haue man idle and voyde of good workes to be ledde in that idelnes with a wanne hope to liue merely and at his pleasure here and yet haue heuen at the last And for that purpose procured oure pardons from Rome wherein heauen was sold for a litle money for to retayle that marchaundise the deuyll vsed freres for his ministers nowe they be gone with all theyr tromperye but the deuyll is not yet gonne And now he perceaueth it can no lenger be borne to bye sell heauen both the marchaundise is abhorred and the ministers also we can not away with freres ne canne abyde the name The deuyll hath excogitate to offre heuen without workes for it so frelye that men shal not nede for heauen to worke at all what so euer opportunite they haue to worke mary if they wyll haue an higher place in heauen god wyl leaue no worke vnrewarded but as to be in heauen nedes no workes at all but onelye belefe onelye onelye nothynge els And to set forth this the deuylles craft there were I sayde mynysters but no mo fryers fye on the name and the garment but nowe they be called by an Englysshe name bretherne and go apparelled lyke other meÌ„ amonges whyche be some of those that were freres and serued the deuyll in retaylynge of heauen in pardons for they can skyll of the deuyls seruyce But yf the kynges maiestie as he hath banyshed freres by the Frenche name wold also banyshe these that cal them selfe brethren in Englyshe the deuyll shulde be greatly discomforted in his enterprise and idelnes therby banyshed whiche the deuyll wyll elles perswade by mysunderstandinge of scriptures as he dyd in thaduauncemente of pardons This my sermon was thought to some very plaine and Barnes as he confessed after and as appeared by that he dyd coulde not digeste it but was perswaded and comforted to handle me somwhat rudely which he dyd the sondaye fourtnyght after in the same place where he toke to intreat the same text of the gospell that I had declared and left the scripture of the sonday he preached on which had not ben sene in that place before Barnes preachinge at Pauls crosse the thyrde soÌ„day in lent An. M.D.xxxix There he began to call for me to coÌ„me forth to aunswer him he termed me to be a fyghtynge cocke and he was an other and one of the game he said I had no spoores and that he wold shewe This glorye endured but tyl the friday after by whiche tyme he hadde for gotten al on the saturday chose his scolemaister and the monday came to scoole like a good chylde And after he had pleased him selfe in thallegory of a cockefight then vpon a foolysh conclusion he cast me openly his gloue and not content therwith he called me forth by my name gardener and opposed me in my grammer rules and sayde If I had aunswered him in the scoole as I had there preached at the crosse he wold haue gyuen me syxe stripes and raged after suche a sorte as the lyke hath not ben herde doone in a pulpete ordered to declare the word of god in and not to touche any particuler man as he rayled of me by name alludynge to my name Gardener what euyll herbes I sette in the garden of scripture so farre beyonde the termes of honestye as all men wondered at it to heare a Bylshop of the realme as I was so reuyled and by suche one openlye So as my frendes enforced me to complaine vnto the kinges maiestie and for maintenauÌ„ce of common order not to passe â–ª it ouer vnspoken of Wherevpon I complayned carynge more for the peruerse doctryne he wente aboute to establyshe in deprauing of me then for anye displeasure coulde come vnto me by his raylynge Howe graciouselye the kynges maiestie herde the complaynte and howe indifferentlye his maiestie after his accustomed goodnes ordered thexamynation of it all good men might haue cause to reioyse and Barnes no cause of greefe but cause of comforte in the kinges maiesties mercye yf he wolde haue ernestly enbraced it For what so euer folowed worthely by iustice If Barneâ— had not extremely abused the kynges maiesties goodnes for a little vaine glory among suche as magnified hym for their owne purpose he had escaped all punishment â–ª the kynges maiestye offred Barnes as muche mercye as euer dyd prince any offendour declarynge howe his highnes was desyrouse of concorde in the truth rather then the punysshemente of any man that wolde from erroure be reduced to the truth And one notable thyng was done in the hearynge of that matter by the kynges maiestie when Barnes offred to yelde to his hyghnesse in hys opynyon the kynges grace syttinge secretly in his closet and hauinge with hym the late Erle of Southampton whose soule God pardon the mayster of the horse that nowe is Me Barnes mayster doctoure Cockes and doctoure Robinson The kinges highnes A behauour and speache of the kinges maiestie secretly done worthye an open knowledge and eternall memory at that offre of Barnes sayd I am ê™ his maiestie a mortall man and therwith rysyng turning to the sacrameÌ„t and puttinge of his bonet sayde Yonder is the maister of vs all author of truth yelde in truth to hym and I shall saith the kinges maiestie defende that truth And otherwyse Barnes ê™ the kynges maiestie yelde not to me Muche more there was notably spoken by the kinges highnes to refourme Barnes foly in his maner also lernynge which I touch not because I shuld rather empayre and diminishe that was in deed sayde then tell it fullye But to the purpose I tell this story for I desyred the kinges maiesty that Barnes and I myght commen togither of the matter out of his highnes presence in the hearing of certayne to be appointed by his highnes as indifferent to make report of our dispitions and then Barnes shoulde haue no cause to excuse hym selfe yf he could not conuince me as he dydde in the pulpete onely touchinge the truth of hys doctrine disprouynge myne For as for his rebukes I clearly remytted and forgaue them and wolde common as quyetlye with hym as yf he had vsed no suche language of me which my peticion the kinges maiestie graunted and appoynted mayster doctoure Cockes and mayster doctoure Robynson with two other to be indifferent hearers bytwene Barnes and me and onely to heare vs talke togyther and make report to his highnes Wherevpon that nyghte whiche was the frydaye after Barnes hadde preached so outragiouslye of me Barnes I and the hearers were aparte where none other myghte heare vs. And for entry of disputation betwene Barnes and me I tolde hym I beganne with forgyuynge all was past that myght touche me I beganne in frendshyp with hym onelye intendynge to trye the truthe of the doctrine in controuersye betwene hym and me and therein I offered hym choyse whether he wolde haue me aunswere hym or he to aunswere me He chase
of God do I not make god auctoure of fayth wher by is assured knowledge of gods wyll and pleasure conteynynge the condicion of oure estate required to enioy theffecte of christes passion whiche is the summe of that I said hitherto Nowe when ye reherse for mine article as foloweth This faith is a good gyft it is good and profitable to me It is good and profitable to me to do well and exercyse this fayth Ye note me to haue spoken a sorte of good wordes but suche as I spake not in dede be in dede nothynge to the purpose And it had ben a coold speache to say fayth is a good gifte it is good and profitable it is profitable to me to do well I that had called faith the gyfte of god necessaryly before all requyred for knowledge it had ben worship fully spoken afterwarde to saye fayth is a good gyfte by laken as though any gyfte of god coulde be otherwyse then good Barnes wyt was more fresh â—râ—de that exâ—ed grace â—rred al in â—arnes and many mo our matter more lyuely quycke theÌ„ to make these articles as ye note them And they serue nothyng to the coÌ„clusyon that ye reherse afterward ergo by the gyft of god I may do well before I am iustified And that was in dede the mater proponed betwene vs. whether a maÌ„ myght haue grace to do well before he were iustified For maister Barns had affirmed that albeit god saith we must forgyue our neyghbour to obteyne forgyuenes of god yet he said that god must forgyue vs first before we forgiue our neighbour For elles to forgyue oure neyghbour were synne by the texte that ye brynge in All that is not of fayth is synne A true sayeng but brought in to subuerte truth as the deuyll dyd scripture And in this dreame was Barnes that folowyng the newe scoole of extremites he denyed al degrees of grace as you do said A man could do nothyng good or acceptable before the grace of iustificatioÌ„ For coÌ„futation wherof I agreed fyrst with hym and he with me of the former proposicions and came to this that we must haue fayth firste of all to knowe what we shulde beleue After this I asked him if a gentile felte him self moued to go heare a preachynge or rede some parte of scripture whether wolde he cal it wel done of him to go to the sermoÌ„ rede the scripture or were it synne because it was before faith He said it was good And then I said it must nedes be so for it was of God profitable to hym And thereupon folowed the conclusion that ye laughe at ergo a man may do good before his iustification Barnes was not contente in dede with the conclusion And wheÌ„ he sawe that he coulde improue none of the partes wherof it folowed Then began he to saye that suche a gentyle so moued to go to the sermon or to rede scripture was then iustified of god in that mocion And then I replied Ergo men be iustified before fayth and so were it by Barnes false that onely faith iustifieth for this man was iustified without faith For howe shulde he haue faith before he hadde harde when faith is of hearinge as saint Paule sayth But to defend and maintaine his first fonde saieng that a man can do no good thinge before he be iustified he was faine to maynteyne that a man is iustified before he heareth and before he beleueth and so confounded he the degrees of gods workynge in time in vs. Fyrst to call vs and then to iustifie vs as saint Paule declareth it Those he hath knowen he hath predestinate and those he hath predestinate he hath called and those he hath called he hath iustified and those he hath iustified he hath glorified So as callynge whiche god doth by many meanes is before iustification at the lest in ordre or els if we considre no prioritie in gods workinge in time in vs we must aswell say god hath glorified vs when he doth iustifie vs as that he hath iustified vs â—erard that â—ffred with â—arnes had preached at the callynge of vs. And in dede one of Barnes companions had preached that God had iustified vs before the beginninge of the worlde puttynge no difference betwene iustificatioÌ„ in time and predestination and election that God worketh aboue tyme and such a coÌ„fusion ariseth where men will take vpon them to affirme that they vnderstande not And because they neyther done mind to do anye good dedes they wold perswade to the world the we caÌ„ do no maner of good dedes tyll we haue no nede of them for our saluacion that is to say til we be iustified and clerely in goddes perfyt fauour and assured by our owne belefe of lyfe euerlastynge I speake coÌ„fuselye of workes of iustice and workes of penaunce together whiche they do not distincte as appereth by Ioye in the laste article but for doctrine I saye with saynte Austine that bona opera iusticie sequuntur iustificationem and opera penitencie precedunt and as though we shulde saye to god Giue me my wages aforehande and make me sure that I shal haue heauen and then I professe I wil forgeue my neighbour Then I wil fast the true fast from synne Then I wil pray Then I wyll do almose Then I wil loue mine enemy For then I can do it And before the al our dedes al our thoughtes be synne Ne man can haue grace to do any of these before iustification And so if belefe be requyred before iustification there aryseth then a maruelouse perplexytye howe I shuld worke well the worke of beleefe before I am iustified But as we say my synnes be forgiuen because I beleue so bycause my synnes were forgyuen I dydde beleue And for defence hereof they enter into a darker matter of goddes priuie counsayl of predestinacion and make predestination the next and immediate cause to our saluacion Predestinacion And then as all the worlde hath almost lefte doynge so they shulde leaue talkynge of workes yea and faith also and saye that men be saued by predestination For god hath so appoynted whose wyll in them that be predestinate shal be fulfylled and in them that be reprobate can not be withstanded Voluntati enim eius quis resistit And so when men haue so longe stryuen to atteyne knoweledge of the truth and babled of faith and workes without atteynynge eyther of both then as men do that be wery of all together they resort to the ydle reasonynge as the Grekes cal it That shal be shal be And as god hath appointed so must it be and god knoweth who be his and he wyll lose none of them And al beleued that were preordinate to euerlastynge lyfe and they that be indurate can not heare or se for god hath blynded them finally all thinges come to passe by an absolute necessite and so mannes lyfe death manours behauour state condicion and
moste certeynlye beleue it A busy wittâ— must be confounded and so tamed like a yonge coltâ— in a newe falowed lande broughte to knowe his imbecillite â–ª But saint Paule doth rather go about to confounde mans iudgement more and more that wolde enterprise to discerne gods secrete iudgementes to that purpose bringeth in the aunswere of god to Moises when he prayed god to pardonne the synne of Idolatrye committed by them that worshypped the golden calf which auÌ„swer of god was that god wold haue compassion of theÌ„ that he thought good to pardon and shewe mercy to suche as it pleased him wherby appeared that amonge a multitude that offended a lyke to mans iudgement god in ministracion of mercy vsed the pleasure of his wil makynge a difference in distribucion of his mercy where mannes reason coulde perceiue no difference in the offence So as neyther mans wyllynge or runnyng atteyneth the effecte but by the mercye of God And after thys saynt Paule bringeth in the scripture of Pharao whome God stirred vp to shew his vertue in him and to shewe forth gods name in the hole earth in which Pharao the withdrawynge of gods mercy which he obstinatelye withstode notwithstandyng so many myracles wrought by goddes powre to call him to mercye the saide Pharaos induracion grewe and folowed in such sorte as mans reason wyll thereof gather and conclude whom so euer god wyll haue mercy on he ministreth it vnto hym and whose hart god wil harden he hardeneth And then it foloweth that if this be so god hath no cause to complayne of man as the murmerer sayth who is fashioned and placed after gods wyll which no man can resiste Preyde by boldnes encresith and stayeth not til it come to the highest Wherein saynte Paule learneth vs to what issue the presumptuouse searchynge of goddes secrete iudgementes commethe vnto whereby manne studyeth to impute hys faulte to goddes ordenaunce to arrecte all the blame to God and excuse our self And further saynt Paule teacheth vs howe to represse suche mennes arrogante temeritie to encountre with god and pertely to aske hym why he complayneth of that he hath hym selfe ordeyned for as he hathe wylled all thynge is such a rebuke as foloweth is verye mete and conuenient as what man art thou that canst vse suche language to god Shall the worke that is made aske the craftes man whye madest me thus may not the potter of one lumpe of claye make one vessell A presumptuous boldnes must be put to sylence to an honeste vse and a nother to a vyle vse In this wyse and wyth suche sort of aunswere shoulde the mouth of eche proude presumtuouse arrogante wytte be stopped that wolde attempt so to dispute goddes workes as in conclusion he myght deryue the verye cause of mannes iniquitie to be attribute to goddes ordenaunce as directed by his onelye wyl Howe vnsemely is it that the worke shulde stryue with the craftes man we shoulde be all in the hand of god as the claye is in the hande of the potter folowyng obedient styll quyet without reasonyng or murmuringe at goddes ordenaunce Note thiâ— vnderstandynge of saint Paulâ— in this placâ— And here saynte Chrisostome notethe that this simylytude of the potter is not broughte in by saynte Paule to declare that God hathe created men in the worlde as the potter makethe pottes specyallye appoyntynge thys man or that man to be dampned as the potter makethe certayne vyle pottes for then we shoulde affyrme a mere necessitie But this similitude of the craftes man and potter is broughte to declare oure parte towardes God not to reason with god of our state and controll his doynges but to honoure him obeye hym with contentemente of our selfe in our estate without all irreuerent encountryng with our craftes man god no more the other workes of men do with their craftes man Manes free choyse hath â—en a perpetuall true doctrine in christes churche So as in this passe of saynt Paule saynt Chrisostome is very diligent to note and conferme vnto vs that saint Paule myndeth not to empayre the true doctryne of mannes free choyce gyuen of God to be the cause of his owne dampnacion by refusynge goddes gyfte of grace whereby he myghte be saued and that the induracion of Pharao grew of his owne malyce only by goddes sufferaunce and permission and this doctrine hath euer ben in Christes churche from the begynnyng Symon Magus the fyrste auctor of mere necessite which Symon Magus dyd fyrste impugne and was the fyrste auctour of the heresie of mere necessitie whyche heresie hath ben in sundry ages renued as it hath ben of late by luther other and not yet extinct But let vs returne again to saynt Paule who after he hath stopped the vnshamefast mouth of the murmuringe Iewe that wolde unpute the reiection of the Iues to gods ordenaunce Saynt Paule entendynge to declare where the cause of the Iewes fall is to be sought and founde after certayne textes broughte oute of the prophetes Osee and Isaye sygnyfyenge before suche a reiection to be of the Iewes Saynte Paule asketh what shall we saye then yf if be not to be attributed to goddes faulte or iniquytye whyche is ouer greate blasphemye that the Iewes were caste oute and the ientyles receyued Quid dicemus what shall we saye where shall we fynde the cause of theyr reiection Wherunto it is aunswered and a cause declared as foloweth that the ientyles not folowynge the iustyee of workes embraced the very iustice by faith And the Israelites folowinge the lawe of iustice atteyned it not because they wente about to obteine it by workes and not by faith So as finallye this lesson we muste learne wherof saynt Paule spake in the begynnynge of the epistle Deus uerax est omnis homo mendax And we muste worshyp gods truth and accuse our owne iniquitie The cause â—f maÌ„s damâ—ation in â—ym selfe We must sâ—ke the cause of our dampnacion in our owne malice not in gods ordenaunce Perditio tua ex te Israel We must acknowledge the inscrutable wisedome of god that so disposeth all thinge swetely as all men haue cause to magnifie his mercy and no man by goddes ordre tempted to murmur of his iustice Those that be dampned muste lamente their owne miserie Those that be saued muste glorye in god who hath predestinate them called theÌ„ iustified them and glorified them And therfore death is a due sould for synne and lyfe euerlastynge due by the grace of god What shall I saye nowe haue I lerned you what is predestinatioÌ„ throughly nay for sothe Nor I haue taken that vpon me But thus much I know that predestination doth not impugne the free choyse of man ne restrayneth the goodnes of god with acception of persons or diminissheth that sentence of saynt Paule Deus uult omnes homines saluos fieri ad agnitioneÌ„ ueritatis uenire God wylleth all men to be saued and come