is w tout good workes is dead and those are Infidels which like brute beasts care not but for the things of this worlde and make no conscience of committing all kinde of euill workes Doe ye suppose that if the Sonne of man shoulde now come that he shoulde finde anye great store of faith Alas alas how many are the sinfull déedes of the most men which shew that they haue no faith How fewe are the good workes and how weake euen in the small remnaunt of the godlye which doth declare how poore and slender their faith is But we must yet procéede further in this matter and as it were strike it a lyttle déeper As men are wily to deceiue themselues so they will héere yet finde a hole to créepe out at although they be neuer so wicked for thus they will saye It is true Gods word saith that faith is shewed foorth by good workes well I thanke God though I haue many vices in mée and am full of infirmities yet I am not altogether without good workes I am not so gracelesse but at some times I remember God by praier I doe according to my abilitie giue to the poore I am ready to pleasure my friend doe not these things sufficientlye shewe that I haue faith Déerely beloued take héed for héere you may soone be deceiued it is not the meaning of the Apostle when he saith shew me thy faith by thy works that a few scattered scraps of good déeds among great heapes of sinfull workes and as it were a few graines of Corne in a great heape of Chaffe should be a true witnesse of the same For it must be showed both in forsaking renouncing all euill wayes and also in following after all goodnes for it is without al controuersie y t those which séeme to be good works before men are not so before God in the man which is giuen ouer to commit sin can y t which is good come out of the same heart in which vngodlinesse raigneth either make the trée good saith Christ and the fruite good or els make the trée euill and the fruite euill A good trée cannot bring forth euil fruit neither can an euill Trée bring foorth good fruite Can the same Trée bring forth both good fruite and euill fruite Doth a fountaine at the same place saith S. Iames send forth both swéet and bitter water Be not deceiued saith Saint Iohn he that worketh righteousnesse is righteous he that committeth sin is of the Diuell Some man will say doth not the most godly man that liueth commit sin doth not y e good the bad come together frō him The godly are loden w t the corruptions of y e flesh but yet they doe not commit sin y t is to say they are not giuen ouer as vngodly men are to the obedience of sin they are spotted with imperfections but they do not take plesure therein as the wicked do although they féele a lumpishnesse in them vnto good workes yet their whole race is applied vnto good works they would very faine obey their God on both sides that is to say in forsaking all that is euill doing all y t which he commaundeth thē Contrariwise the fleshly Infidell doeth with all his heart giue vp himselfe in the whole race of his life to that which is filthy if he doe any thing which is good it is but in shew being not done sincerely nor comming from a good roote but of selfe loue vaine glorie or such like Hée doth not any thing for the Lords sake but for his own For loue him ye shal finde him ready to do ye good cease that his goodnesse doth dye Praise him he will praise you againe discommend him although he deserue it neuer so much ye shall not come in his books be ye neuer so good Forget not this then I praye ye good bretheren when God hath set down so plain a rule to trie our selues by whether we be faithfull or Infidells If we finde our selues ful of good workes our heart doth beare vs witnes that we do them euen for loue towards God well are we this doth declare our faith But if our euill déedes abound our hart be vncleane it is time to looke about vs we are in a most miserable case I wish of God that we might often thinke vppon this and be carefull to shewe our faith to the world by our good and pure lyfe Be not afrayde to applye this to our selues and also to deale against the vngodlye with it For in this dissolute age wherein iniquitie hath almost gotten the vpper hande it is most necessary that we vse this instrument which GOD hath put into our hands Thou saist thou beléeuest shew thy faith by thy workes Now followeth another reason Thou beléeuest ther is one God thou dost well the Diuells also beléeue and tremble Way this argument well and ye shall plainlye perceiue that it doth nothing at all helpe a man to saye he hath faith when he hath no good déeds if this kinde of faith could saue him then should the Diuells be saued also because they haue the same beléefe but because it is most certaine that the Diuels shall not thereby be saued therefore it is also as manifest that those men who haue no other beléefe but that which they haue cannot be saued Let vs sée then how farre the faith of Diuelles doeth goe Thou beléeuest saith he that there is one God or that God is one and so thou thinkest this a great matter not to beléeue as y e vaine Gentiles which did think there wer diuers Gods and indéede for so farre thou dost well but yet marke what a great matter thou hast attained the Diuells doe beléeue the same and yet haue therby no benefit or reconciliation with God for they tremble when they remember the terrible iudgement seate the euerlasting fire which is prepared for them This faith of the diuils is not to be restrained to some one point but stretcheth vnto the whole doctrine of Faith They doe stedfastly beléeue and knowe that Iesus Christ died for the sinnes of the worlde this is a sure reason that they know the doctrine of God when they séeke to deface and ouerthrow it by contrarie errours When a man therefore is of a sounde iudgement in the Scriptures for matters of Faith and is able to confirme euerye point and to ouerthrowe the contrarie errours though manye will saye hée is a sound◠man he taketh himselfe to be as great a Gospeller as any other yet if he haue no workes if his faith be not a liuelye regenerating faith he maye estéeme of himselfe what he will but the Lorde telleth vs that he is no more forwarde then thē Diuelles they are as sounde in the knowledge of truth as hée And if this common and general faith would serue they should be saued as well as he But it may be héere obiected that there is
to shew that although he loued Isaac déerely yet he loued God more so y t if we féele our loue to the Lord our God to be so small that it cannot preuaile with vs to kill and mortifie the lusts of sinne and vaine plesures of the flesh how shall we perswade our selues that we are like Abraham which had denied the loue of himsefe so farre that he did neuer grudge but would willingly haue killed his sonne Rahab after shée had made confessiō what she did beleeue concerning the God of Israel for the same Gods sake for the true religion and for the Church or people of God tooke the messengers and did hide them to the hazard of her life all y t she had affirming to the king when he sent to séeke thē that they were departed Doth not this improue the faith of those which for the religion of God are so farre off from hazarding their liues goods that they dare not be séene when neuer so little daunger doth arise wherein are those like vnto Rahab which will turne with euery winde and a man cannot tell what religion they be of they will be sure to rowe with the tide and neuer to striue against the streame doe such now iustifie themselues lyke Rahab haue they such a faith as she had No déerely beloued they are as yet verye Infidells and loue themselues and the worlde more then they loue GOD and his truth this thing then is most euident y t the true beléefe doth make all those y t haue it ready willing to loose their liues their goods for y e gospel this must not séeme to be a strange doctrine whē as our sauiour telleth vs in sundry places y t he y t doth not forsake al take vp his crosse folow him cannot be his disciple Wel we must therfore be so hot and zealous in the profession of true religion that it cause vs to forget our own state and commoditie we must haue so burning a loue to Gods truth that nothing may be able to quench the same We must not stagger and varie because we shal endure trouble Let vs conclude this point wherein it is proued y t they erre are deceiued which doe not make account of kéeping religion pure of louing it before all other things and so of giuing to God his due honour Remember y t from hence ye are to fetch the first part of y e true description of a godly mā the triall of the iustifieng faith which is but one therfore worketh alike in all which are pertakers of it though not in the like mesure with all mark how far y e holye Ghost doth differ in setting forth a righteous man from y e common māner of worldlings wheras he taketh it to be y e chiefe work which respecteth God himself his truth they passe ouer that count it no matter though a man be an Idolater or superstitious or a swearer which doth not reuerence the name of God so y t he be a friendly man to his friend such lyke how great an enimy he be to y e word of God it skilleth not these are brute beasts w tout vnderstāding very Atheists which wil say plainly they can sée no differēce betwéen the papists the professors of y e gospel both because they are not able to iudge of doctrine also y t they looke but vnto men now let vs come to y e second thing wherin they erre which this text doth confute sharply they suppose as I tolde ye y e men are to haue no farther regard but to this not to hurt passing by all those duties wherin they are to do good vnto their brethren not duly cōsidering how y e law of god doth not only bind vs to abstein frō hurting our neighbor but also doth most straightly tie vs to do al good déeds vnto them so that he is guiltie before God not onely which committeth that which the law forbiddeth but also which leaueth the thing vndone which the law enioyneth Now then because the true faith bringeth vs to haue care to obey God wholy S. Iames requireth that a man should shew his faith not only by leauing y t which is euil but also by the performaunce of y t which is good for thus he saith shew me thy faith by thy déeds that faith which is without works is dead héere by y e way obserue by comparison how far of are those frō grace which swarme ful of vncleane vices their whole race is nothing but a continual sinning wheras this is euidently héere proued y t such mē as carie a great shew of vprightnes in refraining from sundry vices are stil without testimonie of true beléefe because their holy déeds do not appeare for when as y e holy scriptures do testify y t y e hart is purified by faith y t those are borne againe in the new spirituall birth that they are new creatures haue a new heart a right spirit created and renewed in them it must néedes be that they are prepared vnto euery good worke they haue not onely put off the olde man with his corrupt lusts but haue also put on y e new man which is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse as they haue walked in darknesse so now they walke in the light There is one step yet further in this matter I trust that as ye will confesse this that if those do not beléeue well which haue no good workes to shewe although they be in some things vpright and much more the foule and filthy liuers which dishonour God and his truth so ye will also be brought to sée that those miserable men are yet further off which barke against this holye doctrine and cannot abide that a man should say to the wicked and vngodlye thou art in the waye to hell thou shalt dye the death if thou returne not from these euills They may thunder raile against men and saye they vtter damnation but let them looke if they can quench the light which the Holy Ghost hath giuen in this text Let vs retourne to the former matter againe We must not onely abstaine from euill but also doe good there be many likewise deceiued in this doing good restraining it to the baser and lesser part they looke but vnto the bodies of their bretheren and suppose they are to haue no further regard but of them to reléeue and ease the miseries of the flesh let the soule be neuer so blinde neuer so sicke in neuer so great danger of eternall destruction they haue no pitie of that which doth bewray that they sée no further then this lyfe they haue no true loue nor pitie in thē for then woulde they loue the soules of men which are so precious they would pitie the wofull miserie that they be in For how absurd a thing is this y t one should be carefull to ease the calamitie
which lasteth but for a daye and not respect that which is eternall I must therfore héere againe admonish ye that such as will haue proofe of their faith by good works must exercise the same as wel to the soules as to the bodies of men and because therein doth stand the greatest loue of all other they are therein to shewe themselues most earnest There is no more excellent note of faith and of the true feare loue of God then when a man is gréeued and mourneth to sée men out of the waye to life running headlong in their sinnes vnto destruction and when as he doth in loue and pitie admonish them and séeke by instruction to draw them out of the snares of the Diuell On the contrary side he can neuer say he hath anye droppe of grace which delighteth and sporteth himselfe at the lewde and wanton behauiour of other men Iudge déere bretheren these Cockbraines which cannot be merrye but at the sinfull and prophane speaches of vaine men doe they shewe the fruites of Faith Those abhominable beasts which delight to make mē dronk to the intent they may laugh are they of God or of the Diuell We must diligently exercise the contrary labouring to draw one another to God and to conuert their soules which go astray which is the speciall and chiefe good work that we can do vnto men To féede the hungrie to cloth the naked to visit y e sick those which are in bōds to opē as it wer the bowells of mercie and compassion to all that are in misery are verye excellent and glorious fruites of faith haue great promises of reward in y e holy Scriptures yet are they not comparable to these when the soule is sicke in prison and in the chaines of Satan to visit and reléeue it When it is pining away for want of heuenly food to minister vnto it when it is full of grieuous sores and deadly wounds to giue wholsōe medicines salues vnto it to mourn with the bowells of pittie compassion for it From hence it ariseth that al true faithfull hearts doe sob and grone with sorrow when they sée men left without instruction and when they behold the desolations and ruines of the Church it doth pinch them euen at the heart it causeth bitter teares to flow out of their eyes when they behold any famine and dearth of the foode of life and when they sée them runne from Sea to Sea and from the one ende of the land to the other to séeke for it When they sée the young man and the beautiful virgin perish for thirst he that shall denie this or stand in doubt thereof neuer knewe as yet what the vse and benefit of the word is nor yet what that loue in the spirite is which the Lord commendeth vnto vs. I might héere stand long in perticulars to shewe the crueltie of those Parents which suffer their children to be without the knowledge of God and to perish in their sins For one of the chiefe fruites of their faith doth stande in this which the Apostle commaundeth Fathers prouoke not your children to wrath but bring them vp in the nourture and instruction of the Lord. For those which haue the riches and wealth of the world the Holy ghost saith He that hath this worlds good and séeth his brother stand in néede and shutteth vp his compassion from him how dwelleth the loue of God in him If this be true that the rich men of the world do not loue God when they wil not part with their riches to reléeue y e miserable carcase of their bretheren then doubtlesse it is a more strong argument against them when as so many soules perish for want of good pure instruction which by their wealth they might procure if they did not make more account of their riches then of the saluation of men Gods word pronounceth them blessed which imploye theyr goods to féede the poore then how much more blessed a thing is it when they are imployed to the ministring of spirituall foode which neuer perisheth But let vs come to those which haue the charge of soules what is the principal good work which they are to shew their faith by wherein they are to declare their loue towardes Christ and his Church Simon Ioanna louest thou me Féede my shéepe féede my Lambes féed my shéepe When as therefore the hireling the idle Drone and the Idoll shepheard haue the flocke of the Shéepe Lambes of Christ and doe not féede them or at the least doe so féede them that they are neuer the better where is the faith which they boast of is it anye other then the dead faith and the faith of Diuells Whosoeuer therefore will haue the testimonie of his faith in this callyng he must execute the office as the Scripture bindeth him Is it possible that he can giue credit to the word of God and be of a right beléefe and not regard this The rest of his good déedes whereby some man will say he doth shewe his faith are no good déedes for if he did them of loue towards God and his bretheren would he not then doe that wherein his loue to both should most of all shewe it selfe Can he loue God and hate God Can he loue men and hate men Or can hée loue God and not regard to do his wil Or can he loue men and not care for the saluation of their soules O my bretheren who cannot say to such a man Shew me thy faith by thy works Who will be so blinde as to think such are in good case I will nowe drawe towardes an ende onelye by this place exhorting euerye man while God giueth him time and abilytie to giue himselfe to the exercise of good workes and the seruice of God And déere bretheren what shoulde make vs so slacke considering howe shorte our time is and howe great reasons ther are to perswade vs as first to begin with that which is taught in this place is it not a meruelous blessing to haue the witnesse of our faith Is it not a miserable curse to be without the true peace of conscience and to abide stil in doubt Doeth not GOD promise vs also although we can deserue nothing but when we haue done all that we can we are still vnprofitable seruaunts that all our good workes shal be rewarded euen to a Cup of cold water which is giuen for his sake Make yée bagges which neuer waxe olde or treasure which neuer faileth in heauen c. Shall not the promise of reward mooue vs Go further how déere and precious ought the name of our God to be vnto vs how much ought it to delyght vs to heare it magnified how much ought we to abhorre to sée it stayned and dishonoured Is not his name honoured when those which call vppon him are fruitfull in good workes Héerein saith Christ is my Father glorified that ye goe and bring foorth much fruite Also he saith Let your light so shine before men y t they may sée your good works glorifie your father which is in heauen Is not Gods name dishonoured by the euill conuersation of those which professe his worde Saith not S. Paule The name of God is euill spoken of through you among the heathen Ought not the Gospell to bée déere vnto vs Is it not in the mouth of y e greatest number of worldlings when they sée y e euill déeds of professors Loe these are your Gospellers héere is their holye doctrine these are they which hunt after Sermons ye may sée what they are what their teaching is they haue as fewe good works as other men they are all in wordes O wretches shall not these things moue vs to let the world sée our faith and loue towards God by our good works likewise is ther any greater loue which can be shewed towards men thē when they shall be moued by our good déeds to glorifie God in y e day of their visitation when our godly deling shall cause them to confesse that it is an holy religion which we professe so giue eare ioyne themselues vnto the same Happy man which by his holy life is a meane to drawe others from their euil wayes to bring thē to be schollers in y e same schoole that he is Contrariwise what a woful and miserable wretch is that which slaundereth dishonoureth the holy word by his sinfull life which driueth other from it and so thrusteth them on headlong to destruction O vncharitable man shall not the bloud of such in some sort be layd to thy charge when thou driuest them from the Lord and his truth as much as lyeth in thée and driuest them headlong to destruction I might procéede to many perticulars but then I should be ouer tedious The Lorde plant these things in our hearts and giue vs grace to continue in all goodnesse to our liues ende to his glorie and our eternall comfort Amen FINIS ¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas East for Tobie Cooke dwelling at the Tigers head in Paules Churchyard 1582. Mat. 12. 33 Luk. 6. 43. Iam. 3. 11. 1. Ioh. 3. 7. Ephe. 4. 5 1. Tim. 2. 5 Gen. 21. Gen 21. 12 Ro. 4. 12. Ioh. 8. 3. Gal. 3. 10. Psa 51. 4 Luk. 16. 15 Ephe. 6. 4. 1. Ioh. 3. 17 Ioh. 21. 15 Ma. 10 42 Luk. 12. 33 Ioh. 15. 8 Mat. 5 16. Rom. 2. 24