infyrmitye and weakenesse ▪ For if Moses had spoken there of the bare commaundementes onlye he shoulde haue puft vp the people with a most hurtfull and pernitious confydence wherby they must nedes to haue caste them selues headlonge in to vtter destruction if they had attempted to obserue and kepe the lawe by theyr owne strengthe For when they hadde felt them selues vnable to doo it woulde they not haue taken to playne desperation if they hadde knowen none other waye or meane for to obtayne saluation and to escape death but by the perfecte kepinge of the lawe Sainte Paul then hauing then a perfect vnderstanding of this place doth applye it altogether vnto the doctrine of fayth For hauinge spoken of the righteousnesse that cometh by the lawe and how that they that obserue and kepe the commaundementes shal lyue by them he doth adde immediatelye these wordes But the righteousnesse that cometh of faith speaketh on this wyse Rom. x. Saye not in thy hearte Who shall ascende in to heauen For that were to fetch Christ downe Or who shall go down in to the depe For that wer to fetch vp Christ from death But what sayethe the scripture The worde is nyghe thee euen in thy mouth and in thy hearte This is the worde of fayth which we preache If thou shalt confesse or knowledge wyth thy mouth that Iesus is the Lorde and shalt beleue wyth thy hart that God raysed him vp from death thou shalt be safe For the belyef of the heart iustifyeth and the confession of the mouth maketh man safe Who would requyre a more sounde exposition of Moses wordes than this is ALBION This exposition can in no wyse mislyke me syth that it cometh from the same selfe spirit that Moses did writ by Nowe therefore come to the sayinges of Christ and of Iohn the euangelist PHILALE Such sayinges are moste true as it dothe appeare by that How the sayinges of Christ and Iohn the euāgelist ought to be vnderstāded which hath ben sayed before For the cōmaundements of god of them selues are easy and if there be any dyfficultye or hardnesse in them it cometh not of the nature and propertye of the commaundementes of God but of the corruption of manne Heare what Saint Paule sayethe what so euer the lawe coulde not fulfyll Ro. viii in as much as it was weake because of the flesh that same did God perfourme sendinge his sonne in the similitude of synneful flesh and by synne damned sinne Two thinges to be learned in Pauls sayinge Two things do we learne in thys saying of the Apostle Fyrste that it commeth not of the law that menne are not able to fulfil it but of the imbecility and weaknesse of the flesh The lawe then and the commaundementes be easy and if ther be any difficultye or hardnesse in the fulfilling of them it commeth of our naughty and corrupted nature Secondly we do learn that God dothe by his sonne Iesu Christe supply the same that by reason of the weakenesse of our flesh we be not able to fulfyl Again the commaundements of god are easy and lyght vnto hym that is graffed in Christ and that hathe fellowshyp wyth him For those thyngs that afore were harde vnto manne are made easy vnto him bi faith wher by he is graffed in Christ as saint Paule doth testify saying I am able to do all thinges through him that doth comforte me And so the saying of S. Augustin shal be true where he sayth I can not thincke that God hath commaunded anye thing that is impossible Phi. iiii Elsse S. Augustine doth graunte in many other places that God hathe commaunded thinges that it is impossible for man to fulfyll as in the boke of the spirit and of the letter and in his thyrde treatyse vppon Ihon. And so ought al to be vnderstanded How Chrisostō and Ierome ought to be vnderstanded that they aleadge bothe oute of Chrisostome of Ierome that is to saye that the commaundementes of God were easye to kepe For the faithful man is perswaded dothe beleue that whatsoeuer is wanting or lackynge in him the same is supplied by christ with whome he hath felowshyppe through faith Whyche working through chariti loue causeth the commaundements of god to be easy vnto the inner man whyche is borne of newe or which is renued by the holy ghost God hauynge a chief respect vnto the wyll and desire that such a man hath to kepe them actually if it dyd lye in hys power and wherby he doth endeuor him self daily to fulfill them For it is the duety of him that is renued What is the duety of him that is renewed to study daily and hourly to kepe the commaundementes of god though he be not able by him self and of hys owne strength to attain to the perfect keping of thē For we must not because that we are not able to kepe the law of god as it ought to be kept be slack therfore to do that whiche lieth in vs beinge sure that oure obedience though it be vnperfect shal be accepted before God as longe as we be true members of hys sonne Iesu Christe Why the auncient fathers spake as they did For thys cause did the auncyent doctours speake as they dyd that so they myght take away from men the vaine excuses whiche they be wont to make because of the impossibility of the law DIDyMVS The foolishe and found obiection of the enemies I was once in a place where I hard a stout champion of the Romish church say that there haue bene not one nor two but many that dyd besydes Christ fulfyll the law of God wyth a moste consummate perfection as Iosua and zacharie Ihons father saying that this is wrytten of Iosua As the Lorde commaunded hys seruaunte Moses and as Moses commaunded Iosua Iosu xi euen so did Iosua so that there was nothing vndone at al of those things that god commaunded Moses PHILALETHES I aske you whether was Iosua a man that was conceiued after the common sort of other men or not DIDyMVS I beleue that he was a man and that he was conceiued betwixt man and woman as other men are PHILALETHES Ye beleue wel for it is so in dede We muste then confesse and graunt that Iosua did go a stray from the law of God that he was a lyer and that he was filled wyth manye myseryes For it is sayd of all menne Ro. iii. that be borne of man and woman that they haue all gone oute of the waye that they be also al lyers Psal cxvi howe dare then youre bragginge marchauntes be so bold to affirm that Iosua hath kept the hole law of God For these be two contrary things to be a lyer and to haue kept the law of God perfectlye Againe I woulde fayne knowe of you whether Ihon Baptyste or Ihon the Euangelist was not as perfect as Iosua Or whether Iosua was more perfecte than anye
puft vp with a vain perswasyon of the righteousnesse of the lawe and also blineded with a folishe confydence and trust that he had in hys owne workes Againe he did aske whiche were the deedes of righteousnesse wherby eternall felicity and saluation myght be obteined Therfore he is by good right sent vnto the law whiche is a perfecte loking glasse or mirroure of ryghteousnesse and also whiche muste be fulfilled if we wyll obtayn the rewarde of life euerlastinge But who is able to fulfil it No manne liuing Christ onlye beinge excepted Wherby it followeth that all they that go aboute to be saued by the works of the law are farthest of from saluation The meaninge then of our sauiour Iesu Christ is that who so euer wyll be saued by workes he muste obserue keepe the commaundements wyth such a perfection as God doth requyre elsse he can not enter into lyfe euer lasting so that the yong man perceiuing his lacke and vnablenesse and how farre of he was from the perfection that he thoughte hym selfe to be in mighte take an occasyon to seeke for the true and only remeady that our most mercyfull father hathe appoynted for vs to be saued by and for to be delyuered from the malediction curse of the lawe that al menne Gala. iii. for lacke of fulfyllynge of the same are subiecte vnto by theyr owne nature ALBION Saye what ye wyll my faythfull guydes dyd tell me Obiectiō that it is a playne heresye yea and a mooste detestable blasphemye to say that a man is not able to kepe the law and commaundementes wyth such a perfection as GOD doth requyre For if God shoulde commaund thinges impossible he shoulde not be righteous And by the lawe of nature whyche by the finger of God is wrytten in the hartes of men we be not bounde to thinges that he impossyble or that it lyeth not in oure power to fulfyl Li. ii de peccato et merit et remi cap. vi Saint Augustin dothe also testify that no man dothe sin in that thing that he is not able to shonne or auoid Again he wryteth thus I can not thinke that god did commaund any thing that is impossyble Iero. ad damasū papam de simbobo fidei or that it is impossible vnto God to help to do that thyng whiche he hath commaunded Moreouer they haue alleadged s Ierome vnto me saying we do curse detest the blasphemy of thē that saye that God hath commaunded man to do any thing that is impossible and that the commaundements of god can not be kept They did also bring in Chrisostō wher he saith let vs not thinke that the commaundementes of God be impossyble Hom. viii in mat For truely they be bothe profitable vnto vs and also very easye if we wyll be dilygente or take good heede And vnto this do the scryptures agree For after that Moses had publyshed the law he dyd say vnto the children of Israel the commaundement Deu. xxx whiche I commaund thee this daye is not hydden from the neyther to farre nor yet in heauen but it is very nygh vnto thee euen in thy mouth and in thine harte that thou maist doe it Again Christ him selfe dothe say Mat. xi My yoke is easy and my burdē is lyght Moreouer these be the wordes of the blessed Euangeliste S. Ihon for this is the loue of God that we keepe hys commaundements i. Epi. v. and his commaundements are not greuous or heauye These places do sufficiently declare that man is able to fulfil the commandements of God PHILALETHES As touching the fyrste sayinges of your faythfull guydes Aunswer wherein they doe affyrme and saye that manne is able to fulfyll the lawe and commaundementes of God we muste vse a distinction that so we maye vphold and maintaine the veritye and truth of Goddes word For if they vnderstande it of a man that is graffed or that hath fellowshyp with Christ I saye that the same manne doth obserue and kepe the hole law of God How the man beinge regenerated doth kepe the whole lawe of God not really in him self but because that he is conducted and led by the spirite of God And also we may right well say that he doth kepe the hole law of god by the vertue of the fellowshyppe that he hath with Christ wherby he is made partaker or rather put in full possession of the perfect and consummate obedience Rom. x. and that oure sauioure Iesus Christe dyd shewe and yelde vnto God hys father Retract xix so that hys fautes shall not be imputed vnto him For Iesus Christ doth supply whatsoeuer is lacking or wāting in such a man And so it may be true that a man is able to kepe the lawe of God in Iesu Christ and by Iesu Christe but not of hym self For as Saynt Augustine saith al the commaundements of god be fulfylled when the synnes and fawtes be not imputed But if they wyll saye that a manne beynge separated from christ is able to kepe the law of god they ar in a great eror For christ him selfe sayeth that a tree canne bringe fourth no good fruyte Mat. vii excepte it be made good fyrst But no man is good of his owne selfe as it hathe bene declared alredye Therfore he can not bring fourth good fruite Againe these be the wordes of our sauiour Iesu Christ Byde in me and I in you Ioh. xv As the braunche can not beare fruyte of it selfe excepte it byde in the vine no more canne ye excepte ye abide in me Ye see that oure sauioure Iesu Christe dothe shewe by thys simylitude that it lyethe not in mannes power to brynge anye good fruyte of hym selfe excepte he be graffed in Christe If ye haue well marked what hath ben sayd afore of fre wyl ye shall well perceaue that it is so farre of that manne of hym selfe and by his owne strengthe is able to fulfyll the lawe perfectely that he cā not wel vnderstād one only poynte of it as it ought to be vnderstanded For ye must note that the lawe must be throughly obserued and kepte wyth a pure and cleane heart Ro. vii as Saint Paule saieth The lawe is spirituall but manne of him self is polluted and carnall whyche thinge he confesseth of him selfe sayinge And I am carnall solde vnder synne How canne the lawe then that is spirituall and man whiche is carnall and fleshely agree Moreouer the lawe wyll be kepte euen from the conception of man vnto the laste daye and houre of of hys lyfe wythoute anye maner of transgressyon or offence For Iam. ii as Saynte Iames sayeth he that fawtethe or offendeth in one is gylty of the whole Item the Lorde hym selfe sayeth that cursed are all menne De. xxvii that do not abyde in al thyngs that be written in the booke of thys lawe for to do them How is manne able then to kepe the hole law of God as it
oughte to be kepte and wyth suche a perfection as God dothe requyre syth that he is a transgressour of it afore he come in to thys worlde and a synner from his conception dothe not Dauyd wryte thus My mother hath conceaned me in synne Psal ii I saye vnto you that excepte manne be conceaued of the holye ghoste he shall neuer be able to kepe the whole lawe of God as he doth wyl and requyre ALBION Nowe truly I do perceaue in deede that it is a greate blasphemye agaynst Christ to saye that man is able to fulfyll the hole lawe of God of hys owne selfe and by his owne strengthe and to do it with such a perfection as god doothe requyre For that were to say that man is conceyued of the holye ghost But I pray you now tell me Question whether God be vnryghteous or not in commaundynge man to do that thing whiche he is not able to do and fulfil PHILALETHES Aunswer What error or blasphemy were it to saye so I aske you Similitude if a man wer bound vnto you in a hundreth pounde and dyd owe you them in dede though the same manne were not able to pai you shuld ye do vniustly to ask him your C. pounde ALBION No manne I trowe would say that I did him wronge in asking him my duety PHILALETHES When the kyng did aske of his seruaunte the ten thousand talentes Mat. xviii that he dyd owe vnto him did he vniustlye or wrongfullye ALBION I wyl not say so PHILALE Know ye then that all the hole law of God is nothing els but a commaundement wherby we are commaunded and biddeÌ„ to pay that vnto god that we owe vnto hym For man is bounde of duetye to loue God wyth all hys hart wyth all hys soule and with all his strength and his neighbor as hys owne self Therefore Sainte Paule saythe Ro. viii brethren we are debtours but not vnto the flesh Shall we saye then that God is vnryghteous or that he doth vniustly asking that thing of vs that we do owe vnto hym of bound duety It is so farre of that he should do vniustly in askynge vs of his duety Why god dothe demaunde of vs his dutye that rather he doth most iustly godly and ryghteously to demaund such thynges of vs for the causes that I wyll now rehearse and aledge Fyrste and foremoste he doth it for to declare vnto men hys ryghteousnesse holynesse and bountuousnesse For in this that God doth commaund vs nothing in his lawe but that whych is iuste and good he dothe declare therby that he him self is righteous holye and good Secondly least men shoulde seke and go aboute to excuse them selues by ignoraunce before the iudgemente seate of God sayinge that they knewe not hys wyll and pleasure therfore dyd he setforthe hys law and commaundementes for to declare vnto men what he wyll haue them to do and what he wyll haue them to leaue vndone For we are such that we wold styll plaid ignoraunce before God except we were conuicted by hys playne and manifest lawe and expresse commaundementes that he hathe lefte vnto vs. Thirdlye the law was geuen because of transgression gala iii. to the intent that they that wold not for the fear of God and loue of heauenly thynges refraine from doinge of euill should at least for fear of the punyshment of the lawe be dryuen to keepe a good order and to lyue quietlye among them selues Els they wold haue kylled one an other no man hadde bene able to haue kepte hys owne but all should haue gone to hauock Forthly God did setforth his law that by it man shoulde be brought into the knowledge of his owne self That is to say The law is a mirrour or lookinge glasse the law was geuen and setforthe to thys end that it might be a lokinge glasse or mirrour wherein man shoulde behold hys owne weakenesse imbecilitye and vnablenesse to fulfil and perfourme the thynges that God dothe require of him that so he may haue an occasioÌ„ to humble and submit hym self For if it were not for the law that doothe dyscouer open and shewe yea and set before our eies our owne filthynesse abhomination we wold neuer acknowledge oure selues to bee sinners nor yet thyncke that we haue nead of the grace and mercy of God God therfore least men should swel against hym dothe demaunde and ask the same of them that they owe vnto him of duety As if he shoulde saye by his law O man thou seest howe muche bound thou art vnto me Marke this diligentely and how that thou art not able to paye the tenth part of that which thou dost owe vnto me therfore submit thy selfe and acknowledge thine own imbecillity and weakenesse and so flye vnto my mercy whyche is alwaies prepared for them that beinge of no reputation wyth them selues do hang al together of me And here may be gathered the fift cause Gala. iii. whye the lawe was geuen which is that it myghte serue vs for a schole mayster for to brynge vs vnto Christe Rom. x. who is the end or perfourming of the law for to iustify al them that do beleue For when we haue once learned by the Doctryne of the lawe that of oure selues wee bee not able to escape the daÌ„pnation that we do deserue by the breakyng of the commaundementes of God then are we fayne to put awaye all vayne confydence and truste that we had in our own strength and in our owne merytes and to flye vnto Christe who was made accursed for vs that is to say was punyshed and slayne moste oppropryouslye for oure sakes that wee myght be delyuered from the curse of the law and so receyue the blessynge of Abraham and the promyse of the spirit through faithe EVTRAPE I perceaue that god doth by his lawe Similitude as a good scholemaster is wonte to doe when he hath a scholer that for a lytle learning that he hathe thincketh hym self to know as much as hys master doth And therfore doth swell against his master and beginneth to despise him Nowe when the master seeth that he geueth vnto the same scholer som difficult and hard lesson wherin he vnderstandeth nothing or wherein he is as blinde as a beatell and thys dothe he that the scholer maye acknowledge the ignoraunce that is hydden in him vnder such vain arrogancy and pryde Euen so is it of man For excepte God shoulde geue hym Commaundementes whyche he is not hable to fulfyll he would compte hym selfe as holye and as perfecte as God is yea he woulde saye playnelye that he hadde no neade of God nor of hys healpe But God for to stop all mennes mouthes he geueth them a lesson wherein they be as blinde as beatles that so they maye be dryuen to knowe them selues and to acknowledge theyr owne infirmity and weakenesse PHILALETHES Saint Augustine speaketh of thys matter very godly saying ad hilarirpâ—sâ—o lxxxix
Iubet lex vt iussa facere conati et in nostra infirmitate sub lege fatigati adiutorium gratiae poscere nouerimus that is to say The lawe dothe commaund that goyng aboute to keepe those thinges that be commaunded and beinge wearied vnder the law in oure infirmity and weakenesse we may learne to call for the help of grace And wryting vnto Asellius he saithe plainelye these wordes Vtilitas legis est vt hominem de sua infirmitate conuincat et gratiae medicinam ad aselliū episto C. quae in Christo est implorare compellat This is saith he the vtility and profit of the lawe that it may make man to know his infirmity or cōuict him of his weaknesse and so compell hym to seeke for the salue and medicin of grace whyche is in Christe And in an other place he saythe Iubet deus ad valentinum epi. xcix quae non possumus vt nouerimus quid ab illo petere debeamus God dothe cōmaund those thinges that we be not able to do that we maye learne what we oughte to aske of him Again The law was geuen Psal lxx to condempn you and that beyng condempned ye should feat and that beynge afrayde ye shuld craue for mercy hauinge no truste in your owne strength Moreouer vppon the hundreth and eightene Psalme Ps exviii and two and twenty sermon he wryteth thus The lawe was geuen for this purpose that it should make thee of a high minded persone lowlye and humble and that it should shew vnto thee that thou hast not of thyne owne strength vnto righteousnesse that so being poore bare naked thou shouldest flye vnto grace And then turning him self vnto god he saith So do O Lord so do O mercyful Lord commaund that thinge that can not be fulfilled yea commaūd that thinge that can not be fulfylled but throughe thy grace that when men shall not be able to fulfyl it by theyr owne strengthe all mouthes maye be stopped and no man should seme vnto hym selfe to be high Let all men be litle ones humble and lowli let al the world be subiect vnto God Manye other places might I aledge oute of the same doctoure but these shal now suffise ALBION These be goodly sayinges and worthye to be marcked I could hear no such things of my faithfull guides EVTRAPELVS No I warrāt you For al that they go aboute Why the enemyes of the truthe got aboute to vrge the doctrin of the lawe is by the doctrine of the lawe eyther to dryue menne vnto desperation or elsse to pufte them vppe with a vayn confidence and trust of their owne strength and merites ALBION Nowe do I perceiue that it is so And I am ashamed that I dyd geue so sone creadyte vnto them But I pray you brother Philalethes tell me how the same sentence of saint Augustine oughte to be vnderstanded Question where he sayeth No man doth synne in that thing that he is not able to shunne or auoyde For some might gather by the same sayinge that if it were impossible for mē to kepe the lawe they should not offend nor yet syn in doynge againste the lawe nor in being disobedient vnto god sith that they could do non otherwyse PHILALE Ye shall vnderstand that there Saint Augustine dothe speake of those thinges Aunswer How S. Augustin ought to be vnderstanded that man is naturally subiect vnto from his own byrth as is colde heate hunger thirst slepe with such other like which we maye well call humayne infirmyties His meaning then is that man dothe not syn in doinge those thingss for the sustynaunce and preseruation of hys life whyche he is not able to forbeare As if a manne doth warm hym selfe when hee is a colde or doth eate when he is a hungred and so fourth If a man then doth eat drink warm him self slepe when neede dothe require he sinneth not For why he can not lyue wythout suche thinges So both Saint Augustine doth vnderstande it Who dothe also procede go farther vnderstandinge the same of Adam before his fal For if it had not lien in hym to wythstand the temptation of the womā he shoulde not haue synned But syth that he coulde haue resisted if he hadde would and dyd not therfore is he wyth all hys sede found gylty And because that he did not vse well the strengthe that was geuen hym therefore was it iustlye taken awaye from hym and from all hys posterity No manne then ought to say that Adam and his sede do not synne in doynge agaynst the lawe of God sythe that they theyr selues are cause of their vnablenesse ALBION This I do well vnderstande Obiectiō But yet I can not perceaue but that the places of the scripture whyche they aleaged do make against you altogether For Moses sayeth The commaundemente Deu. xxx which I commaunde thee this day is not hydden from thee neither far of nor yet in heauen but it is nyghe vnto thee euen in thy mouth and in thine harte that thou maist doe it Christ him selfe who is the true expositoure of the lawe and of Moses saieth also Mat. xi My yoke is easy and my burdē is lyght And the holye ghost by the blessed Euangeliste S. Ihon doth plainely speake these words This is the loue of God that we kepe hys commaundementes 1. Epist v and his commaundements are not heauy Who woulde not iudge by this that it lyethe in mannes power to kepe the commaundementes of God DIDYMVS I cunne you thanke brother Albion I thought that ye wold haue forgotten those places how be it I wold not suffred them to be past ouer so lyghtlye For there be manye The free wyl men euen among them that be fauourers or at lest wyll seme to be fauourers of the gospell that haue alwayes these autoryties in theyr mouthes PHILALETHES That is not vnknowen vnto me and therfore Aunswer I am gladde that they haue bene setfourthe that by the ryghte expoundinge of them we maye delyuer those persons from the error that they be in or if they wyl not at least we may warne other that they fall not in to it As for the place of deuteronomi it is most playn How the place of Moses ought to be vnderstāded that Moses doth not speake there of the bare commaundementes nor yet of any easynesse that is in the kepynge of them Some in deede doe vnderstande it of the facillity and easynes that is in the knowing and learning of thē but of the couenaunte of mercy which he had both comprehended and publyshed wyth the lawe For he had taughte a lyttle before that oure heartes muste be circumcised wyth the hande of God els we could not loue hym he doth not then put the same facility and easinesse whiche whiche he doth speake of there in the vertue and strength of man but in the helpe and ayde of the holye ghost whiche worketh mightelye his worke in oure