not Thus it is plaine I trust that According to the work is not as our aduersaries say As the worke meriteth But because many euen among Gods people delighted rather in outward shew of godlinesse then in the truth thereof contenting themselues to bring their offering to the Priest to weare with comming to the Temple the pauement of Gods house without any true deuotion to performe some outward workes in obseruing dayes and times and dyet and such like these words teach vs that the All-seeing eye is not deceiued with such counterfeit holines but he looketh more narrowly vnto the worke it selfe Wherein he first beholdeth the fountaine from whence it floweth and the root from whence it springeth For as a filthy fountaine cannot yeeld wholsome waters nor an euil tree bring forth good fruit as our Sauiour Christ sayth Mat. 7.18 so cannot a man that lyeth in his naturall corruption of the olde man doe any thing that shall bee acceptable vnto God The workes that come from the Spirit of Regeneration hee rewardeth in mercie the workes that are only from the olde ADAM what shew of holinesse so euer they haue in Iustice hee reiecteth Workes of the regenerate Now the workes that are done by the new-borne children of God sauour much though not wholy of the Spirit of regeneration For they are done with some cheerefulnesse and willingnesse though not with such alacritie as the godly themselues wish And this cheerefulesse is a thing well pleasing vnto God not only in giuing to the reliefe of the needy Cor. 9.7 but euen in all seruice that wee performe to him When GOD appointed the Tabernacle to bee made and people were to bring stuffe of all sorts towardes the making thereof yet might none be accepted vnlesse it were-giuen with a willing heart Exod. 35.5.21.22 Ps 119.108 1. Chron. 28 9. And Dauid in that respect commendeth to God his Prayers Accept O God the free offerings of my mouth And teaching his Sonne how to serue God hee giueth him this lesson And thou Salomon my Sonne know thou the God of thy Father and serue him with a perfit heart and willing mind This graced the widdowes two mites Luk. 21. because her willingnesse of heart caused her to cast into the treasurie that which she could not well spare whereas other gaue of their abundance They also who are regenerate ayme as neere as they can at the right end in their workes Mat. 6.1.2 The right end of good workes They doe them not that they may be seene of men praysed of men as do Hypocrits they respect not their profit estimation or reputatiō among men neither haue any other such worldly respect in framing themselues to obedience No they seeke not thereby to satisfie for their sins as Papists doe most iniuriously against the satisfaction that Christ hath made but rather confesse that to bee spoken to them which Bernard sayth Peccata tua maxima sunt nimium multa Ber. in Cant. Serm. 38. nequaquam pro tot tantis etiamsi te excories potes satisfacere Thy sins are very great very many Thou canst not satisfie for them being so many and so great though thou wouldst flay off thy skinne Their chiefe care in performing their obedience is That their light so shine before men Mat. 5.16 that they seeing their good workes may glorifie their Father which is in Heauen And although they desire earnestly with such alacritie to serue GOD yet find they that most truly Saint Augustine writeth Aug. de peccat merit remiss l. 2. cap. 7. alluding to that place of 2. Cor. 4.16 Profecto qui de die in diem adhuc renouatur nondum totus est renouatus in quantum nondum est renouatus in tantū adhuc in vetustate est Surely hee who is yet day by day renued is not as yet wholly renued and in asmuch as hee is not renued he is of the olde man Whereupon he also inferreth Proinde ex hoc quod in vetustate sunt quamuis iam baptizati ex hoc sunt etiam filij seculi Therefore in as much as they are of the olde man though they be baptized yet they are heerein the children of this world And what perfit or vnstained worke the children of this world are like to doe it is not hard to gesse Seeing therefore our new birth is heere neuer perfited Our new birth he◠not perfit we cannot so apply our selues to serue God as that in respect of our seruice we dare stand as iust before God but with good Bernard we must cry Meritum meum miseratio Domini Ber. in Cāt. ser 61. Ber. in Ps Qui habitat ser 15. Ber. in Cāt. ser 67. August de Sancta Virginit c. 32. My merit is the Lords mercy Hoc enim totum est hominis meritum si totam spem suam ponat in eo qui totum hominem saluum fecit For this is all mans merit if his whole hope bee only in him who hath saued the whole man And Deest gratiae quicquid meritis deputas Whatsoeuer thou giuest to merit thou takest from grace Therefore with Augustine also wee thinke that Enumerationi meritorum praefertur confessio peccatorum Confession of sinnes is better then reckoning of merits Out of all which it is plaine that according to the worke is not as the worke meriteth for our workes cannot merit so great blessing but according to the nature of the worke which if it be a fruit of a good Tree what wanteth in the goodnesse of the fruit it selfe is in Christ fulfilled in whom we and all that we doe are accepted And the light of this candle also discouereth that most impious blasphemie of the Church of Rome against God and their treacherie against men who these many yeeres deceiuing the world made them beleeue that the Pope can pardon Pardons Popish Satisfactions and Priests can satisfie for mens sinnes The gaine that thereby they haue reaped is verie great if such wicked getting may be called gaine For neyther doth Pope pardon nor Priests pray vnlesse they be wel hired And whosoeuer hath store of treasure may in that Romish Church be bold to sinne seeing the Pope hath Pardons enow and Priests can patter out heapes of prayers But woe to poore soules that haue no money to buy such merchandize With such trash the sacred Scriptures are not acquainted neyther haue they beene of any antiquitie as our Aduersaries are forced to confesse Durand l. 4 dist 20. quaest 3. Of Pardons we cannot say much sayth one of them because the Scripture speaketh not expresly thereof Iohn Fisher our Countrey-man sometime Bishop of Rochester acknowledgeth that the vse of Pardons and Purgatorie Admodum sero repertus est is very lately found out Artic. 18. cont Assert Lutheri But these words vnanswerably confute that impious doctrine so iniurious to Christ his death and passion God shall reward
AN EXPOSITION OF THE 28. VERSE OF THE THIRD CHAPTER OF THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS Wherein is manifestly proued the Doctrine of IVSTIFICATION by FAITH and by Faith onely By FRANCIS BVNNY one of the Prebendaries of the Cathedrall Church of DVRHAM Habac. 2.4 The iust shall liue by his Faith LONDON Printed by William Stansby for Henry Fetherstone 1616. TO THE RIGHT REVEREND FATHER IN GOD MY VERY GOOD LORD WILLIAM LORD BISHOP of DVRHAM F. B. wisheth most happy increase of all graces in this life and endlesse happinesse in the life to come HOw bad a guest sinne is and how vnworthy to be intertayned in the house of our hearts there is no man but will readily confesse if he consider first how diligent it is to solicit and allure to euill alwayes prouoking and intising to offend and when it hath preuailed how clamorous it is and ready to accuse vs neuer suffering vs to haue true peace and quietnesse vntill by some meanes or other we finde our selues reconciled to him against whom we haue offended Neither by any other way can this atonement with God be wrought so that our consciences may without feare stand before God Rom. 3.25 but by him only whom God hath set forth to be a reconciliation through faith in his bloud He is called Iesus Matt. 1.21 because he saueth his people from their sins And Rom. 5.1 we haue peace with God through Iesus Christ our Lord. Now this peace with God which Christ by his death hath wrought paying for a ransome thereof his precious bloud is made to dwell in our hearts by an assured faith and stedfast apprehension of the mercies of God in Christ But the light of comfort which this most sweet doctrine should make to shine to such as feeling the burden of their sinne grone to bee eased of the same is so dimmed and darkened by the clouds of Merits and such Satisfactions as men haue deuised to blinde the eyes of the simple withall that hardly they can finde that true consolation I therefore in two Sermons preached at Durham indeuoured according to my small talent to scatter those mists and to make the Sunne of truth to shine to all such as wilfully doe not winke against the same Wherein how little soeuer I haue performed my indeuour was to take away some stumbling blocks whereby the vnlearned haue beene somewhat hindered that the truth might haue free passage This short Treatise hath long lyen hidden in corners almost quite forgotten at the least without any purpose that I had to publish the same vntill a right Worshipfull friend thinking better thereof then it was my part to doe shewed himselfe very forward to furder the publishing of it Seeing therefore it must come to light I humbly intreat your Lordship that it may goe forth vnder the shaddow of your protection who haue most right thereto not only in respect of your Honours diuers fauours shewed to my selfe but because the Sermons were long since preached in your Cathedrall Church perchance also in your owne hearing at the least by one deuoted to your Lordship who will pray the Father of all graces to inrich your Honour with his heauenly blessings to the comfort of Gods Church while here you liue and in the end to your endlesse and vnspeakable ioy in a better life Your Honours in all duety at commandement FRA. BVNNY AN EXPOSITION OF IVSTIFICATION BY FAITH ROM 3.28 We conclude that a man is iustified by Faith without the workes of the Law ALL knowledge of things godly and necessary for this life of ours is good and commendable but none more needful for a Christian either yet so comfortable for a wounded and afflicted conscience The most needfull knowledge as that which teacheth vs how and by what meanes wee may haue peace with God For when without partiality we take a view of our selues and consider duly of our owne waies which thing we must doe before we can haue true quietnesse at home in our own consciences or perfect reconciliation with God we cannot but see in our selues many wants and infirmities often doing the euill we should not omitting also and that not seldom the good duties which we should performe alwaies wanting that cheerefulnesse alacritie and sinceritie in the good things we indeuour or take in hand which must by Christ season our worke and make it acceptable to God In regard of so manifold imperfections how shall we be able with confidence and assurance to stand before that iust Iudge who also seeth the very secret of our harts and searcheth our hidden thoughts and therefore before him euen the least and most vnknowne offence lyeth open vnlesse we know assuredly that our atonement is made The Apostle S. Paul as in many other places so in these wordes also preacheth vnto vs most plainely the meanes of our atonement and how it cōmeth to passe that we are reconciled to God and as I may say friended with him But Satan that ancient enemie to mankind Satans indeuour to darken this doctrine who seeketh and that most greedily the destruction of our body soule by his instruments in the Popish Church indeuoureth to dimme this Sunne-shine that we should not inioy that sweet comfort and to put this candle vnder the bushell of violent and false interpretations lest the light thereof shining in the house of God should discouer the absurditie of their errors I therefore will assay as God shall inable me to put this candle in a candle-sticke Mat. 5.15 that it may giue light to the whole house of God by freeing it from their wrested glosses To come then roundly to the matter the difference between vs and our aduersaries concerning these words standeth especially in two points The one is the interpretation and meaning of the wordes themselues for the other they much mislike the Conclusion of our iustification by Faith only which out of the wordes we gather Therefore will I by Gods assistance first iustifie our exposition then also our conclusion Which that I may more fully performe I purpose in the third place to answere the principall obiections that they haue out of Gods word whereby these seeke to impugne our doctrine Iustifying what it signifieth And first this word of iustifying our aduersaries following that sense which the Latine word may yeeld as if iustificare to iustifie must be to make righteous doe take it for an inherent righteousnesse as if the Apostle had said By faith we are inabled to liue holily and to haue increase in righteousnesse True it is I confesse that our gracious God of his infinite goodnesse and mercy worketh in vs holinesse also Act. 15 9. Hebr. 11.6 and godlinesse Purifying our hearts by Faith without which it is impossible to please God and therefore iustification in that sense we denie not but willingly acknowledge it to be an effect of Faith and that all our goodnesse groweth from it as the fruit from
something before them to keepe the brightnesse of the light from them Our Sauiour Christ yeeldeth the reason in these words Euery man that doth euill hateth the light neither commeth to the light lest his deedes should be reprooued Our aduersaries teach so many doctrines which cannot abide the light of the word and touchstone of truth they haue deuised and daily doe deuise so many fruitlesse workes and blind deuotions so many false and wil-worshippings and superstitious seruices repugnant to the Sacred Scriptures and so little sauouring of that obedience that is eyther commended in the godly or commaunded in the word that to cloke the wickednesse and abomination in many but folly and vanitie in the best of these their deuices they are forced to tell the people that ignorance is the mother of Deuotion for so they may lead them into a very dungeon of Superstition and that a folded vp faith is good enough for them Stapl. Antidot in Act. 16.31 Nec aliam simplex idiota Christianus habere tenetur neither is a simple and vnlearned Christian bound to haue any other faith Is not this the way to make fooles and idiots of Christians This this I say is the way to cast men into a gulfe of Idolatries Mat. 23.15 and to make men two-fold more the children of hell then you are And then with an Iöpoean you reioyce that Ignorance hath hatched many Deuotions A mother worthie of such badde Daughters Now this assent being proued to bee no true iustifying faith for thereby wee only beleeue that which God teacheth not in God as in our Creed we professe let vs step a little forward and see what this faith is which we affirme doth iustifie And if wee rightly consider thereof True faith we shall find two things necessarie for one that beleeueth the one is Knowledge the other is the Application of that our knowledge Knowledge That knowledge is necessarie to attaine to faith if we had no other proofe yet this were sufficient that God vseth so many wayes for the instruction of his people that by Ignorance they should not erre Hee giueth his Law to bee a rule of life and Religion appointeth his Priests to teach the same and to supply their negligence hee sendeth his Prophets extraordinary Messengers to iogge his people vpon the elbow so putting them in minde when they did amisse And hath hee not ordained the Ministerie Ephes 4.13 1. Cor. 14.26 that wee may meete together in the vnitie of faith and knowledge of the Sonne of God The sundry gifts that GOD hath giuen vnto his Church ought all to bee imployed to the edifying thereof Luk. 1.17 Iohn the Baptists office was to make readie a people prepared for the Lord as the Angell doth foreshew or as Zacharie his father sayth Luk. 1.76 To prepare the way of the Lord that is to make men fit to beleeue in Christ And how doth he execute this his function Euen by giuing knowledge of saluation vnto Gods people 77. by the remission of their sinnes Our Sauiour Christ thus speaketh vnto the Iewes Ioh. 10.38 If I doe the workes of my Father then though you beleeue not mee beleeue the workes that ye may know and beleeue As if he would say Vnlesse you know you cannot beleeue and therefore consider of my workes that you may know and so beleeue To this purpose also Act. 15.7 is that which Saint Peter said Among vs the Apostles God chose out me that the Gentiles by my mouth should heare the word of the Gospell and beleeue Now it is most plaine that men heare vnlesse they bee such forgetfull hearers as S. Iames misliketh that they may know Iam. 1.24 and so beleeue But that I may bee short Knowledge is so necessarie for such as beleeue as that it is taken for faith it selfe and that by one that did know better how to speake of these matters Ioh. 17.3 then all our Romish Rabbies This is life eternall sayth Christ to know thee to bee the only very God meaning that it is life eternall to beleeue God to bee the only verie God and whom hee had sent Iesus Christ and such speeches are common in the Scripture But as meate how good so euer nourisheth not but such as eate it and Physicke be it neuer so medicinable helpeth not but such as receiue it Euen so Application second thing required in faith if this knowledge be not applyed to the grieued or wounded conscience the offendour shall neuer haue peace with God therby The Apostle hauing handled at the ful the example of Abraham and set forth his constant faith with the comfortable effect it had That it was imputed to him for righteousnesse Rom. 4.22.23.24 then teacheth vs by application what vse we must make thereof It was not written for him only that it was imputed to him for righteousnesse but also for vs to whom it shall be imputed which beleeue in him who raysed vp Iesus our Lord from the dead Notably for this point Benard de Annunt Serm. 1. Saint Bernard writeth Si credas peccata tua non posse deleri nisi ab illo cui soli peccasti in quem peccata non cadunt bene facis If thou beleeue thy sinnes cannot be done away but by him against whom thou hast only sinned and who himselfe is not subiect to sinne thou dost well Here is a good and a Christian knowledge now marke what vse wee must make of it Sed adde adhuc sayth he in that verie place vt hoc credas quia per ipsum peccata tibi donantur Hoc est testimonium quod perhibet Spiritus Sanctus in corde tuo Dimissa sunt tibi peccata tua But yet adde this sayth good Bernard that thou also beleeue that by him thy sinnes are forgiuen thee This is the testimonie that the holy Ghost beareth in thine heart Thy sinnes are forgiuen thee Heere wee haue a particular application of that generall knowledge before mentioned And out of this place of Bernard wee are by the way to note how the Romish Church which would though most vniustly bee counted the true Church hath this long time deceiued the world in making men beleeue the Pope hath power to forgiue sinnes Man cannot forgiue sins whereas Saint Bernard most plainly and to the Scriptures most agreeably doth teach that God only can forgiue sinnes both because our sinne is a breach of his Law and himselfe cannot sinne Fye therefore vpon that man of sinne who being himselfe full fraught with sinne and ouerloden with wickednesse dare take vpon him that office that belongeth only to our Sinne-lesse GOD. He only can make cleane that which is conceiued of vncleane seed Job 14.4 and besides him none He I say hee only can truly make this Proclamation I I am he that putteth away thine iniquities Esa 43.25 for mine owne sake and will not remember thy sinnes
they will not preferre themselues How then dare they so stand vpon their merits seeing these godly men haue no trust in their works but so wholy disable them Neyther is there in the Scripture any thing more plainly deliuered any Doctrine more often taught Scriptures are against doctrine of merits Tit. 3.5 then that which teacheth vs to deny our merits and to rest only vpon Gods mercy in Christ for the forgiuenesse of our sinnes Not by the workes of righteousnesse which we haue done saith Saint Paul but according to his mercies he saued vs. And againe God hath saued vs 2. Tim. 1.9 and called vs with a holy calling not according to our workes but according to his owne purpose and grace which was giuen to vs through Christ Iesus before the world was And againe By grace ye are saued through faith Ephes 2.8.9 and that not of your selues it is the gift of God not of workes lest any should boast himselfe And infinite testimonies tending to this end if it were needfull might be brought prouing plainly how little we may rest vpon our merits and how little soundnes is in our workes and therefore also shewing how little cause our aduersaries haue to write that eternall life is due to good workes not of mercy but of merit as LINDAN ANDRADIVS and the Colen Censurers doe teach The reason of this conceit they haue of their workes is because they suppose none but great sinnes hinder our perfection Leuicula vitiola Kemnitius alleageth out of Lindan a Popish Bishop Asspergines naeuuli sunt qui perse non maculant nec contaminant Kem. exam part 1. Veniall sins they lightly esteeme sed quasi puluisculo leuiter aspergunt vitam Christianam vt nihilominùs tamen per se sint perfecta vndique immaculata renatorum opera in hac vita Which if they bee the words of Lindan hee vseth so many diminitiues to lessen and make nothing our breach of Gods Law as thereby he sheweth himselfe to be a very graceles wretch without any feeling of the burden of sinne They are in English thus Little light petty sinnes are as sprinklings and small staines which doe not of themselues blot or defile but as it were with small dust doe lightly sprinkle a Christian life so as notwithstanding the workes of the regenerate are of themselues perfect and euery way vndefiled Indeed Andradius too though not in such scornfull termes as I may well call them teacheth the like Doctrine Andra. Orthodox explicat l. 5. Peccata saith he in quae iusti quotidie labuntur iustitiam euertere nullo pacto possunt ac proinde neque perfectam absolutam legis obedientiam quoquo modo impedire The sinnes whereinto euen the iust daily fall can by no meanes ouerthrow righteousnesse Cens Colon. explicat errorum Dialogi 5. and therefore cannot any thing hinder the full and perfit obedience of the Law The Censurers of Colen also though not so vnmodestly yet as vntruly as Lindan affirme speaking of veniall sins that Leuia illa nec impios nec malos efficiunt nec operum nostrâ—rum obsunt efficaciae Those light sinnes make men neyther wicked nor euill neyther doe they hinder the efficacie of their workes Which their Doctrine to bee most absurd and false wee may proue by many reasons The least sinnes hinder our obedience and staine it as first thus Euery breach of Gods Law maketh our obedience vnperfit but euery veniall sinne is a breach of Gods Law therefore euery veniall sinne maketh our obedience vnperfit My Maior I would thinke should need no proofe seeing that where breach of a Law is there is not absolute obedience to the same And Saint Iames telleth vs Whosoeuer shall keepe the whole Law Iam. 2.10 and yet faileth in one point hee is guilty of all But that euery veniall sinne is a breach of Gods Law is plaine For if there be no breach of Law then is not forgiuenesse needfull but forgiuenesse is needfull for the taking away of veniall sinnes as is most manifest by that place of Saint Iohn If wee acknowledge our sinnes 1. Ioh. 1.8.9 he is faithfull to forgiue vs our sinnes and to clense vs from all vnrighteousnesse Whereby we vnderstand that the sinnes that Saint Iohn speaketh of are by forgiuenesse to bee done away And that he speaketh of veniall sinnes not only Andradius Paiuas doth testifie Andro. Orthodox explicat lib. 5. pag. 421. Bell. de Amis grat l. 1 cap. 6. but Bellarmine also in plaine words So that by two witnesses of good credit among our Aduersaries it appeareth that veniall sinnes are no otherwise taken away then other sinnes are and therefore that our perfit obedience is by them so hindered as that it cannot stand before the iust Iudge Againe whatsoeuer sinnes are short of that obedience that God commandeth in this Law Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart Deut. 6.5 with all thy soule with all thy might are hinderances vnto the perfection of obedience but the sinnes which they call venial doe that for in committing of them our whole heart minde and soule is not bent to obserue Gods Law therefore such sinnes are a hinderance to our perfit keeping of the Law But to be short If veniall sinnes be no transgression of Law they are to be much blamed that call them sinnes For where there is no Law there is no transgression but if they bee a breach of Law as before I said they are of the nature of sinnes and vnlesse they be pardoned shall also haue the reward of sinne The godly feare their venial sins But what seeke I to proue that which euery man 's owne conscience if they be not too much besotted will tell them Was it not veniall sinnes as our Aduersaries account that made Paul cry out as he doth O wretched man that I am Rom. 7.24 who shall deliuer me from the bodie of this death He could neuer haue said of himselfe as he doth of being without reproofe concerning the Law if he had beene stained with notorious and such as they call mortall sinnes And shall Paul be so scarred with veniall sinnes and can wee imagine they make vs nothing the worse How much better were it for vs with good Bernard to confesse Passio tua vltimum refugium Ber. in Can. Ser. 22. singulare remedium Deficiente sapientia iustitia non sufficiente succumbentibus sanctitatis meritis illa succurrit O Lord thy passion is my last refuge a singular remedy For when wisdome wanteth Iustice sufficeth not and merits of holinesse faile that helpeth And thus I trust it doth appeare that howsoeuer our Aduersaries teach of veniall sinnes which they confesse are in the godly yet are they such staines in the garment of our righteousnesse as are not to bee shaken off with euery knocke of the brest or washed off with sprinkling a little holy-water or other such like tryfling
into wantonnesse gathered out of the Apostles words that so they beleeued they needed no regard or care how they liued as Augustine saith in moe places then one Therefore Saint Iames teacheth how men shall know that wee are iustified and what manner of faith this true faith is For faith without workes as it is not a true or liuing but a counterfeit and dead faith so it auaileth nothing to Iustification So that the word of Iustification hath not the like signification in S. Iames that it had in S. Paul For in S. Paul it is taken for our iustification before God as in the beginning I haue declared plentifully And in S. Iames it signifieth that Iustification before men whereby we are knowne to be righteous S. Iames his words tend to that end Iam. 2.18 Shew me thy faith by thy workes and I will shew thee my faith by my workes He would haue a faith shewed to men which cannot be but by workes for works are the touchstone whereby a true and liuely faith is discerned from a false and dead faith when oportuniry is offered to vs to bring forth that fruit Otherwise the faith that many speake of will proue no better scarse so good Vers 19. as that the Deuils haue who beleeue and tremble Therefore as S. Peter exhorteth vs to beautifie our selues with that better then any golden chaine of Christian vertues which will make vs neither idle nor vnfruitfull 2 Pet. 1.8 in the knowledge of our Lord Iesus Christ so doth S. Iames giue them of his time to vnderstand how they haue mistaken a bare name of faith and knowledge of Christ for an effectuall and a iustifying faith He therefore speaketh in this sort Thou saist thou hast faith I see it not for thy workes shew no such matter Proue then before men that thou hast this confidence in God that thou hast this assurance within thee of thy atonement with him Primasius who wrote about 1100. yeeres since so expoundeth these wordes reconciling that which seemed to bee contradiction in the Apostles S. Iames saith he speaketh of the workes that shew a man to be faithfull Primas in Rom. cap. 3. as himselfe in that which followeth expoundeth it Shew me by workes thy faith It is workes whereby faith is knowne Venerable Bede also is of that minde Bede vpon Iam. 2. that Iames would vt fidem suam per opera probarent That they should proue their faith by their workes But Thomas of Aquine the Angellicall Doctor whose authority in the Romish Church will beare the sway will loose this knot For reconciling those wordes of PAVL Gal. 3.11 No man is iustified by the Law with these wordes of Iames Iam. 2.21 ABRAHAM was iustified by workes He telleth that the iustification that is of workes is an execution or manifestation of righteousnesse whereby he is shewed to be iust And by and by after The righteousnesse before God is in the inner heart Tho. Aquin. in Gal. 3. Lect. 4. but the righteousnes that is of workes that is that maketh knowne or manifest him that is iust is before men What can be spoken more plaine S. Paul teacheth how with boldnes we may stand before God pleading not guilty now this confidence is alwayes within vs S. Iames would haue this by their fruit to appeare vnto others Lest men deceiue their owne hearts Iam. 1.26 and the Religion of such men proue vaine as himselfe saith elsewhere Thus then truly considering in what sense the one and the other Apostle doe take the word Iustification the difference appeareth to be none at all and so the matter is easily compounded And thus I trust it will appeare the premises truly considered that our interpretation of the Apostles wordes A man is iustified by faith without the workes of the Law is both true and Catholike Rom. 3.28 our conclusion that out of them we gather is sound and agreeable to the Apostles doctrine hauing a very great consent of most approued antiquitie yea and of Popish writers too And our workes how good soeuer haue not in them any worthinesse or merit but are in mercy rewarded according to promise So that the seruant of God must learne with good Bernard to say Bern. super Cantic ser 67. Gratia reddit me mihi iustificatum gratis sic liberatum a seruitute peccati Grace restoreth me to my selfe iustified freely and so deliuered from the thraldome of sinne Luk. 2.23.24 Then shall we sing with that multitude of heauenly Souldiers praysing God and saying Glory be to God on high Yea with those many Angels round about the Throne Reuel 5.11 and about the Beasts and the Elders and those thousand thousands Saying with a lowd voice Worthy is the Lambe that was killed to receiue power and riches 12. and wisedome and strength and honor and glory and prayse because O Lord Thou hast redeemed vs to God by thy bloud 9. Reuel 1.5 yea thou hast loued vs and in it hast washed vs from our sinnes Which Meditations will teach vs casting off all confidence in our selues or our owne righteousnesse 1. Iob. 3.8 Mat. 1.21 to rest only vpon him that came to destroy the workes of the Deuill and to saue his people from their sinnes who his owne selfe bare our sinnes in his body vpon the tree that we being deliuered from sinne should liue in righteousnesse by whose stripes we are healed To him therefore with the Father and the holy Ghost bee all honor and praise now and euer AMEN FINIS