must appere Sic luceat lux vestra Let your light so shine before men that they may se your good workes And therfore works of S. Iames are called Fructus iustitiae the frutes of rightousnesse fructus spiritus the frutes of the spirite The frutes of the tree are not the cause of the trees iuyce sap but the iuyce and sap is the cause of the trees frutes The frutes are not the cause that the tree lyueth but the sappe and iuyce is cause of the trees lyfe The tree hath not fruite before it hath sappe and iuyce nor yet hath fruite in receyuing sappe and iuyce But after it hath receyued sappe and iuyce then in due tyme it bryngeth foorthe his fruite And very wel herein dothe the scripture in diuers places liken a iustified manne to a good and fruitefull tree for fyrste sayth Christ the tree muste be made good it muste bee planted sayeth Dauid by the water syde to take his iuyce Wee muste sayeth Saint Paul be grafted in Christ and his woorde sayeth Saincte Iames be ingrafted in vs Wee muste bee braunches of the true Uine we muste haue his sappe and iuyce in vs fyrste and thys is our fayth in hym and oure lyfe in vs or euer we can bring forth our frute Nowe being thus replenished with the moste sweete iuyce of faith it is not more vnpossible for a tree to be frute lesse thā it is for a faithful mā to be without good workes We do not say therfore faith is without good workes for good works immediatly folow faith and waite vppon her as their maistresse at an inche and be always attendant on the bidding and becke of faith to do whatsoeuer she comaundeth them but the maistresse is one and the mayden is an other only we denie that the handmaiden intermedleth in this high matter of Iustification whiche is alone betwene God and vs faith she onely on oure parte maketh vp the spousall betwixte Christe and vs Desponsabo te mihi fide I wil sayth Christ espouse thee to me by faith faith shal ioyne our hands togither A saucie Iill were that handmayden that woulde intrude her selfe in to her mistresses priuiledge This then belongeth to faith alone to receiue this benefit at gods handes and to nothing but onely faithe for she alone can fully doo it Why then sayth the Papist what should let but that the diuell may be saued and that the diuell may doo good also and so be no more the diuel that was a lier and murderer from the beginnyng For the diuels haue faith Daemones credunt sayth S. Iames the diuels beleue The diuell in dede was a lier from the beginning and a murtherer Et qui facit peccatum ex diabolo est He y wilfully maliciously cōmitteth maynteineth these sinnes is euen a limme of the diuell But how the Papists legende or rather legion of lies will euicte them to be willfull mainteyne◅s of lies let them looke to it as for their murders al the world doth ring of them and openly crie with Christ Vos estis ex patre vestro diabolo ye are euen of your father the deuell And as this is an argument against the deuell that he hath not faith Euen so is it an argument against them that they haue no faith neither And where in the diuels defence they replie that the deuill beleueth this argueth not that he hath the true and right belefe No say they Did not he crie out to Christ that he was the holy one and son of the liuing God Here was belefe profession of it the thing that they professed to beleue is true What wil they gather hereon that saying of the Apostle If we confesse with our mouth the lord Iesus Christ and beleue in our hart that God raised him from death we shall be safe Do they thinke the diuell beleueth on this fashion They shew themselues earnest proctors for the deuell but the deuell hath no true faith for all that he so sayde nor they his proctoures neither thoughe they confesse Christ and thinke him to be the sonne of God euen as mutche as did the deuel althoughe their works shew the contrarye that they thinke him not so mutche to be Christe as the deuels dyd thinke him for to be For if they did they woulde at least haue that the dyuels haue with all a feare and trembling at him they wold feare so shamfully to abuse him as they doe For saynt Iames ioyneth these two things together in the diuels Daemones credunt contremis◅unt The diuels beleue and tremble Which later word of horror and feare hauing hatred ioyned withall Quem metuūt oderūt whom they feare they hate him this the Papists leaue out As the diuell alleaging scripture to Christ left out the best parte of it and hacked and hewed the sentence as the Papists mangled the word of God in piece meale and dare not set it out whole as God hath set it out This therefore shewethe they haue no more faith thā the diuel hath Yea they know not what faith doth meane For as already is sayde beleefe is not only a knowledge nor an acknowledging of Christ wherby we verely thinke him to be the sonne of God and sauior of the world and approue this our thought with assent thervnto alowing it so to be But also it is a stedfast confidence and trust in him apprehēding him and applying him to vs And this thing which is the principall thing in belefe the diuels haue not nor can not haue They haue the first part of knowledge and a shew they made here of the seconde that is acknowledging But the third and especiall thing in belefe a trusty confidēce in him they had not Which if they had had they wold haue fled vnto hym haue caught holde on hym but they feared and hated him and therefore with trembing fled from him Now this third thing in faith whiche is principally to be reckened vppon the Papist considereth not And this is the cause whie hee so staggereth in a continuall doubte whether he shall be saued with Christe or he shall bee damned with the diuell and feling thys continuall trembling in himselfe for who wolde not tremble standing in this perplexitie And hearing that the diuels tremble also in their belefe he concludeth that belefe is no more but a fyrme opinion of a thing so to be and at the most a trembling assent therunto And therfore saithe the Papist the diuell hathe faithe But seing withall the diuells apparant condemnation that he is not nor can be iustified he concludethe hereon that only faithe iustifieth not for if it dyd the diuel were iustified Then reasoneth he if faith be not able to iustifie we must seeke helpe of good woorkes to iustifie vs whiche good workes the diuell hathe not Now seeking to be iustified by works he is entred into sutche a laborsom mase and infinite
the singular numbre to be slightly passed ouer for euen with the lyke obseruation S. Paule dothe presse vppon the Iewes GOD hadde promysed vnto Abraham that in his seede all Nations shoulde bee blessed The Iewes althoughe they referred thys to the Messias in especiall as the Papistes pretende to beleeue on Christe in especiall yet as the Papistes wyll beleeue on all theyr Sainctes besydes so the Iewes referred this to all theyr whole stocke and nation besides But Saincte Paule letteth not siyppe the promyse so but very earnestely vrgeth the woorde whereon hee proueth Chryste to bee that promised seede Abrahae dictae sunt promissiones semini eius non dicit seminibus quasi in multis sed quasi in vno semini tuo qui est Christus Vnto Abraham sayeth Saincte Paule were the promyses spoken and to hys seede he sayeth not and to his seedes as though it were to many but as in one and to thy seede whyche is CHRISTE Thus confuted hee the Iewes and euen so shall wee confute the Papistes that no lesse take away the beleefe of Chryste than didde the Iewes but styll vrge them wyth thys saying of Chryste Qui credunt in eum not in eos They that beleeue in hym not in them and yee shall quyte confounde them nor all the Papists in the world well may they champe on the brydle and wrangle after theyr confuse manner but they shall neuer be able to answer directly to this one argument that euidentely proueth them not to beleue in God nor to bee any partakers of this benefite excepte they forsake their inuocation with their other errours only beleue in him And although here the Papist might be cleane reiected as none of the housholde of faith yet bicause he quarelleth also in this part of receyuing this gift of God by faith and can not abide that we shoulde ascribe the receipt hereof to faith let vs heare what he hath to say against it But fyrste note that all his drift is againste faith And the controuersie of faith is the matter that of al other he can not abide And why is he suche an enemie vnto fayth bicause he himselfe hath no faith but always doubteth and hangeth betweene dispaire and hope For as Scientia non habet inimicos nisi ignorantes Science hath no enemies but those that knowe it not so the Papiste is the enemie of faith bicause he knoweth â—…ot what faith is First he is offended that Fayth shoulde be so extolled before all other vertues and woulde haue loue more principally required and cryeth out that by this doctrine charitie is waxen very colde and almoste cleane extinguished But this is not that the Papist hath such liking of loue and charitie except it be as is aforesayd S. Francis charitie that he loueth his Popes courtizans more than he beleueth in God and therfore would haue loue be set before beleefe As for that charitie that doth good to her enemies so heapeth burning coales vpon their heads rather than the Papists wold seme to want it they wil not cast ashes in our eyes as did Pope Bonifacius the eight on Ash wednesday to Porchetto archbishop of Genua nor onely heape very burning coales vppon oure heades but couer all our bodies with faggots also and burne vs cleane to ashes so feruent hot is their charitie againste vs or rather their boyling hatred and enuie that they beare vs and do these murderers so vaunt of loue and lament the decay of charitie This is euen as the theefe that hauing robbed a poore man asked him if he had any more the poore man denyed it but when the thefe serching him further founde somwhat more than the poore man thoughte had ben aboute him Ha good Lord quod the theefe what a hard world is this whom shall a man trust nowe a dayes And euen so the Papists spoyle murder with all kind of moste barbarous crueltie the poore professers of the Gospell and faith of Christe and yet they crie out Ha good God wher is charitie where is charitie What a harde and vncharitable worlde is this It is not charitie therefore that the Papiste reckeneth on though he vse the name of charitie to bleare the simple people withal for rather than he wold lese one iote of his aduantage or the pope one title or inche of his honour he careth not and all the worlde were together by the eares yea he will clap them on the backe and set them to it as at this day he doth This then is not charitie but vnder the name of charitie hee meaneth mannes workes bicause charitie is the bonde wherewith they are all tied and so are all comprehended vnder the name of charitie and therefore sayeth he charitie is the principall by the preparatiue workes whereof wee receyue euen faithe it selfe But herein he lyeth we receyue not faith by the preparation of any works but whatsoeuer worke springeth not out of faith the same work how glorious soeuer it seeme is nothing els but sinne Quicquid non est exfide peccatum est Whatsoeuer is not of faith is sinne marke this word ex of if it be not of it if it come not out of it it is sinne then faith goth before all other things in this matter of iustification and so faith is the principal thing and root of all Yea not only the principall but in this matter faith only and that without workes doth it And here againe the Papist is more offended than before that faith is made the only meanes of receauing this benefite What saithe he and nothing but faith No say I Christ mencioneth here nothing but faith Qui credit in eum He that beleueth in him Si potes credere If thou couldest beleue saith Christ all things are possible to him that beleeueth Confide fili tantum crede only beleue Be it vnto you acording to your faith Fides tua te saluum fecit fides tua te saluam fecit Thy faith saith Christ hathe saued thee Qui credit in filium habet vitam aeternam He that beleueth in the sonne hath life euerlasting and this is life euerlasting saith Christ to beleue thee to be the true God and whom thou hast sent Iesus Christ. And therfore say we with Iesus Christ we receaue this benefite euen only by faith in him By faith saith S. Paule our harts be purified by faith the iust man liues by faith we are al the sonns of God euen because we beleued in Iesus Christ by faith with the hart we beleue to righteousnesse By faith were all those benefites wrought that S. Paule to the Hebrues reckeneth vp We conclude therefore with Sainct Paule as he concludeth with Iesus Christ that we receaue this benefite only by faithe in him What by bare and naked faith saith the Papiste without all maner of works Sayeth not saint Iames shew me thy faith by thy workes True it is he doth so and
S. Paule you were sealed with the holy spirite of promise whiche is the earnest of our inheritaunce So that we haue boldnesse and entrance with the confidence which is by faith on him Nolite itaque amittere confidentiam Cast not away therfore your confidence which hath a great recompence of rewarde This is the trust that we haue in him that if we aske any thing according to his will he heareth vs And if we know that he heare vs whatsoeuer we aske wee know we haue the petitions that we desire of him This is no diuels faith neuer a diuel in hel can do this Neither is this y faith of those wicked ones that are his meÌ„bers howsoeuer they vainly crake of that they haue not neyther is this the papists faith by the papists owne profession that he must stil waue in suspeÌ„ce haÌ„g in doubt but this is the faith of all those y shal receiue eternall lyfe These things sayth S. Iohn haue I written to you that beleue in the name of the sonne of God. Not that ye should hang in doubt but that ye should knowe howe that ye haue eternall life That yee haue it saith he not that ye may haue it may goe with it but ye haue it for saide he immediately before He that hathe the sonne hathe life and he that hathe not the sonne of God hath not life Sutche is the vertue of true belefe faith that he hath alredy life in true assurance bicause he hath him assuredly the whiche is truthe and life Well saithe the Papist for all this heauing and shouing yee shall not haue all youre will we haue yet then at the least one good qualitie vertue whiche shall saue vs and that is euen our faith if ye will admitte nomore But here the Papists begin to cauell and wraÌ„gle which is a signe they draw to the last cast For they know well inough where the scripture thus ascribeth iustifieng and saluation to faithe that it taketh not faith in that respect that it is any quality or habite in vs no not infused of God nor any vertue theologicall nor yet any action of the minde But only in respect of the relation that it hath to Iesus Christ to grace to the mercies to the promises and to the gift of God God is all in all the gift Christ is only my iustification but bicause the feete wherwith we com vnto it is faith We are brought in saith S. Paule Through faith into this grace wherin we stand Nam fide statis By faith we stand Per fidem ambulamus with the feet of faith we walke to the mounte of God Bycause the eye wherby I looke on Christe is faithe Abraham vidit diem meuÌ„ Abraham sawe my daye saith Christ with the eye of faith Bicause the hande wherby I receaue it is faithe Quotquot receperunt eum So many as receaued him euen those that beleeue in his name he gaue them power to be the sons of God by which hand God guided the Isralites Apprehendi manum eorum vt edueerem eos è terra Aegipti I tooke them by the hand to leade them out of the land of Aegipt And by which hand we take hold on heauen Apprehende vitam aeternam Take holde fast on eternall life with this hande of faith Bycause the hart wherin I kepe it is faith Corde creditur with the heart we beleue and he dwelleth in the harte by faithe Bycause all these things are ascribed to faith Therefore the scripture saith that faith doth iustisie vs when Christ dothe iustifie vs bicause by faith I receaue Christ which is my iustification This I do not by my works but by my faithe therefore I saye with S. Paule Faith iustifieth without workes that is faith only applyeth the mercies and merits of Iesus Christ freely offred vnto me without any preparation or merite at all of mine And thus dothe S. Paule plainly expound him selfe in the seconde chapter to the Ephesians Ye are saued by grace through faith and that not of your selues for it is the gifte of God it comme the not of works leste anye man shold boast him selfe For we are his workemanship created in Christ Iesus vnto good works which God hath ordayned that we shold walke in them Here is first set down the state of iustification how we be saued Works are excluded from thys matter yea our selues and all as any cause hereof The reason is alleaged least we shold boast our selues and so all the glory shoulde not redeâ—…nde to God Then do they deface Gods glory and beaste themselues that put works or any thing in them selues in the cause of iustification The only 〈◊〉 is here made grace and least we sholde thinke any part of this grace to be in vs that is debarred also and grace is pronounced to be the only gift of God. Then is the meane shewed wherby we receyue this iustification through faith saith he here again works are lefte clene out and only faith is mencioned And thus is our iustificatioÌ„ wrought which done then beginneth S. Paul to deale with good works and sheweth the ende and ordinance of them not to be our iustifying or our meriting but only to walke in them And sheweth withal what good works are sutche as God hath ordained in Iesus Christ and not our own traditions And so in short and most pithy words knitteth vp all this controuersie Now if the Papist require to be further satisfied where S. Paule hath sayd we are saued by grace how it is wrought by grace least he sholde mistake grace for the good gifts that God hath geuen vs thinking by them for to be saued S. Paule with the lyke pithe and breuitie in the fourthe of the Romains declareth all the circumstance to him how it is wrought To him that worketh not saith he but beleueth in him that iustifieth the vngodly his faith is accounetd for rightousnesse euen as dauid declareth the blessednesse of the man vnto whom God imputeth righteousnesse with out works saying blessed are those whose iniquities are forgeuen and whose sinns are couered blessed is the man to whom the lorde imputeth not sinne The partie iustifieng is God the partie iustified is the vngodly man the vngodly manne hath no godly woorkes how then shall hee be iustified God offereth his promyse of iustification in Christe his sonne the vngodly man and destitute of all godly works beleueth Gods promise streight is thys man accepted before God for righteouse Why he hathe no righteousnesse in hym What though he is accepted for righteous He is altogether vngodly What of that All hys vngodlynesse is cleane couered neyther shall any poynt thereof be layde to his charge euen as though he had none at al And this is blessednesse and grace that that goodnesse he hath not is imputed to him euen as though hee had it And that wickednesse that hee hath â–ª is not
to beleue not as he wil him self beleue for that is no belefe In vanū colūt me docentes doctrinas praecepta hominū They worship me in vain saith god teching the doctrins precepts of men But what a belefe is that in God that will not be leue the very voice of God that openly not priuily aloude not like a Priest in his Memēto did manyfestly sownd out this most comfortable voice from heauen This is my wellbeloued sonne in whom I am well pleased here him Now if they will beleue God in whom they say they beleue thē must they here what Iesus Christ saith to them who playnly proueth him selfe the sonne of God that none knoweth the sonne but the father nor the father but the sonne and he to whom the son will reuele the father And that he is in the father and the father is in him and he the father are one This must he here of Christ and beleue in him And if he will not beleue for the words he spake let him beleue for the works he did These argumēts serue also against the Iew y simply denieth not Christ as doth the Turk but denieth Iesus the son of the virgin Ma ry to be Christ loketh for Christ yet to com But the law Prophets that he admitteth cleane con fute him and yet of a blind zeale and obstinate defence of his auncesters wicked murder of Christ he still denieth him And therefore he hath no part in this businesse till God shall call him to the knowlege faith of his son Reliquiae tamen saluabūtur we trust God will call the remnant of them And as Iews and Turks that beleue not in him receaue not this benefite by him so no hereti◅s that beleue not aright in christ For not to beleue aright is not to beleue at al A false belefe is no beleefe for God is true and it muste bee true that must haue true saluation Here the Papists crie out to the simple people that we be heretiks that teach this doctrine but till they can proue this doctrine heresie or any other that we teache it will be harde for them to proue vs to bee heretikes In th◅ meane season thus mutche we are able to proue agaynst them that they are none of these Qui credūt in eum that beleue in him But by what name they may be called that are neither heathen Turks nor Iewes neither beleue on Christ and yet pretēde to beleue vppon him by what name these may be called besides heretiks mainteining their not belefe in him so obstinatly as they doe let other geue them other names I know not what els to cal them Now if I proue not this that they beleue not in Iesus Christ alwaies I presuppose a true and right belefe for els it must folow they be heretiks then hardely let the Papist say or thinke that I do him open wrong and fowly sclander him Here I let goe that I haue alredy proued against him whiche were inoughe and more than inough to proue he hath no true faith in Iesus Christe that wold so order him But besides al those errours doctrines and abuses thus I proue it To beleue in other creatures besides him is not to beleue in him But the Papists beleue in other creaturs besides him Ergo they beleue not in him The argument is euidēt and then the conclusiō must nedes follow excepte the Papist can improue any one of the premisses or any part therof If he denie the Minor that the Papists beleue in other creatures besides him and crie out I sclaunder him in his this saying that how fowly soeuer otherwise he erred yet he kept the head sure and always beleued only in God How shal I know the certeintie of this I would it were so for his owne sake and that I lied on him herein But what shall I trust his false faithe there is little holde in it although he had sworne it and written it and sealed it Example their faithe to Iohn Husse and their generall rule Nulla fides haereticis est habenda No faith must be kepte with heretikes And he before hand iudging me an heretike and protesting to be false vnto me how shall I beleue him neither wil he beleue mee and both he and I are parties Let then an indifferent iudge be vmper to see whether they beleue in any other creatures besydes Iesus Christ or no. Why who can iudge the hearte but God that is true where the hart sheweth no outwarde declaration but Ex fructibus eorum cognoscetis eos By their frutes sayeth Christe ye shall know them belefe can not be hidden Credidi prop ter Quam locutus sum I beleued and therefore I spake saith Dauid S. Paule then except the papist wil refuse him shal be this vmpier that maketh this question of the effectes of faith Quomodo ergo inuocabunt in quem non crediderunt Howe then shall they call vpon him in whom they haue not beleued As who should saye if they had not beleued in God they wold not haue made inuocation on him But they haue made inuocation on him and therfore it must nedes follow that they beleued in him For how could they haue called vppon him on whom they beleued not And this rule of S Paule is a general rule in al belefes For ensample how shall I know a Gentiles belefe Marke the Gentils inuocation He maketh inuocation to Iupiter Iuno Mars Venus Mercurie and suche other idols Ergo he beleueth in them Howe shall I knowe a Turkes and Saracens faith marke his inuocation he maketh inuocation to Mahomet Ergo he beleueth in Mahomet How shall I know the Indians fayth at Calecute marke his inuocation He maketh inuocation to the diuell inthronized and crowned like the Pope it followeth then he beleueth in the diuell How shall I know the faith of the wyld heathens and sauage pagans in Scythia Affrica and America mark their inuocations they inuocated the Sun the mone the starres beastes byrdes fishes serpents and such like it foloweth thē they did beleue in them And euen so to know a papists faith marke a papists inuocation He maketh inuocation to Saintes Ergo the Papist beleueth in Saints but to beleeue in Saints is to beleue increatures besides Christe therfore he beleueth not in God only as he sayd he dyd Now if hee denie the maior of my argument whiche was this to beleue in other besydes him is not to beleue in him and affirme that he doth and may beleue in bothe but principally in him and secondely in Sainctes then presse I him with this sayng of Christ Qui credunt in eum not in eos they that beleue in him not they that beleeue in them But the Papistes credunt in eos they beleeue in them therfore Non credunt in eū they beleue not in him neyther is this emphasis that Christe here vseth of