of a sharpe witte at the last this he fayneth That God is not knowen by fayth onely but also by loue But who euer would so say but this man onely Vndoubtedly by loue we know not but by loue we loue But that which is spoken in the booke of wisedome whiche yet with me is not of so great authority Christ himselfe hath most manifestly testified in the Gospel saying This is eternall life that they know thee the onely true God Although of this saying also of our sauior Winchester hath fained a new deuise I know not what namely that to know God is not properly eternall life although it somewhat helpe forwarde thereunto But forasmuch as neither the Fathers nor Paul nor Christ himselfe can satisfy these men there is no hope that we shall any thing preuayle with our reasons They adde moreouer That the fathers say that onely faith iustifieth that is is the principallest thing whereby we are iustified I confesse indéede that only sometime signifieth principall But this sense can not agrée with Pauls purpose This word Only some tymes signifieth principall For if charity be compared with faith charity is excellenter and better as Paul sayth Wherefore if both of them iustify as these men will haue it then shoulde charity haue the chiefest part and not faith And this also is a great let vnto these men which I haue oftentimes spoken of that Paul so ascribeth iustification vnto faith that he sayth without workes But Augustine say they vnto Simplicianus writeth That by fayth we beginne to be iustified Vnto this we may answere two maner of wayes first that that beginning is such that in very déede it hath the very full and whole iustification So that Augustines meaning is that we are iustified so soone as we haue faith Or if this please them not we will say as the truth is indéede that Augustine ment of the righteousnes which cleaueth in vs. They cite also Ambrose vpoÌ„ the 5. chapiter vnto yâ— Galathians In Christ c. For saith he we haue nede of fayth onely in charity to iustification Behold say they vnto iustification we haue no lesse nede of charity then of fayth But they are far deceaued For by those words Ambrose ment nothing els but to make a distinction betwene true faith and a vaine opinion Therfore he sayth that we haue néede of faith only namely which is ioyned with charity But Ierome vppon the 5. chapiter vnto the Galathians sayth That it is charity onely which maketh cleane the hart What other thing els shall we here aunswere but yâ— this his saying if it be vrged roughly simply is false For it is faith also which purifieth the hartes as it is written in the Actes of the Apostles And Paul to Timothe sayth Charity out of a pure hart good conscience c. By which words it is playne tâ—at the hart must of necessity first be pure before charity can come Wherefore we will interprete that sentence by the effect and as touching our knowledge For then is it most certayne that we are regenerate and haue a cleane hart when we be endued with charity After this maner also â—aue we before expounded this Many sinnes are forgeuen her because she hath loued much And by the selfe same meanes also may that saying of Augustine in his booke de natura Gratia the 38. chapiter be aunswered vnto It is the charity of God saith he by which onely he is iust whosoeuer is iust But this séemeth vnto me best to vnderstand such sayinges of the fathers of that righteousnes which cleueth vnto vs. For that consisteth not onely of fayth but also of all vertues and good workes But because amongst all vertues charity is the principallest therefore the fathers sometimes Why our righteousnes is attributed sometymes vnto charity attribute righteousnes vnto it onely And that which our aduersaries haue most vniustly vsurped to expound this word Only for principall or chiefe may in this place most iustly serue vs. For here we entreat not of that iustificatioÌ„ which is had by imputation but of that which we attayne vnto after regeneration Wherefore in this our proposition we exclude not from a man that is iustified hope charitie and other good woorkes but this only we say that they haue not the power or cause or merite of iustifieng And when we say that a man is iustified by fayth only we say nothing ells vndoubtedly but that a man is iustified only by the mercy of God and by the merite of Christ only which we can not apprehend We must not leaue oâ— from vsyng this worde Only by any other instrument then by fayth only Neither must we geue place vnto our aduersaries not to vse this worde Only though they cry out neuer so much that of it springeth great offence and mens mindes are by this persuasion somwhat weakned in the excercise of vertues For by sound doctrine we may easely remedy these discommodities For we alwayes inculcate that it is not true iustification or true fayth which wanteth the fruites of good life But we se the subtle and craftie deuise of these men For if we should say that a man is simply iustified by fayth leauing out this word Only Sreight way they would adde of theyr own that a maÌ„ indede is iustified by faith but yet is he no les iustified by hope and charity and other good woorkes For this selfe same cause the Catholikes in times past would not permit vnto the Arrians this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of like substance bicause they would A like example streight way haue sayd That the sonne indede by appellation or name is GOD like vnto the father in a maner equall vnto him but yet not of one and the selfe same nature and substance Wherefore they did with tooth and naile defend and kepe still this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is of one and the selfe same substance as a word most apt to expresse the truth of that controuersie which they might also by good right doo and chiefely for that they saw that that word was of necessity concluded out of the holy scriptures out of which also is most euidently concluded thys our word Only and is thought of vs a word most mete to confute the errors of those which would haue iustification to come of workes Moreouer Gardiner bishop of winchester counted this our proposition to be absurd and agaynst it amongst other arguments vsed this and it is to me more then wonderfull how much it is estemed of certayne Papists his parasites The righteousnes sayth he that is geuen vs of God wherby we are iustefied pertayneth to all the faculties of the mind or rather to the wholâ— man Ergo we are not iustified by fayth only For that pertayneth only vnto the higher part of the soule Here gentle reader lest thou shouldest be deceaued lieth hidden a double fallace or disceate For first graunt
not to be accused of blame or iniquity because he suffreth many to sinne before hys face whome he could holde backe and helpe with his grace that they should not fall vnder thys pretence because we should iustly be accâ—sed if we shuld permit any such thing We may not thinke that these thinges are repugnaunte the one to the other Namely that we are iustly accused and that we vtterly wante all excuse if we sinne and yet notwithstandyng can not abstayne from sinne neyther can we as we ought obey the commaundements of God vnles we be holpen by grace And lastly that it is God which worketh all in all Forasmuch as in him we lyue and are moued and haue our beyng And he beareth vp all thynges wyth the worde of hys power These thinges ought we to beleue for that they are Oracles of the holy scriptures Wherfore if by our reason they seme not to agree together yet must we be content for we can not perse the secretes of God neither hath God any nede of our excuses Which excuses yet if a man would narowly examine he shal fynd the they do not in any thyng satisfy our iudgement If there be a maister of a householde which hath seruantes in hys house which continually commit most greuous sinnes and would make hys excuse and say that he driueth them not therunto neither prouokee them to do naughtely but onely suffreth them wincketh at them and permitteth them what an excuse I pray you should this be Neyther is free will by thys thinge in daunger so far forth as we must graunt the free will is For we ought not to beleue the god doth so deliuer men that he compelleth them or dryueth theÌ„ agaynst theyr will They willingly gladly and of theyr owne accord serue their owne lustes The similitudes which Chrisostome bringeth are verye weake For howe can a Captayne which forsaketh hys host not be counted the cause of theyr destruction And although when the house toppe falleth the wayght thereof draweth it vnto the earth yet how shall not he which remoued the beame or piller whiche stayed it vp be sayd to be the cause of the fall therof So that whether soeuer they turne themselues when they say that God forsaketh and withdraweth his helpe they must nedes be compelled to say that God after a sort willeth sinne And the father which disinheriteth hys sonne when he can not amend hym what comparison hath he with GOD whiche can if he wyll amende men Wherefore we see not why we should be iustly perswaded by these reasons to interprete these wordes To deliuer to harden to blinden by these wordes To suffer to permit and to forsake But as touchyng this matter let vs briefely examine Augustines opinion Augustine de praedestinatione gratia Augustine de gratia libero arbitrio whether God be sayd to deliuer the vngodly vnto their lustes onely in forsakyng them or also after some maner forcyng them He semeth in this matter to be diuersly mynded For in hys booke of predestination and grace the 4. chap. he hath this interpretation of suffryng permittyng And he addeth that to harden is nothing els then the he wil not make soft To blinden is nothyng els then the he wil not illuminate to put backe is nothing els then yâ— he wil not call But in his boke of grace frée wil the 21. chap. he writeth manifestly inough as I thinke That God worketh in the hartes of men to incline their willes whether so euer it pleaseth hym eyther to good thynges according to hys mercy or ells to euill thinges according to theyr desertes and that by his iudgement being sometimes open and sometimes hidden but alwayes iuste These wordes declare that our willes are sometimes styrred vppe of God not onely in forsaking or permitting vs but also by some inclination to euill thynges Julianus Pelagianus also as the same Augustine agaynst him Augustine agaynst Iulianus in hys 5. booke and 3. chap. sayth reproueth Augustine because he had read that the same Augustine affirmed that God is wonte to punishe sinnes by sinnes And he sayth If the matter were thus then ought we to prayse and commende concupiscense and sinnes as good thynges which thou affirmest to bee inflicted vpon vs as punishmentes But there agaynst hym are brought forth many notable places of that Scripture by which is proued that God bryngeth in sinnes as punishmentes Many notable places of the scripture and paynes deserued We can not denie but that the deuill in tempting poureth in to vs wicked cogitations and that he receaueth power of God so to do God styred vp Dauid to number the people as it is written in the 2. booke of Samuell the 24. chapter But in the booke of Chronicles Sathan is sayd to haue moued Dauid vnto it And it skilleth not whether God dyd it by hym selfe or by the deuill for it is all one In the 1. booke of Kinges God would haue Achab the king deceaued by a lying spirite that hee shoulde geue credite vnto false Prophetes which without doubt was sinne And in Esaie the 63. chap. it is written Wherfore haste thou made vs to erre and haste hardened our hartes that we should not feare thee And in the 11. chap. of Iosua God hardened the hartes of the vnbeleuing Gentiles And in that Roboam harkened not vnto the elders which gaue him good admonition that was therefore because the conuersion was of the Lorde to performe hys worde which hee spake of hym by the hand of the Prophet And in the 2. Paralip the 25. chapter Amasias king of Iudah harkened not vnto Ioas king of Israell because God had so wrought in hym to deliuer hym into hys handes And in Ezechiell the 14. chap If a Prophet bee deceaued I haue deceaued hym Also in the Lordes prayer we praye Lead vs not into temptation These thynges in a maner alleageth Augustine wherby appeareth that God deliuereth the wicked vnto theyr owne lustes not onely by permission but also by a certayne incitation But agaynst these sentences Iulianus séemed to obiecte thrée thinges Fyrst that lustes Thre obiections of Iulianus are as I sayd at the beginning to be praysed for that they are said to be punishmentes inflicted of God Further as touching thys place it is manifest inough sayd he what Paules meaning is For in that he sayth that they were deliuered vp vnto their lustes it appeareth that they were before infected with them and that they had them before within them selues and that God to deliuer vp is nothyng ells then to permitte Thyrdly he sayth that God is sayd to deliuer rather by a certayne pacience or suffering then by power God in déede suffreth these thinges to bée done but he doth not by hys power and myght driue them to doe them To these thynges Augustine in the same chapter maketh aunswere and sayth that it is a very weake argument that sinnes should therefore be prayse
declared how by the spirite and grace of Christ the power to lyue vprightly is ministred vnto the regenerate But now he speaketh onely of certayne outwarde honest and vpright actions whiche as touchyng ciuill righteousnes might by nature be performed of me Neither sayth hee that the Ethnikes fully performed the lawe so that they kept it all whole or that bycause of it they were iustified but onely hee vnderstandeth that they performed some certaine pointes thereof Whereof hee inferreth that they by the light of nature could discerne betwene honesty and dishonesty betwene right and Some Ethenikes in ciuil righteousnes far excell very many Christians wrong Yea if we looke vpon the lyfe and maners of Cato Atticus Socrates and Aristides we shall sée that in iustice ciuill comelynes they farre excelled a great many Christians yea and also Iewes Therfore they can not excuse them selues that they had not a law Ambrose vpon this place for asmuch as by this sentence to do those thinges whiche are of the law he vnderstandeth the full and absolute accomplishement of the law and séeth not how it is possible that any man should performe it whiche beleueth not in Christe for asmuch as Christe is the ende of the lawe affirmeth that Paul here speaketh of such Gentiles as were now conuerted vnto the Gospell and beleued in Christ This kynd of men without the helpe of the law of Moses did those thynges which are contayned in the law Augustine in this booke De Spiritu litera ad Marcellinum is of the same opinioÌ„ that by the Gentiles are vnderstaÌ„ded the ChristiaÌ„s whiche were conuerted froÌ„ yâ— The difference betwene the olde Testament and the new Ethnikes for yâ— he herein putteth the difference betwene the old Testament and the new namely that in the old Testament the law was described in outwarde tables but in the new Testament it should be written in the hartes and bowels of men accordyng to the Prophesie of Ieremy in hys 31. chap. Wherfore seyng Paul here sayth that the Gentles whiche by nature fulfilled the law shewed the worke of the law writen in their hartes it could not sayth he but pertayne vnto the new Testament And bycause he saw that this was agaynst hym where it is sayd by nature he sayth that by that worde is excluded the law of Moses but not the grace and spirite of Christ by which nature is not ouerthrowen but restored to hys old estate wherfore hys mynde is that the Gentles fulfill the lawe by nature beyng reformed by the spirite and grace But nowe let vs sée how those thinges which Augustine Ambrose alleage agrée with the senteÌ„ce of the Apostle Vndoubtedly that whiche moued Ambrose to this exposition is very weake for Many Ethenikes before the comming of Christ obteyned saluation by faith in him asmuch as there mought haue bene many before the commyng of Christ whiche beleued in hym and were iustified and obserued the thynges contayned in the law so much as the infirmitie of man will suffer Iob was an Ethnike who yet was not ignoraunt of Christ and also at the preachyng of Daniell the kyng of Babilon and as it is easie to bée beleued together with hym many of the Chaldeans were conuerted vnto God as it is written in Ionas the Niniuites returned into the right way And seyng all these attayned vnto saluation vndoubtedly they looked for the Mediator to come and by that meanes endeuored to performe those thynges whiche pertayned vnto the law Neither hath the reason of Augustine The holy patriarkes prophets had the law written in their â—arts because they pertained vnto the gospell much force For although it be a promise of the new Testament that by the benefite of the holy Ghost the lawes of God should bee written in the hartes of men yet is not that so to be vnderstand as though before the comming of Christ the same happened vnto none For the good fathers and holy Prophetes whiche were both endued with the fayth of Christ and had also geuen vnto them the holy Ghost had the law grauen not onely in stones but also in theyr bowels And although they liued before the sonne of God tooke fleshe vpoÌ„ him yet for asmuch as they beleued in him they pertayned vnto the Gospell Whiche is not therfore called a new Testament bycause the thyng is new but onely bycause it was published The Gospell is not called the new TestameÌ„t because the thing is new abroad in the latter tymes and was then publickely receaued Wherfore although before the preachyng of the Apostles it was not publikely professed among the Gentles yet florished it among many of the Ethnikes in whose harts the law of God was sealed so that although they wanted the doctrine of Moses yet were they so much rightly instructed that they could frame theyr actions vnto the preceptes of God And yet the same Augustine in the booke before cited the 7. chap. bryngeth the selfe same exposition whiche we before brought namely yâ— these thinges may be vnderstanded of certeine excellent actions of the Ethnikes whiche were notwithstandyng vngodly Their excelleÌ„t workes although as touchinge them they were sinnes yet of their owne nature or kynde for asmuch as they agréed with those thynges whiche God commaunded in the law could not The workes of the Ethnikes although theiwere goodly to the outward shew yet were they sinnes be condemned by the iudgement of maÌ„ But that they were wicked before God therfore it is not to be doubted bycause they were not referred to the right end Augustine noteth the same and addeth that therfore the worke of the law is sayd to be written in the hartes of the infidels bycause the lineamentes of the first estate still abode Hereof we gather that the writing of the lawe of God in the hartes of men is after two sortes one is which serueth only to knowledge and iudgement the other is which besides that addeth both a readines and also strength to doe that which is iudged to bée iuste and honest And the Image of The law may be writea in the hartes of men not vp the holy gost geuen vnto the faithful but by the naturall knowledge grafted into meÌ„ God vnto which man is created is not as touching this by hys fall vtterly blotted out but obfuscated and for that cause hath néede to be renued by hym So naturall knowledges are not fully quenched in our mindes but much of them do still remaine which thyng Paule now toucheth Wherefore the difference betwene the olde Testament and the newe abydeth whole although Paule so speaketh of the vngodly Ethnickes that they had the worke of the lawe written in their hartes Neither is it sayd that because of these thinges which they did or knewe they attayned vnto the true righteousnes Yea rather when Paule had shewed that they wanted it he styreth them vp vnto Christ Chrysostome in déede vppon thys place writeth that
vnderstand the mynd of mā compacte of them both being renued by the holy Ghost But the letter signifyeth whatsoeuer is outwardlye set before vs be it neuer so spirituall when it cleaueth not to our minde or vrgeth not Wherefore the circumcision of the flesh is the signe of the circumcision of The circūcision of the flesh is the signe of the circumcisiō of the harte The circūcision of the hart in the bookes of the law Both God woorketh in vs good things and we also woorke The spirite and the letter are discerned by the affect of the mind the harte and of the mind Therfore great care was to be had that it should not be vayn or superfluous This phrase touching the circumcision of the hart Paul borowed out of the olde Testamente In the. 10. chap of Deut commaundement was geuen that they should circumcise the foreskins of theyr hartes and in the selfe same booke the. 30. chapter Moses promiseth that God will one day circumcise the foreskin of theyr hartes to declare that either is true namely that God woorketh in vs the things that are good and that we also worke the selfe same forasmuch as God vseth our ministery to bring forth good woorkes Wherfore so longe as our minde resisteth the woorde of God whiche is set foorth vnto vs althoughe outwardlye it make a shewe of somewhat yet is it occupied in the letter But when it is made prone vnto the commaundementes of God then is it gouerned by the spirite Wherefore as touching the thinge whiche is set foorth and red there is no difference betwene the spirite and the letter but as touching the affect of the minde Which thinge Paule hath declared in his latter Epistle to the Corinthians the 3. cap whē he saith Ye are the Epistle of Christ wrought by our ministery and written not wyth inke but with the spirite of the liuing God not in tables of stone but in tables of flesh Where he manifestlye teacheth that this is the ministery of the spirite whē in the tables of our hart are imprinted those things which God commaundeth and will haue to be of vs beleued and done Neyther let vs meruaile that Paule sayth that such an Epistle was written by him whē as it is the worke of God for he meaneth that he wrote it onely as an instrumēt ioyned with the woorking of God Wherefore they are to be counted ministers of the spirite which do not onely expounde the woordes of God but also do imprinte Who are ministers of the spirite thē into the hartes of the hearers Which thing such as do not althoughe they speake good and healthfull thinges yet are they but ministers of the letter neither of theyr woorke followeth any thinge els then the death of the hearers For they which vnderstand the will of the Lord and do it not shal be punished with many stripes And therefore Paule sayde that the letter killeth but the spirite quickeneth Wherefore it is the duety of pastors and of them that teache to pray vnto God For what thing pastors ought to pray What is the true circumcision moste ernestly to make them ministers not of the letter but of the spirite Paule also vnto the Philippians declared what is the true circumcision when he sayth We are the circumcision which serue God in the spirite we glory in Christ and haue not confidence in flesh By these thre notes he expressed the spirituall circumcision And vnto the Colossians after he had said that we are circumcised in Christ but yet with a circumcision not made by handes he declareth by very many circumstances what that circumcision is namely that we haue put of the body of the sins of the fleshe that through Baptism we are buried together with Christ that we haue forgeuenes of synnes that the hand writing is put out which was agaynst vs by reason of ordinances and the principalityes powers which were agaynst vs are by Christ vanquished ouercome In which place this is not to be passed ouer that baptisme is called the true circumcision so that it be in the spirite and the hart and not in the letter and the Baptisme when it is in the spirite is the true circumcisiō fleshe Wherefore these sentences a Iewe inward and outward the circumcision in the flesh and in the hart are to be taken in respect as they are opposite one to the other that is a part and disseuered one from the other For ioyne them together and then the sentence of Paule pertayneth not vnto them For it is not to be doubted but that there were very many Iewes in the olde tyme which were Iewes both outward and inward and were circumcised not only in the fleshe but also in the harte These thinges may be taken three maner of wayes so that there is one circumcision of the fleshe an other of the spirite and the thyrd ioyned together of them both For it is not to be thought that the olde Testament Many liued vnder the law which therewithall liued also vnder th◠Gospell An 〈…〉 or of the Maniches was so seperated from the Gospell that they which liued in it could not also therewithall haue the Gospell These two thinges are indeede seperated the one from the other but yet in such sorte that they may be ioyned together in one and the selfe same man Manicheus so reiected the olde Testament as though it were vtterly vnprofytable vnto vs. And vsed this kynde of reason Forasmuch as that inheritance of the land of Chanaan pertayneth not vnto me I do reiect also both the Testament and the writinge whereby the bequest was made Yea also though it should bring vnto me the possession of that land yet Christ hath so exalted vs to better thinges that I regard not these thinges These wordes obiected Faustus and they are red in the 4. booke of that worke whiche Augustine wrote against him In which place he thus answereth him Those thinges which are written The olde Testaraent pertayneth vnto vs also in the olde Testament are types of our thinges Forasmuch as Paule in his latter Epistle to the Corrinthians sayth These thinges happened vnto them in a figure but they are written for our correction vpon whome are come the endes of the world And vnto the Romanes we reade whatsoeuer thinges are written are written for our erudition and learning And in the oracles of the olde Testament is promise made of Christ Wherfore he being raysed from the dead and disputing with his two disciples of himselfe cited testimonyes out of Moses and out of the whole scripture And the same Christ sayd that the good father of the houshold brought forth of his treasure both new thinges and olde Wherefore the olde Testament is not so contrary vnto the new as the Manichies fayned it was And therefore Paule when he semeth to speake any thinge Paule whē he semeth to diminish any thing frō the law condēneth not the olde
scriptures he accused all mankind Wherefore seinge by those woordes and such like we are accused of the law the knowledge of sinne must needes follow Whiche thing also happeneth an other waye namely when we beholde the law of God For sythen it commaundeth thinges vpright and prohibiteth thinges vnhonest it sufficiently declareth vnto vs how and when we sinne in our doinges The scripturs also conteineth the threateninges forespoken by the Prophetes and the punishmentes whiche God hath euer more inflicted vpon transgressors All whiche thinges not a little conduce to the acknowledging of sinne But this is to be meruailed at that seing the lawe Why the law is not said to shew honeste and good thinges doth set before our eyes not onely our sinnes but also thinges honeste and iuste For those thinges also doth it commaunde and therefore they pertayne to one and the selfe same knowledge euen as it belongeth to one artificer as to a Geometrician to declare what is a right line and what is a crooked line it is to be meruailed at I say what moued the Apostle to make mencion onely of sinne Whereunto may be aunswered that Paule so wrote partly because the Iewes whiche had refused Christ and his fayth had no more any parte with the righteousnes and vprightnes of the law partly also which is most likely because that other parte pertayned not vnto the purpose of Paule For hys purpose was to proue that the woorkes of the law iustify not Because forasmuch as it both accuseth and condemneth it is not to be looked for that it should iustefy when as these thinges are both contrary and also muche repugnaunte one to the other Neither commeth it to the law by chaunce to declare sinne but it is such a propriety so annexed vnto it which cannot be plucked away frō it But here ariseth What law geuers haue a regard vnto in geuing of lawes a doubt for lawgeuers seme not when they geue lawes to haue a regard to thys thing onely to make vs to vnderstand offences or things well done but this rather entend they by theyr lawes to make theyr citezens good Which thing if it be ascribed vnto men much more oughte it to be attributed vnto God But we A difference betwene the lawes of mā and the lawes of God aunswere that there is a difference betwene the lawes of God and the lawes of man because mans lawes require nothinge of vs but that whiche lieth in our power to do For as touching the affections of the minde they are not carefull they correct onely outward thinges But the lawes of God do cōmaunde those thinges also which we being as we are weake are not able to performe Wherfore the similitude which they bring concludeth nothinge Farther this is to be considered that humane lawes also by declaring what thinges are to be done by promising and by threatninge may inuite and stirre vp men vnto righteousnes But to change the mind they cannot Wherfore we ought not to attribut◠more vnto them then vnto the lawes of God And that whiche is sayde of the entent and purpose of the humane lawgeuer we graunte of God also that his entente also in geuinge his law was to saue men by it namely as wherein he did not onely shew sinnes but also Christe whiche is the ende thereof And therefore The law is profitable vnto saluation we deny not but that the lawe is profitable to men vnto saluatiō And yet can it not iustefy because the office thereof is not to poure into our harts either faith or charitye Wherefore the wonderfull wilines of Sathan is to be taken heede oft whereby he goeth about to plucke away from men the fruites of the lawe And vndoubtedly besides the knowledge of sinne it brought two other excellent good Besides the knowledge of sinne two commodities of the lawe The deuill hath bene an enemy vnto the law of God The law aggrauateth sinne thinges First it shewed vnto vs our sauiour farther it prescribed vnto vs what was best to be done As touching the first the deuell hath obscured the hartes of men that they should not behold Christ whiche is the ende of the law puttinge a vayle before theyr hartes And as touchinge the execution of good woorkes he hath hindred them by trieflinge questions genealogies and vayne bablinges so that they beinge bent vnto them onely and vnto outwarde ceremonies had no farther regard In wordes forsooth they confessed that they knew God but in deedes they denied him Farther forasmuch as by the law sinne is known it followeth that by it sinnes are after a sorte aggrauated Whiche thing the Apostle declared when he wrote that the law is the power of synne And in this Epistle the vii chapter it is written That synne mighte be out of measure synfull throughe the commaundemente By the law sayth he is the knowledge of sinne This is to certaine that The groūd o◠all lawes is a deuine minde Vniust lawes are not lawes the deuine minde is the beginning and ground of all lawes For in any decree◠whatsoeuer is found either iust or honest that altogether there hence proceedeth So that we may rightly say that all lawes are nothing els but the ordinances of the deuine minde Whereby is concluded that such lawes which are not iust ought not to be counted for lawes The knowledge of sinne which is had by the law is of two sortes one whiche is vtterly of no efficacy and weake whereby The knowledge of sin two sortes mens mindes are not made afrayd nor the consciences deiected as sometimes we se dronkardes which euen in the middest of theyr cuppes condemne the vice of dronkennes The Poets also in theyr verses and meeters most openly reproued sinnes but yet they themselues refrayned not from them any more then others But that knowledge of sin which terrefieth doth not alwayes bringe saluation Because if it be frustrated of hope of remedye it is hurtefull as it happened in Iudas Esau and Caine who when they knewe theyr wickendes fell into dispayre But as touchinge the electe vnto the knowledge of sinnes is alwayes ioyned as a companion hope of obteyning saluation by Christ The sins whiche How manifold sinne is whiche is knowne by the law are knowne by the lawe if we rehearse them by theyr partes are these firste the sinne which from our birth cleaueth vnto vs which is called originall sinne and it is the vice and corruption of our whole nature of whiche we are toughte in the psalme In iniquity was I conceaued and in sinnes hath my mother conceaued me secondly the motions and vehement impulsions which the Grecians call 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 do continuallye flowe out of that corruption and resiste the lawe of God Of which Paule writeth that he felt an other law in his members repugnaunte vnto the law of his minde and leading hym a way captyue into the law of sinne Then thirdelye commeth the consent of the
vnto the promises But now they which after this maner attribute more theÌ„ is mete vnto the sacrameÌ„ts may be called sacramentaries bicause they put to much affiaÌ„ce in theÌ„ The other thing which we said is repugaant vnto the nature of the sacraments is when we count them to be nothing but bare naked signes For by that meanes they shuld nothing differ from Tragicall and Comicall significations and from colours and garments Nether are they only signes of our actions but also of the promise and of the will of God and are sealinges therof And the holy ghost doth no les vse these signes to stirre vp our hartes then he vseth the woords of God which are in the holy scriptures And hereby also we may se that they likewise are agaynst the sacraments which will haue them to be sacrifices For the nature of a sacrifice is to be offred of vs vnto God but the nature of a sacrament is to be offred of God vnto vs. I confesse indeed that in the celebracion of the supper of the Lord are contayned thankesgeuing almes prayers and other such like things which may haue the consideration of a sacrifice But we deny that the very sacrament The sacrificing priestes offer not Christ vnto God the father The instrument wherby the thing of the sacramente is receaued is fayth of the Eucharist may properly be called a sacrifice And much les is that to bee borne with all which the sacrificing priests make theyr boast of that they offer vp vnto God the body of Christ Our lord hath offered vp himselfe nether hath he nede of any other to offer him vp Now that we haue well considered all these thinges we nede not manye woordes to expresse the instrument whereby the thing of the sacrament is receaued For Paul hath most manifestly declared it when he sayd that CircumcisioÌ„ is the seale of the righteousnes of fayth For it is faith wherby yâ— righteousnes which is signified in yâ— sacrament is receaued of vs for nether can our sense or reason therunto attayne And Augustine expouÌ„ding these woordes of Iohn Now ye are cleane bycause of my word sayth that in that the sacraments doo make vs cleane they haue it of the word of God For if thou take away sayth he from the element the word there will nothing remayne but water only The woord commeth vnto the element and it is made a sacrament For how commeth it sayth he that the water toucheth the body washeth the hart He answereth that the same commeth to passe thorough the force and power of the word not bycause it is spoken but bycause it is beleued By these thinges it is manifest that fayth is it whereby we receaue clensing and sanctification which thing also is written in the Actes of By the power of the word we aâ—e wâ—â—hed not because it is spoken but because it is beleued the Apostles By fayth purifiing theyr harts And Paul to the Ephesians sayth that Christ loued the Church and clensed it with the lauacre of water But there is added In the woord that is by the word which as Augustine sayth is vnderstand to be done bycause it is beleued and not bycause it is spoken For by the pronunciation of the woords are neither changed the natures of the signes nor the benefites of God geuen for so it mought seme an enchantment Fayth I say is the instrument wherby we receaue the woordes of God and let them downe into The benefites of God are not geuâ—n by the pronounciatioÌ„ of the woordes The sacrameÌ„ts must be administred as Christ hath instituted them our mindes But now touching the maner of administring the sacrameÌ„ts there ought none other maner to be brought in then that which Christ himselfe the author of the sacramentes hath commended vnto vs. For if the Iewes durst not deale otherwise in the ceremonies of the old law theÌ„ was prescribed theÌ„ of God much more ought we to obserue those ceremonies which christ hath prescribed vnto vs after the selfe same maner that he hath prescribed them Farther forasmuch as those signes came from the wil of God and of theyr own nature signifie nothing what is more reasonable then to referre all thinges vnto his wil which hath geuen them But his will can by no other wayes be knowen but by the holy scriptures And vndoubtedly no maÌ„ will presume to alter the letters patents of kings graunts much more ought the same thing to be takeÌ„ hede of in the sacramentes of God And the minister by whome these thinges ought to be exercised and distributed althoughe it be conuenient that he be godly and of an honest lyfe for such a one is to be maintayned and when he behaueth himselfe The wickednes of the minister corrupteth not the sacramentes A similitude otherwise and is knowen so to be he ought no longer to be suffred yet though he be wicked so long as he kepeth still that funcioÌ„ he can not vitiate the sacraments so that he doo those thinges which Christ hath commaunded to be done Augustine hath a very trime similitude of a pipe of stone through which water is brought into a garden For although the pipe be made nothing the more fertile by meanes of the running through of the water yet is the garden by it watred and made fruitfull The dignity of the sacramentes dependeth not of the minister but of the institution of God which thing the donatistes not vnderstanding raysed vp much tumults agaynst the Church That is true which is commonly sayd of liuing creatures that by a dried vp member the spirite of life can haue no passage into the other member For if the arme be dead and withered Solucion of the argument obiected vp the life and spirite can not come vnto the hand But in the Church there is no suche greate coniunction betwene menne For the power of the sacraments is to vs as the light of the Sonne which light although it bee dispersed through vile and filthy places yet is it not therfore contaminated or infected But the times of the sacramentes may be deuided into two partes For some were before the comming of Christ and some after And these differ the one froÌ„ the other by outward notes and signes Nether was that done rashly or without Of sacraments some were before the comming of Christe and some after The sacraments of the elders our sacramentes are aptly distinguished vp signes Two errors to be eschewed in the sacramentes A similitude An other similâ—â—ude How the signes of the elders are taken away and how they abide What are the thinges of the sacrament By the second comming of Christ shall our signes be taken a way Our sacrameÌ„ts more excellenter then the sacramentes of the elders The nature of the thinges signified is one and the same We and the Iewes in the old time haue one the same stocke and one and the same roote The diuersity of tyme distinguisheth them
afflict The purpose of God noteth firmnes themselues or to take it in ill part if they haue tribulations layd vpon them for that it shall turne vnto them vnto good especially to theÌ„ that be predestinate vnto euerlasting saluation Wherfore it is very plaine both by the wordes which follow by the entent of Paul that purpose is in this place to be referred vnto God not vnto those which are called Ambrose in dede denieth not but that it is yâ— purpose Ambrose flieth vnto workes â—oresent of God Howbeit being moued as I thinke with the same reasoÌ„ yâ— Chrisostom was he saith yâ— God calleth predestinateth whoÌ„ he knoweth shal beleue shal be apt for him and deuoute But we ought not to thinke that the election and predestination of God depend of workes forsene It is in déede certaine neither can we deny it that those whom God hath predestinate shall one day if age permitte beleue and be deuoute and apt For God shall geue it vnto them for he predestinateth God predestinateth not onely the end but also the meanes A similitude Foure thinges to be noâ—ed also the meanes whereby we shall at the length come vnto the ende So we also after that we haue determined to vse any pece of timber to some vse of an house do fashion and hew it to that forme which may best serue for the accomplishing of the worke which we haue to do But here are fower things diligently to be noted of vs first that the will of beleuing and the purpose and counsell of liuing holily which shall at the length be in those which are elected neither springeth of themselues nor also naturally is cleauing vnto them For they are the giftes of God and not the endowmentes of nature Neither can any man of his owne accord attaine vnto them For what hast thou saith Paul that thou hast not receaued But if thou haue receaued it why boastest thou as though thou haddest not receaued it But if they be geuen of God as vndoubtedly they are then followeth The good meanes are not geuen of God by 〈…〉 ce but bâ— predestination it of necessity that they are not done by chaunce or rashely but by the counsel and predestination of God Wherfore these thinges also are pertaining vnto predestination For euen as God predestinateth his to eternall life so also predestinateth he them to good counsels vnto holy workes and vnto the right vse of the giftes of God And hereof followeth that which is secondly to be noted that our good purpose or faith or good workes forsene can not be the causes of predestination for so should we neuer come to an end For sithen those thinges as we haue sayd are of predestination and not of our selues it may againe be demaunded why God would geue them vnto this man rather then to that man Where if thou answere as many do because God foreséeth that this man will vse those good giftes well and the other not againe will arise as waighty a question touching the selfe same Good workes foreseene are not causes of predestination good vse For seing that also is a gift of God why should it by the predestinatioÌ„ of God more be geuen to this man then to that And by this meanes there shal be no end of enquiring vnles we will at the last fayne that there is some good thing found in vs which we haue not of God which thing to affirme is not only absurd but also impious Thirdly of this thing we ought to be fully perswaded that euen as good workes forsene can not be the causes of predestination so also are they by Good workes are not causes of eternall felicitie predestination not geuen vnto men to be causes of the chiefe good thing that is of the felicity whereunto we are predestinate they are in déede meanes whereby God bringeth vs vnto eternall life but therefore are they not causes for that blessednes is geuen fréely and we are by the mere mercy of God predestinate vnto it Lastly we ought to hold that these works are not alwayes forsene in the predestination Good works cannot alwayes be foreseene of God in them that shal be saued The foreknowledge of good workes cannot be the cause of predestination of God For many infants being taken away before they come to ripe age by the predestination of God attaine vnto eternall life who yet should neuer haue had any good workes For God foresaw that they should dye being infants Which thing very euidently proueth that the foreknowledge of good workes is not to be put as the cause of predestinatioÌ„ for a iust and sure effect can neuer want his true cause Augustine entreating of this place expressedly sayth that purpose in thys place is not to be referred vnto the elect but vnto God And which is more diligently to be noted writing against the two epistles of the Pelagians in his 2. booke to Bonifacius towardes the ende he saith That the Pelagians at the length confessed that the grace of God is necessary whereby may be holpen our good purpose but they denied The Pelagians at the length confessed that our purpose is holpen by grace Whether grace be geuen vnto theÌ„ that resist it The Pelagians tooke this word purpose as Chrisostome did Chrisostome defended froÌ„ suspition of the heresâ—e of the Pelagians Good endeuors and purposes are sent vnto vs of God that the helpe of that grace is geuen vnto them that resist which is farre wyde from the truth For at the beginnyng euery one of vs resist the pleasure wyll of God neither should we euer assent to hym when he calleth vs vnles he should come and helpe vs wyth hys grace And he addeth that the Pelagians in thys place which we haue now in hand referred not Purpose vnto God but vnto those which are called Howbeit I dare not therefore accuse Chrisostome to be a Pelagian for he at other times as Iohn sayd ascribed whatsoeuer good thing we haue vnto the grace of God and plainly confesseth originall sinne both which things the Pelagians denied Howbeit it is manifest by the wordes of Augustine that the Pelagians and Chrisostome agréed in the exposition of this place Augustine in the selfe same booke confesseth that our purpose is holpen by the grace of God But yet not in such sort as though it were of our selues and not geuen of God And for confirmation of this sentence he citeth that which is written in the latter to the Corrinthyans the 8. chapter I geue thankes vnto God which hath geuen the same endeuour for you in the harte of Titus These wordes sufficiently declare that the good endeuors and purposes which we fele in our mynds are sent of God He citeth also the 77. Psalme I sayd I haue now begonne and thys chaunging commeth of the ryght hande of the hyghest But I do not much trust vnto this testimony for out of the Hebrew
put out the handwriting that was against vs. In the The 47. 2. to Timothy the i. chapter Who hath called vs with an holy callinge not accordinge to our workes but according to his purpose and grace which is geuen vs through Christ Iesus Here he speaketh of a calling ful of efficacy by which men are iustified and not of the common calling as touching the preaching of the word of God which is set forth vnto all men And forasmuch as this consisteth not as Paul saith of merites or woorkes neither can iustification also come of them Vnto Titus it is written The 48. The goodnes and loue of God our Sauiour towardes vs hath appeared not by the workes of righteousnes which we haue done but according to his mercy hath he saued vs. Also vnto the Hebrues is but one onely sacrifice and one oblation namely the death The 49. of Christ by which sinnes are wiped away and satisfaction made for men Wherfore iustification is not to be loked for of workes and it ought to suffice vs that the good workes which we do after iustification are sacrifices of thankesgeuing and let vs not make them sacrifices propiciatory by which meanes we should do great iniury vnto Christe But settinge a side the Epistles of Paul let vs séeke testimonies also out of other places of the holy scriptures Christe in the vii of Mathew saith Euery good tree bringeth forth good fruites but a noughty tree bringeth foorth euell The 50. fruites And to the end the nature of those which are not regenerate mighte be the better declared he addeth A good tree cannot bring forth euill frutes nether can an euill tree bring forth good fruits Wherfore seing Christ saith y◠that canot so be how dare these men affirme that it may be for they say that by workes men may be iustified Christ vseth the selfe same reason in the 12. chapiter of Mathew Ether The 51. make the tree good and his fruite good or make the tree euil and his fruite euill for by the fruite is the tree knowen O ye generation of vipers how can ye speake good thinges whē as ye your selues are euill for of the aboundance of the hart the mouth speaketh A good man out of the good treasure of the harte bringeth forth good thinges and an euill man out of an euill treasure bringeth forth euill thinges These wordes of Christ do declare that men which are not yet regenerate are euill trees which neither do bring forth good fruite nor can do ▪ and they testify that the wicked cā not speake good thinges and much les can they worke good thinges and that out of an euill treasure of the harte are euer euill thinges to be looked for And seing the matter is so consider I pray you whither they which are alienated frō Christ ought to be called euill or no Vndoubtedly vnles they be euil none of vs y◠cleaneth vnto Christ can be called good Also in Luke the 17. chapiter But which of you hauing a The 52. seruaunt that goeth to plough or fedeth your cattell that will streight way say vnto hym when he commeth from the field Go and fitte downe and sayth not rather vnto him prepare that I may suppe gyrd vp thy selfe and serue me till I haue eaten and dronken and afterward eate thou and drinke thou doth he thanke his seruaunt bycause he hath done those thinges which he hath commaunded him I trow not So likewise ye when ye haue done all those thinges that are commaunded you say We are vnprofitable seruauntes we haue done that which we ought to haue done These words spake Christ vnto his disciples vnto his Apostles I say and which were now cōuerted to saluation who if they worke vnprofitable works what shall we thē iudge of those which haue not yet receaued the fayth of Christ But the Sophisters haue made the world such fooles that they say that workes before iustification do after a sorte merite it and those workes which follow they say are most profitable wherefore they would now haue men after a sort to make accompt with God and with beades to nomber how many prayers they haue said For what other thing ment they by thē then y◠they would by a certayne nomber recite so many Pater nosters or so many Aue Marias thinking by y◠recital to haue God most assuredly boūd The 53. vnto thē In y◠15. of Iohn Christ is compared vnto a vine tree we to the branches therof wherfore he sayth Euen as the branche can not bring forth fruit of it self vnles it abide in the vine no more also cā ye vnles ye abide in me I am the vine ye are the branches he which abideth in me and I in him the same bringeth forth much fruite And whosoeuer shal not abide in me they are cast out of the dores euē as the braunches or cuttings of frō the vine they shal gather thē and cast thē into the fire Now that we haue recited these wordes of the lord how agreeth it that men being straungers from Christ not yet regenerate can worke good works by which they may be iustified when as they are called dry braunches which shal be cast into the fire and it is sayd that they only can bring forth fruite which cleane vnto Christ as braunches cleane to the vine And that we should the better vnderstand the will The 54. of Christ there is added Without me ye can do nothing Which sentence some go aboute to darken saying that nothing can be done without Christ in respect that he is God forasmuch as he is the first cause of all thinges as though the Lord disputed then of the generall conseruation of naturall thinges and of that power whereby God bringeth forth all thinges vniuersally Christ came not into the world to teach this philosophye he vndoubtedly entreated of the fruite of saluation and of eternall life and spake of those whiche should cleane vnto hys doctrine or ells should be strangers from it Moreouer the sonne of God commaunded The 55. that the faythfull should in theyr prayers saye Forgeue vs our trespasses Signifieng thereby y◠the faythfull also haue nede of forgeuenes in those things which they do for our workes are vnperfect neyther are they able to satisfye Wherefore if our workes which we doo after our regeneration nede expiation by the merite of Christ And for as much as we pray for the same how can they be propitiatory Much more les then can we thinke of those workes which are done before regeneration that they should be acceptable and pleasāt vnto God Moreouer no man can iustly say that he is out of the nomber of such when as God hath commaunded all men to pray in that maner and his will is not that any man should make a lye in his prayer Yea and Iohn also writeth If we shall The 56. say that we haue no sinne we deceaue
our selues vnto God then is the clay subiecte vnto the potter for this thing we chiefly desire that whatsoeuer we require we maye haue the same through his wyll And forasmuch as when we pray the mind is led away from cares and worldly prouisions and is wholye caryed vp vnto God there ought nothing to be more pleasaunte vnto vs then to occupye our selues wyth thys kinde of study And it is much to be lamented that the manner of praying is so worne out of vre at this day amonge Christians that it is a thynge very rarely vsed and especially in so great a light of the Gospell and scriptures wherfore it is no meruaile though all things waxe so cold Vndoubtedlye heate A Similitude there encreaseth where the light cannot easely go through but is beaten backe againe and as they say reflected backwarde Wherefore this lower part of the ayre which compasseth the earth is most hot because the beames of the sonne which strike vpon the earth forasmuch as they cannot pearse it being so thick are reflected in a manner doubled whereby is stirred vp heat In like manner ought it to be in our harts when the light of gods woorde shyneth vpon them For when we haue receaued it we oughte to reflect it vnto God in makynge prayers vnto hym to performe those thinges in vs which he hath commaunded and which he hath vouchsafed to reuele vnto vs. For when we reade the scriptures God speaketh vnto vs. But when we pray we speake vnto God A profitable dialoge betwene God and vs. And we ought to vse this dialogue very often that when we heare in the holy scriptures that God eyther reuealeth himselfe or commaundeth any thinges we agayne may desire of hym that those thynges be not spoken in vayne vnto vs but maye be executed wyth profyte and fruite Paul teacheth vs here so to order our prayers that we pray not onely for our selues but also for our neighbours Farther when he prayeth that he myght haue a prosperous iorney vnto the Romanes he signifyeth that our workes should beginne with prayers if we wyll haue them to haue good successe But some are feared away from calling vpon God because they say he heareth them not Howbeit they ought hereby Though God seme not to heaâ—e yet we must not leaue of from prayer to be strengthned for that they heare that Paul was oftentymes letted from goyng vnto Rome and yet contynued he still in the same desire and vsed to repeate the selfe same prayers Yea and in the latter epistle to the Corrinthyans he writeth that he desired as good as three tymes to be delyuered from the pricke of the flesh vnto whom yet at the last aunswere was made that it suffised that he had the fruicion of the grace of God Wherefore eyther God heareth vs at the length or if he geueth not vs that which we desire yet geueth he somewhat in steede thereof which is farre better and more profitable vnto our saluation And God oftentymes differreth our requestes to the ende that as Why the Lord differreth our requestes Augustine sayth in a certayne homely we should learne to desire great thinges with much feruentnes Others are called away from prayers because they thus determine with themselues although I desire not these thinges yet God wyll do that which shall seeme good vnto hym neyther shall hys wyll be altered Why God will haue vs to aske that which otherwise he is redy to geue by my prayers But these men vnderstand not that God before he graunteth any good thinge vnto hys elect is wont excedingly to kindle their mynde wyth a desire to obtayne those thynges Farther when he will do any thynge he stirreth vp those that are hys to desire the same whereby he myght for honours sake attribute that vnto theyr prayers which otherwise he would haue done Thys is an other cause also for that benefytes are then the more acceptable when they are required and desired Farther when we pray our mynds A similitude are the more ioyned wyth God Yea these vowes and holy defires seeme to be nothyng els then ladders and degrées whereby we ascend vp vnto God But let vs returne vnto Paule and sée for what he now prayed That I may haue sayth he a prosperous iorney to come vnto you by the vvill of God He desired to come vnto the Romanes wherefore hys prayer was that impedimentes myght be remoued whiche were partly obiected by Sathan and partly had theyr begynnyng of sondry necessityes of Churches which impedimentes as they dayly hapened a fresh so they with held Paule that he could not go whether he would A prosperous iorney he calleth not only as touchyng commoditye of the lyfe but also a fruitfull iorney that hys laubour What maner of prosperous iorney Paule desired might not be spent in vayne He remembred also that he was by the oracle of God prohibyted some tymes to speake or to go whether he had appoynted As we may sée in the Actes the. 16. chapter where he was forbiddeÌ„ to speake in Asia and when he would haue gone into Mysia and Bythynia he was letted and by night admonishrd in a dreame to get him vnto Macedonia For there stoode before him a man of Macedonia which sayd Come and succour vs. This thyng therefore he desired as touchyng the Romanes namely that he might not haue any such impediment And though we heare that he desired a prosperous iorney yet we must not perswade our selues that he referred these thynges to his owne commodity or to gayne The prosperous iorneys which God graunted What prosperous iorneyes God gaue vnto Paule him to Macedonia serued to the increase of the Gospell For otherwise he was both beaten there and also cast into prison And when at the last he shoulde go vnto Rome God which heard hys prayers brought to passe that he was compelled to appeale vnto Cesar And when he was in a shippe wracke he bad hym to be of good chere for that he should be a witnes of Christ at Rome also as he had bene at Ierusalem whereby appeareth what prosperity or successe is to be What prosperity Christians ought to looke for looked for in the workes of the elect Vndoubtedly that kynde of prospe 〈…〉 cy is to be looked for not wherein the fleshe may rest but whereby may come aboundant fruite of the Gospell And whereas the Apostle sayth by the will of God it is not so to be vnderstaÌ„d as though he thought that any thing could be done be sides the will of God but he desireth such a will which should fauor and prosper hys enterprise that his labour myght not be in vayne And he addeth For I desire to see you Thys myght sufficiently haue bene vnderstand by hys prayers And yet is it not superfluously added For he woulde not haue them thinke that hys prayers were slyght and common prayers but such as procéeded from a perfect and
default when as otherwyse the prouidence of God vsed theyr wickednes to hys glorye and to set forth hys iustice God vsed theyr wickednes to hys glory We must not desist frō teching though men seeme not to profyte therby The true doctrine is herein profytable in the vngodly namely they should be condemned themselues Thus much they profited through their sinnes that the doctrine and knowledge which they obtayned furthered them to iudgement and condemnation Wherfore we ought not to be feared away from teaching though we sée that men become nothing the better forasmuch as the selfe same thyng happeneth vnto that doctrine which God hym selfe ministreth vnto vs. At the least way thys commoditie shall therby aryse if men bee not of God conuerted yet shall they by theyr owne iudgement and testimonie be condemned And thys thyng chieflye séemeth God to will namely then to appeare righteous when he punisheth or condemneth The profite that Iudas the betrayer receaued by the doctrine of Christ was at the length to condemne hym selfe saying I haue sinned in deliuering the iuste bloude For to that poynt are the vngodly driuen at the length by their own iudgement to be condemned And such which ought to haue taken profite by the doctrine are by the same greuously hurt which thyng we read in Esaie the Prophet when it is sayd Make blinde the harte of thys people Stoppe their eares and shutte their eyes Least peraduenture they shoulde see heare and vnderstand and bee conuerted and I shoulde heale them So also by the wordes of Moyses was the hart of Pharao alwayes more and more hardened Because when they knew God they glorisied him not as God neither were they thankefull Here is added a reason why they were without excuse And The Methode of Paule not to go confusedly to worke this is the methode which Paule vseth He made mencion of the naturall knowledge which ought to haue bene to the Ethnikes a most profitable lawe how to leade their life namely to expresse in maners that which by knowledge they vnderstoode Now he accuseth thē of the transgression of this lawe And his accusation contayneth two principall poyntes First he layeth to their charge the contempt of the worshipping of God and The principall poynts of the accusation ingratitude towardes hym which thynges pertayne vnto the mynde then he accuseth them for that they attributed vnto Images which they themselues had made and vnto creatures that honour whiche was due vnto God only And to the ende he would exaggerate or amplyfye these sinnes he sheweth how Sinnes are aggrauated by the greuousnes of punishments they escaped not vnreuenged For fyrst God tooke vengeance vpon their wickednes with thys punishment that he blynded theyr hart and theyr mynde waxed foolishe so that they which aboue other professed learning and wisdom appeared most fooles of all and theyr reasones whiche they counted wittye were made frustrate and became vtterly vayne The punishement of the other sinne namely of the inuention of Idoles was that they should contaminate themselues with most fylthy vices By this order of accusation is gathered Idolatry springeth not but frō a corrupted minde A place of Ieremy that idolatry taketh not place vnles error or to speake more playnly sinne first haue place in the mind And those things which are here spokē of these two principall vices are bewayled of Ieremy in the 2. chap. when he sayth Be astonished O ye heauens be afrayde and excedingly abashed For my people hath committed two greuous thinges They haue forsaken me the fountayne of the water of life and haue digged for themselues cesternes which are not able to hold water To forsake God is to take away the worshipping due vnto him and true geuing of thankes And to make and worship Images is to make cesternes out of whiche can not be The Methode of the two fyrst commaundements drawen the waters of helpe and grace The selfe same order we fynde in the first table of the tenne commaundementes For God first commaundeth that he be worshipped alone then in the second precept he commaundeth that we take not vnto our selues any other Gods And vndoubtedly if we depart from the true God it is not possible but that straight waye shoulde spring forth idolatrye Because will we or nyll we we can not be without a God Wherefore take away him which is the true God out of our hartes and of necessitye We cannot be without some God an other fayned God must be substituted in his place And Chrisostome hath profitably noted that euen as they which walke or sayle by night without light do oftentymes hit agaynst some rocke or stumblyng blocke and miserablye perishe fo farre is it of that that they come to the place they determined to come vnto so they which depart from the light of the doctrine set forth vnto vs by The naturall knowlege whych we haue of God is weake God must needes of necessitie fall into most greuous euils By these thinges which the Apostle now speaketh is easely perceaued that this was a weake knowledge which the Ethnikes had naturally touching God for asmuch as it altered thē not but rather was ouercome with lustes which darkened that minde They glorified him not as God neyther vvere they thankfull By these wordes he describeth the worshipping which they ought to haue performed in Foure principal points of the true worshipping of God mynde and in spirite whereof we haue before written at large and haue reduced the whole matter vnto fower principall poyntes namely vnto prayers hope thankes geuing and the feare or obeysance which good children haue towardes their parentes For then we worshippe God truly when we wholy submitte our selues vnto him so that we embrace him aboue all thinges and aboue our selues also And all this is expressed in that commaundement Thou shalte loue thy Lorde thy God wythall thy harte wyth all thy soule and wyth all What is to glorify God thy strengthes And this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which Paule here vseth which is translated to gloryfye signifyeth chiefely to iudge very well and honorably of a man But how sclenderly the Philosophers iudged of the prouidence of god of hys iudgements of his rewards I say punishements their opinions which are euery where abroade do sufficiently declare If a man should demaunde what it is that doth chiefely gloryfye god I would answere that it is fayth Which Fayth doth most of all glorify god thyng I affirme not of my selfe but the scripture teacheth it for afterward it is sayd of Abraham that when god had promised vnto him an heyre by Sara his wife he considered not hys body being in a maner dead nor the wombe of Sara now past childe bearing but gaue glory vnto God For he iudged so honorably of hym that although he saw that by mans power that could not be performed Who they be that do truly geue thankes
testament How we shall iudge rightly of the sacramentes So much let euery man esteme himselfe how much he seeth himselfe to be in the sight of God ill of the law that doth he not but in respecte as it is taken by it selfe a parte from Christ VVhose prayse is not of men but of God Paule reiecteth not the prayse which commeth of men but so farforth as it is seperated from the praise which commeth of God In summe although the sacramentes were not only professions of faith but also outward seales of the promises and of the giftes of God yet was not perfect righteousnes to be put in their outward simboles Hereby we gather that no man ought to boast of his outward thinges So much let euery man esteme of himselfe how much he seeth himselfe to be in the sight of God who marketh not only the thinges whiche are seene but is also the searcher of the hartes Hereby we learne also that both the wordes of God and the sacramentes if they be receaued only as thinges outward do pertayne vnto the letter which quickneth not but killeth And by these thinges hath the Apostle made the Gentiles equall with the Iewes For that they also mought no les then the Iewes be Iewes inwardly and haue circumcision in the hart which God chiefely regardeth The third Chapter WHat is then the preferment of the Iewe or what is the profite of circumcision Much euery maner of way For first because vnto them were committed the wordes of God For what though some did not beleue shall their vnbeliefe make the fayth of God without effect God forbid Let God be true and euery man a lyar as it is written That thou mightest be iustefied in thy words and ouercome when thou art iudged The Apostle continueth still in that which he entended namely to accuse the Iewes And now entreateth he of the fourth thing which we tooke in hand to make declaration of that is that their noughty liuing was no let but that the giftes which were geuen vnto them were both excellent and also to be had in great estimation He had before much deiected theÌ„ for their corrupt life But A distinction because it could not be denyed but that God excedingly loued their nation when as we reade in the Psalme He hath not done thus vnto euery nation he semeth to put a distinction wherein if we haue a respect vnto God he graunteth that he was very louing vnto them when as he gaue vnto them these thinges which he gaue not vnto other nacions but if we consider them by themselues then those excellent giftes nothing profited them vnles peraduenture to theyr farther iudgement and condemnation and that through theyr owne default and not through any faulte of the giftes And wheÌ„ he setteth forth the dignity of The dignity of the Hebrues herein consisted in that God committed vnto them both his words and sacrameÌ„ts the Hebrues he declareth that it chiefely consisteth in this for that vnto them were committed the wordes of God Which wordes although they compreheÌ„ded in them many thinges yet aboue all thinges they offred vnto them the promise of Christ and of saluation Which thinges the Iewes neglecting wholy endeuored theÌ„selues to the setting forth and extolling of circumcision and outward rites Euen as do our men also now in our dayes who when the sacramentes are set before them and especially the supper of the Lord haue a regard only vnto the outward simbols and signes which are but the seales of the promises and giftes of God but the things themselues they consider not and much les haue they them in estimation Much euâ—ry maner of way This is not to be referred vnto this worde Multum per omnem modum not multam profite which went next before For then he shoulde haue sayd multam in the feminine gender Therefore it is to be referred vnto that which he put fyrst when he sayd VVhat preferment hath the Iew aboue the Gentile He attributeth both vnto the Iewishe religion and also vnto the sacramentes thereof so much dignity as he myght do by the word of God And this hath a great emphasis or force that he answereth Much euery maner of vvay For vvhat though some did not beleue shall their vnbeliefe make the faith of God vvithout effect God forbid These thinges he putteth by the figure Antipophora as though there were Gentiles which went about to deface this dignity of the Iewes for that they beleued not the wordes of God committed vnto them But against them Paule writeth that their noughtines was no hindrance at all vnto the truth of God For forasmuch as he is truth it selfe whiche gaue them his word and promised them that he would be their God and that they should be hys people their sinnes could nothing let but that that whiche was promised should take successe because among that people there were alwayes some good men which both beleued the promises of God and also lyued vncorruptly Wherefore in them although not in all was performed that which was promised And so far is it of that their noughtines of life was any derogation vnto the truth of the wordes of God that by it rather it was illustrated and appeared more bright Which thing he proueth by a sentence of Dauid as it shal afterward appeare And as touching the words where as the Apostle saith First he hath not a respect vnto order as though he ment to rehearse a greate many other benefytes of God geuen vnto the Iewes But it is in a maner an entrance or beginning of that which he entendeth to speake Or els it signifyeth The words of God are a most riche treasure the chiefest or principallest of those things which were geuen Vndoubtedly the wordes of God were as a most rich treasure which was long tyme hidden and layd vp among the Hebrues only and not communicated vnto the Gentiles vntill the Apostles tyme. For this was the function committed vnto them namely to sow abrode this treasure among the Gentiles It is certayne that Ptolomeus Philadelphus was desirous to haue the lawes of the Hebrues conuerted by the 70. interpreters into the Greke tonge But yet for all that knew not he that those thinges which were therein contayned pertayned vnto the Gentiles also The Apostles only began to make manifest vnto the whole world that the promises of Christ eternall saluatioÌ„ were common also vnto the GeÌ„tiles And marke in this place that those prerogatiues only are mencioned of which were geuen freely and depended not of any vertue of the receauers And this particle God forbid which he most oftentymes vseth is euery where ioyned vnto those thinges in a maner of which it is not lawfull for vs once to thinke forasmuch as whosoeuer is a professor of godly religion ought to abhorre them Let God be true and euery man a lyer Man is many wayes a lyar partly Man many wayes a lyar because by
speake peculiarly of Christ we haue in Genesis that the sede of the woman Peculiar testemonies of Christ of faith that iustesieth should treade vnder foote the head of the serpent And to Abraham it was sayd In thy seed shall all nations be blessed And of the same Abraham it is written He beleued God and it was imputed vnto him for righteousnes Moreouer Paul citeth Say not in thine hart who shall ascend vp into heauen or who shall descend downe into hell The woorde is nighe at hand in thy mouth and in thy harte Paul also addeth And this is the woord of fayth which we preach If thou beleue with thy hart and confesse with thy mouth Again The Scepter shal not be taken away from the tribe of Iuda neyther a captayne out of his loynes tyll he be come whiche shal be sent and he shal be the expectation of the Gentles Ieremy writeth of Christ He shal be called God our righteousnes And in the same prophet we reade that God appoynted to geue a new Testament not according to that which he made with the Fathers but in describing his law in their harts bowells Abacuk saith The iust shall liue by fayth Esai saith I am found of them that sought me not Also God hath layed vpon hym all our iniquityes Dauid also Blessed are they whose iniquityes are forgeuen and whose sins are couered Blessed is the man vnto whome the Lord hath not imputed sinne An other kind of testimonyes also is had out of the dedes of the old fathers whiche were certayne forshewinges that Christe An ether kind oâ— testemonies are the actes of the Fathers should come to redeme mankinde For as he is sayd to lyue in vs for that we are his membres so also both was he and liued he in the old fathers Wherfore they were no les his members then are we But how the head suffereth and is recreated in his members it is most apertly declared in Paul wheÌ„ it was sayd Saul Saul why persecutest thou me And in the last iudgemeÌ„t Christ will pronouÌ„ce that whatsoeuer hath bene geueÌ„ vnto the least of his was geuen vnto him wherfore so often as we reade that the elders were ouercome brought into captiuity oppressed with calamityes we must vnderstand that Christ in them suffred these self same things And agayne wheÌ„ we heare that they got the victorye were restored and A shadowe of the death and resurrection of Christ delyuered let vs thinke that Christ also was in like sort affected in them And in the one we haue a shew of his death begon and in the other a shadow and beginning of hys resurrection And that this thing is so we are tought by that whiche Christ sayd that he should be in the hart of the earth thre dayes and thre nights lyke as was Ionas the prophet He likened himselfe also vnto the brasen serpente which Moses set vp vpon which whosoeuer looked they obteyned health be inge otherwise in daunger to dye of the venemous stinginge And in Oseas the prophet we reade Out of Egipt haue I called my sonne Which oracle the Hebrews contend to wreste vnto Pharao which was destroyed and vnto the people of Israell deliuered from his tyrannie Which thing if we should in the meane time graunt theÌ„ yet would I aske of them of whence that nation had the preeminence to be called by the name of the Children of God That vndoubtedly coulde not be proued The â—lders were not the childreÌ„ of God but by Christ to come by any other meanes then by Christ which is the Sonne of God being the first begotten amongest many brethren By whom others also as manye as are nombred to be the children of God haue aspired to suche a deuine adoption Wherefore the Apostle sayth that Christ was the first fruites and pronounceth that he hath the principalitie ouer all thinges Wherfore not without cause hath our Euangelist cited this place of the Prophet touching the Lord forsomuch as he also was by the admonishment of the Angell called backe out of Egipt Lastly the The thirde kinde of â—estemonies are sacrifices sacrifices oblations and ceremonies of the Elders bare witnes of this kinde of righteousnes For in those beastes which were slayne the death of Christ was manifested vnto the fayth of the Elders For euen as the thing sacrificed which otherwise had nothing offeÌ„ded was slaine for the sin of an other which escaped frée so was thereby shewed that Christ should be flayne for vs which were guiltie of death that by the pacefieng of the heauenly Father we might escape the punishments which we had deserued Neither let any man say that the sacraments of The sacraments of the elders how they had saluation ioyned with them and how they had not What was Paules meaning to yâ— Hebrues touching the rites of the Iewes the Elders had not saluation ioyned with them For that thing will we also graunt as touching the outward woorke which commonly is called the woorke wrought But the fayth which in those rites embraced Christ brought saluation vnto the Elders euen as at this day also the outward exercises of the sacraments or commaundementes doo nothing profite but onelye fayth bringeth saluation which seeth that vnder the infoldinges of sensible signes are set forth vnto vs heauenly giftes And if at any time the Apostle vnto the Hebrews or in anye other place seeme to affirme otherwyse wee must thyncke that hee hath to doo agaynste the Iewes which seperated Christe and hys fayth both from the lawe and also from ceremonies Which two things being seperated he firmely and strongely concludeth that they haue not saluacion by such rites and sacrifices The righteousnes of God by the fayth of Iesus Christ Now is it meete to tell what fayth is Fayth therefore is an assente and that a firme assente to the What is fayth wordes of God obteyned not by reason or by naturall demoÌ„stration but by the authority of the speaker and by the power of the holy Ghost And this definicion disagreeth not from that which Paule putteth in the .xi. to the Hebrues Hereby we may see about what thinges faith is occupied namely aboute the woordes of God And it is manifest what is the chiefest principle ground vnto whiche all thinges pertayning to God are referred and that is The Lord hath sayd But the authority of the speaker cannot be of force with vs so much as it ought vnlesse the perswasion of the holy Ghost be therunto adioyned In Greeke it is called Whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is deriued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which word is deriued of 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for we ar not accustomed to beleue but that which we are fully perswaded of Basilius as touching fayth when he expoundeth this place of the Psalme I haue beleued and therefore haue I spoken writeth Do not contend to see those thinges which are layd vp a farre of
are saued and that not of our selues for saith he it is the gift of God And euen as the Philosophers supposed that the strengths and faculties of men are not sufficient to do all things absolutely and perfectly therfore A similitude held y◠we haue nede of habites or qualities y◠in sodaine cases we mought be redy to do well so that we should nede no long deliberation and that that whiche we do we mought do it both easely and pleasantly so also ought we for the receiuyng of those thinges which are of GOD to haue our minde and vnderstandyng strengthened by some power from without vs and geuen vnto vs seyng that thorough the default of our first parent we are most vnapt to vnderstande the hidden thinges of God And forasmuch as those things wherunto our faith hath a respect are altogether deuine it followeth of necessity that to vnderstand them we be holpen also by deuine inspiratiō But we must now declare what is the chiefest thing wherunto our faith is directed and that to speake briefly is the promise of God wherunto by beleuing we assēt An◠this promise is chiefly y◠wherin he promiseth that he wil thorough Christ be fauourable and mercifull vnto vs And although in the holy scriptures are red and offred vnto vs very many promises of GOD yet What is the first obiect of faith this one is the chiefest for whose sake the rest are performed vnto vs vnto whiche also are all other promises to be referred This promise as we haue before sayde is that wherein God promiseth that he wil be mercifull vnto vs for Christs sake And although there be very many things which we ought to beleue as threatnings histories exhortations prayses of God and such other like yet ought The common obiect of fayth all these thinges to be referred to perswade vs of this promise onely Hereby is manifest what is the chiefest obiect of fayth for the common obiect of fayth or as they call it the equall obiect is the word of God set forth in the holy scriptures Beyond this obiect fayth extendeth not it selfe For as Paul sayth fayth commeth of hearing and hearing by the word of God This thing our aduersaries cā The papistes obiect vnwritten verities which they say are to be beleued The perpetuall virginity of Marye by no meanes abide for they contend that there are certayne things I know not what to be beleued which are not conteyned in the holy scriptures But we say the fayth is an assent whiche is geuen vnto the holy scripture vnto those things which are necessarily and euidētly cōcluded of it Amongst other things they are wont to obiect vnto vs the perpetuall virginity of the mother of Christ whiche they say is to be beleued although it be not had in the holy scriptures They obiect moreouer that the authority of the holy scripture depēdeth of y◠church and can not be proued by the scriptures themselues As touchinge the firste it is sufficient for vs that we are taught by the holy scriptures that Christ was conceaued and borne of a virgin And aboue that to affirme that the blessed virgin was ioyned with man as touching fellowship of the flesh it were rash presumptuous For seing that is nether had in the holy scriptures nor yet is verye likely why in Gods name ought we ether to beleue it or to affirme it And contrariwise that she abode perpetually a virgin forasmuch as the holy scriptures doo not by expresse wordes auouch the same it is not to be receaued amongst those things which are of necessity to be beleued as are those things which are expressedly contained in the holy scriptures Ierom of this matter wrote against Heluidius For he was woorthely to be condemned for that he rashly affirmed that she was not perpetually a virgine And Augustine very well admonisheth Augustines counsell touching this matter The scripture hath not hys authority of the church vs that when we come to such places where the sence of the scripture can not certainly be gathered we shoulde not hedlong runne vnto ether parte As touching the other obiection we haue oftentimes declared that it is not true which they take as graunted that the scripture hath his authority of the Church For the stedfastnes therof depēdeth of God and not of men and the word was both firme and certayne before the Church beganne For the Church was called by the word And the spirite of God wrought in the hartes of them that beleued the word and of them that red it to acknowledge it to be no humane words but altogether deuine wherfore frō the holy ghost came the authority vnto the word of God and not from the Church But they say y◠Augustine writeth agaynst the epistle called epistola Fundamēti I would not beleue the Gosple except the authority I would not beleue the Gospell except the authority of the church moued me therunto of the Church had moued me therunto But Augustine by those words would signify nothing els but that we must attribute much vnto the ministery of the church which setteth forth preacheth and inculcateth the Gosple to all the faythfull for which of vs hath come vnto Christ or beleued the Gosple but that he hath bene stirred vp by the preaching of the Gospel which is done in the Church and yet therby can not be gathered that the authority of the Gosple dependeth of the Church in the mindes of the hearers For if it lay in it to cause the scripture to be receaued then vndoubtedly had it long a go perswaded the Epicures and Turkes to beleue the same But the matter is farre otherwise For whatsoeuer authority the Church hath or the ministers therof the same dependeth wholy of the word of God For if a man should demaund of them how they proue the authority of the Church or how they are certayne that erreth not in vnderstāding of the holy striptures and discerning them from other writinges they wil answere bicause it is gouerned by the holy ghost But I besech you how know ye that Bycause Christ they will say hath promised that he will be with it euer vnto the end of the world And bicause he hath also sayd weresoeuer shall be two or thre gathered together in my name there am I in the middest of them And agayne I will send the holy ghost the comforter which shall lede you into all truth These are the thinges say they which perswade vs of the authority of the Church But I Contrariwise the church hath his authority from the scripture Fayth is firme would fayne know from whence ye receaued these thinges if not out of the holy scriptures Wherfore we may contrariwise conclude that the Church hath his authority of the scripture Farther by this place of Paule is declared an other difference of fayth namely that it is a firme assent For he setteth forth of Abraham that he nothing
sort hope But we deny that it is such a hope as is ours which we haue in this life Bicause as we haue before declared out of the woordes of the Apostle our hope hath ioyned with it as companions sighing and sorrowe which thinges vndoubtedly in the eternall felicity which the blessed haue fruition of in heauen can haue no place Farther our hope cleaueth fast vnto fayth which engendereth an vnperfect and an obscure knowledge For as Paul sayth vnto the Corrint We se now by a glasse in a ridle we know but by a part But the saints in heauē know most perfectly most clearly Moreouer forasmuch as fayth hath chiefely a respect vnto the last chiefe good thing there ought not to be ascribed vnto the blessed which now hold possesse that good thing such a hope as is ours For the true proper hope cā haue Hope is in life as an anker no place in eternall felicity It is only so longe as we liue here geuen vnto vs as an anker for so the epistle which is written vnto the Hebrues calleth it For so long as we are tossed with the waues and tempests of this world vnles our minde be confirmed and stablished by the anker of hope our shippe will easely dashe agaynst the sandes and rockes Chrisostome calleth it a golden chayne let downe from heauen which chayne if we take holde of we shal be drawen vp Hope is in a chaine into heauen Wherefore we must diligently prouide that this hope be dayly more and more confirmed in vs which thinge shal then chiefely come to passe if as Paul straight way declareth we diligently wayght the singular benefites of God Which benefites forasmuch as they are most playnly contayned in the Hope is confirmed by the consideration of Gods benefites holy scriptues by reading of them our hope shal be very much cōfirmed Which thing Paul most clearely taught in this epistle when he sayd Whatsoeuer thinges are written are written for our learning that through patience and consolation of the scriptures we should haue hope Which selfe same thing Dauid also sayth They hope in thee which haue knowen thy name Wherefore seing the nature and nam◠of God is no where better vnderstand then in the holy scriptures it followeth that by thē we ought to confirm our hope which thing if we diligently obserue our mynde shall not be discouraged when God as oftentymes his maner is permitteth our doinges to come euen to shame which thing we sée happened in God semeth sometimes to forsake his Christ our sauior For he was so vtterly forsaken of God that he was put vpon the crosse and died a most ignominious death betwéene two thieues Dauid also was brought to that poynt that not only being expelled out of the kingdome of Israell he was fayne to wander in desert places but also was in a maner fast holden and closed in the handes of Saule The selfe same thing we sée very oftentymes to haue happened in other of the Saints that they were iudged in a maner to haue bene deceaued and to haue fallen from their hope But the spirite of Christ geueth strength that men are able in the middest of their calamityes to reioyce and to say These thinges shoulde haue no power in vs if it were not geuen thē frō aboue Which sētence Christ layd agaynst Pilate when he boasted of his power The 42. Psalme also hath excellently wel tought vs how we ought to comfort our selues and with a good hope to erect our mynde For thus it is written Why art thou deiected oh my soule Why art thou Why God spoyleth his of outward helpes so discouraged Hope in God for I will yet make my confession vnto him My health is in his countenance Nether doth God for any other cause commonly depriue his of outward helpes and aydes of this world but to gather together their dispersed hope not to suffer it to leane vnto too many aydes And these sondry and manifolde aydes he changeth for one principall ayde and the same most firme to the ende we should wholy depend of him By this difference of a firme hope Christians much differ from Epicures and Ethnikes For if there come any great calamity vnto them straight way they exclame and cry out If there The Ethnikes howe they are destitute of hope be a God that hath a care ouer these thinges If there be a God that séeth these thinges So they call not vpon God but being in dispayre vtterly discourage themselues But contrariwise godly men most constantly crye vnto God nether doubt they but that their prayers reach vp euen vnto heauē and that God hath a care both ouer them and all theirs But because humane wisedome continually wrastleth and faineth that it doubteth not indede of the power of God but only doubteth of hys will therefore let vs sée how of this thinge Paul hath made vs certayne Because the loue of God is shed abroade into our hartes by the holy ghost which is geuen vnto vs. These wordes signify all one as if he had sayd hereby thou mayst gather that thy hope shall not be made frustrate for that God loueth thee Which loue the holy ghost hereby perswadeth thée of for that the only sonne of God was for thy sake deliuered vnto the death Wherefore now oughest thou not any more to be in doubt of the will of God It is geuen vnto the fréely and that as it is afterward sayd when thou wast an enemy weake wicked and a sinner All which things declare that God loued thee not meanely but most aboundantly Nether hath he only geuen thee these thinges but also hath geuen thee the holy ghost that thou mightest throughly féele them And this is done in regeneration for there whilest by fayth thou takest holde that Christ died for thee thou art borne agayne and made partaker of the nature of God For euen as the spirite of man maketh a man so the spirit of God By the holy Ghost we are adopted by adoption maketh vs the children of God whiche spirite if it were geuen vs as sayth Chrisostome euen now from the beginning before we lauboured vndoubtedly many more thinges shall be geuen vnto vs seing that we go aboute continually to frame our selues to the will of God Now we take holde of the roote and fountayne of all good thinges From this spirite commeth that glorious resurrection as we are taught by this epistle For he which raysed vp Christ Of the holy Ghost is the resurrection from the dead sayth Paul shall rayse vp also your mortall bodies because of his spirite which dwelleth in you Nether is this life which we liue in Christ coūted to come from any els where then from the holy ghost For the wisedome of the flesh saith Paul is enmity agaynst God But the wisedome of the spirite is life and peace God would that we should in this life haue a pledge and
excellent estate or condition but also as it is written vnto the Hebrues Do tread vnder foote the sonne of God and do pollute his blood which was shed for them By this place also we are taught to loue our enemies not after the common maner as when men say yâ— they wishe wel vnto theyr enemy it is inough they thinke if they hate him not but yet in the meane time they will take no paynes ether to bring him to amendment or to saluation And which is more haynous they are not onely not beneficyall towardes theyr enemies but also through theyr sluggishnes they suffer theyr weake bretherne to perish they winke at theyr sinnes nether vse they any admonitions or reprehensions that they might be amended There are besides infinite other instructions which The loue of God most plentifully teacheth vs many thinges the loue of God teacheth vs. For we haue no booke stuffed with more plentifull doctrine then the death of Christ whiche if we diligentlye examine we shall be tought in a maner al dueties necessary vnto saluation Lastlye is to be noted that these thinges which Paul in this place meÌ„cioneth are had although indede more briefly yet fully inoughe in the 6. chapter of the Gospell of Iohn So God loued the world that he gaue his only begotten sonnes that euery one that beleueth in him should not perish Here also we heare that through the loue of God the sonne was deliuered for vs. And whereas Paule sayth enemies vveake vngodly sinners the same hath the Euangelist signified by this one word vvorld And whereas Paul sayth That thorough him vve are iustified recoÌ„ciled and shal be saued from vvrath that hath the Euangelist expressed in these wordes That he vvhich beleueth in him should not perishe And not only this but vve also reioyce in God through our Lord Iesus Christ by vvhome vve haue novv obtayned the reconciliation This was the third part which the Apostle vsed in making mencion of the benefite of Christ after that he had both layd him forth before vs and also by amplification as it was mete commended him vnto vs. Wherefore Paul sayth that so great is the gift of God that thereof we excedingly reioyce We are not only sayth he certayne that we shall be saued but also we reioyce not in our selues but in God not through our workes but through Iesus Christ by whome we haue obtayned reconciliation When he sayth that we reioyce of this benefite of God he priuely reproueth those which counted it a thinge full of shame to professe Christian religion or to wayte for saluation at the handes of a man crucified and put to a most shamefull death Herein sayth Paul is nothing vile or whereof we should be ashamed yea rather all thinges are most honorable and full of great dignity For here we can looke vpon nothing which testefieth not Reioysinge is opposed to filthines shame vnto vs the singular loue of God towards vs. This sentence of Paul agréeth very well with these words of Ieremy in the 9. chapter Let not the wise man reioyce in his wisedome nor the mighty man in his might nor the rich man in his riches but he which reioyseth let him reioyce in this that he knoweth and vnderstandeth me which What our reioysing is worke mercy righteousnes and iudgement and loue these thinges in the earth The prophet meaneth the selfe same thing that Paul doth namely that no man should reioyce ether for the good thinges of the mynde or of the body or of fortune but only let him reioyce of this that he knoweth the Lord. And the vnmeasurable loue of God can by no other thing be better or clearlyer vnderstand then by the death of Christ This is our fayth this is the chiefest knowledge that we can haue of the goodnes of God Hereby we vnderstand that God hath wrought By the death of Christ is God chiefly knowne mercy when he would by this meanes redeme vs to haue wrought iudgemeÌ„t and righteousnes wheÌ„ as he would not suffer our sinnes to escape vnpunished but hath so seuerely auenged them in Christ But because our fayth ought not to be idle but to repay agayne the selfe same thinges that we haue receaued of Christ therefore the Prophet addeth that God both loueth and requireth the selfe same thinges in the earth that is in vs. VVe reioyce sayth Paul and also the prophete in the knowledge fayth of so great a gift bestowed vpoÌ„ vs by God But they reioyce not which coldly weigh these thinges but they which feale them inwardly in the mynde and so feele them that they are ernestly affected This is to reioyce in the Lord and not in our owne workes Wherefore that which Paul before sayd that the elect reioyce in tribulations herehence dependeth for we Why we reioyce in afflictions do not reioyce of the afflictions as they are of themselues but for that we feele by them that God loueth vs. Last of all our glory herein consisteth that we haue gotten God himselfe to loue vs and to be our father then which felicitye could nothing haue happened vnto vs more to be desired Nether is this to be passed ouer that Ambrose hath noted vpon this place that we ought not only to geue thankes vnto God for the saluation and security which we haue receaued but also that we reioyce in God through Iesus Christ By which words Ambrose avoucheth the security of saluation we gather that he asserteth the security of saluation as well as we to the ende our reioysing mought be concerning such thinges as we haue now assuredly in our hands Farther also hereby it most euidently appeareth that those words of the Apostle which he before spake That the loue of God is shed abroade into our hartes are to be vnderstand of that loue wherewith God loueth vs. For of that loue this sure token we haue in that God hath geuen his son vnto vs. Farther the Apostle entending to make vs certayne of our saluation and to confirme vs in our hope coulde take no argument at all of our loue towardes God for our loue is alwayes mayned and vnperfect And therefore if a mans hope were doubtfull and vncertayne and should by this meanes be confirmed and willed to be of good cheare for that he beareth a loue towardes God he mought answere straight way that he for that cause most of all doubteth for that he seeth his loue to be weake and colde and that he loueth not God so much as he ought to do and by that occasion he can not attayne to so greate a rewarde Wherefore Paul hath appoynted an other way and confirmeth our hope by the gift of God And he thought it not sufficient simply thus to say but excellently amplifieth it by the contraries and opposites Out of this fountayne are to be Wherâ—heÌ„ce are to be sought consolations in afflictions sought consolations for the afflicted when by reason of
not therof follow that he hath not hurt vs or that we being by him made sinners haue not felt great losse Now forasmuch as those things which follow pertayne vnto the law before we come vnto them it shall not be amisse frō our purpose to declare what is to be thought touching originall sinne First we will consider whether there be any originall sinne or no for there are What are the chiefe matters that shal be intreated of some which vtterly deny that there is any such thinge Then wil we declare what it is Lastly what proprieties it hath and howe it is by succession traduced to our posterity and also by what meanes it is forgeuen As touching the firste we muste remember that both in the holy scriptures and also among the fathers it is called by sondry names For in this epistle the 7. chap. it is called sinne and the law of the Names of originall sinne mēbers and lust Of others it is called The want of originall righteousnes a corruption of nature an euell inclination a nourisher of euell a weaknes of nature the lawe of the fleshe and other suche like The Pelagians long since denied this sinne and so do the Anabaptistes euen nowe in our dayes These in a manner are the argumentes which they alleadge against it First they say that the fall of Adam The Pelagians and Anabaptistes denye originall sinne Argumēts against original sinne was sufficientlye punished in himselfe and that there is no cause why God shoulde reuenge it in his posterity specially seing it is written in Naum the Prophet That God doth not punish one and the selfe same thing twise For it suffiseth him that he hath once punished Againe it is also written That the sonne shall not beare the iniquitye of the father but the soule which sinneth the same shall dye Moreouer the bodye when it is formed in the wombe is the woorkemanshippe of God and hath nothing which ought to be reproued yea rather which is not woorthy of high admiracion and the soule also is either created or powred in of God And the manner of propagation cannot be counted euell because matrimony is commended in the holy scriptures and from the beginninge God cōmaunded mā to procreat children Wherefore among so many aides of innocency they demaund thorow what chinckes or hoales sinne could creepe in They alleadge moreouer that Paul in his firste epistle to the Cor when he exhorteth the faithfull wife to abide with the vnfaithfull husband if he will abide with her among other thinges saith your childrē are holy But they could not be holy if they wer born in sinne Wherfore say they they which are borne of faithfull parentes cannot contract vnto themselues originall sinne Farther they affirme that it is a common sayinge that sinne is a thinge spoken done or lusted contrarye to the lawe of God and that there is no sinne except it be voluntary And as Iohn saith in his 1. epistle the 4. chapt Sinne is iniquity vnto which is opposite equity or right and there can be no other equity or right assigned then that which is contained in the law and so is finne a trāsgression of the law all which thinges cannot happen in infantes when they are borne And they say moreouer that it semeth not agreable whiche some say namely that this sinne is powred in through the flesh or body For the flesh and the body are of theyr owne nature thinges insensible nether can they be counted a subiect mete for sinne And to establish theyr fained inuencion they adde that those thinges whiche Paul speaketh in this place are to be drawen to those sinnes whiche are called actuall And where it is said that by one man sinne entred into the world it is to be vnderstand say they because of imitacion and example whiche the posterity followed With these and like argumentes were they led to deny that there is any originall sinne But as for death and afflictions of this life whiche are commonly alleadged for tokens to confirme originall sinne they say that they consist of natural causes as are the temperatures of the elementes and humors And that therfore it is a vaine inuention to draw them to the fall of Adam And they thinke it to be a thinge moste absurde to counte that for sinne whiche can by no meanes be auoyded Lastly they say if by that meanes it should be saide that we haue sinned in Adam because we were in his loynes euen as in the Epistle to the Hebrues it is sayde of Leui that he paide tenthes in the loynes of Abraham after the like and selfe same mannec we may say that we were in the loynes of other our elders from whome we haue by procreation discended wherefore there is no cause why the sinne of Adam shoulde more flow abroade into vs then the sinne of our graundfathers greate graundfathers and of all our elders And by that meanes theyr estate should séeme most vnhappy which should be borne in the latter times For they should beare the iniquities of all their elders These thinges alleadge they to proue that there is no originall It is proued by testimontes of the scripture that there is original sinne sinne But we on the contrarye parte will by manye testimonies of the scriptures proue that there is such a sinne In the boke of Gen the vi chap God speaketh thus My spirite shall not alwaies striue in mā because he is but flesh Againe The imagination of the thoughtes of theyr hartes is onely euell alwayes And in the viii chapter The imagination of theyr hart is euell euen frō their childhode These words declare that there sticketh some vice in our nature whē we are brought forth Dauid also saith Beholde in iniquities was I conceaued and in sins hath my mother conceaued me then which testemony there can be nothing more euident Ieremy also in his 17. chap saith that the hart of man is wicked peruerse and stubburne And the same Ieremy and also Iob doo curse that day wherein they were borne into the world bycause they saw that together with them was brought forth the originall and fountaine of all vices And Iob hath a most manifest testimony of the vncleanes of our natiuity For this he sayth Who can make that clene which is cōceaued of vncleane seede And our sauiour sayth Except a man be borne againe of water and the holyghost he shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen And euen as a potter doth not make new agayne any vessel vnles he se that the same was ill made before So Christ would not haue vs generated agayne except he saw that we were before vnhappely generated Which thing he testifieth also in an other place saying That which is borne of flesh is fleshe and that which is borne of spirite is spirite By which words he would haue vs to vnderstand that therefore the regeneration of the spirite was necessary bycause we had before but only a
kingdome of heauen suffring many discommodities which are deriued from the groundes of our nature Wherefore we may coÌ„plaine of our first parent but not of God For he was most liberal towards him especially seyng he called vs againe vnto himselfe which is the chiefe felicitie by hys onely sonne and would haue hym to suffer death for our saluation But against this opinion maketh that chiefly which we haue already twise before Death hâ—th no right where no sinne is rehersed namely that infantes do die For death hath no right where as is no sinne vnles we will say that God punisheth the innocent And this reason is confirmed by that argument of Paul wherby he proued that sinne was before the law Because death saith he raigned from Adam euen to Moses But by Pigghius opinion this might be counted a very weke reason For a maÌ„ might say although they died yet therby it followeth not that they had sinne For death happened vnto The Apostle confesseth that sin dwelleth in himselfe We haue not the principles of natuâ—e perfect but vitiated The consideration of man and of brute bests is not alike them thorough Adam for whose sinne they became mortall Farther doth not Paul confesse that there is sinne in nature when he affirmeth that sinne dwelleth in himself and confesseth that the law of the members draweth him captiue and such other like And that is nothing which Pigghius obiecteth namely that those thinges come of the principles of nature for these principles are not of nature being perfect but of nature corrupte and vitiated Neither ought he in this thyng to bring a similitude from brute beastes For man is created to be farre excellenter then brute beastes to beare rule ouer theÌ„ Man had in dede in himselfe principles to desire things pleasaÌ„t profitable but not against reason the worde of God For to haue those affections outragious and violent belongeth not to men but to brute beasts Farther our soule being immortal geuen by the inspiratioÌ„ of God required a body méete for it namely such which mighte be preserued for euer that the soule should not any time be compelled to be without it Wherfore we ought not to flye The bodye ought to be agreable vnto the soule It is blasphemy to make God the author of wicked affections vnto the principles of nature for it was not framed such as now we haue it Now if Pigghius do fayne that God created in vs these lustes and wicked affections theÌ„ is he blasphemous and contumelious againste him whiche faultes he vnworthely goeth about to lay to our charge For forasmuche as God is good and moste wise and moste iuste and hath also created man vnto the highest felicity he woulde not haue geuen him those thinges whereby he should be withdrawen from that felicitie which should entise him to do against his commaundementes whiche of theyr owne accord are filthy and should lead vs captiues into the law of sinne of death For these thinges if they ought to be mortified and crucified as vndoubtedly they ought we must néedes graunt that they are vices and hatefull vnto God Neither E 〈…〉 l affections forasmuch as they ought to be mortified at sins is that of so great force that he fayth that they are not properly sinnes vnles euen as colde is called slouthfull because it maketh menne slouthfull so these thinges because they allure men to sinne may therefore after a sort be called sinnes Or euen as the scripture calleth that a hand which is made with the hand or speach is called the tonge because it is pronounced by the ministery of the tounge so these thinges may be called sinnes because they proceede from sinne These similitudes do nothinge helpe Pigghius cause for althoughe Augustine vsed sometimes so to speake yet he would haue it to be vnderstand of those defaultes and vices which are in maÌ„ after Baptisme In which thing how farre we agrée with him we haue els where declared and peraduenture afterward will farther declare But Augustine plainely affirmeth that before baptisme they are sinnes Yea the holy Ghoste also in Paul calleth theÌ„ sinnes and the nature of sinne agreeth wyth The nature of sinne is extended to al things that are against the law of God â–ª Wherein iniquity coÌ„â—sisteth them For so we haue defined sinne that it pertayneth to all those things whatsoeuer they be that are againste the lawe of God For as Iohn sayth sinne is iniquitie And who seeth not that it is a thing vniuste that the fleshe should haue the spirite subiect vnto it and that our soule should not be obediente vnto the woorde of God Wherefore forasmuch as all these thinges do stirre vs vp to transgresse and to rebell against the woord of God they are both vniust also ought to be called sinnes Farther the wordes of Dauid are most plainely against Pigghius when he sayth Beholde I was conceaued in iniquityes and in sinnes hath my mother conceaued me If wicked lust and these vices were the woorkes of nature vndoubtedly that holy maÌ„ woulde not haue complained of them And what other thinge mente the Apostle Paul when he wrote vnto the Ephesians That we are by nature the childreÌ„ of wrath but that there is sinne in euery one of vs Howbeit Pigghius doth by a peruerse interpretacion go about to wrest this testimonye from vs. For he saith that to be by nature the children of wrath is nothinge els but to be the children of wrath by a certayne course of birth because we are so borne into the worlde And he bringeth this similitude that some are called bondmen by nature which is nothing els then that they were borne in that state to be bond But we neither can nor oughte to be contente with this fained deuise for the anger of God is not prouoked but iustly For it is not such that it can be incensed either rashely or by chaunce Wherefore The anger of God is not prouoked but iustly there must nedes be some wicked thinge in our nature to the auengement wherof the anger of God is stirred vp And that similitude of his serueth not to hys purpose for they which are sayd to be borne bondmen by nature haue also by nature some thing in them which is apt for bondage For if we geue credite vnto Aristotle Seruantes by nature haue something in theÌ„ that is apte for seruitude writing in his politiques bondmen by nature are they which excell in strength of body but are dull and slow in reason and thereof it commeth that they are more meete to serue then to beare rule ouer others or to liue at liberty The Apostle also sufficiently declareth why he calleth vs by nature the children of wrath namely because by nature we séeme prone and readye to stirre vp the anger of God and walke according to the prince of this world and because the Deuell is of efficacy in our hartes by reason of
incredulitie and also because we do the will of the fleshe and of our minde These are the thinges which make vs by nature the children of wrath And how can it be denied that there is sinne in our nature when as Christ will haue vs to be regenerated For vnles we were broughte foorth wicked what should we nede to be made new again Farther in the 8. chap of the booke of Genesis it is manifestly said That the imagination of mans harte is euell euen from hys verye childehoode And how dare Pigghius say that that is the woorke of God and a good That which the holy Ghost calleth euell is not the worke of God thynge whyche the holy Ghoste expressedly calleth euell But least he shoulde seme to say nothing he fayneth that God spake that of mercy as thoughe he would by that meanes excuse men and testefye that he would no more destroy the earth with water bycause men were so brought forth and theyr cogitations tended to euill and that euen from theyr very childhode But in taking this for an excuse he is much deceaued For the better and more natiue sence of thys A declaration of a place of Genesis place is thought to be this that God would make a couenant with Noah that he would neuer destroy the world agayne with water although otherwise men were such that they deserued it and the imagination of theyr hartes is euill euen from theyr childhode These wordes excuse not mans nature from sinne but rather note it to be vicious and corrupt which yet God of his mercy would spare Lastly we learne of Paul that by the disobedience of one man many are made sinners which declareth that in those which are borne of Adam there is sinne by reason of which they ought to be caled sinners But Pigghius thinketh to auoyde this bycause they are sometimes called sinners by reason of the guiltines although the acte of the sinne be past and be no more extant Although it He that is called a sinner either hath sinne actually in him or els he hath before committed sin Pigghius maketh a middle estate betwene the damned the blessed be so yet he can neuer shew out of the scriptures that any is caled a sinner but ether he hath sinne in himselfe or ells vndoubtedlye he hath before committed sin vnles he will say that God maketh men guilty without any sin committed of them Farther Pigghius considereth not that by this his fayned inuencion is brought in a middle sentence touching the state of them which dye only in the guiltines of dAam when as the scriptures doo manifestly teach vs that in the last iudgement there shal be no meane But men shal be ether committed to eternall fire or ells haue the fruition of eternall felicity And it is rashenes to procede farther in those thinges then is reueled in the holy scriptures Wherefore they deale more moderately and worke more wisely which leaue all this matter to the deuine prouidence But it is a sporte to se what solemne reasons they are which moue Pigghius They shall not be punished sayth he with any sensible payne bycause they haue not contaminated themselues with any wicked will in this life What is this to the purpose For it is sufficient that they haue a wicked nature for they were prone to sinne although by reason of age they could in acte not sinne The young wolfe is killed of euery man who yet might excuse To condemnation it is mough to haue a corrupt nature if a man be without Christ it self for that it hath not yet killed any shepe or done any harme vnto the flock Yet is it iust that it should be killed bycause it hath the nature of a wolfe and would doo these thinges if it were permitted to liue To this Pigghius addeth an other argumēt for y◠for original sin grief or contritiō is not required But how can he proue this For all holy men haue greuously mourned for that they were oppressed with this vice Dauid the selfe same time when he was most The saints do greuesly sigh and morne for that they a◠oppressed with this sinne Examples repentant did burst forth into these wordes Behold I was conceaued in iniquities Paul so bewailed this vice that he cried out O vnhappye man that I am who shall deliuer me frō this body subiect vnto death whē Pigghius saith y◠these shal be cōtent with theyr estate he bringeth none other reason then that if they should striue against the will of God and be sory for the sentence denounced vpon them they should sinne which thing we ought not to deme of them forasmuch as in thys life they committed no sinne But here ought to be demaunded of Pigghius whether infantes haue an vpright will in this life This must he of necessity deny forasmuche as by reason of age they coulde not haue it Which if it be so how dare he ascribe it vnto them in the life to come It is much more probable that they shall there haue an euell will wherof there was here in them a beginning thē that they shall haue there a good will of whiche there was here in them no sparcke at all But that similitude which he bringeth of the liberal prince which did not only make his seruant free but also exalted him to great honours is not of his owne inuention For Egidius of Rome a schole deuine hath the same who yet together with vs acknowledgeth the vice of nature the wickednes that is Egidius a schole deuine planted in vs from the beginning Howbeit this thing we ought to examine and try out lest like as costly hangings couer the faultes of a wal so this argument by his shew and outward payneture doo hide some error dangerously deceaue vs. He setteth forth vnto vs Adam as a bondeman who from the beginning was made free by God and enriched with most excellent giftes and so enriched that they should come also to his posterity if he had obeyed the commaundement of God and the law but if he neglected to doo that he himselfe with all his posterity should returne to his old estate of seruitude In this lieth hid the error of Pigghius for he faineth vnto himselfe a man which from the beginning had a nature Man had not at the beginning a corrupt and vicious nature subiect to corruptions and bound to the seruitude of vnreasonable affections which thing is not true For God made man perfect not that he should be like a brute beast He had in dede lusts to thinges pleasant and preseruatiue but yet not such as should allure him agaynst the worde of God and right reason And he had a body geuen him which mought haue endured for euer Wherefore when he sinned he fell not into his olde estate but broughte vnto himselfe a new infelicity This shall suffice at this present as touching that second opinion The thirde opinion is
chapter sayth that by it the image of God is alienated from the life of man by reason of the blindnes of the harte whiche blindnes he sayth is sinne neither is it very agreable with the nature of man Blindnes of the hart is sinne The same Augustine in his 1. booke of the merites and remission of sinnes the 30. chapter where he bringeth these wordes of Dauid Remember not the sinnes of my youth and my ignorances maketh mencion of most thicke darkenes of ignorance which is in the hartes of infantes being yet in their mothers wombe who know not why from whence and when they were thrust in there For the Blindnes and ignorance are not agreable with the nature of man infant lyeth in the mothers belly vnlearned vndocible not able to vnderstand the commaundement being ignorant where he is what he is of whome he was created and of whome he was begotten All which thinges were far from the nature of man as it was first created and are rather vices of nature For Adam was not so created but he was both able to vnderstand the commaundement of God and could also geue names vnto his wife and to all other liuing creatures But in infantes we must wayte a long tyme that they may by little and little as it were disgest this dissines Farther that this ignorance is to be counted sinne Reticius the most auncient byshop of Auston is a witnes as Augustine testifieth of him in his first booke agaynst Iulianus For when he speaketh of baptisme thus he writeth That it is the principall indulgence in the Reticius bishop of Auston in Fraunce Church wherein we put away all the waight of the olde crime and we blot out the olde wicked actes of our ignorance and put of the olde man with his naturall wicked actes By these wordes we sée that wicked actes are naturall in vs and that the sinnes of ignorance are blotted out in baptisme Wherefore forasmuch as infants are baptised it is manifest by the authority of this father that they haue sinnes and that their olde ignorance is blotted out in baptisme Now concerning the The wil is also corrupt will let vs see whether it also be corrupt or no. The Apostle beareth manifest witnes of it that the sence and wisedome of the fleshe is enmity agaynst God And vnder this sentēce he comprehēdeth all the affectiōs of men which are not yet regenerate But I meruayle at the impudency of Pigghius who because he would by some meanes vnwrap himselfe sayth that this place is to be vnderstand of the sence of the letter which he contendeth is agaynst God nether can it be subdued vnto him For both the wordes that go before and the wordes that follow are manifestly agaynst hym For Paul straight way addeth the difference betweene men which are in the fleshe and them which are in the spirite Wherfore it playnely appeareth that he entreateth not of the diuersity of the sence of the scripture but of the variety of men The wordes that go next before that sentence are that which was impossible vnto the lawe in as much as it was weake by reason of the fleshe God sending his sonne in the similitude of sinfull fleshe by sinne condemned sinne in the fleshe that the righteousnes of the lawe might be fulfilled in vs. These wordes also testify that Paul speaketh of vs and not of the spirite or letter of the scriptures For in vs is that weakenes whereby the lawe was weakened that it coulde not bringe vs to saluation and by Christ the righteousnes of the lawe beginneth to be fulfilled in vs. Neither ought we to harken vnto The scripture by flesh vnderstandeth not the grosser part of the mind them which both in this place and also in many other will that by fleshe we should vnderstand only the grosser part of the mynde For Paul when to the Galathians he rehearseth the workes of the flesh doth not only number amongst them adulteryes fornications wantonnes and other such lyke but also idolatry whiche no man can deny but that it pertayneth vnto the mynde and not vnto the fleshe And Christ when he sayth That whiche is borne of fleshe is fleshe and that whiche is borne of the spirite is spirite exhorteth vs to regeneration whiche vndoubtedly pertayneth not only to the substance of the bodye or grosser partes of the mynde but also chiefely vnto the will and mynde And when he sayde vnto Peter Blessed art thou Simon Bariona for flesh and bloud hath not reueled these thynges vnto thee he signified that he had not lerned those thinges of naturall knowledge but of the spirite of God For vnder the name of flesh he comprehendeth those things which pertaine vnto the mynde and reasō Neither yet do we say as Pigghius fondly cauilleth that in the chiefest part of the minde is nothing but flesh For we know though Pigghius had not told vs Why the soule is called flesh in the scriptures that the soule is a spirite which yet before regeneration is in the scriptures called flesh bicause when as it ought to make the flesh that is his grosser partes spirituall and to bring it to the obedience of a minde instructed by the worde of God it rather declineth vnto the pleasures therof and so is made carnall But they obiecte vnto vs that which is written to the Galathians The flesh lusteth against the spirite and the spirite agaynste the fleshe as though this could not be possible if we leue nothing vncorrupted in the mindes of men But vnto this obiection we thus easely aunswer First that Paul speaketh those wordes of the beleuers which are alredy regenerate which thing those wordes which followe do sufficiently declare That ye should do not those thinges which ye would by which wordes he declareth y◠they had obteined a right will of the spirite of Christ which yet they were not able to performe by reason of the daily conflictes of the minde and their great infirmitie Wherfore the Apostle in that place ment nothing els then that whatsoeuer is in vs which is not perfectly regenerate altogether rebelleth against the spirite of God Farther also we deny not but that sometimes there is some such battaile in In the mindes of those that are not regenerate there are yet lawes of nature and some illustration of the spirit of God men which are not yet regenerate not bicause their minde is not carnall prone to vices but because in it remaine still grauen the lawes of nature and bicause in it is some illustration of the spirite of God although it be not such an illustration which can either iustifie or worke an healthful alteracion Farther that reason is corrupted in vs Pauls wordes sufficiently declare wherein he admonisheth vs to put on the new man which he saith ought continually to be renewed in vs. Now forasmuch as he will haue a man to be so vtterly chaunged and a man consisteth not onely
we are so prouoked to sinne that none can flatter hymselfe of hys owne innocencye For who can boaste that he hath a chaste harte For as Iohn sayth If we saye we haue no sinne wee deceyue our selues and the truth is not in vs. Agayne Cyprianus in hys Epistle to Fidus teacheth that infants oughte to be baptised that they peâ—rishe not for euer Augustine also citeth the Bishop Reticius whose wordes we haue before rehearsed He citeth also Olympius a bishoppe of Spayne who saith That the sinne of the first man was so dispersed in the budde that sinne is borne together wyth man He also citeth Hilarius who writeth thus of the fleshe of Christ Therfore seyng he was sent in the similitude of sinnefull fleshe so had he also sin But because all flesh is of sinne namely of the sinne deryued froÌ„ the first parent Adam he was sent in the similitude of sinnefull flesh so that there was not in hym sinne but the similitude of sinnefull flesh The same father in an other place expounding the xviij Psalme vrgeth this sentence of Dauid Behold in iniquities was I conceiued and in sinnes hath my mother conceaued me Also in his Homilie vppon the booke of Iob he saith That the body is a matter of malice whiche can not be sayd to haue bene so from the first constitution And Ambrose vpon Luke saith that the body is a stinking puddle and an harbor of sinnes but by the benefite of Christ it is chaunged into the temple of God and made a holy place of vertues The same father against the Nouatians saith that our byrth is in sinne and in his apologie of Dauid he saith that before we are borne we are blotted wyth contagiousnes and before we haue the vse of lyght we receaue originall iniustice are conceaued in iniquity And of the Lord he saith It was mete that he which should not haue in his body the sinne of falling should fele no naturall contagiousnes of generation Wherefore worthely did Dauid be wayle in him selfe the corruptions of nature forth at that filthines begaÌ„ in maÌ„ first before life The same Ambrose of the Arke of Noah Whome then hath he now pronounced a iust man but hym which is free from these bondes whome doth the bondes of common nature not hold Also vpon the Gospel of Luke he sayth That the infants which are baptised are by the washinges of the healthfull ministery reformed from maliciousnes Ierome vpon Ionas the prophete sayth that litle infantes are subiect vnto the sinne of Adam And yâ— it should not be thought that he speaketh it only of guiltines vpon the 18. and 41. chap of Ezechiell he vrgethe that not euen a child which is but a day old is without sinne He vrgeth this also Who can make that cleane which is conceaued of vncleane sede Gregorius Nazianzenus saith The image of God shall pourge the spot of bodely inundacion afterward Haue in reuerence the natiuity whereby thou art deliuered froÌ„ the boÌ„des of thyne earthly natiuity And intreating of baptisme by thys sayth he the spotes of the first natiuity are purged by which we are conceaued in iniquities and our mothers hath in sinnes begotten vs. Augustine defeÌ„deth Basilius Magnus For the Pelagians Augustine defendeth Basile would haue him to seme to be one theyr side For he writeth against the Manichies that euill is not a substance but a conuersation which coÌ„meth only of the will which saying he vnderstode of those which haue gotten the infection of conuersation by their owne will which conuersation he sayth may easely be seperated from the will of them that be sicke For if it could not be seperated from it euil should be a substantiall part thereof All these thinges Augustine affirmeth to be vprightly spoken For the Manechies affirmed that euil is a certaine substance In opinion of the Manechies Euell may be seperated from vs thorougâ— the mercy of God The perfect seperation from euell is hoped for in the life to come and that that euill was the beginning of all thinges in the world But Basilius one the contrary side sayth that that euill is in a good thing and that it happened to be euill thorough the will of the man and woman which sinned But in that he sayth that it may easely be seperated from the will he ascribeth it not to our streÌ„gths but to the mercy of God And wheras he sayth that there shal be left no tokens therof that also doo we hope for but not in this life but in the life to come But that he acknowledged originall sinne his sermon concerning fast sufficiently testifieth For thus he sayth If Eue had fasted from the tree we should not now haue neded this fast For they that are whole haue no nede of a phisitioÌ„ but they that are sicke We haue bene sicke thorough that sinne let vs be healed by repentance But repentance without fasting is vaine By these wordes Basilius affirmeth that by reason of the sin of Adam we are not whole Moreouer he citeth the 12. Bishoppes of the East which condeÌ„ned Pelagius Vnto which ought Origen also to be added who wheÌ„ he interpreceth yâ— senteÌ„ce of Paul which we haue rehearsed namely Death hath gone ouer all men saith that Abel Enoch MathusaleÌ„ and Noah sinned But as for other fathers he sayth he will not recken bycause they haue euery one sinned For there is not one cleane from filthynes although he haue liued but one day only But he speaketh more manifestly vpon the 6. chap. of this epistle wheÌ„ he sayth that Baptisme ought to be geuen vnto infantes by the Apostolicall tradition bycause the Apostles knew that there were in all men naturall corruptions of sinne which ought to be washed away by water and the spirite And Chrisostome vpon Genesis entreating this question why men are now afrayd of beastes and are hurte of them when as they were created to be lordes ouer them thys thinge he sayth happeneth by reason of sinne and by cause saith he we haue fallen from confidence and honour And therby Augustine proueth that the nature of infantes is fallen bycause beastes doo not spare them The same Chrisostome expounding yâ— place which we are now in haÌ„d with sayth That that sinne whiche came thorough the disobedience of Adam hath coÌ„taminated all He hath also many other places which serue for the confirmation of thys sentence And yet the Pelagians were not ashamed and especially Iulianus to cite The Pelagians went about to draw Chrisostome vnto them thys father for a witnes as thoughe he made with them bycause in his sermon of those that are baptised rehearsing many giftes of Baptisme namely that they which are Baptised doo not onely receaue remission of sinnes but also are made childreÌ„ and heires of God brethern of Christ and his fellow heires members and temples of God and instrumentes of the holy ghost addeth at the last Seest thou howe manye are the giftes of Baptisme And
forgeueth vs our sinnes geueth the holy ghost an vpright life and eternall felicity By this definition is séene not onely what we call grace but also by whom we haue it and which are the principall effects thereof Now must we sée after what maner God By what meanes God worketh in vs his good thinges Why the outward ministery is needefull in the church worketh in vs so excellent good thinges First he offreth the promises of these thinges then by his inspiration he openeth the harte that they may be receaued which if he did not those good things should neuer take place in vs for the hart of man is stubborne and repugnant to spirituall things and therefore in the Church the minstery is alwayes néedefull For the duety of the pastors is to set forth the promises of God vnto the people and not to vrge them in wordes onely but also to seale thē with sacraments which are certaine visible wordes And in especially it belōgeth vnto them to remoue away two impediments which do most of al draw men away from the promises of God For on the one side men think that The ministers ought in teachyng to haue regard to two thinges they can not attaine vnto the promises of God bicause they are vnworthy of thē Here must the faithfull minister diligently resist and teach that these thinges are fréely geuen of God not by workes or any dignity of such as receiue thē On the other part some vse to doubt whether they by the electiō of God are excluded frō these promises As touching this point they must teach y◠the faithful ought generally to receiue the promises of God as they are deliuered vs by the holy ghost in the holy scriptures neither ought they to be carefull concerning the secret will of God For without doubt God would haue reueled and shewed who they be that be elect or who be reprobate if he had known that it should haue bene profitable to saluatiō Wherfore seing the scriptures exclude no man perticulerly from the promises euery man ought so to receue thē as if they peculiarly pertained vnto himself And vndoubtedly together with faith shall be geuen vnto them that beleue through y◠persuasion of the holy ghost that they shall not doubt but that they do in very déede belong vnto the elect After this maner the ministery of the church serueth God and worketh together with him towards our saluation not that the goodnes and power of God can not without it both offer his promises vnto vs and also inclyne our mindes to receiue them For neither is the grace of God of necessity bound either to the ministery or to the sacraments or to y◠outward worde But we speake The grate of God is not bound to outward thinges now of the accustomed maner wherby God bringeth men to saluation But whē we haue once receiued the promises of God we which before were dead vnto sinne begin streight way to reuiue and so being restored vnto lyfe in some part we obey the law of God not in dede with a perfect obedience but with an obedience begon Farther against our enemies the flesh and Sathan we haue the present helpe of God and a wonderful consolation in afflictions and the powers and faculties both of the soule and also of the body are renued And to speake briefly the grace of God God doth not onely offer the promises but also boweth the hart to embrase them What manner of grace the Pelagians graunted which we haue described is the spring of all good thinges But yet we haue affirmed one thing which is not yet confirmed by the scriptures namely y◠God doth not onely offer the promises which we haue now spoken of of his mere grace and beneuolence but also with his spirit boweth the harte to receiue them The first part the Pelagians also admitted namely that there is required the grace of doctrine and illustration But the other part they thought consisted in frée will ether to receiue or to refuse the promises offred But the scripture teacheth farre otherwise For Ezechiell in the 11. chap. sayth That God woulde geue vnto hys faythfull a new hart a new spirite would take away frō thē their stony harte and geue them a fleshy hart These wordes most manifestly teach that there must be a chaunge The meaninge of the fathers made in our hartes Wherfore when we reade either in Augustine or in other fathers that grace commeth first whom our will followeth as an handmayden we may not so vnderstand it as though our will followeth of his owne strengthes beyng It is not sufficient that the will be stirred vp vnlesse it be moued also only stirred vp and admonished by grace for vnles it were changed it would neuer follow This therfore is required first that the will be chaunged and then that it obey We must warely also geue eare vnto Chrisostome who in his sermon of the inuention of the crosse saith That neither the grace of God can doe any thyng without our wyll nor our wyll without grace For vniuersally it is not true that grace can doo nothyng without our will vnles thou vnderstande will to be that about which grace worketh But that grace should tary for the consent of the will it is not true For grace changeth y◠wil before it can geue any consent Dauid therfore Grace ought not to tary for our consent prayeth Create in me a cleane hart O God ▪ Salomon also Incline O Lord the harte of thys people to execute thy commaundementes And agayne Dauid Incline myne harte to thy testimonies The Pelagians taughte that the beginnyng of good workes is of oure selues namelye of frée wyll And that grace dothe helpe them The opinion of the Pelagians easlier and more readely to accomplishe them But the latter Diuines or Sophisters least they shoulde seeme vtterlye to agrée with Pelagius haue thus defined The opiniō of the Scholemē grace that grace in déede commeth first but it is in vs either to receaue it or to refuse it but this is as vntrue as that sentence of Pelagius for from hence haue we power to receaue this grace If this were true then saluation should be of our selues But Paul sayth what hast thou which thou hast not receaued But if thou hast receaued it why boastest thou as though thou haddest not receaued it And against these men Augustine citeth these wordes of Paul which we shall afterward reade It is not of hym that wylleth nor of hym that runneth but of God that hath compassion If these mens opinion saith he were not true the Apostle mought in like maner haue sayde It is not of God that hath compassion but of hym that wylleth and runneth For as these men teach this matter semeth to be deuided so that one part is geuen vnto God and the other part is leaft vnto our selues And by that meanes the grace of God is not sufficient
commeth that Baptisme also ought to be geuen onelye once Which thing is also therfore done bicause the holy ghost wil haue vs fully perswaded that after Baptisme we ought no more to returne to our old life as though an other regeneration might be permitted vnto vs. For if any man should so think he should as it is written in the epistle vnto the Hebrues treade vnder feete the bloud of the sonne of God Paul therfore vnto the Ephesians sayth One spirit one fayth one baptisme And that it consisteth of the lauacre of water and of the word we are taught out of the epistle vnto the Ephe. by these wordes Euen as Christe also loued the church and gaue himselfe for it that he myght sanctifie it beyng made cleane by the lauacre of water through the worde This is is the nature of sacraments that they consist of a signe an outward Element and the word of God Many Ecclesiasticall writers when they entreat of Baptisme do set forth the prayses and commendations Symboles of the Sacraments of the Gospell are most easy to be gotten The misteries of the Ethnikes were sumptuous The deuil sometimes imitateth the simplicity of God What is the analogy or signification of water in baptisme of water But I in thys place do rather reuerence the simplicity of Christian religion whereunto are geuen Sacraments not onely most fewe in number but also moste easye to be done For as touchyng the signes we haue nothyng but breade wyne and water whiche are thinges euerye where in vse and in all places easye to bee gotten But the misteries of Idoles were celebrated wyth greate cost and were verye sumptuous But Christ in outward thinges followed alwayes greate simplicity Although the deuill also as an imitator of God would sometimes haue water also ioyned to his holy seruices as in the misteries of Mitra and Isis And the Romanes in the playes of Apollo and Pelusius sprinkled the city ouer with water For by that meanes they thought it perfectly clensed from periuries murthers iniustice and publike crimes And such as had committed murther of set purpose sought purging holy waters But omitting these thinges this we ought to consider that the signe in sacraments ought to haue an affinity and similitude with the thing which is by it signified Wherefore séeing water washeth away the filthines of the body maketh the earth fruitefull and quencheth thirst it aptly signifieth remission of sinnes and the holy ghost whereby good workes are made plentifull and signifieth grace which refresh 〈…〉 the auguishes of the minde Neither did the prophetes in the olde Testament otherwise prophesye of the geuing of the holy Ghost in regeneration Ioell saith that God would poure cleane water vpon the sonnes and daughters of the Iewes And Esay saith All ye that thurst come vnto the waters And the elders of the Hebrues Paul saith were baptised in the red sea and in the cloude But what maner of word it is that ought to be added vnto the element of water we haue noted namely wherein in the name of the father of the sonne of the holy ghoste remission of sinnes c. Into this promise our faith is sealed and as Tertullian saith the sacrament of baptisme is the garment of this fayth These prescribed wordes are deliuered of Christ in the last chap. of Mathew Nether as we haue before saide can I be perswaded that the Apostles changed this forme of words although Ambrose in that thing thought otherwise Of whose iudgement what is to be thought we haue before sufficiently declared It sufficeth vs at this present that by the element and word of God we haue a manifest testimony of of our regeneratiō and saluation For euen as there are three thinges as Iohn saith which beare witnes of Christ the spirit bloud and water For the father which is A place of Iohn Of the thre testimonies signified by the spirite the sonne which is declared by bloud and y◠holy ghost which is noted by water do beare witnes of his deuinity And of his true humane nature the spirite is a witnes which he commēded vnto the father vpon the crosse and also the bloud and water which flowed out of his side so that we are the children of God we haue a testimony of the holy ghoste we haue the remission of sinnes by the bloude of Christ set forth in the worde of promise and in the water outwardly poured vpon the body For by these witnesses our faith is both raysed vp and also confirmed because we are regenerate and are nowe made the children of God There is offred vnto vs remission of sinnes in the name of the father and of the sonne and of the holy ghost And yet ought we not to thinke that it is geuen by reason of the worke wrought as they vse to speake as though a holines or the spirite lay hidden in the water and that we are regenerated by the outward touch thereof For it is not so But by the word of God and outward signe is signified vnto vs our reconciliatiō with God made by Christ which reconciliation if we take hold on by faith we are both iustified and also sanctified Wherefore Augustine vpon Iohn saith From whence commeth this so greate a power vnto the water that it should touch the body and washe the hart but through the word which worketh it not in that it is spoken but in that it is beleued But in infantes which by reason of age can not yet beleue the holy ghost worketh in their hartes in steede of fayth The effusion also of the holy The worde clenseth not because it is spoken but because it is beleued The things which are offred vs in baptisme we haue also before baptisme ghost is promised in baptisme as it is expressedly written in the epistle to Titus Which hath saued vs through the lauacre of regeneration and of renouation of the holy ghost which he plentifully hath powred vpon vs. Neither are these two thinges in suche maner offred in baptisme vnto vs as thoughe we by no meanes had them before baptisme For it can not be denied but that they whiche are of full age if they beleue haue iustification euen before they be baptised For so Abraham beleued and was iustified and then he receaued the seale of circumcision And Cornelius the Centurion when he had heard Peter and beleued was not onlye iustifyed but also visibly receaued the holy Ghost Neither woulde we baptise infantes but that we suppose that they already pertayne vnto the Churche and vnto Christe And yet are not suche baptised in vayne For we oughte to obeye the commaundement of God whiche if any In baptism the giftes which we had before are increased The holy Ghost is powred into the hart when we are regenerate By baptism we are visibly grafted into Christ and into the Church man shoulde contemne though he boasted neuer so muche of hys fayth yet shoulde he sufficientlye
holy scriptures that Baptisme succeded in the place of Circumcision Wherfore they cannot say that the baptisme of infantes is against the worde of God bicause vnles they will graunt that our infantes are in worser estate then were the infantes of the Hebrewes they must of necessity confesse that our infantes also ought to be initiated vnto God and vnto Christ They also are not to be harkened vnto which say that circumcision was only a sealyng of promises touching temporall things For Paul doth manifestly teach that it ought to be compared with baptisme And in the 17. chap. of the booke of Genesis Circumcision is instituted to confirme this promise I wyll be thy God and the God of thy seede And vndoubtedly God kepeth those whose God he is and y◠not only as touching y◠mind or as touching y◠body only but as touching y◠who le ful nature And of so great force waight is this promise y◠by it Christ proued the resurrection of the dead For forasmuch as God affirmeth himselfe to be the God of Abraham Isaac and Iacob he therby firmly concludeth that they liue and that their bodies shall be restored vnto them in the resurrection And it is wonderfull how they dare affirme that the baptisme of infantes is a new institution in the church For Cyprian a most auntient writer maketh menciō of it sayth that it is Baptisme of children is no new thing in the church not of necessitie that we should tary till the eight day for the baptising of thē For the truth of the Gospel hath deliuered vs frō the obseruing of the number of daies Wherfore they may well be baptised what day soeuer the Church shall be assembled together Origene also writing vpon this epistle and vpon Leuiticus sufficiētly declareth that infants were in his tyme accustomed to be baptised And sithen these men were not long after the Apostles tyme neither make they mencion of it as a thyng inuented by them or in their tyme it sufficiently appeareth that that maner came from the Apostles They say that Higinus bishop of Rome was y◠first author therof which vndoubtedly can not be proued by his decrées We read in Higinus made a decre for Godfathers and godmothers but not for the baptisme of infants dede that he made a law for Susceptores whom they call Godfathers and Godmothers which without doubt was a profitable order For his meanyng was y◠whē infantes should by baptisme be receiued into the church they should be commēded vnto the faith of some men of whom to be instructed And for the performaunce of this the Godfathers and Godmothers do bynde their faith although now a dayes they regard nothyng lesse But it is a very weake argumēt therby to gather that Higinus was the first author that infantes should be baptised bicause he instituted Susceptores Yea rather sithen he made a decrée as touching that thyng it is probable that the baptisme of infantes was before that tyme in vse They cite more ouer Tertullian in his little booke of baptisme which is very elegantly writtē But The opiniō of Tertullian as touching this thing is not to be receaued forasmuch as that man in his latter age fell from the true fayth vnto the heresy of Montanus hys authority in this thyng can not be of so greate force for he also condemned second mariages disalowed the baptisme of infants against the receyued vse of the Church And if we should follow his opinion neither young men that lead a sole lyfe nor wydowes that are yong women ought to be baptised For he affirmed that this sacrament ought not to be administred b 〈…〉 thē only very late and that are of a very rype age But it may be sufficiently declared by the selfe same Tertullian that euen in his time the maner was that children should be It was the manner in his time that infants should be baptised baptised For he would neuer haue reproued it vnles it had then bene in vse and practise But now I will returne to the Apostle Knowing this that our olde man is crucified with him that the body of sinne should be abolished that henceforth vve should not be seruauntes vnto sinne This is the entent of the Apostle to teach that they which are of Christ ought to dye vnto sinne And he setteth forth the communion which we haue with the death and resurrection of Christ which communion he proueth by baptisme For by baptisme we are proued to be grafted into Christ to this ende that the olde man should be crucefied in vs and that we should no more be addicted vnto sinne Chrisostome vpon this place sayth that regeneration is two maner of wayes one which cōsisteth of the forgeuenes of sinnes an other which we obtaine after iustification in leading our life holily and innocently the first he confesseth to come vnto vs by the gift of God but in the other he sayth is required our diligence Hetherto this his sentence is true For vnto the first regeneration are not required any of our workes but for the performance of the other it behoueth them that are iustified to worke together with grace and with the holy ghost But I can not tell how he a little afterward forgetting himselfe sayth that we vnto that first regeneration do bring fayth of our selues Which is most repugnant vnto the truth For Paul to the Ephesians teacheth that fayth is the gifte of God and is not of How Chrisostome vnderstandeth fayth to be the gift of God our selues In expounding which place he thus vnderstandeth it That fayth is the gifte of God because we shoulde not beleue vnles God called vs and shoulde set forth vnto vs those thinges which ought to be beleued Wherefore his meaning is that it lieth in our power to assent vnto the calling and promises of God which are offred vnto vs. But that is most many manifestly repugnant against very many testimonies of the scriptures For in the Actes of the Apostles we reade of the To attayne to faith it is not sufficiēt that God doth sette forth vnto vs thinges we shoulde beleue woman that solde silkes how that God opened her harte to vnderstand those thinges which Paul preached And Ezechiell teacheth that God chaungeth the hartes of the godly and of stony hartes maketh them fleshy hartes Christ also saith that no man can come vnto him vnles he be drawen of the father And Dauid desireth of God to incline the hartes of his to keepe his testimonies We reade also in many places that God boweth and hardeneth hartes Lastly Paul in this selfe same epistle sayth that it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God which hath compassion But as touching this question we will speaks more at large afterward Now let vs see what Paul in this place vnderstandeth The Olde man by the Olde man which he sayth ought to be crucified with Christ and
towardes vs that it would exalt vs to so great dignity although vndeserued on our behalfes Neyther is that heauenly inheritaunce of that condition that when it is communicated vnto many it is therfore diminished Now let vs sée how we attaine to his adoption Paul semeth to say that it is cōmunicated vnto vs by the spirit of Christ By the spirite faith are we adopted into children For of it haue we faith wherby we embrace Christ which died for vs and the promises of God and by that meanes are we adopted of God into children This doth Iohn excellently well declare vnto vs in the beginning of his Gospell where he thus writeth as many as receiued him vnto them he gaue power to be made the sonnes of God By these wordes we plainly sée that we then are made the sonnes of God when we receiue Christ And this is not done either by Circumcision or by any other ceremonies of the law or by good morall workes but only by faith And therfore Iohn added Vnto those which haue beleued in his name And when it is sayde A place of Iohn declared that power is geuen vnto thē to be made the sonnes of God we must not thinke as many Sophisters would haue vs that we first beleue and then afterward receiue power to be counted in the number of the sonnes of God For power in that Against the Sophisters place is nothing els but a right and a prerogatiue As if he should haue said the they whiche haue receiued the Lorde and beleued in his name haue a righte and prerogatiue to come into the adoption of the sonnes of God But Iohn addeth Which are borne not of bloude nor of the will of the fleshe nor of the will of manne but of Gad. First when he sayth Not of bloud he signifieth that this adoption commeth not by the order of nature that in this generation should be mingled together the séedes of man and woman Which sentence he more plainly expresseth in the next By this word flesh is sometimes signified the woman words following For he saith Not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of mā For that by the flesh he meaneth the woman may by two places be proued For Adam said of his wife which was deliuered vnto him of God This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh And Paul vnto the Ephesians saith He whiche loueth his wyfe loueth himselfe No man at any tyme hated his own flesh And this interpretation followeth Augustine Although I sée that this place may otherwise be expounded that when it is sayd Not of bloud we vnderstand that this adoption commeth not by anye force of stocke or kinred For the Hebrues perswaded themselues it did For they alwayes vndiscretely cried that they were the séede of Abraham Neither attayne we vnto this adoption by the will of the flesh For to the attainement of it we are not holpen by those good thinges which the fleshe vseth to couete by riches I say power strength of the body beauty and such other like things Neither by the will of man namely by those good thinges which are counted more excellent and are thought most comely for men as are wisedome prudence and workes pertaining vnto morall vertues For none of all these thinges can make vs to be the sonnes of God But are borne saith he of God All this haue we onely of the goodnes of God and of his mere mercy And therfore Paul saith to the Ephesians who hath Our adoption dependeth of predestination predestinate vs into the adoption of the sons of God Wherfore the whole consideratiō of our adoption dependeth of his election and predestination But of his diuine wil can no reason be of vs either vnderstanded or geuē And therof cōmeth it y◠Christ saith in Iohn y◠we ought to be borne 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 y◠is by the inspiration of God frō aboue And Christ cōpareth this regeneratiō with the wind thou hearest saith he the spirit neither knowst thou frō whēce it cōmeth nor whither it goeth wherfore God by Christ frely geueth vnto vs his spirit And he vseth y◠word as an instrumēt and By what degrees we attayne vnto the adoption of sonnes The adoption which we haue now is not perfect y◠is called y◠séede wherby we are regenerate He geueth also fayth wherby we receaue the promise of the word set forth vnto vs. And by that means we are iustified obteine the adoptiō of the sons of god which yet so long as we liue here can not be perfect Wherefore Paul a little afterward sayth that we wayte for the adoption of the sonnes and the redemption of the body which we shall not attayne vnto but in that blessed resurrection Euen the selfe same thinges writeth Paul to the Galathians And when sayth he thr fullnes of time came God sent hys sonne made of a woman and made vnder lhe Law to deliuer those which are vnder the Law that we might receaue the adoption of sonnes And bycause we are sonnes God sent the spirite of his sonne into our harts in whome we cry Abba father These words declare that there was before the fulnes of time a certayn bondage vnder the Law afterward was geuen the sonne by whom we which are appointed and destinied to be made the sonnes of God might more fully receaue the spirite and adoptiō This adoption Christ semeth as it were by a certayne sacrament to haue confirmed in his genealogy For when as in Luke and in Mathevv the names of his progenitors doo vary in them is mingled adoption so that oftentimes one and the selfe same man had one father by nature and an other by adoption Also in In the old testament adoption much vsed Euen vnto the dead 〈◊〉 children adopted the old testament adoption was much vsed For both Iacob adopted vnto hymselfe hys neuiewes Ephraim and Manesses to be vnto hym in steade of other sons and also that maner was of such force at that time that vnto dead men also were children adopted For whē one brother was dead the brother that remayned a liue of his wife begat children and raysed vp séede in Israell Thys as a certayne shadow figured our adoption into the sonnes of God The common translation hath The adoption of the sonnes of God When as in the Greke is not red this word of God For there is only this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is adoption But this is dilligently to be considered both from whence we are by this adoption brought and whither we are transferred We were before the children In this adoption is to be considered from whence and whether we are transferred of the deuill of wrath of incredulity of distrust of this world of perdition of night and of darknes And we are transferred hitherto that we both are called and are in very dede the sons of God pertakers of
inheritaunce due should be reiected and in his place should be put some vile man taken out of the common people and but newly deliuered out of prison Which kinde of fact doubtles would cause greate offence to rise For if any man would finde fault that the kinges sonne is therfore reiected for that he had behaued himselfe ill he would say that there ought in his place to haue bene put one better then he and not one as wicked and as ill as he Wherefore seing the Gentiles were no better then the Iewes â–ª they ought both of them to haue bene in like sort ether punished or aduanced And that the Gentils were as great sinners as the Iewes therfore were vnworthy of the kingdom of God it is by that euident which was before spoken in the first chapter and moreouer in the third All haue sinned and want the glory of God and it is wonderfully to be meruayled at that God would promise that thing vnto the Iewes which he would not performe For man indede forasmuch as he iâ— ignorant of thinges to come if sometimes he change his minde may after a sort be excused but it is not so of God when as be most plainlye forseeth all thinges that shall come to passe whatsoeuer they be How Note the methode interpretatioÌ„ of Chrisostome sayth he doth Paul dissolue these thinges Thâ—â— he now addeth to declare who is the true Israell vnto whome are made the promises And his minde is vtterly that those thinges which are here spoken of Paul pertayne to the calling of the Gentiles for that they are the true Israell Farther he sayth that the dissolution of the question herein consisteth that the Gentiles came vnto Christ thorough fayth but the Iewes resisted fayth reiected the gospel being beÌ„t only to the workes of the law And this he sayth we must not thinke to come thorough Gods default when as his will is that al men should be saued Howbeit he plainly confesseth that Paul sayth not so For he thinketh that he dissolueth not the question but only increaseth the difficulty as he had done in the 5 chapiter when he entended to proue yâ— the rightousnes of Christ saueth vs and that he sayth semeth farre from the truth that the righteousnes of Christ should redound vnto vs. Wherefore he should haue proued this which yet he did not but rather thus wrote If we be coÌ„taminated thorough the sinne of one maÌ„ Adam how shall we not be made cleane thorough the righteousnes of one man Christ Here sayth he is brought an other doubt how the sinne of Adam could hurt vs which doubt yet is not dissolued of Paul But that he thus left these questions vndiscussed he thinketh is for this cause done for that Paul would euen at the first brunt stop the mouthe of the Iewes agaynst whome be then had to doo These examples sayth he which he bringeth he of purpose discusseth not but only seketh this to make his owne matter more perspicuous vnto theÌ„ As if he should haue sayd doth this O ye Hebrues offend you for that ye se your selues reiected the Gentils brought to the kingdome of God do ye not se that the selfe same thing hapned in your patriarkes also for they were reiected vnto whoÌ„ pertayned the inheritaÌ„ce For God waiteth not for the succes but streight way seeth this man to be good that man to be euill And touching the selfe same matter when as in the time of Moses they were all obnoxious vnto deth by reasoÌ„ of the idolatry which they had coÌ„mitted in the golden calfe yet notwithstanding some of theÌ„ were punished and other some were by the mercy of God preserued I haue mercy sayth God one whome I haue mercy and I shew compassion on whome I shew compassion Pharao was stirred vp that in him the power of God mought be declared but why was â—e more then other stirred vp What for disobedience and obstinacy As though others also were not as disobediente and as obstinate as he And seing that the promises seme to be made vnto the Israelites and they had now so increased that they were in nomber as the sand of the sea why only shall the remnaÌ„tes be saued All these questions sayth he Paul moueth but yet he disolueth them not For neyther is it expedient that thou shouldest to quickelye dissolue thy question when as thyne aduersarye sticketh in the same myre For it is labor loste that thou shouldest take all the paynes when as thyne aduersarye shoulde take as muche paynes as thy selfe Which thing if thou shouldest attempt thine aduersary would triumphe as though he had in his question put thee to the foyle Dissolue first saith he O thou Hebrew these selfe same questions which I haue put forth vnto thee out of the law Which if thou canst not do why then triumphest thou ouer me as though thou haddest gotten the victorye Wherfore Chrisostomes minde is that these thinges are of Paul put forth in that maner as we haue said but he afterward dissolueth them when he saith that the Gentiles were therfore grafted in for that they came through faith and yâ— Iewes were reiected for that they casting away faith did put their confidence onely in workes He addeth moreouer That God knoweth all thinges before they are done and forseeth who shall be good and who euill and therfore we must stande to his iudgement â–ª neither muste we enquire of him reasons of his election But the iudgementes of men are oftentimes deceaued and therefore we see that those oftentimes are greeuouslye punished of God whome otherwise we thinke to be of the beste kinde of men and those whome we abhorre as the worst kinde of men are oftentimes crowned of him He knoweth and seeth the hartes of all men we consider onely outward signes and follow the iudgement of other men Of this thinge God hath no neede for he seeth the causes of thinges wherefore we must content our selues with hys iudgement These wordes of Chrisostome may not be vniuersally allowed for they conteine many thinges whiche are straunge from The words of Chrisostome before alleged are examiâ—ed The things that are here spoken pertaineth not to the calling of the Gentils We must not faine vnto Paul that which he neuer spake Paul in this selfe same â—hap dissolueth the questioÌ„ which he dyd put forth Paul proued that we are defiled by the sinne of AdaÌ„ yâ— scope of Paul First this dissenteth that he draweth those thinges which are here spoken of Paul to the calling of the Gentiles secondly that he affirmeth that God electeth those whome he knoweth shall beleue whiche sentence we haue before at large confuted Farther why presumeth he himselfe to assigne a cause of the election of God which he plainly confesseth is no where put of Paul But how it is true that God willeth that all men shoulde be saued we haue in other places declared neither is it needefull now to repeate the
forasmuche as he by his mighty working perpetually moueth and stirreth vs vp maketh vs to light vpon diuers occasions whiche we for that we are euill can not vse well But in this similitude this difference oughte be noted that it lieth in the hande of God by his liberall grace and spirite to deliuer vs from sinne grafted in vs by nature wheÌ„ as it lieth not in the power of the carter to heale the disseased féete of the horses The wisedome of God directeth sinnes to a good ende This moreouer is attributed vnto the diuine wisedom to direct sinnes so brought foorthe to an good ende and to vse those euill thinges bothe to the saluation of the elect and also to the illustracion of his power For the declaration wherof Ambrose vseth a similitude taken of phisitions whiche vse the punishmente of condemned men to the helpe of men For they cut theyr bodies they consider and search the in ward parts and leaue nothing vnsearched that thereby they may vnderstand the beginnings and groundes of diseases and be able afterwarde to heale others And there are thrée thinges chieflye to be weighed in these wordes of the Apostle Fyrst he sayth That it is not of him that willeth nor of him that runneth but of God that hath mercy SecoÌ„dly he addeth To this purpose haue I raised the vp last of al he hath mercy on whome he will and whome he wyll he hardeneth All these kindes of speache are of great waighte to call vs backe from the consideration of our merites to the simple and méere pleasure of God And when we heare that God hardeneth therby we ought to vnderstand nothing els but the effect of the vengeance and wrath God to harden what is signifieth of God whether the same be done eyther by God himselfe immediatelye as they vse to speake or by the deuil or by euil men For al these can do nothing but so far foorth as they are permitted of God Wherefore it is as true that God hardeneth whome he will to shewe forth his power as that is true whiche Salomon saith in the Prouerbs that he maketh the wicked man for the euill day Chrisostome sayth that this example of Pharao may very well be compared with the first For euen as Moses could noe see why some of the people of Israell should bee slayne when as others hauing sinned in the selfe same case were pardoned so now men could not see why onely Pharao was chosen out in whome God would show the seueritie of his iudgements For there were There wer others whiche no lesse resisted God then Pharao many others which no les resisted God then did he Afterward he addeth that the Apostle mought by an example of the Iewes haue confirmed that which he entended but he would with great prudency declare in a king barbarous and a straunger from the people of God that which they afterward should perceaue and se in theÌ„selues Farther he sayth that whereas it is sayd that God hardeneth it signifieth nothing els but that God by his great goodnes patieÌ„ce and lenity suffred Pharao As touchng the first I deny not but that this example of Pharao is very well knit together with that former example concerning Moses although I haue otherwise interpretated those wordes spoken vnto Moses But that God had in them a regarde either to worthines or vnworthines I vtterly deny And forasmuch as we haue before sufficieÌ„tly confuted this we shall not néede in this place to repeate the same agayne But whether to harden be to vse mercy and goodnes towardes any man we will streight waye consider But first I thinke it not amisse to declare Origens mind touching this matter For it maye séeme that out of him as out of a fountaine others haue drawen the principles of theyr error He bringeth a similitude of a good maÌ„ of the house which hath many seruauntes Who considering theyr dispositions to be diuers first of all studieth to know how he may commit vnto euery one an apte chardge according to the conditioÌ„ of euery one of them And therfore those whom he séeth to be meete for husbandry he sendeth to serue in the country those whome he séeth apt to merchandise he sendeth to fayres and to the market those whiche can féede cattell he maketh féeders of cattaile and those whome he séeth more apte for the table and the chamber he kéepeth stil at home In the meane time because that he séeth that by reason of the seruile condition which is in theÌ„ they shall haue néede sometimes of beatings to accomplish this matter he séeketh such natures which of theyr own accord are inclined to cruelty that when chastisemente shall be néedefull he maye haue one at hand which is much more sharper then they whiche néede to be corrected and which for his wicked factes is worthy not so much to be amended as to be put to death whose destruction yet he will haue at the last to be profitable to the amendemente of the rest And therefore when he sendeth him to take vengeaunce he thus saith To this purpose haue I raised thée vp and therfore he saith that Paul writeth not to this purpose haue I made thée least the faulte should seme to be laid vpon the creator but God would haue that malice which Pharao had gotten He stirred vp Pharao saith Origene for that he would not streightway punish him vnto himselfe to be fruitefull vnto others And he sayth that he hardened the harte of Pharao for that he would not take sodeine and full vengeaunce vpon him but would rather vse gréeuous plages continually increasing by litle and litle For by this pacience and goodnes of God was Pharao hardened Thus much Origen vpon these wordes with whome I cannot agrée in two places especially First because that he vniuersally remoueth away from God this hardening and transferreth it wholy vnto Pharao Secondly for that he sayth that he was â—ardened by the patience and goodnes of God Moreouer also for yâ— he séemeth toÌ„ affirme that God chose Pharao to show foorth such examples vpon him for that he was a man most hard and past all amendment For that is farre wide from the frée reprobation of God which as Paul saith commeth from God without any respect of workes The commentaries also which are ascribed vnto Ierome affirme the selfe same thinges and geue a reason why God would choose Pharao aboue all others in whome he would Pharao is now said to haue filled the measure of his sinnes God in the destruction of Pharao prouided for the Israelites so seuerely make manifest his iudgements namely for that he had now filled the measure of his sinnes which thing we reade of the Sodomites and of the Ammorites But this is to affirme that reprobation commeth of euill woorkes They adde moreouer that GOD woulde by the destruction of Pharao prouide for his people of Israell that they shoulde not be afearde of the tyrannes
difference is only in the men and not in God The goodnes of God is equally geuen vnto all men In the nature of men is equality All men are not by one â–ª and the selfe same force drawen Against the similitude of the clay and of the wâ—xe A place to the Hebrues declared For some embrace his goodnes when it is offred but others reiecte it and are hardned For rather contrariwise in men we must put equality and likenes as which comming of one and the selfe same masse haue like condition of free wil and they by themselues can do nothing that is vpright Wherefore seing that this infirmity or rather vnablenes is a like in all men the differeÌ„ce must nedes be put in grace as in the mouing and efficient cause for that all men are not after one the selfe same maner drawen For vocation is of two sortes the one is of â—fficacy the other common And that similitude of the clay and of the waxe is vayne and trifling For after the fall of Adam this distinction hath no place in frée will For in maÌ„kinde now are not some like waxe and other some like clay For god as Paul saith maketh his vessels of one yâ— selfe same clay according to his conning geueth to one the self same clay sondry formes Neither doth yâ— place to the Hebreues make any thing to this purpose For there the scripture exhorteth men which ofteÌ„times heare the word of God to endeuour themselues by holy life to be fruitful which if they do they shall obtain the blessing of God but if they liue wickedly and suffer the sede of God to be corrupted and made vnprofitable in them they shal be obnoxious vnto the curse For the declaration whereof he vsed an excellent similitude taken of the earth Wherefore in that place is nothing spoken of fre wil and grace but of the word of God of men which professe Christ in the church whome God exhorteth yâ— they should not be such as dure but for a time and are only in name Christians Whereunto also The parable of Christ of the seede Christ had a respect in the parable of the sede cast partly vpon good earth and partly vpon stony ground and partly amongest thornes and partly in the high way Wherfore the condition of the shoure of the word of God is described yâ— it always lâ—ghteth not vpon good men and vpon such as are reformed by the grace The good earth are those which are elected spirit of God Wherfore we may say yâ— yâ— good earth are those which are elected and yâ— barren earth are yâ— reprobate And the earth as it hath showers froÌ„ heaueÌ„ so therehence also hath it fertility bareÌ„nes So it is god which ministreth vnto vs both his word also yâ— grace of faith wherby we with profit receiue yâ— same word But whereas Pigghius saith that it is a phrase of speach much vsed that a good and gentle master will say vnto his seruauntes abusing his lenity I my selfe haue marred you I my selfe haue spilt you that doubtles I deny not But he should haue proued that Paul in this place spake in this sort For seing that God is otherwise This figure of Pighius agreeth not with the wordes of Paul vnderstanded to harden the harts of men this figure will not agrée with the words of Paul For first it is an hard inuersion of speach if whereas Paul saith God hardeneth the hart of Pharao we should say vtterly excluding God Pharao hardeneth his hart for that he abuseth the goodnes of God Moreouer if as Pigghius thinketh to harden should be all one with to do good to haue mercy to shew clemency it should not then be the part of a father which gouerneth well and with clemency to forgeue sinnes to adopt into children and to geue sondry giftes but to chasten and to punishe And by that meanes shall follow many absurdities For when God deliuered the children of Israell into captiuity we must say that he had mercy on them because he punished them And when he brought them home againe from captiuity for that he did good vnto them we must say that he hardened them By this meanes to send his sonne into the worlde which was a token of incredible clemency was to harden the worlde and by Titus and Vespasian to destroy and ouerthrow Ierusalem was to haue mercy on the Iâ—wes So shall the glorification of the saintes pertaine to hardening and the punishemente of hell fyre to mercye And forasmuch as God doth good vnto all men rayneth vpon the iust and vpon the vniust and maketh his Sunne to arise vpon the good and vpon the euil if we follow Pigghius opinion we must say that God hardeneth them all Further who can deny but that Pharao was smitten of the Lord and chastised especially when as there are reckoned vp so many plagues wherewith God smote him But euen then most of all as Pigghius dreameth God should haue mercy vpon him not haue â—ad hardened hym yea rather although God be sayde sometymes to haue hardened the hart of Pharao when he tooke away those plagues yet if a man diligently reade of the history of Exodus he shall fynde that the selfe same was spoken when Pharao was smitten and when the plagues were layde vpon hym For when the lice were sent and the sorcerers coulde not do the like when the cattayle were slayne with the pestilence and when euery where men were so troubled with botches that neither the sorcerers themselues coulde escape them it is by expresse wordes written that the hart of Pharao was hardened Lastly Paul sayth that vnto them that loue God all thinges turne to good Wherefore whether he send vpon them prosperity or aduersity he alwayes hath mercy vpon Pighius in vaine excuseth God them neither can he by any maner of meanes be sayd to harden them Neither doth it any thing profite Pigghius when as though he would excuse God he sayth that he hardeneth when he will not punishe those which deserue punishmentâ—s For neither by this meanes doubtles if a man loke vpon humane reason can God eschew the suspicion of cruelty and of iniustice For if that He may be callâ—d an vniust father which punisheth not his children in tyme. â—enity be hurtfull and God is not ignorant thereof why then vseth he it Should not he be counted an vniust father which chastiseth not his children in tyme God indede tollerateth many things and that not agaynst his wyll but with hys wyl And if he tolerateth and willeth that which is agaynst our saluation how shall he not seme to be against our saluation But he hath geuen vs thâ—u wilt say free will But reason will say O God whatsoeuer thou dost either A false imagination of Pighius of certayne others in chastising or in fauoring me it is nothing vnles thou shalt first change me and in stede of
men are drawen vnto the father Verely if a man consider yâ— course of the text he shal see yâ— this sence caÌ„not stand After yâ— he had made mâ—ncioÌ„ of the eating of his flesh of the drinking of his bloud yâ— Iewes were by reasoÌ„ therof offended the disciples went their way Vpon occasion wherof Christ said No man coÌ„meth vnto me vnles my father shall draw him which he ought in no case to haue said if he had ment only to reproue theÌ„ of infidelity He should not doubtles haue made mencion of yâ— father as though he drew them not if he do bestow this gift vpon all men And Augustine when he interpretateth this place saith Why he draweth this man and draweth not that man do not thou iudge if thou wilt not erre In which words he declareth that all men are not drawen of God And in the selfe same chapter it is written Euery one that my father geueth vnto me shall come vnto me Wherfore if all men were drawen they should all come vnto Christ And in the same place it is written Euery one which hath heard of my father and hath learned commeth vnto me Wherfore seing that many come not vnto Christ therby is declared that many neither haue heard nor learned And in the 10. chapiter when Christ had sayd that he is the shepherd and hath his shepe amongst other thinges he sayth Those whome the father hath geuen vnto me no man can take out of my handes But we sée that many fall away from saluation and therefore we ought to thinke that many are not geuen of the father vnto Christ But here also the aduersaries cauille that although no man can take them away yet notwithstanding men of their owne accord may depart A cauillatio away As if a man had seruaunts being himselfe a Lord of great might he mought doubtles say no man can take away these seruants froÌ„ me but they may of their A similitude owne accord depart from me But how vayne this their cauillation is the words which follow declare For Christ addeth That which the father hath geuen vnto me is greater then all By which words he declared that therefore those whome he had receaued of the father could not be taken away from him for that he is most mighty wherefore if they which are in Christ can not be taken away by others neither also are they able to withdraw themselues not that they are compelled by force but by the way of perswasioÌ„ it is of necessity that they abide Which self It is of necessity that the predestinate do abide thing the Lord also spake touching the temptacion of the latter times namely that the elect should be deceaued if it were possible In the selfe same 6. chapiter of Iohn Christ sayd That no man commeth vnto him but he vnto whome it is geuen of the father Which place hath one and the selfe seme sence with that other sentence wherin he said No man commeth vnto me vnles my father shall draw him And Iohn Baptist as it is written in the 3. chapiter of Iohn when he heard of his disciples that Christ baptised many answered that no man can receaue any thing vnles it be geuen him from heauen And in the selfe same chapiter The spirite bloweth where it will which thing although it be spoken of the winde yet notwithstanding is it applied vnto the holy ghost which regenerateth For to declare the force of the holy ghost the similitude is taken of the nature of the winde But The reueling of Christ is not commoÌ„ vnto al meÌ„ this is more manifestly set forth in Mathew when it is said No man knoweth the father but the sonne and he vnto whome he will reuele hym In which place we are tought that the reueling of Christ is not geuen vnto all men which thing Christ in the selfe same Euangelist declared when turning him vnto the father he said I geue thee thankes o king of heauen and of earth for that thou hast hidden these thinges from the wise and prudent men and hast reueled them to infantes Here also is declared that the reuealing of true doctrine is not common vnto all men But if thou wilt say that therefore it is not reuealed vnto the wyse men A cauillation for that they wyll not receaue it The woordes whiche followe doo not render thys cause but rather declare that the wyll of God hath so decreed For it followeth For so hath it pleased thee And agayne when the Apostles enquired why he spake in Parables vnto the people he aunswered Vnto you it is geuen to knowe mysteryes but vnto them it is not geuen and he sayde that he so spake vnto them that they seeing shoulde not see and hearinge shoulde not vnderstand And he cited a prophesie out of the sixte chapter of Esay wherein was commaunded that the people should be made blind and that theyr hart should be made grosse lest peradueÌ„ture they should be conuerted God should heale theÌ„ Moreouer the apostle citeth out of yâ— boke of Exodus God thus speaking I wil haue mercy on whoÌ„ I wil haue mercy and wil shew compassion on whoÌ„ I wil shew coÌ„passion Also yâ— which is written of Pharao To this ende haue I raysed thee vp that I mighte shewe in thee my power And he saith also that some vessels are made to honor and some to contumely Which wordes most euidently declare that grace is not set forth common vnto all men Peter also in the Actes of the Apostles sayd vnto Simon the sorcerer Repent if peraduenture God forgeue vnto thee this thought But they saye that in this place Peter doubted not but that grace is common vnto all men but he was vncertaine whether Simon would receiue it and earnestly repent But this subtle shifte nothing helpeth them for as the Apostle teacheth vs vnto Timothe euen repentaunce RepentaÌ„ce is the gift of God also is the gifte of God For he admonisheth a Bishop to kepe fast sound doctrine and to reproue them that resist If peraduenture God geue vnto theÌ„ to repent Whereby is concluded that it lieth not in the handes of all men to returne into the right way vnles it be geuen them of God Moreouer some sinne againste the holy ghost who are not pardoned neither in this world nor in the world to come Wherefore it is manifeste that vnto these men grace is no longer set foorth nor common And in the Actes of the Apostles God is saide to haue opened the harte of the womaÌ„ that solde silkes to geue héede to those thinges which Paul spake which is spoken as a certaine thing peculiarly geuen vnto that woman And this place maketh that plaine which is written in the Apocalips Behold I stand at the doore and knocke if any man open vnto me c. For we are sayd to opeÌ„ in as much as God worketh that in vs for he maketh vs to open and it is
going about to stablish their owne righteousnes are not subiect vnto the righteousnes of God Brethern mine hartes desire and prayer to God c. Forasmuch as in the ninth chapiter he had declared that the promises were not proper vnto the The suÌ„mâ— of this chapiter Iewes which perished and therefore their distruction was no derogation either to the certainty of Gods promises or to the doctrine of iustification by faith which he had before tought for they to whome the promises pertaine do by faith come vnto Christ now in the 10. chapter he remoueth an other doubt and ouerthroweth a strong hold wherewith the Iewes were wont proudly to defend themselues who without end boasted of ceremonies works and outward righteousnes and he declareth that they being ignorant of the true righteousnes which is called the righteousnes of God in vayne went about to establishe their owne righteousnes And for that he vnderstoode that it would be â–ª vnto them a thing very hard and sharpe to be not only spoyled of the promises but that also the righteousnes of works which they chiefly embrased should be abrogated first by a preuention he lenifieth their mindes in testifiing his good wil towardes them After that for that they were infected with ignorance he enstructeth them with a plaine and euident distinction of righteousnes And least he should seme of his owne hed to haue deuised the righteousnes of faith he confirmeth it by a testimony of Moses and of Osea the Prophet which righteousnes he saith God would haue to be brought euen vnto the Gentles which were farre and wide dispersed abroade But so that it should not be hid from the Iewes when as it was first manifested vnto that people Which thing Esay testifieth when he writeth that God all the day long holdeth abroad his handes to a nacion which perpetually resisted hym This is the summe of the doctrine of this chapiter He testifieth that he â—â—ueth the Iewes and hateth theÌ„ not And in the first part thereof to comfort the Iewes he taketh in hand to proue this proposition I beare a singular good will towards you neither am I led by hatred to write these things And this he thereby proueth for that he with a certaine perpetuall desire had then alwayes in mynde and was so carefull for their saluation that he continually by prayers desired it Vnto them that geue admonitions Necessary preparatioÌ„s of the hearers A similitude and also vnto them that preach the Gospell these are necessary preparations of mens minds For oftentimes the things that are spoken skarsly profit vnles the hearers féele or perceaue that they are beloued of him that speaketh vnto them For euen as phisitions when they mind to minister strong purgations to bring forth hurtfull humors out of the sicke body do first loose the body by certaine drinks so also their mindes with whom we deale are first to be lenified with gentle speach before we come to the bitternes of reprouing So did Paul wheÌ„ he wrote vnto other Churches and especially vnto the Corrinthians whom at the beginning he commendeth as holy and elected instructed in all wisdome and knowledge and finally adorned of God with all good gifts But afterward he vehemently and sharply accuseth euen the selfe same men of most haynous crimes that they had sects and contentions amongst themselues and that by humane wisdome they obscured the Gospell that they punished not most horrible incest that they disturbed the supper of the Lord and that they did iniuries and prosecuted matters of contencion before infidels and many such other like haynous facts he reproueth that Church of to yâ— end they should correct them Wherefore it is no meruayle if in this place he vse the selfe same maner and do say that he writeth not those things with a hatefull mynde Alwayes in his epistles after gentle and louing preuentions follow gréeuous and sharpe reprehensions which maner we ought also to follow that those things which we entend to admonishe may the more profit Rhetoricians vse this pollicy neuer to speake any thing that An example of Rhetoricians is sharpe or vnpleasant but first do mollefy it by some colour And forasmuch as the Scorpion that deadly stinging beast embraseth with her fore clawes that he may the better strike with his tayle and sticke in his venemous sting why do not we also most ernestly with loue and charity embrace our neigh bour that we maye heale hym The Apostle to proue his loue towardes the Iewes sayth that in his harte he had a vehemente desire and an incredible redines whiche he calleth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 towards their saluation wherof sprong prayers These are aâ—sured tokens of Christian loue And this is worthy to be noted that Paul ioyneth What prayers are feruent and of efficacy these two things together for prayers are neuer liuely nor feruent vnles in the hart go before a most ferueÌ„t desire of the things which are to be prayed for Some desire of God that they mought abstaine from sinnes but because they desire it not with feruency their prayers are faint Others pray that they may not be vnworthy ministers of the Church but forasmuch as they are but lightly touched with this desire their prayers are cold And therefore it is no meruaile if they be Preachers must auoidâ— offences so rarely hard Wherfore Paul to declare that his prayers were no slender prayers said that there went before them a feruent desire Hereby moreouer we learne that they which preach the Gospel must auoyde offences geueÌ„ out of time and if offences must néedes be geuen the same ought to be lenified and made soft vnles paraduenture the saluation of the hearers be past all hope or that they are so obstinate and peruerse that they can not be moued to God but by most sharpe WheÌ„ sharp reprehensions are to be vsed reprehensions So Christ somtimes said of the Phariseis Let them alone they are blind and leders of the blind This wicked and adultrous generation seketh a signe but none shall be geuen vnto it Of Herode also Christ sayd Go and tell that foxe Iohn Baptist also said vnto the selfe same men Ye generation of vipers who hath tought you to flye from the wrath to come Our Paul also when he was striken as he stoode before the iudge sayd God strike thee thou paynted wall And vnto Elimas who was also called Barieu he sayd Thou sonne of the deuill full of all guile how long continuest thou to peruert the straight wayes of the Lord Behold the hand of the Lord is vpon thee and thou shalt be blind and shalt not see But when we come to this poynt The spirite is to be examined we must examine the spirit wherewith we are moued least paraduenture we be deceaued and vnder a godly pretence serue a wicked affect And we must take héede that our brethern be not rashly turned away from the doctrine of the
which diuision he A distinctiō of righteousnes maketh mencion also in an other place For in the thirde chapter he speaketh of the one parte when he saith The righteousnes of God is reuealed by fayth And in the same place of Abraham he writeth And if he were iustified by woorkes he hath wherof to glory but not before God And vnto the Phillippians in the thirde chapter when he saith That I may be found in him not hauing mine owne righteousnes which is of the law but the righteousnes of God And the Apostle when he would declare the ignoraunce wherewith the Iewes were enfected the more to lay the haynousnes thereof before theyr eyes saith that they had erred in y◠thing which is the chiefest in mās life namely in that righteousnes which hath saluation and felicity ioyned with it they had no vpright iudgement of the ends of good and euill nor also of the The Iews erred touchyng the chiefe good thyng What our righteousnes is fountaine of all piety And of this thing were the Iewes ignorant who aboue all other nations séemed to haue a care of religion Wherefore he deuideth righteousnes into two partes whiche thing they could not do and by our righteousnesse he meaneth that righteousnes which is gottē by works And that righteousnes may be considered two wayes either as it goeth before regeneration or as it followeth it of which partes onely the first maketh to the purpose For this place can not be vnderstanded of woorkes whiche follow regeneration for Paul dealeth againste Our righteousnes is of two sortes The good workes of the faithful are both imperfect and also do follow iustification What is the righteousnes of God Definition of sinne What is to be absolued from sinne Absolution taketh not away the defect Definition of absolutiō those which reiected Christ And y◠righteousnes which was allowed of the Iewes before faith for that it was no rightousnes coulde not stande before God For that can not be cōstituted or stablished which is nothing But that righteousnes which followeth faith may indéede after a sorte be established for that it pleaseth God howbeit it is such that by it we cannot be iustified both bicause it is vnperfect and also for that it followeth iustification Now resteth to sée what is the righteousnes of God And it may thus be defined that it is an absolution from sinnes by fayth through Christ And that we may the better vnderstand the nature of this absolution we muste on the other side weigh the nature of sinne for this being knowne we shall the eassier know what it is to be absolued from it Sinne is a defect or falling away from the law and will of God which ought to be the rule both of vs of all our doings and to this defecte is necessarilye annexed an obligation to eternall death and damnation Wherefore when by the mercy of God this obligation and guiltines is taken away a man is absolued from sinnes For the defect is not takē away for there abideth in vs an infirmity and therfore our actions alwaies want of that perfection whiche they oughte to haue And it is not possible but that the thinges which we haue already committed haue theyr defect or want Wherefore God when he forgeueth sinne taketh away the obligatiō wherby we were bound vnder the curse Now by these thinges it is manifest what absolution is namely an action of God whereby he so deliuereth and acquiteth vs not indéede from the discommodities of this life but from sinnes that is from guiltines and obligation vnto eternall death But that we should not thinke that so greate a benefite commeth thorough our desert therfore there is added thorow Christ. For him as an instrument doth God vse to this deliuery of ours And that we shoulde not be ignorant how the sacrifice and redemption of Christ is applied vnto euery one of vs it is added by faith This definition is a great helpe to the right vnderstanding of iustification The righteousnesse wherby we are iustified is without vs. The righteousnes of God cannot properly be called ours The righteousnesse which followeth regeneration may be called both oures the rightousnes of God We are not iustified by faith as it is a worke This righteousnes Paul saith is the righteousnes of God And if thou demaund whether it may be called ours I aunswere that properlye it cannot be called ours forasmuch as it is without vs. For it is an action of the will of God the respecte whereof although it be directed vnto vs yet is it not in vs. And if at anye time it be called ours that is by a figuratiue speach namely ether because that we haue the fruicion thereof or for that we by faith whiche is in vs embrace it But the righteousnes whiche followeth regeneration may be called both ours and the righteousnes of God Of God because it is done by his spirite and grace which he geueth vnto vs in regeneration for by it we are impelled to leade a godly and holy life and to attaine to true vertues It is also called ours because our strengths being renued we woorke together to the attaining vnto it and it is done in vs and resteth in our hartes But if thou say that forasmuche as the righteousnes of God is applied vnto vs by faith we séeme to woorke together to the obteining therof We aunswere that faith indéede is a worke wherby in the minde we geue assent vnto the wordes of God but we are not vy the merite and worthines of this work absolued from sinne for that commeth of the clemency of God and force of his promise which by faith we embrace Wherfore when the scripture sayth that we are iustified by faith as soone as we heare the name of fayth we must straighte waye haue a consideration vnto the obiect or correlatiue thereof namely vnto the mercy of God and promise thorow Christ By these thinges let vs gather that this righteousnes of God is most farre distant from the righteousnes which is knowne by nature for neither reason nor Philosophy knoweth anye other righteousnesse but that which hath his abiding in the minde Not that they were ignorante of absolution The righteousnes of God is not knowen by nature or of the pacifieng of God for that thing did theyr sacrifices testifie whiche doubtles tended to other ende but they called not that pacifienge of God our righteousnes neither euer vnderstoode they the true pacefieng of God nor in whom it consisted But why the righteousnes of works is called ours Chrisostome saith that the cause thereof is for that it dependeth of our workes neither wayteth it for the helpe of God but the other righteousnes is called the righteousnes of God for that it vtterly dependeth of grace and commeth without our labour He moreouer noteth this word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which signifieth to establish and that Paul by that word mēt to declare the vnstablenes
whose God he is a saluation which endureth but for a tyme for this thing haue brute beasts at his hand and the wicked also Moreouer Christ the most true interpreter of the law teacheth the selfe same thing For a young man demaunding of him what shall I doo to possesse eternall lyfe He made aunswere Keepe the commaundementes if thou wilt enter into lyfe This place moste plainly proueth that the talke was of eternall lyfe Neither is it anye meruaile that the Lawe is the woorde of God whose propriety is to bring lyfe with it so that it be receaued Although the Law The law the Gospell are diuersly receiued The worde of God bringeth lyfe and the Gospell are not receaued after one and the selfe same maner For the Lawe is receaued by doing and moste exactly performyng that whiche is commaunded But the Gospell is receaued by a lyuely and effectuall assent of fayth And that the propriety of the woorde of GOD is to bryng life it is manifest by the creation of thinges wherin God called those thinges whiche were not and streight way they had being And Christ also many tymes said y◠his wordes are life which thing the Apostels also ment when they sayd Thou hast the wordes of life c. And Paul most manifestly before in this selfe same Epistle in y◠7. chap. writeth of the Lawe that it is spirituall And of the commaundement of God he affirmeth that it is iust holy and good and ordayned vnto lyfe Moses also in the 30. chapiter of Deut. writeth of the selfe same lawe that he had set before the people lyfe and death manifestly declaring that if the Lawe were receaued and fulfilled The promises of the law art by supposition The promises of the law were vnto the trāsgressors of the law turned 〈…〉 o a cu 〈…〉 e. The promises of the law freely follow the good work◠of thē that are iustified it would bring with it lyfe and that eternall lyfe But for that wee are debarred of this commoditye our mercifull God hath prouided an other woorde namely the word of fayth which if by assenting vnto it it be receaued hath with it lyfe By this place it is euident that the promises of the Lawe are giuen by supposition or condition of workes going before So that if these workes be not performed the promises are made voyde yea rather in stede of them succeedeth a curse which thing was declared in Deutero when vpon Mount Garizim and Hebal were recited the blessinges and cursinges But in the Gospell if vnto promises be annexed workes they are not to be taken either as desertes or as causes of those promises but we must thus thinke that those giftes of God which are promised follow after workes although those workes be not perfect and absolute as they are commaunded in the Law But the righteousnes which is of faith speaketh on this wyse Saye not in thine hart who shall ascend into heauen that is to bring Christ from aboue c. As the fyrst righteousnes is sayd to consist in doing so this all whole standeth in beleuing For if thou haue the word nere thee that is if thou beleue in thine hart thou shalt obtaine saluation The Apostle séemeth by the figure Prosopopaeia to bryng in the ryghteousnes of fayth thus speakyng as though it should say Say not in thine hart c. Although we may reade it other wyse namely that Paule putteth forth this sentence absolutely But the righteousnes which is of faith And straight way he addeth this he sayth as though Moses should speake of it But which way so euer we reade it it is no great matter But this is certain that he declareth the nature of faith What is that fayth which engēdreth righteousnes by the propertie thereof that we should not thinke that euery kinde of faith bringeth righteousnes but onelye an assured and constant fayth For this is the nature of fayth to exclude all ambiguitie and doubtes For if we should with feare and suspition geue our assent that assent should be but an opinion and not faith Seing therefore that there are two principall thinges set forth vnto vs to be beleued namely that Christ perpetually obtaineth of the father grace and reconciliation for vs and that by hys death he hath ouercome eternall death Of these two humaine reason doubteth and therefore it is brought in of Paul as though Incredulity of mans hart it should say And who shall ascend vp into heauen to see that God is pacified towards vs through Christ Or who shall go downe into the deepe to see that eternall death is by hym broken and extinguished After this sorte is the vnbeleuing mynde woont to wauer which thing Paule by the figure Mimesis expresseth These cogitacions ought fayth to driue away and onely to looke vpon the goodnes and power An example of Abraham of God Which thing our Apostle before did notably teache that Abraham did for when he had sayd that Abraham beleued it was imputed vnto him to righteousnes he declared how his fayth resisted such reasoninges He considered no◠saith he his body now in a maner dead nor the wombe of Sara now past child bearing The property of faith is to mortifye the assaults of reason but gaue glory to God most fully knowing that he was able to performe the things which he had promised And so in hope he beleued against hope Wherfore the propertye of fayth is to mortifie these assaultes of reason Say not in thine hart The Apostle therfore wrote this for that althoughe these cogitaciōs of reason be not expressed by the mouth or by the wordes yet they We can not let but that euil motiōs of the mind will aryse Paul was accused as an enemy to Moses wander abrode in the harte Neyther doubtles can we let but that such cogitations will assault our minde howbeit we are taught to resist them For he which geueth place to these thinges both denieth Christ and also despayreth of saluation Paul not without iust cause cited Moses For he was accused as though he were an enemy to Moses and preached that men should fall away from him Wherefore his meaning is to declare that he is not agaynst Moses but rather teacheth the selfe same thinges that he taught wherefore we may say that he turneth y◠argument of the aduersaries agaynst themselues They sayd We will not receaue the righteousnes of fayth for that we beleue Moses Yea rather sayth Paul forasmuch as ye beleue Moses ye ought to follow thys The ministery of Moses and the ministery of the Gospell in what sort they differ righteousnes But if Moses preach the righteousnes of fayth how is his ministery distinguished from the ministery of Christ and of the Gospell Iohn sayth The law was geuen by Moses but grace by Iesus Christ And if he preached the righteousnes of fayth he also brought grace Vnto this question we answere That Moses
to speake of his doctrine did not generally preach yâ— law without Christ For in that he chiefely vrged the Law it was of necessity that therewithal also he taught Christ vnto whome the law as a scholemaister led them But because his trauayle was to this thing chiefely bent to set forth and eâ—pound the law therefore was he peculiarly called the teacher thereof As Christ and the Apostles in preaching repentaunce taught also the Law howbeit bycause that they chiefely hereunto endeuored themselues to publishe abrode grace and the Gospel therefore they are called ministers not of the law but of grace and of fayth But Paul in alledging the wordes of Moses semeth not a litle to disagrée both from his meaning and also from his wordes For in Deut. yâ— 30. chapiter it semeth that the discourse of Moses talke was of the commaundemente of God For he sayth My coÌ„maundement is not wonderfully aboue thee that thou shouldest say who shall ascend vp into heauen to bring it vnto vs that we maye heare it and doo it Neyther is it beyond the sea that thou shouldst say which of vs shall go beyond the sea and bring it vnto vs that we may heare and do it But the woorde is very neare vnto thee in thy mouth and in thyne harte that thou maist heare it and doo it But this we must know that the Apostle considered the matter more depely then the wordes shew at the first brunt For he DeclaratioÌ„ of the words of Moses sawe that Moses althoughe before he gaue the lawe in the name of God yet in this place he simply entreated not of the commaundement but as it was now easy to be obserued by grace and by fayth and the spirite grafted in the harte which workes can not be workes of the law For when the law is set forth the commaundementes are not therefore made easy to be obserued yea rather we labour agaynst that which is forbidden vs and we fly away and leap backe froÌ„ the gouernment of God so farre is it of that his commaundementes should be grafted in our harte Those are the thinges which Paul had a respect vnto And for that he saw that those thinges come vnto vs thorough Christ and the righteousnes of fayth therefore he gaue that sence which is proper and natiue He considered moreouer that in the selfe same chapter at the beginning are such thinges set forth which can not be ascribed but vnto Christ only and vnto his spirite For God sayd that he would conuerte them vnto him that they should loue him with all theyr soule with all theyr hart and with all theyr strengths and that also he would circumcise theyr hartes and the hartes of theyr sede and cause that they should heare and doo his commaundementes And seing that streight way after these thinges are added these wordes which Paul citeth who seeth not but that they pertayne vnto the Gospel Wherefore the commaundemente whereof Moses speaketh is takeÌ„ eyther according to the bare and simple knowledge thereof or ells according to the mighty and effectuall power of driuing men to the obedience thereof The discourse of Moses will not suffer that we should take it in the first sence when as the simple and playne vnderstanding the commaundement is not made easy to be done neither is it grafted into our hartes and bowells Wherefore we must nedes vnderstand an effectuall and mighty knowledge which forasmuch as it is not had but by fayth by Christ therefore Paul erred not from the true sence wheÌ„ he thus interpretateth Moses The Sillogisme or argument is thus to be framed together Moses speaketh of the word which is in our hart and maketh vs apt to performe the commauÌ„dementes We preach the selfe same thing when we set forth the iustification of fayth Wherefore we speake the selfe same thing that Moses did And in verye dede if a man consider that chap. of Deut. he shall see that God most manifestly promiseth vnto the people his gouernment not indede outward which he had The nature of humane wisedome set forth in Sina but inward which in very dede pertayneth to the ministery of fayth and of the Gospell And the Apostle by these wordes of Moses notably declareth what is the nature of humane wisedome namely perpetually to resist fayth Vnto whose reasons they that geue place do as much as lieth in them diminishe the strengths of God and of Christ as though he can not performe the thinges which he is sayd to haue done and promised For as fayth extolleth the power of God so incredulity weakeneth it And this is it which Esay sayd vnto Achaz Is it a small matter for you to be troublesome vnto men but that ye will also greue God And at the least thorough your opinion or rather incredulity make him weake When the vnbeleuers heare that Christ after his resurrection ascended vp into heauen and there hath pacefied the father towardes vs and ministreth eternall life vnto the beleuers streight way they saye with them selues Who shall ascend vp into heauen to see if it be so Which is nothing ells but to fetche downe Christ from aboue and to abrogate his power Likewise when it is preached that by dieng he hath ouercome death sinne damnation and hell they say who shall descend downe into the deape that we may be made sure of these victories whiche is nothing ells but to make voyde the benefite of Christe These wordes may paraduenture be applied vnto other formes of doubtinges of the harte of man but yâ— skilleth not much This we ought without all doubâ— to thinke that it was so sure that the things which Paul cited out of Moses are to be vnderstanded of Christ that at that time the Iewes theÌ„selues durst not haue denied them for theyr Rabines which we haue now in vse most manifestly apply those thinges which are written in the beginning of this chap. of Deut. vnto the times of the Messias Paul also weighed that although Moses had before put this word commaundement yet afterward when he sayth that it is nighe vnto vs in the hart he calleth it Dabar the is word which word serued Pauls purpose wheÌ„ he sayth This is the word of fayth which we preach And the Apostle so alledgeth the sentence of Moses yâ— he excelleÌ„tly wel alludeth to his wordes which he not only amplifieth and by exposition maketh perspicuous but also interpreteth For when he sayth To ascend into heauen which Moses also hath he addeth that it To bring downe Christ from aboue So that those things which Moses spake generally of distrust and doubting Paul applieth to those doubtinges whiche most of all hinder the iustifieng fayth And for that it was a thing very requisite that the Iewes should be perswaded that the righteousnes of fayth is not repugnant vnto Moses therefore would Paul the more largely set forth this place and tary the longer in it When he addeth But what sayth It may
not the Gentles froÌ„ his prouidence the Prophets howbeit we are assured that by reason of the singular giftes and wonderfull fauour of God the Israelites were vnto him a peculiar people That he had vtterly no care ouer the Gentiles it is not to be thought For he had a singular care ouer Iob ouer the Niniuites ouer Naaman the Sirian ouer all those which in Chaldea and Persia beleued by the meanes of Daniell and hys fellowes Origen addeth So long as that the Israelites claue first vnto God as his singular inheritaunce the Gentiles could not come vnto him for the possession was enioyed of others but it happened that the Angelles which gouerned ouer the Gentiles and held theÌ„ after a sort captiues enuied this so blessed estate of the Israelites and therefore entisemeÌ„tes drew them away from God namely vnto idolatry and to other wicked factes And God seing this suffred it and resisted not but the Iewes being withdrawen from him he called the Gentiles and toke them out of the handes of the Angelles and made them his people So that God here vsed the lawe of the like for in that thing wherein the ill Aungelles Lex talionis soughte after a sorte to haue taken him they were taken themselues and whilest they went about to take away an other mans seruauntes they lost those whome they alredy possessed Hereby I se that this man was of this mind that the Angelles whome God hath set ouer diuers regions are euill which thing is not mencioned in the The scriptures testify not that the angels whiche are gouernours ouer regioÌ„s are 〈◊〉 scriptures Paul indede sayth that the deuill and euill sprites are the rulers of darknes he calleth them gouerners of the world for they are Gods ministers in the world to aueÌ„ge sinnes neither should they be able to tempt the iust vnles God permitted them yea they were not able to enter inter into the swine before that Christ had geuen them leue These thinges I say we know right well but that those Angelles which are called the princes of the Grecians or of the Persians are euill I thinke not yea rather they are good whome God will haue to defend kingdomes and prouinces that they should not be destroyed thorough the malice violence of Sathan But that which he afterward addeth is true both that by the plucking away of the Iewes from God is place made vnto the Gentiles and also that God by his prouidence hath appoynted those courses and alteracions that so long as the Iewes beleued the Gentiles should be excluded and yâ— Iewes being made blind the Gentiles should enter in but yet not in such sorte that the Iewes shoulde abide still in theyr blindenes for at the last when the Gentiles are illuminated they shall se in what good case we are and how vnhappely al things go with theÌ„ so that being by emulation pricked forward they shal say as it is writteÌ„ in Ose the prophet I will return vnto my first husband for then was it better with me then it is nowe And God wil neuer forget his leage couenant as he hath many times testified by Ieremy by other prophetes And forasmuch as the Iewes were made blind that the Gentiles should enter in it followeth that the Gentils being entred in the blindnes of the Iewes shal cease Wherfore it is sayd WheÌ„ the fulnes of the Gentils shall be entred in all Israel shall be made safe But who they be yâ— pertaine vnto this whole Israel who they be yâ— are that fulnes of the Gentils none knoweth but god only the sonne of God thâ—y if there be any such which are his déere frends to whom he hath reuealed it These thinges I doubt not but are true for that the secretes of the predestination and eternall election of God can by no manner of meanes be knowne of vs but yet he sayth yâ— hereby this we may vnderstand that none of the Israelites if they be Israelites onely as touchinge the fleshe shall haue saluation and also that none of the Origens rule in 〈…〉 dyng the prophetes Gentils shal be saued vnles they pertaine to this fulnes wherof is mencion nowe made And he addeth a rule which we ought to obserue in reding of the Prophets that so often as we read any dolefull and horrible things spoken against the Gentils we should apply theÌ„ to those which wer none of that fulnes but wheÌ„ we here ny pleasant ioyful and happy things spoken then let vs know that they pertaine vnto this fulnes And so as touching the Iewes where the Prophets speak things prosperous of them let them bee vnderstanded of election and of the holye remnants but when they speake of thinges sharpe and troublesome we must applye them to the blinded and to the reiected But in the meane time let vs not cease to With how great wisedome God vseth the destruction of the wicked Men are purged by the word of God and by preaching wonder how God being most wise turneth to the saluation of others that destruction whiche men thorough their owne defaulte bring vnto themselues But the better to vnderstand touching the Israelites that shal be saued and touching thys fulnes he saith They which are by the word of God and preachinge of the Gospell purged shall obteine saluation but they which are not by these purged shall be deliuered vnto fires to be purged We graunt indéede that men are purged by the woord and by preaching for it is written by faith purifieng their harts We graunt also that they which are not purged ar deliuered vnto fires but not to be purged as though the punishmentes of the damned that is of infidels which haue neither receiued the word of God nor preaching of the Gospell shall euer haue end And that he so beleued The wicked shall by fires be tormented and not purged it is manifest both by other bookes of his and also by those thinges which he here addeth For he saith This purgation by fire how long time or how many hundreth yeres it shall last only the sonne is able to know vnto whoÌ„ the father hath geuen all iudgement What other thing els is this but of the paynes of hell to make suche a purgatory Origene made of hell the papistes purgatory as the Papistes haue fayned Neither is he holpeÌ„ by that testimony which he bringeth namely that God will haue al men to be saued for as we haue before taught that sentence of the Apostle hath a farre other sence Now that we haue noted these things in Origen let vs somewhat more diligentlye peise that whyche Paul sayth Blindnes is partly come to Israel It was before declared who sent that blindenes and it was concluded that it was done of God whilest he punisheth sin by sinne without any his fault for sinne claue only in them which are made blind And when Paul here speaketh of Israell he taketh the woord properly
can not certainly iudge neither is the knowledge The Gentles before they are called are without thereof necessary to saluation Let vs consider also that when Paul sayth that the fulnes of the Gentles shall enter in he thereby noteth that before the preaching of the Gospell the Gentles were without for as much as they should afterwarde enter in Neither spake Christ any otherwise wheÌ„ he sayth that they which were in the high wayes and streates should be compelled to enter in Ambrose expounding these wordes saith That then shal be wyped away from the eyes of the Iewes their blindnes that they may beleue In which wordes he declareth that so long as this execation abideth they can not beleue And he addeth That God prohibiting from their hartes the spirit of pricking which worketh in them blindnes may render vnto theÌ„ Ambroseâ— minde touching free will the fre choyce of the will In this sentence he manifestly declareth what he thought of frée will namely as touching those thinges which pertayne vnto iustification and vnto regeneration Whatsoeuer he writeth of it in other places here he most truly affirmeth that straungers from Christ want liberty of will which then is restored vnto them when they are illuminated As it is written Out of Sion shall the deliuerer come and shall turne away the vngodlines from Iacob This profe which he bringeth out of the sayinges of the Prophets hath in the conclusion necessity only by supposition and not absolutely The strength of the argument herein consisteth for that deliuery was by couenant promised vnto Israell But with yâ— Gentles there was neuer before Christs tyme any leage or couenant publiquely made There was in déede a Before the gospell was preached there was no league made with the GeÌ„tles promise of their calling For it was sayd vnto AbrahaÌ„ In thy sede shal all Gentles be blessed but in very déede there was no couenaunt publiquely made with the Gentiles Neither can this deliuery be vnderstanded as touching any perticular persons when as it is promised vnto Sion and vnto Iacob by which names not any singular persons are signified but the whole people This testimony as touching the greater part thereof is taken out of the 59. chap. of Esay and part of Ieremy and especially out of the 31. chapiter towardes the end Origen Ambrose affirme that it is taken out of Esay And Ambrose peculiarly seemeth to saye that the conuersion of certayne of the Iewes perticularly which happened dayly was a certaine experiment of the will of God as touching the restitution of that nacion Howbeit that which Esay speaketh in the 59. chapiter is not in all pointes as touching the wordes in such sort as the Apostle now alleadgeth them For he after this maner followeth the 70. interpreters who not as touching the sence but only as touching the wordes In Hebrew it is Vba lesion goel vleschabe pescha beiaacob vehum iehouah that is There shall come a redemer saith the Lord vnto Sion and vnto those in Iacob which shal repent them from their iniquities And then is added And this is my couenaunt with them sayth the Lord my spirite thâ—t is vpon thee and my wordes which I haue put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy sede nor out of the mouth of the sede of thy sede Whereas in the Hebrew it is sayd Vnto Sion shall come the redemer the Seuenty as Ierome writeth haue turned it out of Sion whome Paul also followed And it wel known that Christ was borne of the Iewes who are ment by the name of Sion and the word of the Lord and preaching of the Gospell therehence had his beginning although the Greke edition which we vse hath 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is for Sions sake whereby it is manifest that this which we haue either is not the translation of the 70. or els it is in many places corrupted And Ierome addeth that this word Noal according to the nature of the Hebrew signifieth to be nighe so that is The Greke translation which we vse is ether not the traÌ„slatioÌ„ of the 70. or els it is corrupted Faith whiche iustifieth hath repentaunce annexed with it all one with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which signifieth nigh namely vnto whome the inheritance of the kinsman that is dead commeth Wherefore the sence of the Hebrew words is that vnto Sion shall come a nigh deliuerer Moreouer that which is written both of the 70. and of Paul And he shall turne away the vngodlynes from Iacob is in the Hebrew Lishbe which they paraduenture tooke as though it were written Leschob peschaa but this maketh no disagréeing as touching the sence For they which are deliuered by faith from their sinnes haue alwayes repentaunce annexed and ioyned with their faith not as a condition which should be the cause of remission for this should be a condition of the law and vnprofitable when as no man is able to performe it but an euangelicall condition as which followeth the forgeuenes of sins or iustification at least by nature is acceptable vnto God for whatsoeuer waÌ„teth therof by reasoÌ„ of our infirmity is holpeÌ„ by the merits of Christ And this is my testament with theÌ„ That which followeth in Esay touching the spirite and word of God excellently setteth forth vnto vs the couenaunt or leage of Fod For first are the wordes of the promise which also shall alwayes remaine amongest the faythfull which yet should be vnprofitable vnles therto were added the spirite whereby the hartes of the hearers are moued to beleue VVhen I shall take away theyr sinnes This part is not read in Esay wherfore it may be taken as a compendious interpretation of those thinges which the Prophet before spake of the couenaunt for where the spirite is the wordes of God are spoken when we embrace them by fayth streight way foloweth forgeuenes of sinnes and for that the prophet expressed not the effect Paul thought he would manifestly set it forth Otherwise it is gathered out of the 31. chap. of Ieremy where when mencion had bene made of the new couenant the first being abrogated it is sayd I will be mercifull vnto theyr iniquity and I will no more remember theyr sinne And that whiche Esaye speaketh of Sion and of Iacob and Ieremye also of the house of Iudah and of Ierusalem can not be taken of Paul allegoricallye as thoughe in these woordes is signifyed the number of the faythfull These wordes are to be vnderstanded properly of the Israelites An argument wherby is proued that the Messias is God Only God forgeueth sinnes of what people so euer it be For as we sayde Paules meaninge is peculiarly to commende the Iewes and to put away the discord which was sprong in the Church betwene the Ethnikes and the Iewes And in yâ— it is sayd that the Iewes should by the Messias be deliuered from theyr sinnes it is a sure
imitate to approue the glory of God so often as occasion serueth with all our harte to wishe it and with a willing and glade assent to affirme and ratify it Of Iustification BVt now to make an end of the long disputation which we haue had it shall not be amisse more fully to entreate of Iustification which is the The questiō put forth scope and end of all that which Paul hath hitherto spoken of And in this sort let the question be put forth Whether men be iustified by workes or by fayth But first of all it shall be good to pease and discusse the woordes of the question proposed and let vs beginne with this woord Iustification The signification of this worde to iustifie This verbe Tsada with the Hebrues in the first coniugation signifieth to be iust But if it be transferred vnto the third coniugation it signifieth to transferre righteousnes into an other and to make iust for this is the nature of the forme of those verbes which they call Hiphil Euen as Amad signifieth to stand so Heamid signifieth to appoint that is to make an other thing to stand Wherfore Hitsadik in the Hebrue signifieth to iustifie that is to make one iust which thinge God is said two maner of wayes to iustifie when it is done of God is done of him two maner of wayes For sometymes he doth in very deede bring forth righteousnes in men First when with his holy spirite he frameth them agayne wholy reneweth them in restoring the strengths of their mindes and deliuering the powers of man from a great part of his naturall corruption and this is the first righteousnes which sticketh and cleaueth to our mindes by the benefite of God thorough Christ Then when he hath so restored and made them new agayne he geueth good and holy workes by the vse and frequency of which workes is engendred in our minds a quality or as they call it an habite whereby we are made prone to lyue honestly and holyly And we deny not but this kind of righteousnes is in the harts of the regenerate But sometimes God iustifieth in absoluing vs from sinnes and ascribing and imputing vnto vs righteousnes And then this woord Hitsadik is a woord taken of the lawe whiche pertayneth to iudgements as also this word Hirsehig ▪ which signifieth to declare one to be wicked and hurtfull And to iustifie is by iudgement words testimony and affirmation to count one for iust And forasmuch as there are two significations of this word to iustifie namely eyther in deede or in accompt and estimation And God is the author of either of them whether of these two shal we followe We now in treate of the latter forme of iustification in the disputation proposed Forsothe the latter and that for because the renouation inspired by the spirite of God and our righteousnes as touching the habite gotten by good workes are whilest we lyue here so vnperfect and mayned that if iudgement should be geuen by them we were neuer able to stand before the iudgement seate of God Besides that Paul disputing of this matter after he had brought forth the authority of Dauid and a testimony of the history of Abraham in Genesis vseth this word of imputing and by the proper signification thereof he reasoneth touching this present cause or question And this I suppose to be sufficient as touching the declaration of the first word namely of Iustification Now let vs entreate of fayth A man with the Hebrues in the first coniugation signifieth to be firme which self same verbe in the third coniugation which as I What this worde faith signifieth haue sayd is called Hiphil signifieth to geue constancy and assurednes to any promise or thing Wherefore the Latines say Fidem homini aut verbis tribuere which is in Englishe to geue fayth vnto a man or vnto words and it signifieth as much as if a man should say to beleue Wherefore this Hebrue verbe Heemin signifieth none other thing then to suppose or thinke a thing to be firme constant and sure And as touching God he which beleueth not him maketh him a lyar For Iohn sayth in his first Epistle the 5. chapiter He which beleueth not God maketh him a lyar Which thing how greauous a sinne it is let euery man consider with himself Contrariwise he which beleueth God adorneth him with glory and honour For in this Epistle to the Romanes it is written of Abraham that he staggered not thorough doubting in hauing consideration to his own body being now almost dead or to the wombe of Sara being past child bearing but gaue the glory vnto God being strong in fayth and fully persuaded that he was able to performe whatsoeuer he would Wherefore there semeth to be a certayne Analogye or proportion betwene this verbe to beleue and to iustifie as we in this place take it for as to iustifie An analogy or proportiō betwene to beleue and to iustify A double certainty of faith is by iudgement and estimation to ascribe righteousnes to a man and not to make him to be in very deede iust so to beleue is not in very deede to make the words and promises of any man sure and firme but to thinke and setle with our selfes that so they are But this acte of beleuing whereof we now intreate hath two maner of firmenes and certaynety First of the things namely of the words and promises of God which abide much more firmely then heauen and earth Secondly as touching the persuasion which forasmuch as it is wrought by the power of God is also most firme and most certayne and of an assured persuasion that is that it is neuer naked but alwayes draweth with it many and sundry motions An assured persuasiō is not naked ▪ it draweth with it also other motions of the mynde of the mind For experience and dayly vse teacheth that in things ciuile a man being well and fully persuaded of pleasaunt promises is filled with confidence reioyseth sheweth a mery contenaunce is glad and pleasaunt and cleaueth vnto hym that made the promise so that he doth by all meanes allowe him But contrariwise when he beleueth not the persuasion he laugheth at it neglecteth and contemneth it or waxeth cold and bendeth the browe wherefore it can neuer be that he which beleueth in very deede can want such affections whiche are accustomed to followe a full and stronge persuasion And therfore those that are the pure professors of the Gospell do iustly affirme that to beleue hath a very greate coniunction with action or withe the motion of confidence hope and such like affections But most of all with a sincere and firme affiance which it alwayes draweth with it Whereby it commeth to passe that in the holy Scriptures promises are made Vnto true faith is ioyned an assured confidence Promises are in the scriptures geuen both vnto saith also to cōfidence Why in the olde Testamēt is
ye not heare what the lawe saith For it is written that Abraham had two sonnes one of an handemayden an other of a free woman and he whyche came of the handemayden was borne accordynge to the fleshe but hee which came of the free woman was borne acoording to promise which thinges are spoken by an allegorye for these are two testamentes the one from the mounte Sina which gendreth vnto bondage which is Agar for Agar is mount Sina in Arabia is ioyned vnto the city which is now called Ierusalem and is in bondage with her children But Ierusalem which is aboue is free which is the mother of vs all In these words this thing is chiefly to be noted yâ— the law gendreth not but as Agar did vnto boÌ„dage But if by the workes therof it could iustifie it should gender to liberty for what thing els is iustification then a certain liberty from sinne But forasmuch as it is both called a seruant and gendreth to bondage we ought not then by it to looke for iustification In the .v. chapter it is written If ye be circumcised Christe shall nothing profite The 39. you And he bringeth a reason of the said sentence For saith he he which is circumcised is debter to kepe the whole law So much doth Paul take iustification from circumcision and woorkes that he saith that Christe nothing profiteth them if in case after they beleue they will be circumcised And still he more stronglye confirmeth that which was said Christ is become in vaine vnto you for if ye haue iustification as the fruite of your woorkes then the comming death and bloudsheding of Christe should not haue bene necessary And I if I yet preach circumcisiom why do I suffer persecution Then is the offence of the crosse abolished the offeÌ„ce and slaunder of the crosse The 40. is that meÌ„ being wicked and otherwise sinners are counted of God iust throughe Christ crucified and faith in him here the flesh is offended here doth reason vtterly resiste whiche thing happeneth not when iustification is preached to come of workes whether they be ceremonial or morall But God would haue this offence The 41. to remaine bicause it pleased him by the foolishenes of preaching to saue them that beleue Vnto the Ephesians the. 2. chapter it is written And ye when ye were deade to trespasses and sinnes in whiche in time passed ye walked accordinge to the course of thys world euen after the gouernor that ruleth the ayre and the spirite that now woorketh in the children of vnbelief among whome also we all had our conuersation in time past in the lusts of our flesh and fulfilling the will of the flesh and of our thoughts and as it is in the Greke 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and were by nature the children of wrath euen as others are Let vs note in these woordes yâ— men at the beginning before they come to Christ are dead in sinnes and therfore are not able to moue themselues to this that they should liue and be iustified who euer saw that a deade man coulde helpe himselfe Further by those wordes is shewed that they were in the power of the Prince of darkenes which worketh and is of efficacy in the children of vnbelief Seing therfore they are gouerned by him how then can they by their workes tende to iustification And because we shoulde not thinke that he spake onely of some other certaine vngodly persons he addeth All we comprehending also the Apostles a 〈…〉 them saith he were we And what did we then we were conuersante in the lustes of our flesh And to the end we might vnderstand that these lustes were not onely the wicked affections of the grosser part of the soule it foloweth we doing the will of the flesh and of the minde or of reason did follow also the thoughtes or inuentions of humane reason If we were all such from whence then commeth saluation and iustification But God which is riche in mercy for his exceeding loue sake wherwith he loued vs yea euen when we were dead in sinnes hath quickened vs together with Christ But The 42. what instrumente vsed he to geue vnto vs our saluation For by grace saith he were ye saued through faith and that not of your selues For it is the gifte of God not of workes least any man should boast Could workes be more manifestly excluded In what place then shall we put them Certeinely they follow iustification For the Apostle addeth For we are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good workes which God hath prepared that we should walke in them but before they could not be The 43. in vs which thing is very well thus described Ye were at that time without Christe being alienated from the common wealth of Israell straungers from the testamentes of promise hauing no hope and being without God in this world Who can in this state faine vnto himselfe good woorkes by which men may merite iustification And to the Phillippians the. 3. chapter If any other man maye seeme that he hath whereof he The 44. might trust in the flesh I haue more being circumcised the eight day of the kinred of Israell of the tribe of Beniamin an Hebrue borne of the Hebrues as concerning the law a Pharisey as touching feruentnes I persecuted the church of God as touching the righteousnes which is of the law I was vnrebukeable Seing that Paul had so manye and so great thinges before his conuersion and that he had whereof to â—rust and boast in the flesh let vs heare what he at the lenth pronounceth of all these thinges These thinges saith he if they be compared vnto the true righteousnes whiche is throughe the faith of Christ I count losse vile and dounge If we should thereby obteine righteousnes should so profitable thinges be counted for losses so precious and holy things for vile thinges and thinges acceptable and pleasaunte vnto God for donge Let Paul take héede what he saith here or rather let the readers take héede that they beleue not Sophisters rather then Paul And to the Colossians the first chapter And The 45. you which were sometimes farre of and through euill workes enemies in your harts hath he yet now reconciled in the body of his flesh through death Here ought euery word diligently to be noted that we may sée that they which are farre of from God ought not to haue a regarde to those thinges thereby to come into fauor Peace which is ioyned with iustification can not be obteined of those which are enemies in mind there can not come good woorkes from those whiche before they be chaunged are saide to be full of euil workes But what manner of workes those were is described in the ii chapter when as it is there written And ye when ye wer dead through sinnes and through the vncircumcisioÌ„ of your flesh hath he quickned together with him The 46. forgeuing all your sinnes and hath
order appoynted by God in nature For God for the conseruation good order God will haue an order to be kept in outwarde thinges How Roboam is said not to haue prepared his harte of thinges will that this by a certayne connexion should follow of the other But I meruayle what these men meane when out of the bookes of the Chronicles they say that Roboam the sonne of Salomon did euil in that he prepared not his hart to enquire of the Lorde They mought easely haue sene that this serueth nothing to thys present purpose vnles they be if I may so terme them table doctors which haue more skill in the tables then in the bookes For as often as they finde in the table of the holy bookes thys woorde to prepare or preparation that strayght way whatsoeuer it be they snatche and thinke that it maketh for theyr purpose and pertayneth vnto theyr preparatory woorkes But the holy history when it declared that the kinge behaued hymselfe wickedlye addeth by exposition as it oftentimes doth that he had not an vpright hart redie to séeke the Lord. Neither doth this any thing helpe theyr cause which is written in the 16. chapter of the prouerbes Why it is said yâ— it pertaineth to man to prepare the harte It pertaineth to a man to prepare the hart but the aunswere of the tonge is of the Lord. For we ought by those woordes to vnderstande nothinge els then that men indéede are wonte to purpose wyth themseues manye thinges but the euent and successe is not in their power but dependeth of GOD. Men oftentimes appoynte wyth them selues what they will saye in the senate house in the iudgement place before the kinge vnto the souldiours and vnto the people But what shal come to passe lieth in the pleasure of God They indéede prepare the hart but God ordereth the aunswere of the tounge according to his prouidence Such an other waighty reason they cite out of the 10. Psalme The Lord hath heard the desire of the poore thy eare hath heard the preparation of their hart But in this place these The preparation of the hart of the poore good masters make two flat errors For first they vnderstand not that which they speake secondly they cite not the place accordinge to the truth of the Hebrue For the sence is That God despiseth not the prayers of the poore but according to hys great goodnes accomplisheth for them those thinges which they had determined in their mind to desire of him And this is the preparation of the harte For there is none that is godly desireth any thing of God but first he deliberateth in his harte that the same thing is to be desired Otherwise he should come rashly vnto God should pray foolishly But these men wheresoeuer they finde in the holy scriptures this word to prepare straight way snatch it vp euen against the nature thereof to establish workes preparatorye But nowe let vs sée what the sentence is after the Hebrue veritie Taauah anauim shamata iehouah tachin libbam tacshib osnecha That is Thou hast heard the desire of the poore Lord thou hast prepared or shalt prepare their hart thy eare shall heare Here we sée that Dauid affirmeth that God heareth God prepareth the hart of the saintes the desires of the saintes whome he calleth poore And he addeth a cause namely because God prepareth their hart to require those thinges whiche may serue to their saluation and please God But by whome God woorketh such a preparation in the hartes of the faithfull Paul teacheth in this Epistle when he thus writeth God prepareth our hartes by his holy spirits What we should aske as it behoueth vs we know not But the spirite prayeth for vs with vnspeakeable sighes But it is God which searcheth the hartes he seeth what the spirite will aske for the saintes We sée therefore both by Dauid and also by Paul that God heareth those prayers of them that pray vnto him which are by the impulsioÌ„ of his spirite stirred vp We learne also of the Ethnike Philosophers and that in mo places then one that those are worthy of reproofe which without consideration and rashly require any thing of God But they which professe Christ euen as they beleue that he is the author of their prayers so also do they close them vp in thys sentence Thy will be done But say they Ezechiell saith in his 18. chapter Walke in A concilition of places of Ieremy and Ezechiell my wayes and make ye a new hart Ieremy also saith Be ye conuerted vnto me saith the Lord. Wherefore a man say they may of himselfe prepare himselfe to the obteyning of righteousnes But these men should remember that it is no vprighte dealing to cite some places of the scriptures and to ouerhippe leaue vnspoken other some Let them goe therfore and sée what Ezechiell writeth in the. 30. chapt I saith the Lorde will bring to passe that ye shall walke in my wayes Agayne I will geue vnto you a fleshy hart and will take away from you your stony hart Ieremy also in the 31. chap. Conuert me O Lord and I shal be conuerted Wherfore Augustine very wel sayd Geue what thou commaundest and commaund what thou wilt They abuse also an other place out of the Prophet Ionas to confirme their error For in him it is writteÌ„ that Of the fact of the Niniuites God regarded the woorkes of the Niniuites Beholde say they the affliction of the Niniuites wherby they afflicted themselues with fastings and cried vnto the lord prepared theyr mindes and made them apte to obteine pardon As though it behoued not the Niniuites first to beleue the woorde of God before they coulde eyther pray healthfully or els repent Séeing therefore they beleued before they did any workes they were iustified by faith and not by works which folowed afterward And God is sayd to haue regarded their works because they pleased him Neither did we euer deny that the workes of men being now iustified are acceptable vnto A profitable rule for the right vnderstanding of sentences of the fathers touching iustificatioÌ„ God So often as we finde in the scriptures such places which séeme to attribute righteousnes vnto our workes we muste according to the doctrine of Augustine haue a consideration out of what foundation those workes procéede And when we perceaue that they springe out of faith we oughte to ascribe vnto that roote that which afterwarde is added as touching righteousnes And how fowlye these men â—rre in their reasoning hereby we may perceaue for that they take vpon them to transferre those thinges which are proper vnto one kinde of men vnto an other Which thing eueÌ„ humane lawes wil not suffer For as it is had in the Code As touching testaments or last willes If rusticall and vnlearned men which dwell out of cities A similitude and haue not store of wise and learned
glory of God For when as nothing is attributed vnto our merites and workes it must néedes be that the whole glory redoundeth vnto God Therefore Paule saith of Abraham he gaue the glory vnto God knowing this most fully that what soeuer he had promised he was able also to performe And the more to expresse the certainty of faith he vsed this participle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whereby he signifieth that Abraham with a certaine most full assent embrased the promesse of God And least any man should thinke that this was a proper and peculâ—are prerogatiue geuen vnto Abraham the Apostle addeth an vniuersall rule and saith that it was not written for him only that it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse but also for vs vnto whome it shall be imputed so that we beleue in him which raised vp Iesus Christ from the dead which was deliuered for our sinnes and rose againe for our iustification Farther out of the .v. chapter we haue also an other testimony wherfore seing saith he we be iustified by faith we haue peace towards God through Iesus Christ by whome we haue accesse through faith into this grace wherein we stand Here are two things to be noted the one is that we are iustified by faith and that by grace the second that vnto this grace is not an entraunce made open by preparatioÌ„s or works which dispose vs but only by faith In the. vâ—ij chapter are set forth as it were certaine steppes and degrees by which we must come to eternal saluation WhoÌ„ he hath foreknown saith he those also hath he predestinate that they shold be like fashioned vnto the image of the sonne of God that he might be the first begotteÌ„ amongst many brethreÌ„ And whoÌ„ he hath predestinate those also hath he called And whoÌ„ he hath called those hath he iustified and whoÌ„ he hath iustified those also will he glorifie Here are reckened vp .v. degrees foreknowledge predestination vocation iustification and glorification in which as touching our purpose let vs consider what commeth betwene vocation and iustification And that is nothing else but faith For for as muche as vocation is done by the promise of iustification and of saluation the same is receiued by faith geuing assent thereunto Towardes the ende of the .ix. chapter is set forthe a difference betweene the Iewes and the Gentiles and a reason is geuen why the Gentiles obtained righteousnesse and not the Iewes For thus Paule saith What shall we say then That the Gentiles which followed not righteousnesse haue taken holde of righteousnesse which is by faith But Israell which followed righteousnesse attained not vnto the lawe of righteousnesse bicause they sought it not by faith but as it were by workes What caÌ„ there be more manifest then these words for they declare that they which wil be iustified by faith doe obtaine righteousnesse but those which doe aspire vnto it by works doe labor but in vaine This self thing he proueth euen from the beginning of the .x. chapter where he describeth two kindes of righteousnesse the one which he calleth ours which consisteth of works the other which he calleth the righteousnesse of God which is taken holde of by faith And thus he writeth They being ignorant of the righteousnesse of God and going about to establishe their owne are not obedient vnto the righteousnesse of God Hereby it is manifest that they which wil establish their owne righteousnesse â–ª that is the righteousnesse of works do fall away from the righteousnesse of God Paule goeth on and more plainly openeth the nature of these two kinde of righteousnesses Moses sayth he thus wryteth of the righteousnesse which commeth of the lawe The man which dothe these things shall liue in them By these words he sheweth that the righteousnesse of the law consisteth in workes But of the righteousnesse which commeth of faithe he thus speaketh Say not thou in thine heart who shall ascend vp into heauen to fetch Christ from thence or who shall descend into the deepe to fetche vp Christ againe from the dead But what saith he The word is nigh thee euen in thy mouthe and in thine heart The same is the worde of faith which we preach which word he which beleueth in his heart and with his mouth confesseth the Lord Iesus Christ shal be saued Hereby we se that not the righteousnesse of the lawe which is had by workes but the righteousnesse of faithe is it which bringeth saluation And this is by the latter words more manifestly confirmed For in that there is added With the heart we beleue vnto righteousnesse and with the mouth is confession made vnto saluation the later clause touching confession which semeth to be an outward worke is therfore added least we shold thinke that the faith wherby we are iustified should be idle for it is not a vaine barren faith such a one as our aduersaries dreame that we obtrude It hath most pleÌ„tifull and most aboundant fruits amongst which the confession of piety obtaineth the first place and is most necessaryest Hereunto Paule addeth a testimony out of the Prophet he which beleueth in him shall not be made ashamed They are commonly ashamed which coÌ„trary to their expectation are frustrated of that which they hoped to haue obtained Wherefore the meaning is He which beleueth in Christ and by this faith waiteth for saluatioÌ„ shal not be put to shame bicause he shall not be frustrated of his hope He addeth also an other testimony taken out of the Prophet Ioel Whosoeuer doth call vpon the name of the Lord shall be saued in which words the promise of saluation seemeth to be ascribed vnto inuocation But Paule profitably teacheth as I haue before oftentimes said wheÌ„ Note thaâ— the scriptures teach a resolution froÌ„ workes â–ª vnto fayth And againe from fayth to his obiect promises seeme to be adioyned vnto workes we must alwayes run from them vnto the roote and foundation namely vnto faith So Paule in this place when he had sayd Whosoeuer calleth vpon the name of the Lord shal be saued straight way addeth how shall they cal vpon him in whom they haue not beleued So he resolueth the whole matter from inuocation into faith And that we shold not think that faith by his owne power hath any thing whereby it can iustifie he againe passeth from it vnto the obiect saying how shall they beleue without a preacher and how shall they preach except they be sent Also faith commeth by hearing and hearing by the word of God Wherefore the vttermost point of the resolution is the worde of God and promesse touching Christ from whence as from the fountaine is deriued our saluation and iustification In the .xj. chapter is set forthe the Antithesis betweene incredulitie and faith which serueth very muche to confirme that which we now teache The braunches were broken of that I might be grafted in This was an obiection of the Gentiles against the Iewes Paule answereth thou sayest well
woman vnto whome the Lord thus answered thy faith hath made thee safe signifiyng that he for her fayth sake had forgeuen her her sinnes And that the faith of this woman was very feruent she declared by the effectes in that she loued much in that she kissed his féete in that she washed them with her teares and wiped them with her haire In the Gospel of Iohn the .iij. chapter Christ sayd vnto Nicodemus So God loned the world that he gaue his only begotteÌ„ sonne that he which beleueth in him should not pearish but haue eternall life And in the selfe same Chapter Ihon Baptist thus speaketh of Christ He that beleueth in the sonne hath eternall life but he that beleueth not hath not life but the wrath of God abideth ouer him Out of which place we gather not only that we presently entreat of but also this that they are strangers Here is prâ—ued that they which are straungers from Christ can do no good thyng that may please God from Christ and those which beleue not can doe nothing that may please God and therfore they can not merite of congruitie as they call it and as our aduersaries affirme the grace of God And in the .vj. chapter Christ saith This is the will of him which sent me that he which seeth the sonne and beleueth in him hath eternall life And I sayth he will raise him vp in the last day And when as he had before said No man commeth vnto me vnles my father draw him Also He that hath heard of my father and hath learned commeth vnto me afterward he addeth And he which beleueth in me hath eternal life In the .xj. chapter when Christ should raise vp Lazarus he said vnto Martha He which beleueth in me though he were dead yet shall he liue and he which liueth and beleueth in me shall not die for euer And in the .xvij. chapter this is eternall life that they acknowledge thee the only true God and whome thou haste sent Iesus Christ But this is to be noted that here he speaketh not of a cold knowledge but of a mighty and strong faith Wherefore if it be eternal life then shal it also be iustificatioÌ„ For as we haue before taught wheÌ„ we expounded this sentence of Abacuk the Prophet The iust maÌ„ shall lyue by fayth Iustification and life are so ioyned together that the one is oftentimes taken for the other And in very déede Iustification is nothing els then eternall life now already begonne in vs. And in the. 20. chapiter Those things saith he are written that ye should beleue that Christ is Iesus and that in beleuing ye should haue eternall life In the Actes of the Apostles the 15. chapiter it is thus written by faith purifying their hearts In which place Peter speaketh of the Gentiles that they should not be compelled vnto the works of the lawe of Moses for Christ had without them geuen vnto them the holy Ghost and had by faith made cleane their hearts from sinnes Paule also in his Oration to king Agrippa said that he was called of Christ to be sent vnto the Gentiles which should by his ministery be illuminated and by faith receiue remission of sinnes and lot amongst the saintes And these testimonies hitherto we haue gathered out of the Newe testament But if I should out of the old testament reherse all that which maketh to this purpose I should then be ouer tedious And if there be any of so obstinate a heart that those things which we haue alredy spoken can not vrge them to confesse the truthe neither should it any thing profite suche men if we should bring many testimonies Wherfore a few shall suffice and besides those testimonies which Paule hathe cited out of the. 15. Chapiter of Genesis Abraham beleued God and it was counted vnto him for righteousnesse out of Abacucke The iuste man shall liue by his faith out of Dauid Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgeueÌ„ out of Esay Euery one that beleueth in him shall not be confounded and a fewe others suche like besides these testimonies I say I will cite the. 53. chapter of Esay wherein Christ is by most expresse wordes painted forth For there he is sayd to haue taken vpon him our sorowes and to haue borne our infirmities to haue geuen his soule a sacrifice for sinne and many such other things which are so plaine that they can be applied vnto none other but only vnto Christ Iesus our sauioure And it is sayde moreouer and by the knowledge of hym shall my righteous seruaunt iustifye many and he shall beare their iniquities These words teache that Christ iustifieth many namely the elect by the science and knowledge of him which knowledge vndoubtedly is nothing else but a true faith And that he in suche sort iustifieth them that he taketh vpon himselfe and beareth their iniquities And Ieremy in the. 15. chapter wryteth O God haue not thine eyes a regarde vnto faith vndoubtedly they haue As if he should haue said Although thou séest al things and there is nothing pertaining vnto man hidden from thée yet hast thou chiefly a regarde vnto faith as vnto the roote and foundation of all good actions And as touching the oracles of the scriptures this shall suffice Now will I answere vnto such obiections which are commonly brought agaynst this second proposition And we will heginne first with Pigghius because our aduersaries count him for their Achilles or chief champion and thinke that he only by his subtil sharp wit hath persed euen into the inward misteries of the truth And this man vseth this cauillation we are not iustified by that from which this iustification may be seperated For it is not possible that the causes should be pulled away or seperated from their effects But faith is seperated from iustification for many that beleue do notwithstanding liue most filthely so farre is it of Whether iustification may be seperated from faith that they should be iustified But because he thinketh that this may be denied he bringeth a reason to proue that it is not against the nature and definition of faith but that iustification may be seperated from it And he maketh an obiection out of the 13. chapiter of the epistle to the Corrinthyans If I haue all fayth so that I can remoue mountaynes and haue not charity I am nothing By these words he concludeth that faith may be seperated from charity and therefore from all good works He citeth this also out of Mathew many shall come in that day and shall say Lorde in thy name we haue prophesied and haue cast out deuils and haue wrought signes But vnto them shall answere bee made I know you not These signes sayth Pigghius can not be done without fayth wherefore seing that they are shut forth from the kingdome of heauen which yet do these things it is cleare that they were not iustified Wherefore in them faith was seperated from righteousnes But this he
gone about to haue proued what their strength could haue done their endeuor for that they were not as yet iustified should haue bene in vaine and sinne As if a master should bid his seruaunt which is lame to walke and he shold excuse himselfe and say that he were lame and could not goe without great deformitie it is not to be thought that therefore he is excused We are not of that minde that we thinke that all sinnes are alike Yea rather we teach that they which omit or neglect those outward workes which they might performe and put not to endeuor and study to do wel do much more greuously sinne then they which according to their strengthes obserue some certaine outward discipline And as Augustine sayth Cato and Scipio shal be much more tollerablier dellt with then Catiline or Caligula But I would haue y◠Pighius whome our opiniō so much misliketh to declare himselfe when he thinketh that the holy ghost is geuen vnto men He will aunswere when as now these preparations haue gone before when a man hath beleued feared hoped repented and sincerely loued What more could Pelagius haue sayde As though to beleue to loue and such other like shoulde spring of humane strengthes He alleadgeth this also and thinketh it to make for his purpose Come vnto me all ye which labour and are laden and I wil refresh you For he thinketh that labours burthens contrition confession and as they say satisfaction fastings teares such other like make to the obteynment of iustification But this place is to be vnderstand farre otherwise For Christ calleth them laboring and loden which were oppressed with the law and felt theyr owne infirmity and the burthen of sinnes and which had now long time laboured vnder humane tradicions These men being now weried and in a maner without all hope the Lord calleth vnto him For they are more apt vnto the kingdome of heauen thē are other blessed secure men which by theyr own works good dedes thought thē selues very iuste God sayth Pighius requireth workes preparatory and them he promiseth not to fayle them of his grace This was vtterly the opinion of the Pelagians against which the holy scriptures are vtterly repugnant For they teach that it is God which geueth both to will and to performe according to his good will that it is God which beginneth in vs the good worke and accomplisheth it euen vnto this day that it is God frō whome only we haue sufficiency when as otherwise we are not able to thinke any thing of our selues as of our selues Wherfore it is manifest that Pighius confoundeth the lawes of God disturbeth those things which ar wel setforth in y◠holy scriptures Farther when as we say that vnto iustification is not sufficient an historicall fayth he fayneth him selfe to meruayle what maner of historicall fayth we vnderstand For if sayth he they call all those thinges which are written in the holy scriptures an history wil they bring vnto vs an other faith wherby we may beleue those things which are not in the scriptures But we reiect not an historicall fayth as though we would faine some new obiects of fayth besides those which are The difference betwene a◠historicall faith and a straunge faith setforth in y◠holy scriptures or are out of thē firmely cōcluded But we require not a vulgar or cold assent such as they haue which are accustomed to allow those thinges which they read in y◠holy scriptures being thereto led by humane persuasiō some probable credulity as at this day y◠Iewes Turkes confesse beleue many things which we doo but an assured firme strong assent such which commeth frō the afflation of the holy ghost which changeth maketh new the hart and the mind and draweth with it good motions and holy workes In this maner we say that that fayth which is of efficacy differeth very much from an historicall assent And that we are by that fayth which we haue now described iustified we haue thrée maner of testimonies The first is of the holy ghost Which beareth witnes vnto our spirite that we are the children of God The second is of the scriptures The third is of workes But contrariwise they which hold and crie that a man is iustified by workes haue no sufficient testimony For the holy ghost testifieth it not the holy scriptures deny it only works are brought forth and those without piety and fayth such as were in times past the workes of the old Ethnikes and at this day the woorkes of many which beleue not in Christ and are strangers from God But it is woorthy to be laughed at that he hath cited also a place out of the 66. chapiter of Esay by which and if there were no more places then it only his cause is most of all ouerthrowen Vnto whome sayth God shall I looke but vnto the poore man vnto ▪ the contrite of harte and vnto him that trembleth at my woordes By these wordes Pighius thinketh are signified those workes wherby God is drawen to iustifie vs. But the matter is farre otherwise For the scope of the Prophet was to detest the suspition of the Iewes For they neglecting the inward piety of the mind trusted only to outward ceremonies Wherfore this thing God by y◠voyce of the Prophet condemned and declared how odious it was vnto him Heauen sayth he is my seate and the earth is the footestoole of my feete As if he should haue sayd I nothing passe vpon this your temple which ye so much boast of For heauen is my seate such a seat as you can not frame nor make and the earth adorned with all kind variety of plants liuing creatures herbes flowers is the footestoole of my féete Where thē shall be that house which ye wil build for me And where shall be my resting place And straight way to declare y◠it was not the tēple built with handes All these thinges sayth he hath mine hand made and all these thinges are made sayth the Lord. By which wordes we learne that God delighteth not in these thinges and in outward ornamentes and sumptuous buildinges for theyr own sakes but chiefly requireth fayth and inward piety of the minds that he may dwel in them And who they be that beleue and are in very déede godly is declared by theyr certayne and proper notes Whosoeuer is poore and séeeth him selfe to want righteousnes and whosoeuer is contrite of hart that is to say afflicted in this world whosoeuer is of a moderate and deiected spirite and not of an arrogant and proud spirite whosoeuer with great reuerence and feare receaueth the wordes of God he most iustly may be nombred amongst them These are fure tokens and as it were the proper coulours of faith and true piety Afterward the Prophet declareth how much God estemeth the workes of men that beleue not and are not as yet regenerate though these workes be neuer
chapiter of Genesis where is described that excellent worke of Abraham that he refused not to slay his only sonne and to offer him vnto God And therefore God said vnto him from heauen Because thou hast done this thing I haue sworne by my selfe that in blessing I will blesse thee and in multiplying I will multiply thy seede that it shal be as the starres of heauen and as the sand of the sea it shall possesse the gates of his enemies and in thee shall all nations be blessed Behold here sayth he are promises geuen for workes sake and thereunto is added a most faithful oth but there is no mencion at al made of faith Wherefore saith he God hath more regard vnto workes then vnto fayth This speaketh he with a stout stomake but according to y◠Prouerbe The mountaynes would be brought to bed and out cōmeth a poore sely mouse Wherfore if a mā would demaund what I thinke as touching this thing I would answer that it is a notable and most excellēt history out of which yet can not be gathered that which this man exclaimeth First here is no mencion made of iustification What serueth it then to that matter whereof we now entreate So often as any thing is called in controuersy we must runne to such certayne and assured places in which is entreated of the selfe same thing and not vnto those places in which it may be answered that they entreat of an other matter Of this nature is that place whiche Paul citeth as touching this thing Abraham beleued in God and it was imputed vnto him vnto righteousnes But as touching this history I willingly graunt that Abraham by that worke obteyned a certayne more ample benefite then he before had by fayth not indede either in substance or number or quantity of the promises but in a sound and firme certaynty For although he doubted not but that whatsoeuer thinges he beleued God would faithfully render vnto him yet afterward when he had done those excellent dedes he was more fully perswaded of the verity of his fayth and constancy of the promise and strength of the righteousnes imputed vnto him I deny not but that by that excellent worke Abraham obtayned these thinges What is there here that Pighius should boast of What new thing is here promised What couenant not heard of before or new oth is here set forth Nothing is here rehersed which was not before made mencion of For the couenant which is here made was before ordayned partly when Circumcision was apointed and partly in that sacrifice wherin was commaunded that y◠beasts shoulde be deuided partly on the right hand and partly on the left as though they which should swere and make the couenaunt should passe thorough the middest For that maner was also vsed amongst the men of Athenes as Demostenes declareth in his oration agaynst Aristocrates Farther we can not deny but that Abraham A maner amongst thē of Athens ▪ was iustified before For euen before it was sayd Abraham beleued God and it was imputed vnto him vnto righteousnes And seing the matter is so although afterward were added some promise yet will that make nothing agaynst vs. For we deny not but that those workes which follow iustification are both good and also do please God and are recompensed of him although fréely yet with great ample giftes Now resteth only to declare an other way how to vnderstand this clause Because thou hast done these things c. And this pertayneth vnto the certaynty whereof we before made mencion which as we haue sayd is from the effectes and as they vse to speake a posteriori that is from the latter And that thou shouldest not thinke that this is of myne owne inuention go read Augustine in his questions vpō Genesis For he diligētly peiseth these words Now I know that thou fearest God was God saith he ignorant of this before Had he any néede of this triall when as he is the searcher of the raynes and of the heart Nothing les saith he For here this word I know is nothing else but I haue made thée to know or I haue made plaine and manifest Wherefore here is not rendred a reason of the promises by the cause but after the selfe same maner vndoubtedly by which it was said of the sinfull woman Many sinnes are forgiuen hir bicause she hathe loued much Of which place we haue so largely before entreated that now there is no néede at all of any repeticion Pighius hath framed an other obiection out of the. 18. chapiter of Ezechiel If the wicked man saith the Prophete vnder the person of God shall repent him of all his iniquities and shall doe all my commaundements I wil no more remember all his iniquities Here saith Pighius we sée that iustification which is the forgiuenesse of sinnes is not promised vnto faith but vnto perfect repentaunce and vnto the obseruation of the law of God And here his bristles so arise as though we must nedes now giue place But this argument if it be more narowly considered is bothe vayne and trifling For we easely graunt that if a man perfectly repent him of all his iniquities and doe all the commaundements of God he shall haue iustification by workes None of vs euer denied this But here is the payne this is the trauayle to finde such a one as being not yet iustified hath performed this And where I pray thée Pigghius is that thine interpretation wherein thou before saydst that God requireth not that we should performe all the commaundements but that he of his mercy remitteth many thinges For here thou hast brought a most manifest testimony agaynst thy selfe But to returne to the matter Forasmuch as mā neither performeth nor also cā performe those things which are set forth both of the Prophet of the law what resteth there then but that he should come humbly vnto Christ and hauing through fayth fréely receaued iustification of him should by grace and the spirite now giuen vnto him do perfect repentaunce so muche as this life will suffer and beginne by an obedience to obey the law of God Entreting of this argument there came to my remembrance the olde Philosopher Antisthenes For when a certaine glorious yong man which was one of his scholers boasted that he had a ship laden with excellent marchaundises and when it were arriued he would giue vnto him an excellent gifte and this song was euermore in his mouth so that he was irksome to the hearer Antisthenes brought him forth into the market place and in a certaine shop bought a few elles of cloth and hauing them in his hand when Antisthenes not hauing paid the money began to go his way the Marchaunt called him backe againe Hoo good fellow saith he before thou depart pay me my money Then Antisthenes shewing him the yonge man This man said he shal pay thée so soone as his ship is arriued So will I answers vnto
God no man knoweth but only the spirite of God And if we vnderstand How we may vnderstand some secretes of God any thing of them that commeth as it is there sayd for that God hath reueled vnto vs his spirite And we haue the mind of Christ which we haue drawē chiefely out of the holy scriptures spiritually vnderstanded as it is mete Augustine entreateth of this place towardes the end of his booke de gratia libero arbi trio and sayth That Paul before sayd That God hath shut vp all vnder infidelity that he might haue mercy of all And shewed also that so long as the Iewes beleued the Gētiles were vnbeleuers but when the Iewes were made blind the Gentiles came vnto the true fayth and from the serching out of these secretes mē are iustly forbidden for that they are not able to perse into them yea oftentimes they haue thereby hurt and they fall into absurd Reason ought not to persuade vs to do euill thinges that good may ensue By these sayinges is nothing taken away frō the certainty of fayth opinions For when mē heare that God hath shut vp all vnder beliefe that he might haue mercy of all streight way they adde therefore are euill thinges to be committed that good thinges may ensew when as rather they ought to say We haue done euill thinges and the lord hath thereout thorough his mercy brought forth good thinges let vs therfore doo good thinges that better may ensew No man hath bene Gods counseller for he is the chiefe wisedome Howbeit by these sayinges is nothing taken away from the certainty of fayth for that it commeth not vnto vs by humane strength or by our owne vnderstanding but by the breathing of the spirite of God And whosoeuer do rightly and diligently weighe those thinges they shall neuer be able any maner of way to complayne of God as though he should deale with them vniustly when as he as it is manifest is in debt to no man Neyther can this be true that predestination is of workes foresene when as it is sayd that no man hath Predestination is not of workes foresene geuen vnto him first that he should be recompensed For what ells is this God to predestinate according to woorkes foresene then to render vnto them his appointing to eternal life Merites also are herby most manifestly excluded which can not properly consist vnles we affirme that we geue somthing that is our Merites at excluded owne which thing this sentence which we now entreate of suffreth not Wherfore let no man cry out that he hath done many thinges and therfore many and greate thinges are dew vnto him when as no man hath any thing that is hys owne And although it be written that God will render to euery man according to his Our good workes are the workes of God workes yet is that so to be vnderstanded that if they be good workes they are for no other cause called any mans workes but for that they are wrought in hym namely by the power of the spirite of God whereby they are in very dede the workes of God And Augustine most truly sayth that God crowneth in vs his gifts For as touching vs we deserue nothing but death Finally let vs hereout gather that forasmuch as no man can by hys owne wisedome or strengths attayne vnto thinges diuine the best remedy is that we all suffer our selues to be led by the spirite and word of God For of him and thorough him and for him are all thinges to him be glory for euer Amen That we can in no wise be Gods counsellers hereby it is euident for that all thinges depend of him as it manifestly appeareth in the creation of all thinges and also in regeneration whereby we are iustified where all whole is attributed vnto him and finally we are no otherwise in his handes then the vessell is in the hand of the potter Wherefore we may conclude that he hath ful right to do with vs whatsoeuer he wil and it is our part not to be to much inquisitiue but to geue the glory vnto him and to direct all our doinges vnto him Frō which thing both idolatrers and also they which attribute iustification vnto theyr workes are most farre distant Origen noteth as also he before When it is said that no man can be Gods counseller the sonne nor y◠holy ghost are not excluded for the whole blessed Trinitie knoweth all thinges Origens exposition vpon this epistle suspected The things which are created consist not of the nature of God How God created all thinges by the sonne Instrumentes are not to be made equal vnto hym that worketh with them Why God created all thinges for himselfe did that this sentence None can be Gods counseller ought to be vnderstanded of thinges created and not of the sonne or of the holy ghost And to proue that the holy ghost knoweth the father he bringeth this sentence No man knoweth the thinges which are of God but the spirite of God Wherefore he admonisheth that from this proposition is to be exempted the blessed trinity which thing I therefore mencion for that it is thought that he was of this opinion that the sonne knoweth not the father and that the holy ghost knoweth not the sonne Wherfore this commentary of Origen vpon the epistle to the Romanes is not without iust cause suspected The Apostle when he sayth Of him meaneth not that the thinges which are created doo consist of the nature of God as of a certayne mater but they are of God as of the efficient beginning neyther neded there any matter in theyr creation for they were made of nothing And all thinges are therefore thorough him for that God neded not an helper for he is endewed with a full power of his own he is sufficiēt of himselfe And he created all things by the sonne not as by an instrumente but as an artificer by wisedome excerciseth his arte For instrumentes haue not any such force that they are to be counted equall to the artificer But the sonne is in all poyntes equall vnto the father And all thinges were created of God for him for that he hath nothing more perfecter then himselfe and therefore for him selfe he created all thinges for he is the end of all thinges Augustine in his booke de Natura boni agaynst the Maniches in the 27. and 28. chapiters at large intreateth how these thinges are to be vnderstanded neither varieth be from the exposition now brought I omit to speake of them which referre these thinges vnto the father the sonne and the holye ghoste for as it is not of anye greate wayght so semeth it to be to muche constrayned Amen is a word of confirmation For the maner of the Apostle is so often as he hath made an end of entreating of those thinges which pertayne vnto the glory of God to burst forth into this affirmation which thing we also ought to