THE Aunswer of Iohn Gough Preacher To Maister Fecknams Obiections against his Sermon lately preached in the Tower of London 15. Ianurie 1570. ¶ Imprinted at London by Iohn Awdeley dwellyng in little Britaine stréete without Aldersgate 1570. ¶ TO THE RIGHT worshipfull Mayster Pellam the Quenes Maiesties Lieftenaunt of her highnes Ordinaunce of the Tower Iohn Gough Preacher of the word of God sendeth greeting in our Lord God euerlasting Amen BECAVSE ryght woorshipfull at your earnest request and godly desire I preached the 15. of Ianuarie last passed a sermon in the Tower of London in the presence of Doctour Watson sometime bishop of Lyncolne and Maister Fecknam sometime also Abbot of Westminster wyth others Sithens the which my Sermon the sayd M. Fecknam hath seemed by writing to condemne certaine articles contained in my Doctrine at that present and there by me taught That is to say where I affirmed that it was impossible to keepe the law of God he hath taken vpon him to affirme the contrarie vz. That it is possible and that it lyeth in mans power to obserue and keepe them Secondly where I taught that we be iustified by faith onely he denieth the same and therewyth teacheth iustification by workes Thirdly where I denied the inuocation of Saintes he affirmeth the cōtrary And fourthly and lastly where as I affirmed that all sinnes are deadly he teacheth the contrary Aduouching that there be some veniall sinnes therefore concludeth that all are not deadly All which his assertions he semeth very clarklye to ground and maintaine by the autoritie of the word of God and consent of the Fathers Which thing he hath in such maner and wyth such goodly glosing wordes blased and set forth that at the first shew he seemeth vtterly to beate me downe to the ground and maketh that my doctrine in the eyes of the simple and of such whose consciences are not as yet setled in true religion to appeare false and vnsound and therefore of no credite nor to be receaued I therfore thought it my boūden dutie to stand in the defence of my doctrine being sound and perfect and according to the sacred and holy Scriptures And bringyng M. Fecknams obiections to the bright shinyng Sunne of God his most holy woord hys gay cloked colours might be detected and made apparant to the eyes of all men and thereby the counterfeited mistes of his Assertions driuen away the true and wholesome doctrine of myne might be made the more manifest And therefore haue taken vpon me at this present to answer the same wherein I haue vsed this order First I haue aunswered euery article of the foure particularly and restored the Scriptures to their right sence which M. Fecknam for the maintenaunce of his errors hath very corruptly wrested That done I proue my doctrine true both by the Scriptures and Fathers so sufficiently that I am perswaded that all colours of caueling is remoued or taken away to all such as seeke the truth and onely seeke the same for the better setling of their consciences rather then for vayneglory or estimacion of men Hauing therefore now finished this my aunswer and defence of my doctrine aforesayd thought it good to dedicate the same to your worship that you with the rest of Gods Children may be the better setled and grounded in this most wholsome and sound doctrine of God his glorious Gospell And the other whose eyes are not yet opened God may in his great mercies hereby remoue the mistes of the false and corrupt doctrine of the Papistes from the same That they may yet now at length see how they haue bene seduced and deceiued and receiue the truth now also offered them to their euerlasting comfort Whych obtayned I haue my desire and shall in that respect thinke my labours herein well bestowed which I pray God for his sonne Iesus Christes sake may redounde to hys glory and profit of hys Church Amen Which thing as I haue well ment so I hope your worship wyll take in good part Whom I pray God so to behold with his most fauorable coūtenaunce that as he hath begonne in you and that in hys free mercies this his good worke and opened your hart to beleue his truth and your eyes to see the same perfect it in you vnto the end That you may dayly grow from grace to grace from fayth to fayth and from vertue to vertue vntyll you become a perfecte man in Iesus Christ to hys glory and honour and to your euerlasting comfort AMEN Yours to commaund in the Lord Iohn Gough Preacher c. ⧠The aunswer of Iohn Gough Preacher to M. Fecknams Obiections I Haue M. Fecknam red your cauelyng Obiections to certayne poyntes of religion by me touched and taught in my Sermon in the Tower of London in your presence with others Wherin as you haue corruptly wrested the Scriptures in your Assertions to the maintenaunce of your heresies So haue you also with like subteltie wrested my wordes of purpose leauing out such my reasons or arguments as vtterly made against you and reciting them maymedly you will séeme to triumphe before you haue obtayned the victorie And although the articles M Fecknam which you haue taken vpon you to inuey against and as it were piked out from the rest of my Sermon be already so sufficiently and learnedly answered by such as I vnfainedly acknowledge my selfe not worthy in respect of vertue and learning to carrye their bookes after them Whereby you myghte bee well remoued from these your heresies if you would rede them and in reading geue place to the truth which you onely ought to séeke and not your own estimation Yet least you should thinke I were not able to defend my doctrine which you séeme so to impugne with Doctor vpon Doctor and with certain wrested scriptures preposterously vnderstanded I shall God willing with so few wordes as I may and as my litle leysure from waightier studies shall permit and suffer me aunswer the same Wishing that God in his mercies will so open your vnderstanding that with humblenes of hart you may simply séeke IESVS CHRIST and the profit of his Church Amen ¶ M. Fecknams first Article 1 That it is not impossible to keepe God hys commaundement Which I did affirme to be impossible Your scriptures you alledge are these that follow whereof the first is Christ in Matthew 11. where he saith Tollite iugum meū super vos c. Take vp my yoke vpō you c. Wherin you triumphe ouer my poore lump of leade at your pleasure But if you weyed the text with a litle more déeper consideration you should sée that you are fowly deceiued For in that Christ calleth it Iugum meum my yoke he maketh a differēce betwene his doctrine and the law and that in respect of the straightnes of the law and of the easines of his doctrine and of that he requireth of his Children and Scholers But howe heauy a lumpe the law is S. Peter
we ought not to worship Let vs not make it religion to worship brute beastes for the basest sort of men that be be better theÌ„ they whoÌ„ notwithstanding we ought not to worship Let vs not make it religion to worship dead men because if they haue liued godlyly they ar not counted that they seeke suche honours but they would haue him to be worshipped of vs who allumining them do reioyce c. The same August agayne in hys booke Contra Faust. lib. 20. ca. 21. saith thus Ipsi enim Sancti vel homines aut angeli exhiberi sibi nolunt ê™ vni Deo debori volunt Apparuit hoc in Paulo Barnaba cum commoto miraculis que per eos facta sunt Licaonij tanquam dijs immolare voluerunt Conscissis enim vestimentis suis confiteÌ„tes persuadeÌ„tes se deos non esse ista sibi fieri vetuerunt Apparuit in Angelis sicut in Apocalipsi legimus angelum se adorari ê“hibentem ac dicentem adoratori suo Conseruus tuus sum fratrum tuorum i. For the very Saints them selues whether they be dead men or Angels will not haue honour geuen vnto them which they would haue onely due to god This appeared in Paul and Barnabas when the men of Licaonia astonied at their miracles wold haue done sacrifice vnto theÌ„ as if they had bene Gods. For they renting their garmeÌ„ts confessing and perswading them that they wer not Gods forbad such thinges to be done vnto them This appeared also in the Angels as we reade in the Apocalips The Angell forbidding him selfe to be worshipped and saying to him that worshipped him I am the fellow seruaunt of thee and thy brethren Also Ciril in his 6. booke Contra Iulia. saith thus At sanctos Martyres neque deos esse dicimus neque adorare consueuimus Laudamus autem eos potius summis honoribus que pro veritate strenue certaruÌ„t fidei cinceritateÌ„ seruarunt ita vt et suam animam contempserint et mortis terroribus valedicentes pre ualuerunt in summis periculis tanteê™ fuerint fortitudinis quasi statuas fibi sue vite excitaturi c. That is to say As for the holy Martyrs wee neither say that they are Gods neither haue bene accustomed to worship them But we prayse them rather wyth great honour because they haue valiantly striuen for the truth and haue mayntayned the sinceritye of faith in so much as they haue despised their own life and not regarding the terrors of death haue preuailed in very great daungers and were of so great strength as though they would rayse vp ymages to them selues of their own lyfe c. Agayne S. August in his 8. booke De Ciuitate Dei cap. 27. saith Quis autem audiuit aliquando fidelium stantem sacerdotem ad altare etiam super sanctum corpus Martyris ad Dei honorem cultumque constructum dicere in precibus Offero tibi sacrificium Petre aut Paule vel Cipriane c. That is But which of the faithful hath heard the Priest at the aultar yea vpon the holy body of the Martyr made forth honor and worship of God saye at any time in his prayers I offer a sacrifice to thee O Peter or Paule or Cyprian c. These also M. Fecknam approueth my assertion true that the Saints are not to be prayed to and likewyse vtterlye condemne your heresy which maintaineth the coÌ„trary ¶ M. Fecknams third article 3 That fayth onelye doth not iustifie And for this Article which you thus affirme you expound the place alledged by me out of S. Paul Rom. 2. Arbitremur iustificari hominem sine operibus legis We suppose a man to be iustified without the woorkes of the law after this sort You say that I inferred hereupon that workes do in no maner of wise iustifie vs which is vtterly false For my woordes were that hereby S. Paul did teach vs that wee were not iustified by workes Your addition in no maner of wise I spake not For I know M. Fecknam that there is two maner of iustifications vnderstaÌ„ded in the scriptures the one before God the other before men Of iustification before God it is truly said by S. Paul Rom. 4. Credidit autem Abraham Deo imputatum est ei ad iustitiam Abraham beleued God it was imputed vnto him vnto righteousnes And of sustification before meÌ„ S. Iames speaketh in the. 2. Chap. of his Epistle thus Abraham pater noster noÌ„ne ex factis iustificatus est cum obtulisset filium suum super-altare c. i. Was not our father Abraham iustified through workes when he had offered his sonne vpon the aulter c. And that he so ment appeareth by his very woordes which follow within few lines after thus Credidit autem Abraham Deo et imputatuÌ„ est illi ad iustitiaÌ„ amicus Dei vocatus est Abraham beleued God and it was reputed vnto him for righteousnes and he was called the friend of God. Thus we sée S. Paul and S. Iames reconciled and both teach iustification by faith in the sight of god For it is necessarye that because faith is an inuisible thing and caÌ„not rightly be iudged of men for that a maÌ„ may brag before men and say that he hath faith when he is vtterly voide therof And therefore of necessitie workes be required to follow the iustifieng faith as the shadow the body that the faith which is onely knowen vnto God may by the godly conuersation of the iustified man appeare and be made manifest to men also And therfore S. Paul after he hath proued our iustification by faith without the workes of the law from the .3 Chap. of the Epistle to the Rom. vnto the .8 of the same then he there concludeth thus Nulla igitur nunc condemnatio his qui insiti sunt in Christo Iesu qui non iuxta carneÌ„ versantur sed iuxta spiritum i. There is nowe therefore no condemnation to them which are graffed in Christ Iesu which walke not after the flesh but after the spirit And when the same Apostle hath in most plaine wordes thus proued our iustification by faith without workes Ephes. 2. Gratia enim seruati estis ê‘ fidem idque non ex vobis Dei donum est noÌ„ ex operibus ne quis glorietur i. For ye be saued through fayth and that not of your selues it is the gift of God and not of workes least any man should reioyce Hee immediatelye addeth thys Nam ipsius sumus opus coÌ„diti in Christo Iesu ad opera bona que preparauit deus vt in eis ambularemus i. For we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesu vnto good woorkes which God hath prepared that we shoulde walke in them And where as you M. Fecknam make great wonder at our subteltie or rather sensible absurditie of thys our opinion of iustifieng by fayth onely you fall into these questions whether we meane faith without penaunce as you terme it I suppose you
meane repentance or faith without Baptisme or faith without hope or faith without feare or faith without charitie As though when we teach that we be iustified by faith onely that we speake of an opinion of fayth onely or of a dead or imagined fayth No no M. Fecknam you wilfully wrest our meaning herein And to say the truth I may much better herein woÌ„der at your peuish ouerthwart vnderstandyng of vs then you maruell at our subtile opinion or sensible absurdity For when we speake of iustification by faith onely we vnderstand not as you fondly imagine a dead or imagined faith but such a fayth as can no more be without repentance hope filial feare charitie c. the the sunne can be without his brightnes or the fire without his heate Neither do we speake herein of works before faith but euen of woorkes after fayth For we know S. Paules Maxime Roma 14. Quicquid non est ex fide peccatuÌ„ est what soeuer is not of fayth is sinne And Hebr. 11. Atqui sine fide fieri non potest vt quis illi placeat 1. But without faith it is impossible that any man can please him Our vnderstaÌ„ding is not so grosse as to mean of works before faith though you lust so to cauel herein with vs For after a true faith is conceyued by the holy Ghost in the hart of a good Christian he worketh not of hope of merite but of loue not to be iustified thereby but because he is so commaunded by his Sauiour Iohn 14. Si diligitis me precepta mea seruate If ye loue me kéepe my commaundements For a true faith is not idle but woorketh of loue c. Gala. 5. NaÌ„ in Christo Iesu neque circumcisno quicquam valet neque preputium sed fides per dilectionem operans i. For in Christ Iesu neither circumcision any thing auayleth neither vncircumcision but fayth that worketh through loue Not that therby we séeke iustification but therby our consciences be ascertained of our assured faith and iustification by Christ. And as for your fond exposition of the words of the Prophet Esay 64. Et facti sumus vt immundus omnes nos quasi paÌ„nus menstruatae vniuerse iustitia nostra c. And we are all become vncleane and all our righteousnes as a cloth defiled with filthy blood c Where you say that the Prophet ther speaketh of the works of the Gentils and of the vnfaithfull onely and not of the workes of the vnbeleuing man truly I do much maruell at your violeÌ„t wresting of the text rather to your peculiar fence then to the natural minde of the Prophet For I pray you when he spake those wordes was the Prophet himself either an Heathen or an vnbeleuing Iew I am sure you will say he was neither of them yet he saith omnes nos all we taketh him selfe in the number yet I am perswaded his faith was as perfect perfecter then euer was the best of the Papists take euen the holiest of them I pray you therfore M. Fecknam leaue your wilful wresting of the scriptures to deceiue simple soules withal geue place to the truth in time That we be iustified by faith onely is manifest by the scripture Iohn 17. Hec est auteÌ„ vita aeterna vt cognoscant te solum deum verum quem misisti Iesum Christum And this is eternal life that they may know thée the onely true God and Iesus Christ whom thou hast sent And agayne Iohn 5. Amen amen dico vobis qui sermonem meum audit et credit ei qui misit me habet vitaÌ„ aeternam et in condemnationem non veniet sed transiuit a morte in vitam i. Uerely verely I say vnto you he that heareth my word beleueth in him that sent me hath eternall life and shall not come into condemnation but is escaped from death vnto life Againe Rom. 3. Iustificantur autem gratis per illius gratiam per redemptioneÌ„ que est in Christo iesu i. And they ar iustified fréely by his grace by the redemption which is in Christ iesu And S. Iohn 1. Epist. 5. Et haec est victoria que vicit munduÌ„ fides nostra i. And this is the victorie that ouercommeth the world euen our faith I pray you M. Fecknam is not Gratis fréely as good as Sola fide by onely faith And that Sola fides onely faith doth iustifie euen your own Fathers of whoÌ„ you brag so much teach in most plaine wordes For to begyn with Origen first in his .13 booke ad Ro. hath these woordes Quis autem vel super iustitia sua gloriabitur cuÌ„ audiat Deum ê‘ prophetam dicenteÌ„ Quia omnis iustitia vestra sicut paÌ„nus mulieris meÌ„struatae Sola igitur iusta gloriatio est in fide crucis Christi que excludit omneÌ„ illam gloriationem que desceÌ„dit ex operibus legis i. But who shall glory of his own ryghteousnes when he heareth God by his prophet saying that all your righteousnes is like a most filthye defiled cloth The onely true glorieng therfore is in the faith of the cros of Christ which excludeth al that glorieng which discendeth of the works of the law Also S. Ierom in lib â–ª 2. contra Pelag. sayth Existimamus fide iustificari hominem sine operibus legis siquideÌ„ vnus deus qui iustificat circumcisionem ex lege preputium ex fide Manifeste ostendit non in hominis merito sed in Dei gratia esse iustitiam qui sine legis operibus credentiuÌ„ suscipit fideÌ„ i. We thinke that a man is iustified by faith without the workes of the law For because there is one God which iustifieth circumcision of the law and vncircuÌ„cision of faith It manifestly sheweth that righteousnes is not in the merite of man but in the grace of god Who without the workes of the law accepteth the faith of them that beleue The same Ierom againe in lib. 2. contra eundem saith thus Tunc ergo iusti sumus quando nos peccatores fatemur iustitia nostra non ex proprio merito sed ex Dei consistit misericordia That is Therefore wee are then righteous when wee confesse our selues sinners And our righteousnes standeth not vpon our owne merite but vpon the merite of God. Ambrose De Iacobo Cap. 21. sayth thus Non operibus iustificamur sed fide Quoniam carnalis infirmitas operibus impedimento est sed fidei claritas factorum obumbrat erroreÌ„ que meretur veniam delictoruÌ„ i. We be not iustified by workes but by faith For the weakenes of the flesh is a let vnto workes but the brightnes of faith shadoweth the error of dedes which deserueth pardon of our sinnes Also Chrisostom de Fide lege wryteth thus Latro autem credidit duntaxat c. For the Thefe beleued onely and was iustified by the most merciful god And here say not vnto me that he lacked tyme to lyue vpryghtly
and to do good workes For I contende not about that but thys onely I stedfastlye affyrme that onely Fayth by it selfe hath saued hym S. Ierom agayne ad Roma 4. sayth ConuerteÌ„tem impium per solam fidem iustificat Deus non opera bona que non habuit i. God iustifieth the sinner that repenteth by onely fayth not by hys good works which he had not The said Hierom in the same place sayth further Vt omnes qui ex gentibus credunt filij sunt Abrahe dum et illis sola fides ad iustitiam reputatur That is As all they which among the Gentyles do beleue are the sonnes of Abraham whylest vnto them also onely faith is reckened for righteousnes Ambrose vpon 1. Cor. 1. saith Hoc constitutum est a Deo vt qui credit in Christum saluus sit sine opere sola fide gratis accipiens remissionem peccatorum That is Thys is ordayned of God that he which beleueth in Christ should be saued wythout workes by onely faith frely receiuing remission of sinnes Bernard in his .22 sermon vpon the Cantic saith thus Quamobrem quisquis ê“ c. Wherfore whosoeuer inwardly greued for hys syn doth hunger and thirst for righteousnes let him beleue in thee which iustifiest the vngodlye and being iustified by onelye fayth hee shall haue peace with God. I will therfore conclude with S. Paul and Barnard thus Roma 3. Nunc vere absque c. But now the righteousnes of God is made manifest wythout the law whilest it is allowed by the wytnes of the law and the Prophetes Barnar ser. 5. in vigil Nat. a Dom. saith thus Nam sibi quidem ipsi fidere non fidei c. For truly for one to trust in him selfe is not of faith but of vnbeliefe Neither is it confidence for a man to put his trust in his own selfe but diffidence and mistrust rather But he is faithfull which neither trusteth to him selfe nor hopeth in him selfe esteming him selfe as the vessel of perdition but so loosing his owne selfe that hee maye keepe it vnto life euerlasting Thus I hope M. Fecknam if you be not wilful I haue sufficieÌ„tly proued by the scriptures and Fathers that we are iustified by faith onely contrary to your assertion ¶ M. Fecknams .4 and last article 4 That euery sinne is not mortall That euery sinne is mortall M. FecknaÌ„ in that it is sinne is euident by the words of God himselfe who can best iudge of thys matter in the .18 of Ezechiel saying thus Anima que peccauerit ipsa morietur The soule that sinneth shal die Here is no exception or difference made of sin but any sin in that it is sinne is deadly And S. Paul sayth Rom. 6. For the rewarde of sinne is death Here also you sée that S. Paul maketh no difference of sinne but that Mors death is the reward of sinne generally without exception And S. Iohn saith Iohn 3. Euery one that coÌ„mitteth sinne the same also committeth iniquitie and sinne is iniquitie Here also you sée that S. Iohn saith making no difference of sin but that syn in that it is syn it is iniquitie without exception But peraduenture he was not so well learned as you M. Fecknam he was not acquainted with your Popish schoole Doctrine for they be so déepe in their diuinitie that they dare corred the holy Ghost and say that S. Paul in defining of faith in the .11 to the Hebrewes hath not don it Satis Magistraliter not Doctorlike inough or not Clarkly And so I thinke you wil not sticke to say that S. Iohn here speaking of sin generally hath not done the same Satis Magistraliter Well we will hold our selues M. Eecknam contented with S. Iohns difinition of syn and thinke more of him theÌ„ of the best Doctor that euer was in the Popes scoles And because you make it so light a matter and so small a syn of our thoughtes as of little prety synnes and as it were not worthy the speaking of yet our Maister Christ in the .15 of Mathew telleth vs otherwise when he sayth Nam ex corde exeunt cogitationes male cedes adulteria c. i. For out of the hart procede euil thoughtes murthers adulteries c. And then hee concludeth Haec sunt que impurant hominem These things defile a man And you are not ignorant that our Maister teacheth vs also in the .5 of the same Euangelist that whosoeuer beholdeth another mans wife to lust after her hath already committed adulterye with her in hys hart And S. Iohn following his Master like a good scoller teacheth no lesse wheÌ„ he sayth 1. Iohn 3. thus Omnis qui odit fratrem suum homicida est Whosoeuer hateth hys brother is a murtherer So is it euident by the sacred scriptures that all sinnes wythout exception according to my doctrine are mortall or deadly Now M. Fecknam let vs a litle while sée what the Fathers also say to this matter Ciprian Serm. De Ieium saith thus Fuerunt et ante Christum viri insignes c. There wer also before Christ worthy men both Prophetes and Priestes but yet conceiued and borne in syn Neither wer they free from original nor from actuall syn And there was found in theÌ„ all either ignoraunce or insufficiencie in which they going astray haue sinned and haue neded the mercy of god By the which being taught and in structed haue geuen thankes to God and haue coÌ„fessed them selues to haue lacked mutch of the full measure of righteousnes trusting in God haue not presumed to ascribe vnto them selues any soliditie or righteousnes of their own Lactantius also De vero cultu lib. 6. Ca. 13. saith Nemo esse sine delicto potest c. No man can be without syn so long as he is laden with the garment of the flesh The weakenes whereof is three maner of waies brought in thraldome and subiection of syn to wyt by deedes by thoughtes and by wordes Hierome likewise Episto ad Algasiam saith thus Affectus et perturbationes c. We may so long as we dwell in the tabernacle of this body and are compassed about with frayle flesh measurably rule our affections and passions but cut them of quite we cannot by any meanes Augustin De ê‘fect iust lib. saith Querendum est si natura hominis bona est et â— It is to bee demaunded if the nature of man be good which none dare be so bold to deny but Mauicheus and Marcion How then is it good if it be not possible for it to be without euill For that all syn is euyll who doubteth We aunswer both that the nature of man is good c. Sée the place I wyl therefore conclude with Barnard Gregory thus Bernard writing De donis spirit sancti ca. 2. sayth Vnde beatus Gregorius ait Qui virtutes sine humilitate congregat est quasi qui in ventuÌ„ puluerem portat Sicut enim puluis venti validi flatu dispergitur Sic