there rideth a pryncely prelate a gloriouse Byshop to orne and honor an hole realme See what a clenly sorte of tall men he hath aboute hym what costely liueries geueth he what a many of idle belies dayly fedeth he Hath not Winch. lo wherof to glorye before men is not this a ioylye iustification Nowe foloweth his conclusion of him selfe sayenge ergo by the gyfte of god that is by these worldely gyftes I may do well before worldlye men of fleshely iudgement before I be iustified before God yet iustified gloriously in which I reioyce before men This is his Iewysshe iustification wherof the Pharisaies so highly reioyced in so muche that Christ tolde them that he came not to call suche iuste men but synners to repentaunce warnynge the people that excepte theyr rightwysnes abounded aboue the Pharisais good dedes they shulde neuer come to heuen And Paule sayth that men ignorant of the ryghtwisnes or rightwise makynge of god and sekynge to set fast as nowe dothe Wynchester their owne rigthwisenes they be neuer subiect to the rightwisnes of god Wynchester yet knoweth not the office of the lawe to shewe vs our synnes to worke wrath to make synne the more to abound as Paul proueth it to the Romayns so farre of must it be to iustify Neither yet knoweth he thoffice proper place of faith nor yet what thynge fayth is but conceyueth a certayne fantasticall opinion therof as doth euery speculatyue pharisay and idle hypocrite And a man shulde speke after the very order of nature and of the tyme he muste nedes sette faith before workes as is the tree before it blometh and the blomes before the fruyte The sead is cast into the erth before it groweth and fructifieth The seade is the worde of god saith Christe And nyghe vnto the is the worde of fayth euen in thyne herte and mouth Fayth is effectuouse and worketh by loue And the ende of the precept is loue out of a pure harte by fayth hartes are made pure sayeth Peter and a good conscience and of faith vnfayned I thinke Winc. is not so ignoraunte in his Gramer as to englysshe this texte of Paule Fides que operatur per dilectionem as dydde Iohn fysher the byshoppe of Rochester in hys sermon at Paules crosse and afterwarde prynted thus englysshed fayth which is wrought by charitie so settynge the carte before the horse and lyke an vngodlye gardener to peruerte and turne the rotes of his plantes and herbes vpwarde of whyche I harde as it were an olde prophecye .xl. yeres agoo that such an Antechrist shuld come to peruerte the iustificacion of faythe and turne Chrystes relygyon vpsedowne I am sewre he wyll not sette workes before fayth no not in the yong baptyzed infantes nor yet in Paule at his conuersion nor in the thefe hanging by Chryste crucified It is truth that workes being the frutes of fayth standynge in theyr owne place procedynge oute of fayth iustyfyenge dymynysshe not the effecte of Chrystes passyon For we are made in Chryste Iesu to do the good workes whyche God hath prepared that we shoulde walke in them We are saued frelye by faythe sayeth Paule yea and that not of workes for it is the gyfte of god that we be saued by fayth and not for oure workes leste anye man shoulde reioyce in his owne dedes But yf Wynch put his workes in the place and office of fayth as the condicion withoute the whyche no man is iustyfyed so dymynyssheth he yea he is iniuriouse and blasphemous vnto the effecte of Chrystes passyon for by this doctryne his diminute imperfecte and wycked workes shulde deserue vs forgeuenes of synnes as though Chrystes bloude and so plentuouse a redempcyon in Chryste were not suffycyente If by the lawe sayeth Paule men be made ryghtwyse so is Chryste deade in vayne Loue must fulfyll the condycyon sayth he ergo the workes of the lawe are his condicion Roma 13. Now let vs see what loue god asketh of vs for yf we haue not that loue we shall neuer fulfyll Wynch condicion God commaundeth vs to loue him with our hole hartes myndes soules and wyth all our strengthe and oure neyghbours ye and oure ennemyes to as our selues ye and that euen as Christe loued vs whiche dyed for vs beynge his ennemyes He byddeth vs to be perfyte and holy as hym selfe is not to be so angry with oure brother as to prouoke hym with any euyll worde to anger nor to desyre anye other mans good seruaunt wyfe c. no not to loue oure owne lyues in his cause but to hate our flesshe and dye for his sake Nowe tell me Wynchester yf anye one man hath this loue and so fulfylled your condicion or els dare your selfe affyrme to haue fulfylled it yf ye haue not ergo by youre owne wordes ye shall neuer enioye the effect of Christes passion and yet speke I not of the perfytte fayth and hope that euery man in God is bounde to haue beware therfore Wyn. howe ye set your saluacyon vppon so harde a condicion leste ye come to shorte of the gates shuttynge with your .v. folysh virgens If you hadde once fulfylled as you neuer shal your condicion and so perseuering you nede not to praye Father forgeue me my dettes nor neuer to say your Pater noster For ye owe no loue neyther vnto God nor man ye haue payed all And yet sayth Paule owe ye nothynge to any man but mutuall loue shewynge loue to be a dette euer in payenge and neuer full payed We shall aunswer for euery ydle worde sayth Christe But yf Wynchester had accomplysshed his cōdicion so myght he go playe and iustle in iudgement with Christ for his saluacion hauynge no nede of Christes passion then myghte he clayme heauen of dewtye and make grace no grace whiche is a mere free gyfte vndeserued of any man and thus were he one of those iuste prelates whome Chryste sayde he came not to cal Is not he a proud foole to whome when god geueth a free iustification in christ yet wyll he refuse to take it but vpon a condicion that he deserue it with suche workes as hym self is neuer able to perfourme what arrogant foole wolde thus condicion hym selfe agenste gods wyll Peter consideringe this importable condicion sayde by faith god purifieth theyr hertes and wherefore then do ye nowe tempte god so much layenge such a yoke vpon mens necks which nether our fathers nor we be able to bere By the grace of our lord Iesu christ we beleue vs to be saued as were our fathers If we shuld saye that we haue no synne in vs so are we lyers Wherfore the scriptures conclude euery man to be a synner and infidele that of all men God moughte haue mercy And that the promyse oute of fayth in Iesu christe shoulde be geuen to the beleuers Only Christ fulfylled the lawe And yf Wynchester wolde mok out Paule sayenge that when he concluded so ofte man to be frely iustified by fayth onelye
without the workes of the lawe that he mente by the workes of the lawe but cyrcumcysyon and the other ceremonies nowe abrogated and not the lawe of the commaundementes Then let him heare Paule expownynge hym selfe of what lawe he mente aunswerynge to suche obiections By the lawe sayth he cometh the knowledge of synne and I hadde not knowen concupyscence to haue ben synne hadde not the lawe sayde Thou shalt not haue any concupiscens or lust And then when he wrote his pysâ—les circumcision and the rytes and ceremonyes were abrogated amonge the christen Iewes and the Gentyles neuer were bounde to them as was Abraham iustyfyed by fayth onelye ere the lawe was wrytten and before he was cyrcumcysed And Peter sayd that this same lawe whyche Paule excludethe from iustificacion and Wynch calleth his condicioÌ„ is a yoke importable whiche proueth it not to be circumcysion nor anye of their ceremonyes of Moses lawe for these were lyght enoughe to beare lyghter and easyer then to not luste or desyre any thynge agaynst goddes wyll or for a ryche man to forsake all and gyue it to the pore or for Wynchester to caste of his pride his bisshopryke with all his vaynglorye and to become the humble poore pure persecuted preacher of goddes worde It is redde that therewas one man that by suffring doynge and fulfyllynge the lawe of the commaundementes came to heuen euen christe onelye In Math. we reade of a nother yonge man that wolde go to heuen by doynge some good workes askynge Chryste Good Mayster what dedes shall I do to haue lyfe eternall whose mynde Chryste seynge dydde set hym but certayne of the easyeste commaundementes to fulfyll them And he sayde as for these I haue done them alredye wel then sayd chryst or rather so thought If ye wyll nedes go to heauen by doyng I shall set you to do such dedes as I knowe well ye wyll neuer do yea they be impossible for you to do theÌ„ euen to sell his substance and to geue it to the poore and so to folow hym now goyng forth to Ierusalem to suffer death What dydde this man I praye you howe farre went he with Christ thinke you went he not his waye heuyly from christ And yet wyll Wynchester go to heauen by doynge and fulfyllynge his harde condicion I dare saye he wolde skratche his head twise as dydde this ryche man ere he solde his bysshoprike and hadde gyuen it to the poore And therefore christe pronounced that it is impossible for such riche men to come to heauen God therfore trusted vs so litle with the fulfyllynge of the lawe and so by this condicion to come to heauen that he toke it out of our handes layd it vppon his sonne christes backe to be fulfilled For yf he had left our saluacion in our owne handes to be deserued by our workes we had ben al dampned VvintonÌ„ Your haÌ„deling of this my conclusion declareth plain that ye vnderstaÌ„d not what ye say nor of what thing ye affirme and that I leaue to the iudgement of the reader with remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of that I haue before written For ye fondely improue a conclusion which myght stand be true with your fonde paradox of only fayth iustifieth onlesse in teaching ye wyl so handel the matter as Barnes did that a maÌ„ is iustified before he beleueth For and if beleue go before iustification as a cause doth theffecte then seing in scripture belefe is called a dede and proceding from the gift of god must nedes be a good dede it foloweth necessarily Ergo I may by gods gift do a good deede before I am iustified But I moued Barnes of a deede before belefe that is that lerning to beleue by hearing sermons or reading wherin the grace of god prepareth mans wyll as scripture sayth So truly do you saye wheÌ„ ye cal me pelagian I asked Barnes of that deede whether it were good or no and proued it good And then bicause it is done before iustification I brought the conclusion aforesayde wherof ye take occasion to be ioyful in the mery moneth of May. All which your iestinges I can so wel digest as I am not ashamed to cause theÌ„ to be rehersed in this boke bicause the buddes of your fruteful lerning may appeare to considre what frute we may loke for of theÌ„ As for the matter of iustificatioÌ„ by faith and workes was not ment betwene Barnes and me to be spoken of in this conclusion and so therin ye striue not with me but with your self beat your owne shadow in stead of an aduersary Where ye thinke I am not so ignorauÌ„t in my graÌ„mer as to englyshe the text of saynt Paule Fides que per dilectionem operatur Fayth which is wrought by charitie and make operatur a uerbe passiue ye thynke not amisse if I shulde englysshe it worde for worde But as for the sense because scripture doth attribute life to charite withoute which fayth remayneth dead I se no suche cause of absurdite as ye fynde to saye fayth is set a worke by charite The enterprise of thesâ— sâ—eres is worldly anâ— they set it furthe witâ— prophecies other worldly vanities and the good lerned men of the Greke churche expounde saynte Iames after that sorte And as for suche vanitie in prophecies if ye do regarde them in the peruerting of iustification you and Barnes with your secte were that company who haue so confusely handled that matter as ye make iustificatioÌ„ before al faith in hym that is onely moued to beleue Considre with your self whether this turnynge vpsidowne in consideratioÌ„ of the doctrine in iustificatioÌ„ .xl. yeres past may be verified on you or me I affirme the same iustificatioÌ„ that was theÌ„ taught you be the turners Ioyes prâ—phecy noteâ— him self anâ— he seeth it not so by your owne prophecy be noted for Antechrist I gyue no credite to suche prophecies but because you do I allege youre owne prophecie for your owne confusion Blynde men â—ee nothinge and as ye can not se goddes truth whiche ye beleue not so ye can not se the true sense of your owne prophane prophecie whiche ye beleue And yf ye wyll nowe go backe from youre backewarde iustificacion after your accustomed maner then must you place the studyouse worke of learnyng our belefe and likewise the worke of baptisme the worke of beleuing and the worke of loue to be before iustification and some of them in the thefe hangynge on the crosse God iustifieth no man without the gyftes of fayth and loue this ye graunt whiche when man receyueth he receiueth by theÌ„ iustification wherin I call mans deserte and merite onely the vsing of the benefites offred of faith and loue And other deserte and merite man can not haue For what hath any man good that he hath not receyued And therefore the commaundemente of loue with oure hole hartes c. is not so extreme as ye make it to a christen man whose faythe speakethe to
God boldely Da quod iubes as saynt Austen sayth Gyue that thou coÌ„maundeste by reason whereof the yoke of the lawe impossible to be borne is in christe easye throughe the gyfte of God by Christe in whome we maye do all Neyther loue ne fayth can be in man perfit and they nede both continuall encreace but he that knoweth oure infyrmities taketh in good parte oure imperfection for oure sauyoure Chrystes sake vpon whome our saluacion is grounded neyther vpon workes ne fayth workes striue not with faith as Ioye and his suppose with youre diuision wherof ye deceaue the simple people as though workes required of a christen man wherein to vse the gyftes purchased for man by christ â–ª were at contention and stryfe with fayth lyke the workes of Moises lawe And herein ye moch please your self and thinke other grosse that be so madde to grounde their saluacion vpon workes beinge impossible and leaue the saluacion by fayth whiche is sure and certeyne And some talke of fayth wherewith to apprehende goddes mercy as though fayth had haÌ„des to take and holde fast and loue none and they graunt that no man is iustified without charitie but yet properlye they say faith apprehendeth the iustificacion wherof how properly they speake I shall speake hereafter at large Nowe I wyll a litle note your fondenes mayster Ioy so to dally in so great a matter â–ª ye aske me whether I haue fulfylled the condicion of the iustification and yet ye can not tell what condycyon Barnes and I spake of and so ye aske ye wote not what and come in with a free iustificatioÌ„ as though I deuised our iustification to be bonde These be mere fransies I euer affirmed that we be frelye iustified and frely saued yet god in giuinge vs this fredome for christe worketh so in ordre and so wylleth vs to obserue it which I call the condycyon as for wante thereof we shal eyther not atteyne fredome or loose oure fredom wheÌ„ we haue atteyned it For ones made free frome synne we muste walke in the pathe of iustice and lyue in this worlde soberly iustly and godly and also to atteine this fredome do as god hath ordayned in vsynge hys sacramentes worthelye with conuersyon also of our harte and penaunce as god requireth of vs whose wyll our sauiour christ in his workes dedes preachinges hath declared vnto vs whiche you depraue so abhominablye and detestablie as euen in this place god suffereth you to write so vndiscretelye of hym as hath not ben lykely seene or harde For not being coÌ„tente to alledge christes wordes in a sense of your owne imagination ye vtter it thus A licencious speache of Ioye touched Christe so sayde or rather so thought A straunge speache Christe shewed hym selfe god in that he knew the thoughtes of men what do you shewe youre selfe in that ye take vpon you without wordes to leade you to discerne the thought of Christ very god and man and frame the speache so as though christ coulde not vtter his thought for wante of language that is implied in your rather so thought Ioye reade this place ones and ones agayne and considre thyne owne foly in it I will not with other termes engreue the matter but pray God it may ashame the and bringe the to repentaunce For malyce in the treatinge of this matter hath so encreased in the as it hath vtterly confounded thy senses that thou sawest not what thou haste written in this place Chryst sayd or rather thoughte ye say And what thought do you attribute to christâ— that he should bidde men do that he knewe well they wolde neuer do and that were impossible to do whiche were a more cruell thought then any christen harte could attribute to our moost mercyfull sauioure Cursed be he sayth saynt Iherome that sayth gods coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„tes be impossible And when ye haue in these fewe wordes sayde so farre amisse ye bydde me saye on Wynchester ones agayne as foloweth Vvin. v. â—rticle Ergo I maye do well by the gyfte of God before I am iustified towardes the atteynement of iustificacion Ioye Nowe declareth he by his well doynge for the attaynement of his iustification to be iustified by workes Here is his condicion declared to be workes Here he sheweth hym selfe to be arrogantlye bolder then Dauyd or iust Iob whiche both feared their workes and desyred god not to entre into iudgement with them for then shoulde there no man be iustified in his sight and again sayeth Dauyd Lorde yf thou shouldes obserue oure inyquytyes who shall stande before the in iudgemente vncondempned But Wynch may do well in the moneth of May before men ere he be iustified before god and so reioyse of his owne ioyly iustificacion ridinge vpon his horse or mule He wolde fayne here wrap in his workes with his faith both together into one bedde to warme and win his iustificatioÌ„ that he myght be sure by both together for the mo the better to be iustified Sed pallium ambos operire non potest sayth Isai but the couerlet is to narowe and to shorte to couer them both one of theÌ„ therefore is lyke to lye bare ars and a colde For god to whome we be maried by faythe and mercye is a ielouse god and wyll not that any of his spouses shulde lye with a nother to diuide their fayth froÌ„ hym to workes to be iustified by them nor to separate forgyuenes of synnes from his bloud Is Christ deuided And therefore if this iusticiarye by his may well doynge before he be iustified towarde thattaynement therof so procede towarde his entent he maye be as the fryers and monkes were wont to saye in via perdicionis perfectionis I wold say but vnto the very iustification shal he neuer come euen men of a corrupte mynde caried awaye of diuers lustes euer lernynge and neuer commen vnto the knoweledge of the truth for suche deceyuers shall goo forthe worse and worse tyll theyr wyckednes be rype leadynge other into errours theyr selues beynge blynde and farre oute of the waye turned vnto vayne speache and false doctrine wyllynge to be seene doctours and yet vnderstonde they not what they saye nor of what thynges they make actes artycles and institutyons VvintonÌ„ AS ye expound my sayenges so haue you expouÌ„ded scripture onely as ye wolde haue it or as ye gesse at it withoute consideration howe one exposition agreeth with a nother ye be like youre self in peruersite throughlye For as ye care not what sense ye make of scripture so it lyketh you no more care ye what ye report of any mans writinges or sayenges so it lyke you whereby ye declare throughly your generation WheÌ„ I hadde proued to Barnes that it was vnaduisedly sayde of hym that man myghte not do well by goddes grace before iustification I dydde fyrst improue that fonde sayenge whereby he confounded the ordre of iustification And wheÌ„ I had declared that as I haue before