A Godlie zealous and profitable Sermon vpon the second Chapter of Saint Iames. Preached at London by Master George Gifford and published at the request of sundry godly and well disposed persons ¶ Imprinted at London for Tobie Cooke dwelling at the Tigers head in Paules Churchyard 1582. ¶ The second Chapter of Saint Iames verse 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23 24. 25. 26. 14 What auaileth it my brethren though a man saith he hath faith when he hath no works can that saith saue him 15 For if a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of daily foode 16 And one of you say vnto them Depart in peace warme your selues fill your bellies notwithstanding yee giue them not those things which are needfull to the body what helpeth it 17 Euen so the faith if it haue no works is dead in it selfe 18 But some man might say Thou hast the faith and I haue works shew me thy faith out of thy workes and I wil shew thee my faith by my works 19 Thou beleeuest that there is one God thou doest well the diuels also beleeue it and tremble 20 But wilt thou vnderstand O thou vaine man that the faith which is without works is dead 21 Was not Abraham our Father iustified through works when he offered Isaac his sonne vpon the Altar 22 Seest thou not that the faith wrought with his works and through the works was the faith made perfect 23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith Abraham beleeued God it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse hee was called the friend of God 24 Ye see then how that of works a man is iustified not of faith only 25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot iustified through workes when she had receiued the messengers and sent them out another way 26 For as the body without the spirit is dead euen so the faith without works is dead The second Chapter of Saint Iames verse 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. I Haue chosen this portion of Scripture to interpret because there is very great vse and commoditie in the true right vnderstanding thereof and the doctrine therein contained is most necessarye for all Christians to knowe First because it doth directly and fully ouerthrowe and beate downe all carnall profession of the Gospell shewing that the common and dead faith cannot saue a man Secondly because it is the principall pillar which the Papists doe leane vnto the chiefe place of Scripture which they doe peruert and abuse to proue and establish Iustification by workes and the merits of men to ouerthrow the free iustification we haue in our Lord Iesus Christ through faith The holde which they take in this point is vpon the speaches and phrases which the Apostle doth vse as when he saith Abraham our Father was iustified through works Also Rahab the harlot was iustified through works Likewise ye sée y e of workes a man is iustified and not of faith onely Héerein y e two Apostles of Christ S. Paul S. Iames do séeme to be flat contrary y e one to the other for wheras S. Paule saith Abraham was iustified by faith alone and not by workes Saint Iames saith he was iustified by works Saint Paule saith and proueth by sundrie and inuincible reasons that a man is iustified by faith alone without the works of the lawe Saint Iames saith ye sée that a man is iustified by works and not by faith onely This contrarietie is but in appearaunce for they both wrote by one spirite which is alwaies lyke himselfe and alwayes agréeth with himselfe The whole blame therefore is to lyght vppon vs that we are so dim sighted as not to sée how these two seruauntes of GOD doe iumpe agrée together without anye iarre at all I thinke it néedefull for this cause before I come to handle the wordes of the Text as they lye in order first to take awaye this shewe of discord If anye man will demaunde what cause there was which made them to appeare in outwarde shewe so contrarye the one to the other I aunswere that although there be no contrarietie in the matter it selfe which they teach yet the diuersitie of y e schollers which they lyght vppon and the contrarie affection of those whome they instructed caused them to vse a diuers and contrarie order of teaching Saint Paule hauing to deale with such as woulde séeke to bée iustified partlye by Faith in Christ and partlye by theyr owne déedes or the déeds of the Lawe vseth this order first shewing that wée were lost and condempned in our selues then next iustified and saued through the merits of Christ afterward that wée are sanctified in him and must shewe foorth the fruits of our faith in a pure and holy life S. Iames lighting vpon another sort of mē which cōfessed y e frée iustification through faith in Christ yet in this they were deceiued y t they did not consider how al those that are iustified are sanctified how all those that are in Christ Iesus are newe creatures that they are new borne and walke not after the flesh but after the spirite that the true liuely and iustifieng fayth doth bring foorth the fruites of righteousnesse in a holye conuersation Now because this cannot be remooued or separated from the right and liuelye faith Saint Iames goeth as it were backwarde and proueth that where this latter that is to say the fruites of faith are wanting there faith is wanting and so his drift is to shewe that all vngodly and carnall professours of Christ haue but a dead faith which in no respect is able for to helpe or saue them A second cause why they séeme so much to differ is héerein that men doe not marke well howe they handle not the selfe same matter nor haue not the same drifte For Saint Paule laboureth to proue that the true fayth doth ioyne vs to Christ and thereby saue vs. Saint Iames héere beateth vppon this pointe that the dead faith which is but a bare Image of the right Faith cannot profite a man this shall appeare in the wordes of the Text and also a thirde cause is that they doe not take this worde iustified in the same sence but diuerselye as it shall be prooued afterwarde Now will I come vnto the Text. What auaileth it my bretheren though a man sayth hée hath Faith when hée hath no woorkes canne the Faith saue him This is his proposition and the matter which hée will dispute vppon in the whole Text following thus much it is in effect that it doth not auaile a man to saye hée hath Faith nor it doth not profite him to boast and bragge and to make profession thereof when hee hath no good woorkes the reason is this because it cannot saue him marke and obserue this well for héere at the first enteraunce the blindnesse of the Papistes and their folly doth manifestly bewraie it selfe when as they doe
left for a man to hide himselfe in nor to créepe out at but hée is holden fast to this that if hée will bée saued he must so beléeue that he declare and shew forth to the world by his good works and holy life how he walketh in the steps of his faithfull father AbrahaÌ„ But why doth he choose this one worke of Abraham before all the rest For his life did shine with holy works he was merciful to y e poore he interteined lodged strangers he was peaceable w t al men iust true in al his delings doubtles this did excel al y e rest so farre passe them that it maye well inough be mentioned in stéede of them all it did declare a wonderfull faith and loue towardes God as we may easily sée considering al the whole circumstaunces of the storie God had called him out of his-natiâ—â— Countrey and from his Fathers house into a straunge lande he had promised him a sonne by his wife Sara of whom the blessed séede should come he performed this promise in his olde age euen when Sara was by nature past childe bearing he had no other childe by hir the promise was made in none but in him In Isaac shall thy séede be blessed Each man shall now be driuen to confesse that héere was a great triall when God doth bid him take his onely sonne euen Isaac and goe thrée dayes iourney to the place which he would shew him and to offer him vpon the Altar a slaine Sacrifice How great a griefe is it for a louing father to loose a sonne which he loueth déerelye especially when he hath no more sonnes then how much griefe might this be not onely to sée his sonne slain but also to slay him with his own hands and most of all that childe in whom the couenaunt of eternall lyfe was made because Christ shoulde come of him who being dead all hope of saluation did dye with him Al this did not with-hold but y e faith of Abraham caried so great a loue in him feare towards God that he neuer grudged at the matter nor neuer made delay but went indéede to haue slaine his sonne hauing bound him vpon the woode and hauing taken in his hand the sacrificing knife to kill him Then the Angell of y e Lord froÌ„ heuen did forbid him Before y e Lord it was as if it had bene done because Abraham did fully purpose to do it then we sée plainlye by this what the true faith is But if any man should obiect and say this example is not fit euerie man cannot be lyke Abraham nor haue such a faith as he had he was a rare man few or none to be compared with him Saint Iames doth aunswere If ye thinke this example to be too high and that ye are not to be measured by it I will shew you another as lowe what say ye to Rahab the harlot was not she iustified by workes did not hir faith declare it selfe by good workes Can ye take any exception against this example Will ye not be ashamed that your faith shoulde not be lyke hirs As the faith of Abraham did vtter it selfe to the world so did hirs whereby she shewed hir selfe to be a right daughter of Abraham although she were not of his posteritie according to the flesh but came of one of those cursed Nations which God had commaunded the Children of Israel to roote out and destroy yet I say she was his daughter according as S. Paule setteth it forth in the Epistle to the Romanes that he should be the Father not onely of them which are of the Circumcision but also of those y t walke in y e steps of y e faith of our father Abraham like as all his children both of the Iews Gentiles must do which will be blessed w t their faithfull father AbrahaÌ„ Then we haue héere y e exaÌ„ple of y e father of all y e faithfull with y e exaÌ„ple of one of his daughters which had ben a poore harlot what excuse remaineth or what can we pretende shall we not blush and be ashamed to say that we beléeue well and take our selues to be the Children of Abraham and the Children of God when we are no more lyke him then as the common saieng is an Apple is lyke an oyster Christ our Sauiour doth vse this reason against the Pharesies in the Gospell of S. Iohn If ye were Abrahams Children saith he ye would doe the workes of Abraham but now ye goe about to kill me a man that haue tolde you the truth which I haue heard of God this did not Abraham And a little after Ye are of your father the Diuell and the lusts of your father ye will do What would we haue more plaine then this Euen the very séed and posteritie of Abraham which tooke theÌ„selues to be the children of Abraham 〈◊〉 the children of God yet Christ Iesus telleth them plainly they are the children of the Diuell and why Because theyr workes were not like the works of Abraham their beléefe was not lyke his but it was dead Shall not we then as boldly say at this day nay rather doeth not Christ speake as plainly as he did and telleth vngodlye men to theyr face howsoeuer ye brag of your faith it is but dead and howsoeuer ye boast and take your selues to be the Children of God yet in very déede vnlesse ye returne from your vngodly waies shew forth the fruites of a true and liuely faith ye are the children of the Diuell trust not vnto your vaine hope and dead faith for it will but deceiue you Déerely beloued let vs not be so mad when God telleth vs this with his owne mouth as to beléeue the contrary and to perswade our selues we shall do well inough although we continue in our sinnes This is a most pestilent craft of Satan and commeth from the roote of Infidelitie as ye may sée in our great grandmother Eue God had tolde hir and Adam that what day soeuer they shuld eate of y e trée they should dye the death the Diuell told hir ye shall not dye she beléeued him but beléeued not God she thought euen as the Diuel told hir she shuld do wel inough or els she would neuer haue eate therof we haue sucked this poyson from hir breasts when God telleth vs if your faith bring not forth good workes it is dead it cannot helpe ye if ye continue in these wicked déedes ye are the children of the Diuell ye must spéedelye repent for ye cannot when ye would No no saith the Diuell on the other side that is not true your faith is good inough goe on ye shall doe wel God hath mercie in store ye may repent afterwarde Now the most doth beleeue the Diuell in this and giue no credite at all vnto God and neuer séeke to try themselues whether they be in good case or not When the Apostle saith héer that Abraham was iustified by
which lasteth but for a daye and not respect that which is eternall I must therfore héere againe admonish ye that such as will haue proofe of their faith by good works must exercise the same as wel to the soules as to the bodies of men and because therein doth stand the greatest loue of all other they are therein to shewe themselues most earnest There is no more excellent note of faith and of the true feare loue of God then when a man is gréeued and mourneth to sée men out of the waye to life running headlong in their sinnes vnto destruction and when as he doth in loue and pitie admonish them and séeke by instruction to draw them out of the snares of the Diuell On the contrary side he can neuer say he hath anye droppe of grace which delighteth and sporteth himselfe at the lewde and wanton behauiour of other men Iudge déere bretheren these Cockbraines which cannot be merrye but at the sinfull and prophane speaches of vaine men doe they shewe the fruites of Faith Those abhominable beasts which delight to make mē dronk to the intent they may laugh are they of God or of the Diuell We must diligently exercise the contrary labouring to draw one another to God and to conuert their soules which go astray which is the speciall and chiefe good work that we can do vnto men To féede the hungrie to cloth the naked to visit y e sick those which are in bōds to opē as it wer the bowells of mercie and compassion to all that are in misery are verye excellent and glorious fruites of faith haue great promises of reward in y e holy Scriptures yet are they not comparable to these when the soule is sicke in prison and in the chaines of Satan to visit and reléeue it When it is pining away for want of heuenly food to minister vnto it when it is full of grieuous sores and deadly wounds to giue wholsōe medicines salues vnto it to mourn with the bowells of pittie compassion for it From hence it ariseth that al true faithfull hearts doe sob and grone with sorrow when they sée men left without instruction and when they behold the desolations and ruines of the Church it doth pinch them euen at the heart it causeth bitter teares to flow out of their eyes when they behold any famine and dearth of the foode of life and when they sée them runne from Sea to Sea and from the one ende of the land to the other to séeke for it When they sée the young man and the beautiful virgin perish for thirst he that shall denie this or stand in doubt thereof neuer knewe as yet what the vse and benefit of the word is nor yet what that loue in the spirite is which the Lord commendeth vnto vs. I might héere stand long in perticulars to shewe the crueltie of those Parents which suffer their children to be without the knowledge of God and to perish in their sins For one of the chiefe fruites of their faith doth stande in this which the Apostle commaundeth Fathers prouoke not your children to wrath but bring them vp in the nourture and instruction of the Lord. For those which haue the riches and wealth of the world the Holy ghost saith He that hath this worlds good and séeth his brother stand in néede and shutteth vp his compassion from him how dwelleth the loue of God in him If this be true that the rich men of the world do not loue God when they wil not part with their riches to reléeue y e miserable carcase of their bretheren then doubtlesse it is a more strong argument against them when as so many soules perish for want of good pure instruction which by their wealth they might procure if they did not make more account of their riches then of the saluation of men Gods word pronounceth them blessed which imploye theyr goods to féede the poore then how much more blessed a thing is it when they are imployed to the ministring of spirituall foode which neuer perisheth But let vs come to those which haue the charge of soules what is the principal good work which they are to shew their faith by wherein they are to declare their loue towardes Christ and his Church Simon Ioanna louest thou me Féede my shéepe féede my Lambes féed my shéepe When as therefore the hireling the idle Drone and the Idoll shepheard haue the flocke of the Shéepe Lambes of Christ and doe not féede them or at the least doe so féede them that they are neuer the better where is the faith which they boast of is it anye other then the dead faith and the faith of Diuells Whosoeuer therefore will haue the testimonie of his faith in this callyng he must execute the office as the Scripture bindeth him Is it possible that he can giue credit to the word of God and be of a right beléefe and not regard this The rest of his good déedes whereby some man will say he doth shewe his faith are no good déedes for if he did them of loue towards God and his bretheren would he not then doe that wherein his loue to both should most of all shewe it selfe Can he loue God and hate God Can he loue men and hate men Or can hée loue God and not regard to do his wil Or can he loue men and not care for the saluation of their soules O my bretheren who cannot say to such a man Shew me thy faith by thy works Who will be so blinde as to think such are in good case I will nowe drawe towardes an ende onelye by this place exhorting euerye man while God giueth him time and abilytie to giue himselfe to the exercise of good workes and the seruice of God And déere bretheren what shoulde make vs so slacke considering howe shorte our time is and howe great reasons ther are to perswade vs as first to begin with that which is taught in this place is it not a meruelous blessing to haue the witnesse of our faith Is it not a miserable curse to be without the true peace of conscience and to abide stil in doubt Doeth not GOD promise vs also although we can deserue nothing but when we haue done all that we can we are still vnprofitable seruaunts that all our good workes shal be rewarded euen to a Cup of cold water which is giuen for his sake Make yée bagges which neuer waxe olde or treasure which neuer faileth in heauen c. Shall not the promise of reward mooue vs Go further how déere and precious ought the name of our God to be vnto vs how much ought it to delyght vs to heare it magnified how much ought we to abhorre to sée it stayned and dishonoured Is not his name honoured when those which call vppon him are fruitfull in good workes Héerein saith Christ is my Father glorified that ye goe and bring foorth much fruite Also he saith Let your light so shine before men y t they may sée your good works glorifie your father which is in heauen Is not Gods name dishonoured by the euill conuersation of those which professe his worde Saith not S. Paule The name of God is euill spoken of through you among the heathen Ought not the Gospell to bée déere vnto vs Is it not in the mouth of y e greatest number of worldlings when they sée y e euill déeds of professors Loe these are your Gospellers héere is their holye doctrine these are they which hunt after Sermons ye may sée what they are what their teaching is they haue as fewe good works as other men they are all in wordes O wretches shall not these things moue vs to let the world sée our faith and loue towards God by our good works likewise is ther any greater loue which can be shewed towards men thē when they shall be moued by our good déeds to glorifie God in y e day of their visitation when our godly deling shall cause them to confesse that it is an holy religion which we professe so giue eare ioyne themselues vnto the same Happy man which by his holy life is a meane to drawe others from their euil wayes to bring thē to be schollers in y e same schoole that he is Contrariwise what a woful and miserable wretch is that which slaundereth dishonoureth the holy word by his sinfull life which driueth other from it and so thrusteth them on headlong to destruction O vncharitable man shall not the bloud of such in some sort be layd to thy charge when thou driuest them from the Lord and his truth as much as lyeth in thée and driuest them headlong to destruction I might procéede to many perticulars but then I should be ouer tedious The Lorde plant these things in our hearts and giue vs grace to continue in all goodnesse to our liues ende to his glorie and our eternall comfort Amen FINIS ¶ Imprinted at London by Thomas East for Tobie Cooke dwelling at the Tigers head in Paules Churchyard 1582. Mat. 12. 33 Luk. 6. 43. Iam. 3. 11. 1. Ioh. 3. 7. Ephe. 4. 5 1. Tim. 2. 5 Gen. 21. Gen 21. 12 Ro. 4. 12. Ioh. 8. 3. Gal. 3. 10. Psa 51. 4 Luk. 16. 15 Ephe. 6. 4. 1. Ioh. 3. 17 Ioh. 21. 15 Ma. 10 42 Luk. 12. 33 Ioh. 15. 8 Mat. 5 16. Rom. 2. 24