could haue aunswered and throughly satisfied the perfect law of God vnto the vttermost title thereof it can not bee doubted but that Paule would neuer haue denyed that those should be iustified by the workes of the law who do lead a perfect and vpright life Yea rather he would haue affirmed this that he spake there which is most true Glory honour and peace bee vnto euery one that worketh righteousnesse to the Iewes aswell as to the Gentiles c. But now when as he foresaw that the Iewes did swell with a certeine Pharisaicall opinion of their workes and proudly vaunted them selues vpon them disdaynefully detestyng all other as Heathenish vngodly in respect of them selues neither seémed to stand in any neéde of the Mediatour Therfore to the end he might shake away from them that pestilent persuasion of their owne righteousnesse and force them to seéke succour at Christ hereupon he did vtterly dispoyle all workes of abilitie to Iustifie that is to say he so taketh away all Affiance of our workes beyng of all partes vnperfect bycause hee may ascribe it wholy to fayth onely and repose the same in Christ alone Therfore that I may orderly and distinctly make auÌ„swere to that your Maior beyng Hypotheticall Copulatiue which you doe so intricately entangle and miserably choake vp with obscuâ—e speach First of all we must remember that the obseruation of the law hath a double vnderstandyng for after one sorte Christ dyd obserue the law of his Father but mortall men obserue it after an other sort Christ most perfectly and absolutely but we weakly and rawly yea I know not if we performe any portion thereof very meanely Whereupon ariseth a double consideration of righteousnesse the one perfect and is peculiar to Christ and is onely of valew with God the other vnperfect lame which properly apperteineth to man and perhappes carryeth some resemblaunce of holynesse in the opinion of men but is of no estimation before God nor sufficeth to Saluation Moreouer to the purchasing of that first and sincere righteousnesse man must bee furnished with two principall Tallentes the one that hee so accomplish the whole law that no part thereof be defectiue The other that hee so throughly performe euery part thereof that nothyng may be added to absolute perfection Or els hee may heare what the Scripture threateneth Cursed be he that persisteth not in all the wordes of the law to doe them c. Agayne He that breaketh the least of them is guiltie of them all Now for as much as neuer any man was able to bryng that thyng to passe but Christ onely it is out of all controuersie that all other mortall men as well Iewes as Gentiles are fast holden vnder the curse Whereupon the Apostle after long debatyng of the matter concludeth That no man can bee Iustified by the workes of the law Which sentence is not yet so to be taken as though no deédes of the law beyng sincerely and perfectly done accordyng to the prescript rule of lawe could profite any thyng at all towardes Saluation for the very same was performed in the person of Christ whose life being of all partes freé altogether from all blemish of Sinne could not be attaynted with that saying of Paule That no man could bee Iustified by the workes of the law for that he was iustified through his owne workes especially With as good right also might we mainteine our lyke challenge therein if our infirmitie were able to rayse it selfe to that perfection of Christ. Whereupon we heare the Apostle very aptly arguyng in this wise If that law sayth he had bene deliuered that could haue geuen life then no doubt righteousnesse had come by the law Gallat 3. But wherefore is it sayd that the law can not geue life Not bycause the law waÌ„ted her efficacie to geue life but bycause we were destitute of sufficient power to accomplish the perfection of the law For otherwise what can bee of more force to righteousnesse then the law or what more effectuall to eternall life then righteousnesse if at the least the same were perfect or that our nature were capable of that righteousnesse absolutely But now beyng enuironed with so great weakenesse of the fleshe and of all sides beset with Sinnes yea and sold vnder Sinne when all our endeuour is yet so vnperfect that we neither performe the whole law neither comprehend any small portion therof with duetyfull and exact righteousnesse Therfore that saying of the Apostle may rightely be applied vnto vs wherein hee affirmeth That no man is Iustified by the workes of the law For as to that which Osorius with his crooked conueyaunce doth wrest these deédes of the law to the Ceremoniall law is altogether fonde friuolous and worthy to be scorned as beyng ouerthrowen with many sounde reasons First besides that it doth manifestly appeare by the whole discourse and phrase of that Epistle it selfe that Paule treated there of none other law then the morall law it is to be approued chiefly in these wordes where the Apostle doth not onely testifie him selfe of what law he made mention in that place but also of what part of the law he doth reason in this wise of the selfe same law For that whiche the law could not bryng to passe euen in that part wherein it was weake by reason of the infirmitie of the flesh c. But this part surely consisted not in the Ceremoniall law but in the Morall law of the ten Tables whereupon we doe argue agaynst Osorius in this wise No man is bereft of righteousnesse but in that part onely wherein offence is committed But the Iewes offended nothyng in the Ceremoniall law onely they sinned in the Morall law It is manifest therfore that Paule spake not there of the Ceremoniall law but of the law of the tenne Tables Moreouer whereas Paule did discourse of that Law whiche procureth wrath Rom. 4. Which was geuen that sinne might be more sinnefull Rome 5. Which is sayd to be written in the hartes of the Gentiles Rom. 2. Whiche doth discouer the knowledge of Sinne. Rom. 3. Which forbiddeth to lust which is called holy and is spirituall by the whiche Sinne doth shewe it selfe more aboundauntly to purchase damnation Rom. 7. From whiche law we be deliuered by the death of Christ. Rom. 7. Which is called the law of righteousnesse Rom. 9. Finall the full accomplishing whereof is loue Rom. 13. These and many other places if you haue not perused in Paules Epistles I desire you to vouchsafe to read them If you haue read them then I beseéch you to aunswere me whether to your Iudgement these sayinges seéme to concerne the Ceremoniall law or that part of the law especially which consisteth in the actioÌ„s and dueties of maners and common conuersation of lyfe But you say that the Iewes dyd put ouer much confidence in their Ceremonies And therefore to driue away the confidence whiche they
reposed in them the Apostles meanyng was to aduertize them that they should ascribe true righteousnes to those outward Ceremonies shadowes and cleansinges What a iest is this as though the Iewes did settle their cōfidence in the Ceremonies onely and did not much more rather glory in their Race in their Parentage in their worshippyng and callyng vpon God in their Prophetes in Gods promises in the deédes and workes of holynes Furthermore whereas this Epistle was not written to the Iewes but to the Romaines what aunswere will Osorius make here Were the Romaines also instructed to the obseruation of those Ceremonies or did they rest so much vpon them that it behooued the Apostle of necessitie to forewarne them in his letters written vnto them But what better weapon shall I vse in this conflict agaynst Osorius then one taken out of his owne armory for thus he speaketh If the Apostle had first praysed the Iewes for their vertues and good deedes and afterwardes had sayd that those vertues and good deedes were of no valew towardes the purchasing of righteousnes and then at last had concluded that they could not haue bene Iustified through the workes of the lawe then the matter had bene cleare that Paule had not excluded the Ceremoniall law onely but the Morall law also frō righteousnes Marke well gentle Reader and note aduizedly what hee speaketh If Paul had first praysed the workes of the Iewes afterwardes had derogated Iustification from these workes c. Uery well and what if out of the same Nation I doe name some men whose singular integritie of lyfe and study of righteousnesse Paule could by no meanes reproue yea whose godly endeuour vpright dealyng procured them no droppe of righteousnes notwithstandyng what will this Sophister say then And first of all let vs behold the workes of that most holy Patriarche Abraham who for his inestimable godlynesse can neuer be condignely enough commended of any of vs. And yet will ye heare Osorius the testimonie of the Apostle touchyng the same Patriarche What shall we say sayth hee that our Father Abraham did finde accordyng to the flesh For if Abraham were Iustified through workes he hath wherein he may glory but not in the sight of God Rom. 4. What then did he not obteine of God to bee called righteous Yes veryly but let vs seé by what meanes not through workes sayth the Apostle but by the commendation of his fayth which onely maketh vs appeare worthy in the sight of God For Abraham beleued God and it was Imputed vnto him for righteousnesse It is manifest therefore that he was accoumpted righteous but by what meanes forsooth not simply nor in respect of his workes but by way of Imputation onely Now what soeuer commeth of Imputation proceédeth from meére mercy of him that Imputeth and is not geuen in reward after the proportion of duetie or of dette For no man Imputeth that to an other that is duely owyng vnto him Now let vs here the testimonies of the Scriptures cōcernyng that whiche was Imputed Not bycause hee did the thynges which he was commaunded albeit he did many thynges wonderfully well but bycause he beleued God this was sayd to be Imputed vnto him for righteousnesse And why was not righteousnesse imputed vnto him aswell in those respectes bycause he did sacrifice vnto God Bycause he forsooke his natiue countrey Bycause hee offred his onely sonne to be slayne Neither doth the Apostle ouerskippe or conceale those causes especially bycause that he which was the Parente of the Posteritie the same also should be the Authour of the doctrine For why this was written sayth Paule videl That it was Imputed vnto him for righteousnesse not for his sake onely but for vs also to whom it shall likewise bee Imputed that beleue in him which raysed our Lord Iesus from death to life c. Rome 4. And thus much concerning Abrahā who though alone may suffice in place of all others so that we neéde none other example yet let vs ioyne to this holy Patriarche as holy a Kyng Dauid with Abraham both beyng deare vnto God both equally endued with like excellent ornamētes of godlynesse and vertue Whereof the one as he had nothyng whereupon to glory before God so the other did so disclayme altogether from righteousnesse that he besought nothyng more carefully of God in his prayers Then that hee would not enter into Iudgement with his seruaunt And rendreth a Reason of his most earnest prayer Bycause all flesh shall not be Iustified in thy sight And what other thyng is meant by this then that which Paule affirmeth in the selfe same wordes almost That no man is Iustified by the workes of the law Goe to then And where are now those wonderfull fruites of workes Where is that glorious shewe of righteousnesse Finally where shall Osorius him selfe appeare with all his cleannes good disposition temperaunce of mynde singular humanitie lenitie patience chastitie vnfayned charitie and with that absolute huge Chaos of bountyfull vertues so vnseparably vnited and linked together as it were chayned fast with yron ropes When as Dauid so great a Kyng and Prophet a most choyse vessell accordyng to Gods owne hart dare not presume to offer him selfe to Iudgement when as Iob a man commended of God for his singlenesse of hart and approued holynesse beyng asked a question of God durst not aunswere one word It will not be Impertinēt to the matter if we speake somewhat here of Paule him selfe Whose conuersation whiche he led vnblameable beyng as yet a Pharisie Tertullus him selfe could not charge with any fault The same beyng afterwardes engraffed into Christ liued in that vprightenesse of conscience that Osorius cā not iustly reprehende him as worthy of crime And yet all those so great and so many ornaments of holynesse did so nothyng auayle him to righteousnesse that hee him selfe accompted them for drosse Wherefore consider here with me Christian Reader a good felowshyp how much difference is betwixt Osorius and Paule where as the same workes whiche Osorius doth with so glorious pompe of eloquēt wordes garnishe so gorgiously Paule in playne termes doth compare thē to durtie drosse and filthy dounge whereby he may be found in Christ not to haue any his owne righteousnesse by the operatiō of the law but that onely righteousnesse grounded vpon fayth which is through the fayth of Christ. c. Cornelius of whom mention is made in the Actes of the Apostles was a holy man and feared God together which his whole houshold dealyng much almes to the poore and makyng continuall intercessions to almighty God This was a great and glorious commendation truely of excellent godlynesse which no sensible mā would say ought to be referred to the Ceremoniall law but to the Morall law rather And yet the selfe same Cornelius beyng neuer so notable for his commendable bertues vnlesse by the aduertizement of the Aungell had sent for Peter
no wise of the Morall law Ueryly I would not much sticke with you herein good sir if accordyng to your Logicke it may be lawfull to deriue a conclusion from the part to the whole But what kynde of Argument is this or who instructed you to frame an Argument in this sorte In some places Osorius sporteth bitterly enough vsing his Rhetoricall digressioÌ„s and is sometymes very pleasauntly disposed to play with Haddones Schoolemaister his nose who soeuer hee were that enformed him in the principles of Rhetoricke when hee was young but how much more iust cause might I take here if a man would vse the offered occasioÌ„ to geue the counter scoffe agaynst your own Maister quareller whosoeuer he was whiche nooseled your youth in Logicke and taught you so foolishly and senselesly to make bald ArgumeÌ„ts and to fetche a Conclusion from an vnsufficient numbryng of partes to affirme the whole For this is your disordered order of arguyng in this place Paule once or twise or perhaps speakyng oftentymes of the law hath relation to the Ceremoniall law Ergo wheresoeuer hee maketh any discourse about the law of God there his meanyng tendeth to the same construction eueÌ„ through his whole discourse and in all his Epistles Nay rather if you did vnderstand Paule throughly and would not crookedly wrest his meanyng after your owne grosse sensualitie Ye should easily perceaue that by way of Negatiue hee doth orderly proceéde after the surest maner of arguyng from the whole to the partes and from the vniuersall to the particular For if the vniuersall proposition may iustly be denyed it followeth of necessitie that the particular propositioÌ„s may not be admitted As where he doth say No workes at all of the law do Iustifie ye may duely conclude hereof Ergo neither the Ceremoniall Morall Naturall Politicke Ciuill nor any other law doth worke Iustification And marke here Osorius how much I doe beare with you when as I doe cut of so much of myne owne right vnto you whiche you could neuer bee able by Argument to wynne at my handes For to admit the foundation of your Argument which is otherwise altogether false we will yet for this present tyme graunt it to seéme true as you would your selfe it should bee that when Paule doth reason of the law he doth chiefly meane thereby the Ceremoniall law Yet what a monstruous Argument is this whereby ye trauaile to coÌ„firme the affirmation of one part by the nagation of the other part in this wise Paule doth deny that the Ceremoniall law doth Iustifie the Iewes Ergo the Morall lawe doth Iustifie them Nay rather how much more soundly should you haue reasoned turning your coÌ„clusion backward If the Ceremoniall law which was the principall substauÌ„ce of Moyses law doe not Iustifie Ergo neither any other part of the law doth Iustifie Albeit I will not deny but that in the very swathlyng cloutes of the primitiue Church many doubts arose amongest the Disciples them selues touchyng the reteinyng of Moyses Ceremonies in so much that Peter him selfe durst not be so bold as to receaue Cornelius the Captaine into the felowshyp of the Gospell before he was coÌ„maunded by the heauenly Oracle Neither could the strife about the Ceremoniall law be yet so appeased amongest the brethreÌ„ for the false Apostles and such as were of the Circumcision did stiffely as it were with tooth and nayle defende the obseruaunces of the Ceremoniall law neither would geue their consent that the Gentiles should be receaued into the coÌ„gregation vnlesse they would be Circumcized after Moyses law and endeuoured all that they could to charge the Christians with the yoke of the Ceremoniall law Vntill in a Counsell holden at Ierusalem the holy Ghost did determine that the Gentiles should not be charged with any Iudaicall Traditions except a very fewe onely And it is not to be doubted as Osorius doth say that Paule had much adoe in euery place about this Ceremoniall law yea and dealt ofteÌ„tymes therein not without manifest perill of lyfe Yet all this whiles appeared not so much as one sparckle of dissention or doubtfulnesse nor any one question was raysed amongest the brethren agaynst the Morall law the keépyng whereof was yet adiudged most necessary The controuersie remayned as yet about the Ceremonies customes of Moyses law At the last when this question was decided further enquirie began to be made afterwardes of that part of the law which seémed to challenge chief authoritie and especiall gouernement ouer the consciences of men And euen here through the inestimable benefite of GOD sprang vp vnto vs S. Paule Who first of all did call backe the controuersie of this question from the speciall or particular to the generall or vniuersall disputing not onely of the outward Ceremonies but of the whole doctrine of the Morall law also Whereunto I suppose hee was moued not without great cause For he had an incklyng surely that the very same thyng would ensue thereof which afterwardes came to passe That the Ceremoniall law beyng once made altogether vneffectuall many persons would wrongfully ascribe their freé Iustification purchased with the bloud of Iesus Christ to the workes of the Morall law which thyng as Paule did foreseé in the false Apostles the selfe same wee may easily perceaue now to happen in our Pharisaicall Rabbynes in these our dayes and amongest all other in this our Osorius chiefly at this present wherfore it is not to be doubted but that S. Paule was raysed vp by the speciall prouidence of God euen for this purpose who discoursing throughly vpon the whole law and vpon the effect vse office and end of the law doth fully describe vnto vs how much we ought to attribute to our workes and how much we ought to yelde to the grace of God herein discouereth the very well-sprynges of sounde doctrine finally declareth vnto vs whiche is the false and which is the true righteousnesse in the sight of God and wherein the same doth consist Likewise whereunto it ought not be referred Not to workes sayth he for no man liuyng shal be Iustified by workes Well then if not by workes how then Through Fayth sayth he in Iesu Christ. Yet is not this all that he speaketh But adding thereunto a proofe he yeldeth this reason Bycause if through workes sayth he then is it not now of promise After this maner teacheth Paule both learnedly and playnly But our Osorius practizeth to wype away this negatiue proposition of Paule with a trimme shift as though Paule in all those places where he dischargeth workes from Iustification did meane nothyng els but that no man should repose trust of assured sauetie in the Ceremoniall law onely Uery well then is it reason that he teach vs whereupon we should grounde our Affâ—aunce Veryly in Fayth sayth the Apostle Paule and so in Fayth that if in workes then not in Fayth at all This is truely spoken by the Apostle But
Onely Now chuse you therfore one of these two whiche ye will whether we shall adiudge Chrisostome a Lutheran bycause he trusteth to Fayth Onely or your selfe an execrable Iewe which set your Confidence vpon workes Agayne the same Chrisostome in other place makyng a Commentary vpon the Epistle to the Ephes. vseth the selfe same exclusiue word By Fayth onely sayth hee shall Christ saue the offendours of the law And bycause ye shall know his meanyng perfitely not the offendours of the ceremoniall law but of the same law namely which was endited by the finger of God in the most sacred Tables conteinyng the tenne Commaundementes Adde also hereunto the saying of the same Doctour in his fourth Homely vpon the Epistle to Timothe What thyng is so hard to beleue as that such which are enemies and sinners not Iustified by the law nor the workes of the law obteined forthwith to be placed in the chiefest dignitie of merite through Faith Onely c. We haue recited a litle before the wordes of Basile vpon the Sermon De Humilit so that it neédeth no further rehearsall where in expresse speach excludyng from maÌ„ the glory of his own righteousnes he doth testifie that we are euery of vs Iustified by fayth onely in Christ Iesu. I might cite his owne wordes agayne vpon the 32. Psalme as effectuall as the rest where he describyng a perfect man doth describe him to be not such a one as trusteth to his own good deédes but such a one as reposeth all his whole confidence in the onely mercy of God In like maner also Theophilact Now doth the Apostle sayth he declare euidently that very Fayth Onely is of power to Iustifie And by any by he citeth the Prophet Abacuc as most credible witnesse thereof Briefly what shall we thinke that those auncient Fathers of the purer age and primitiue Churche dyd determine therof Whenas Thomas Aquinas him selfe chief champion of this Sinagogue of Schoolemen being otherwise in many thynges a very wrongfull and false interpretour Yet vanguished herein with the manifest truth was enforced no lenger to dissemble in this questioÌ„ of Fayth Onely For in his thyrd lesson vpon the first Epistle to Timothe the 3. Chap. disputyng of the law and concludyng at length that the wordes of Paule did not apperteine to the ceremoniall law but vnto the Morall law There is not sayth he any hope of IustificatioÌ„ but in Faith Onely and arguyng agaynst Osorius of set purpose as it were he citeth to this effect the testimonie of S. Paule We suppose sayth the Apostle that man is Iustified by Fayth without the workes of the law Rom. 3. I am not yet come to this pointâ— to discusse how true this doctrine of Luther is touchyng Iustification by Fayth Onely But whether this doctrine was erected first by Luther And I trust I haue sufficieÌ„tly proued that it began euen from the first age of the primitiue Church and in the very dawnyng of the Gospell and hath bene so deliuered ouer from the most auncient writers and continued vnshaken euen vntill our age so that no man neédeth hereafter to geue credite to Osorius makyng so shamelesse a lye vpon this doctrine of Fayth Onely Iustifieng And this much hetherto concernyng Luther I come now to that point wherein Osor. did likewise shamefull belye Paule And what doe I heare now Osorius Doth Paule as you say so promise the inheritaunce of the heaueÌ„ly kyngdome to them which worke good deedes and not to them also whiche rest vpon fayth onely That is to say Which haue reposed all their affiaunce in Iesu Christ onely How shall we conceaue this where finde you this and how doe ye enduce vs to beleue this out of the Epistle as I thinke to the VtopeÌ„ses Looke there Reader at thy bestleysure for Osorius was at good leysure to lye but had no tyme at all to confirme his lye But he alledgeth somewhat I suppose out of the Epistle to the Gallat 5. Chapt. That is to say that the Apostle doth threaten vtter banishement from the kyngdome of God to the wicked and haynous sinners which yeld them selues ouer wholy to all filthynesse of sinne This truely is a true saying of the Apostle Who denyeth it But what doth Osorius in the meane space gather hereof Forsooth bycause the horrible wickednesse of men doth exclude those persons from the kyngdome of God which are endued with a false fayth onely or none at all rather hereof doth he conclude his Argument by opposition of contraryes That life euerlastyng is promised to the good and vertuous workes of men O clownishe Coridon But we are taught by the rules of Logicke that if a man will frame a good Argument of coÌ„traries hee must bee first well aduised that those propositions which are appointed for contraries must dissent and disagreé eche from other by equall and proportionable degreés Wherby it is cleare that this is not a good consequent The silthy lyfe of the wicked doth exclude men from the inheritaunce of euerlastyng habitations Ergo the honest and vpright lyfe doth obteine euerlastyng habitations And why is this no good Argument bycause the propositions â—oe not agreé together in proportionable qualitie The offences that are committed by vs are of their own nature of all partes vnperfect euill purchase to them selues most iust daÌ„natioÌ„ But on the contrary part our good and verâ—uous deédes yea beyng most perfectly accoÌ„plished by vs want yet alwayes somethyng to absolute perfection and of their owne nature are such as rather stand in neéde of the mercy of God then may deserue any prayse in the sight of men To the same ende spake Bernarde very fittely Our righteousnesse is nothyng els then the indulgence of God But here commes yet an other place of S. Paule out of the whiche this wylde wiffler may rushe vpon vs with his leaden dagger not altogether so blunte and rustye herhaps The wordes of the Apostle a Gods name in the second to the Romaines Not the hearers of the law onely but they that performe the law in their lyfe and conuersation shal be accompted righteous before the IudgemeÌ„t seat of God c. To auÌ„swere briefly I will gladly allow that which this enemy to Paule doth obiect out of Paule so that hee will not in like maner refuse the the whole discourse of the Apostle and ioyne the first with the last For the whole Argument of the Apostle in those iij. Chap. is concluded in this one Sillogisme All men shal be rewarded with the coÌ„mendatioÌ„ of true righteousnesse God him selfe witnessing the same whosoeuer be able with their owne workes to accomplish the whole law published in the tenne Tables and commaunded by God to be kept absolutely as the law requireth But there is no liuyng creature whether he be a Iewe and is ruled by the law of the tenne Tables or a Gentile and lyueth after the law of nature
142. Osori ExpositioÌ„ vpoÌ„ the Epistle of S. Paule to the Romaines Pag. 142. Wherin the sauetie of a Christian consisteth accordyng to Osorius Pag. 142. Phil. 3. The true vnderstaÌ„dyng of iustification accordyng to S. Paule Rom. 7. Rom. 4. Rom. 3. Ephes. 2. Pag. 143. Deut. 4. 5. Rom. 2. A double obseruation of the law Deut. 27. Gallat 3. Iames. 2. Galat. 3. Wherefore the law iustifieth not What workes doe signifie by Paule Rom. 4. 5.2 3.7.9.13 The righteousnesse of the Iewes Pag. 143. The fayth and righteousnesse of Abraham Rom. 4. Gene. 15. Rom. 4. The fayth and righteousnesse of Dauid Psal. 142. The righteousnesse of Iob. The fayth and righteousnesse of Paule Phil. 3. The fayth and righteousnesse of Cornelius before god The riche young man in the Gospell The Pharisie praying in the temple Nathaniell the true Israelite The scope of Paules disputation to the Romaines Workes of the Ceremoniall and Morall law both are excluded froÌ„ IustificatioÌ„ Osori doth take the workes excluded froÌ„ Iustification for the Ceremonies of the law Pag. 142. â— 140. â— Fayth hath no place almost with Osorius Pag. 143. Osori obiection confuted Osori doth erre in the rules of Logicke Osori Paralogisme from the insufficient enumeration of partes The Ceremonies of the law very hardly abrogated in the primitiue church Actes 15. The morall law abrogated not in respect of the vse but in respect of IustificatioÌ„ Psal. 142. Galat. 3. Rom. 4. Osori Iudgement of IustificatioÌ„ The fruite of good workes betwixt the Papistes Protestates to be wayed indifferently The markes of true righteousnesse among the Papistes An exhortatioÌ„ to the Readers The prayse of Cicero and other auÌ„cieÌ„t Philosophers discoursing vpoÌ„ vertue The difference betwene Morall and Christian Philosophy The end of Christian Philosophie Whom Osorius doth chiefly imitate Vertue to be embraced of all men True innocencie in mankynde loste long sithence Osor. obiection coÌ„futed By what meanes we doe recouer true innocencie Psal. 31. How the grace of God doth geue righteousnes to men Bern. in Sermo 23. super Cant. Basil. in Psal. 32. Orig. ad Rom. Lib. 9. Cap. 12. Aug. Epi. 105. Ad Sixtum BauÌ„l in Psal. 32. Aug. de Ciuit Lib. 19. Cap. 27. Aug. Retra Lib. 1 Cap. 19. Ierome Our saluation consisteth not in our owne righteousnesse but in the free mercy of God Iob. Euen the most perfect workes of men of no valew with God Paule Dauid August in Psal. 94. Ier. in Esay Cap. 64. Luther defended agaynst Osorius Osori pag. 141. Cicer. Tuscul Lib. 3. Osori accuseth Luther to be an Epicurean Pag. 141. How absurdely Osorius doth coÌ„pare Luther with Epicurus Osorius Rom. 3. Luther falsely accused to bee the Authour of wicked boldnesse The opinioÌ„ of SchoolemeÌ„ and Papistes touchyng the waye of righteousnes is false wicked Hosius Osorius Rosfenfiâ— against Luther Congruum CoÌ„dignum Conueniencie and worthynes Pag. 141. â— â— Thess. 5. Osori ibid. Oâ—or cauill agaynst the Lutherans workes A threefold lye of Osorius Disablyng of workes DesperatioÌ„ ConfideÌ„ce After what maner Luther teacheth Confidence and DesperatioÌ„ and how not Pag. 141. marg The marke of Osorius accusation coÌ„sidered Pag. 145. Two lyes vttered by Osorius Onely faith doth Iustâ—tie The testimonies of most auncient writers touchyng Onely Fayth An Argument from the propositioÌ„ exponent to the exclusiue The vocable Onely Ambr. in 1. Cor. 1. Chrisost. in Epist. Paul ad Galat. Cap. 3. Chrisosto Homel 4. in Timoth. Basil. in Homel De Humilit Basil. in Psal. 32. Theophil in Epist. ad Rom. Cap. 3. Thom. Aquin in 1. Tim. 1. Lect. 3. Rom. 3. Pag. 145. Osori his Obiection framed out of the Epistle to the Galat. Cap. 5. The Aunswere Bernarde Rom. 2. The summe of Paules disputation compreheÌ„ded in one Syllogisme Gallat 3. Rom. 4. Galat. 2. Right of inheritauÌ„ce is not promised to workes as Paul affirmeth Osori takeÌ„ tardy That is â—o say a scourger Fallacia a dicto secunduÌ„ quid ad Simpliciter Fallacia a non Causa vt Causa Fayth doth iustifie both the persons and the workes Pag. 141. 146. A double lye made by Osorius Pag. 146. Workes are not examined a part by theÌ„ selues in gods IudgemeÌ„t Tit. 3. Collos. 2. Rom. 3. Dauid terrified with the terrour of the law Pag. 146. Osor. obiection in the behalfe of righteousnes by workes agaynst righteousnes of faith Rom. 2. 2. Cor. 5. Iohn 5. Pag. 146. Collos. 3. Iohn 11. The Obiection coÌ„futed Fallacia a noÌ„ causa vt causa The words of Christ expounded The person accepted not for the workes sake but the workes for the persons sake An Obiection The Aunswere * Pag. 146. The words of Christ not wel vnderstoode but crookedly wrested by Osorius Osor. fallax a Concreto ad Abstractum Mercy forgeueth our ill deedes Imputation acknowledgeth our well doynges for good An other ObiectioÌ„ of Osorius In what wise Osori doth ascribe SaluatioÌ„ of Gods mercy Hosius August de temp 49. August de Spirit Liter Cap. 33. Basil. in Psal. 32. Ephes. 1. In what thyng our redemption chiefly consisteth Remission Bernard Serm. 23. in Cant. August in prima quinquagena in Prolog Psal. 31. ImputatioÌ„ The defeéco of mercy doth not abolish Iustice Ill workes whom they do condeÌ„ne and whom not Iohn 3. How christ is called a Iudge how a Redemer Luce. 21. Iohn 5. Luke 22. 1. Cor. 1. Gods iudgement two fold according to August De Consens Euang Lib. 2. Cap. 30. The Innocencie of Christ is the righteousnesse of Christians Gods Imputation in respect of Christ and in respect of vs. Of the reckonyng to be made in the last Iudgement The diuersitie of theÌ„ which shal reÌ„der an accompt is distinguished In Osorius writynges order wanteth and in distinguishyng thinges Methode Accordyng to workes For the works sake Osori doth deny that good works to followe Luthers fayth Pag. 146. What maner of workes doe follow Osori fayth Pag. 146. Luthers fayth yeldeth no good workes accordyng to Osorius Pag. 146. Ibidem The fayth and workes of Osorius A shewe of Osorius fayth Iohn 6. Iohn 1. 3. Math. 9. Math. 8. Mar. 5. A comparison betwixt the fayth of Osorius and Luthers Fayth The righteousnesse of sayth accordyng to the Scriptures Osori doth neuer name in his booke this worde ImputatioÌ„ A playne demonstration that Osori geueth small credite to the wordes of Christ. 2. Thess. 2. Apoc. 13. Pag. 146. Osori doth discusse the sayth of Luther Note here the cauill of Osorius The doctrine of Luther touchyng good workes Rom. 14. Aug. in prima quinqua gena ex Prologo Psal. 31. August Workes are not in any other respect accoÌ„pted for good in the sight of god then in respect of Christ thorough faith Good workes are Iustified by fayth Pag. 146. The Argument recoyleth backe vpon Osor. him selfe Pag. 146. Pag. 147. Osori Argument faultie in the forme A twosold kyngdome of Sinne. Rom. 6. The substaunce of the Argument is discussed Iob Esay Dauid Daniell
doctrine with so great sharpenesse and force of witte and vnderstandyng or haue euer descried the sence therof so effectually and discouered it so aboundauntly Why doe we not triumphauntly reioyce in this happynesse of learnyng in this blessed estate of the Catholicke people this our age be ioyfull for the good successe of that notable Realme of Portingall especially Which beyng otherwise renowmed for the great treasure of their trade in Marchādizes is yet become most fortunate in respect of this inestimable Iewell of the world which except in this great darkenesse of vnderstandyng had gratified vs with this wonderfull Deuine who might restore vnto lyfe all pietie Religiō suppressed by Luther who could with such singularitie expresse the meanyng of Paule beyng sinisterly corrupted after the sensualitie of naughtie packes and could so exquisitely haue hitte the nayle on the head all men might iustly haue doubted lest Diuinity should haue growē into great perill of vtter vndoing haue bene throwē into an vnrecouerable downfall For what mā in the world would haue interpreted Paules Epistle in this wise if he had not heard this mā before Truely I for my part and others like vnto me beyng not inspired with so profoūde deépe capacity did alwayes heretofore conceaue of the matter after this maner That the Apostles whole endeuour and trauaile in that Epistle tēded to none other end then by makyng men behold the greatnesse of Gods wrath first agaynst sinne hee might the better enduce them to perceaue and feéle how all nations and people aswell Heathenishe as the Iewes also them selues chiefly continuyng in the profession of Gods law were yet concluded vnder sinne and so might dispoyle them all of all matter to glorye vpon and so hauyng humbled and brought them into subiection before God might rayse agayne their comfort in Christ by denouncyng vnto them firme assured hope wherewith who soeuer did as then or would beleue in him afterwardes should obteine euerlastyng lyfe not through the merite of any worke but by the especiall grift of the freé promise not for our worthynesse but for our faythe 's sake simply without workes that the promise might be infallible not through any our merite which is none at all but by the mercy of God not accordyng to the proportion of that singular righteousnesse whiche is of our selues and peculiar to euery of vs but accordyng to that righteousnesse whiche is through the fayth of Christ Iesu whiche is of God euen that onely righteousnesse which is through fayth I haue bene alwayes hetherto persuaded that this was the very naturall meanyng and sence of Paules doctrine and this the right rule of Iustification neither could I euer gesse that when Paule pronounceth vs to bee Iustified by fayth without deédes of the law that part of the law was excluded onely which did treate of Ceremonies and had relation to the body and apperteined not to the soule But I accordyng to my grosse dulnesse rather did conceaue of his saying in this wise and not I alone but many other good men iarryng alwayes vppon the same stryng mistooke the note as I did and were of opinion that Paule by that his exemption did not exclude the Ceremoniall and shadowishe law onely which serued the letter onely but that most absolute and perfect part of the law also indifferently whereof he maketh his whole discourse in that Epistle the whiche also he doth note by name to be spirituall and sayth that it procureth wrath which was common to the Iewes and Gentiles all alyke Euen the same part of the law whiche commaundeth that thou shalt not lust by examination whereof Sinne is discerned Finally the same handwrityng conteyned in the tenne Tables written agaynst vs which was fastened vpon the Crosse of Christ. Bycause all those sayinges could not bee referred to the Ceremoniall law but to that part of the law whiche was conteyned in the preceptes of maners we could neuer otherwise interprete the sense meanyng of the Apostle then by such comparison of his owne wordes together vntill this new Doctour had published to the world this new light of Exposition Cōsideryng therfore the matter is in this plight It remayneth now gentle Reader that I appeale to thy Iudgement and abyde thy verdite herein whether it may seéme to theé that Luther haue wrested the mynde and wordes of the Apostle after his lust or Osorius rather haue peruerted the same to his owne folly But goe to I thinke good now to note the Argumentes wherewith Osorius iudgeth him selfe to be strongly fenced If Paule sayth he had sayd that the Iewes were commēdable for their integritie and innocencie of lyfe and yet that those deedes of godlynes did nothyng auayle them to attayne righteousnesse and so had concluded afterwardes that they were not iustified through the workes of the law the matter would then haue opened it selfe that by the name of workes he did meane the best actions and dueties of vertue Here is a strong foundation enough I suppose of an infallible Sillogisme deliuered vnto you attende now the other proposition of the same But this sayth hee is not founde in that whole discourse of Paule nay rather hee doth condemne them as guiltie of all wickednesse and crueltie This groundworke beyng this layd it remayneth that we rāme fast this buildyng vp with some good morter which in the maner of a conclusion is applyed in this wise Therfore Paule doth rightly conclude that where he affirmeth no man to be iustified through the deedes of the law he meaneth that the Ceremonies shadowes and Cleansinges of the law which consisted in outward obseruation dyd nothyng at all profite to the attaynemēt of Righteousnesse O passing pearcyng witte of Chrysippus O miserable Luther vtterly ouerthrowen with this Argument But goe to let vs ayde Luther somewhat and helpe to vnloose this Gordian knotte if it bee possible And although we may vtterly deny the forme of this Argument at the first choppe bycause it conteineth more in the cōclusion then was spoken of in the premisses yet either pardonyng or wynking at this escape Let vs examine the substaunce of the first proposition If Paule quoth he had perceaued the life of the Iewes to haue bene vndefiled and all the endeuoures and workes of their lyfe sincere and perfect and then had concluded that no man had bene Iustified by the workes of the law c. In deéde good Syr I confesse the same to bee true If the Apostle had perceaued this at the first and then had added that also that you speake it might happely then in some respect haue followed as you haue conclucluded But it could not bee possible Osorius that the Apostle would euer speake after that sorte For it is euident by Gods Scripture that it is impossible but that he which performeth the Commaundementes shall liue by them Wherfore if their conuersation had bene voyde of all blame and with like integritie
which might haue endued him with the fayth of Christ what profite had he gotten towardes the attaynement of righteousnesse by all those helpes and aydes of pitie What shal be sayd of the riche yoūg man in the Gospell who beyng commaunded to keépe the cōmaundementes made aunswere that hee had obserued the same all the dayes of his lyfe What shall I recite the example of the Pharisaé prayeng in the Temple who vauntyng him selfe proudly vppon trust of his workes gaue thankes to God that he was not as others were that he lyued not of the spoyle did not fraudulently deceaue any man by contractes nor prodigally cōsume his owne goodes nor defile his neighbours wife committed not adultery was not murtherer or wrong doer to his neighbours neither was of that sorte like vnto the Publicane but fasted twise in the Sabboth gaue the tenth of his goodes to the poore c. What neéde I to produce Nathanaell whom Christ him selfe did both acknowledge to be a true Israelite and praysed him for his vnfained simplicitie Do ye not perceiue that these persons besides their duetyfull obseruaunce of the Ceremoniall law did in vtter shewe expresse a certeine resemblaunce of good workes and studious endeuour in the Morall law all which notwithstandyng they were not the valewe of one myte more regarded in the sight of God Albeit I do not alledge these things to the end I would extenuate the fault of the Iewes whom S. Paule affirmeth to be inexcusable But Osorius doth not seé the groūde of Paules accusation agaynst them First of all the Apostle did very well forseé that the law of God is of all partes most perfect and that it requireth an exquisite full and absolute obediēce to the same which as he conceaued could not possibly be performed by any industry of mā Neither was he ignoraunt of the vnmeasurable and arrogaunt pride of that Nation lynked with lyke vanitie which beyng by a wonderfull farre way distant from the meane obseruation of the law did yet swell and were puft vp with a most false glaueryng conceite of their owne excellency and perfection as though they had left no part therof vndone persuadyng vnto thēselues saluation thereby wherein they had much rather deserued vtter destruction And so did incurre double offence First bycause they did sundry wayes horribly dishonour and defile Gods most sacred law Then as though it were not materiall that they had not perfitely accomplished the whole law a man might iustly marueile how wonderfully they flattered them selues and as though they had trimmely behaued them selues at all assayes seemed in their owne conceite to bee prety holy men despising with a certeine Pharisaicall hautines all other Nations besides them selues Wherfore the Apostle indifferētly tenderyng the miserable errour of eche Nation aswell Gentiles as Iewes doth earnestly debate threé thynges chiefly in that place First that he might conuince the Iewes as also the Gentiles indifferently that they were sinners before God Then that he might remoue from them all false opinion of Affiance Lastly that hee might emprinte into them the true way of Confidence And in this last purpose of the Apostle Osorius doth openly bewray his blockishe ignoraunce swaruyng and varyeng altogether from the entent of the Apostle For although his Iudgement bee sounde and agreable with the Apostle in this that the trust whiche the Iewes reposed in the law of Moyses was no lesse vayne and voyde of reason then the Confidence of the Gentiles who framed their life after the law of nature yet when question is moued touchyng the assignyng of true righteousnesse Paule will teache one thyng but Osorius an other For whereas Paule doth bende the whole force of his disputation to this onely marke that excludyng all other deédes workes and endeuours whether they apperteine to the Ceremoniall or Morall law or to the rule and doctrine of maners hee might referre the summe of our Iustification and hope of Saluation wholy and onely in the fayth of the sonne of God What other thyng els doth this Ciceronian Tertullus discourse in those bookes entituled ` De Iustitia Wherein he playeth so much the Philosopher as though he were in the Schoole of Morall Philosophie what els doth he breath practize and and so greédely mainteine then to persuade vs that wheresoeuer S. Paule doth exclude workes from Iustification he doth exempt nothyng els but the Ceremoniall law And so for conclusion that true righteousnesse is not that righteousnesse in the sight of God whiche Christ doth Impute to the beleuers through fayth but that righteousnesse which euery man doth properly procure and make peculiar to him selfe through his owne vertue sinceritie innocencie and good conuersation Offryng the combate pardy to Paule whether in this quarell of Iustification S. Paule shall with more probable Arguments exclude Confidence from workes or Osorius driue fayth into vtter exile vnto the which fayth in all his bookes he leaueth no maner of place truly yeldeth very litle credite thereunto Neither is it any maruell For if the matter be as Osorius doth reporte That we ought to be iuste before God and not Iustified before God And if righteousnesse onely doe procure the fauour of God and Reconcile God to mākind wherein onely we ought to settle all our sauety and worthines And if no man an be righteous but hee that keepeth the lawe That is to say if the iuste mā shall now liue but by workes and not by Fayth Iudge I beseéche theé gentle Reader redeémed with the bloud of Iesus Christ of what efficacie either Christes bloud shed for theé may be or of what estimation thy fayth towardes Christ must be Truly by this meanes Osorius with his glorious eloquence may aswell plucke downe Christ out of heauen banish Fayth out of the earth snatche Paule out of our handes roote the Gospell out of our hartes and all comfortable consolation from our consciences Finally despoyle the world of the light of the Sunne that we may all together lumper and groape in darkenesse after this blynde guide and Capteine of darkenesse But here are one or two places of Paule obiected agaynst Paule him selfe whereby Osorius may the better mainteine his challenge agaynst Paule with Paules owne weapons What had not Paule sayth he a most sharpe cōflict with the Iewes alwayes touchyng the Ceremonies What hereof thē Doth he not in his Epistle to the Galathians protest in this wise If ye be Circumcised Christ doth nothyng profite you I confesse this to bee true In lyke maner writyng to the Hebrues doth he not say that the lawe doth auayle nothyng to perfection meanyng the Ceremoniall law Conclude at the length therfore Osorius in despight of Logicke though she be neuer so angry Ergo wheresoeuer Paule doth make mētion of abandonyng the law in the treatie of our Saluatiō there we must of necessitie interprete the same to be spokē onely of the Ceremoniall law and in
euill and peruerse disposed persons Yet such is the maner of of Osorius disputation as though no man could be founde that would amende his life or embrace godlynes at the preachyngs of the Gospell And as though nothyng ensued therof els but vnbrideled licentiousnesse and outragious boldnesse to rushe and range headlong into all vnpunishable libertie and lust the decay and ouerthrowe of all vertue the subuersion and drownyng of all godly discipline finally the very sinke and receptacle of all abhomination whiche as is most falsely belyed vpon him so I can not yet gesse to what end it is alledged vnlesse he meane thereby to persuade vs to abandone and banish the preachyng of the freé mercy of the Gospell and so to slide backe agayne to old Iewishnesse with the Scribes and Phariseés and that in steéde of Christ Paule Moyses may rule ouer our consciences agayne Cicero may be preached in our Churches Truely this is the marke that Osorius or rather in Osorius the auncient enemy of mankyng seémeth to shoot at who hauyng now spent all his shot and pouder vnable at the last to enfeéble or resiste the glory of Christ any longer practizeth by subtill engynes of crafty lyeng and slaunderous cauillations to vndermyne and batter his doctrine and to bryng this deuise to passe findeth none so fitte an instrument as Osorius chief champion of his garde I haue now set out vnto theé gentle Reader the substaūce of Osorius Diuinitie the grauitie of his doctrine and the forme of his accusation Whereby thou mayest perceaue the poysoned fistula whereof he would empeache Luther For this is his practize to enduce men to beleue that Luther doth teach extreme Desperation boldnesse to sinne and contempt of good workes Now remaineth to discusse by the sequele of his discourse what force of Argumentes and sleight of deuise he is furnished withall to mainteine his challenge And therefore Paule doth not in any wise promise inheritaunce of the kyngdome of heauen to those persons who rest them selues vpon the onely fayth of Luther but vnto them which do exercize them selues in good workes and do direct all their labour and trauaile to set forth the glory of Christ through the whole course of their lyfe c. In one sentence two euident lyes the one imagined agaynst Luther the other deuilishly deuised agaynst S. Paule First of all wheras hee burtheneth Luther to be the founder of this doctrine of Onely Fayth it is as false as there is no truth in Osori mouth In deéde Luther wrate much touchyng Fayth onely but neither he alone nor he the first nor taught he other doctrine then many famous Doctours of aūcient antiquitie did teache besides him Who did not onely excell him farre in learnyng but lyued many hundred yeares before he was borne And namely amongest all other S. Paule who through all his whole Epistles doth with a wonderfull vehemencie harpe as it were alwayes vpō this one string That true righteousnes cōmeth to no man by the law nor by the workes of the law but through the fayth of Christ freely without workes and so without workes as it hath often bene spoken before that if any mā will take hold of workes he is excludeth forthwith from Fayth But Osorius will say That no mention is made any where in S. Paule of this exclusiue word Onely Whereupon these Lutherans doe stand so much In Letters perhaps as you say Osorius or in sillables But why prye we after sillables when we hold the substaunce of the worde or to what purpose striue we about wordes when we are assured of the matter First of all I suppose no man will deny but that Paule doth denounce men to be Iustified by fayth Now hee that doth tye righteousnesse so fast to fayth that he vtterly abandoneth the law and all the workes of the law from Iustification what doth he meane els thereby though he professe it not in bare wordes then that fayth is the chief yea and onely foundation and builder of Iustification vsing herein the very same rule that Logicians doe vse in their Schooles framyng a sounde probable Argument from the proposition Exponent to the Exclusiue Euen as if a man disputyng with you would proue by Argument That Christ is the knowen and assured head of the Churche would argue thus that besides Christ is none other head of the whole Church vpon earth I beseéch you Syr what meaneth he elles that argueth so then that Christ onely ought to be acknowledged the head of the whole Church If it be so that this word Onely seéme so haynous to you and others of your fraternitie that it may not be admitted as in any respect tolerable yet can ye not accuse Luther for the same but you must withall endite guiltie of the same crime the best and most approued Doctours and interpretours of elder age who to expresse the meanyng of the Apostles doctrine more liuely haue not onely accustomed them selues sundry tymes to this word Onely in their Commentaries but also deliuered the same to the posteritie to be vsually frequented so that Luther now shal be founde to coyne no new thyng herein but rather make report of the studious carefulnesse and carefull trauaile of the auncient Father in this behalfe And first of all we will begyn with Ambrose vnto whom I pray you geue eare what he writeth herein who as it were one of the same number whō Osorius doth reproch to be wholy bent to this doctrine of Luther many hundred yeares before the name of Luther was knowen hath written in this maner God hath decreéd from eternitie sayth hee that the beleuyng man shal be Iustified by Fayth Onely Whereby appeareth that this word Onely came not first from Luther but from Ambrose rather But bycause the truth shall not want substaunciall witnesse and authoritie worthy the same witnesses we will adioyne to Ambrose the like testimony of Ierome whose wordes if may obteyne any credite with Osorius will be of such force efficacie for our present purpose as that they will seéme to haue bene written for none other entent then to cōuince this Iewish opinion of Osorius And these are his wordes The Iewes sayth he did affirme that he which trusted to Fayth Onely was to bee abhorred But Paule on the contrary part doth auerre that whosoeuer trusteth in Fayth Onely is blessed c. I beseéche you tell me for your Myters sake what can be spoken agaynst you more substaūcially Let vs now conferre your saying with Chrisostome You do adhorre them as Lutherans which doe rest them selues vpon Fayth Onely bycause Paule doth promise the kyngdome of heauen as you say to them that worke good deédes on the contrary part Chrisostome doth note them for Iewes especially and accompteth them execrable which deny that men ought to trust to fayth vsing this reason bycause Paule sayth hee doth professe those men blessed that trust to Fayth
that is able to accomplishe the law as he ought to do Ergo No man linyng is able to attaine the true commendatiō of his righteousnes but in respect of his workes is of necessitie subiect to the Iudgement and curse of God In this Argument doth the whole force pithe of Paules disputatiō cōsiste if I be not deceaued In the Maior first proposition whereof he setteth down before vs the seueritie of Gods Iudgement In the Minor or second proposition he condemneth all men generally as guilty of sinne By the conclusion he allureth and as it were driueth all men to Christ necessaryly By this Argument you may playnely perceaue vnlesse you wil be wilfully blind like a want how you haue piked out not one scrappe so much of all that you haue hitherto raked together to salue the credite of your cause Finally to make shorte with you I referre you to note marke examine and search out all whatsoeuer the Churche doth acknowledge of the sayd Apostles Letters Epistles yea all his sentences Ye shall finde in them all so nothing agreable to this your Assertiō That Paule should attribute righteousnes to workes or promise be meanes therof possession of euerlastyng inheritaunce as that his whole bent and endeuour may seéme to bee in no one thyng els so earnest as in this wherein he trauaileth earnestly to persuade that the promise of God poureth out vpō all them that beleue in Iesu Christ most plentyfull and assured freédome yea such a freédome as is clearely deliuered from all entanglyng of workes So that the same Apostle doth inferre his conclusion on this wise If inheritaunce come by the law then not of promise And in an other place If we bee made heyres through the law then is our fayth made frustrate and the promise of none effect Rome 4. And agayne If righteousnesse come by the lawe then did Christ suffer in vayne Gal. 2. And least that your lying spirite should with sinister interpretation wrest those sentences spoken of the law to the ceremoniall law you may heare the Apostle there treating of that law which was geuē for offendours vntill the promised seéde should come which law should in steéde of a Schoolemaister lead vs as it were by the hād directly to Christ which law did shut vp all vnder sinne as well Iewes as Gentiles that the promise might be geuen vnto the beleuers through fayth in Iesus Christ. All whiche titles of the law can not be construed to haue any apte agreément with the ceremonies of the Iewishe Sinagogue And where are now those workes of the law maister Osorius vnto whom Paule doth promise possession of the kyngdome if you exclude those wherof Luther preacheth Sitheace Paule him selfe doth so wisely and carefully not onely exclude all presumption of mans righteousnesse from the inheritaūce of the kingdome but also rēder a reason wherfore he doth so By what law sayth he by the lawe of workes No ye may not beleue so Osorius And therfore that ye may the better vnderstand how no matter of Confidence at all is left to the consideration of the workes of the law But by the law of fayth sayth S. Paule the same lawe which consisteth in fayth and not in workes That is to say if we beleue the Paraphrast The very same law which requireth nothyng but fayth Now therfore sithence these matters are so throughly debated in the holy Scriptures discouered manifestly by the holy Ghost with what shamelesse face dare Osorius thrust those workes in the doctrine of freé Iustification whiche the Spirite of God doth so openly reiect or with what impudencie dare he affirme that Paule doth promise the right and title of inheritaūce to them whiche worke good deédes Whereas the same Paule mainteynyng the challenge of fayth and not of workes pronoūceth so expressely That God doth accept his fayth for righteousnesse whiche doth not worke but beleueth on him that doth Iustifie the wicked Which two sentences beyng so meérely opposite and contrary eche to other I referre me to the Readers Iudgemēt whether Paule shal be accōpted vnconstaunt or Osorius a false Fabeler But I heare a certeine gruntyng of this Pigge beyng no lesse an enemy to the Crosse of Christ thē to Paule who assoone as he heareth good workes to be banished from the effect of Iustification doth straightway cite vs to the Consistorie as though we did vtterly choake vp all care studious endeuour to liue vertuously and destroy all preceptes and rules of godly conuersation And hereupon conceauyng a vayne errour in his idle braynes he rageth and foameth at the mouth outragiously not much vnlike to Aiax Sometyme called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Who beyng swallowed vp of extreme frensie did most foolishly assayle and batter poore seély sheépe in steéde of Agamemnon and other noble Pieres of Greéce But let vs once agayne geue eare to his gay Logicke which being sometyme esteémed the Schoolemystres of Inuētion and displaying the truth this Gentlemā hath made therof an Arte of lying and desceit as thus Luther doth exclude all good workes from the cause of Iustification Ergo Luther doth extinguishe all vertue and abolishe all Morall and Ciuill actions Agayne Luther doth make fayth onely beyng voyde of good workes the cause of Iustification Ergo Luther doth require nothyng in Christians but Fayth Onely I aunswere that this is a Fallax and a Sophisticallye deriued from the proposition that is tearmed in Schooles Secundum quid to Simpliciter Furthermore herein also hee doth bewray his Sophisticall iugglyng whereas by his liedger de mayne he conueyeth away the state of the questiō which concerneth the thynges onely to the circumstaunce of the persons For whereas we agreéyng herein with Luther do enquire the thyng onely which is the instrumentall Cause of our Iustification before God he in his aunswere doth describe vnto vs what maner of life they ought to lead that are already Iustified And bycause it is most requisite that those which are Iustified by the freémercy of God through fayth shall continually exercise thē selues in good workes hereupon he concludeth That Luthers propositiō wherein he affirmeth that fayth onely doth knit vp the knot of our Iustification without all ayde of workes is vtterly false As though Luthers disputation concerned the actions and endeuours of them to whom righteousnesse is geuen and not rather of the cause of Iustification onely or as though he did not as carefully require all faythfull persons to the dayly and cōtinuall practize of godly lyfe as any of all the Byshops of Portingall doe But if you be so vnskilfull Osorius as you seéme to be you must learne that it is one thyng to treate of the persons whiche are made righteous and other thyng of the Cause that doth make them righteous And therfore this is a deceitfull and a friuolous Argument The possession of heauenly kyngdome is promised to them which doe good deedes Ergo
assured and reioyce in the hope of the glory of God Rom. 5. Where is that accesse with confidence and boldenesse through fayth in him Ephe. 3. Where is that accesse to the throne of grace with assured Affiaunce Hebr. 4. To what ende doth our Lord so oft in the Gospell encourage vs to conceaue couragious boldnesse vsing this reason That he alone had ouercome the world for the behofe of all people Iohn 16. If as yet euery one of vs must be enforced to purchase to him selfe the victory by his owne endeuour Where is that fulnesse of ioye in the holy Ghost If employeng our seruice after the maner of bonde seruauntes not as children we must lyue vnder the law and hope to attayne the possession of our inheritaunce as a rewarde of our workes and not thorough freé adoption rather Where is then that Spirite of Adoption cryeng in our hartes Abba Father Wherof S. Paule doth so oftentymes make mention or if you be not yet satisfied with these sentences what aūswere shall we make to Esay the Prophet Where he foresheweth euerlasting ioye vnto them which beyng redeemed by Christ are cōuerted in Syon Where is that cherefulnesse of hart Comfort in steede of mournyng glory in steede of Ashes the oyle of gladnesse in steede of the spirite of sadnesse Promised in the behalfe of the Messias that was yet to come More ouer where the same Prophet doth wonderfully commende the feéte of those which should preach peace to the people what other thyng els doth he note in these wordes then that most excellent glory of the Churche which should aboundauntly flow through affiaunce of the Mediatour vpon all that should beleue on him what meaneth that chearefull Prophecie of Ieremie concernyng the commyng of the Messias and the comfortable consolation of the Gospell to come In those dayes sayth hee Iuda shal be saued and Israell shall dwell with confidence Agayne the same Prophet And I will make them to dwell in Sauetie Whereunto accordeth likewise the saying of the Prophet Ezechiel who prophecying of the raysing vp of a Shepheard and of the blessednesse of that age euen in the same phrase of speache almost doth promise That it should come to passe that men should dwell and rest in securitie without all feare c. Now remayneth to learne of you Osorius what this sayeng to dwell in securitie without all feare doth emporte whiche for as much as your selfe will not confesse to haue relation to the fleshe then it must follow of necessitie that we interprete the same to bee spoken of the Spirite But in what sorte shall it appeare that this saying must bee applyed to the confidence of the Spirite whenas ye shall defraude the Christian fayth of assurednesse of Affiaunce as though ye would dispoyle the world of the benefite of the Sunne Finally what certeinetie of confidence shall remayne if the same doe depende as you say wholy vpon workes and not vpon fayth of the promise freé mercy of him that doth make the promise If you graunt thereunto one of those two ye must neédes confesse either that you ought to obteyne so much by the vprightenes of your workes as shall aūswere and satisfie the Iudgement of God which you can neuer doe or els that the variablenesse of your mynde shall alwayes stagger hether and thether in perpetuall amazed vncerteinetie Doe ye not perceaue Osorius into what streightes this your Diuinitie forceth you Goe ye to therfore Maister Tertullus thinke with your self whether of you two either Luther or Osorius with your Tullianisme doe more stiffely maintaine the doctrine of Desperation Surely S. Paule will teach you a lesson farre vnlike this who abrogatyng all cōfidence in workes which is none at all or at the least most vnassured doth cōclude all thynges vnder fayth onely Therefore through fayth sayth hee that it may be knowen to proceede accordyng to grace That thereby the promise may be assured to the whole seede And wherefore I pray you so through fayth forsooth bycause if the proportion of affiaunce must bee measured by the deseruynges of our workes It is so farre of that any man may possibly conceaue neuer so litle hope of saluation that he shal be forced rather to procure vnto him selfe a headlong downfall into the bottomles gulfe of Desperation And therfore S. Paul discoursing vpō both sortes of righteousnesse aswell of that of the law as that other of fayth after that hee had very exquisitely distinguished the one from the other bycause of the mutuall contrarietie or disagreément betwixt them wherewith they do varie eche from other doth conclude at the length That the Principall substaunce of the whole matter dependeth vpō fayth wholy accordyng to grace And wherfore accordyng to grace verely bycause hauyng abandoned all the righteousnes that commeth by the law which worketh indignation and therfore engendreth vncerteinetie the soule might be established in Grace takyng holdfast of the promise through fayth might attende for nothyng els from whence she should conceaue any other assurednesse of hope to attayne euerlastyng lyfe For as it is an vsuall custome amongest men earnestly to awayte for due performaūce of these thynges that are promised so contrariwise such thyngs as are graunted conditionally are then neuer till then assured but when the conditions are obserued Now if the conditions were such as might bee throughly accomplished accordyng to that absolute perfection of fulnesse wherewith they are limited thē no doubt the law were of it selfe effectuall enough to Saluation For hee that doth keepe the Commaundementes shall lyue by them But as the case standeth now for as much as we are all will we nill we subiect to the breache of the law and that no creature can bee founde whiche dare affirme him selfe able to performe all the conditions annexed to the law of God that I may be so bold to place your Maistershyp one of the number then must we all of necessitie seéke the meanes of our Saluation not from the law but from somewhere els bycause this eternall lyfe must be ascribed to an other mans death and not to our lyfe neither after the opinion of our workes but vnto the freé mercy of God Whiche doth onely ouercome when hee is Iudged Wherein for examples sake let vs heare how Dauid him selfe though neuer so well beloued of God doth as it were tymorously humble him selfe in his prayers beseéchyng God that he will not enter into Iudgement with his seruaūt And where with was hee dismayed I pray you Bycause sayth he no fleshe shal be Iustified in thy sight If so be then this so noble a Kyng and worthy a Prophet standyng to be arrayned before almightie God durst not commit the protectiō of his cause to the deseruyngs of his workes shall then Osorius or Hosius dare bee so bold to doe it We read what remayneth in Recorde of Barnarde beyng otherwise a
prayseworthy man that when her foresawe the ende of his lyfe to approche and that he was then Summoned to appeare before the Iudgement seate of the eternall God that he began to expresse a wonderfull fearefulnesse and to bee very much dismayed in his mynde whom as his frendes standyng about him would haue recomforted and encouraged to cheare him selfe with confidence of the good lyfe that hee had lead in deéde sayth he I perceaue I may seéme to bee in such estimation amongest you but I feare me least the Iudgement of God is farre vnlike the Iudgement of men Truely this was aptly remembred of Barnarde Who albeit knew it well enough before paraduenture yet as then beyng at the pointe of death he perceaued much more effectually Euen as we seé to haue chaunced to many others of this Popishe brood Who though they delite and flatter them selues neuer so much in the glory of their merites and vprightnesse of their workes yet when death knocketh at the doore of their consciences and willeth them to bidde adiew to the worlde then forthwith castyng away all trust of merites and as it were accordyng a recantation of the doctrine they shrowde them selues wholy in the death of Christ and hereupon fasten the chiefest shooteanker of sauety as it were in the most assured hauen of perfect blessednesse Whereby you may vnderstand ye Porting all Prelate how all that your frame of righteousnesse which you builded vpon the deseruynges of workes is vnioynted and shaken in peéces the force wherof was neuer yet of such efficacie and valew in any creature as could not onely not abyde the incomprehensible vnmeasurablenesse of Gods Iudgement but also bee so wholy appalled at the encouÌ„tryng of death that it can not endure the sight thereof but must neédes yelde as throughly vanquished Moreouer sithence this place offereth it selfe to debate of vertues I would wish you to coÌ„sider aduisedly with your selfe what that wellknowen saying of Augustine doth purporte and how farre it doth dissent from this your contentious quarell of righteousnesse whereas treatyng of vertue and charitie he speaketh in this wise Uertue sayth he is a kynde of charitie wherewith we loue that thing which ought to be beloued This charitie appeareth more in some in others lesse in some also nothyng at all But the fulnes thereof whiche can not be increased whiles man liueth in this world was neuer seéne in any for as loÌ„g as it may be encreased truely all what soeuer is lesse then ought to be will admitte a supply commeth of default through which default all flesh can not be Iustified in his sight wherein pause a whiles I pray you with me debate throughly with your selfe whether if that charitie whiche is in Christâ—ans though it be neuer so apparauntly discernable yea after their regeneration also be lame and defectiue what may be thought of them in whom scarse appeareth any meane resemblaunce thereof but what shal be iudged of your selfe Osorius chiefly amongest all other in whom not one sparcke so much of true charitie nor any iote so much of humanitie can be seéne in so much that who so shall read those Inuectiues of yours may easely coniecture that he heareth not the modestie of Osorius a Christian Byshop but rather some Tragicall Orestes furiously ragyng vpon some Stage But to returne to Augustine of whose iudgement in Diuinitie I know not how well Osorius will allow truely what small accoumpt he made of the worthynesse of our righteousnesse he could neuer haue more vehemeÌ„tly vttered then in these wordes wee be to the most vpright life of maÌ„ sayth he if God examine the same settyng mercy aside In like maner Gregory doth very litle varie from Augustine in wordes though nothyng in sence But altogether dissenteth from you Osorius where expoundyng the sayeng of Iob in their Chapter videl Man can not bee iustified beyng compared to God The holy man sayth hee doth perceaue that all the deseruynges of our best workes are faultie if they be wayed in the righteous ballaunce of the iust Iudge And by and by in the xi Chapter as it were redoublyng the selfe saying of Augustine Bycause sayth he if excludyng mercy workes be examined the lyfe of the most righteous wil be founde to folter and faynte vnder the burthen of Sinne. Hereunto may be annexed the consent of Barnarde of whom we made mention before worthy to be noted touchyng the same matter Who makyng a long discourse of the vnrighteousnesse of mans righteousnesse demaundeth a question at the last of what valew all our righteousnesse may be in the sight of God Shall it not be reputed filthy sayth he lyke vnto a foule menstruous clothe according to the saying of the Prophet and if strickte and narrow examination be made therof shall not all our righteousnesse be fouÌ„de vnrighteous nothyng worthe at the last as though the matter were confessed and without all coÌ„trouersie he coÌ„cludeth saying And what shall become then of sinne whenas righteousnesse it selfe hath nothyng to alledge for defence For as much therefore as it is so and that this doctrine is so manifold so manifest confirmed by so many and so famous Authours emprinted in holy writte allowed with so many inuincible testimonies of sacred Scripture published by the approued writynges of the best learned interpretour established with the vnuanquishable authoritie of the holy Ghost ratified with the common consent of the auncient primitiue Church finally so manifestly knowen by experience of all ages where is then that haynous crime that cruell offence that shameles trespasse and that intellerable facte as you say not to bee suffered in Luther Nay rather to speake as the truth is from wheÌ„ce or out of what puddle haue you sucked the shameles impudencie Osorius singular foolishnes vnmeasurable SycophaÌ„ticall rage frantique tragicall furye and so cruell and vnreasonable a custome of raylyng agaynst your Christian brethren without all cause or reason who haue rather deserued well theÌ„ euill at your handes I know not whether this proceéded from any cankred malice lurkyng within you or through corruption of your nature Sure I am that you neuer learned that insolencie out of holy Scriptures or out of the rules of the Gospell or by ensuyng the example of Christ and his Apostles or their mylde and curteous conuersation But perhaps Osorius hath determined with him selfe to leaue to the posteritie some especiall Iewell as a monument of his eloquence as Cicero did his Inuectiues called Phillipica c. Yea it had bene more coÌ„uenient for him to haue chosen some other Methode to treate vpon and farre more seémely to haue bent the rage of his penne agaynst some others rather then agaynst Luther Bucer and others the lyke For if he were willyng to confesse the truth simply what other doctrine doth Luther Bucer Haddon and all others who discourse vpon one selfe same Gospell teache then the very same matter that
S. Paule in so many his Epistles doth so earnestly enforce That is to say That we should ascribe all the hope of our saluatiō in Iesu Christ onely and in him alone repose all our whole ankerhold of righteousnesse not in our selues but in the sonne of God not in the law of workes but in the law of fayth not in the preceptes of godly lyfe as Augustine witnesseth but in the fayth of Iesu Christ not in the letter but in the spirite not in the merites of good deédes but in the mercy of God Finally after that sorte in his mercy that we should not accoumpt this mercy to be mercy at all accordyng to the saying of Augustine vnlesse it bee altogether freély geuen How now are Christiās now a dayes straighted in such brambles that it may not be lawfull to speake franckely in the congregatiō the selfe same which the Prophetes Apostles Christ him selfe the holy Ghost and the purest Authours of auncient antiquitie haue set downe in writyng but that the partie so doyng shal be forthwith detected as though hee practized to subuert all honestie and vertuous endeuour and shal be constrayned to pleade for him selfe as if he were arrayned a cōmō Barretour and had committed some haynous horrible and execrable fact more detestable then high Treason Neither are these all the crimes yet wherewith this Tertullian rayler doth rage in his raylyng but crawleth foreward by enceasing degreées of amplificatiō For beyng not satisfied to haue accused Luther as an vndermyner of all honestye and vertue to haue cutte in peéces the very sinewes of godly exercise and vertuous endeuour besides this horrible accusatiō he chargeth him also with a crime passing all measure intollerable And what is that Bycause sayth he hee doth wrest the mynde and wisedome of Paule to serue his owne lust And redoublyng the same agayne in other wordes bycause he will not seéme to be an vnskilfull Ciceronian hee addeth further And he doth abuse the testimonies of holy Scriptures to establish his owne vnshamefastnesse c. Where Syr I pray you For sooth in sundry places of the Apostle and especially in the Epistle written to the Romanes Wherein bycause it shall not onely bee conceaued in mynde but also perceaued by the viewe how disorderly Luther the Standard bearer of all heritiques and his Cabbenmate Haddon and all the counterfaites of this new Gospell haue alwayes hetherto in the interpretation of that Epistle gropyngly lyke nightowles lumpred in darkenesse Let vs all and euery of vs open our eyes eares now and lysten to this new starte vp Prophet whiles this our most elegant Tertullus sittyng at high deske may instruct vs all blockyshe Asseheades and as it were an other Archymenides with lyne vpon the sande chalke vs out a way and set vp some speciall markes whereby we may finde out the lyuely naturall sence mynde and meanyng of that Epistle And first of all concernyng the Gentiles bycause he may begyn with them as Paule doth he sayth that it is euident enough that they were enlightened with a singular gift of nature endued with excellent vnderstādyng adorned and beautified with wonderfull ornamentes of Nature Who hath euer denyed this Goe to what followeth hereof Wherefore for asmuch as this so great force of nature excellencie of vnderstandyng knowledge in learnyng yea so great worthynesse of reason and capacitie could auayle nothyng at all with the Gentiles to perfect and righteous liuyng for they did exceede in all iniquitie and outragious lust thereby appeareth playnely that nature was voyde of all ayde and helpe to attayne the righteousnesse of eternall lyfe And this much by the waye touchyng the Gentiles From whom after the Apostle had remoued away all confidence whiche was vsually ascribed to the law of nature he turneth his speach forthwith to the Iewes And bycause the Iewes them selues did in lyke maner place their whole affiaunce in those shadowes and outward ceremonies The Apostle likewise yea more sharpely also inueyeth agaynst them declaryng that all those Ceremonies of the law and Ordinaunces prescribed by Moyses did profite them nothyng at all whereby they might bee any iote more restrained from running headlong into all kynde of wickednesse nothyng lesse enclined to all filthynesse of conuersation neither any myte lesse estraunged from vertuous endeuour then the prophane Gentiles whereby appeareth that the effect of Paules Conclusion tēdeth to this end To make this manifest that neither nature nor the Ceremonies of Moses law that is to say washyngs Sacrifices clensinges Circumcision and such like corporall ordinaunces with the cōfidence wherof that people did swell and were puft vp in pride did take away sinne or did any thyng at all auayle to righteousnes By this discourse of Osorius I doubt not gentle Reader but that thou doest sufficiently vnderstand if thou bee of any capacitie what the meanyng of Paule and the whole sence and disposition of his doctrine in this Epistle to the Romanes doth purporte accordyng to Osorius his Diuinitie That is to say That we may learne how that we may not hope for any ayde towards our Saluatiō frō nature or any ordinaūces of the old law which beyng graūted it remaineth further to learne out of this Oracle of our great Maister from whence we ought at length to seéke for the true way of Saluation and in what poynt it chiefly consisteth forsooth in righteousnes saith he that is to say as Osorius doth define it In Eschewyng sinne and earnestly embracyng all godlynesse vertue and pietie vnto the which righteousnesse onely we ought to referre all surety and ankerhold of our saluation And hereupō is coyned a new Oracle not from Delphos in Boeotia but forged by Osorius in the wildernes of Syluain worthy to be Registred to eternitie of all people and tounges For righteousnesse onely sayth he doth reconcile God to mankynde The man hath spoken This mystery beyng exquisitely piked out of the hiddē mysteries of Diuinitie sithence Osorius requireth so earnestly to be graunted him without contradiction what shall become of that Fayth onely wherewith those Lutheranes and Bucerans do prattle so much them selues to be iustified by Nay rather what shall become of any Fayth at all Osorius if the onely righteousnesse of workes doe accomplish the absolute fulnesse of our Iustification Oingenious head and wonderfull deépe conclusion framed through conference of reasons and apt application of the middle proposition with the first and Clarckely concludyng and shuttyng vp the same into one knotte together Unlesse this our deépe Deuine had cunnyngly culled this Argument out of the closet of the Popes own breast as out of some horsepoole within whose bosome all knowledge of God and man is enclosed or vnlesse this Endymyon had soundly snorted in Aristotles Ethickes as it were in the hill Parnassus can any man doubt whether hee could euer haue bene able so happely to haue pearced into the inward and hidden meanyng of the Apostles
what sayth Osorius in the Ceremonies of the old law no not so for that were altogether Iewish in Fayth therfore neither yet so in any wise for this is the very doctrine of Luther Uouchsafe therfore a good felowshyp Osorius to escry out one safe Hauen for vs wherein we poore forlorne abiectes may cast Anker saue our selues frō shipwracke Forsooth in workes sayth Osorius and in keépyng the prescribed rules of vertuous lyfe That is to say in Innocencie in chastitie in modestie in abstinence in vprightnesse of mynde in holynesse of Religion in feruentnesse of the spirite in aboūdaunce of the loue of God in earnest endeuour of godlynesse in deédes of righteousnesse dueties of pietie in geuyng much almonesse in obedience in keépyng peacible vnitie and such like ornamentes treasures wherof Osorius in many wordes maketh a long rehearsall Of all whiche vertues there is not so much as one croome or sparckle in these Lutherans and Buceranes and these new Gospellers thē which kynde of people nothyng can bee named more wicked nothyng thought vpon more pestiferous nothyng more troublesome in the common wealth nothyng more readyly armed to rayse maliciousnesse to sow contentious quarelles strife enemitie nothyng more pernicious to procure the destruction of Princes none more geuē to bloudsuckyng and Treason who beyng embrued with all wickednesse licentiousnesse libertie lust with all manner shamelessenesse crueltie and madnesse outragiously rushe into all places whereby they may thrust their Gospell in place and defile all thynges with filthy stenche wheresoeuer they make neuer so litle abode they corrupt the land with trecherous villanies finally they doe poyson the ayre they doe abandone chastitie geue full scope to voluptuousnesse roote out all feare of Gods law and mans law and in all this outrage they promise vnpunishable libertie On the contrary parte I meane in the Court of Rome and in all that most sacred Citie florisheth a farre other maner of countenaunce and Maiestie of seuere discipline and vertuous lyfe And first of all in that most royall hygh and chief Prelate and most renowmed Monarche of all Prelates sittyng in Peters owne chayre In those Reuerend estates of the Tridentine Councell in the worshypfull Massemongers of the Romish Church in the great Doctours of that old Gospel in Monasteries and Dorters the very forgeshops of most pure doctrine in the most chast Selles of holy Nunnes finally in all that sacred Senate and Catholicke people no such Presidentes of wickednesse and abhomination may bee seene no spotte so much of corrupt infection raigneth no ambition no lust no insolencie neither any kynde of malice no quarellyng no crueltie no foule or vnseémely thyng sauoryng of any earthly contagion can be discernable amongest this generation But whole heapes yea huge mountaines of godly and heauealy store doth florishe and abounde no vnquietnesse or molestation of Empires and Princely gouernement no seéde plottes of mortall warres no shew so much of bloudy battell no Treason no ouerthrowe of Kynges and publicke authoritie nor any seditious plātes of cōtentious discorde finally no earthly thyng in the secret closettes of the Romishe Court in so much that if Diogenes would in midday with torche in hād prye neuer so narrowly he should no be able to finde in all the Citie of Rome one Harlot or strumpet so much To conclude it is not possible to heare amōgest that most sacred Catholicke conuenticle any sounde of cauillation at all no mutteryng of outragious slaunders no blaste of cunnyngly forged lyes wherof as all others of that sect are cleare so are these bookes of Osorius chiefly most purely purged wherein appeareth no smatche of brabling distempered affections no lyeng slaunder nor iarre of erronious doctrine no significatiō of a mynde troubled and seuered from the Castle of Reason But all thynges are debated and expounded with peaceble gentlenesse quyet tranquillitie of mynde wonderfull lenitie and mildenesse not with rigorous and malicious wordes not with slaunderous carterlike reproches but with inuincible Argumētes as forcible as the dartes of Achilles or Hector discharged I thinke out of the very guttes of the Troian horse nothyng vttered to the vayne ostentatiō of witte or reuengemēt of spightfull hatred as it were in Triumphe of victory fie beware of that gentle Reader but of a very simple earnest desire to aduaunce vertue pietie for this especiall cause forsooth that those sparkes and Embres of honesty and godlynesse which Luther hath raked vp buryed and vtterly quenched out might once agayne be quickened and florishe in that most sacred Seé of Rome These euen these same bee the workes if ye will neédes know them Catholicke Reader and good deédes of those men wherewith they doe prepare an entyre to true righteousnesse and furnish their iourney to heauen and wherewith as it were with ladders they clymbe by steppe to the purchase of eternall inheritaunce And how els this euen this must bee the right way to heauen But in the meane space with how many foggy and thicke cloudes hath S. Paule the seruaunt of God Apostle of Iesus Christ ouerwhelmed the Christiā people And into how deépe and darkened doungeons hath he drowned our senses Who albeit was rapt into the thyrd heauen had not as yet conceaued this incomprehensible wisedome out of the very forgeshops of mysticall Philosophy Belike he could not escry throughout all the heauens this hidden secret that men are not Iustified by workes but are made righteous by the Fayth of the sonne of God so by fayth that in no respect by workes Finally that the especiall meanes and singular substaunce of our Iustification is in this sorte to bee wayed as that it may not be attayned els where then in Christ onely nor by any other meanes then through Fayth onely in Christ. But if S. Paule had not receaued this doctrine from heauen or had not taught vs the doctrine which he receaued from thence or if you for your part Osorius had disputed after this sort as ye teach now in any Paynyme common wealth or before any Ethnicke Philosophers or amongest the Iewes or Turkes it might happely haue come to passe I suppose that this your Aristotlelike Iustice might haue obteined at the least some resemblaunce of truth or perhappes crept into some credite nay rather it is not to bee doubted but if the Iewes them selues or Turkes were now consederate with you in Portingall in the same Argument they could not scarsely alledge any other proofes then you bryng forth vnto vs at this present neither would I thinke expoūde the same in any other phrase of words then your selfe do vse But now for as much as we contend not together in Tullies Tusculane questions nor in his Academycall probabilities nor in Platoes common wealth nor in the Iewishe Thalmude ne yet in the Turkes Alcaron but in the Churche of Iesu Christ surely ye ought to haue regarded the place chiefly where you were when ye wrate this
a M. Cicero playeng the Rhetoriciā in his Tusculane walkes but the very sonne of God him selfe from out the bosome of the Father who beyng sent downe into the earth may teach vs not the hidden secretes of mans Philosophye but make discernable the will of his Father vnto vs not define by reason distinguish by Arte and propose in order the Morall principles of prophane Phisolophye albeit he doth describe the same many tymes as occasion is offred but commeth forth with farre higher mysteries instrustructing vs of the kyngdome of God of eternall life and of true and euerlastyng felicitie neither instructyng vs onely but by his doctrine powryng also the same blessednesse into vs obteyned it by his death confirmed it with his rising agayne doth dispose it by his dayly raignyng ouer vs doth enseale it vnto vs by his Sacraments and promiseth it in his word To conclude doth geue the same felicitie of his owne liberatie without all respect of reward freély to all that beleue vpon his name Now therfore since the tyme is altered the Schoolemaister chaunged the order of doctrine must likewise neédes be chaunged not bycause we reiect those things in meane whiles as vtterly false which the auncient Philosophers did in tymes past deliuer vnto vs teachyng the preceptes of orderly liuyng wherof you debated earst concerning good maners and godly actions But bycause the Euangelicall Philosophye doth call vs higher to farre deéper mysteries the doctrine whereof consisteth in greater and better rudiments Our study therfore must haue regarde to an other marke That is to say We must not onely learne seriously to know how to direct the course of this transitory lyfe but also by what meanes we may attayne euerlastyng lyfe not how much our righteousnesse auayleth in the sight of men but what thyng doth Iustifie vs in the sight of God You beyng addicted altogether to the rules of your old Maister of Ethnicke Philosophy heape together many good and commendable preceptes of perfect righteousnesse wherein you are not so much to be misliked But in that ye doe nothyng els but the selfe same thyng whereof they haue treated much more cunnyngly and plentyfully before your tyme as Cicero in his bookes of Offices Aristotle in his Ethickes Plato in his bookes De Legibus and many other learned men in their bookes likewise herein surely you cā not be excusable nor voyde of blame not bycause you agreé with them in those good preceptes whereof they dispute well but bycause you are so fast tyed to their opinions that ye skippe away from Christ and obstinately resist his Gospell not bycause you Imitate them whom we accompt to be learned the ensuyng of whole studious industry we do not neglect but for that you do so much Imitate the prophane writers as that ye seéme to doe nothyng els then Imitate thē as though with Paganes you would become a professed Pagane for that disputyng so carefully of righteousnesse and good workes ye make stay and rest your selfe wholy there from whence you ought haue stept a degreé further and pursued the better way to higher mysteries and matters of greater importaunce And as though there were no difference betwixt Morall Philosophy and Christian Diuinitie ye so racke all thynges to the practize of vertue and pursuyng the perfect plotte of righteousnesse and with I know not how huge a heape or wordes blaze out vnto vs a certeine absolute portraite of innocencie whereof happely ye can painte some shewe or shadowe in your bookes better then expresse in your conuersation And yet are we not so much displeased with that imaginatiue deuise howsoeuer deuised and engrauen by you For we know and doe confesse together with you Osorius all the whole secte of auncient Philosophers that there is nothyng more beautyfull amongest all the actions of mans lyfe then vertue and nothyng of more estimation then righteousnesse and do withall as hartely and earnestly as you wishe and desire that this integritie of life might be throughly emprinted in all mens maners and conuersation whereof you finde so great a mayme and want in these new Gespellers But will you heare agayne Osorius This integritie of innocent and vndefiled lyfe whiche you require so earnestly yet performe nothyng lesse will we will we is lost long agoe not in you or in me onely but in the whole nature of mankynd generally also and so altogether lost that it can neuer by any meanes be restored with good life but by beleéuyng onely But you will say That this righteousnesse though altogether lost in vs may bee restored through the grace and boūtie of Christ and so many times is restored in the faithfull Ueryly I would graunt vnto you as much as ye speake Osorius if you would either aptly define that Grace whereof ye make mention or rightly distinguish that rigthteousnesse For it is not to be doubted but that the comfortable Grace of Christ doth purchase vnto vs perfect Righteousnesse But this Righteousnesse if ye will know it good Syr consisteth not in that which we doe procure by well doyng but in that which by onely forgeuyng is not Imputed Wherefore all that Righteousnesse and blessednesse whatsoeuer is in vs is grounded rather vpon the remission of sinnes then vpon any vertuous workes Will you heare the summe of all your felicitie described vnto vs and knit vp in few wordes in the mysticall Psalme and mentioned by the recitall of the Apostle Blessed are they sayth he whose sinnes are forgeuen and whose Iniquities are couered blessed is the man to whom the Lord hath not Imputed his offences Psal. 31. Furthermore whō that Mysticall melodious Psalmiste doth call blessed the same man onely Bernarde doth denounce to be blessed meanyng thereby the same thyng in deéde which is most true that there is no meane nor ayde from whence mā may hope for eternall felicitie besides this onely and alone Why so Ueryly bycause the whole Nature of mankynde is so ouerwhelmed with sinne that vnlesse the continuall mercy of God dyd preuent vs winkyng at our wickednesse who I praye you could stand in Iudgement not I. No nor yet your selfe Osorius For we haue all sinned and we all haue neede of the glory of God And yet notwithstandyng through his onely mercy pardoning vs our offences are in the case as though they neuer had bene committed wherein if you beyng an old raynebeaten souldiour dare not geue credite to our new Gospell Let it not loathe you yet at the least to heare Bernarde him selfe a witnesse both of our Gospel and of our Iudgement herein who albeit is reported not to haue seéne all things yet did discerne this perfectly enough For thus he speaketh Whatsoeuer he hath decreéd not to Impute is as though it neuer were hereunto addeth an other saying which I would wish you to note aduisedly Not to sinne is the Righteousnesse of God but the righteousnesse of man is the
any good workes How know you this to bee true For I am assured that in Porting all and in Spayne good prouiso is made that no maÌ„ be so hardy to touch any of Luthers bookes if you referre your Assertion to England or Germany I doe not a litle marueile how this monstruous Spynx can cast his eyes ouer so many Seas so many high mountaines and so great distauuce of Countreys and so curiously behold the lyues of men and prye so precisely into their maners vnlesse some Phebus haue cloured vpon this Mydas head not the eares of Osorius but the eares of some lolleared Asse in the truncke wherof he may catche euery blast whatsoeuer any where blowen abroad or deuised in secrete through the reportes of whisperyng Talebearers like a credulous soole beleue the same forthwith But howsoeuer those Lutheranes in EnglaÌ„d and in Germany do exercise them selues in no good workes it goeth very well in the meane tyme with Porting all and Spayne that men lyue there holy and Angellike For I do beleue surely that men in those Countreys do so glytter in sinceritie of life and brightenes of vertues that their very shadowes do shyne in the darke and glyster more lyke Aungels then men that they are such men as plante their feéte no where but that they leaue behynd theÌ„ a certeine wonderfull fragrant sauour of modestie curtesie singular chastitie so make the very heauens in loue with their puritie sweétenes of their vertues But goe to Osorius tell vs at the length a good fellowshyp what the cause should be that such as doe geue eare to Luther will not apply them selues to doe good workes Truely I suppose that bycause he teacheth that meÌ„ are Iustified in the sight of God by fayth onely and not by workes therfore it must be an infallible consequent That whosoeuer attende to Luthers doctrine will forthwith abandone all thought to lyue vertuously and yeld him selfe carelesly ouer to all idlenesse and filthynesse As though with honest and well disposed persons fatherly clemencie shall cause the children to be sluggish to do their duties or as though the voyce of mercy doth at once vtterly abolish all Morall vertues To what ende therefore doth Christ so much not commende vnto vs that fatherly affection in the mercyfull father mentioned in the Gospell towardes his prodigall sonne but also painte him out vnto vs for an example if that doctrine of the freé mercyfulnesse of God be not true or if it be true that it ought not therefore be published bycause many vnchast and corrupt persons will abuse the same Nay rather why ought net the truth of God of greater reason be generally and openly preached for the necessary comfort of the godly Neither behoueth vs to be inquisitiue how much this doctrine doth worke in certeine particular men but rather to know how true this doctrine is of it selfe And accordyng as we doe finde the same to be true and constant so to preach the same accordyng to the capacitie of the hearers But Osorius doth vrge vs agayne with threé Argumentes chiefly as it were with a threé square battell lyke a threé headed Cerberus doth rushe vpon Luther with threé sondry assautes attemptyng to proue by his Logicke that this Luther of whom we speake doth exâ—irpe and roote out all vertue honestie and godly endeuour First by his disablyng of workes secondly through desperation of honestie thirdly by Confidence of false righteousnesse In threé wordes as it were threé lyes And first of all touchyng Desperation and CoÌ„fidence I thinke we haue spoken enough before where we haue so proued both to be falsely imputed to Luther as that we doe yet acknowledge them both in Luther For Luther doth describe CoÌ„fidence but the same which is the true Confidence he teacheth also Desperation I confesse it but the same very comfortable And therein teacheth nothyng els but the same that the EuaÌ„gelistes and Apostles haue alwayes taught For what can be more true and assureâ— Confidence or more comfortable Desperation or more â—onson unt with the Gospell of Iesu Christ and his Apostles then that we beyng in full dispaire of the righteousnesse of our owne workes doe shroude our selues wholy vnder the mercy of Christ and in his freé bounty and elemency That is to say not in workes whiche the grace of Christ hath wrought in vs but for vs As touchyng the brablyng that he maketh about the despising of good workes by what Logicke will hee proue his cauillatioÌ„ And now pause here a whiles good Reader note the passing pearcyng witte nurtured not in the Schoole of Stoicke Philosophy but nooseled by rather I suppose in some swynesty Luther doth strippe our merites and workes naked froÌ„ all Confidence Ergo Luther rendeth in peeces the very sinewes of all godlines setteth at nought and vtterly abolisheth all the efficacie and dignitie of good workes And though Osorius haue not placed his wordes after this order yet the bent of his conclusion tendeth to the same effect For what did Luther els in all his writynges and Sermons but cut of all hope of workes and so by that meanes allure vs to take ankerhold in the onely ayde helpe of the Mediatour if this be the waye to choake vp vertue and to bury her vnder grouÌ„de I confesse that Luther was an abolisher of vertue and S. Paule also as well as he But Osor. doth many tymes deny this Assertion of the Lutherans to be true that our righteousnes hope of our saluation so depeÌ„deth vpoÌ„ Christ as that the same should be Imputed to vs of God accouÌ„ted our own by ImputatioÌ„ through fayth onely For he supposeth this way to be ouer easie and that it will hereof come to passe that no man wil be carefull studious or desirous to accomplish any good worke In deéde I thinke Osorius is of the mynde of many persons whiche vnlesse be continually beaten pricked foreward lyke dull Oxen with goades and cudgels will neuer yeld their bodies to labour but forced as it were with threatenynges and stripes are drawen to the yoke quyte agaynst their willes But this neuer happeneth in natures of mylde and good disposition but rather the contrary so as by leâ—â—ie and remembrauÌ„ce of receaued benefites they are rather encouraged chearefully to doe their duties The bountifulnesse of almighty God is not to be measured after the proportion of mans imagination Neither ought we regarde how the wicked doe interprete thereof but rather what Christ doth coÌ„maunde to be preached how much the will of God will permitte and what thynges true discipline will allow of I know that there hath bene euer great store and that we shall neuer want to great a number of that sorte of people which will wickedly abuse all thynges that otherwise of their owne nature ought chiefly bee embraced Neither is it reason to defraude vertuous personages of their right for the abuses of
Onely fayth doth not Iustifie This conclusion is altogether false and the subteltie therof transposed frō that which is not the Cause to ȳe which ought to be the Cause In deéde the inheritaunce of heauē is geuen to them which doe good deédes but not in respect of those good deédes whiche they doe But there is a certeine other thyng whiche doth both Iustifie the persons the good workes of the persons also That is to say which doth make the persons and the workes good also And therfore you do confounde those thyngs very vnskilfully which ought of necessity haue bene distinguished If you will make this the grounde of the question to enquire of what behauiour those persons ought to be whiche are called to the inheritage of euerlastyng lyfe Luther will neuer deny but that they ought to be such as must be conuersaūt in this world godly holy vnblameable as much as may be possible But if the state of the question tende to this end to shew what maner of thyng amongest all the good giftes of God that one thyng is in vs whiche doth procure our Iustification in the sight of God Luther will boldly pronounce that is Fayth Onely yea and approue the same with inuincible testimonies of Gods scriptures Neither will Osorius deny it without great reproch of errour Afterwardes he proceédeth to his accustomed trade of lyeng Workes do follow fayth as the Lutherans say not bycause they prepare a way to saluation for they shall not of them selues be cyted to iudgement but bycause they are deriued from faith as by a certeine way of procreation for as the tree bryngeth forth fruite by force of nature so doth fayth of necessity engender good workes which both propositions are false Or els Osorius doth lye for that wanted to make vp the periode But go to let vs seé what those two false propositions be which the Lutheranes do teach The first is that workes do prepare no way for vs to obteine Saluatiō bycause of them selues they shall neuer be cited to Iudgemēt The second is That workes do follow fayth of necessitie none otherwise then as fruite by force of nature is engendred of the treé Upon these he hath geuen sentence that they are both false But what reason alledgeth hee thereto Forsooth bycause workes sayth he do either procure vnto vs Saluation or Damnatiō vndoubtedly And yet Osorius ceaseth not to keépe his old wōt to lye And hereof no mā ought to be in doubt but that our deedes shal be throughly examined apart by thē selues by Gods sharpe Iudgemēt Yea say you so Osorius What shall they stād apart by thē selues what naked vnclothed of all succour of Christ of the promise of mercy Go to what shal be come of fayth thē Shall she stād ◠the meanes whiles with her finger in a hole like a Mome in a corner vnprofitablye whiles mercy being banished mēs deéds shal by thē selues be arrained before gods iudgemēt seate If this be true why do we not rase scrape cleane out of all bookes that saying of S. Paule Not thorough the workes of righteousnesse which we haue done but according to the greatnes of his mercy hath he saued vs For if saluatiō be yet to be measured by the law of workes to be wayed after that Standard of Iudgemēt what place thē remayneth for fayth or for mercy And by what meanes is that hādwrityng of the law blotted out by the Crosse and bloudsheadyng of Iesu Christ if as yet we be holden fast yoaked vnder the curse of the law and not deliuered by grace for what doth the law elles if we dare beleue S. Paul but engēder wrath and procure to be accursed not bycause the law is of it selfe vneffectual if it might be accomplished but bycause we are all vnprofitable seruauntes vnable to performe the law And for your part doe ye thinke any mans workes to be of such valew as beyng throughly examined after the vttermost exaction of Gods Iustice can either endure the immeasurable horrour of Gods wrathfull indignatiō or by any meanes escape it Surely Dauid that godly Kyng and great Prophet perceauyng that there was no mortall creature but was ouerpaised and pressed downe with this heauy burden and weight of Iudgement beseécheth of God nothyng more earnestly then that he would not way his seruaūt in the ballaūce of his Iudgement And therfore in an other place he addeth If thou examine our iniquities Lord who abyde it Of this mynde was he euen then when he was a most trusty seruaunt of God As for Osorius I know not whose seruaunt he is neither am I hereof any thyng Inquisitiue but what Lord soeuer he serue I doe not a litle marueile at this in what place of heauen this Gentlemā shall stand whenas his wordes deédes yea all his thoughtes when so many his lyes slaūders errours blasphemies reprochfull speaches furies impieties whiche as it were to discharge his gorge he hath belched out in his bookes without measure or end shall come forth into brightnesse of Iudgement and shal be seuerely measured by the playne and streight squyer of Gods exact Iustice But let vs now ponder by the rules of the Scriptures the pretie reasons taken out of the same whereupon hee buildeth his defence And first of all that sentence offereth it selfe vouched out of the mysticall Psalmes where the holy Ghost doth witnesse that God will render to euery man accordyng to his workes This sentence I suppose is to be foūde in the 62. Psalme for Osorius had no leysure to note the place And I know not whether him selfe euer cited the same out of the very founteines them selues or rather scraped it out of the mustie Ambry of Hosius sinisterly applyed by him there and so this Marchaunt would wrest the same crookedly to fitte his owne drift After this S. Paule is vouched of a witnesse but no place noted where the Apostle doth affirme that all men generally and euery of vs particularely shal be summoned to Iudgement where euery one shall render accompt of the life that he hath lead and receaue reward accordyngly You shall finde this in the second Chap. to the Romaines Hereunto is annexed an other testimony of the same Paule All shall appeare and be arraygned before the Iudgement seate of Christ that euery man may receaue reward according to the deserte of his life and euery mans peculiar worke may bewayed and measured in the iust and vpright ballaūce of seuere Iudgement Where is this Osorius Thou must seéke for it Reader The place is extaūt in the second to the Corinth the v. Chap. Here withall is also coupled that faying of Christ with like vncited place They that haue done well sayth he shall come forth into resurrection of life but they that haue done euill to the resurrection of death He had many other places to this effect besides these saith he
if a Turke or Infidell should pleade before the same Christ his Iudge And why bycause the one is very much holpen by yeldyng his fayth to the promise the other hath none other ayde to trust vnto but the rigour of the law But let vs proceéde that we may come at the last to the pricke that is shot at I vnderstand therfore by these wordes of Christ what shal be betyed of thē at the last that haue liued well that vnto those that are founde such in the Iudgement shall geuen possession of eternall life I heare this well But I would fayne know at the length what the Cause should be why this mercyfull Iudge will vouchsafe to reward those workemen so highly For our controuersie consisteth not in this point that reward is geuen but in this for what Cause reward is geuen Whether of any desert or without all desert whether for the proper worthynesse of the workes them selues whiche you call good or rather for the Fayth of the person from whence those workes doe obteine both to bee called good and to bee esteémed for good You will say that the spring of this together working grace floweth vnto vs out of the founteine of Fayth from whence all abilitie to do good deédes is so aboundant within vs whiche being receiued afterwardes through the bountifulnesse of Christ fruites of holy workes do issue out from vs which do make vs worthy to be Iustified and to place vs in the possession of euerlastyng kyngdome I do aunswere that ye do neither speake as much as ye ought nor that altogether true that ye doe speake For albeit we confesse that all the good whatsoeuer we do proceédeth from the bountyfull gift of God yet this is farre wyde from the marke of our controuersie now in hand neither is this matter in handlyng now to know from whence the fruites of good workes do spryng but after they are come vnto vs the question is how much they do auayle vnto vs whether they them selues through their owne worthynesse do worke our Iustification before God or whether they stand destitute of any other ayde whereby they may be Iustified them selues whether doe ye thinke workes of their owne nature so effectuall as to bee able alone to endure the heauye burden of Gods Iudgement or that the operation of the Fayth of the beleuer rather thē of the worke doth present the persons together with their workes to Gods freé Imputation and so accomplish Iustification But I doe heare a continuall ianglyng of this Portingall Coockoe chatteryng alwayes one maner of laye in myne eares Not fayth but workes sayth hee wayed in the ballaūce of Gods Iudgement do purchase either Saluation or Damnatiō vnto vs. Where finde you this Out of the wordes of Christ And those that haue done well shall goe into euerlasting life but those that haue done euill into euerlasting destruction I aūswere it is most true that the Lord speaketh but most vntrue that Osorius concludeth hereof Christ comprehendyng the fruites of workes together with the whole treé and ioynyng the Causes together with the persons doth encourage them with the hope of eternall lyfe which do yeld their endeuour manfully to their vtterest abilitie to performe the rule of the Gospell not defiuyng what the proportion of their workes doe deserue but declaryng how bountyfully and manifoldly he will require their labours whiche haue suffered any kynde of afflictiō for his names sake Osorius framyng hereof meérely false propositions doth with his crafty conueyaunce wrest force those thynges to the workes them selues onely whiche the Lord doth apply to his faythfull that liue vertuously and so at length turnyng awry that is to say From the Concreto to the Abstractum to vse here the termes of Sophistry seueryng the persons from the thyngs doth conclude disorderly after this maner of false conclusion Faythfull and godly Christians liuing vertuously shal be rewarded with eternall lyfe Ergo Good workes by them selues wayed in the ballaunce of Gods Iudgement doe deserue eternall lyfe What cā be more falsely imagined or more foolishly cōcluded thē this lye In deéde workes are the fruites of Christiā fayth and tokens not causes of Saluation Euen as a treé that bringeth forth fruites if the treé be good it appeareth by the fruites not bycause the fruite maketh the treé good but bycause the treé maketh the fruite good In lyke maner the deédes of the godly haue nothyng in them selues that may enable them to stand vpright in Iudgemēt But if they finde any grace or reward the same may not bee ascribed to their owne merite but partly to Mercy partly to Imputatiō through the sonne that is the Redeémer to Mercy I say which doth forgeue our euill deédes to Imputation whiche accepteth our good workes though they be of them selues neuer so vnperfect as though they were perfect and doth reward them with a crowne of glory so that the glory hereof is not now to be ascribed to men but to God not to righteousnesse but to grace not to workes but to fayth not to Iudgement but to mercy For confirmation wherof if we seéke for authoritie who may require any one a more faythfull witnesse or of more approued authority then the Apostle who beyng sent vnto the Gentiles as to his proper peculiar charge what doth he preach vnto thē Not by the workes which we haue done sayth he but for his mercy sake he hath saued vs If wordes may obteine any credite with you what can bee spoken more playnely if the authoritie of the witnesse may preuayle what more assured testimony can be sought for then Paule that speaketh him selfe But Osorius lacketh not a shift of descante here thinkyng thereby to craze the force of veritie For whereas Paule affirmeth that we are saued for his mercyes sake he doth interprete this saying to be verified after this sort Bycause mercy doth endue vs with abilitie and power to worke that hereof those godly deedes of pietie doe ensue which may make vs vs righteous before God and that hereof likewise it commeth to passe that all whatsoeuer true righteousnesse appeareth in vs doth proceede from the mercy and bountie of God and not from our own nature Such is the doctrine that he scattereth abroad euery where in these bookes in those other also which he hath entituled De Iustitia followyng herein as it seémeth his forerunner Hosius who maskyng in the like maze doth affirme that life euerlastyng is geuē to men so farreforth through the grace of God as it is deliuered to mens merites which do issue out of the mercy and grace of God But Augustine will helpe to vnlose this knot easely so will also all the most famous and auncient interpretours of the Greeke Latine Churche who altogether with one voyce doe so ascribe all our saluatiō to the mercy of God not that which is obteined by doyng good deédes
but by the Mediatour the Sonne through whom righteousnesse is Imputed not purchased by workes neither to him that worketh saith hee but to him that beleeueth in Christ that Iustifieth the wicked And yet you seémyng not to bee so much as acquainted with this righteousnes by Imputation as that ye dare not once name this worde Imputation doe notwithstandyng stand so much in your owne conceite as though Christ at his commyng should finde all fayth in Osorius but no fayth at all in Luther If a man might be so bold with you it were no vneasie matter to pike out diuers other sentences out of Scripture whiche would quickly cracke the credite of your fayth As where the Apostle writyng vnto Timothe doth so manifestly Prophecie That it should come come to passe before the end of the world That many should departe from the faith beleeuing lyeng Spirites and doctrines of Deuilles forbidding Marriadge and the eating of meates which the Lord hath prepared to be receaued with thankes geuing These doctrines of Deuils for as much as the lying spirite of Osorius doth so stoutely mainteine bende all his force to vphold in this latter age of the world as besides him no man more obstinately what may be thoughe els but that either he is departed from the fayth or that the Apostle is an open lyar Agayne Where the same Apostle writeth touchyng Antichrist paintyng him out in his colours as it were so liuely expressing him to the apparasit view of the world his Throne his wickednesse his iuggling his lyes his pride his immesurable arrogancie vauntyng him selfe beyond all hautynesse of mans Nature What may a man Iudge of these sentences the meanyng of the whiche can by no meanes possible be applyed to any thyng els thē to the Romish Sée 2. Thess. 2. Agayne in the Reuelatiō of S. Iohn where the same Antichrist is set in open stage hauing the shape and countenaunce of a meeke Lambe whiche vnder the visour of false hornes should resemble the true Lambe and restore the Image of the wounded beast to lyfe and speache Whiche place of Scripture bycause can not be wrested any other wayes then to that Romishe Ierarchie whiche bendyng to ruine at the first was restored by that great Archeprelate of Rome yet in this most apparaunt Text of Scripture if Osorius faith he demaūded whether it may be applyable to the Bishop of Rome we shall finde him as farre dissentyng from the purpose of this Prophecie as if he were demaunded the way to Canterbury he might aunswere a poake full of Plummes We haue hitherto sufficiently enough declared I suppose that Osorius for all his bragges is voyde of all ayde to defende his Fayth And so for this tyme I will commit the cēfure of those gay workes which flowe so plentyfully out of that glorious Fayth to that Iudge which shall display the hidden corners of darkenesse and to the consideration of them who by the view of his bookes haue skill to discerne a Lyon by his pawes or rather an Asse by his lolieeares Now remayneth at length to discouer briefly that which he barketh agaynst Luthers fayth Now let vs see Luthers fayth sayth hee whether it can bryng forth any liuely fruite It cā not by any meanes c. Lye on yet more a Gods name First of all bycause hee teacheth that all workes appeare they neuer so godly are desiled with sinne Nay rather but that you were by nature of so corrupt a Iudgement that ye can not frame your selfe so much as to speake the truth you would neuer haue patched this lye amōgest the ragges of your leasings Luthers disputation cōcerning faith good workes tendeth to nothyng els but that which the Scriptures euery where the sacred spirite of truth and S. Paule inspired with the holy Ghost doe by all meanes and reasons confirme which we all ought of very duetie to embrace For Luther endeuouryng to make euidēt the doctrine of Iustification comparyng our good workes with the lawe of God is enforced to confesse the very truth of the matter that is to say That there is nothing so holy in workes but beyng of it owne nature in some respect vncleane and defiled must néedes be vnsauorie in the sight of God if without Christ it bee racked with exact scrutyne of Gods seuere Iudgement And hereof quarell is pyked forthwith agaynst Luther as though he should affirme that whatsoeuer workes the very regenerated engraffed in Christ them selues did worke were nothyng els but méere sinnes and wickednesse And bycause he doth abbridge good workes in that part onely wherein they be falsely adiudged to be of valew to Iustifie before God Osorius doth argue agaynst him in this wise as though he did vtterly roote out of mans lyfe all Ciuill and Morall vertues and vertuous conuersation Wherein a mā can not easilye determine whether he doth shewe him selfe more iniurious to Luther or bewray rather his owne blockish grosenesse No man euer taught more soundly no man more highly commended good workes then Luther did beyng separated a part from the doctrine of Iustification And whereas he doth extenuate the force of workes in the treatize of Iustification he doth not therein so altogether derogate from workes as rather frendly aduertize them whiche through vayne Confidence of workes doe challenge to them selues righteousnesse in the sight of God and do depende so much vpon the deseruynges of workes as though there were none other foūteine from whence our Saluation might be deriued Luther therfore vsing Argumēt agaynst those persons doth boldly auow that all our workes are defiled yet not simply but in respect of their application beyng considered without the fayth of the Mediatour Whiche beyng most truely spoken by Luther is as sinisterly wrested by Osorius as though he had spoken it simply that there is no good or commendable thyng in workes nothyng in them acceptable to God though neuer so duetyfully or vertuously performed And for this cause hee concludeth at last as with an vnuanquishable Argument That by no meanes possible Luthers fayth could bryng forth any frutefull workes like as that barren figge tree growyng neare vnto the high way whereupon grewe nothyng but leaues But this is Osorius his owne conclusion not Luthers a Sophisticall cauill concludyng falsely If S. Paule doubted nothing at all to esteeme all thinges sinnefull which were done without faith Rom. 4. If it were lawfull for Augustine to write in this wise Thy workes are examined sayth he and are foūde all defiled Why doth he rage so furiously agaynst Luther bycause he doth professe that the déedes which we call good are in none other respect to be daémed for good thē as they bee valued by the fayth of the Mediatour The consideration of this doctrine as is of it selfe most assured so doth it not tende to that end that Osorius imagineth to discourage godly myndes from vertuous endeuour Rather well disposed
persons are so much the more enflamed to embrace vertue by how much they finde them selues more bounde to Gods bountyfull mercy for as I vnderstand nature hath so prouided that fayth workyng by loue should alwayes be more effectuall thē the law constrainyng through feare If this rule of Paule can not yet be beaten into that bussardly braynes how that our déedes be voyde of all prayse and estimation teachyng you that all thyng is Sinne that is wrought without fayth Let Augustine yet preuayle somewhat with you Beléeue sayth he in him that doth Iustifie the wicked that thy good workes may proue good workes For I will not vouchsafe to call them good as long as they do issue from an euill trée And therefore our Sauiour him selfe recityng and rewardyng the good déedes of his faythfull doth not speake in this maner as though he spake generally Thou hast fedde the hungry Thou hast lodged the harbourlesse Thou hast refreshed the néedy and clothed the nacked but restrainyng all these thynges to the fayth which ought to be towardes him I was hungry sayth he and ye fedde me and I was naked and ye clothed me I was in miserie in chaines and emprisoned and you visited me and gētly refreshed me I was harbourlesse and ye refreshed me c. So that he regarded not so much the deédes them selues which are indifferently employed vpō the relief of the néedy as he esteémed the fayth which worketh those déedes for Gods sonnes sake his names sake Wherefore forasmuch as vpon this fayth dependeth not onely the Iustification of all mankynde but of all the actions of mans lyfe in the sight of God as vpon this onely roote and foundatiō what absurditie ensueth hereof to say That all our workes as of them selues their owne nature are filthy in the sight of God vnlesse they be sprinckled with the fayth bloud of the Mediatour Now these thyngs beyng agreéd vpon Let vs returne to the Argument of Osorius The fayth of Luther sayth Osorius can by no meanes yeld any good fruite Why so Bycause hee doth say that all our workes seeme they neuer so holy are infected and wholy defiled Go to and what more Ergo. No liuely fruites of good workes sayth hee can ensue from Luthers fayth for as much as all our doyngs are corrupt and sinneful as Luther him selfe witnesseth I do heare you aunswere you That the Antecedent is true but the consequent most salfe For to confesse that to be true which Luther hath most truly alledged that all our good deédes beyng viewed with the eyes of Gods Iustice without fayth and without the Mediatour are of them selues no lesse abhorred in the sight of God then wicked sinners yet is not Osorius conclusion therefore true that Luthers fayth is the wellspryng and seédeplot of all vngodlynes The reason therof is euident For whatsoeuer actiōs or endeuours of mās life are of their own nature blame-worthy the fault of the same proceédeth not from fayth but frō the poysoned corruption of our weake fleshe And therfore Luther agreéing very wel with Augustin cōmaūdeth to take hold-fast of fayth That our workes may thereby be made good workes For as much as whatsoeuer is not of fayth and is not onely not shielded vnder her protectiō deserueth not to be accompted for good but also after the testimony of Paule is esteémed in the sight of God no better then very sinne and offence This matter beyng confessed a mā may frame an Argumēt agaynst Osorius much more fitly after this maner For as much as the law in her proper effect cā do nothing but engender wrath and was for this purpose published that sinne should appeare much more sinnefull It followeth rather by Osor. doctrine who seémeth to mainteine with the whole bent of his skil the glory of the law that no good workes are engendred of the law but sinne rather as from whēce more plentyfull matter of wrath is raysed to our destruction But Luther handleth the matter farre otherwise all whose Diuinitie howe much the more carefully doth enseale vnto vs the fayth of Christ which is the onely mother and nourse of all vertuous deédes so much the greater encrease of good workes must of necessitie spryng by his doctrine And therefore as I suppose we haue handsomely enough for this tyme wrong out of Osorius his fingers this choakyng bone wherewith he hath kept all this sturre agaynst Luther and thrust it into his owne throate That Luthers fayth is the well spring seede plot of all wickednes but his faith the founteine of all vertue But here comes an other bolt out of the same quiuer as well made and as wisely shotte Let vs behold how neare the marke he shootes withall Agayne bycause Luther doth affirme that the force of lust is so strong that he beleeueth no man able to resiste it It is a common custome I perceaue amongest many persons to extenuate and despise boldly Originall sinne and that decay of nature in wordes but I could neuer finde any one that was able to suppresse and vtterly subdue the strength therof in deéde in this mortall lyfe except that onely man of whom it is written Whiche of you doth accuse me of sinne vnlesse we will couple this our Osorius next vnto him and make him his equall who with singular vnspeakeable courage doth fight agaynst nature so stoutely I thinke that no force of naturall corruptiō no entycementes of ticklyng lust can driue him from his state of innocencie But I will no more rippevp the lyfe and maners of Osorius I will examine the force and vigour of his Arguments and the vnioynted ioyntes and shiuered sinewes therof Luther doth deny that man in this lyfe is able to vanquishe the strength of sinne vtterly raignyng in the fleshe Ergo No good workes doe proceede from Luthers Fayth Why do ye not by the same Logicke conclude likewise Ergo There is nothyng in the world besides the Crowe that is blacke Nor any skill in the learned that is not in Osor. packe But go to let vs chaūge the names of men let the matter remayne And in place of Luther let vs vse the name of Paule Marke now as wise a reason or rather the very same onely the names of persons beyng chaunged Paule complainyng of the sinne which doth accosiber his flesh doth protest that in his flesh dwelleth no good thing Ergo No good workes are engēdred out of Paules fayth For what difference is there I pray you betwixt the wordes of Paule Luthers positiō if ye compare them together rightly whenas eche of them with vnelagreable assent haue relation to the selfe same vnuanquishable tyranny of Originall Sinne. But now let vs heare how necessarily this consequent must follow of this wonderfull reason wherewith hee would seéme to proue that Luthers fayth is the vtter subuertour of all good workes for in this wise crawleth forward that lyeng spirite out of
ouerwhelmed the glorious Maiestie of the Grace of the Gospell did of an incomparable shamelesse excessiue Impudencie extoll aboue Moone and Starres yea beyond all compasse of reason the force of mans Freewill in such wise that nothyng might beare palme besides mans merites onely and the workes of Freewill the mercy of God beyng vtterly banished and exiled Or if they did at any tyme admitte Grace to be cape marchaunt as it were with Freewill least they might seéme vtterly to exclude Grace Yet did they so admitte her as they dyd the Article of Iustification Wherein as they did with most vayne practize enforce this one point cōtinually to witte That fayth onely without workes could not Iustifie euen so and in lyk◠maner in this question of Freewill they would neédes haue this to bee graunted that the Grace of God was not the onely foundresse of good workes and of our Electiō but a seruaūt rather or at the most a companion of Freewill Whose vnmeasurable errour forced Martin Luther to that vehemet sharpnesse of speach and not without good cause And yet in all that his heate of wordes what can any man I pray you finde beyng not otherwise lead by corrupt affection that is cōtrary to the naturall truth of thyngs or that is not in all respectes faithfully agreable with the very spirite wordes of Gods Scriptures Freewill is denyed to be of any value not bycause it is of it selfe nothyng if you respect the substaunce of it but in respect of the operation therof it is sayd to be altogether vneffectuall to that worke whereunto it is supposed to be conducible not much vnlike to that figuratiue phrase of speach wherewith Paule doth esteéme of Circumcision and Uncircumcision to be nothyng worth wherewith Esay the Prophet doth tearme Idolles and Idollmakers to be nothyng and wherewith Ieremy beholdyng the earth with open eyes was sayd hee saw nought Or as a man might say that Osorius doth say nothyng at all when as otherwise he is ouer lauishe of toung if you regard his wordes and sillables but nothyng at all to the purpose if ye cōsider his Argumentes Semblably Freewill is called a fayned deuise amongest thynges or a tittle without substaunce from whence ariseth no preiudice to mās nature onely the corruption of nature is discouered hereby For it is vndoubted as Augustine truly teacheth that we do will when we will and that we doe worke when we worke But to be able to will and to be able to worke bee bringeth to passe in vs of whom it is sayd God is hee that worketh in vs both to will and to doe geuing most effectuall power to our will whiche sayd I will bring to passe that you shall doe Aud agayne in other place Thinking sayth he we do beleue thinking we doe speake thinking we doe all whatsoeuer we doe c. Loe here you haue the tittle of Freewill And forthwith in the same Chap. But to the attaining the way of righteousnesse and the true worshipping of God we are altogether of our selues insufficient for all our sufficiencie herein proceedeth frō God c. Where you may easily conceaue the substaūce it selfe which Augustine acknowledgeth to be none at all in Freewill but affirmeth boldly to cōsiste wholy in God Albeit neither doth Luther him selfe when he tearmeth Freewill to be a fantasie or deuise in thyngs simply and barely affirme the same to be so but annexeth thereunto an addition namely Post peccatum ante gratiam That is to say After Sinne and before Grace Whereby the godly Reader may vnderstand that those persones are not noted here whom either the Grace of Christ hath vouchsafed into Freédome or whō after Grace receaued Christ will crowne in glory to come For there be certeine distinct differences of tymes and persons if you know them not Osorius whiche ought chiefly to be obserued wherein if you be as yet vnskillfull ye may repayre to your M. Lumbard who will lead you to a descriptiō of Free-will deuidyng it into foure braunches as it were Wherof the first is The same that was created ioyntly with mans nature at mans first creation sounde and perfect The second whiche after mans fall was throwen downe in them that were not regenerated The third whiche is proper and peculiar to the godly after their conuersion vnto Grace The last which shal be accomplished in those that shal be glorified As touchyng the first and last whereof the Deuines make no question at all as I suppose Agayne if you will assigne Freewill to the thyrd braunche Luther will nothyng gaynsay you whose disputation concerneth those persons chiefly who after Sinne before their conuersion beyng wounded with originall Sinne haue not as yet recouered health in Christ Iesu through the triacle of better Grace In which sort of people if you be of opinion that the state of Freewill ought by any meanes to be defended I would fayne learne of you first whether ye will inueste those persons with Freewill playnly perfectly whole and not diminished or otherwise If you will attribute such a freédome vnto them it remayneth then that by way of definition ye expounde the difference betwixt the state and condition of the first man before his fall and this latter state and condition after his fall But if you will dismember it and will graunt vnto them certeine vnperfect dregges thereof onely neither will Luther vary much from you herein so that ye will yeld some distinctiō thereunto and vtter playnly and distinctly what kynde of libertie you meane in what thynges you settle it and how it ought to be taken what this word Freewill emporteth and to what actions of mans lyfe it ought to be referred and withall will vnlose those crabbed knottes of equiuocatiōs wherewith ye seéke to entrappe the truth For whereas the actions of mans lyfe are not all of one sort or kynde some wherof proceédyng from nature it selfe be naturall others altogether faultie and corrupt others politique and apperteinyng to maners are morall called good Agayne some other spirituall and consiste in the worshyppyng of God It behoued you here to make manifest vnto vs whiche of those actions you do meane If you speake of the first kynde certes euē vnto these by the very law of cōmon nature it selfe we are all fastened boūde of necessitie wherby we are bereft of the greatest part of our freédome For what freédome can bee so mighty in mans wil as to preserue mā so that he neuer neéde to sleépe but be alwayes watchfull that he neuer be sicke but alwayes healthy neuer receaue sustenaūce not to disgest the foode receaued not to prouide for his houshold not to be carefull for him selfe his family not to be busied abroad not to rest at home not to enioy the commō ayre not to lyue not to dye not to performe the other dueties apperteinyng to mans lyfe whereunto we are forcibly drawen by course of
gift of election whereas before there was nothing in the Infantes beyng not yet borne that might eyther deserue to beé aduaunced or to be reiected If you respect the worthines of their workes what had the seély infantes done before they were borne but if this whole matter did depend vpon the determination of Gods vnsearcheable counsell what rewarde here doe mens workes deserue namely whereas God spake to Moyses in playnest maner of speach I will haue mercy on him on whō I will shew mercy and will haue cōpassion on him on whom I haue compassion Whereunto agreéth the testimony of Paule immediately vttered by the same spirite It is not of him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in GOD that sheweth mercy Againe alledging the example of Pharao with semblable reason cōfirmeth the same by the example of Gods seuerity that he debated before of his freémercy And this is the very order of the argument in Paules discourse which neyther Osorius himselfe will deny But it must be diligently considered to what ende Paule applyed those reasons for herein consisteth the whole pithe of our controuersie And whereas Luther Caluine Martyr and their companions bee of opinion that Paule vndertooke this Disputation for this end◠that by settyng downe examples of Gods liberalitie and seueritie he might make manifest that the onely freé mercy and eternall Election of God accordyng to the purpose of his good pleasure did make the true Israelites without any helpe or respect of workes or endeuours◠Osori doth very stoughtly withstand these felowes not denyeng meane whiles Gods Election nor Gods callyng ne yet his Grace as hee sayth but will not graunt this notwithstandyng that the Election of the faythfull consisteth in the freémercy of GOD without speciall respect of workes For this is the whole force of this Prelates Diuinitie Let vs heare his owne wordes as they be This therfore sayth he do we gather out of this place of Paule that neither dignitie of parentage nor worke nor yet the law doth make true Israelites but Gods Election his callyng and his Grace But let vs see whether this so notable mercy of God powred vpon vs without all our deseruynges is geauen vs without any respect of workes No it is not c. First bycause I do not sufficiently conceaue Osorius what you meane by this that you say mercy powred vpō vs with out desertes yet not geauen without respect of workes I would haue you open your meanyng more distinctly If God do powre out vpō his faythfull mercy without merites as you say what other choyse then doe ye want in those that are elect then the very same which cōsisteth of Gods meére mercy good will onely without merites But this you thinke not in any wise sufferable nor to be vttered for this reason as I suppose If Gods Election should consiste of mercy onely without any choyse of such as are chosen Gods Iudgement might be adiudged to be chaunceable and vnaduised Let vs ioyne hereunto the Minor But fortune and vnaduisednesse are not to be imputed to Gods Iudgement For we heare out of Paule Not by workes but of him that calleth who sayth that the elder shall serue the younger Let vs now conclude a Gods name Ergo Gods electiō standeth not by his mercy onely with out some choyse that is say without some especiall discrete regarde of some one thyng in the person that is elected which was not to bee founde in the person that was reiected For in this maner doth Osorius both define and conclude After sūdry ridiculous vayne glorious speaches of his Rhethoricall brauery and vnprofitable scoldyng least he might not seéme to be a Rhetoriciā onely or a leane Logiciā he hath now pyked somewhat out of the Rules of Sophistry wherein he behaueth hym selfe neuerthelesse none otherwise then an Owle amōgest Nightingales For the very principall speciall pointe of that Arte hee either atteyneth not aright or toucheth surely very coldly Which may be easily and playnly perceaued Osorius by this your owne forme of arguyng And I call it playnly your owne bycause no creature cā more nearely resemble his Sire wherein you do neither define rightly nor deuide orderly no lesse foolishly heapyng together false thynges in steéde of true thynges in your maner of arguyng proceédyng from the effectes to causes and as Crabbes crawle backeward so do you for the more part set the carte before the Hoarse First Wheras you say that this word Electiō doth signifie some speciall regard whereby some thyng may be iudged to be in the persons that are Elect that wanted in the reprobate If you define Election in this wise surely we can not allow of it For although no man ought to dought but that God accordyng to his incomprehēsible wisedome euen from the begynnyng was not ignoraunt of the contrary dispositious of all and euery thyng the differences betwixt the faithfull and the reprobate yet is not Election opened sufficiētly hetherto as yet accordyng to the nature of the word These be the effectes of Gods foreknowledge and doe follow Election but make not Election For euen as fire doth not therfore warme bycause it should be whote but bycause it is whote and as a wheéle doth not therfore runne roūde that it may be rounde but bycause it is rounde As August maketh mention euen so the faythfull were not therfore chosen bycause they were lyke to lyue vertuously but they were chosen in Christ bycause they should lyue vertuously beyng thereunto predestinate by God not for the worthynes of their workes that were for seéne should be in them before as Osorius doth dreame but accordyng to the good pleasure of his will If we list to geue credite more to Paule then to Osorius So hath hee chosen vs sayth Paule in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy not bycause we were holy and vnblameable c. What can be more playne then this And yet doth hee not stay there nor so expresse the last maner of Election Whereupon he addeth forthwith Accordyng to the good pleasure of his will to the prayse of the glory of his grace If Gods Election stād accordyng to the purpose of the freé will of God by what meanes will Osorius iustifie that Election cōmeth accordyng to his foreknowledge of workes to come As though Gods Election and foreknowledge did depende vpon our Actions and not rather our actions vpon his Election and foreknowledge Therfore Osorius doth deale falsely whereas he defineth the purpose of God to be a Iudgemēt preordinated before whereby God doth ordeyne some vnto glory and others some vnto destruction accordyng to the choyse of those thynges which he doth see will come to passe First in that he calleth it by the name of Iudgemēt I seé no reason at all why he should so do for as much as Iudgement is properly executed in sinnes
be agreable to reason For God did also foreknow the euill will of the reprobate as there is nothyng in the world that his vnsearcheable purpose did not foreknow euen aswell as he foreknew before the glory of the elect that should come yet did he not therfore chuse vnto glory some bycause he foreknew thē nor did chuse all thynges which he did foreknow but whatsoeuer his Electiō had predestinated it is out of all doubt that the same were all foreknowen 4. Agayne the foreseéne pety workes which they make to be the cause of Election are either our owne or properly apperteynyng to God If they be Gods and not ours where then is the freédome of our choyse any merites of works But if they be ours that is to say in the direction of our owne willes then is that false that Paule teacheth God it is that worketh in vs both to will and to worke declaryng hereby that we are vnable to will or to attemp any thyng that good is without Gods assistaunce 6. The fift reason is this whatsoeuer is the cause of the cause is worthely adiudged the cause of the effect If the foreseéne workes of the faythfull be the cause of Predestination certes they must neédes be the cause of Iustification also whiche is directly opposite and aduersary to the doctrine of Paule and the Grace of Christ. 6. Workes as they issue from vs are thynges vncerteine But Gods Election is a thyng alwayes certeyne and permanent Now by what reasō will Osorius proue then that thyngs beyng of their own nature certeine vnchangeable shall depēd vpon thynges transitory and variable Not but foreknowledge sayth he of thynges that are foreseene doth stand in a certeine permanēt and vnremoueable assuraunce Neither do I deny this And therefore when the foreknowledge of God hath established thyngs in such a Necessary vnaduoydeable assuraunce whiche will be chaunged by no alteration what should moue him to gnaw so greédely vpon Luther for teachyng such a Necessitie of our workes 7. When as God did regarde the people of the old Testament as a Damsell naked polluted and adulteresse c. Agayne in the new Testamēt where we are heare the vyle things things despised in this world and thyngs which are not to be had in estimation with God Moreouer whereas accordyng to the testimony of August Gods Electiō is said to haue ouerpassed many Philosophers notable for their vertue famous for the cōmendable cōuersation of life doth not the thyng it self declare sufficiently that the whole exploite of our saluation is accōplished not of any desert of our workes that were foreseéne but of his onely bountyfull benignitie and most acceptable freé mercy 8. Moreouer what shall be sayd of Infantes who are taken out of this worlde assoone as they are Baptised what shall we thinke of the theéfe hangyng on the Crosse and others the lyke who hauyng lyued most abhominably were yet receaued into the kyngdome of Christ by holy repentaunce onely thorough fayth whenas they had done no good worke at all were either any workes to come foreseéne in these persons which were none at all shall we Iudge that they wanted Electiō bycause they wanted workes foreseéne before 2. Furthermore whereas this seémeth to be the onely scope of Paules Epistle to extoll and aduaunce the freé mercy of God by all meanes possible surely this scope is vtterly ouerthrowen and rooted out if the whole action of freé Election must be decided by merites of workes foreseéne before Whiche matter moued Augustine so much that to preferre knowledge of workes yea of foreknowledge of fayth either before the Grace of Election he adiudged matter of all other most intollerable 10. Lastly bycause Osorius doth so scornefully loathe our 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 innouations as her termeth them as newfangled deuises of rascallike abiects to make it euidēt that we are not altogether destitute of antiquitie to iustifie our Assertions to be true we will ioyne with vs herein the Iudgement of Augustine who excludeth foreseéne workes altogether from the worke of Gods Electiō For these are his wordes most expressely set downe And least peraduenture the faythfull should bee thought to be Elect sayth he before the foundation of the world for their workes that were foreseene he proceedeth addeth therto But if Electiō come by Grace then cōmeth it not now of workes Or els Grace now is not Grace at all c. What say you moreouer to this that in an other place hee doth vtterly deny that choyse was made of the younger to beare rule ouer the Elder through the very foreknowledge of any workes at all c. Which matters being thus set in order what remayneth but that we encounter with our aduersaries argumentes wherwith they endeuour to reuiue the auncient heresie of Pelagius and hale it out of hell agayne For as those olde heretiques dyd teach that mans will was so farforth freé as that euery man was elected for the merite of their workes foreseéne before by God none otherwise do these our new Pelagians iarre vpon the same string or not very much vnlike treading the track of their forerunners the Archheretiques referring all thinges in lyke sort to workes foreseéne before least something maye seéme to bee found altogether without recompence in the behalfe of our most bountifull and souereigne God And amongest these notable Champions rusheth out this couragious ringleader Osorius and geueth a proud onset agaynst the kingdome of Grace and hath so disposed the whole force of hys battery that the maiestie of Freewill may not by any meanes bee endamaged trustyng chiefly to this Target of proofe before mentioned arguyng on this wise If election did consist of freemercy onely sayth he without respect or choyse of any the thinges that God did foresee he might be worthely accused of vnaduised and rashe dealyng But now whereas God accordyng to his vnpenetrable counsell doth determine all thinges aduisedly in a certayne well disposed order Ergo Gods Election doth not consiste of his mercy onely without respect or choyse of workes which he foresaw would be done by the faythfull To aunswere these thinges brieflye If Osorius senselesse iudgement were not throughly ouerwhelmed with heddinesse and rashenes he would not skatter abroad such black and thick cloudes to vse Augustines wordes and such crafty cautels of confused disputations We doe know and confesse Osorius that God doth neuer any thyng at all aduētures nor vnaduisedly Yet doth not that rashe imagination therefore followe whiche you haue as rashely conceaued in that blynde denne of your intoxicate braynes to witte that workes foreseene before are the cause of Election Moreouer Gods Election is neyther therefore decreéd vpon without cause nor yet therefore guyded by blynde chaunce though it hang not vpon the choyse of works afterwardes to be done But Osor. beyng a very naturall Philosopher and very Ethicall seémeth to
haue sucked this geare rather from Aristotle theÌ„ out of Christes Testament who teacheth in his 3. booke of Ethickes that Election which he calleth vnderstandyng Appetite is euer occupyed about good or euill And because in humaine actioÌ„s where choyse is made betwixt two or moe thinges preéminence is graunted to one of theÌ„ according to the difference of good and euill like as in coÌ„mon musters the Souldier that is most valiaunt in Maioralities and Baylywicks the richest Citizen in choyse of wyues the most beautifull in schooles of learning the most expert in sciences are vsually more esteémed and preferred formost the same surmyseth our Osorius to be betide with the Election of God and hys sacred decrees But here a distinction ought to haue bene made betwixt Gods choyse and mans choyse and the causes thereof likewise ought to be distinguished And therefore in this place especially Osorius doth notably bewray his singuler ignoraunce disputing of those thinges whiche lyke an vnskilfull Sophister he can neyther rightly deuide nor duely define But here perhaps some question will be moued whereas God and nature do nothing without cause what other cause els could there be here if God did not make choyse of the faythfull and of the Reprobates accordyng to the proportion of their workes foreseéne before But this reason can no man discusse better then Paule himselfe who after many his blasphemous persecutioÌ„s of Christ obtayning mercy at the length and yealding the reason of this great mercy doth franckly confesse that it was the onely clemency of God not any workes foreseéne in him before to the end that he might be a president to others of Gods mercy stretched out towardes them which would beleéue To be short if the naturall cause must be throughly searched out which are the very foundacion of Gods predestinatâ—on the Apostle Paule doth knit them vp altogether into iiij chiefe places first GODS POWER hath not the potter power of the clay 2. GODS PVRPOSE or GODS GOOD PLEASVRE for he doth vse both these speaches 3. GODS WILL. He will haue mercy on whom he will haue mercy and will harden whom he listeth 4. GODS MERCY OR LOVE It is not of hym that willeth nor of him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Rom. 9. So that you seé playnely that here is no mention made of works at all but that there be other much more weightie causes which will deliuer God cleare of all Rashnesse and vnaduizednes though foreseéne workes haue neuer anye place in the counsell of God I come now to the other argumentes of Osor. For after this sort doth this lumpish logician cauill agaynst Haddon that beautifull blossome of Bucer out of the 2. of Tim. 2. If any man purge himselfe from these he shall be a vessel of honor vnto the Lorde that is to say predestinated vnto honour and sanctified Euery man is of power of his own Freewill to purge him selfe Ergo Euery man is of power of his owne Freewill to be predestinate and made a vessell to honour The Maior must be vnderstanded that Paule treated not of the cause of predestination but of the execution and effect of predestination Neyther doth the wordes of the Apostle tend to this end to expresse the cause of predestination but to admonish vs by the effecte of predestination how weé ought to esteéme of the worthines and vnworthiness of persons in the congregation according to the saying of Christ by the fruites you shall know them c. Then the Minor is false for that which they inferre vpon these wordes of Paule as though it were in the power of our owne will to make our selues vessels of honour is not well concluded for it lyeth not in the will of the doer but of the caller not in the clay but in the potter who is of power to fashion the â—lay whereunto him listeth into a vessell of honor or of dishonor Furthermore neyther is our abilitie to be decyded by any hypotheticall proposition no more then if a man would conclude vp on thys hipotheticall proposition If you doe this or that or if you beleeue you shall bee saued Ergo to do this or that or to beleue we are of our selues sufficient inough And why then doth the Scriptures vse thys phrase of speech that men purge themselues if we haue no power of our own selues to purge our selues forsooth because God doth worke in men not as in stockes and stoanes whiche are not moued of any their own feéling or will WheÌ„ God worketh in men he doth so temper their mindes and willes whom himself doth regenerate that they willingly vndertake whatsoeuer they are commaunded After this mauner therefore are they sayde to to purge themselues by this very will not whiche is proper and peculiar to their owne nature but whiche is poured into them by grace And by this meanes at the length such as are regenerate are made afterwardes Gods together workemen and of their own accord leade a vertuous and holy life Finally God in his Scriptures commaundeth to purge our selues when notwithstanding it is he alone that purgeth So doth he commaund the people of Israell by the mouth of his Prophet Moses to sanctifie themselues whereas hee witnesseth of himselfe in an other place that it was he that doth sanctifie the people So also hee commaundeth vs to beleéue when as notwithstanding Fayth is the gift of God and not our owne nor is the cause of our predestination but the effect But let vs proceéde farther to your challenge Osor. wh challenge you haue vndertakeÌ„ to iustifie out of the depth of Diuinitie namely that there is nothing in gods eternall electioÌ„ but is accoÌ„plished vpon certeine conditions of reason and iudgement And yee suppose that the reason of Election is not to be sought els where but from the foreseene workes of the faythfull and reprobate And that if wee graunt not this that then ye think that our assertion of predestination cannot be iustified but that many thinges will ensue thereupon not onely erroneously false but also absurde to bee spoken incredible to be beleued First because Gods iustice cannot be acquired of iust reproche of parcialitie nor his mercy which is retched to all meÌ„ indifferently cleared of vnrighteous dealing You crye out afterwardes that it is both agaynst right reason that he should saue a very few in number and condeÌ„ne an innumerable company besides to destruction Moreouer euen in this choyse it selfe when coÌ„sideration is had why he should chuse these and why he should reiect the others the thyng it selfe doth seeme not to bee cleare of speciall acceptyng of persons nor of a certeyne extreme crueltie c. All which with others the lyke sithence be but weake sproughtes budding out of the sauadge woodbyne of the aduersary not issues of the true stocke will be so much the more easily cut of with the Razour and
the Grace of God offered vnto vs or els not to receaue it I deny the Argument For where the effectuall Grace of God is which worketh in vs not onely by outward callyng but also by the inward renewyng and earnest motion of the mynde as Augustine writeth to Simplician there can be no defect of will And agayne wheresoeuer is any want of will there is not Gods effectuall Grace which is comprehēded within these two partes outward callyng and inward drawyng So that the receauyng of grace is within vs in deéde yet commeth not of our selues but of the grace of God But the Refusall of Grace is both in vs and of vs and yet in such wise as that beyng left ouer to our owne weakenesse we are not able to doe otherwise of our selues There is obiected out of Augustine Hypognosticon 3. booke That we haue lost our freedome not to will but to be able and to performe First by that consent of the learned it is certeine that this booke was neuer made by August 2. the aduersaries do not interprete it aright 3. let the premisses be ioyned with that which followeth For he doth cōfesse that there is a Freewill hauyng Iudgemēt of reason in deéde not by wh it may be apt either to begyn or to end any godly action wtout God but onely in the actions of this present life And forthwith followeth in the same August When we speake of Freewill we do not treate of one part of man onely but of whole mā altogether c. Whereupō their errour is cōdēned which do affirme that corruptiō is wholy includeth within the flesh whereas by testimony of the same Aug. corruption hath defiled that inward powers of the soule likewise whereupō he speaketh in the same place on this wise Freewill beyng defiled the whole mā is defiled wherfore without helpe of the Grace of God he is neither able to begin to do any thyng that may be acceptable vnto God nor yet to performe it The Scripture doth euery where describe the Freedome of will Where it testifieth that God will render to euery man accordyng to his deseruyng whereas it cōteyneth ordinaunces and preceptes of good lyfe where it exhorteth euery where to godlynes forbyddeth to sinne and threateneth punishment Out of all whiche it is most assured that the power of freewill is declared If the whole Scriptures treate altogether euery where of these where be the premisses then First as touchyng merites Augustine doth Aunswere Woe be vnto the lyfe of man thought neuer so commendable if God deale with vs after our deseruynges As cōcernyng reward he doth aunswere after the same maner That reward is geuē in deede to them that deserue it but yet so as to deserue is geuen first from the grace of God and proceedeth not from mans Freewill vnto whō reward is geuen afterwardes That is to say Grace for Grace as Augustine sayth Moreouer as cōcernyng the preceptes and commaundementes in deéde GOD doth commaunde vs to walke in them but he doth promise that he will bryng to passe that we may walke in thē that is to say that he will geue vs both a mynde and feéte to walke withall Where a Recompence is made there is a consideration of merite Nay rather the conclusion would haue bene more correspōdent on this wise Where Recompence doth follow there doth consideration of obedience goe before For of Obedience the Argument is good enough but of Merite starke naught Where Recompence is there is regarde had both of Obediēce and of Merite out of the Maister of Sentēces Wherupon they argue on this maner Hope doth not trust to the mercy of God onely but to our Merites also And therfore to hope beyng voyde of Merites is not to hope but to presume as they affirme This Treatize here toucheth Merites and Obediēce both I aunswere vnto both First of Obedience the Assertion may be graunted But that Obedience is ment here that is made acceptable to God and proceédeth not from the will and abilitie of our Freéwill but from the grace of GOD onely But of Merite if the worthynesse of the worke be regarded we doe vtterly deny it if they vnderstand of Obedience approued and acceptable in the sight of GOD we doe not striue agaynst them so that they will reknowledge this much agayne that this Obedience of ours how ready soeuer it be doth not spryng from our owne abilitie but that we ought to acknowledge it as a gift receaued by the benefite of the heauenly Grace to be his gift onely and none others Agaynst this Masterlyke sentence I will set downe the opinion of Basile He that trusteth not in himselfe neither looketh to be iustified by workes that man hath the hope of Saluation reposed onely in the mercies of God Augustine disputyng agaynst the Pelagians which did say that the same Recōpence which shal be geuen in the ende is a reward of good workes going before doth aūswere That this may be graūted vnto them if they likewise agayne would confesse that those good workes were the gifts of God and not the proper actiōs of mē for those that are such that is to say proper vnto men are euill but yet are good giftes of God c. Whereupō in an other place If thy merites sayth he come of thy selfe they be euill and for that cause are they not crowned and therefore that they may be good they must be the giftes of God And agayne writyng to Sixtus Be there no merites of righteous men yeas truly Bycause they be righteous men but their merites brought not to passe that they were made righteous For they be made righteous when they be Iustified but after the maner of the Apostles teachyng Freely Iustified through the Grace of Christ. And agayne writyng vpon the 94. Psalme If GOD would deale accordyng to mens deseruynges he should not finde any thyng but that he might of very Iustice vtterly condemne c. But these sayinges bycause they apperteyne to the Iudgement of yeldyng Reward do concerne our cause nothyng at all who do not create now of the last Iudgement but of the Grace of Election properly Whiche grace whosoeuer will say is geuen accordyng to the proportion of deseruynges Augustine doth call the same a most pernitious errour It is Furthermore obiected that Augustine writyng vnto Prosper and Hyllary doth not onely in the very title of the booke ioyne Freewill with Grace but also heapyng a nomber of Arguments together doth very earnestly endeuour to confirme that man hath Freewill I do confesse that Augustine in these bookes as many tymes otherwise doth by certeyne Argumentes framed out of holy Scriptures teache Freewill and withall ioyne it with Grace But such Argumentes are they as him selfe afterwardes confuteth Moreouer consideration must be had in what wise he doth ioyne both these together how he doth part them a sūder agayne
whether we should seéke vnto many Aduocates and Mediators for the ease of our miseries Of Inuocation adoration and worshipping this is not a new but an auncient comaundement Thus shalt worshippe the Lord thy God and him onely shalt thou serue And agayne thou shalt make to thy selfe no grauen Image nor the likenes of any thing c. And with what face then do you accuse them of innouation who obserue these thinges according to the prescript rule of the auncient commaundement God did institute in his Church two Sacramentes as appeareth euidently which he commaunded vs to obserue very carefully and deligently If we do not frequent these in that sincerity of Religion as we ought to doe Let vs be condemned But if we doe herein according to duetye and simplicitye of true Religion I pray you what Noueltye is in thys our doinge If we measure the auntient Fathers and Authors of true doctrine by number of yeares we say with Iustine Paule is the Father of Fathers whose authority is of such credite that if an Aungell of heauen would bring any thyng contrary to that which Paule hath taught let him be holden accursed But the same Paule gaue freé liberty to all persons ingenerall to take wyues and did dignify the Mariage bedde by this tytle honourable And called the forbidding of Mariage the doctrine of Deuils And there were amongest the Apostles some which did not only marry wiues but did lead them about with them also according as was lawfull for them to do And how is this contrarye to the auncient custome examples of the Elders If ministers who are appoynted to the ministery in Churches marry wiues for the necessary comfort of theyr liuelyhood We read the scriptures to the vnlettered people in their mother toung we do cōmunicate with them also vnder both kindes both bread and wyne If the Apostles did not vse the same Lett Osorious haue the prise I will further debate thus with this vpright and frendlye Reader desire him that he will vouchsafe to peruse all the parts of our doctrine and view with his eyes euery angle and corner of our Churches Peraduenture he seéth no portrayctes of Images blazed abroad to be worshipped for pence he beholdeth Bare wals and iudgeth them more like vnto Barnes then vnto Churches Yet was the most Auntient Temple of Salomon euen such an other Barne yea such a Barne also was the Tabernacle of God more auncient then the other in the Law carnall may not we wante the gaze of Images in the spirituall Law He seéth no tapers lighted at high noone no palmes no Reliques no belles no oyle no spittle no consecrated fire nor water he seéth not the Sacramentall bread lyfted vppe aloft worshipped he seéth no markette of pardōs no Iubiles no sacrificatory Masses no shauelinges nor beardlesse Priestes no differences of dayes of monethes yeares garemēts meates and colors no stately and pompeous supplications and Processions besides innumerable other Byshapes of frameshapen Ceremonies all which whether ought to be tollerated in Christian Churches I do not at this time discusse Yet this I deale with and enquire of my Reader whether our Churches which doe lacke all these trumperies deserue rather to be condemned of nouelty or do more neérely resemble the liuely and perfect patterne and countenaunce of the most true and most auncient Church But Luther doth teach that freéwill hath no power at all that whatsoeuer a man doth is sinne that whatsoeuer good or euill we do commeth of absolute and vnauoydable necessity c. And what can be spoken so sincerely but by sinister construing may be depraued For how deépely doth not the deadlye sting of Momus wound if it may freély pearce without resistaunce Luther doth embase the power of freéwill in deéde but in that man onely that is not yet regenerate but in thinges appertayning vnto God wherin he weakeneth the effectuall force of freéwill he doth strengthen and establish it with the accesse of Gods grace Of the greatnesse of Sinne and distinction of necessity hath bene spoken so much already that it is neédelesse now to redouble the same agayne All which notwithstanding the indifferent Reader shall finde nothing to be spoken by hym that was not spoken before his time and drawen from the very fountaines and most auntient springes of the Prophettes and Apostles as hath bene declared before both out of the Prophette Esay who recoūteth all our righteousnesse no better worth then a foule menstruous clothe out of Moyses Paule the Prophets who haue taught this doctrine to be most assured That it is God that doth harden the hartes that doth deliuer ouer into reprobate mindes which hath created the wicked man the euill day and that there is no euill in the City that the Lord hath not wrought c. All which if a man should preach in these dayes in the same wordes there is no doubt but Osorius would accuse him of hereticall nouelty Of the iustifyng fayth Luther did discourse very aboundantly and profoundly and with all no lesse faythfuly and truely Whose iudgement we do all embrace gladly and ioyfully And render vnto God most harty thanks for this his inestimable benefite finding nothing in this doctrine that is not throughlye approued most true not onely by the testimony of the Apostles but by the generall consent and agreément of the most auntient Prophettes Paule doth teach that man is iustified in the sight of God by fayth without workes Luther doth teach that we are iustified by fayth onely what difference is there here I pray you Osorius ascribeth rewardes to workes Paule doth openlye take away all rewarde from workes Whose Iudgement is more true or more auntient And what kinde of new doctrine is there here now If Luther agreéing with Paule excludynge workes do establish fayth onely in the doctrine iustification and yet not so altogether excluding workes as that he woulde haue no workes practized but so and in such wise as they may not be sayd to iustify so that now godly and carefull endeuour in faythfull workes should not be sequestred but wicked confidence and vayne superstitious glorying vpon merites vtterlye cutte of rather With which kinde of doctrine if Osorius be offended as with a certayne new fangled Gospell whether is it more reasonable that the euerlasting truth of GOD shall geue place to Osorius persuasiōs or that Osorius should reuoke his errour according to the rule of the trueth In this therefore that Luther teacheth that fayth onely doth iustify in the sighte of God is no new doctrine but the doctrine of Paule But that the minde and meaning of Paule may the better be conceaued it might haue bene added out of S. Iames the best Interpretor of Paule as the which doth more fully expresse the meanyng of Paule what manner of men they be whom onely fayth doth iustify not wicked obstinate Sinners
but humble and prostrate Sinners onely truely and vnfaynedly repentaunt Sinners For otherwise such as raunge outragiously and willfully in their Sinnes nor are touched with any remorse of sorrowfull minde for their wickednes coÌ„mitted nor moued with any earnest desire to obtayne forgeuenesse vnto such I say Paule doth not bouchsafe to ascribe either Fayth or any righteousnesse at all no more doth Iames defraud the others which with repentauÌ„ce haue an earnest desire of Saluation of any part of IustificatioÌ„ No more do euen those which though be moued with neuer so great a remorse of Conscience obtayne any mercy at Goddes handes by any other meanes possibly then through onely fayth whiche is in Christ Iesu our Lord. Whereby you may perceaue sufficiently that in the Doctrine of Iustification all workes are excluded and Fayth onely weareth the gareland But that the meanyng of the Apostle may appeare more playnly to be so bold to vse schoole tearmes the predicatum must neédes agreé with his subiectum on this wise as where it is fayd that fayth onely doth iustifie this is true in deéde but whom Not the proud not the obstinate stubborne and outragious sinners but those sinners onely which stricken downe with an earnest acknowledgement of their sumes and entring into a serious meditation of amendement of lyfe doe most humbly flee vnto Christ through fayth euen with all their hartes Such that doe on this wise simply and vnfainedly repeÌ„t for Luther speaketh not a word of others if a man doe teach to be freely iustified through fayth onely agreéing herein with Paule with Iames and with Christ himselfe doth this man seéme in your eyes to teach a new Gospell or rather a most true and most most auncyent Gospell It were a tedious peéce of worke to runne ouer all the places of doctrine Let this be the summe to speake breefly Martine Luther did publishe many articles Iohn Caluine hath set forth his Institutions Melancthon hath made a collection of Common places the same also hath done Wolfg. Musculus Henry Bullenger hath written his Decades Peter Martyr hath made sundry commentaryes vpon the old Testament and the newe and discoursed notably vpon the Sacrament The same did before him Hulderick Zuinglius Iohn Oecolampadius Marine Bucer hath geuen vs many aunsweres and Apologies Emongest those may be placed the Apologie of Iohn Iuell no lesse famous and worthy Of Antichrist now openly and in good time discouered besides many other things hath Gaulter Rodulph compiled a treatise Of many other matters lykewise many writers haue treated largely Finally the professions and confessions of many natioÌ„s peoples prouinces Kingdomes Cities townes incorporate proclaymed published in writing through all their seuerall Churches by generall agreément conspiring and concluding all with one assent in one vndoughted trueth In all whose writinges monuments and confessions If you canne shew any thing new neuer heard of before or that is not auÌ„swerable and correspondent to the auncienty and doctrine of the Apostles I geue you here freé libertye to exclayme agaynst those doctours of the new Gospell as lowde and wyde as ye canne But if hitherto your selfe haue found no such matter nor euer shall be able to shew any such to what end raungeth this shamelesse vnbryveled impudency in matter so manifestly false You call it a new Gospell shamelesly enough yelding no reason that moueth you to call it newe Wherein you haue set before our eyes a very playn and euident demonsiration of your foolishe vanitye For if we should confesse the trueth in deéde to what purpose is all this brabble contentioÌ„ and discention emongest vs but for this onely matter because we do endeuonr to reclayme you that haue forsaken the true natiue simplicitye of the true and auncient Gospell roauing at randone after I can not tell what new-fangled straunge and imaginatiue deuises of mens traditions and are desirous to haue you come home to the auncient antiquitye of the true simple and pure Euangelick veritye agayne If any man shall doubt hereof and thinke this vntrue that I speake the apparant proofe is at hand Uouchsafe vs once this one petition that ye would be but willing to haue the Christian doctrine to recouer and returne to her auncient state and first institution euen the same state wherein it florished in those most auncient dayes of Christ and his Apostles weéding out by the rootes all that pilfe and baggage that hath ouergrowen the Churche since their departrue hence and wherewith they nor any of them were euer acquainted we will desire none other condicions or couenauntes of vnitie and attonement to be concluded vpon betwixt vs. Whereby the godly and indifferent reader may by this onely argument coniecture where those maisters doe lurke whome Osorius doth accuse of Noueltye Howbeit this nick-name of newe Gospellers wherewith the Catholickes doe obbrayd vs is no newe reproch For in lyke manner the Prophets in times past thapostles yea Christ himselfe were called New fellowes because they taught new doctrine Tertullian and Eusebius also do record that this nickname was vsually frequeÌ„ted eueÌ„ in the very swathling clowtes of the Church But they did easely deliuer themselues from that reproch of Nouelty Wherein albeit we haue not attayned so prosperous a successe as they did yet haue we yelded our endeuour in the same cause as farre forth as we trust the godly and indifferent reader will be satisfied and pleased withall I haue spoken now of our Antiquitie It remaineth that you aunswere lykewise Osorius as much as you may for your Antiquitye For it is agaynst all reason and iniuriously handled to exact a speciall accouÌ„pt of an others Antiquitye that can render no reason for your owne And therefore whereas this religion of yours which vnder visor of a true Church you do falsly call by the name of a Catholicke Church is ouâ—rwhelmed with infinite preceptes lawes and doctrines of men oppressed with innumerable decreés decretals extrauagantes Quintines Sixtines Ceremonies Traditions Rules Prescriptes Edictes Cannons and Synodalles Rites vowes and curses Let vs be certified therfore how much antiquitie is resiauÌ„t in the whole rabble of these your inuentions and deuises And to begyn at the very toppegallaunt of all your Religion that highe Prelate the Pope him selfe let vs first take a view of all his Titles by the which he is called to witte Uniuersall Byshop Prince of Priestes high and supreame head of the Church on earth Christes Uicare generall the onely Successour of Peter the most holy Father most Reuerend Byshop keépyng ioynte Consistory together with God the onely Monarche of the visible Church Byshop of Byshops These Titles and Additions of names I doe not enquire whether were euer named or heard of in the tyme of Christ or of his Apostles neither do I aske whether they were receaued into the Church in the tyme of Gregory sixe hundreth yeares after the AsceÌ„sion
whereof as many their notable lessons did aboundantly declare so aboue all other who can wonder enough at that heauenly voyce of Scipio the Romayne surnamed Affricanus being an Ethnicke whereof Marcus Cicero doth make relatiō in his Treatize called the dreame of Scipio Writing on this wise There is sayth he a certayne sure and determined place reserued in heauē for all such as do preserue ayd aduaunce their natiue coūtrey where they shall liue in euerlasting felicity for euer and euer There is nothing more acceptable to that high and mighty God that guideth and ruleth all the world amongest all the actions of men then counsailes corporations and societies of men lincked and knitt together with orders and lawes which are called Citties c. If we regard the iudgement of the flesh what sentence cann be spoken more plausible or more notable in the singler commendation of vertue then this was which doth assure the good deseruinges and mutuall amities of men ech towardes other exercised here of eternall and infallible rest and ioyes in heauen Go to And what is it els almost that this diuinitye of Osorius doth trayne vs vnto then to teach the very same that Scipio the Romaine did namely That there is no passable way to the attaynmēt of the blessed felycyty of eternall lyfe then that whych is atchyeued by godly actions wyth an absolute integryty of excellent life Pag. 32. But heauenly Philosophy doth direct vs a farre more neare way The heauenly Scholemaister doth out of heauen display abroad and chalke vs out a speédier way and an easier iourney towardes heauen teaching vs in the Gospell on this wise I am sayth he the way the trueth and the life Neither will Osorius deny this to be true I know in word but in deéd what doth he els then deny it For to admitt him his saying that there is no passable way to heauen but which is purchased with absolute perfection of life what may we winne hereof els but that this way to heauē be not Christ but the speciall prerogatiue of our owne purchase So that by this reasō if our owne industry do satisfy all thinges what neéd is there of Christ thē or to what vse will his death and passion auayle yes forsooth to this purpose you will say that by the merite of his passiō he may purchase for vs the grace and gift of sanctification regeneration wherewith being once endued hereof fortwith springeth that excellency of absolute perfection and other ornamentes of charity and vertues which will make vs an easy passage into the kingdome of heauen What then doe you so depaynt vs out the whole office and power of Christ in this one onely action namely that he shall powre out vpō vs new qualityes godly actions by the Deuine operation of the holy ghost what doth he not redeéme vs also doth he not iustify vs and reconcile vs yes What els you will say Doth he iustify all men without exception or the faythfull onely if he doe iustify them onely that do beleue I do demaūd further what the cause is why they be iustified Is it for their faythe 's sake or for their workes sake If it be for their faythe 's sake I aske againe whether for faith onely or faith ioyned with good workes I do here expect some oracle frō you for an aūswere hereunto If you finde that there is no hope of any thing to be iustified by wtout fayth then must you neédes alter your foundation that you grounded vpon before to witt That there is no passable way to heauen but whych is atchyued wyth godly actions of thys lyfe Pag. 32. And that it is onely righteousnesse that doth obtayne the fauour of God to Mankynde Pag. 142. And in an other place That fayth onely is onely rashnesse Pag. 74. What shall fayth therefore be quite banished away No but you will couple her with some copemate that neither Fayth without the company of good workes nor workes without the cōpany of Fayth may be able to procure righteousnes But this knott will the aucthoritie of the Scriptures easily cracke in peéces for if Fayth onely doe not aduaunce the faythfull to saluation except it be coupled with excellēt integritie of life why did not Christ thē couple them together whē he spake simply Hè that beleeueth in me hath euerlasting life Why did not Peter couple them together when he doth preach Remission of Sinnes vnto all as many as doe beleeue in his name prouyng the same by the Testimonies of the Prophetes Act. 10. why did not Paule couple them together Actes 16. where he instructeth the Gaylor in Fayth Beleeue sayth he in the Lord Iesus and thou and all thy houshold shal be saued Many Sentences might be vouched purportyng the same in effect but it shall suffice to haue noted these fewe for breuities sake The History of the Galathians is notably knowen who beyng seduced by the false Apostles did not simply reuolt frō Christ nor did simply abandone their Fayth in Christ but endeuoured to couple the good workes of the beleéuers together with Fayth in the Article of Iustification before God for the attaynemēt of lyfe euerlastyng On which behalfe how sternely and sharpely the Apostle did reproue them his owne Epistle beareth sufficient Testimony But here commeth a Reply by and by out of the same Epistle where writyng to the Galathians he doth treate vpon such a fayth as doth worke by loue Upon this place Osorius agreéyng with the Tridentine Councell doth builde an vnseparable coniūction of Fayth and Charitie together so that Fayth without Charitie as an vnshapen and vnformed Image is altogether vneffectuall to the absolute fullnes and perfect accomplishment of righteousnes But that Charitie which they call a righteousnesse cleauyng fast within vs is so vnable to be seuered a sunder from the worke of Iustification that they dare boldly pronoūce that it is the onely formall cause of our Iustification To satisfie this place of S. Paule here is an easie and a Resolute aunswere For in the same Epistle the Apostle doth endeuour by all meanes possible to call backe agayne his Galathians to the onely righteousnesse of Fayth from whence they were backslyden and withall bycause they should not be seduced with a vayne persuasion of counterfaict Fayth he doth discouer vnto them what kynde of Fayth it is which he doth meane Not the fayth that is idle and dead without workes but which doth worke by Fayth sayth he And in this respect it is most true that Fayth is not alone But what maner of concludyng an Argument is this Liuely Fayth is not alone without Charitie Ergo Not Fayth onely but coupled with Charitie doth Iustifie The Argument that is deriued from thynges setterer by nature to thynges coupled by nature concludyng from that which is Secundum quid ad Simpliciter is worthely reiected in the Logicians Schoole and is called a meére
Sophistication If all thyngs that goe commonly after a certein maner together be done together must be coupled applyed to one and the selfe same operationÌ„ by this Reason it must come to passe that he that hath feéte eyes and eares and haue them not by them selues alone therefore he shal be supposed to goe not vpon his feéte onely but to walke vpon his eyes and to seé with his eares For the matter goeth none otherwise in Fayth Hope and Charitie which threé heauenly Iewelles albeit be instilled into vs by the freé liberalitie of God with Remission of Sinnes and cleaue fast within one subiect yet euery of them are distinguished by their seuerall properties and functions notwithstandyng As for Example If a question be demaunded what thyng it is that doth Iustifie vs in the sight of God and obteine vs euerlastyng lyfe I doe aunswere that it is Fayth yea and Fayth onely If you demaunde by what meanes I do aunswere through Iesus Christ the Mediatour Agayne if you aske what kynde of Fayth that is I do aunswere not an idle nor a dead Fayth but a liuely Fayth and a workyng Fayth If you will demaunde further by what markes you may be able to discerne a true Fayth from a false Fayth S. Paule will make aunswere vnto you The true Fayth is that which worketh by Charitie If you will demaunde further yet what this Fayth worketh I doe aunswere accordyng to the seuerall properties thereof two maner of wayes namely Fayth worketh Saluation thorough Christ and it worketh obedience of the law by Charitie what absolute obedience I doe not thinke so What then vnperfect obedience But such a Fayth must neédes be insufficient to the full measure of absolute righteousnesse and perfect felicity And where is now that excellent integritie of lyfe which doth purchase vs a way into the kyngdome of heauen where is the effectualnesse of Charitie auayleable to eternall lyfe where is that solemne Decreé of that Tridentine CouÌ„cell which doth ascribe the onely begynnyng of our Iustification to Fayth but maketh the Formall cause thereof onely Charitie as a certein new kynde of obedience which they call a righteousnesse cleauyng fast within vs whereby we are not onely accompted righteous but be both truely called righteous and be also truely righteous in the sight of God Annexing thereunto a very dreadfull and terrible curse If any man dare presume to say that man is iustified either by the onely Imputation of Christes Righteousnesse or by onely Remission of Sinnes excludyng Grace and Charitie which is poured forth into their hartes by the holy Ghost and cleaueth fast within them or if any man will presume to say that the Grace whereby we be Iustified is the onely fauour and mercy of God Lett him stand accursed And agayne in the Cannon followyng If any man dare presume to say that Iustifiyng Fayth is nothyng els then a CoÌ„fidence of Gods mercy forgeuyng Sinnes for Christes sake or to be that onely affiauÌ„ce whereby we be Iustified lett hym be holden accursed Behold here learned Reader a notable Decreé of this Councell which when these graue Fathers did coyne may any man dought but that the Maister of the Familie was a sleépe when the enuious maÌ„ did scatter abroad darnell emongest his wheate They doe discourse and determine vpon Iustification but none otherwise then as they might argue in Aristotles schoole about naturall causes or powers of the soule For how much more nycely could Aristotle him selfe the Prince of the Peripateticall Schoole dispute if he hadd accoÌ„panyed them and debatyng this cause together with that Ghostly Councell then Osorius and the Tridentine Deuines did Philosophically dispute of the formall cause of Iustification which consideration of doctrine if must be holden for an infallible foundation then lett vs be bold and blush not to roote out withall the whole natiue and essentiall substaunce of all mysticall Diuinitie and lett vs raâ—e out the very foundations of all our Religion For if the state of our Saluation be come to this passe that it must be established by merites not by freé Imputation onely where then is that righteousnesse which is called the righteousnesse of Fayth the force and power whereof is so highely and often aduaunced by Paule what shall become of the difference betwixt the law and the Gospell which if be not obserued very diligently we shall wander and straggle blindely in the course of the Scriptures none otherwise then as wantes and rearemyce at the bright beames of the cleare Sunne Moreouer what shall become of that Antithesis of Paule betwixt the righteousnesse of the law and Fayth betwixt grace and merite what shall become of all that excluding of glorious boastyng vpon workes where is that Fayth Imputed to Abraham for righteousnesse Moreouer how shall this saying of Paule agreé with these Tridentine Lawgeuers to witte Not to him that worketh but vnto him that beleeueth on him that doth Iustifie the wicked Sinner Fayth is imputed for righteousnesse Moreouer what shall become of those exceptiue exclusiue senteÌ„ces of S. Paule wherein all the consideration of our Saluation beyng taken away from confidence in workes is ascribed wholy to Imputation Finally what shall become of all those sweét and most amiable promises of God if according to the rule of this doctrine we shal be excluded from our assurednesse of Saluation and Gods freé imputation We do heare the Lord promising in the Gospell When you haue lifted vpp the Sonne of man on high I will draw all things vnto my selfe And how cann this be true if all assurednesse must be attributed to merites according to the TrideÌ„tines Not so simply to merits say they but we do couple Grace therewith which grace because is not receiued but through the merites of Christ herefore there it commeth to passe that the merite of Christ is so farr forth effectuall to vs in the worke of our saluation as God doth powre into vs the measure of his grace to worke well O notable Deuines But goe to that I may the better aunswere them may I be so bold to demaund a question or two touching Abraham whose workes if we behold what thing coulde be more holy If we respect the vprightnes of his life what was more excellent if we regard the grace of his sanctificatioÌ„ and renouacioÌ„ where was it euer more pleÌ„tifull in any man And now lett vs heare the iudgement of S. Paule concerning all those so manifold and wonderfull workes For if Abraham haue anye thing whereupon he may glory sayth he he hath it in respect of meÌ„ but not of God What where the most excellent workes of Abraham are nothing worth shall our most filthy workes be auayleables Lett vs haue recourse to the first creation of mankinde and lett vs call to remembraunce the auncient age of our first Parent Adam who alone tasting of the forbidden fruite did he
not withall difile all his posterity with that one onely morsell And by what reason I pray you surely not by way of participation of his offence but by way of propagation vnto the posterity In this Tipe of Adam lett vs behold the thing signified aunswereable to the Type And by Adam lett vs consider Christ who onely alone being found obedient did by this his owne onely obedience purchase life euerlasting for all his posteritye not by any partaking of his obedieÌ„ce but by propagatioÌ„ in the posterity onely namely by faith onely which faith doth onely and alone begett vs vnto Christ. Take an other Argument of the same doctrine out of an other Type Euen as in olde time to the Israelites was externall health of body geuen by the beholding of the brasen Serpent so likewise to vs is grauÌ„ted internall health of soule through Iesu Christ. The Israelites were healed by the onely view of their eies Ergo We are iustified also by fayth in Christ onely Hereunto may be annexed an other Argument as forcible as any of the rest taken out of Saynct Paule whereunto what aunswere Osorius will make I would wish him to be very well aduised We are made the righteousnes of God through Christ by the very same reason whereby Christ was made sinne for vs. But Christ was not made sinne but by Imputation onely Ergo Neither are we made righteous in the sight of God but by Imputation onely Hytherto in the behalfe of righteousnes of fayth out of S. Paule to the Roma Now let vs encounter Saynct Paule with an argument of the Romanists which they do knitt together for the mayntenaunce of righteousnesse by workes arguing in this maner forsooth ¶ Osorius Argument out of the Tridentine councell There is no iustification without the sanctification and renouation of the inward man Sanctification and Renouation consisteth in holy actioÌ„s and workes Ergo Iustification consisteth in good workes and not in fayth onely This Captious Sophistication can no man better auÌ„swere then Augustine Good workes do not goe before in the worke of iustification but followe iustification If workes doe followe how doe they goe together then If workes must be ioyned together with fayth how are they reported in Augustine to follow Now therefore to aunswere the Argument If the Maior be taken in this sence that an vnauoydable necessity of coupling and conioyning new obedience must neédes be required in the worke of iustification as the very cause thereof so that there be no hope for the vngodly man to be iustified but by his owne merite and innocency of life then is the Maior false But if good workes be sayd to be required as the fruites of iustification not the cause of iustification the Maior is true And it is not to be doughted but that with remissioÌ„ of sinnes the freé giftes of the holy ghost are ioyned who doth beginne and lay the first foundation of renouatioÌ„ sanctificatioÌ„ of life And yet is it not therfore true that this renouatioÌ„ is the thing for that which the vngodly man is to receiue remission of sinnes and to be adopted into euerlasting life Moreouer whereas the Tridentine Fathers doe add further that Iustification is not the onely Remission of sinns but the sanctification and Renouation of the inward man To speake their owne wordes through the voluntary receauing of grace and Gods giftes c. By what testimony of the Scripture will they proue this to be true Surely if sinne be the onely thing which did scatter abroad death into the world which alone doth procure the vengeaunce of God and make seperatioÌ„ betwixt God and men which alone doth make vs guilty of eternall damnation which alone forced Christ to suffer death vpon the crosse Now I beseéch you tell me for the loue of Christ what thing is iustification els but a continuall skourging and suppressing of sinne Euen as the life and the health of the body is nothing els but an excluding of death and Sickenesse Euen so sinne the reward wherof is death being vtterly extinct through remission what remayneth els but life and sinne being vtterly blotted out what remayneth els but iustification Howbeit neither doe we alleadge this on this wise as though \ we were ignorauÌ„t or did deny that sanctifiaction Renouation and such godly actions and vertues which do proceéd from theÌ„ce be the proper and peculiar giftes of Christ and must be practized of all godly Christians of very necessity But this is â—ot the state of the question properly for the state of the question here doth not consist vpon the direction and gouernement of this present life but of the life to come of the cause thereof not whether vertuous and godly actions of Christian piety ought to be exercised in this life but when they be accomplished whether they be of such valoure in the sight of God as to be able of themselues to deserue saluation and reconcile God vnto mankinde and whether vertues or the good workes of them which be regenerate be of such efficacy as may stand vpright and couÌ„teruaile the rigorous curse of the law agaynst the iudgement of god to preserue vs from damnation and whether in extreame terrours of conscience man may vndoubtedly and without feare rest assured vpon workes when that dreadfull question shal be demauÌ„ded to become the Sonnes of the liuing God and to deserue the euerlasting inheritaunce of our Father In that which you seé two maner of questions Osorius in the one whereof we doe easily agreé with you In the other not we onelye do gaynesay you but the whole authority of Gods Testament doth determine agaynst you whereby we be taught that man is not iustified by workes but by fayth in Iesu Christ. Rom. 3. And that we whiles we seéke to be iustified by him are not founde righteous are not found already endued with excellent integrity but are found vngodly sinners so that in this life which we lead in this flesh we liue none otherwise then through fayth in the sonne of God who loued vs and deliuered himselfe to death for vs. Gala. 2. Let vs note the wordes of the Apostle himselfe of being found sinners we liue by fayth howe cann Osorius make it good that we be righteous but if we be found righteous howe doth Paule iustify vs to be sinners but onely because whom this life doth make guilty of death the same is released by faith of the Sonne of God not whom he doth finde righteous but whom he doth make righteous not by liuing vprightly but by not imputation of sinne Neither is this therefore false that a godly carefullnesse of liuyng vertuously is required in the faythfull which may exclude presumption of sinnyng but it must be considered after what maner it is required If you suppose it be requisite to the necessitie of obedience you say truely but if you thinke it to be