped and the whole world made guilty vnto God it sufficiently declareth of what law he speaketh And so doth that also where he sayth that the law sheweth sinne and that also which he citeth out of Dauid No liuing creature shall be iustified in thy sight and many other thynges which afterward in their places we shall sée do sufficiently shew that the wordes of the Apostle comprehend also morall preceptes Wherfore workes are excluded Woorkes ar excluded from the cause of iustification but not froÌ„ the effect therof but they are excluded as from the cause of iustification but not as from the effect And Christe to declare this to be true in Luke sayde When ye haue done all these thinges say ye we are vnprofitable seruantes vnto whom neither is this in deede due to haue thankes geuen vnto vs. But if by workes we should attayne vnto iustification then should we not be vnprofitable in doyng well and vnto vs should be farre greater things due then geuing of thankes God is he the God of the Iewes onely and not of the Gentles also Yes euen of the Gentles also He proueth now his proposition namely that men are iustified without the workes of the law For if righteousnes should depende of them
feruentnes of persecution shal waxe hot they fal away from it and therfore they are called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is men hauing faith for a ceason Wherfore leauing all these significations in this disputacion by faith we vnderstand that firme assent which is of so great force and efficacye that it draweth with it the affect of trust hope charity lastly al good works as much as the infirmity of this present life will suffer Therefore Smithe whiche wrote a Smith an EnglishmaÌ„ an impudeÌ„t Sophister booke agaynst me of Iustification although he set it out before agaynst Luther agaynst Melancthon and speaketh much against others and seldome maketh mencion of me is herein excedingly deceaued in that he iudgeth that those are sharpely to be reproued which say that faith is a trust And he bringeth a place out of A place to the Ephe. declared the Epistle to the Ephesians the 3. chapiter where it is written By whome namely by Christ Iesus we haue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is boldnes to speake and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is an accesse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is in trust which commeth by fayth Seing therfore trust sayth he is by fayth it is not fayth Oh trimme man I promise you and a sharpe diuine which alone sawe that these two thinges namely faith and trust are two things separated What other thing in a maner ment Philip Melancthon and other our faithfull teachers when they call that fayth whereby we are iustified trust but that it is not dead that is not slouthfull that it is not a humane persuasion but so vehement an assent that it hath euen trust it selfe most inwardly nighly ioyned vnto it But I mynd not much to contend with this man All that he bableth he scrapeth out only of Eccius Pighius and other beastes of the Antichrist A dead faith iustifieth not but driueth into desperatioÌ„ This word Amen sealeth praiers of Rome and setteth them abrode as thoughe they were his owne That faith which draweth not with it trust and other holy mocions of the mind driueth men into desperation so farre is it of that it can iustifie which thing the miserable endes of Cain and Iudas do plainly testifie But that which is a firme faith continually trusteth yea it sealeth our prayers in the Church by this common and receaued word Amen among other words vsed of the faythfull Which word is deriued of this Hebrue worde Aman which I before spake of as Dauid Chimhi They whiche pray without faith do lose their labor A similitude testifieth it signifieth It shal be ratified and firme so shal the Lord bringe to passe They which pray without such a faith do lose their labour In this fayth vndoubtedly men do quiet themselues in tranquillity and vnspeakeable peace and are like vnto him which found a most ample treasure and precious pearle wherein he so contented himself that he sold all that he had to buy it Hereof came it that in the 7. Chapiter of Esay the Prophet sayd vnto the wicked king Achaz exhorting him to the true fayth Hischamar Vehischakat that is Take hede and be quiet for the Prophet would that the king should beware of incredulity and stay himself What is the property of fayth â–ª A distinctioÌ„ of workes with the word of God which is the proprietye and nature of fayth as contrariwise the nature of infidelity is to wauer and to be vnconstant For they which beleue not are caryed about with euery wynd of doctrine and opinions and are always wauering and vnconstant Wherfore in Iosua the 17. chapiter the people are reproued because their hart flowed as water and that vndoubtedly happened only by reason of their incredulity Wherefore forasmuch as hereby it now appeareth what we vnderstand by fayth and what signification of this word among many significations we followe in this question we must now speake somewhat of workes There is one kynd of worke which after the action and motion remayneth outwardly and appeareth after it is finished as the Image whiche Phidias made is called a worke and the temple at Ierusalem was called the work of Workes inward outward Salomon And after an other sort actions of men their motions depending of will and reason are called workes after this maner do we now take workes which are also soundry wayes distinct the one fromt he other For there are some which are inward as to beleue to loue to fauour to feare and to pitye other some are outward as to trauaill abrode to geue almes to preache to teache and such like Workes morall and ceremonial And of both these kinds of workes is our question ment They deuide also works into such which pertayne vnto ceremonies into such which as they call them are Workes ether go before or els follâ—w iustification morall both which kinds also doth this question comprehend Further the tyme wherein workes are wrought is to be distincted for some are done before we are iustified and haue obteyned the benefite of regeneration and other some followe and are counted as the fruites of a new lyfe and of righteousnes begon And forasmuch as we can not entreate of these latter workes as such which followe iustification we will speake only of the first for this onely is called into controuersie whether workes iustifie vs for those which follow iustification can not bring forth In thre propositions this questioÌ„ is comprehended iustification because it is alredy had These suppositions being thus set we will dissolue this whole question by three propositions which are these Iustification is not of workes Iustification is had by faith Iustification is geueÌ„ by fayth only These three thinges when we haue confirmed by reasons taken out of the holy scriptures and haue defended them from the obiections and cauillations of our aduersaries we suppose that then we haue sufficiently answered the questioÌ„ God If good workes iustefy not it commeth not thorow their default graunt and worke with vs to bring this to such effect as we desire As touchinge the first proposition when we saye that men are not iustified by workes it is not to be thought that the same happeneth thorough the default of good workes For if they coulde so be performed of vs as the law commaundeth them then should we be iustified by them for God for that he is iust as he acquiteth not the wicked so should he by his sentence iustifie such as satisfie the lawe But there is no man which can thoroughly accomplishe such workes as the lawe commaundeth As if a man should owe a thousand crownes of gold and had toward the payment therof but onely a thousand pieces of leade or brasse money vndoubtedly he shoulde not be discharged of the debte neither can he bee pronounced cleare or quitte whiche thing shoulde not happen thorough the default of the crownes of golde but through the defaulte
our selues and the truth is not in vs. And I suppose there is none that will iudge it a thing mete that there should be many mediators brought in when as there is but only one mediator betwene God and men namely the man Christ Iesus But if besides him and his merites our workes should also iustifie vs then should they be set betwene God and vs neyther should Christ be the only mediator Moreouer the Prophetes do euery where pray and The 57. Dauid also that God would wash clense expiate and purge theyr sinnes namely in forgeuing and remitting them but if they could haue attayned to that thing by theyr workes then neded they not to haue requested it by praier or at the lest way not with so greate feruency And in Iob the 15. chapiter it is written that neyther The 58. are the heauens cleane before God And in that 4. chapiter he pronouÌ„ceth the Angels not to be pure In what case then shall men be before they obteyne iustification The 59. Dauid also in his Psalmes crieth If thou lord looke streightly vpon iniquities Lord who shal be able to abide it Esay calleth them yâ— thirst vnto the waters commaundeth The 60. them to buy without siluer But our men forsooth will merite and be iustified both by merites and by workes and also by siluer Moreouer in the 40. chapiter The 61. the same Prophet when he heard a voyce wherin it was sayd vnto him cry out answered What shall I cry and it was sayd vnto him yâ— he should cry All flesh is grasse and Châ—sod that is piety or religion or mercy wherwith he succoreth his neighbour is as the flower of the field that is a thing vanishing away which streight way fadeth away neyther can it continew The same thing also affirmeth he in the 64. chap. where he sayth that all our righteousnes is as a cloth steyned withe the naturall diseasâ— The 62. of a woman Which sentence whether a man apply it vnto workes done after regeneration or before I passe not muche for eyther way will make on our side And in the selfe same chapiter he addeth Our God we are clay and thou art our creator we are the worke of thy handes And the same similitude of the clay and potter vseth The 63. Paul to the Romanes in the 9. chapiter wherein is notably declared that so much are we able to do so towards our saluation as can the clay towardes the potter to cause him to make him after this maner or that maner We could also recite testimonies which are written of the maliciousnes of our hart both in Genesis in Ieremy but I suppose I haue alredy brought testimonies inough for the confirmation of our proposition This thing only now wil I say that there haue bene men so rashe that they haue not only attributed some merite of iustification vnto honest workes and which are as they terme them morally good but also vnto supersticions workes which they themselues haue imagined and inuented For who Vnto holy water is remission of sins graunted more also to other thinges is ignoraÌ„t of yâ— rimes commonly set abrode of theyr holy water Aqua benedicta de leaÌ„tur tua delicta sit tibi laus vita That is by holy water let thy sinnes be blotted out and let it bee vnto thee prayse and life They ascribe also forgeuenes of sinnes vnto Monkes coules vnto candels and vnto the oyle of boughes and vnto the ashes of palme tree and vnto pilgrimages And from things which they so peruersly interpretated in the holy scriptures concerning merites they came vnto these so foolish and vngodly thinges Vndoubtedly none vnderstaÌ„d but they which haue experience thereof how hard a thing it is that a harte brused ouerthrowen and laden with the burthen of sinnes should when it is grieued and oppressed quiet It is a thing most hard to rest in the promises of God it selfe in yâ— free promises of God thorough Christ For in that case it very much laboureth that it may once at the length be with a firme fayth established If we should with the Sophisters will a man to haue a respect vnto hys workes then shoulde he neuer be in quiet but shoulde alwayes bee vexed and alwayes doubt of hys saluation and at the laste be swallowed vp wyth desperacion I would not that any man should thinke that when we reason of this matter we take in hand a vayne matter or a strife about wordes It is a thing whereby is What is the end and fruit of this disputation defended the honour of Christe And that whiche is proper vnto him onelye namelye to iustifye and to forgeue sinnes we seeke that the same shoulde in no case be attributed vnto workes or to any other thing els of ours we séeke that the promise should be firme and that afflicted consciences should receaue consolation in the wordes and promises of God Lastly we séeke that the Gospell should be distincted from the lawe and the lawe from the Gospell which thing they can not do which ascribe iustification vnto workes and confound and perniciously mingle them together And for the confirmation of this proposition although I could bring a great many more reasons and in a maner infinite yet these which I haue already brought shall suffice and I will omitte the rest for they which are not moued with these reasons neither will they be touched with any other Howbeit I thinke it not good to passe ouer with silence the trifling shifts and wily deceates by which the Sophisters vse to auoyde and obscure this doctrine which we haue now put forth First they say that the holy scriptures as often as they take away the power of iustifieng from workes do that only as touching the ceremonies of the old law and not as touching iust and vpright workes which commonly they call morall workes In which thing how much men are deceiued euen the testimonies of the scriptures and especially of Paul whome they affirme to be most of all on their side as touching that matter will most plainly declare For although this Apostle speaketh many thinges which séeme to pertayne both to the rites and also to the ceremonies of the lawe yet in his declaration he writeth a great many â—â—â— other thinges by which he declareth that he speaketh not onely of ceremonies â–ª but also euen of the other lawes of righteousnes and vertue yea rather altogether of those which pertaine to maners and euen vnto the table of the ten commaundements And in the first chapiter when he reproueth the Gentils that without the fayth of Christ they could not be iustified he setteth before their eyes their workes namely Testimonies of Paul by whiche is proued that moral workes are excluded from the power of iustifieng idolatry filthy lustes and toward the end of the chapiter he reherseth a very long cataloge of vices wherwith they were infected nether
therefore such leaues he casteth awaye and destroyeth as vaine and nothinge woorth And of the same estimation are those They put in infidels a grace wherby they may doo good works woorkes with God whiche these men so colour and adorne They inuente also an other fayned deuyse not muche vnlike vnto the firste for they saye that those workes of the infidels are not done without grace For there is say they a certain generall grace laid forth vnto all men and common vnto men euen not regenerate wherewith they beinge after a sorte holpen may merite iustification and do An heresy of the Pelagians workes which please God But in so saying they fall into the heresye of Pelagius For he also taught that men without the grace of Christ might euen by the strengthes of nature and doctrine of the lawe worke good woorkes by whiche they might be iustified Neither doth this any thing helpe their cause in that they saye that they referre not these thinges vnto nature but vnto grace whiche the Pelagians vtterly denied for in wordes they wil séeme to disagrée from them when as in verye déede they altogether agrée with them For in that they assigne a grace whereby they can attain vnto righteousnes without Christ they are both against Christ and also against the counsell Milleuitanum and also against the holy scriptures Further in that they make grace common vnto all men they turne it vnto a nature and so say that some vse it and other some vse it not And this grace they Grace preueÌ„ting and grace after following call a preuentinge grace but that other whiche is more absolute they call an after following grace Which diuisioÌ„ we deny not so that it be rightly vnderstand For we graunt that there is one grace which preuenteth and an other which foloweth after but that grace is nothinge els but one and the selfe fauor of God throughe Christ wherewith we are both preuented to will well and wherewith we afterwarde being regenerate are holpen and stirred vp to liue well For who euer doubted but that we are preuented of God before we can be chaunged and renued in Christ He were worse then madde which would say that we in our conuersion do preuent the ayde and helpe of God He first loueth vs before we can beginne to loue him he first stirreth vs vp by his fauor and spirite before that we can either will or thinke any thinge that is good But herein is the error if we thinke that men are endued with the grace of Christ wheÌ„ they are not yet regenerate nor renued in Christ There are in déede sometimes geuen vnto them certain illustrations but if those be not so vehement and of such efficacye to chaunge their mindes Certayne illustratioÌ„s are geuen vnto infidels then serue they vnto their iudgemente and condemnation and not vnto their saluation which thing we must thinke that eueÌ„ the sinnes of them which are so illuminated do deserue And lest any man should be ignorant what these mens meaning is this is to be knowen yâ— they affirme that Paul excludeth from iustification those workes onely which are done of them by frée will onelye and by the helpe of the law But I would faine know of these men what manner of workes those be which are so done of men They are not vndoubtedly grosse and filthy sinnes such as are murthers fornications adulteries theftes and other suche like For these thinges are not done by the helpe of the law but rather by the impulsioÌ„ of the flesh and of the deuill Neither are they natural works as to play or pastime to plough to reape and to saile for as touching these thinges there is nothinge commaunded in the law Then there remaineth onely honest ciuil or moral workes as to honor the parentes to helpe the poore to be sorye for wicked actes committed For these things are both commaunded in the law and may as these men thinke be performed by frée will from all these say they Paul taketh away the power of iustifieng But what other good workes then are there remaining vndoubtedlye I se none vnles peraduenture they vnderstand those which are done of men alredy iustified for before iustification other workes haue we none besides those whiche we haue now rehersed Sithen therfore these men exclude both sinnes and also workes naturall and these morall workes which the law commaundeth vndoubtedlye they exclude all workes Let them then shew by what works they would haue men to be iustified If they had any consideration they woulde haue this alwayes before their eies If of grace then not of workes and if of workes then is it not of grace neither would they flye vnto this so folish false and vaine cauillation to say that Paul is to be vnderstand of those workes onely which are destitute of any faith and grace whatsoeuer they be How dare these men speake this when as they cannot abide that a man should say that men are iustified by faith only Ye added say they that worde Onely of your owne head it is not found in the holy scriptures If they lay this iustly rightly against vs why did they themselues commit the same faultes why will they take that themselues which they will not geue vnto others Seing therfore Paul taketh away the power of iustifieng from woorkes not adding therto this worde onely how do they then adde that worde vnto them But we haue Why wear said to be iustified by faith that by it onely most firme argumentes out of the holy scriptures to adde vnto fayth this word only and we vse that kinde of speach which as we shall declare is receaued and vsed of all the fathers But let vs heare what they also bable as touchinge this matter Paul say they had most to do with the Iewes which thoughte that they mighte so be iustified by workes and especially by the woorkes of the lawe that they had no néede of Christ Wherfore the Apostle bendeth himselfe to that only But I thinke that whatsoeuer thinges he wrote he wrote them vnto the church which consisted both of the Iewes and also of the Gentils which with one assent confessed Christ Do they thinke that there were any among all these whiche promised vnto themselues saluation without Christe Vndoubtedlye if there had bene any suche the church would not haue suffred theÌ„ But yet there were some which together with Christ would haue retayned ceremonies vnto whiche they attributed ouer muche but that there were any which excluded Christ it is not to be thoughte Further Paul wrote of iustification vnto the whole Churche which consisted both of â–ª Iewes and also of Gentâ—es Paul when he teacheth these thinges instructed not onelye the Iewes but also the Gentils as it most manifestly appeareth by the Epistle vnto the Ephesians where he saith that a man is iustified by faith and that saith he not of your selues leaste any man should boast and in
be present they are profitable vnto iustification But this is worthy to be laughed at For we haue before most playnly taught that all workes which are doone before iustification are sinnes So far is it of that they can serue any thing vnto iustification And if they should by any meanes profite vnto iustification our glorieng should then not be excluded For we might glory that we had doone those thinges by whose helpe and ayd we were iustified But of this sayth he we can not boast for that they were done by a certayne grace of God preuenting But this is chiefly to be marked that these men attribute a great part of such works vnto frée will And therfore in yâ— be halfe at the least we may glory Neither also shall yâ— be true which the Apostle sayth what hast thou that thou hast receaued And agayne why dost thou boast as though thou hadst not receaued Here some of theÌ„ answer yâ— we can not glory of this liberty of will for that we haue it not of our owne For it is God which hath endued vs with this faculty and gaue vs frée will when he created vs. But this is not sufficient The Pelagians fâ—ed vnto the common grace of creation to take away boasting First for that this were to fly vnto the coÌ„mon grace of creation which thing the Pelagians did and by that meanes should at the lest may be left vnto vs a good vse of frée will of which we might glory For although we haue the same of God by creation yet the right vse thereof is ours namely to assent vnto God when he calleth vs and to apply our selues vnto good workes which of God are set forth vnto vs. And therefore vtterly to take away all glorying it is nedeful yâ— we continually haue this in our mynde which Auguctine hath admonyshed vs of in his booke de spiritu Litera the 24. chapiter That not onely the wyll and election of well doyng is of God because by creatioÌ„ he hath geuen choyce free wyll but also because by the perswasion of thynges sene he hath made vs both to wyll and to beleue and that not onely by the outward preaching of the Gospell but also by inward perswasion For he doth not onely stirre vp the hart but also perswadeth draweth and boweth it to beleue I graunt indéede that it is the office of the will to will and to embrace that which God offreth for we do not will by vnderstanding or by memory but by will And yet for all that I doubt not but that it is God which maketh vs to wil and to follow good things Farther our aduersaries think that although workes concurre vnto iustification yet is that notwithstanding true which the holy scriptures teach namely that we iustified fréely Because say they those workes are geuen of God and are done of grace If this refuge mought helpe then had not Paul done well when he tooke away from ceremoniall works the power of iustifiyng For a Iew might say Our fathers which in the old tyme were circumcised and performed other obseruations of the law did not the same by their owne naturall strengthes but by the grace of God both helping them and stirring them vp thereunto Wherefore if other workes which were commaunded in the lawe coulde profite vnto iustification to merite it as ye speake of congruity why coulde not ceremoniall workes do â–ª the same Neither will this any thing helpe to say that Paul taketh not away from them the power iustifiyng but onely after the comming of Christ For he manifestly speaketh of Abraham which was iustified by fayth and not by circumcision and vseth a testimony of Dauid of whome it is most certayne that he liued vnder the lawe But whereas this man sayth that charity and hope can not be excluded I would gladly know of hym whether the workes of these vertues be iust or no. I know he will graunt that they are iust What will he then answere vnto Paul who vnto Titus sayth Not by the workes of righteousnes which we haue done But I know these meÌ„s fond deuises They answere that such workes also are excluded if they be done by the law and by frée will without grace But what nedeth to exclude that which can A strong reason to proue that faith onely iuâ—tifieth not be For who will either loue God or hope in him without grace Farther in what maner so euer they be done they can not serue to iustification for we are iustified by grace as it playnly appeareth by the holy scriptures But betwene grace and workes is so great contrariety that Paul sayth If of grace then is it not now of workes and if of workes then is it not of grace Neither ought these men to be so much displeased for yâ— we vse this word Only For we necessarily conclude it of that which Paul sayth First that we are iustified by fayth and afterward addeth without workes How aptly we thus conclude I will declare by a similitude in the 6. chapiter of Deutronomy if we follow the truth of the Hebrew it is thus written Thou shalt feare the Lord God and hym thou shalt serue Here as thou séest wanteth this particle Only yet because there followeth Thou shalt not go after straunge Gods The seuenty interpreters haue thus turned that place Thou shalt feare the Lord thy God and hym onely shalt thou worship These men of the first proposition being affirmatiue that God is to be worshipped and of the other beyng negatiue that straunge Gods are not to be worshipped concluded that God onely is to be serued Whose authority should not be of so great waight with me but that Christ himselfe hath cited that place in that sort For thus he rebuked the deuill Depart from me Sathan for it is written thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and hym only shalt thou serue Here we sée that to disproue the worshipping which is geuen vnto a creature this particle only is necessary which although it be not had in the Hebrew yet is it necessarily gathered out of it Now when as we also after this maner reason why should these men so much be offended Let them consider that the best and the most auncieÌ„st Fathers abhorred not from this word It is a thing ridiculous to sée with how colde toyes and poore shifts Smith goeth about to The fathers vsed this worde Onely resist them First he sayth that they ment nothing els but to represse men that they should not waxe insoleÌ„t But let Smith in one word according to his good wisdome aunswere me whether the Fathers spake this truely or falsely If they spake it truely then make they on our side and why doth this man so much impugne it But if falsely this good end nothing helpeth theÌ„ to represse the insolency of men For euen as euill is not to be committed that good may ensew so false doctrine is not to be affirmed to ouerthrow other
First that it is not vtterly vnprofitable no not euen without regeneration for it may serue to some ciuile discipline The office of the law For if mē do the outward workes of the law in such sort as they may although vnto them which doo them they are sinnes yet by thē may be obserued a ciuile order For where there is no obseruation of these thinges all thinges are confoūded iniuries are committed filthy lust rāgeth abrode the wrath of God is kindled so that he suffreth not publike welthes being in such maner corrupt verye long to continew There is also an other worke of the lawe which is inwarde which pertayneth vnto the conscience that it should perpetually accuse vrge scourge and condemne it And by this meanes God as we haue sayd bringeth a man at the length to iustification Which iustification being obteyned nether then doth the law lye idle but is like a glasse wherein the regenerate do behold After regeneration the law is not idle what fruites they ought to bring forth how much they ought dayly to profite what they haue to geue thankes for and how muche they want of the iust instauration to y◠end to obtaine it they may the more ernestly call vpon God The law also putteth before theyr eyes y◠marke wherevnto they ought to leuel in al theyr actions Vnto which although they can not attayne in this life yet they must doo theyr diligence not to depart far from it By these thinges it manifestly appeareth how much the law helpeth in outward workes what it worketh in the conscience and how much it helpeth them that are regenerate Now resteth this to marke that this sentence of the Apostle pertayneth not only to ceremonies Vnder this sentēce are comprehended not onely ceremonies but also the morall precept but also to the morall preceptes For sinne is by them most chiefely increased and it is of more greater wayght to stray from them then from outward ceremonies But now let vs returne vnto the Apostle That euen as sinne hath raigned in death so might grace also raigne by righteousnes vnto eternall life through Iesus Christ Here he sheweth a reason why grace in the elect after the increases of sinne abounded namely that by it we should obteyne righteousnes and so at the length come to eternall life For euen as sinne brought death so grace also and righteousnes which must be ioyned together haue brought eternall life The argument is taken of contraries An argument taken of contraries For seing that sinne which is opposite vnto righteousnes brought death it is meete that of grace and righteousnesse shoulde followe life Neyther is it in vayne that righteousnesse is ioyned wyth grace For thereby we are taughts that our righteousnesse consisteth not of woorkes but of grace The wonderfull order also of thynges is here to be noted In the firste place is put the A very godly gradation law then the increase of sinne and then the aboundance of grace afterward righteousnes last of all eternall life and all these things by Iesus Christ As touching the wordes sinne is sayd to haue raigned in death bycause sinne could not be taken away by the law and death was for his cause inflicted as a punishmēt In the 1. to y◠Corrinth Paul hath in a maner the selfe same sentence saying that the dart of death is sinne For nether could death otherwise wound mankind but by sinne Ether of them are sayd to raigne both grace and sinne when we are moued and stirred vp by them for in Publike welthes kinges raigne and gouerne How grace and sinne a◠sayd to raigne as it pleaseth them In godlye men righteousnes raigneth for they after they haue receaued remission of sinnes study to geue theyr members weapons vnto righteousnes and holines as before they had permitted them to sinne And this is called the kingdome of Christ which is therefore ascribed vnto grace by Why this kingdome is called the kingdome of Christ The rootes of death and life A similitude Grace and life cleaue together of necessity cause it consisteth freely and without workes In this place as Chrisostome noteth are set forth vnto vs the rootes of death and life The fountaine of life is grace and righteousnes the foūtayne of death is sinne And he addeth that death is like a souldier whiche is aypointed armed of sin as of his king wherfore take away the king then death being vnarmed can not destroy mē for euer Farther he admonisheth that forasmuch as haue alredy obteyned grace we should not doubt of the obteynement of life For these things cleaue of necessity the one to the other But why the Apostle bringeth this similitude we may easely shew Bicause grace was of more force to make new agayne then sinne was of force to kill And in that it is added by Iesus Christ we must call to rememberance the Analogy or proposition set at the beginning betwene Adam and Christe For euen as from Adam came sinne and death so from one Iesus Christ came grace and life This place admonisheth vs somwhat to speake of grace Nounes which as the Logicians say are put abstractly are vsually declared by their cōcrets whose significations Of Grace Abstractes are knowne by theyr concretes What is to be gracious are more present vnto the sence Wherefore let vs first sée what this worde Gratiosus that is gratious signifieth with the Latines And he amongest men is called Gratiosus whome all men fauour and whome the common people do loue So in the holy scriptures men are called gratious which haue found grace with God For so the scripture vseth to speake of those whom God fauoureth and We are one way gracibefore God and an other way before men whom he loueth But yet as touching this there is great differēce betwene God men For men fauour none but them in whome they finde those things whereby they may be allured and drawen to loue them It behoueth therfore that he which will be beloued of men haue in himselfe the causes of loue and beneuolence But God contrariwise found in men nothing worthy to be beloued wherby he mought be led to loue them For he hath loued vs first and out of that loue he bestoweth vpon vs whatsoeuer we haue that is acceptable vnto him Wherfore the name of The grace of God is taken too o◠manner of wayes grace is in holy scriptures taken two manner of wayes first and principally it signifieth the beneuolence of God towardes men and the frée fauour which he heareth towards the elect Secondly bicause God endueth his elect with excellēt gifts Grace sometymes signifieth also those giftes which are fréely bestowed vppon vs by God This two fold signification of grace beyng well noted declareth with how great diuersitie our aduersaries and we affirme one and the selfe same sentence for either of vs say that a man is iustified by grace But in this is
Christ are in a far better state then they which liue wtout Christ But we shal be in most happy most free state when we shall haue put of this mortal body Wherfore we will vnto y◠questiō make answer according to these fower conditions or states That Adam when he was first created had free will Adam was free in his firste estate Thre kinds of workes all men beleue Whiche thinge before I shall declare I will note three distinct kindes of workes whiche are in vs. Some workes pertayne to nature as to be sicke to be in health to be norished to concoct meate and such other like where in although the first man was farre more happier then we are at this present yet was he subiect vnto some necessity for it behoued him both to eate and to be norished and to receaue meate Howeit he was free from all calamities which mought bring death There are other workes which after a ciuill or morall consideration are ether iust or vniuste The third kinde is of those workes whiche please God and are acceptable vnto him As touching all these man at the beginning was made free For he was created vnto y◠image of God vnto whō is nothing more agreable thē true and perfect liberty And of him it is thus writtē God crowned him with glory and honour Againe Whē he was in honor he vnderstode it not But what honor can there be where liberty wanteth lastly God made subiect vnto him all thinges which he had created whiche doubles he could not truly and after a right maner haue gouerned if he had ben created a seruaunt to affectes and lusts But touching that state in what sort it was forasmuch as therin scripture fayleth vs there can nothing certainely be affirmed Augustine in his booke de Correptione Gratia The helpe sayth he of the grace of God was geuen vnto Adam Such an helpe it was which he mought both forsake when he would wherin he mought abide if he would not wherby to wi◠And as touching this Augustine The grace whiche we now haue is preferred before the grace of Adam is not a ford to preferre that grace which we now haue obteined thorough Christ before that grace which Adam had in paradise For now by the grace of Christ we doo not onely abide if we will but also as Paul sayth by it we haue both to will and to performe For the harte of the beleuers is changed so that of not willing they are made made willing But this To will was in the choise of the first man nether was it the grace of God which wrought this in him But why Why God when he created Adam gaue vnto him free will God gaue vnto Adam free will when he was first created Augustine bringeth this reason in his 2. booke delibero Arbitrio for that God had decreed to declare towards him both his goodnes and his iustice And would haue declared towards him hys goodnes if he had done well which vndoubtedly he could not haue done vnles he had ben free But if he should behaue himselfe filthily and haue done ill God would vse towardes him the seuerity of his iustice But he when he was free fell miserably And euen as Christ describeth the man that went downe frō Ierusalem to Iericho to haue fallen vpon thienes to haue ben sore wounded of them so he hauing not only his garment taken away lost al his ornaments but also hauing receaued many woundes was left for dead and past all hope Wherefore we say that as touching thys second state when we are strangers Vnto them that are not regenerate is very little liberty left What liberty they that are not regenerate haue from Christ there is but a little liberty remayning vnto vs. For we are both subiect vnto the necessities of nature and also will we or nill we are afflicted with diseases and last of all are killed by death howbeit there is some liberty left as touching workes ciuill and morall For they are both subiect vnto our naturall knowledge and also passe not the strengths of our will although in them also men fele a greate difficulty for that outragious lusts resist morall honosty Entisements and pleasures alwayes beate our sences and these ar futhered by euil counselers Sathan also continually vrgeth and impelleth vs For he enueiyng the commodities of man and perceauing that by such workes is still retayned ciuill discipline coueteth by all maner of meanes to ouerthrowe them But y◠mans power and strengths may do much in these ciuill thinges at the least as touching iudgementes many good Lawes set forth by Licurgus Solon Numa and by others manifestly declare And Paule to the Romanes doost thou thinke sayth he o man that thou shalt escape the iudgement of God when as thou doost the self same thinges which thou iudgest Moreouer in these thinges there are two poynts which are not to be ouerhiped First that God vseth y◠wil of men to those ends God vseth the will of mē to ends by hym apappointed The euētes of thinges are gouerned by the arbitriment of God and not by ours whiche he himself hath appoynted The second is which dependeth also of y◠first that those euentes followe not which they which apply themselues vnto these ciuill workes appoynte For oftentimes farre other thinges happen then they could euer haue thought vpon And therefore the Ethnikes were oftētimes very sore troubled Pompey Cato and Cicero thought to thēselues y◠they had takē very good counsels But when they tooke not place there remained nothinge to the authors of them but desperation For they being frustrated of theyr counsels ascribed al things to fortune and chaunce But that y◠successe of things euent of counsels is in the hand of God Ieremy declareth saying The waye of man is not in his owne power nether lieth it in man to direct his owne steppes whiche God is the author of counsels and geueth successe to thinges as pleaseth him place the Hebrues expoūd of Nabucadnezar who they say wēt forth of his house not to make warre agaynst the Iewes but agaynste the Ammonites as it is written in the 21 chapiter of Ezechiell But when he came into awaye that had two turninges he began to deliberate and to aske counsell of the inwardes of beastes of idols and of lottes by the brightnes of a sworde and beinge by that meanes admonished turned to inuade Iewry and leuing the Ammonities veseged Ierusalem These two thinges are not hidden from y◠godly both that God is the author of all counsels and also geueth vnto matters whatsoeuer successe pleaseth him And therefore they appoynt nothing with thēselues but with thys The godly alwayes appointe thinges with this condition if God so wil. condition added If God so will which thing Iames warned vs that we should doo And Paul in his epistle to the Romanes saith that he desired to haue a prosperous iorney vnto
although they be adorned with goodly and precious garmentes yet haue they no feeling of theÌ„ neither by them do they gather any heate or be defended from corruption So saith he Infidels although they séeme sometymes to liue vprightly yet of their workes they receaue no commodity at all He addeth moreouer euen as it is necessary that a man first be before he can receaue meate to be nourished withall so is it necessary that there be first fayth then yâ— afterward it be nourished by good workes Touching the workes of Cornelius he saith A similitude that they were wonderfull and pleased God the chiefe rewarder of workes All these thinges are spoken both truly and also agréeably vnto our doctrine But afterward he addeth that Cornelius wheÌ„ he wrought those works which ar praysed beleued not in Christ which although it be hardly said yet may it by an interpretatioÌ„ be lenefied to vnderstaÌ„d him as we did August namely yâ— Cornelius beleued not distinctly expressedly wheÌ„ yet he beleued in Christ after yâ— selfe same maner as yâ— elders did of whoÌ„ it is to be douted but yâ— they wer saued by the sauior whoÌ„ they loked should come And this kind of faith was sufficieÌ„t vnto saluatioÌ„ vntil yâ— gosple was published abroad But afterward he addeth yâ— Cornelius could not haue obteined saluatioÌ„ vnles faith had bene offred vnto him which yet may after a sort be admitted so yâ— that saying be taken of the perfect saluatioÌ„ whervnto Christians are called and shall one day come But that which he addeth can by no meanes stand for he sayth that these workes of Cornelius were dead Here now Chrisostome beginneth not to be Chrisostome For howe was it possible that the Chrisostome herin against himselfe workes of Cornelius should be wonderfull and please God the chiefe rewarder if they were dead But if we will know the true opinion of Chrisostome hymself touching this matter let vs se what he writeth vpoÌ„ this history in the. 9. chapiter of the Actes For there he playnly testefieth that Cornelius beleued and Chrisostome vpon the Actes affirmeth that Cornelius be leued before the comming of Peter Of the excellent workes of the Romanes was a godly man and not being content with this he addeth that his life was honest and that he had sound groundes of doctrine Here he affirmeth that he had both fayth and also the fruites of fayth Finally he addeth that he had both fayth and righteousnes and all maner of vertue And thus muche touchinge Chrisostome But they obiect vnto this our sentence the excellent workes and notable enterprises of the Romanes which God recompensed with the reward of a most ample impery And to that purpose they cite Augustine in his 51. booke de Ciuitate Dei the. 15. chapiter For there he sayth that God vnto them vnto whome he would not geue eternall life gaue an earthly glory of a most excelleÌ„t empire which thing vnles he had done there should not haue bene reÌ„dred any reward to good arts yâ— is to vertues wherby they endeuored theÌ„selues to attaine to so greate glory But that we may the better vnderstand thys compensation God gouerneth the world orderly without confusion whereof Augustine speaketh we must remember that God in the gouernment of the world will haue all thinges done by a certayne order and without confusioÌ„ that effects should follow theyr causes and properties should be adioyned vnto thinges whereunto they belonge Fruites are by the heate of the Sonne made ripe witty men by industrye and study attayne vnto good artes After winter commeth the spring agayne after the springe commeth sommer and atter sommer commeth the autum Plants bring forth first leaues afterward flowers and then fruites After this maner doth God prouide for the nature of thinges and for rites and famelies And for that vnles common welthes florishinge in Lawes and vertues shoulde attayne vnto dominion all humane Vnto what vertues is naturally adioyned greate dominion thinges would sone come to nought therefore by the commaundement of God and by a naturall institution it followeth that where florisheth discipline of warre obedience towardes the magestrate obseruation of Lawes seuere iurisoiction modesty of princes abstineÌ„ce fortitude and loue of the couÌ„râ—ey there also followeth a greate empire Whiche yet proueth not that these thinges are not sinnes so far forth as they procede from men without fayth For they are Why the godly workes of the Ethnikes were sinnes not directed vnto the glory of God which ought to be the end of al meÌ„s doings wherefore thys glorye and largenes of dominion for that by the institution of God it followeth morall and ciuill vertues is both taken of ciuill men as the end and fruite of theyr labors and also is called a reward And that these works Augustine teacheth that those workes were sinnes of the Romanes were sinnes Augustine himselfe affirmeth in yâ— selfe same boke de Ciuitate Dei the 12. chapiter For thus he writeth Touching the Romanes for that for honor prayse and glory sake they studied to preserue theyr contrey wherein they sought glory and doubted not to preferre the safety thereof before theyr owne safety for thys one vice sake that is for the loue of prayse and keping vnder the gredy desire of money and many other vices Here the ambitioÌ„ of the Romanes he calleth vice Who then can say that God truly or properly rewardeth sinnes wherefore it remayneth God is not sayd properly to reward sinnes that this rewarding be taken in that sence that we before spake of namely that it followeth by the order of thinges appoynted of God and that of them vpon whome it is bestowed it is counted as a reward and fruite of theyr labors For this kinde of speach the scripture also not seldome vseth of the scribes and hipocrites the Lord sayd Verily I say vnto you they haue receaued theyr reward And Paul touching them which when they knewe God worshiped him not as God but being deliuered vp vnto filthy desires polluted theyr bodies with ignominy and shame They receaued in them selues sayth he theyr reward as it was meete And Ezechiell in his 29. chapiter sayth That God would geue a reward vnto Nabucadnezar for that he had serued him in the ouerthrowing of Tire and for a reward promised vnto him the spoyle and distruction of Egipt And there is no doubt but yâ— the works of hipocrites which couloured theyr faces that they mought seme vnto men to fast and that the superstitious and detestable worshippinges of idolaters and those cruell factes which Nabucadnezar did to satisfy his ambition were sins and that greauous sinnes And yet we reade that all these thinges had theyr reward And that God in appoyntinge of kingdomes had a respect vnto an other Why God by his prouideÌ„ce so transferreth kingdomes from nation to nation end then to pay vnto those men a reward euen Augustine playnly declareth in his 5.
hooke de Ciuitate Dei the. 12. chapiter which we before cited For he sayth that when as the empire was first in the East God would that at the length the kingdome of the Romanes should be the chiefe to tame the wicked doinges of other nations But many suspect that by this doctrine is opened a window vnto many vices For if the doings of ciuil men whilest they seme to liue vertuously be sinnes they maye easely be pulled away from those notable good workes Hereunto I answere that we teach not that ciuill discipline is to be neglected Ciuill discipline is not to be neglected of instdeâ—s for it by the prouidence of God is as it were a certayne bond wherby is preserued all ciuill fellowship God can suffer cities and commonweales so long as in them florisheth integrity of maners and vertue and honestye but when those things be vtterlye vitiated and corrupted then is GOD so prouoked to wrath that he will punishe those thinges whiche he before had long tyme wincked at Men so long as they are without Christ sinne yea when they do notable The Ethikes when they kept ciuill discipline sinned lesse then wheÌ„ they contemned it All sinnes ar not like workes but farre lesse then if casting away al ciuill dueties they vtterly abandone themselues to all manner of sinnes For we are not Stoikes to thynke that all sinnes are lyke Farther if these men omitte to do those workes which by the very light of nature they know to be honest they striue against their own conscience And if we will more plainly see whether sentence namely ours or our aduersaries open a greater window vnto vices let vs compare them together Our aduersaries and not we open a window vnto sinnes Verily they when they preache that wicked men may doe good workes able to please God and by them to merite grace as they speake of congruitye what thing els do they then foster and nourishe poore misers in their damnable estate For they make those men to delight in themselues for such workes I know not what and to hope that at the lest at the ende of their lyfe they shal for those workes sake obteine of God to be truly and earnestly conuerted But in yâ— meane tyme they liue securely neither do they with a iust and true repentaunce turne away from their wicked factes But we contrariwise when we daily admonishe them to come vnto Christ and by true repentaunce to be reconciled for otherwise good workes will nothing profite them when as though they be neuer so godly to the shew yet before God they are sins do we not vse very sharpe spurres that leuing impietie and their corrupt kind of life they should conuert themselues vnto the righteousnes of god These things if thou diligently weigh thou shalt easily perceiue whether of vs more make open the way vnto wicked lustes This doubtles may all they iudge which are touched with any affect of truth and pietie For besides that which we haue now said they shall easely see that all the good workes which are attributed vnto men not regenerate are a The aduersaries put a way much froÌ„ the grace of God derogacion and a robbery vnto the grace of God For if without the grace of God we maye performe many thyngs which are acceptable and grateful vnto hym it followeth that we are not wholy redemed renewed of him which is so wicked so straÌ„ge froÌ„ the catholike truth yâ— nothing can be deuised more impudeÌ„t or more wicked For what piety is there remaining wher Christ is robbed of hys honour Or what honor is left vnto Christ if we teach yâ— he hath not brought vnto vs all abilitie to liue vprightly Some vaunt that many things happen and are done before regeneration which are as certaine meanes to the obteinement therof and seyng oftentimes it commeth to passe that by them we are iustified they cannot be counted sinnes We graunt in déede that these are sometimes certayne meanes wherby God bringeth vs to iustification but therby is not proued Goodly workes are sometimes occasions of destruction that vnto them that do them they are not sinnes And doubtles as touchyng the nature of the workes themselues vnto some they are occasioÌ„s of greater destruction For there are many which by reason of such their works wonderfully puffe vp themselues and haue a plesure in themselues and preferre themselues before others and beyng now full and satisfied with the opinion of themselues although they be impelled and inuited yet they refuse to go any farther In these men such workes are preparations to eternall death But as touching the elect God gouerneth and temperateth their workes and maketh them to worke together to saluation although of their owne nature they are sinnes and ought to be counted vicious as long as the light of iustification shineth vpon theÌ„ Wherfore we confesse yâ— workes are certain preparations vnto a healthfull conuersioÌ„ but yet to none but The workes which are done before regeneration are samtimes preparation vnto it but yet onely in the predestinate vnto the predestinate and vnto the elect whom God sometymes by these workes leadeth to iustification not that they of their owne nature haue this strength to prepare vnto iustification for vnto the castawayes reprobate they serue vnto condemnation But now let vs sée what those workes be which our aduersaries so highly prayse in men not regenerate There is in them say they a certaine acknowledging of sinne therof springeth a terrour wherby they are vehemently smitten after that is stirred vp a sorrow for the losse of the kingdome of heauen and then they are moued with a lesse desire to wicked actes and they take lesse pleasure in sinnes and in the inticementes of the world They séeme also with some zeale to heare the word of God How can these thinges say they be counted sins Although they are not say they of such efficacy that a man can by them be conuerted and forsake the olde state of his corruption Here I would demaund of these men what maner knowledge of sinne that is which is so had that in the meane tyme we preferre it before the righteousnes of God Verely seing that it wanteth his true and proper ende it cannot be but sinne For to this end is that knowledge That knowledge of sinne which wanteth his proper end is sinne The end of the knowledge of sinne appointed that when we know sinne we should forsake it and embrace the righteousnes of God Which ende if it be away the worke is corrupted and made sinne All morall writers confesse this that that action is sinne which is depriued of hys dew ende Farther what maner feare of hel fire is that when as they daily throw themselues hedlong into it And what sorrow is that for the losse of the kingdome of heauen when they continually refuse it beyng offred vnto theÌ„ by the holy scriptures and by the preachers If
with them which thing that it can not be ascribed vnto workes Paul sufficiently declareth when he saith that the afflictions of thys lyfe are not woorthye the glorye to come whiche shal be reueled in vs But howe the preceptes of the lawe are fulfilled in vs by the communion which we haue with Christ which died for vs thus may be declared bicause vnto them which beleue in him is geuen the holy ghost whereby their strengthes are renued that they may be able to performe the obedience of the lawe not in deede a perfect and absolute obedience for that is not had so long as we liue here Wherefore the accomplishement of the lawe herein consisteth that the sinnes which we haue committed be forgeuen vs by Christ and the righteousnes which he hath performed be imputed vnto vs for that he is our head and we on the other side his members Lastly this is to be looked for that when we shall come vnto the long desired ende of chiefe felicity there How Christ is called the ende of the law shall then be nothing in vs which shall be repugnant vnto the lawe of God After this maner Christ is called the ende of the lawe as one that hath not broken it but fulfilled it not only in that by his doctrine he deliuered it from the corrupt interpretacions of the Scribes and Phariseis but also because he hath in such maner as we haue now declared accoÌ„plished both it in himselfe in vs. Wherefore as many as are without Christ and are not pertakers of his death and haue not forgeuenes of their sinnes and are voyde of the righteousnes of Christ and haue no desire to fulfill the lawe all these I says shall not attayne that felicity wherein they shall haue nothing which is repugnant vnto the law of God Wherfore the iustification of the lawe can in them by no meanes be fulfilled But who they be in whome the righteousnes of the lawe shall beginne to be accomplished for that it hath alredy by the cause thereof bene declared namely for that the faithfull are pertakers of the death and spirite of Christ now also the same declareth he by the fruite Which walke not according to the fleshe but according to the spirit The regenerate walke according to the spirite This is a notable marke and condition whiche followeth them They walke accordinge to the spirite in whome the spirite gouerneth raigneth and beareth dominion And contrarywyse they walke accordynge to the fleshe in whome the fleshe beareth dominion These thynges striue one againste the other But in this fighte the godlye onelye are excercised by striuinge For they which are straungers from Christ do without any resistance or fighting follow the flesh Faith which iustifieth doth after a sort put of our flesh but they that are spirituall do geue chefe place vnto the spirite And hereby we sée that this is the nature of that fayth which iustifieth to make a man in that plight that his fleshe being after a sort put of he liueth according vnto the spirite But those which liue not so the apostle proueth nether to be deliuered from sin nor to be pertakers of the death of Christ neither also to be obseruers of the lawes of God For he sayth For they vvhich are according to the flesh do minde those thinges vvhich are of the flesh but they vvhich are according to the spirite doo sauour those things vvhich are of the spirite They which liue according to the affection of the flesh doo follow thinges hurtefull and therefore they fall into death and practise enmities agaynst God Whereby followeth that they are nether pertakers of the spirite of Christ nor yet of his death But if a man shoulde saye that by the sence of the flesh men desire meate drinke apparell matrimony other things which pertayne vnto this life and these thinges are not damnable nor hurtful I would answeare that these thinges in dede of theyr own nature are not euil but the meanes whereby the vngodly desire them is both hurtfull and damnable Why naturall appetites are sinnes vnto the vngodly For they seke them for theyr owne sakes and direct them not vnto the glory of God neyther are they stirred vp vnto these desires by fayth or by the worde of God or by the spirite Wherefore vnto them they are sinnes And forasmuch as all men before they are iustifyed are indued by the affection of the flesh it followeth that whatsoeuer they doo is sinne and highly displeaseth God Wherefore by those deedes they can nether be iustified nor prepare themselues vnto What the affection of the flesh is iustification The woordes of the Apostle teach that two kindes of affections are contrary and opposite â–ª whiche that we may the better vnderstand let thys be for certayne â–ª that the affection of the flesh is nothing ells then the vse of humane strengths setting a part the grace and spirite of Christ And the nature of man is to be taken not as it was first created of God but as it is now vitiate The affection of the spirite and corrupt But the affection of the spirite is the impulsion of the inspiration of God and vse of the grace of Christ Nowe let vs se what those thynges are wherevnto the affectioÌ„ of the flesh carie vs. They must of necessity be good things For we desire nothing but that which is good and that good is ether honest profitable Three kindes of good things The affection of the fleshe is deceaued two maner of â—â—yes or pleasaunt In these thinges the affection of the flesh is two maner of wayes deceaued For sometimes it is caâ—led vnto these thinges which seme honest and are not and which seme profitable and pleasant but in very dede are vn profitable irksome An other error is when it desireth those thinges which in very dede should behonest profitable pleasant if they were desired with right reason as it was instituted of God such as are these good workes which commonly are called ciuill or morall Euermore the affection of the flesh erreth in one of these two wayes Wherfore all yâ— works therof seing they faâ—le froÌ„ right reason are sinnes Wherefore hereby is concluded that a Christian life herein A ChristiaÌ„ life wherin it consisteth consisteth to haue a care vnto those thinges which are of the spirite and to forsake those thinges which belong vnto the flesh that both we may seke for perfect good thinges and also yâ— we fayle not in the maner of desiring them But what are the effectes both of the flesh and also of the spirite Paul hath in manye places taught and especially in his epistle vnto yâ— GalathiaÌ„s wher he thus writeth The workes of the flesh are adulteries fornications vnclenes wantones idolatry witchcrafts enmities stryfes emulations brawlings contencions eâ—uies murthers dronkenes bancketting and such other like of which the Apostle saith They which do these things shall not possesse
should at any time say that he loueth God aboue all thinges when we haue diligently considered the matter we shall playnly finde that vnder that dissembled loue lieth hidden in his hart a most greate hatred of God And where as the Apostle sayth that the affecte of the flesh is not subiecte vnto the Law of God he hath not a respect vnto works moral or ciuill but only as I haue sayd to our corrupt and vitiate nature And herein chiefely is the first table to be considered The first table contayneth the force and vigour of the latter table which requireth a perfect fayth loue worshipping and feare of God in which things coÌ„sisteth the force vigour and as it were the soule of the obedieÌ„ce of the rest of the commaundementes Of those thinges which haue hitherto ben spoken the Apostle inferreth this conclusion that they which are in the flesh caÌ„not please God and therfore they are nether deliuered nor recoÌ„ciled vnto God They whiche are in the flesh are euill trees If the meÌ„ them selues can not please God theyr workes can not be acceptable vnto God We must desire a more aboundaunt spirite that we may the more please God So that this is a certaine token whereby we may know by the effect and aposteriori as they call it who they are that are deliuered from sinne and made pertakers of the benefite of the death of Christ And if they which are in the fleshe can not please God then it followeth that they are euill trées which bringe not forth good fruite Where are then merites of congruity and of works as they call them preparatory For if the men themselues can not please God vndoubtedly theyr workes can not be acceptable vnto God Wherefore miserable is the estate of the wicked which in no wise can please God But it is our partes continually to pray for a more aboundant spirite of Christ that we may more and more please him But ye are not in the flesh but in the spirite bycause the spirite of God dwelleth in you But if any man haue not the spirit of Christ the same is not his And if Christ be in you the body is dead bicause of sinne but the Spirite is life bycause of righteousnes And if the Spirite of hym that raysed vp Iesus from the dead dwell in you he that raysed vp Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortall bodyes bycause that his spirite dwelleth in you Ye are not in the fleshe That which he before spake generally he now perticularly applieth vnto the Romanes and after his accustomed maner discendeth from a generall theme to a perticular Here is agayne in this place a sentence which can not but figuratiuely be interpreted for if we should vnderstaÌ„d Chrisostom saith that figures are necessary in the scriptures Of these wordes of the Lord this is myâ— body simply that we are not in the flesh the truth would shew the contrary Wherefore Chrisostome vpon this place sayth that it is a thing very daungerous alwayes to vnderstand the scriptures according to the proper significations of the words I meruaile therefore what our aduersaries meane so much to iangle and to make such an adoo when we say that these wordes of the Lord This is my body are spoken figuratiuely and that we vnderstaÌ„d them not as though the body of Christ were carnally really and substantially in the bread But that which is shewed forth we teach to be the sacrament of the body of Christ whereby is signifyed that hys body was fastened vnto the Crosse and his bloud shed for vs. And this vndoubtedly is done with greate vtility if we both beleue those things which are set forth and also receaue the sacrameÌ„t with such a faith as behoueth But they say that Christ did not so speake I graunt he did not But if it be sufficient so to answere why doo they not here also say that Paul spake simply and appertly Ye are not in the flesh for other interpretations hath he added none If they say that that may be gathered by those thinges which he before spake so also will we say that this may be gathered as well by the nature of the sacraments whose nature is to signify the thinges whereof they are signes and also by yâ— which is there written namely that these thinges ought to be done in remembraunce of the Lord and that they should shew forth his death and also by many other thinges which are written in the 6. chap of Iohn Farther Chrisostome vpon this place sayth That Paul wheÌ„ he thus writeth doth in no wise deny the nature of the fleshe but exalteth it to a more higher dignity namely that it should rather obey the impulsion of the spirite then lust So we say that when the fathers seme to deny that the nature of the bread abideth in the encharist they deny not the nature of the bread but declare yâ— it is exalted to a higher dignity namely to be a sacrameÌ„t Against transubstaÌ„tiation How folish they are which by these words speake against matrimony of ministers of the body of Christ and now to serue to a spiritual purpose and vse But they yet dote a greâ—t deale more which thinke that this place maketh agaynst the matrimony of ministers of the Church For if it were so he should conclude vniuersally that all Christians ought to liue without wyues For there is no Christian after that he hath beleued in Christ is any more in the fleshe We haue in dede a body fleshe and members meate drinke and matrimonies all which thinges séeme to pertayne vnto yâ— flesh but we haue theÌ„ in God to vse theÌ„ according to the spirite not according to the flesh Neither doth Paul in this place meane any other thing theÌ„ did yâ— Lord in yâ— Gospell wheÌ„ he sayd vnto hys disciples Ye are not of thys world Wherfore Ambrose saith that we haue such a nature framed vnto vs as we felâ— it to be he addeth moreouer That the wise men of the world are in the flesh because they resist fayth and wyll beleue those thynges only which are agreeable to reason This place againe teacheth vs that Ambrose by the name of fleshe vnderstoode reason Ambrose by the name of flesh vnderstandeth reason also What it is to be in the flesh and the higher partes of the soule We say therefore that to be in the fleshe according to the Apostles meaning signifieth nothing els then in all our actions to be ruled and gouerned by the sence and affecte of nature not yet regenerate in Christ Now by this it appeareth that it is proper vnto a Christian to follow those thinges which are of the spirite and to auoyde those thynges which are of the fleshe And this propriety of a Christian lyfe partly moueth vs not to forsake it and is partly a note by which we may be made more certayne of our iustification By what note or maâ—ke we
predestination of God is which bringeth to their endes the predestinate although vnto them vnwares and their thinking nothing els Thereby also is declared how great the imbecillity of humane strengthts is when as the reprobate though they take neuer so great labour and paynes yet attayne not vnto righteousnes but are left in their damnation This semeth to be a * A Paradoxe is a stronge sentence not easely conceaued of the common sort Pauls sentēce semeth in dede to be a Paradoxe Paradox which Paul here in this place teacheth namely that they which sought not found and they which ernestly sought were frustrated but yet is this sentence of great force to refell that which the Iewes alwayes obiected agaynst the Ethnikes namely that the Gentiles had bene perpetually straungers from the lawe but they had alwayes bene studious therein For Paul here declareth that that was no let to the saluation of the Gentles And therefore I much meruayle that Chrisostome should say that Paul in this place hath most plainely dissolued the question namely that the Ethnikes were therefore elected of God for that they were worthye and the Iewes were reiected for that they were vnworthy and wicked This place teacheth that they which are conuerted vnto God did not before follow after righteousnes yea rather they were vtterly strangers from it and that they which applied themselues vnto workes and vnto the lawe of righteousnes were reiected And forasmuch as this as I haue sayd is a Paradoxe therefore Paul setteth it not forth simply but rather gathereth it out of the testimonies of the Prophet which he had before alleaged and sayth VVhat shall vve say then As if he should haue sayd This followeth of those thinges Wherin Christ excedingly offended the Iewes which haue bene spoken that the greatest part of the Iewes are reiected together with that their outward zeale or endeuor in the law but the Gētiles were adopted which yet regarded nothing lesse then piety But how much humane reason is here offended thereby it may be perceaued in that the Pharisyes and Sribes therefore spake il of Christ for that he admitted Publicanes sinners And when that sinfull woman came to anoynt and washe the fete of the Lord the Pharisey whose guest he was sayd If this man were a Prophet he would doubtles know who and what maner of woman this is Howbeit we ought to know that that approued and receaued sentence He which seketh findeth is not by these Of that sentence he which seketh findeth What it is to seke wel and to seeke ill The righteousnes whiche we haue by Christ is the mere gift of God Against workes of preparatiō wordes refelled for it is to be vnderstanded of those which seke rightly and orderly But that can not be done but onely of those which are alredy regenerate Of such Christ sayth He which seketh findeth and vnto him which knocketh it shall be opened But what is the difference betwene them that seke well and betwene them that seke ill here is declared For the difference consisteth in fayth and in infidelity Paul for that he was a preacher of the Gospel euery where commendeth vnto vs faith as the instrument whereby saluation is taken holde of Further this place most euidently teacheth that the righteousnes which we obtayne by Christ is the mere and pure gift of God forasmuch as it is geuen to them that seke it not and is not apprehēded of those which gredely follow after it By this reason also are ouerthrowē those which obtrude vnto vs workes of preparation For what proparatiō can there be in those which follow not after rightousnes If our workes should merite as these mē say of congruitie the true righteousnes they could not haue bene iustified who as Paul sayth sought not after righteousnes Further certayne Ethnikes attained vnto such workes as doubtles in a ciuile consideration were good For Socrates Aristides Scipio Cato and such other like exercised moste excellent vertues But of this confidence in the mercy of God which is through Christ breathed into vs by the heauēly spirite they were vtterly ignorant Wherefore they followed after that morall righteousnes and not without prayse attayned vnto it But Paul at this present Morall actions nothing conduce to the obteinement of the righteousnes of God speaketh not of that righteousnes for it in very dede is sinne and nothing conduceth vnto righteousnes Moreouer the Apostle when he sayth that the Gentiles followed not after righteousnes expresseth in word les then he would to be vnderstāded For they did not onely not folow after righteousnes but also they openly withstoode it both in liuing wickedly and also a long while and ernestly resisting the preachers of the Gospell Origen in this place noteth that the Apostle is against himselfe for in an other place he writeth that they are made the vessels of mercy which haue purged themselues from filthynes and at the beginning of this epistle he wrote that the Gentiles were therefore iustified because they had by the light of nature fulfilled the law but here he contrariwise sayth that the Gentiles attayned vnto righteousnes when as they followed not after righteousnes Now Origen in this place when he saw that he was by the very wordes of the Apostle manifestly taken in a snare seketh a subtle wyle to wynde himselfe out but such yet as is very friuolous and weake For Origene maketh a distinction betwene sectari iustitiā and insectari iustitiā he sayth that it is one thing sectari legem and an other thing insectari legem For those he sayth do sectari legem which hauing it described vnto them seke to imitate it which thing the Iewes did vnto whō was set forth the law geuen and written by Moses therfore forasmuch as they did sectari legem they attained not vnto righteousnes But insectari legem he thinketh to be by our works to expresse the law being by the light of nature grafted in our mindes And therfore the Gentiles although they folowed no◠y◠law written for that they had it not yet notwithstanding attayned vnto righteousnes for that they had performed the law of nature grafted in their mindes But this fond deuise is sufficiently Paul here maketh not mencion of the law but of righteousnes of it selfe vttered and confuted For the Apostle when he speaketh of the Gentiles maketh no mencion at all of any law but only sayth that they when as they followed not after righteousnes yet notwithstanding obtayned righteousnes wherefore the argument is sure and firme For which way so euer thou takest righteousnes whether for that righteousnes whiche commeth of the lawe of nature or for that whiche commeth of the law of Moses the Gentiles are said to haue obtained righteousnes without it Wherfore that is vaine How the Gentles did by nature those things which are of the law which Origen so often obiecteth that men therfore are made vessels of
alwayes counted the Ethnikes for brute beastes and fooles Ambrose vpon this place very well noteth that God vsed this griefe and enuy for a tormenter God was the author of th 〈…〉 y as it wa◠a punishmēt whereby to auenge the sinne and idolatry of the Iewes This enuy doubtles was sinne but God was not the author thereof but as it was a punishment And it hath oftentimes bene declared that he punisheth sinnes by other sinnes and as sinnes come from him they haue the nature of good and not of ill But how he prouoked them to enuy or zeale may thus be declared First he did set outwardly before thē things wherby he knew they would be moued and prouoked After y◠peraduenture according to Augustines minde he moued theyr hartes as they had deserued vnto such an affect not that he powred in thē that affect of new but stirred it vp which paraduenture otherwise had lyen stil By what manner of means God prouoked the Iewes These thinges are to be vnderstanded of the last captiuitie But this his prouoking if the Hebrues had bene wise men mought haue bene vnto thē in stede of a monitiō or warning to returne vnto God and to embrace the Gospell which they despised Neyther was the reiection of the Iewes the whole and proper cause of our saluation but only ministred an occasion there vnto The only and perfect cause of our saluation is the mercy of God thorough Christ And although the Iewes were oftentimes afflicted with greauous captiuity yet are not these wordes of Moses to be vnderstanded but of this last captiuity for in the other captiuities God tooke not to be hys people the oppressors of the Iewes neyther adorned he them with those spirituall giftes wherewith the Iewes were before endewed yea rather deliuering the Iewes he left those nations in theyr blindnes and idolatry But now the Hebrewes are turned out of all wander abrode naked the Christians haue succeded into the adoption of God ▪ and are enriched with spirituall gifts Moreouer their other captiuities were very short but of this is neither measure nor end He calleth the Ethnikes not a nation as a people most vile which deserued not so much as the name of a nacion And in very dede there can be no societye ioyned together and firmely knitte which is framed together without God and Christe for there want the sinnues and bounds of charity and the farther a city of common wealth is from The morall workes of the Ethnikes ouerthrowen ▪ vnitye so much the weaker and febler alwayes becommeth it This place not a litle ouerthroweth the opinion which the common people haue of moral workes and of the philosophy and wisedome of the Ethnikes We wonder at the knowledge of the Grecians and at the grauity of the Romanes when we reade their histories But God calleth these mē not a nation or a folishe nation what greater The Ethnikes were in very dede fooles folishenes could there be then for a man to make an Image of wood stones or mettall and to worship it for God Or who will deny but that folishnes is priuation of true wisedome Seing therfore that the Ethnikes wanted the wisedome reueled of God which is the true wisedome they were in déede fooles Neyther entend I here to reason with Origen who sayth that it may peraduenture séeme to be contumelious agaynst the nation whō God elected through merite of their faith and deuotion when as he disdayneth to call it a nation and moste manifestly nameth it a foolishe nation And he aunswereth that these thinges are thus to be vnderstanded that the Church is not one nation as are the Egyptians Scythians Assirians Chaldeans ▪ c. For it consisteth of all nations neyther is it perticularly any one nation Further it is called foolishe for that it would not be made wise but he which will be made wise in the Lorde must first be made a foole This is wide from the sense of the Apostle for as it is manifest he speaketh not of the Church now established but speaketh of it as it was before it was receaued of Christ and made the Church and then it is sayd not to haue bene a people In what state the church was before it was taken of God as it is writen in the 2. chapter of Osea And it shall be in the place where it was sayd ye are not the people of God there ye shall all be called the sonnes of the liuing God and verely they which are not the people of God are not a people and the Ethnikes were fooles in asmuch as they wanted the true wisdome which is Christe Let vs sée what the same Paul pronounceth of the Church before it was conuerted vnto Christ In the epistle to the Ephesians he sayth Y◠were somtymes without Christ◠straungers from the publique wealth of Israell aleants from the promises without hope and without God in the world And vnto the Corinthians when he had mencioned that dronkerds euil speakers thieues idolatrers and abusers of mankind shall not enter into the kingdome of God he added and such were ye once but now ye are washed ye are sanctified But whē by the sentēce which he alleadgeth out of Moses he reproueth y◠idolatrous Hebrues which prouoked God by reasō of those idols which were no Gods it may séeme not to touche the Iewes which liued in hys tyme and in Christes tyme for at that tyme idolatrye was not in vre in Israell Vnto this obiection we aunswere that the Iewes of that tyme most manifestlye prouoked and reiected God when they reiected his sonne Christ and did put him to death vpon the crosse For so great is the coniunction betwene the Father and The Iews both in the latter tyme were ▪ also at this day are idolatrers the Sonne that they which reiect the Sonne can not kéepe still the father Moreouer as touching idolatry for asmuch as they offred vnto him sacrifices without fayth and repentāce God detested their oblations as the scriptures euery where testifie And so farre had their impietye proceaded that they more estemed their owne traditions then they did the commaundements of God But no God will so be worshipped And forasmuch as the true God is not in such sort worshipped and yet notwithstanding they worshipped somewhat it followeth that that was an idoll which they fained to be their God which delighted in these rites and worshippinges Neyther skilleth it whether such an idoll be in the minde or in stone or in wood Wherfore the Iewes agaynst whome Paul dealt are no les comprehended and reproued in this sentence of Moses then their fathers were Yea rather Hidden idolatry is oftentymes more hurtful then op◠idolatry if we shall vprightly weigh the matter the more couert this idolatrie of the Iewes was the more hurtfull it was for they counted themselues godly and iust for that they were not ensected with outward grosse idolatry
piety and vnto the true worshipping of God yâ— she sought vtterly to destroy all the Prophetes Whose fury yet the piety of Abdias at that time resisted and hid an hundreth Prophets in caues fifty in one caue and fifty in an other They seeke saith he my lyfe For at what time he fled Iesabell had threatoned to kill him the next day I haue reserued vnto my selfe When God thus maketh answer he manifestly declareth that others which had bowed their knées vnto Baal had kissed him pertayned not vnto him And in that he saith I haue reserued vnto my selfe he declareth that that was his gift that these men also went not astraye Neither All whole is of God sayth he yâ— his helpe was the chiefest part of their staying from idolatry but plainly saith I haue reserued them vnto my selfe Hereof Paul concludeth that not all the people of the Iewes are reiected neither yet are all chosen And in that example which he bringeth when he so plainly and largely handleth it he most sharply accuseth the Iewes For by the doings of their elders he declareth what maners ones they also presently were For if they had said we crucified Christ as a deceauer and we persecute his Apostles as seducers What did your fathers saith he vnto Helias What did they to the Prophetes This place declareth in what sort the Iewes alwayes behaued themselues against the messengers of God The accusation as saith Chrisostome is after a sort transferred is as if he should haue said Now Paul accuseth you not nor Peter nor Iames nor Iohn but Helias who shut vp heauen whom the rauen fed who slew the Balites and obtayned fire from heauen with whom the Lord as ye haue heard spake so familiarly They haue cut downe thine alters These were the high places in which High places the Father 's Abraham Isaacke and Iacob in the old time offred sacrifices their alters erected in the name of the Lord were yet remayning and it was lawfull to sacrifice on them vntill the temple was built But the Israelites namely the ten tribes were such enemies vnto the name of God that they could not abide so much as his alters to remayne for they would haue no sacrifices done but vnto their golden calues or to Baall and to other idols and could not abide that any monuments of the true God should be left remaining But as touching alters Alters ought 〈◊〉 to â—â— vsed in this time â–ª they haue no place in the tyme of the Gospell For forasmuch as the only sacrifice of our saluation is accomplished by the death of Christ Iesus our sauior vpon the alter of the crosse and the oblations of sacrifices are vtterly taken away therefore alters also haue ceassed But we erect a table in the congregacion of the faithfull vpon which we celebrate the supper of the Lord. And now at the length to make an end of this place I thought it good to admonish that we in examining of the scriptures vse the like diligence that Paul did for vnles he had with great attentiuenes red these thinges he coulde not with such dexterity haue entreated of them Euen so at this present tyme is there a remnaunt according to the election of grace And if thorough grace then not of works Or els were grace now no more grace But if it be of workes it is no more grace or els were worke no more worke Euen so also at this present time is there a remnaunt according to the election of grace He applieth the example which he hath now entreated of to the state of his time When he sayth a remnaunt he thereby signifieth that that part which perisheth is farre greater as he before had sayd Though the multitude They that shal be saued are called a remnaunt for that they are few of the children of Israell be as the sand of the sea a remnaunt only shal be saued Againe Vnles God had left vnto vs seede we had bene as Sodom and had ben like to Gomorrha Wherefore if in Helias time when the lesse part was saued the promises fell not away so now also in so great a blindnes of Israell they are not made voyde And the more to abate the Iewes pride he saith that this remnaunt is remayning vnto vs not of merite or of workes but of grace Wherefore we haue here a new proposition whose first part is not proued namely that they which are saued are saued by grace for that thing all men graunt but this he declareth that this saluation is not of workes which neded a demonstracion or profe The Iewes would not denie the first part as our Sophisters also at this day deny it not but either of them haue alwayes gone aboute to mingle therewithall the merites of men The Apostle expresseth what he chiefely ment by grace Merites caÌ„ not be mingled with grace Election is the chiefest grace What election of grace is namely the election of God for that is the first chiefest of all graces giftes Election of grace in yâ— Hebrue phrase is a gracious or free election which is not of merites Howbeit Chrisostome and the Greke Scholies thought that by this word election is after a sort corrected or contracted the name of grace that whersoeuer election is added we should vnderstand that grace is geuen according to approbatioÌ„ But what they vnderstand by approbation it is not so playne but that one of these two wayes we se it must of necessity be vnderstanded namely that they take approbation either actiuely or passiuely Actiuely that the remnauntes haue grace for that they elect and approue the thinges which are vpright sound and iust Or passiuely that they are approued of God as men godly iust and beleuing The first way can not be admitted for it is manifest that here is not entreated of the election of men wherby as it pleaseth them they elect good or euill thinges but of the election of God for Paul manifestly saith that God had not cast away his people whome he foreknew or as Augustine saith predestinated Neither can the other be graunted for election dependeth not of our workes foresene as we haue before declared Origen hath in a maner the selfe same sentence for he saith that all in dede are saued by grace but Here is not entreated of ceremoniall workes when election is added thereby are signified perfecter soules which vnto purenes and holynes of workes added a singular endeuor and diligence Moreouer he would fayne haue the workes which are heare excluded of Paul to be vnderstanded only of ceremoniall workes which can not be when as Paul as we shal sâ— addeth an vniuersall reason that vnto the nature of grace it is repugnaunt to be of workes and this is true what kinde of workes so euer we put But it semeth that he therefore taketh such great paynes in this matter for that he is aferd least if workes should be excluded from the cause of
by the workes of the lawe no fleshe shal be iustified And by fleshe he vnderstandeth a man not yet regenerate I know there haue ben some which by the flesh haue vnderstand the inferior parts of the mynde which are grosse and wrapped with filthy lustes But this sence Paul excludeth when he saith by the workes of the lawe that is by workes commaunded of God in the law which must néedes come of reason and not of the strength of the inferior soule Farther the scripture after the Hebrew phrase by the fleshe vnderstandeth the whole man whiche thing we haue in an other place more aboundantly expressed Afterward to the end he might the The fourth better confirme this sentence he saith that euery mouth might be stopped and that the whole world might be guilty before God Vndoubtedly if men should be iustified by works their mouthes should not be stopped neither should they be guilty before God for they should alwayes haue somewhat to say namely that they are therefore quite from sinnes because they had deserued it by workes but now whē men perceaue the contrary they dare not once open their lippes Farther he saith The fifth But now without the lawe is the righteousnes of God made manifest whiche hath the testimonye bothe of the lawe and of the Prophetes What man would appoint that thing to be the cause of our righteousnes without which righteousnes may be obtayned vndoubtedly no wise man would so doo when as suche is the nature of The sixt causes that without them the effectes can not be brought to passe To the same purpose also serueth that which followeth Where then is thy boasting It is excluded By what lawe By the lawe of workes No but by the lawe of fayth He woulde haue vs know that all iust cause of glory is excluded and taken away from vs for the whole glory of our righteousnes ought to geue place vnto God but if we should be iustified by workes then should it not be so for the glory should be ours and euery man would count himselfe to be therefore iustified because he hath The seuēth liued vertuously and iustly And how certaine and assured this was vnto the Apostle those thinges which follow do declare We thinke therefore that a man is iustified by fayth without workes of the lawe Wherefore shall we then deny that which the Apostle with so great vehemency affirmeth Vndoubtedly it is a thing most impudent so to do Wherefore let vs assent vnto him and not resist so great a testimony The eight of hys But besides these thinges let vs waighe and consider the pithe of Pauls meaning If we should be iustified by workes saith he we should not only haue matter to boast of but the occasion of glorying in God and of publishing his fauour towards vs should be taken away For without doubt it is vnto vs a thing most prayse worthy and glorious to acknowledge that the beneuolence and redy fauour of God towards vs through Christ is so great that he deliuereth vs miserable men from our sinnes and receaueth vs into fauour although we were couered ouer with neuer so great filthines and dragges of sinne If I say we should be should be iustified by workes then vndoubtedly could we not truly boast bragge or glory hereof But let vs go on and heare what the Apostle sayth in the beginning of the 4. The ninth chapiter What shall we say then that our father Abrahā found according to the flesh For if Abraham were iustified by workes he hath whereof to boast but not before God For what sayth the scripture Abraham beleued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes But vnto him which worketh a reward is not imputed according to grace but according to debt Wherefore to the end that so swete a consolation of the loue and beneuolence of God towards vs should not be taken away from vs let vs constantly affirme with the Apostle that we are not iustified by workes And that he might the better persuade vs hereof he vrgeth this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which we say signifieth to impute to ascribe vnto a man righteousnes or to count a man for a iust man and setteth it as an Antithesis or contrary vnto merite or debt so that he to whome any thing is imputed deserueth not the same neither receaueth it as a debt But he which obtaineth any thing vnto himselfe as a debt counteth not the same as imputed or ascribed vnto him neither thought Paul it sufficient to haue alleadged the scripture cōcerning Abrahā but also he citeth Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeuē whose sins are couered Blessed is the mā vnto whō the Lord hath not imputed sinne By which wordes we do not only gather that the righteousnes by which we are sayd to be iustified sticketh not in our mindes but is imputeth of God that it is such an imputation which consisteth not of works The tenth but of the mere clemency of God Farther the Apostle doth by an other propriety of good workes confirme his sentence namely because workes are signes or seales of the righteousnes already obtayned wherefore he sayth of Abraham And he receaued the signe of circumcision a seale of the righteousnes of fayth which was in vncircumcision c. Wherefore forasmuch as good workes are signes and seales which beare witnes of y◠righteousnes already receaued they can not be the causes thereof Neither haue ceremonies only that property but also euen those workes Morall workes also are seales of righteousnes before obtayned The eleuenth which are called morall when they are pleasant and acceptable before God for they also are signes and tokens of our righteousnes Wherefore Peter exhorteth vs to endeuor our selues to make our vocation sure namely by liuing vprightly and by good workes Yea and the forme also of y◠promise is diligently to be weighed which God made with Abraham for vnto it is not added a condition of the law or of workes And seing God added none with what audacity shall we then presume to do it And Paul saith For not through the lawe was the promise made vnto Ahraham or to his seede that he should be the heyre of the world but through the righteousnes of fayth For if those whiche pertayne vnto the lawe be heyres then is fayth made vayne and the promise is of no force namely because the lawe worketh anger Wherefore if we fulfill not the lawe the promise will take no place and it shal be a thing vayne to beleue that promise which shall neuer be performed which vndoubtedly must néedes vtterly be so if it be geuen vpon thys condition that we should performe the lawe when as no man can perfectly accomplish the law But the Apostle procedeth farther this iudgeth of the most mercifull counsel of God The twelfth Therefore is the inheritaunce geuē by faith that it might bee according to grace to
ye not heare what the lawe saith For it is written that Abraham had two sonnes one of an handemayden an other of a free woman and he whyche came of the handemayden was borne accordynge to the fleshe but hee which came of the free woman was borne acoording to promise which thinges are spoken by an allegorye for these are two testamentes the one from the mounte Sina which gendreth vnto bondage which is Agar for Agar is mount Sina in Arabia is ioyned vnto the city which is now called Ierusalem and is in bondage with her children But Ierusalem which is aboue is free which is the mother of vs all In these words this thing is chiefly to be noted yâ— the law gendreth not but as Agar did vnto boÌ„dage But if by the workes therof it could iustifie it should gender to liberty for what thing els is iustification then a certain liberty from sinne But forasmuch as it is both called a seruant and gendreth to bondage we ought not then by it to looke for iustification In the .v. chapter it is written If ye be circumcised Christe shall nothing profite The 39. you And he bringeth a reason of the said sentence For saith he he which is circumcised is debter to kepe the whole law So much doth Paul take iustification from circumcision and woorkes that he saith that Christe nothing profiteth them if in case after they beleue they will be circumcised And still he more stronglye confirmeth that which was said Christ is become in vaine vnto you for if ye haue iustification as the fruite of your woorkes then the comming death and bloudsheding of Christe should not haue bene necessary And I if I yet preach circumcisiom why do I suffer persecution Then is the offence of the crosse abolished the offeÌ„ce and slaunder of the crosse The 40. is that meÌ„ being wicked and otherwise sinners are counted of God iust throughe Christ crucified and faith in him here the flesh is offended here doth reason vtterly resiste whiche thing happeneth not when iustification is preached to come of workes whether they be ceremonial or morall But God would haue this offence The 41. to remaine bicause it pleased him by the foolishenes of preaching to saue them that beleue Vnto the Ephesians the. 2. chapter it is written And ye when ye were deade to trespasses and sinnes in whiche in time passed ye walked accordinge to the course of thys world euen after the gouernor that ruleth the ayre and the spirite that now woorketh in the children of vnbelief among whome also we all had our conuersation in time past in the lusts of our flesh and fulfilling the will of the flesh and of our thoughts and as it is in the Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and were by nature the children of wrath euen as others are Let vs note in these woordes yâ— men at the beginning before they come to Christ are dead in sinnes and therfore are not able to moue themselues to this that they should liue and be iustified who euer saw that a deade man coulde helpe himselfe Further by those wordes is shewed that they were in the power of the Prince of darkenes which worketh and is of efficacy in the children of vnbelief Seing therfore they are gouerned by him how then can they by their workes tende to iustification And because we shoulde not thinke that he spake onely of some other certaine vngodly persons he addeth All we comprehending also the Apostles a 〈…〉 them saith he were we And what did we then we were conuersante in the lustes of our flesh And to the end we might vnderstand that these lustes were not onely the wicked affections of the grosser part of the soule it foloweth we doing the will of the flesh and of the minde or of reason did follow also the thoughtes or inuentions of humane reason If we were all such from whence then commeth saluation and iustification But God which is riche in mercy for his exceeding loue sake wherwith he loued vs yea euen when we were dead in sinnes hath quickened vs together with Christ But The 42. what instrumente vsed he to geue vnto vs our saluation For by grace saith he were ye saued through faith and that not of your selues For it is the gifte of God not of workes least any man should boast Could workes be more manifestly excluded In what place then shall we put them Certeinely they follow iustification For the Apostle addeth For we are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath prepared that we should walke in them but before they could not be The 43. in vs which thing is very well thus described Ye were at that time without Christe being alienated from the common wealth of Israell straungers from the testamentes of promise hauing no hope and being without God in this world Who can in this state faine vnto himselfe good woorkes by which men may merite iustification And to the Phillippians the. 3. chapter If any other man maye seeme that he hath whereof he The 44. might trust in the flesh I haue more being circumcised the eight day of the kinred of Israell of the tribe of Beniamin an Hebrue borne of the Hebrues as concerning the law a Pharisey as touching feruentnes I persecuted the church of God as touching the righteousnes which is of the law I was vnrebukeable Seing that Paul had so manye and so great thinges before his conuersion and that he had whereof to â—rust and boast in the flesh let vs heare what he at the lenth pronounceth of all these thinges These thinges saith he if they be compared vnto the true righteousnes whiche is throughe the faith of Christ I count losse vile and dounge If we should thereby obteine righteousnes should so profitable thinges be counted for losses so precious and holy things for vile thinges and thinges acceptable and pleasaunte vnto God for donge Let Paul take héede what he saith here or rather let the readers take héede that they beleue not Sophisters rather then Paul And to the Colossians the first chapter And The 45. you which were sometimes farre of and through euill workes enemies in your harts hath he yet now reconciled in the body of his flesh through death Here ought euery word diligently to be noted that we may sée that they which are farre of from God ought not to haue a regarde to those thinges thereby to come into fauor Peace which is ioyned with iustification can not be obteined of those which are enemies in mind there can not come good woorkes from those whiche before they be chaunged are saide to be full of euil workes But what manner of workes those were is described in the ii chapter when as it is there written And ye when ye wer dead through sinnes and through the vncircumcisioÌ„ of your flesh hath he quickned together with him The 46. forgeuing all your sinnes and hath
he writeth vnto the Gentiles Wherefore those workes which he excludeth from iustification can not be vnderstand of ceremonies for the Gentiles obserued not them But what will they say of the epistle vnto Timothe where in the second chapiter we are simply absolutely sayd to be called not for our works but according to purpose and grace Also vnto Titus He hath saued vs saith he not by the workes of righteousnes which we haue done but according to hys mercy All these thinges are so playne and manifest that they nede no interpretacion For there is no man so dull but that as sone as he once heareth these thinges easely perceaueth that they can not without greate iniury be wrested vnto the ceremonies and rites of Moses But I would fayne know of these men why they take a way the power of instifieng from the workes of ceremonies and do so easely attribute it vnto morall workes Is it not a good and laudable maner to worshipe God which certayne appoynted rites which he himselfe hath commaunded Were not the rites and sacred seruites which were at that time prescribed vnto the people of the Iewes commaunded in the ten commaundementes Vndoubtedly where the Sabaoth is commaunded to be obserued there are all these thinâ—s conteyned And eueÌ„ these selfe same Sophisters doo they not at this day attribute the forgeuenes of sinnes and collation of grace vnto theyr sacramentes as in the old testament they were attributed vnto circumcision What man of constancy is this one while to say that the rites of Moses haue no power to iustify and an other while to graunt that the same were sacramentes of the old fathers and that in circumcision originall The inconstancy 〈…〉 e Sâ—pl if â—s sinne was forgeuen vnto infantes But this affirme not we yea we rather vtterly deny that any sacraments conferre grace They doo indede offer grace but SacrameÌ„ts conferre not grace yet by signification For in sacramentes and wordes and visible signes is lette forth vnto vs the promise of God made thorough Christ which promise if we take hold of by fayth we both obteyne a greater grace then that was which before we had and with the seale of the sacramentes we seale the gifte of God which by faith we embrased But I can not inough meruayle at these men which both affirme An other cauillation and also deny one and the selfe same thing They graunte but not with any great warines as theyr accustomed maner is that they vtterly take not away from the sacraments of the elders and chiefely from circumcision the strength of iustifying but onely since the time that the Gospell was published abrode of which time only say they the contencion of Paul sprange that the rites of Moses should no more be retayned But here also according to theyr accustomed maner they are both deceiue theÌ„selues also they deceiue others For when yâ— Apostle teacheth yâ— AbrahaÌ„ was not iustified by circumcisioÌ„ but receaued it afterward being now iustified by fayth vndoubtedly he taketh away the power of iustefying from that ceremony euen also in the time of Abraham wherein it was first instituted Dauid also wheÌ„ he affirmeth that blessednes herein consisteth that sinnes should not be imputed which thing as we now reason is nothinge ells then to be iustified speaketh he of his owne time or of any other time Abacuck also when he sayth that the iust maÌ„ liueth by his fayth and excludeth workes from iustifieng as Paul manifestly expoundeth him spake he only of his owne time thinke you Vndoubtedly he spake both of our time and also of his owne time Lastly when Paul expressedly writeth vnto the Galathians in the third chapiter As many as are of the law are vnder the curse and goeth on in prouyng that sentence wherehence I beseche you seeketh he a testemony Vndoubtedly out of the law Cursed sayth he be he which abideth not in all the thinges that are written in booke of the law Seing therefore the Law so speaketh and that as Paul sayth it wrappeth in a curse all those which traÌ„sgresse An other cauillation the commaundementes thereof then followeth it of necessity that by those works which pertayne vnto it no man can be iustified But these men go to an other shifte for they say that all those which are to be iustefied are not of one and the selfe same condition For such which come to christianity are eyther of yâ— Hebreues They put a differeÌ„ce betwene those which are first conuerted vnto Christ and those which hauing sallâ—n are restored or ells of the Gentiles certayne also after they haue once receaued Christ do fall into greauous wicked crimes and haue nede againe of instauration Nowe say they the state and consideration of both these partes is not a like For they whiche haue once professed the name of a Christian when they are fallen can not recouer righteousnes but by good workes as by almes geuing teares fasting confessions and such other which preparations and merites are not required of those which from infidelity are first conuerted vnto Christ But I would first heare of these good wise men out of what place of the holy scriptures they found this theyr distinction And seing the maner of iustification is vtterly one and the selfe same and portayneth as well to the one as to the other why ought the one to come vnto it one way the other an other way Farther why do they attribute this vnto those that are fallen in Christianity by theyr workes to merite vnto themselues iustification but vnto those which come from infidelity they attribute not the same Are they whiche haue not kept fayth when they were in the Church better then the They whiche fall froÌ„ christiaÌ„ religion are of worser estate then infidels Ethnikes I thinke not vndoubtedly for they which haue once tasted of the swete word of God and do afterward fall from it are in worse estate theÌ„ the other And the seruaunt which knoweth the will of his master and doth it not is greeuoslier punished Also He which hath not a care ouer his and especially ouer his house hold the same man hath denied the fayth is worse then an infidele But they say they deny not but yâ— they which are conuerted froÌ„ infidelity may do some good workes yea and yâ— they may if they do theÌ„ after some sort deserue iustification at the lest way of congruity but that these works are alike required as well of those as of the other they deny But forasmuch as al their works as I haue ells where taught are sins how caÌ„ they do good works before God Moreouer how are not good works required of theÌ„ before they come vnto Christ are baptised WheÌ„ as none which are regenerate by Christ caÌ„ beleue truly vnles he earnestly repent him of his former wicked life For he abouÌ„daÌ„tly bewaileth the sins of his former life confesseth yâ— he hath greauously erred
that place he by name calleth those Gentils vnto whome he writeth and especially in the second chap. Wherfore this fond mencioÌ„ of theirs is vain riduculous But now let vs come to their godly strong anker hold There ar two kinds of merits say they one of congruity the other of worthines And thei confesse yâ— the works which go before iustificatioÌ„ merite not of worthines iustification Meritum congrui meritum condigni but only of congruity If thou demaund of theÌ„ what they mean wheÌ„ they say merite of congruity they wil answer that they ascribe it vnto those works which in very dede of their own nature deserue not saluatioÌ„ but so far forth as promise is made vnto theÌ„ through a certain goodnes of God And such say they are those moral actes which many worke before iustification But the merite of worthines they call that for whose sake the reward is altogether dew and this do they ascribe vnto those workes which are done of the godly after regeneration And by this distinction they thinke they haue wholy gotten the victory But forasmuch as they haue it not out of the holy scriptures there is no cause why they should so much delight themselues therein What if we on the contrary fide teach that the same distinction is apartly and directly repugnant vnto the word of God will they not then graunt that this their so notable inuention was by them found out and deuised only to trifle out our argumentes Paul when he spake of men iustified yea euen of the martirs of Christ which at that tyme suffred persecutions and most gréeuous calamities for their consolation wrote these wordes The suffringes of this tyme are not worthy the glory to come which shal be reueled in vs. These men say that such suffringes are worthy But Paul denyeth them to be worthy How agrée these thinges together or rather how manifestly are they repugnaunt one to the other And because they say that in the merite of congruity are regarded only the promises of God and not the dignity or nature of the action let them shew what God euer promised vnto those workes which are done without fayth and the religion of Christ Farther who séeth not how foolish this kinde of speach is Vndoubtedly they which are worthy of any thing the same is of congruency due vnto them and such vnto whome by an vpright and sound iudgement any thing is of congruency due ought to be iudged worthy of it Wherefore it manifestly appeareth that this distinction was both ill framed and also maliciously deuised to auoyde our reasons And yet these men accuse vs as though we neglect or rather vtterly deny those workes which they call workes of preparation which thyng vndoubtedly we do not For although we admitte not the preparations of those Workes preparatory are not vtterly â—o be denied men yet some preparations we both graunt and also allowe For God the author of our saluation through Christ vseth many and sundry meanes and degrées and wayes whereby to leade vs vnto saluation whiche by reason of his prouidence and wonderfull power and incredible loue towardes vs may be called preparations although if a man consider the nature of the thinges themselues and consider also our mynde and will in doing of them they haue in them nothyng why our saluation ought to be ascribed vnto them yea they are rather repugnant vnto our saluation For those goodly actions which they call morall do geue vnto the wicked matter to puffe vp themselues and are occasions to make them to delight in themselues and not to séeke any saluation either of Christ or of sincere piety But contrarily we sée that it oftentimes happeneth that they which haue fallen into grosse and haynous sinnes are sooner touched with an healthful repentance and do more redely come vnto Christ Wherefore Christ sayde vnto the Scribes and Phariseyes Harlots and publicanes shall go before you in the kingdome The means wherby we are brought vnto saluation are by the grace of Christ made of efficacy of God Neither also will any godly man say that men are either restrayned from iustification by reason of wicked actes or els helped vnto it by the strength of ciuile vertues But the whole matter consisteth herein because these meanes somtimes are destitute of the grace of God and sometimes they are by hym conuerted vnto our saluation so that although as touching vs they are sinnes of their owne nature do helpe nothing yet by the gouernment of God they are alwayes brought vnto a good end A man shall sée sometimes some men to liue vprightly honestly as touching the iudgemeÌ„t of men which yet forasmuch as inwardly they swell in pride and disdaynfulnes are so forsaken of God that they throw themselues hedlong into most filthy falles and most haynous sinnes and yet by that meanes it commeth to passe that they more easely acknowledge themselues and are amended and do returne agayne vnto the fold of the shéepe of Christ This is plainly set forth vnto vs in the Gospell The prodigall sonne leauing his father An example of the prodigal sonne and hauing spent and wasted his patrimony was at the last driuen to this point that he became a bondman and also a swineherd which thing vndoubtedly he could not do without great shame For being borne of so noble a bloud he should neuer haue so embased himselfe vnto such vile thinges But he being in this state began to thinke with himselfe that he should be happy if that he might but eate coddes with the swyne of which coddes yet he had not his beally full All these thinges vndoubtedly were to be counted a reproch vnto him And yet thereby came to passe that he began to thinke with himselfe Ah how many hyred seruantes are in my fathers house which haue plenty of bread and good meate but I perishe here for hunger And by this meanes was stirred vp in him a iust repentance wherefore he wisely and godly went agayne vnto his father from whome he had rashely departed For who knoweth the secret counsells of God and the most déepe botomles pitte of his prouidence He oftentimes prepareth men vnto saluation by those thinges which of their owne nature should be hurtfull and deadly but that A similitude he of his goodnes turneth them to an other end This wil I declare by a similitude so plaine and manifest that there is no man but he may vnderstand it A phisition sometimes commeth to a man that hath a rotten legge which can by no meanes be cured vnlesse it be cutte of He cutteth it of afterwarde he addeth playsters and medicines and at the length healeth the man Here I demaunde whether that cutting of may séeme to be a preparation to recouer health or no Thou wilt say it may but whether hath it that of his owne nature or els by some violence and condition of the sicke person It hathe not that vndoubtedly
it is in very déede the body of a man I vtterly deny For death taketh away from the body of a man the proper forme which he had before but it leaueth the generall word so that it can only be called a body So true and iustifying fayth when it is lost ceasseth to be the true and proper fayth it may indéede as touching the generall word be called a certayne cold assent sprong of humane perswasion and not such as commeth of the holy ghost and which hath the selfe same strength and efficacy that it had before Wherefore if on either side be kept the selfe same proportion of the similitude this wonderfull strong buttresse shal make nothing against vs. For as we confesse that a dead body is a body so also do we graunt that a dead fayth is fayth so that by fayth we vnderstand the generall word of fayth and not that liuely and true fayth whereby we are iustified It is paralogismus aequiuocationis that is a false argument comming of diuers significations of a word He addeth moreouer that fayth can not iustify because of his owne nature it True fayth is not a dead fayth is a thing dead and receaueth life of an other thing namely of charity and of good workes These obiections are vayne and triflyng For none that is in hys right wit will graunt that true fayth is a dead thing For the iust man is sayde to liue by his faith And if out of fayth we draw life how can it then vnto any man seme dead But that it taketh life of an other thing we deny not for it hath it partly Frō whēce faith hath life of those things which it beleueth namely of Christ and of the promises of God and partly of the holy ghost by whose breathing it is inspired In this sort we will graunt that it hath life of an other thing but not in that sort that this man wyll namely that it hath it either of charity or of good workes For what man that is well in his wits will euer say that either the stocke of a trée or the branches or A similitude the fruites or the flowers geue life vnto the rootes And fayth is before either hope or charity Therefore of them it receaueth not life for in very déede fayth can not be the matter of these vertues And euen as that faculty or power which they call vegetatiue geueth life vnto the body and receaueth not life of the faculty or powere sensitiue or rational which foloweth so faith geueth life vnto the soule but How fayth is encreased by good workes taketh not that life either of charity or of good works Howbeit I graunt that that life of fayth is made so much the greater ampler as it hath mo better works and more feruenter charity bursting forth out of it and not that it is increased of many and often repeticion of actions as it is sayd of vertues which they cal moral but because God of his grace and mercy multiplieth the talent for that it was not idle and because God by his power bringeth to passe that fayth when it worketh through loue is stronger then it selfe when it is remisse in working But omitting these things let vs returne agayne to Pighius He as much as lieth in hym contendeth that a man can not be iustified by that fayth whiche is in Christ and in the remission of sinnes For that fayth sayth he whereby Abraham was iustified was not applyed vnto these thinges For God promised vnto hym onely a plentifull séede and possession of a countrey And straight way it is added that Abraham beleued God and it was imputed vnto hym for righteousnes In this argument Pighius triumpheth and is violent agaynst the truth and vtterly derideth our sentence But this is nothing ells then to deride Paul himselfe For he by most expresse wordes affirmeth that we are iustified by fayth in Christ and by the remission of sinnes Neyther is there any thing ells in Pighius then a mere madnes and a wicked desire to contēd But let Paul come forth and answere for him selfe what he thought is to be vnderstand by the séede promised vnto Abraham Vndoubtedly in his epistle vnto the Galathiās the third chapiter he calleth that séede Christ Vnto Abraham sayth he were made the promises and vnto his seede He sayth not and vnto the seedes as speaking of many but as is were of one and in thy seede whiche is Christ. And this testament I say was confirmed by God towards Christ Let Pighius now yet beleue Paul that in that seede which was promised vnto Abraham was Christ comprehended and declared neither let him euer from hence forth with such malepertnes and desire of victory take vppon him to say that y◠fayth wherby Abraham was iustified was not fayth in Christe But as touching the remission of sinnes forasmuch as vnto vs is promised the blessing we ought to remember that the chiefe and principall poynt therof herein consisteth that we should be receaued of God into fauour and that our sins should be forgeuen vs. But Pighius goeth on manifestly to oppunge y◠doctrine of the apostle touching y◠iustification of Abraham For he sayth y◠before Abraham was circumcised had a testimony of the scripture that his fayth was imputed vnto him vnto righteousnes he beleued God as it is manifest by the 12. chapiter of Genesis Wherfore sayth he according to this your sentēce he was then iustified neither was his righteousnes differred vntill that history which is had in the 15. chapter It is wonderfull to sée how much he attributeth vnto these his arguments as though by them were takē away from vs al possibility to answer what I besech you letted but that Abraham At what tyme Abraham was iustified mought be iustified at that first time when God spake vnto him first to go out of his countrey and from his kindred For euen in the selfe place at the beginning of the 12. chapiter are had the selfe same promises which are had in the 15. chapter For thus God promised him I will make of thee a great naciō and will blesse thee and will make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing I wil also blesse those that blesse thee wil curse those that curse thee and in the shall all thee families of the earth be blessed Vndoubtedly in these words is conteyned the promise of Christ and the remission of sinnes And therfore there shal be no absurdity if we say that Abrahā by beleuing of those wordes also was iustified But bycause the scripture in that chapiter did not playnly set forth this therfore Paul with great wisdome hath cited those wordes which are had in the 15. chapter where it is expressedly written that fayth was imputed vnto him vnto righteousnes which sentence was most necessary to confirme the sentence of the Apostle namely that a man is iustified by Why God
without any merite much more are we without any merite either of cōgurity or of worthines receaued into It is not in our power to be touched with that sight wherby the will may be moued vnto faith adoption And vnto Simplicianus in the first booke and 2. question who sayth he can lyue vpryghtly and worke iustly except he be iustified by fayth Who can beleue except he be touched by some calling that is by some testification of thyngs who hath in hys power to haue hys mynde touched wyth such a sight whereby the wyll may be moued vnto fayth And in his 61. sermon vpon Iohn All sinnes sayth he are comprehended vnder the name of infidelity And he addeth That fayth can not be wythout hope and charity Which thing also he most playnly teacheth vpon the 31. Psalme The same father in his 1. booke and 19. chapiter against the 2. epistles of the Pelagians at large entreateth after what maner we are drawen of God and amongst other thinges sayth that the Pelagians would to much triumph ouer the Christians if they had not the worde of drawing in the holy scriptures But forasmuch as that word is expressed euen in the Gospell they haue now vtterly no place whereunto to flye There are infinite other places in Augustine which confirme thys sentence whiche nowe for briefenes sake I thinke good to ouerpasse Cyrillus agaynst Iulianus in his 1. booke and 14. page sayth The fayth of Abraham and ours is vtterly one and the same And the same author vpon Iohn in the 3. booke and 31. chapiter expounding this sentence This is the worke of God that ye beleue in hym whom he hath sent For fayth sayth he bryngeth saluation and grace iustifieth but the commaundements of the lawe rather condemneth Wherefore fayth in Christ is the worke of god In these words we ought to note that faith is it wherby is brought saluation and that we are iustified by grace And he declareth these things more plainly vpon John in his 9. booke and 32. chapiter vpon these words The fathers were iustified by the fayth of those promises which we beleue And whether I go ye know and ye know the way For we are iustified by fayth and are made pertakers of the diuine nature by the participation of the holy ghost Leo in his 13. Sermon of the Passion of the Lord The fathers sayth he beleued together wyth vs that the bloud of the sonne of God should be shed Wherefore there is nothyng dearely beloued straunge in Christian religion from the old significations nor at any tyme from the iust men that haue gone before vs but that saluation is in the Lord Iesus Christ which was hoped for This and many other like testimonies confute those chiefe which dare say that Abraham was indéede iustified but not by in Christ but by faith touching earthly promises But the same author may séeme to make agaynst vs in that that we say that true fayth is not found without charity For in his Sermon de Collect eleem he thus writeth of Sathā He knowing that God is denied not onely in wordes but also in deedes hath taken away charity from many from whome he could not take away fayth and possessing the field of theyr hart with the rootes of couetousnes he hath spoiled of the fruit of good works those whom he hath not depriued of the confession of their lippes These wordes if they be déepely considered make nothing at all agaynst vs. For we speake of a true sound and liuely fayth But Leo vnderstandeth onely a certaine outward profession of faith For when he would render a reason whereby it might appeare that fayth was not taken from them he setteth forth onely an outward confession of the lippes which we also graunt may consist without charity is oftentimes boasted of of many men which yet are most wicked And after this maner I suppose are to be expounded such like testimonies if any happen in the fathers Gregory Byshop of Rome in his 19. homely vppon Ezechiell We come not sayth he to fayth by workes but by fayth we attayne vnto vertues For Cornelius the Centurian came not vnto fayth by workes but by fayth came vnto workes For it is sayd Thy prayers and almes But how prayed he if he beleued not But that he now knew not that the mediator was incarnate by workes he came vnto a more fuller knowledge Hereby I would haue our aduersaries to know y◠fayth necessarily goeth be fore al good workes For they contend y◠morall works which are done of Ethniks and of men not yet beleuing in Christ are good Which thing is in this place of Gregory confuted The same author in his 2. booke and 25. chapiter de moralibus speaking of the same thing thus writeth Vnles fayth be first gotten in our harts all other thynges whatsoeuer they be can not in deede be good although they seeme good Bede vpon the 2. chapiter of Iames He onely beleueth truely which by working excerciseth that which he beleueth For fayth and charity can not be seperated a sender And this shall suffice as touching the Fathers But what these counsels Aphricanum Mileuitanum and Arausicanum teach concerning iustification fayth grace and workes we haue before at large declared in the first article This onely wil I now adde that our aduersaries when they say that God offreth his grace vnto all men and geueth his giftes vnto men that desire them and take hold of them and forgeueth sinnes to them that do that which they ought to do forasmuch as in the meane tyme they omit the breathing of the holy ghost and the power of God which draweth vs and the inward perswasion of the mynde and all those things which are most chiefly required in this matter are most manifestly against those coūsels which we haue now cited Howbeit I can not leaue vnspoken y◠in the counsell of Mence which was celebrated vnder Carolus Magnus in the 1. chapiter is cited Gregory who thus writeth He beleueth truely which by working excerciseth that which he beleueth Forasmuch therefore as we haue now hetherto spoken as touching this article namely that men are iustified by fayth in Christ and haue confirmed the same by scriptures haue ouerthrowen the obiections of our aduersaries and alleadged testimonyes of the Fathers to confirme our sentence let vs nowe come vnto the third article Wherefore we say that iustification consisteth of fayth only Which sentence The third article We are iustified by faith onely all those places of scriptures proue which teach that we are iustified fréely and those which affirme that iustification commeth without workes and those also which put an antithesis or contrariety betwene grace and workes All these places I say most truely conclude that we are iustified by fayth onely Although this word Onely be not red in the holy scriptures But that is not so much to be weighed for the signification of that word is of necessity