in Christe but also in that they killed Christ of which two crimes the one grew of infidelitie the other of crueltie As that therefore is contrary to right faith so this is repugnant to good life But he is voide of both these faults Iacob 2. Galat. 5. Luca. 17. which hath faith in Christ not a dead faith without woorkes which is also found in the diuels but the faith of Grace whiche woorketh through loue This is the faith whereof it is said The kingdome of heauen is within you For this do they breake into which doe violence by beleuing and obtaining by praier the Spirit of Charite Rom. 13. in the which the fulnes of the law consisteth and without the which the law in the letter made them gilty euen of the transgressiō and breach thereof It is not therfore to be thought Math. 11. that for this cause it was saied the kingdome of the heauens suffreth violence and they which do the violence breake in to it for that euen lewde parsons onely by beleeuing and yet lyuing wickedly do come into the kingdome of heauen but bycause that the same gilte of transgression whiche the onely lawe that is the letter without the spirit made by commanding is by beleeuing loosed and by force of faith the holy Ghost is obtained Rom. 5. by whome Charity being powred into our hartes the law is fulfilled not for feare of paine but for loue of Iustice VVhat it is to know God and that it is not sufficient for saluation to haue faith onely without good workes THE XXII CHAPTER LET not therefore a rechelesse mind be deceiued in thinking it selfe to knowe God if he with a dead faith that is without good woorkes doo after the manner of diuels confesse God. Let no man thinke him selfe vpon only faith in Christ assured to come vnto euerlasting life bicause our lord saieth this is life euerlasting Iohn 21. that they may know the one true God and Iesu Christ whom thou hast sent For he must also call to remembrance that it is writen In this we knowe him 1. Iohn 2. if wee keepe his commaundementes who saith that he knoweth him and keepeth not his cōmaundementes he is a lier and truth is not in him And least any man should thinke that Gods commaundementes appertained to onely faith allthough yet no man hath presumed so to saie cheefly bicause him selfe named commaundementes in the plural number and lest by that number men should imagine and thinke of many mo he comprehended them all in two saying Math. 22. In those two dependeth the whole lawe and the Prophetes and although it might in soome sense rightly be saied the commaundementes of God are included in only faith Galat. 5. if not a dead faith be vnderstanded but a quicke whiche woorketh thorough looue 1. Iohn 3. yet S. Iohn him selfe afterwarde opened his whole meaning when he saieth This is his commaundement that we beleue in the name of his Sonne Iesu Christ and looue one an other This therfore profiteth to beleeue in God with a right faith to honour God to know God to th entent that both wee maie haue helpe from him to liue wel and if wee sinne wee maie deserue of him indulgence and pardon Psal 40. not continuing recklesse in euill woorkes which he hateth but departing from them and saying vnto him I haue saied Lord haue mercy on me heale my sowle bicause I haue sinned against thee which they can not saie vnto him that doo not beleeue him and in vaine doo suche saie it who being so farre from him are vtterly straungers to the grace of the mediatour Sapien. 15. Hereof also be those woordes in the booke of wisedoome whiche I knowe not how these mens pernicious securitie doth interpret And if we sinne yet be we thine For how is this true Forsothe bicause wee haue a good and a great God whiche will and can heale the sinnes of the penitent but not suche a one as feareth to destroie them that remaine in their wickednes Therefore the same Writer when he had saied wee be thine he added knowing thy power verely suche a power as the sinner can neither withdraw nor hide him selfe from And therfore following he addeth further but wee haue not sinned knowing that wee be deputed to be thine For who worthely thinking of the habitation that is with God wherin by predestination all be deputed whiche are called according to his purpose will not labour so to liue as maie be aunswerable and sitting to suche an habitation That therefore which S. Iohn saith These thinges haue I written vnto you to the end ye sinne not and if any haue sinned we haue an aduocate with the father Ihesu Christe the righteous and he is the intercession for our sinnes He saith not to the end wee should sinne with securitie and carelesnesse but that deparing from suche sinne as we haue committed we should not dispaire of pardon hauing that aduocate which the Infidels haue not That by this word Iudgement in the holy scripture is meant eternall damnation not any easier paine or punnishment THE XXIII CHAPTER THERE is not therefore any such fauorable condition promised by these places alleaged that men beleeuing in God may remaine therefore in their euill workes And much lesse of those wordes where the Apostle saith they which haue sinned without lawe Rom. 2. shall perish without lawe but they which sinned in the law shall be iudged by the lawe as though in this place there were some difference betwene perishing and being Iudged For here by diuerse wordes one and the selfe same thing is signified For the scriptures vse to putte Iudgement euen for eternall damnation Iob. 5. as in the Ghospell our Lorde saith The houre shall come wherein all they which are in their graues shall heare his voice and they which haue donne well shall come forth to the resurrection of life but they which haue donne euill to the resurrection of Iudgment And marke that it is not saied there this for them which haue beleeued and that for them which haue not beleued but this shal they haue which haue donne wel and that Gal. 5. they which haue donne euill For good life can not be parted from faith which worketh thorough loue Nay rather that faith is good life it selfe We see therefore that oure Lorde vsed this woorde resurrection of Iudgement for resurrection of eternal damnation For of all them that were to rise againe in which number no doubt were also those which beleeue not at all for they also were in their graues he made but two partes wherof the one he declared should arise into resurrection of life and the other into resurrection of Iudgement Now if they will say that those are not meant there which beleeue not at al but those which shal be saued by fier bicause they beleeued although they liued ill thinking thereby that by the name of Iudgement
penaunce for their vncleannes and fornication whiche they haue committed Crimes mortal but not infamous Againe if there were not certaine sinnes whiche need not to be healed by suche humilitie of penaunce as is geeuen in the Church to them which are properly called Penitentes but by some other medicines of rebuking by woordes our Lorde woulde not saie Tell him his fault betwene him and thee alone if he harken to the Matt. 18. Venial sinnes then thou hast wonne thy broother Finally if there were not some faultes without the whiche this life is not lead he woulde not haue geuen vs a daily remedy in the praier which him selfe taught wherin he willed vs to saie forgeue vs our trespasses as we forgeue them that trespase against vs. Matt. 6. The Conclusion with a learned recitall of all that hath beene saied before THE XXVII CHAPTER NOW haue I sufficiently laide foorthe I suppose what I thinke of that whole opiniō wherein three questions haue risen One of the mingling in the church of good and euil as of wheat and cockle Wherein wee must take heede that wee thinke not these parables and similitudes propounded to that ende whether it be that of the vncleane beastes within the Arke or what so euer suche lyke which signifie the same that Ecclesiasticall discipline should therefore sleepe whereof it was saied in the figure of that wooman Prouer. 2. Seuere are the conuersations of her house but that vnaduised and rash temeritie rather then diligent seueritie should not so farre proceed that it presume as it were to seperate the good from the euil by wicked schismes For neither by these similitudes parables and foreshewinges is there geeuen to the good any counsel of slouth or slacknes wherby they should neglect that which they ought to forbid but of pacience wherby preseruing alwaie the doctrine of truth they may suffer and beare that whiche they can not amende Nor yet bicause it is written that there entred also vncleane beastes into the Arke to Noe Genes 7. therfore the Prelates shoulde not forbid and stay if any most lewde and vncleane persons will presume to enter to Baptisme as light dawncers which were verely lesse yll then filthy adulterers But by this figure of a thing done it was foreshewed that vncleane persons should be in the church by meane of toleration not by corruption of doctrine or dissolute breaking of discipline and good order For the vncleane beastes came not in where and of whiche side them listed the fast frame of the Arke being in any part broken or sundered but the same being whole and sound they entred all at one onely doore which the woorkman had made An other question is vppon that it seemed good vnto them that only faith shoulde be preached to them that were to be Baptised and that after Baptisme they should be taught of woorkes and manners But if I be not deceiued it hath beene sufficiently shewed that it dooth then chiefly appertaine to the care and dewty of the ouerseer when all they whiche desire together the Sacrament of the faithfull doo most intentiuely and carefully harken to all that is saied then expressely and plainely to open the paine which our Lord threateneth to them that liue yll least they become gilty of most greuous crimes euen in the Baptisme it selfe whervnto they come to haue the gilt of all their former sinnes remitted The third question is the most daungerous of al. Of the whiche being slenderly considered and not handled according to the woorde of God is rysen as to me seemeth all that other foule opinion wherin there is promised to suche as lyue most lewdely and shamefully yea though they continue in suche liuing if they onely beleeue in Christe and receaue his Sacramentes that they shall come to eternall life and saluation Whiche doctrine is against the most manifest saying of our Lorde who to him that desired eternall life Matt. 19. aunswered If thou wilt come vnto life keepe the cōmaundementes and shewed farder what commaundementes such truly wherin those sinnes are forbidden wherevnto eternall life is nowe I know not howe promised thorough faith Iacob 2. which without woorkes is dead Of these three questions I haue as I thinke sufficiently disputed and haue shewed that the euill are so to be tolerated in the Churche that Ecclesiasticall Discipline be not neglected That they whiche desire Baptisme are so to be instructed that they may not onely heare and take vppon them what they should beleeue but also howe they shoulde lyue That eternall lyfe is so promised to the faithfull that no man may thinke he may come thereunto through a deade faith whiche without woorkes can not saue But by that faith of grace whiche woorketh thorough looue Note the Conclusion Gal. 5. Let not therefore faithfull Stuardes be blamed Let not theyr negligence or slougthe be reprooued but rather the froward stubernesse of some whiche refuse to take our Lordes mony and whiche compell the seruantes of our Lorde to bestowe and distribute their owne counterfait coyne while thei wil not at the least be of that sort of euil men as S. Cyprian speaketh of In Ser. de lapsis renouncing the world onely in wordes and not in workes For these men wil not so muche as in wordes renounce the woorkes of the diuel but with open mouth wil professe that thei wil continue in ther adultery If there be any thing els that they do affirme which I perhaps haue not here touched in this my disputation I suppose it to be such as whereunto my answere was not necessary either bicause it apperteined not to the matter now in hande or els for that it was suche a trifel as might of euery man easely be confuted and reproued Thus endeth the learned Treatie of that auncient and Blessed Father S. Augustine Of faith and Woorkes A SERMON MADE BY S. CHRYSOSTOME PATRIARKE OF CONSTANTINOPLE IN THE yere of our Lorde 400. Of praying vnto God Extant in the fifth Tome of his Woorkes THE seruantes of God are for two causes woorthy not onely to be extolled with high prayses but also to be regarded and looked vppon with admiration Firste for that they did set the hope of theyr saluation in deuoute and holie prayers and next for that they suffered not to grow out of memorye those laudes and other seruice whiche with ioy and trembling they vsed to offer vnto God but haue ben content that being committed to writing they should remaine Whereby thei might powre foorth their treasure vppon vs as it were by succession of inheritaunce and by that meane prouoke and stirre the whole posteritie to a desyre of following and of labouring to be lyke vnto them For it is well sytting and conuenient that bothe the manners of the teachers doo flowe and descende to suche as vse theyr companye and that the scholers of suche Maisters be seene also to followe and expresse in lyfe the vertue of theyr
the olde came to seke and saue that was loste and to repaire that was by him decayed And then as Adam loste Faith Continence Charitie Wisedome and vnderstanding Counsell and strength Prosp suprà hope and humilitie so must all that companie of vertues with â—ther by him lost be restored in such as Christ of his especial grace reneweth and iustifieth For as Christ saieth of one man whome he healed so is it true in al whom he restoreth that he healeth not one part but the whole man. Ioan. 7. Deut. 32. Esai 53. His workes are perfecte and neither lacketh he power to cure all our griefes being God neither wil to doe it who for that cause became man. And as a man diseased deadly in al the principal partes of his body is not called a sound and whole man vntil the partes be al cured So the soule corrupted and made olde in Adam decayed in grace and bereft of Iustice can not be called a new creature vntil the salues of these vertues by the hand of our Phisition be laid vnto it and shew their operation in it For it is not said as many of you as haue ben baptised in Christe haue beleeued in Christe thought vppon him or heard of him Galat. 3. but it is said Christum induistis ye haue put on Christ that is to saie haue taken into you the vertues of Christ as before ye had the qualities and conditions of Adam Ephes 4. For that saith S. Paule is the true receiuing of Christ and his Gospel to put of the olde man and olde conuersation and to be renewed in spirite and minde putting on the newe which was created after the Image of God in iustice and holines Libro 1. cap 9. de pec meri remiss Christe saith S. Augustine Dat sui spiritus occultissimam fidelibus gratiam Geueth vnto his faithful a most secrete grace of his spirite which priuily he powreth euen into babes As Adam by a secret infection of carnal concupiscence infected and consumed all that came of his race He saith in the same booke Legimus iustificari Ibid. c. 10. c. We read that such be iustified in Christ as beleue in him through a secrete geauing and inspiring of spiritual grace whereby who so euer cleaueth vnto our Lord is made one spirite with him What Iustification is By all this we vnderstande that our Iustification importeth not onely an assente of minde and faith to beleue the Gospell of Christe neither standeth onely in remission of sinnes past which God mercifully forgeueth but requireth also a renewing of spirit and minde a change of lyfe and conditions â—it 3. that as in Adam we were disobedient seruinge sundrie lustes and pleasures leading our lyfe in malice and enuie hatefull hating one an other So in Christe forsaking vngodlines and worldely desires Tit. 2. we must liue soberly iustly and godly putting on vs as the chosen of God holie and beloued Coloss 3. the bowels of compassion mercie and gentlenes humilitie modestie and patience This it is to leaue of Adam and put on Christe which is our renewing and Iustification The kingdome of heauen is like vnto leauen Matth. 13 whiche a woman taketh and hideth in three measures of flower vntil the whole be leauened But as the whol paste is not leauened as long as any parte thereof remaineth in his olde tallage and taste euen so is not man translated from death to lyfe nor made a newe creature 1. Ioan. 3. Galat. 6. 2. Cor. 5. vntill the whole estate of his soule be refourmed And surely vntil he be made a newe creature he is not iustified Sicut fuit vetus Adam c. As the olde Adam was powred through the whole man and possessed the whole Bernard serm 5. de Aduent So nowe lette Christe haue the whole who hath created and redeemed the whole and shall glorifie the whole who in the Sabboth daie cured all the whole man. The olde man was sometime in vs that transgressour of Gods commaundemente he was in vs as well in hande and woorke as in mouth and heart But nowe if there be any newe creature in him the olde is past and contrarie to lewdnes in hande there is innocente life in the mouth contrary to arrogante pride there is the woorde of confession in the heart contrary to fleshly lustes there is charitie contrary to worldly glorie there is humilitie By which wordes of Sainct Bernarde we see sette before vs a true description of our Iustification by comparing togeather the corrupte estate of man in Adam and the repairing of the same through the Mediator of God and menne 1. Timo. 2. the man Iesus Christe For this repairing of mans corrupt estate Christe is often times in the Scripture compared with Adam and called an other Adam and the last man. Rom 5. 1. Cor. 15. Not an other Adam like vnto the firste but an other contrary to the firste suche as came to restore that which was lost by the first Rom. 5. For as by the disobedience of one man many were made sinners so by the obedience of one many shall be made iuste And as in Adam all men die so in Christe all shal be reliued And as by the synne of one all men came to damnation so by the Iustice of one all come to the Iustification of lyfe But as we were all condemned in Adam bicause we were naturally borne of him and thereby tooke his conditions so to be saued by Christe we must also be newe borne in him and put on vs his qualities And so do we see that our true Iustification is the recouering of that which we lost in Adam and what that was I haue shewed before The whiche Christe hath fully restored in such as truely take a new birth of him In the secoÌ„d boke the .xviij Chapter as I shall shewe toward the ende of this woorke where place shal serue to speake of the vertue and strength of our Iustification by Christe It is now to be shewed particularly how such as are borne in synne come to be iustified in Christ what the causes of our Iustification be by what meane God worketh it in vs and how we receiue it Of the causes of our Iustification The V. CHAPTER Ioan. 3. THE chiefe and principall cause of our Iustification is the great loue that God beareth vnto man who so tendred the worlde that he gaue his onely begotten Sonne Galat. 4. And to make vs his children sent the spirit of his Sonne into our hartes that is the holy Ghoste wherewith he hath sealed vs vp Ephes 1. and geuen it as a pledge of our inheritance And this hath he wrought Tit. 3. not for the workes of iustice that we did but according to his owne mercie The cause that deserued this owre Iustification at his handes was the death of his sonne Iesus Christe Rom. 5. Coloss 1. 1.
sinnes committed by them Tertullian expressing the same custome saith further that they made also a confession of their former sinnes Ingressuros baptismum c. Tertullia De Bapti Suche as wil come to Baptisme must by often petitions fastinges kneelinges and watching and with confession of all their former sinnes vse praier S. Augustine declaring the order of his time saith De fide oper ca. 6. that such as intended to take baptisme certeine daies before gaue their names in writing and were purged and cleansed by abstinence fasting exorcismes forbearing the companie of their laweful wiues And by these doo we vnderstande that suche as were christened being of perfect age were not only instructed in faith but also taught to doo penance to faste to praie to promise that they would liue according to Christ his teaching to feare God to loue him and to hope in him al which thinges were conteined in their instruction and doctrine of Baptisme whereof S. Paule maketh mention Hebr. 6. And being in this wise prepared they receiued that Sacrament and therewith their Iustificacion If any would not professe amendemente of life but continewe in damnable vice or in any vngodlie kinde of liuing beleued they neuer so wel they were not admitted to be christened as S. Augustine saieth Meretrices c. Common harlottes and stage plaiers De fide oper ca. 18 and other what so euer occupiers of common lewde doinges vnlesse they vndoe and breake suche bandes be not suffered to come to the Sacramentes of Christ But this the Reader maie see at large in the booke it selfe of S. Augustine intituled of faith and workes which is translated into englishe and sette furthe herewith The cheefe argumente whereof is to declare that it suffiseth not him that wil be baptised and iustified to beleue vnlesse he haue faith that worketh by charitie and vnlesse his life be agreable to that holy Sacrament Cap. 2◠Cap. 15. Cap 16. For where any of bothe faileth saith he there neither ought nor can any promise be made of life euerlasting And thus haue we seene how they receiued their Iustificacion who came to be christened and iustified when they were of perfecte age That our Iustification and the vertues whereby we receiue it be the giftes of God and come of grace THE IX CHAP. Of Grace BVT as a sinner is brought to the state of iustice by faith through feare of God hope loue penance and the Sacrament of Baptisme so is it trewely to be said and faithfully to be acknowleged that it is the free grace of God that worketh al these vertues in him without the whiche he is not able of him selfe to atteine not only to the state of iustice but not so muche as to right faith and loue of God or any other gifte perteining to his saluation Cùm sine gratia Dei. Concil Arausica Cap. 19. c. For seeing that mannes nature was not able to keepe saluation whiche it receiued without the grace of God how can it be able to repaire that it hath loste without the grace of God As many then as are made members of Christe by the Sacrament of Baptisme or falling afterward be restored by penance are moued and stirred therevnto not by their owne desertes but by the free mercie and grace of God whose gifte both trew penance and also Iustification is And therefore although it be said to sinners Acto 2. Zacha. 1. Exposi Episto ad Ro. incho Agite poenitentiam doo penance And Conuertimini ad me Turne yee to me Yet as S. Augustine saith Poenitentiae meritum gratia praecedit quòd neminem peccati sui paeniteret nisi admonitione aliqua vocationis Dei. Grace goeth before the merite of penance For no man would repent him of his sinne were it not by some admonition of Gods calling The wastefull sonne said Surgam ibo ad patrem meum I will rise and go to my Father Aug. Epistola 106. Quam cogitationem bonam quando haberet nisi ipsam illi in occulto pater misericordissimus inspirasset Whiche good thought when should he haue had vnlesse his most merciful Father had inspired it into him As many as sinne seuer them selues and straie from God and sure we are it can not be false that trewth said Nemo venit ad me nisi fuerit ei datum à patre meo Ioan. 6. no man cōmeth to me vnlesse it be geuē him of my Father What thing so euer man thinketh heareth or seeth whereby he is moued to good that motion commeth of God. Visorum suasionibus agit Deus God worketh in vs De spiri Lit. Cap 34. 2. Cor. 3. saith S. Austine by persuasion of suche thinges as we see not only to will but also to beleue he worketh it either outwardely by exhortacions of the gospel or inwardly For that no man can chuse what shal come into his mind The Churches sound doctrine of Gods grace De spirit Lit. Cap. 7. but it is in his owne wil to consent or disagree Without this helpe of grace no man is able so much as to thinke any thing that maie please God. As this commendacion of grace is plainely sette forth in the Scriptures so hath it ben in all ages faithfully tought by the Church Bicause as S. Augustine saith Hac cogitatio sancta c. This holy thinking keepeth the children of men vnder the defence of Goddes winges this thought bringeth no pride The Church commendeth good workes but it setteth grace before them Concil Arausi cap. 8. saying Debetur merces c. Rewarde is due to good workes if they be done but grace that is not due goeth before that they maie be done It teacheth that mannes Iustificacion is the effecte of grace Per ipsam gratiam iustificatur De spiri et lit c. 10. c. By grace man is iustified freely that is to saie no merites of his workes going before Otherwise grace is not grace It teacheth that no man dothe good workes before he haue receiued grace thereby to deserue Gods grace but that God geueth his grace first whereby man doth good workes afterwarde whiche thing S. Augustine declareth by two apte similitudes Non vt ferueat Li. 1. ad Simplicia Quaest. 2. calefacit ignis The fier doth not heate to be made hote it selfe but bicause it is hote Neither doth the whele runne well thereby to be made rounde but bicause it is rounde Euen so no man worketh well that he maie thereby receiue grace but bicause he hath receiued it For how can he liue iustely that is not iustified but grace doth iustifie that a iustified man maie liue iustely And further to shewe how necessary Gods helpe and grace is to euerie man and at all times the Church teacheth that God doth not giue his grace onely once and then leaue man to him selfe Aug. Epistola 106. de Cōcil Palest but assisteth
thinketh he is able to atteyne vnto it of him selfe albeit he neuer reacheth thereunto August in praesation Psal 31. and loseth the hope of al his trauayle bicause he presumeth of him selfe and God condemneth euen that presumption yet hath he a desire to lyue wel and a care to doe good workes But who so is persuaded that faith onely suffiseth to obteyne both Iustification and saluation let him be well ware leste he falle into the goulfe and saye Aug. ibid. Faciam ergo quicquid volo I will doo then what I liste for though I haue no good woorkes and doe no more but beleeue in God my faith shall be reputed to me for iustice If he haue so saied and determined with him selfe he is fallen in and drowned If he be yet but thinking thereof and wauering he is in daunger Further if it be true that the Philosopher saieth Aristote Ethic. lib. 2. cap. 8. that of twoo vices contrarie to one vertue the more daungerouse and greater vice is that whereunto menne are more geuen We doubte not but the greater number of men is rather prone and contente of them selues to beleue only and put the reste in Gods mercie then desirous to leade a seuere and strayte life and payne them selues with good workes Which thing the diuel wel knowing hath in sundry ages gone about to put this opinion in the heades of such as he could abuse Ca. 12. as I shal shewe hereafter Wherefore to auoide this goulfe whiche is most perillouse I wil declare that faith alone suffiseth not in any sorte of true vnderstanding to our Iustification or saluation That is to say that faith alone is neither able to iustifie and bring to the state of iustice him that is a sinner nor alone able to keepe and increase our Iustification when it is gotten nor able alone to bring him that is iustified to the perfection of iustice in life euerlasting In which three degrees consisteth the absolute and perfecte Iustification of man In the first Chap. as I haue shewed before VVhence the opinion came that onely faith iustifieth and of diuers kindes of mainteyning the same THE II. CHAPTER August de gratia liber arbit c. 7. Rom. 3. Gal. 3. THE opinion that moued some menne to thinke onely faith sufficiente to saluation tooke his firste grounde of misconstruing the wordes of S. Paule Homines enim non intelligentes c. For men saieth S. Augustine not vnderstanding these wordes of the Apostle we thinke a man is iustified by faith without workes of the law thought he said that it is sufficient for a man to haue faith although he liue yll and doe no good workes But God forbid the chosen vessel should be of that opinion And vppon this and other places of Scripture Aug. in praefat Psa 31. de fid oper c. 14. whiche also they misconstrued they perswaded them selues that a Christian man needed not to doe any good woorkes for that he might be saued by faith though he liued vngodlie Others when they sawe the Scriptures so euidently commending good workes Caluin in instit ca. de iustific ca. 10. Brent in confess VVirtēber de bonis operibus and setting foorth the necessitie of doing them being ashamed to mainteine that they were nedelesse to be done haue saied that men must liue godly to testifie and declare their faith but yet that their good woorkes deserue no rewarde of lyfe euerlasting neither can stand in the iudgement of God. And to minse this matter more finely some haue yet gone further And whereas the Catholike Churche folowing the manifest Srciptures hath euer taught that a sinner is iustified through the merite of Christ and his Sacramentes by faith hope charitie and penance they haue taught that he is iustified by faith only and although they graunt that he must haue both hope and charitie that shal be iustified yet is it faith onely saie they that striketh the stroke in the acte of Iustification hope and charitie standing by as lookers on but working nothing Into these three kindes of dangerous errours men haue fallen by teaching and beleeuing the Iustification of faith alone not onely barring the necessitie of doinge good woorkes and penance but also abasing the worthines of hope and charity and th'estimation and dignitie of Christ his Sacramentes Against the first opinion S. Augustine both preached and disputed in sundrie places of his learned woorkes and namely wrote his booke of faith and woorkes against the same which thou hast here gentle Reader together with this Treatie translated vnto thee Concerning the seconde which the Authors would faine haue appeare different from the firste and yet in effecte seemeth all one In the 2. Chapt of the firste booke I haue saied somewhat before and plainely proued that good woorkes doe not onely keepe and increase our iustice here but shal be rewarded also in the ende with life euerlasting whereof I shall saie more hereafter In the. 13. Chapter To the thirde opinion I shall nowe answere and euidently shew that it is not faith alone that worketh th'acte of our Iustification but that hope charitie and the Sacramentes haue their partes in working it also And by this shall the Reader perceiue that after their meaning it can in no wise be truely said that faith alone iustifieth And here must I aduertise the Reader that this thirde opinion is newe and lately come out of the forge neuer heard of to my knowledge before these our daies For as there hath ben in sundrie ages carnal men which thought them selues August de fid oper c. 27 and went about to perswade others that faith and the Sacramentes of Christ might saue a man without good workes so haue I not read of any that plainely said faith without hope charitie and the Sacraments of Christ can iustifie a man. And therfore as diuers or rather al the auncient Fathers haue in some places of their woorkes gone about to pul the one opinion out of mennes heades so do I not finde that they make any mention of th' other and much lesse that any one of them before this our age hath affirmed it to be true That Faith excludeth not Charitie in our Iustification that is to saie Faith alone iustifieth no man without the helpe and woorking of Charitie THE III. CHAPTER AND nowe to beginne with the moste excellente vertue that is in a Christian man Of Charitie Faith alone iustifieth no man without the helpe and working of charitie It hath ben declared before In the. 4. Chapter that our Iustification in Christe is but the restoring of that whiche was lost by Adam And as Adam sinned not onely by lacke of faith but rather and much more by lacke of good wil and right loue so is not a man once fallen restored againe by recouering onely righte faith vnlesse he recouer also righte loue The sinne of Adam was chiefely a peruerse desire
For if these be in vs Ser. 16. de ver apost then doo we belonge to the predestinate to the called and to the iustified Whiche is also expressed by the woordes of S. Paule where he saith Finis praecepti est charitas 1. Tim. 1. c. The perfyting and ending of the commaundement is charitie that commeth from a cleane harte De doctr Christian lib. 1. c. 40 from a good conscience and an vnfayned faith In which place S. Augustine saith The Apostle putteth in good conscience in steade of hope Wherefore if the commandement be geuen to make man perfect in such perfection as he may haue in this life and the ende and perfecting of the cōmandement lyeth in these three vertues the greatest perfection that man may reache vnto in this life is gotten by faith hope and charitie And our greatest perfection in this life is our Iustification for our glorifying apperteyneth to the life to come That faith excludeth not the working of Sacramentes in our Iustification THE VI. CHAPTER Of the Sacramentes AS faith doth not barre hope and charitie from working our Iustification so doth it not exclude the SaSramentes of the Church instituted by Christ in the newe Testamente Whiche Sacramentes be not only requisite to the iustifying of a sinner but doo worke also in him remissiō of sinne bring and restore him to rightuousnes and geue life euerlasting Baptisme saieth S. Peter 1. Pet. 3. saueth vs. Concerning the Sacramentes of the Altar Christe saieth He that eateth my fleshe Ioan. 6. and drinketh my bloode shall lyue for euer He saieth also of the Sacramente of Penaunce whose sinnes you forgeue Ioan. 20. they be forgeuen them The like may be said of the rest of which S. Augustine maketh this general rule putting a differēce betwene the Sacramentes of the olde and newe Testament Sacrament a noui Testamenti dant salutem August in Psal 73. Sacramēta veteris Testamenti promiserunt Saluatorem The Sacramentes of the newe Testamente geue saluation the Sacramentes of the old Testamente promised a Sauiour S. Bede whom I allege for honours sake both bicause he was a singular lighte of our Country and also bicause he was in all his writinges an exquisite and moste diligent folower of S. Augustine saieth Bed. Hom. in feri 3. Pascha The Apostles were sente Qui cunctis per orbem nationibus c. Who shoulde both preache the woorde of life to all nationes through the worlde and minister the Sacramente of faith by whiche men mighte be saued and atteyne to the ioyes of the heauenly country The reason why so high and excellente a vertue should be in the Sacramentes August in Psal 56. et idem in Psal 103. is bicause they take their force of Christ his Death and Passion Percussum est latus pendētis de lancea profluxerunt Ecclesiae Sacramenta The side of Christ hanging on the Crosse was stryken with a speare and the Sacramentes of the Church came flowing out And as they issued and flowed out of his side so doo they applye and geue vnto vs the benefyte of his bloode and passion Augu. exposit epist ad Roma inchoat Such as vvere christened Were signed vvith the Crosse Illud Sacrificium c. That Sacrifice to witte the whole Sacrifice of our Lorde whiche after a manner is then offred for euerie one at what tyme he is christened and signed if he sinne againe can not be offered S. Augustine saith that the Sacrifice which Christe made for all vppon the Crosse is offred after a sorte for euery one particularly when he is baptized For as he died for al and paide the price and ransome of his bloode sufficiente for all so is his passion auayleable and applyed vnto such as receyue the healthful Sacramentes of his passion Augu. ad arti falsò sibi imposit artic 1 Cuius mors non sic impensa est humano generi His death was not so bestowed vpon man kinde that euen they that neuer shoulde be regenerate or christened should also be partakers of his redemption but in such sorte was it geuen that it whiche was by one onely example and paterne done for al in general should by a special Sacramente be celebrated and done in euery one by him selfe Let no man therefore assure him selfe of his Iustification by faith or other meanes The Sacramēt of penance without the helpe and benefite of the Sacramentes whiche God hath prouided first to applie his death and passiō vnto vs as we haue seene proued and nexte he hath also prouided them to be bandes to bynde and rowle vp our woundes in this life to staye and ease the ruptures and breaches of our soule August in Psal 146. Alligamenta medicinalia c. The Sacramentes vsed here for the tyme by which we haue confort be medicinal bandes of our contrition and rupture Perfecta sanitate detrahentur When our healthe shal be perfect which shal be in heauen they shal be pulled of but we should not atteyne and comme to that were we not rouled and bound vp S. Augustine saith that the Sacramentes for the tyme of this life be our medicines and salues to keepe vs in health and for the life to comme so necessarie that no man should atteine thereunto without them Here some man will say Obiection how should the Sacramentes be so necessarie for our saluation Is it not writen that by faith God purifieth and maketh cleane the hartes of men Act. 15. Ephe. 2. Ioan. 6. Is it not in S. Paule by grace are ye saued through faith Did not Christ him selfe say he that beleueth in me hath life euerlasting With many like sayinges wherein faith is commended without any mention made either of hope charitie or Sacramentes Yeas verely Answere they be all the wordes of God and al trewe but these are not onely the wordes of God nor onely trewe The holy Ghost hath vttered the trewth of God in the Scriptures where and by what wordes it liked that diuine wisedome Al are inspired from God and all to be beleeued alike but not all together nor all in one place And therefore as we beleeue it is vndoubtedly trewe he that beleueth in me Ioan. 6. hath euerlasting life so doo wee likewise beleue it to be trewe If I haue all faith and haue no charitie I am nothing 1. Cor. 13. Rom. 8. Ioan. 3. as trewe doo we thinke that also by hope are we saued and no lesse true Vnlesse a man be borne againe by water and the holy Ghost he shall not enter into the kingdome of heauen As true doo we take that to be Luc. 13. vnlesse ye doo penance ye shall all perish after a like sorte After this manner doth the Scripture somtime speake of faith and attribute Iustification vnto it Note wel making no mention of hope charitie or penance Sometime it seemeth to geue the like preeminence to charitie mentioning
saith he comme vnto life keepe the commaundementes When he had asked what commaundementes our Lord rehearsed to him the preceptes of the Lawe Thou shalt not kill Thou shalt not cōmitte aduoultrie and so foorth Whereunto when he had aunswered that all these thinges he had done from his youth then did our Lord adde farther the precept also of perfection that selling all that he had and bestowing in almes on the poore he should haue treasure in heauen and follow the same Lord. Let them behold therfore and marke that it was not said vnto him he should beleeue and be baptised by which only helpe these men thinke a man may come to life but the preceptes of manners and workes were geuen vnto him which yet can not be kept or obserued without faith Neither bicause our Lord seemeth here to haue omitted the insinuacion of faith do we therfore prescribe and content our selues that only preceptes of manners should be opened to them that desire to come to life For both be mutually knit together as I said before bicause neither the loue of God can be in a man that loueth not his neighbour neither the loue of his neighbour in him which loueth not God. Therfore do we find that the Scripture doth somtime mention the one without the other now faith now workes eche for a ful and perfite doctrine to the end we may thereby vnderstand that one of them can not be without the other For why He that beleeueth God ought to doo that which God commaundeth and he that therefore doth bicause God commaundeth must of necessitie beleue God. That onely faith doth not suffice to saluation without good workes THE XIIII CHAPTER LET vs now therfore looke vnto that point The principall point of this Treatie and vvel to be marked which is to be beaten forth of all religious hartes least by a lewde securite they lose their saluatiō if they thinke onely faith to suffise to the obteining hereof and be negligent to liue wel and to kepe on in the way of God by good workes For euen in th'Apostles time some not vnderstanding certaine darke sentences of the Apostle Paul thought him to saie Let vs doo euil that good may come because he had saied the lawe entred Rom. 5. that offence might abound but where offence abounded there was grace the more abundant Which saying of S. Paule is true in this sense that menne receauing the lawe and most proudly presuming of theire owne strengthe and abilitie to kepe it not by right faith calling vpon the grace of God to ouercome their euil concupiscenses and lustes against the lawe were iustely burdened beside the transgressing of the lawe with moe yea and more greuous offences And so extreme gilt compelling them they fled to faith Psal 120. Rom. 5. Whereby they might deserue the mercie of pardone and helpe of our Lorde which made heauen and earth that charitie being thorough the holy Ghost powred in their hartes they might doo with loue those thinges which were commanded against the concupiscenses and lustes of this worlde Psal 15. Rom. 7. Hovv s Paule is to be vnderstanded according to that which was foresaid in the psalme their infirmities were multiplied and then they made hast Therefore where the Apostle saith He thinketh man to be iustified by faith without the workes of the Lawe he meaneth not that after faith receiued and professed the workes of iustice should be contemned but that euery man may knowe that he may be iustified by faith This is meant of the first Iustification See the Treatie before though the workes of the Lawe haue not gonne before For they doo followe him that is iustified they go not before him that is to be iustified Of which matter I neede not farther to dispute in this present woorke Namely since I haue vppon this question alreadie sette forth a large booke which is intituled Of the letter and the spirit Note hovv olde the heresy is of only Faithe Bicause therefore this opinion was then euen in the Apostles time spronge vp the other Apostolical Epistles of Peter Iohn Iames and Iuda doo chiefly direct their intention and purpose against the same opinion so farre that they plainely * Therfore Luther thought good vtterly to reiect the Epistle of S Iames in his vvritinges against kinge henry the viij Galat. 5. 1. Cor. 13. Rom. 13. affirme faith without workes to profite nothing as Paule him selfe also defineth not euerie faith whereby a man may beleeue in God but that to be the healthfull and Euangelicall faith whose workes procede of Charitie that faith saith he which worketh thorough loue or Charitie For which cause also he sheweth the same faith which some men thinke to suffise vnto saluation to be so farre from profiting any whit that he saith If I haue all faith so as I may remoue mountaines and yet haue not Charitie I am nothing But where this faithfull Charitie woorketh there without doubt is good life For the fulnes of the Lawe is Charitie Wheruppon to make the matter plaine Peter in his second epistle where he exorteth vnto holinesse of life and woorkes and foreshewed that this world should passe away but new heauens and new earth was to be loked for which shall be geuen to be inhabited of the iust that they might hereby take good hede how they liued to become mete and worthy of that habitation knowing that out of certaine darke sentences of S. Paull some lewde personnes had taken occasiō to be carelesse of wel liuing Note as being sure of their saluation which is in faith said that certeine thinges there were in S. Paules Epistle most hard to be vnderstanded which men did peruert euē as they did other scriptures to their owne destruction whereas yet the same Apostle Paul thought no doubt of the euerlasting saluatiō which is not geauen but to good liuers euen in suche sorte as the other Apostles did Peter I say knowing this 2. Pet. 3. saieth as foloweth All these thinges then perishing of what sorte ought ye to be in holy conuersations and woorkes of pietie expecting and hastening to the presence of the day of our Lorde by the which the heauens burning shal be losed and the elementes by the heate of fier dissolued But we looke for according to his promisses newe heauens and a newe earth wherein iustice inhabiteth VVherefore most deerly beloued sins you looke for these thinges labour that ye may be found before him sounde and without spot in peace and thinke the patient expecting of our Lorde to be healthful vnto you euen as our deerest beloued brother Paul wrote vnto you according to that wisedome which was geuen vnto him speaking of these thinges in manner in all his Epistles wherein are some thinges harde to be vnderstanded which vnlearned and wauering persons doo peruert euen as the rest of the Scriptures to their owne destruction You therefore deerly beloued now foreknowing these thinges be
ye ware lest being seduced into the errours of suche as be false ye fall from your strength But increase in grace and the vnderstanding of our Lorde and Sauiour Iesu Christ to him be glory both nowe and for euer Iames. 2. But Iames is vehemently offended against them which conceiue faith to be of value vnto saluation without woorkes in so much that he compareth them euen with diuelles saying Thou beleuest that there is one God Thou doest well and the diuelles also beleue so and tremble thereat Marc. 1. Matt. 16. What could be saied more truely more briefly and more vehemently Verely we reade in the Ghospel that the diuelles said no lesse confessing Christ to be the sonne of God whiche saying yet in them was rebuked though in Peter praised and commended Iac. 2. Note What shall it profitte you my brethern saith Iames if a man say he haue faith but haue not workes can faith saue him He saith also in the same place that faith without workes is dead Howe farre then are they deceiued that by a dead faith promise vnto them selues euerlasting life Faith and good workes together are required for the attaining of saluation THE XV. CHAPTER WHERFORE we must diligently consider how that sentence of the Apostle Paul which in dede is hard to be vnderstande ought truely to be taken where he saieth 1. Cor. 3. for other foundation can no man lay but that which is laid which is Christ Iesu But if a man build vppon the foundation gold siluer precious stones blockes hay and stubble euery mans woorke shal be shewed for the day of our Lord shal declare it bicause it shal be reuealed in fier and the fier shall trie what euery mans woorke is Yf the woorke that any man hath builded thereon do tarry it shall receiue rewarde but if any man his woorkes doo burne it shall receiue hurt but him selfe shal be saued so yet as by fier Which wordes of the Apostle some do so expounde that they be said to build vppon this foundation golde siluer and precious stones who doo adde good workes vnto the saith which is in Iesu Christ and they to builde hay blockes and stubble who hauing the same faith doo euill woorkes Whereupon they thinke that through certaine paines of fier these later kinde of menne may be purged and made meete to receiue saluation through the merite of the foundation whereupon they build If this opinion be true then we graunt that these men vpon a charitable cōsideration do labour that al persons should without difference be admitted to baptisme not only men and wemen that be adulterers pretending false mariages against Gods ordinance but also common harlottes persisting in their most filthy profession whom surely no Church how meanely so euer it were gouerned hath vsed to admitte onlesse they first forsoke that shamelesse prostitution of them selues But by this their opinion why they should not absolutely be admitted I see not For who had not rather that suche as laying first the foundation though they heape thereon blockes hay and stubble should not though with somewhat the longer fire be purged then to perish euerlastingly But then should those textes be false which are cleere and haue in them selues no darcknes or ambiguitie at all If I haue all faith so as I may remoue mountaines 1. Cor. 13. and yet haue no charitie Iac. 2. I am nothing And what shall it auaile my brethern if a man say he haue faith and yet haue no workes can his faith saue him That also shal be false where it is said Be not deceiued 1. Cor. 6. for neither fornicators Idolaters Adulterers effeminate persons offenders against kind nor theues couetous persons Dronckards sclaunderers or extorcioners shal inherite the kingdome of heauen Gala. 5. Then also is that false Manifest are the workes of the fleshe which are fornications vncleanes lechery idolatry witchcraft enmite contentions emulations stomaking dissension heresie enuie dronckennes glottonie and suche like which I foretell you euen as I haue done heretofore that they which doo suche thinges shall not possesse the kingdome of heauen These places I saie by their opinion shal be all false For if they onely beleeue and be baptised though they perseuer in suche euils they shal be yet saued thorough fier say they And so they that are baptised in Christ yea though they doo such thinges shal possesse the kingdome of heauen which S. 1. Cor. 6. Paul denieth Againe in vaine is it said such haue you bene but you are now whasshed if they that be wasshed and baptized remaine yet such In vaine also may that seeme to be spoken by Peter 1. Pet. 3. Euen so in like manner doth baptisme saue you not the laying down of the filth of the flesh but the testimony of a good conscience For by them Baptisme saueth euen those which haue the worst consciences and ful of al wickednes and iniquitie yea though they be not chaunged by any penaunce from those euils For thorough the foundation which in the same Baptisme is laied they shall be saued saie they though it be by fier Neither doo I see to what purpose Christe saied If thou wilt come to life keepe the commaundementes Matth. 19 Nota. or why he taught those thinges that pertaine to good woorkes if without keeping them a man may come to life Iacob 2. by onely Faith which without woorkes is dead And how shal that be true that to them which he wil put on his left hand he shal saie Goe ye into euerlasting fier which is prepared for the diuel and his aungels where he blameth them Matth. 25 not bicause they did not beleue but bicause they did not good woorkes For truly lest any man should promise vnto him selfe eternal life by faith which without woorkes is dead therfore did he saie he would cal out and seperate all nations Nota. which being mingled together did feed as it were in one and the same pastour that it maie plainely appeare those they are that shall saie vnto him Lord when did wee see thee suffer suche and suche thinges and did not minister vnto the who beleeuing in him did not care to woorke good workes as though by their dead faith they shoulde come to euerlasting life But what Shall they trowe wee goe into euerlasting fier whiche leaue the woorkes of mercie vndone and shal not they go which haue taken awaie other mens goodes and haue ben vnmercifull againe them selues in corrupting within them selues the temple of God as though the workes of mercy did profitte any thing without Charitie considering that the Apostel saieth 1. Cor. 13. If I geue all my good vnto the poore and haue not Charitie it auaileth mee nothing Or may a man loue his neighbour as him selfe whiche doth not loue him selfe Psal 10. For he that loueth iniquitie hateth his owne soule Neither can that be saied here which some do saie and
curing and healing againe of those woundes Finally deerely belooued brethern the worde of God hath neuer ceased hath neuer bene silent but in the holy Scriptures bothe olde and newe alwaies and in al places hath stirred Gods people to woorkes of mercy the holie Ghost still crying out and exhorting vs that who so euer is instructed to the hope of the Kingdome of heauen should doo almose deedes God willeth and commaunded Esaie saying Crie out strongly and spare not Esaie 58. Lifte vp thy voice as a trumpet and shewe foorthe vnto my people their sinnes and to the house of Iacob their iniquitees And when he had commaunded theyr sinnes to be vpbrayded vnto them and when he had vttered their wickednes with full force of indignation and had saied that they could not with praiers or fastinges satisfy for their sinnes no nor appease the wrathe of God though they should be wrapped in asshes and shertes of heare yet in the last part shewing that God might be appeased only by almose dedes he added this saying Ibidem Breake thy bread vnto the hungry and the nedy wanting harborough leade into they house I thou see one naked cloth him and the houshold of thy kinne doo not despise Then shall thy light breake foorthe in timely season thy health shall soone appere and iustice shal goe before thee and the brightnesse of God shal cōpasse the round about Then shalt thou cry out and God shal heare thee and while thou art yet speaking shall saie vnto the Beholde I am at hande Thus we see that remedies to winne Gods fauour were geeuen by Gods owne woordes And what sinners ought to doo Gods instructions haue shewed and taught Againe that by iust woorkes satisfaction is made to God that sinnes are purged by merites of mercy wee reade in Salomon also Eccles 29. Close vppe thine almose saith he in the bosome of the poore and he shall praie and entreate for thee against al ill And againe Prouer. 21 He that stoppeth his eares not to heare the weake and needy him selfe shall call vppon the Lorde and shall not be heard For he can not deserue the mercy of our Lorde whiche is not him selfe mercifull or obtaine of Gods fauour any thing in his praier who is not gentill to the praier of the oorep This also doth the holy Ghoste declare and proue in the Psalmes Psal 40. saying Blessed is hee that hath regarde to the needy and poore Our Lorde shall deliuer him in the euill daie Whiche preceptes Daniell hauing in minde Daniel 4. when the Kinge Nabuchodonosor being feared with a terrible dreame boiled in great anguishe of minde he gaue him remedie for the turning awaie and mitigating of those euils by obtaining God his helpe saying Therefore ô King let my counsel please thee redeeme thy sinnes with almose deedes and thy vnrightuousnes with mercy on the poore and God shall be mercifull ouer thy sinnes To whome the Kinge not obeying suffered the terrours and aduersities whiche he sawe in his dreame whiche yet he might haue escaped and auoided if hee woulde haue redeemed his sinnes by almes deedes Also Raphael the Angell dooth witnesse the lyke and exhorteth that almes be willingly and bountefully geeuen Raphael Angelus saying Praier is good with fasting and almes for almes deliuereth from death and it purgeth sinnes Hee sheweth that our praiers and fasting be of the lesse force if they be not helped with almes deedes and that praiers alone are of littell efficacie to intreate vnlesse they be filled vppe and helped with the adioyning of deedes and woorkes Praiers vvithout vvorkes are of small force The Angell dooth reuele open and testifie vnto vs that our praiers are made effectual by almes deedes that by almes life is redeemed from perill by almes soules are deliuered from death Neither doo we derely beloued Brethern so auouch these thinges but that wee shall with the very testimony of Truth it selfe confirme that which the Angel Raphael hath saied In the actes of the Apostles we haue good proofe hereof and by a fact done we plainly finde that soules are by almose deliuered not onely from the second death of hell but also from the first death of this present life Tabitha being a wooman much geuen and addicted to good woorkes and dooing of almose when by sickenes she had departed this life Peter was sent forth vnto the dead carcas whoo when readely and gently as it becomed the mekenesse of an Apostle he was come thither there stood about him a sorte of widowes weeping and intreating him and shewing vnto him the clokes coates and all other the clothing which they had before receaued of her making sute for her being dead not so much by their woordes as by showe of her owne woorkes The good intention helpeth muche praier Peter perceiued that the thing in suche sorte sued for might be obtained and that the helpe of Christe would not want at the sute of the widowes since him selfe was also clothed in the widowes Therefore when kneeling downe vpon his knees he had praied and as a fitte aduocate had vttered and sent vp vnto God the praiers made vnto him by the widdowes and the poore turning then to the bodie which being wasshed lay alreadie vpon a borde he said Tabitha arise in the name of Ihesu Christ Neither did he faile Peter but straight way gaue helpe who in the Ghospell had saied that what soeuer were asked in his name should be graunted Death therefore was suspended life retourned and the reuiued body restored quicke to light all the company muche maruailing and being not a little astonnied thereat Of suche force were the merites of mercy of suche value and power were good workes Merites of vvorkes Shee that to the needy widowes had geuen reliefe and succour of life deserued at the praiers of the widowes to be restored to life The teacher therefore of oure life and the maister of our eternall saluation geeuing life to the people beleeuing and prouiding for euer for them on s brought to life doth emong his diuine commaundementes and heauenly preceptes in the Ghospell will and charge nothing more often then that wee should continue and persist in geuing almose that wee should not lie and grouell vpon our earthly possessions but rather hearde vppe to our selues some heauenly treasures Sell your goodes saith hee and geue almose And againe Lay not vppe to your selues treasures vppon earth Luc. 12. where mothe and rust spoileth and decaieth and where theeues digge vp and steale but heape vppe vnto your selues treasures in heauen where neither mothe nor rust doth consume and where theeues do not breake vp and steale for where thy treasure is there will also thy hart bee And when he woulde teache one that had obserued the lawe howe he should be perfite he saied If thou wilt be perfite goe and sell all that thou hast and geue it to the poore and thou shalt haue treasure
Faith to witte the faith of God towarde man in keeping his promise and the faith of man towarde God in beleeuing his worde and seing also that of Gods faith there is no question nor doubt it foloweth that when so euer mention is made in the Scripture of mans faith alone and in his owne kinde that faith is vnderstanded whereby man is faithful vnto God Chrysost hom 31. in Gen. that is as S. Chrysostome saith Wherby man geueth credite vnto his saiyngs and wordes For expounding these wordes Credidit Abraham Deo Abraham beleued God he saith Credidit dictis Dei He gaue credite to Gods wordes and sayinges In this sense S. Augustine saith August de verb. Apostol sâ—m 16. De spiri lite cap. 31. Ad fidem quid pertinet Credere What appertaineth to faith To beleue And bicause a man might aske also what it is to beleeue to put that out of doubt he saith in an other place Quid est enim credere nisi consentire verum esse quod dicitur What is it els to beleeue but to consent that the thing which is saide is true By this rule as many in al ages as haue beleued the Gospel after the right and true vnderstanding of the Catholique Churche keeping themselues within the same Churche Vincent Lyrinen aduers haeres haue ben called faithful and Catholiques Ille est verus Germanus Catholicus qui veritatem Dei qui Ecclesiam qui Christi corpus diligit c. He is a true and right Catholike saith Vincentius Lyrinensis that loueth the truth of God that loueth the Church that loueth the body of Christ Who is a true Catholique that estemeth nothing more then Gods religion and the Catholike faith no not the authoritie and loue of any man father husband or whatsoeuer not wit eloquence nor philosophie not welthe riches or honour but despising al these things and remayning fast and stable in faith what soeuer he shall knowe that the Catholique Church hath holden from auncient time vniuersally doth determine to holde and beleeue only that Such then are faithful and Catholikes that beleeue the Catholike and auncient faith vniuersally receyued as Vincentius saieth that beleue God and geue credite to his words as S. Augustine and S. Chrysostome say And if they be also of life good and vertuouse then be they called boni Catholici August in Praefatio Psal 31. Ser. 31. de verb. Apost good Catholikes if they be of yl conuersation they be called fideles iniqui vniuste faithful mali Catholici yll Catholiques faithful and Catholikes bicause they haue faith yll bicause their life is vngodly if they forsake the faith as Iulianus did they be called Apostates But as long as they keepe the Catholike faith of Christes Churche Note thoughe their lyfe be wicked and they damnable yet be they not called infideles but faithful and beleeuers And sith no man can be called faithfull but he that hath faith and it is faith to beleeue and to beleeue is but to assente vnto trewth by this it is proued that the propertie of faith in his owne kinde is to beleue the Gospel and to assente vnto the trewth of God. S. Augustine saith Euchiri cap. 6. 7. 9.117 Faith in his ovvne nature August in Praefatio Psal 32. A man doth learne by the Crede what is to be beleeued by the Pater noster what is to be hoped and by the commaundementes what is to be loued And albeit faith and charitie must be both in a good man yet as he saieth Quod credit fidei est quod operatur charitatis est it is the property of faith that a man beleueth and of charitie that he worketh Faith in his owne kinde may be alone and parted from charitie and hope Iacob 2. Enchirid. cap. 8. Ser. 4. de Collect. For not onely euil men but euen Diuels doo beleue and tremble but as S. Augustine saith They neither hope nor loue And Leo saith Multis quibus auferre non potuit fidem sustulit charitatem From many hath the Diuell taken awaye Charitie from whome he could not take awaye Faith. In this sorte doth the Scripture many tymes speake of faith as it is in it selfe and in his owne nature Heb. 11. saying Fides est substantiarerum sperandarum Prima in cap. 11. ad Heb. Faith is the substance of thinges that are to be hoped for It is called the substance of them saieth Primasius bicause vnto such thinges as be taught by the worde of God though they be not sene yet faith geueth a being in our soule assenting vnto them and beleeuing them as well to be true as though they were seene with our bodily eyes In the same place it is saied By faith we vnderstande that the worlde was sette in order by the woorde of God. And this is faith in his owne kinde that is to say a beleeuing and assenting vnto truth Somtime the Scripture speaketh of faith as it is accompanied and ioyned with other vertues and geeueth vnto faith the properties of such vertues as are ioyned with it So is it said Heb. 11. that by faith Abel offered Sacrifice Noe feared God Abraham obeyed Moyses suffred affliction not that these are the properties of faith in his owne nature Faith ioyned vvith other but bicause the Fathers beside faith had these vertues also Abell the vertue of religion Noe the feare of God Abraham obedience Moyses patience So it is likewise said of charitie Omnia suffert oiÌ„a credit oiÌ„a sperat She suffreth al things beleueth al things hopeth al things And yet saith S. Austine truly In Prafa Psal 31. Quod credit fidei est It cometh of faith that a man beleueth And likewise of patience that he suffereth and of charitie that he loueth and worketh wel Trewe it is that none of these vertues alone and by it selfe maketh a good man. For it is a rule in Philosophie that vertues be linked together And yet as trewe it is that euery vertue hath her owne natural property wherby she worketh somwhat in a good man So faith beleueth hope trusteth charitie loueth prudence chooseth fortitude beareth temperance refraineth whose properties ioined together with other like make vppe an absolute and perfecte goodnes But bicause both faith and also the Scriptures were giuen to men Ioan. 5. to thintente they should haue life euerlasting by them knowing and doing the wil of God S. Paule commendeth specially the faith that doth not only reste in opinion and beleuing of truthe but that is actiue and working through charitie toward that ende saiyng In Christe Iesu neither circumcision Gala. 5. nor to be without circumcision auaileth ought but faith that worketh through charitie declaring thereby Leo ser 7. de Epipha A notable Rule De fide oper c. 14 De spiri lit ca. 32. Epistola 105. Enchir. cap. 8. De Gra. et lib. arbi cap. 7. that faith of it selfe
God make it easie and light especially bicause we are fure to escape the heauie and punishing hand of God. For so S. Paul saith Si nos ipsos diiudicaremus non vtique iudicaremur 1. Cor. 11. If we would iudge that is to say punish our selues we shoulde not be iudged Thus haue I shewed that suche as fall after Baptisme into greate and deadly sinne are restored againe and iustified by penance whiche hath that vertue by the woorde and promise of Christe Ioani 20. I haue also declared howe a sinner is brought vnto true penance And further I haue shewed the difference betweene penance that is required of suche as being of age come to be christened and of such as fal after Baptisme wherin it hath ben proued that sinners after Baptisme are restored again to the estate of iustice Theodor. sup Paul. 2. Cor. 7. by doing the worthie fruits of penance and not by Faith onely And seing that al Christian men now liuing were baptised in their infancie This is the Iustification that we ought specially to loke vnto by knowledge to learne and to practise by dede As for the Iustification of faith alone how so euer it serue for suche as are to be christened In the viij Chap. of the secōd booke whereof I shall speake hereafter it serueth not for vs that are christened alreadie Of the increase and perfiting of our Iustification wherein it is truely said that we be iustified by good workes and not by faith onely THE XII CHAP. IT is not inough for the obteining of lyfe euerlastinge that sinners be iustified and made of wicked righteouse Psal 83. Tit. 2. vnlesse they continue also and increase in iustice goe from vertue to vertue and liue soberly iustly and godly For as S. Cyprian saith Parum est adipisci aliquid potuisse Cyprian li. 1. ep 5. It is a small matter to be able to get a thing It is more to be able to kepe that is once gotten as in faith it selfe and the healthfull byrth it is not the receiuing but the keping of it that geaueth lyfe neither is it by and by the attaining but the perfiting that preserueth a man to God. This our Lorde taught by his owne instruction Ioan. 5. when he saied Lo thou art made a whole man nowe sinne not least some worse happe fall vnto thee Christe gaue him selfe for vs saieth S. Paule to the intent he might redeeme vs from all iniquity Tit. 2. 2. Cor 6. and cleanse vnto him selfe a singular and special people a folower of good workes If this effect folowe not in vaine hath Christe geauen him selfe to death for vs in vaine doe we receiue his grace and Iustification And not onely in vaine but to our great daunger and peril 2. Pet. 2. Luc. 11. Augustin epist 106. Better were it for them saith S. Peter neuer to haue knowē the way of iustice then after the knowlege of it to turne backe againe from the holy cōmandement that was deliuered vnto them He that is iustified is ryd of the vncleane spirite and his harte lyke to the swepte house But if the same stande emptie not inhabited by the holy Ghost nor filled with the fruites of iustice the vncleane spirite doth not onely returne agayne but also bringeth with him seuen other worse then him selfe who entre and dwel there and the later doinges of that man becomme worse then the firste were For as to him that hath Math. 25. there shal be geuen and he shall haue aboundance so from him that hath not euen that he seemeth to haue shal be taken awaye To haue the gyftes of God is to vse them as Theophilacte writeth vpon that place Theophil in ca. 25. Math. Math. 28 And he vseth Goddes grace that doth good workes to the which ende grace is geuen Christe sente his Apostles to christen all Nations and to teache them to keepe all that he had commaunded them He woulde not onely haue a people to knowe him Luc. 1. Ioan. 15. but such a people as shoulde serue him in holynes and iustice He saith to his Apostles Ego elegi vos posui vos vt eatis fructum plurimum afferatis fructus vester maneat I haue chosen you and placed you to thintent you should go and bring forth fruite and to thintent your fruit should remaine And in the same chaptre he saith in hoc glorificatus est pater Ioan. 15. vt fructū plurimū afferatis efficiamini mei Discipuli Hereby is my Father glorified that you may bring forth much fruit and be made my scholers geuing vs to vnderstande that they be Christes scholers that shew the fruite of his teaching and that God is glorified not onely in our calling but also in the fruite that commeth of our calling For this cause the Scripture saieth to such as are already called to the state of iustice Apoca. 22 Eccle. 18. Math. 5. Qui iustus est iustificetur adhuc Let him that is iuste be iustified yet And also Let nothing let thee from continuall prayer and let nothing forbid thee to be iustified vnto thy death for Goddes rewarde abydeth for euer Blessed are they that hunger and thyrst after iustice saieth our Sauiour Apertissimè nos instituens c. Most euidently teaching vs Beda in solen om Sancto that we should neuer thinke our selues iuste inough but euer more loue and desire a daylie increase of iustice For true it is that Leo saieth Quantumlibet quisque iustificatus sit Leo ser 8. de Passio Aug. ser 15. de verb. Apo. Why increase of Iustice is called Iustificatiō c. Be a man neuer so much iustified yet while he is in this life he may be better and more tryed but he that increaseth not decayeth and goeth backewarde and he that getteth nothing loseth somewhat And bicause as in al artes vse maketh the artificer more skilful then he was so the continuance and practise of iustice maketh a good man readyer and more able to do well and thereby iuster then he was the Scripture calleth it Iustificatiō that is to say an increase of iustice and declareth in sundry places howe the same is obteyned S. Iames saieth Iacob 2. videtis quòd ex operibus c. You see that a man is iustified by workes and not by faith onely And he that saieth Eccles 18. lette nothing staye thee from continuall prayer nor forbid thee to be iustified to thy death teacheth that prayer is a meane to iustifie whiche Chrysostome expresseth in more playne woordes Chrysost Tom 5. de orand saying vtiampiam ac cultu Dei dignam miris modis oratio conciliat conciliatam auget Prayer doth meruelously winne and gette a good life and increaseth it when it is a gotten Christ him selfe calleth prayer fasting and asmosedeede our iustice and sure we are that he is iuste who doth iustice Math. 6. 1. Ioan.
men are workers together and helpers with God. To these we geeue commendation and that none otherwise then the holy Scriptures and auncient Fathers doo The Catholike doctrine slaūdered And hereby the Reader maie see how vntrewly it is saide that the Catholike Doctrine teacheth men to presume of their owne workes or to thinke they be able to doo well without the grace of God yea howe farre they are that so saie from knowing what good and godly workes are A briefe rehersall of so much as hath ben hitherto saide in this Treatie of Iustification THE XIIII CHAPTER IN the Preface of this treatie after that I had shewed howe profitable and necessary the trewe knowledge and doctrine of Iustification was I did by the wordes of S. Augustine put the Reader in minde of two great daungers In Psal 31. which that most learned and godly Father calleth hedlong falles sayinge that who so speaketh of this matter vnlesse he keepe the streight high waie going neither to farre on the righte hande nor on the lefte may easily fall him selfe or bringe his hearer into one of them The one perill is the presumption of mans owne iustice to thinke that he maie be iustified and liue godly without the helpe of grace which danger he saith is as it were on the right hande The other perill is the presumption vppon Gods mercy to thinke that a man though he liue ill dooing no good workes yet shal be saued by faith that peril he saith is as it were on the lefte hande To shewe the good Christian Reader who desireth to go the streight way howe he may auoide bothe daungers the falling into either whereof is the losse of life euerlasting I haue taken this trauaile in hande wherein I trust I haue nowe saide inough to keepe him from the daungerouse fall on the righte hande hauing declared at large howe litle cause man hath to presume of his owne iustice who descending of the corrupte race of Adam borne in sinne and in daunger of the diuell hath no hope to aspire to the state of iustice whiche Adam loste to him selfe 1. Timo. 2. and for all vs but onely by mercie of the mediatour of God and menne the man Iesus Christe who gaue him selfe a raunsome for all by whose grace we are freely iustified Rom. 3. Ephes 2. without respecte of any good woorkes going before or deseruing that mercy at his handes I haue shewed that the chiefe and original cause of our Iustification was the exceding loue of God Ephes 2. who when we were deade in sinne gaue vs life againe in Christe The cause that procured vnto vs the benefite of our Iustificatiō to be the merit of Christs death Rom. 6. who died for vs when we were sinners Colos 1. pacifiyng by the bloud of his Crosse all that is in heauen or in earth I haue declared that our Iustification is wrought in vs by grace and atteined by faith through the feare of God hope charitie penance and the Sacrament of Baptisme And this much haue I said of the first degree of our Iustification Ro. 5. whereby we haue accesse to comme to this grace making with the Scripture and aunciente Fathers for plainer vnderstanding three degrees of our Iustification and saluation The seconde and thirde degrees of our Iustification whiche are increase of iustice in this life and perfiting thereof in the life to comme I haue proued to be gotten and obteined by faith and good workes I haue also declared that not only faith the feare of God hope charity and penance but also our good workes and all thinges any waie helping to our Iustification be the giftes of God and made ours by the assent and working of our free will which is first healed and made strong by grace and the speciall helpe of God. And bicause no man liueth without sinne and fewe without greate and mortall crimes whereby the grace of Iustification is loste I haue shewed that the waie to recouer it againe is by the Sacrament of penance which is also the gifte of God for that he moueth a sinner to change and amende his life Math. 3. and to doo the worthy fruites of penance without the whiche motion no man euer did profitable penance And thus haue I proued that all Iustification in euery māner commeth from God and is receiued and wrought in man through grace 1. Cor. 3. by his owne will and consent whom it hath pleased God to haue a worker together with him not empeyring thereby but muche auancing his owne glorie for that he is meruelouse Psal 67. not onely in him selfe but also in his holie Rom. 3. And so haue I truely and faithfully excluded al boasting of man in him selfe geuing glory to God. For I haue so set forth the free wil of man and commended good workes that the indifferent Reader may truly say Omnia ex Deo. 2. Cor. 5. All is of God to th ende that who so vanteth and boasteth 1. Cor. 1. may vante and boaste in God. THE SECOND BOOKE DECLARING THE SECOND DANGER Howe daungerouse it is for a man to presume only vpon Gods mercy and to doo no good workes THE I. CHAPTER August in prafatio Psalm 31. HAVING thus shewed the waye to auoyde the one daunger whiche is on the righte hande and playnely declared that no man is iustified by him selfe nor hath to presume of him selfe bicause it auayleth a man nothing to eschewe one peril and to perishe by an other contrarie to it that is as the Poete saieth to escape Charibdys and be drowned in Sylla Augu. de fid et operib c. 14. Iam illud videamus c. Let vs nowe consider that other pointe whiche muste be shaken owt of good and religiouse hartes leaste putting cocke in the hoope by an yll securitie and carelesnes they lose their saluation if they thinke faithe onely fufficiente to obteyne it and take no care to holde them selues in Gods waye by doing good woorkes By whiche woordes S. Augustine moneth vs to auoide the other daunger on the lefte hande of presuming in Gods mercy alone Willing no man to thinke he may be saued by faith and beleeuing onely if hauing tyme thereunto he neyther lyue godly nor doo good woorkes And this perill is so muche the more to be wayed and carefully to be eschewed bicause as he saieth in the same woorke that is the moste daungerouse opinion of all August de fid opeca 27. whereby menne are made beleeue that lyue they neuer so lewdely and shamefully yea and continue in that kinde of lyfe yet if they doo no more but beleeue in Christe and receyue his Sacramentes they shall come to euerlasting life I cal this with S. Augustine the moste daungerouse opinion of al bicause it is the greateste enemy of godly life and good woorkes without the whiche no man shal be saued For he that putteth affiance in good life and
can not worke our Iustification without charitie and other vertues howe is it then saied that the iustice of God commeth through faith of Iesus Christ into al and vppon al that beleue in him And in an other place By Faith God iustifieth the gentile What is meant by these wordes of Christ He that beleueth in me hath life euerlasting Thy Faith hath saued thee with many other like Wherevnto I answere There be two causes why it is saied through faith Tvvo Causes vvhy faith is saied to iustifie and by faith we are iustified To beginne with the first Faith is the beginning of iustice the roote of good workes the foundation wherevppon godly life is builded Aug. de praedesti Sanct. c. 7. Ex fide aūt ideo dicit iustificari hominem For this cause S. Paule saith a man is iustified by Faith not by workes for that Faith is first geuen whereby other which properly are called good workes by the whiche men liue iustely maie be obteined Without the direction of Faith no man can liue well nor doo good workes Aug. de fide operib cap. 7. Nisi praecedat fides vita bona sequi non poterit c. vnlesse Faith goo before good life can not folowe for what so euer a man shall doo with shewe of well doing excepte it be done for pietie and duties sake towarde God Cyril in Ioan. li. 4. cap. 9. 1. Cor. 3. Augu. de fide operib c. 16 it can not be called righteouse nor good Ianua via in vitam fides est Faithe is the gate and waie to entre into life Faith is the foundation whereuppon the whole building of a Christian and godlie life is laide Si autem Christus proculdubio fides Christi c. If Christe be the foundation vndoubtedly the Faith in Christ is the foundation for by Faith Christ dwelleth in our hartes For that cause the Bishoppes assembled at Magunce to reforme the state of the Churche and to directe the people to a Christian and godly life Concil Magun cap. 1. Rom. 5. Ephes 3. saide Initium actionis nostrae de fide esse decreuimus c. We haue determined that the beginning of our doing is of Faith whiche is the foundation of all good for without Faith we can not please God. By Faith it is that we haue accesse to Christ Faith is a meane to obteine and gette our Iustification Aug. de Spiri et Lit. ca. 29 Iustificatio autem ex fide impetratur c. Iustification is obteined by Faith. And by what meane S. Augustine doth there expresse Per fidem impetratio gratiae contra peccatum Aug. de Spiri Lit. ca. 30. Per gratiam sanatio animae à vitio peccati By Faith grace is obteined against sinne and by grace the sowle is healed of that is amisse by sinne Bicause therfore Faith is the gate and entrie to life the roote of good workes whereof all iustice taketh his beginning the foundation whereupon godly life is builded the meane to obteine Iustificatiō and good workes without the which nothing pleaseth God the Scripture saith that by Faithe a man is iustified for of Faithe it maie be saide Haec porta Domini iusti intrabunt in eam Psal 117. This is our Lordes gate the iuste shal entre into it And here the Reader must be aduertised The Catholike Faith. Vincentius Lyrinēsis that by faith is vnderstanded the trewe Catholique faith whiche holdeth and beleueth onely that that the Catholique Churche hath holden from Auncient time vniuersally And what so euer it shall vnderstande to be brought in afterwarde of any one beside or against all the holy it accompteth that not to perteine to religion but to temptation To this Faith is all promise made and preeminence geuen in the Scripture This faith is the foundation of iustice If any other be brought in contrarie or diuerse from this Nō est fides Cyril suprà sed perfidia It is not faith but falsehod not the foundation of iustice and gate of life but the waie to destruction Symbol Athan. Aug. Euchi cap. 1. De fide ope ca. 14. Epist 105. De spiri et Lit. cap. 32. Aug. de fide et oper c. 16. For we sing in the Creede Vnlesse a man holde the Catholique Faith sounde and inuiolable he shal without doubt be loste for euer An other cause why the Scripture so speaketh is that wheresoeuer it is said a man is iustified by faith there is not meant a bare naked or solitarie faith but that faith that worketh through Charitie And therefore S. Augustine where he saith that faith is the foundation wherby Christe dwelleth in our hartes immediatly after addeth these wordes Porrò fides Christi illa vtique c. But that is verely meant the faith of Christ which the Apostle determined that hath her working through Charitie Iaco. 2. Mar 1. Lucae 4. Matth. 8. For it is not the Faith of diuels though they also beleue and tremble and confesse Iesus to be the Sonne of God that may be taken for the foundation and why so but bicause it is not the Faith that worketh through Charitie but suche as is wroong owt through feare The Faith then of Christe the Faith of Christian grace that is to witte the Faith that hath her working through charitie if it be laied in the foundation suffreth none to perish by which wordes it appeareth that Faith maie be without charitie but suche a Faith can not make Christ to dwell in vs. Againe that Faith voide of charitie is not the Christians but the diuels Faith. Thirdely that the Faith of Christ the Christians Faith and the Faith of grace is that which worketh through Charitie and that is it that muste be laide for the foundation in al that shal not perish And seing that no man will saie that Faith can iustifie other then suche as is the faith of Christ the faith of grace the Christian and not the diuels faith it remaineth that when it is saied in the Scripture a man is iustified or saued by faith we must vnderstand that faith onely that worketh through Charitie Charitie maketh the difference betwene good men and wicked diuels Charitie is the cause why a Christian man may be iustified by faith Aug. Epistola 105. Iacob 2. Mar. 1. Lucae 4. Matth. 8. and the diuell maie not Illa quippe fides est Christianorum non daemoniorum That whiche worketh through Charitie is the Christian and not the diuels faithe for diuels also beleue and tremble but doo they likewise loue If they had no belefe they woulde not haue saied thou arte the Holie of God thou arte the Sonne of God had they loue they woulde not haue saied what haue we to doo with thee Other saith then this S. Augustine commendeth not as able to iustifie Illa est laudabilis fides August serm 13. de verb. Apostol ipsa est vera gratiae
are saued through faith Finally to conclude this is the faith that woorketh through charitie In whiche woordes beside other thinges it is to be noted that the faith whereby we are saued and the faith whereby the iuste man liueth is none other but the faith that worketh through charitie Which vertue saith Leo by her mixture and tempering geueth life euen to very faith whereby the iuste man liueth For the iuste man liueth by faith saith S. Bede not by that faith that is vttered onely by confession of the lippes but by that faith that woorketh through charitie And thus may we truely vnderstande what the Scripture meaneth as often as it is said by faith we are saued or through faith we are iustified That S. Paule teacheth not Iustification by onely Faith excluding charitie c. And in what sense the Fathers sometime saie Faith alone iustifieth THE VIII CHAPTER BVT yet this satisfieth not all men An Obiection Rom. 3. Galat. 3. For some thinke still we are iustified by faith alone for that S. Paule saying we are iustified by faith and putting to it without woorkes of the Lawe semeth to them to saie as much as we are iustified by faith alone And that opinion they inforce the more bicause diuerse of the auncient Fathers haue vsed these woordes Faith alone iustifieth The Ansvvere To the whiche I answere that neither S. Paule nor any of the Auncient Fathers euer meant it in that sense which they haue taken it that is to exclude from Iustification Charitie hope penance or any vertue and gifte of God. S. Paule his wordes by them alleadged be in the Epistles to the Romaines and Galathians Aug. ad Simplicia li. 1. qu. 2. Et in exposit epist ad Rom. inchoat Primas in Praefa epist ad Rom. Aug. in Exposi 4. ca. ad Gal. The Argument and intent of his whole Epistle to the Romains as S. Augustine saith is this Vt de ipsorum meritis nemo glorietur c. That no man boast nor vaunt him selfe of the merite of his workes of which the Israelites were bolde to make their boaste that they serued the Lawe which was geauen them and thereby had receiued the grace of the Ghospell as a debt due vnto their desertes bicause they serued the lawe for which cause they would not haue the same grace geuen to the Gentils as vnworthy of it vnlesse they would receiue the Iewish Sacramentes The Galathians to whome the Gospell had ben preached were moued and solicited by Iewes whose desire was to bring them to carnal obseruances of the Lawe Aug. in Exposi 4. ca. ad Gal. Prima in argu ep ad Galat. Rom. 4. Galat. 3. as though saluation laie in the same To answere vnto bothe these boasting of them selues and of the woorkes of the law and exacting them of other as necessary to saluation In bothe these Epistles S. Paule saith no man is iustified by the lawe proouing the same by Abraham who was iustified before circumcision was commaunded and long before the law was geuen and therby doth barre and put of al workes of the Lawe from our Iustification as nothing auailing towarde the same But what the woorkes of the lawe be it is not a matter so plaine to all men Beside the rites and ceremonies commaunded by Moyses S. Augustine calleth all suche the woorkes of the Lawe as a man presumeth to doe of him selfe of his owne power and strength without faith and the helpe of God August de spirit et li. c. 29 Adhuc dubitamus quae sunt opera legis quibus homo non iustificatur si ea tanquam sua crediderit sine adiutorio dono Dei quod est ex fide Iesu Christi Doe we yet doubt what the woorkes of the Lawe are by whiche no man is iustified if he take them as his owne without 〈◊〉 helpe and gift of God which cometh by the faith of Iesus Christe These be the workes of the lawe Serm. 15. de verb. Apostol which in another place he calleth also the iustice of the law Lege Dei proposita c. When the lawe of God is laid before vs whosoeuer is proud and thinketh he is able to fulfil it by his owne power and strength if he do that the lawe commaundeth not for the loue of iustice but for feare of punishment this man concerning the iustice of the lawe is a man without blame In both places he calleth al suche the workes of the lawe and the iustice of the lawe that a man doth of him self presuming of his owne strength without grace and helpe of God. Ex lege quia in mandatis Aug. ibid. sua tanque de viribus suis It is the iustice of the law bicause it is commanded It is a mans own bicause it cometh as of his own strength Now as S. Paul doth truly barre and shut out from the procuring of our Iustification al rites and ceremonies of the lawe and also all morall workes that we doe of our selues without faith and helpe of God So if a man would reason that he barreth likewise charity hope penance and the Sacraments of the Church bicause a man is iustified by faith without workes of the law he should shew him selfe ignorant of the Scriptures and of S. Paules meaning These be no workes of the law For not onely charitie Galat. 5. ioy peace patience mildenes and faith but briefly al workes of charitie when they be done by faith by helpe of grace and the gifte of God are fruites of the holie Ghoste not workes of the lawe Lex spiritus vitae Rom. 8. They be the law of the holie Ghoste and of life perteining not to the letter that killeth but to the spirit that geueth life August de spirit et lit c. 17 Ad prudentiam carnis terrendam c. When the workes of charity are written in tables to make the wisedome of the flesh afraied it is the lawe of workes and the letter that killeth the transgressour but when charitie is powred into the beleuers heart it is the lawe of faith and the spirit that geueth lyfe to the beleuer S. Augustine saith woorkes that be done for feare onely by commaundement of the law are called the lawe of woorkes and the killing letter but when they be done by charitie which through the holy Ghost is powred into our heartes they be called the Lawe of faith and geue life to the doers They be called the lawe of faith and workes of faith bicause they are geauen by faith and with faith Aug. ibid. cap. 30. Per fidem impetratio gratiae contra peccatum c. By faith grace is obteined against sinne by grace the sowle is healed from sinne Wherefore when S. Paule saieth a man is iustified by faith without workes of the Lawe Rom. 3. he saith nothing els but that a man is iustified by grace and not by him selfe For as he saith here Ephes 2. Rom. 3.
they are iustified by Faithe alone thorough the gifte of God. Quemadmodum autem c. In cap. 4. ad Rom. But howe can it stretch or apperteine to the person of suche as doo penance when he saith Blessed they are whose sinnes be couered sithe it is a matter well knowen that penitente persones gette remission of their sinnes by labor and sighing Arnobius Theodoritus and S. Ambrose saie that some men are iustified by onely Faithe that is to saie without penance they saie it not of all men but of suche as come newely to the Faith and be baptized Furder their mening is not that they are iustified without al penance for then should they gainesaie Christes preaching which was Mar. 1. In the 6. Chap. of this booke Ambros supra De fide oper c. 26. Poenitemini credite Euangelio Repente and beleue the Gospell and I haue shewed before that trewe Faith can not be without penance but they saie in Baptisme such are iustified without sighing or morning that is to say without sharpe and laboriouse penance as in the Churche they did who properly were called penitentes as S. Augustine saith Therefore as for our selues to whom all this question muste be referred being baptized in our infancie when they saie Note Faith alone that suche as falle after Baptisme can not be iustified by Faith alone but by penance They plainely saie towching vs already baptised that no man is nor can be iustified by Faith alone and so by them is this question ended concerning vs. But some man will say howe may it be plainely vnderstanded that by Iustification of faith onely which the auncient Fathers seeme in wordes to affirme their meaning was not to exclude and barre hope charitie and workes of faith Sum. Moral 80. cap. 22. To that they shal answere for them selues seuerally eche by their owne wordes S. Basil asketh Quid est proprium Christiani What is the peculiar propertie of a Christian man fides per dilectionem operans faith that worketh through charitie And toward the ende of the same chapter Matth. 5. What is the propertie of a Christian man that his iustice abunde in all pointes aboue the Scribes and Pharisees according to the doctrine in our Lordes Gospel what is the property of a Christian man to loue one another as Christ hath loued vs. By S. Basil then faith alone is not inough to make either a iuste or a good Christian man. S. Ambrose declareth his meaning in sundrie places but of many to take one he expresseth it in these wordes Sine fide impossibile est placere Deo c. In ca. 4. epist ad Hebre. Without faith it is impossible to please God but faith alone sufficeth not it is necessary for faith to worke through charitie and to vse conuersation worthy to be allowed of God. Chrysostom saith Ne fideles sola fide c. Hom. 70. in Matt. cap. 22. Bicause the faithful should not truste they might be saued by faith alone Christe speaketh of the ill mennes paines so doth he moue the infideles to faith and the faithful to good life And in an other place he saith Ad agenda opera festinemus Hom. in Gen. 47. neque enim aliter saluari nos possibile c. Let vs make haste to doo good workes for otherwise it is not possible for vs to be saued Theodoritus in like manner saith Epito Diuino Decre de seruato incarna In Ioan. li. 10. ca. 17. Et post Seruatoris aduentum Euen after the comming of our Sauiour all atteine not to saluation but such as beleue and frame theire life according to his diuine Lawes Christ plainely teacheth saith Cyrillus that such as go away from him whether it be that they fall in faith or in keeping of his commandements shal not onely bring forth no fruit but shall also suffer euerlasting fier And further he saith if onely faith were inough Cyril in Ioan. lib. 10. cap. 18. the multitude of Diuelles should not perish Assure thy selfe good Reader a whole booke much bigger then this treatie is could not suffice to holde the sayinges of the auncient Fathers like vnto these But seing that in the mouth of two Matt. 18. or three witnesses standeth euery worde I may say either these witnesses suffise or I know not what may suffise The opinion is such as ought to be remoued out of all Christian hartes De grati lib. arbit ca. 7. which as S. Augustine saith hath none other grounde but the misconstruing of S. Paules wordes of which he him selfe saith there God forbid that the Apostle should be of that minde It is such as no man can hold for true vnlesse he wil make many and euident Scriptures false For graunting it to be true that onely faith suffiseth falsa erunt illa quae obscuritatem ambiguitatemque non habent Aug. de fid et ope cap. 15. 1. Cor. 13. c. Those sayinges of Scripture shal be false which are neither darke nor doubtefull If I haue all faith in so much as I be able to remoue mountaines out of theire place and haue no charitie I am nothing what shall it auaile my bretherne Iaco. 2. if a man say he hath faith and haue no good workes can faith saue him And alitle after if thou wilt come to life Matt. 19. keepe the commandementes These saith S. Augustine with other there alleged shal be false Whiche inconuenience bicause no man can beare I will applie vnto faith touching our Iustification the wordes that Chrysostome vttered of praier Chrysost To. 5. li. 1. de orand Deum Neque sola temperantia c. It is neither temperance alone that can saue a man if other vertues lacke neither carefull prouision for the poore nor any other thing that is vertuousely done but all muste concurre and come together into our soules Marie praier is laied vnder all the reste as the roote and foundation to beare them vppe Euen so it may be truely said faith is the roote of all good workes and the foundation that is laid vnder godly life And yet can neither faith nor hope nor charitie alone iustifie All must concurre and comme together into our sowles and then is that excellent and diuine worke of our Iustification accomplished and not otherwise Howe Abraham was iustified VVhat his faith was and who be the true children of Abraham THE IX CHAPTER THE readiest and plainest waie to open matters doubtefull and to cleare that whiche is darke is to teach by examples Seing therefore the Scripture commendeth often vnto vs Abraham for an example and paterne of Iustification and saith Esai 51. Attendite ad Abraham patrem vestrum Looke to Abraham your father there is no better way for vs rightly to vnderstand that matter then to consider how Abraham was iustified and howe he atteined to that singuler prerogatiue to be commended by the holy Ghost Rom.
4. and called the father of all faithful and beleuing and inheriter of the worlde The Scripture saith of him Credidit Abraham Deo. Gen. 15. Galat. 3. Abraham beleeued God and it was accompted vnto him for Iustice but as Abraham was iustified by faith whiche all menne confesse so is it to be considered what faith that was whereby he was iustified and so singulerly pleased God. Primasius saith Abraham quia credidit Deo c. In cap. 11. epist ad Hebrae Iaco. 2. Bicause Abraham beleeued God it was accompted vnto him for iustice and he was called Goddes frende But this faith is so to be taken that it be beleeued in heart confessed in mouth and garnished in workes And here it is well to be noted that the Scripture commending Abrahams faith saith not Abraham beleeued there was a God but Credidit Abraham Deo Hom. 31. in Gen. Abraham beleued God that is as Chrysostome saith Credidit dictis Dei He gaue credit vnto Goddes wordes and sayinges Many euill men Iaco. 2. Mar. 1. yea the Diuel him selfe beleueth that there is one God but neither euill men neither the Diuelles geue credite to God nor his wordes to obey them And this is the difference betwene the good and ill man yea betwene a good man and the Diuel the one beleueth the Scripture and obeieth it not Psal 102. the other is mindefull of Goddes commaundementes to doo them So doth the Scripture teach vs to beleue Eccl. 32. In omni opere tuo crede ex fide animae tuae hoc est enim conseruatio mandatorum Qui credit Deo attendit mandatis In euery worke of thine beleue and vse the faith of thy sowle for that is the keeping of the commaundementes He that crediteth God geueth hede to the commaundementes Eccl. 33. The wiseman doth credite the Lawe of God and the Lawe is true vnto him Then to credite God and the Lawe is to beleue Goddes wordes to be true and to obey the commandementes of God and the Lawe For to him is the Law true who doth not shewe by his life that he thinketh it false So did Abraham beleue and credite God in euery worke of his Gen. 12. God said vnto him Egredere de terra tua c. Go out of thy coūtry from thy kinred from thy fathers house and come into the lande that I shall shewe thee He was in yeares Hebr. 11. he wente as S. Paule saith he knew not whither he might haue vsed many excuses as a man lothe to leaue his natiue country his kinred and frendes which naturally all men loue Chrysost hom 31. in Gene. But as Chrysostome saith Nihil horum vel in mentem c. He thought it not his parte so much as to take any of these thoughtes into his minde but as a willing seruante obeied at the onely bidding and asked no curiouse question And what was it that made him so to doo Omnia leuia facilia c. Chrysost ibidem His loue that he bare towarde God made all thinges appeare light and easy to him This was Abrahams faith To beleue God that is to credite his wordes and through a singuler loue to obey his commandement God promised him a childe Gen. 15. when both his wife and he by course of nature were paste hope of issue he beleued the promise hoping againe hope Rom. 4. Many yeares passed before it was fulfilled his faith decaied not he still perseuered constantely beleuing it Gen. 22. God bid him offer in sacrifice his onely sonne whome so dearely he loued Hom. 47. in Gen. without all douting or question asking he obeied the commaundement O religiosam animam c. O religiouse sowle saith Chrysostome O stronge hart and minde O greate desier O reason passing the nature of man. He shewed not his faith onely in beleuing Goddes promise but also in keeping his commandementes Credidit suscepturus filium Credidit occisurus c. Aug. ser 72. de tempo Chrys ho. 24. ad Hebre. Hom. 42. in Gen. Hom. 36. in Gen. Rom. 4. Gala. 3. Chrysost hom 36. in Gen. Gen. 15. Gen. 12. He beleued when he shoulde haue a sonne he beleued when he should kill his sonne In all pointes faithfull in nothing cruell He had not onely faith and good beleefe but as Chrysostome saith Possedit iustus ille omnes virtutes That iuste man had all vertues He noteth in him fortitude magnanimitie excellente faith good and godly conuersation singuler modestie meruelouse dispisinge of riches Worthely is he called the father of many nations Sufficit enim vnus ille iustus vt omnes nos erudiat For that one iuste man is inough to teach vs all What faith was in him that beleued Gods promise concerning his issue against the course of nature what obedience who being but once spoken vnto forsoke his countrie his inheritance his frendes and kinred Yea was content to forgo his owne and onely sonne Gen. 22. How constante hope that neuer mistrusted Gods promise were it neuer so long delaied Rom. 4. Gen. 1◠Rom. 4. Gen. 23. What charitie almose and hospitalitie who vsed to sitte at his dore to wait for straungers and Pilgrimes What humilitie who being inheritor of the worlde bowed and kneled to the heathen people of the land Ibidem what iustice that would not take a graue to bury his wife in before he had paied for the grounde This is our paterne by comparing our selues with him we knowe whether we be the children of Abraham Galat. 3. Ioan. 8. and to be blessed with the faithfull Abraham or no. Christ said to the Iewes Si filij Abrahae estis opera Abrahae facite Cyril Hieroso Cate che 5. If yee be the children of Abraham doo Abrahams workes Quem idmodum ille iustificatus est tu iustificeris As he was iustified so be thou iustified And here it is to be noted that God emong al his faithfull and holy hath chosen him to be our example and paterne who at his cōmandement forsoke his natiue countrie kinred and inheritance to teach vs thereby that such be the true children of Abraham Note S. that deale with the world when Gods honour or commandement so requireth as he did with his country and inheritance Gen. 12. Esai 52. 2. Cor. 6. God said vnto him Go out of thy countrie and kinred He saith vnto vs Exite de medio eorum separamini Goo out of the middle of them and departe from them Abraham with a sincere faith and minde Chrysost hom 37. in Gen. obeied the commandement hunc nos imitemur Lette vs folowe him and in readie minde and heart Let vs get out of the busines of this presente life especially when it draweth vs from God and go into heauen Hebrae 11. Rom. 8. Abraham knewe not the place whether he should go We hope for that we see not and by patience
looke for it Hebrae 11. By faith Abraham dwelled like a stranger in the land of promise we are required like strangers and Pilgrimes 1. Pet. 2. Gen. 22. to absteine from carnal desiers that warre against the soule God said to Abraham offer in sacrifice thy only sonne whom thou louest Christe saith vnto vs If a man come vnto me and do not hate that is to say Luc. 14. caÌ„not be coÌ„tent to leaue and to lacke for my sake his father and mother wife and children brothers and sisters yea and his own life also he caÌ„not be my scholer Hom. 36. in Gen. Discamus et nos obsecro a Patriarcha Dei credere dictis Let vs I pray you saith Chrysostom learne of the patriarch to credite Gods wordes The Prophet Esaie saith of Christ Dominus iudex noster Dominus legifer noster Esai 33. Dominus Rex noster ipse saluabit nos The Lord is our iudge the Lord is our law maker the lord is our king he shal saue vs. He is then not only a promiser and sauiour but he is also a iudge a law maker and a king As a sauiour he redemeth and promiseth As a law maker he appointeth orders As a king he geueth coÌ„mandementes As a iudge he threateneth malefactors Who so beleueth him as a sauiour and beleueth him not as a law maker as a kinge and as a iudge he beleueth one parte of Christ but not the whole Abraham beleued his promise that in his seede all nations should be blessed Gen. 15. Gala. 3. Gen. 17. wherein he tooke him for a redemer He beleued him as a lawemaker taking circuncision by his appointement He beleued him as a king leauing at his commandement his country kinred and inheritance he tooke him for a iudge saying Gen. 12. Qui iudicas omnem terraÌ„ nequaquam facies iudicium hoc Gen. 18. Thou that iudgest al the earth wil not doo this iudgement Let vs learne to truste his promise He saith 2. Cor. 6. I will dwell emong them I will walke emong them I will be their God Rom. 8. Ioan. 6. and they shal be my people if God be for vs who shall be against vs He that beleueth in me hath life euerlasting Let vs beleue him as a Lawe maker receiuing the Sacramentes and rites of the newe testament as Abraham receiued circumcision Gen. 17. Matt. 19. Ioan. 15. Let vs beleue his commandementes also he hath said If thou wilte come to life keepe the commandementes you be my frendes if you doo such thinges as I commaund you Let vs beleue his menasses and threateninges Matth. 3. He hath said Euery tree that beareth not good fruit shal be cutte downe and caste into the fier Ser. 16. de ver Do. Non times ne te iudicet Deus vbi est fides Arte thou not afraied saith S. Augustine that God wil iudge thee where is faith If we beleue his promises and not his orders not his commandementes nor threateninges that is beleue him in some thinges and discredit him in other we be not the right children of Abraham who was euerywhere and in all thinges faithful but rather bastarde sonnes such as the Scripture speaketh of Deut. 32. infideles filij vnfaithful children S. Cyprian wil say vnto vs How can he say that he beleueth in Christ De simpli Praelato who doth not that Christ hath commanded him to doe or how shall he come to the rewarde of faith that wil not keepe the faith of the commandement Basil in consti exercit ca. 1. S. Basill will say Nos fidem non habemus ipsi We beleue him not as one not able to reliue we shunne to take vppon vs that good and light yoke of his we shunne to entre into the kingdome of God by the narowe gate He beleueth not nor crediteth Christe saith S. Basill that fleeth his yoke and will not entre by the strait gate And yet he may beleue that Christ is God and man the Sauiour and redemer of the world but he beleueth him not as Abraham did louingly and willingly to obey him Imitare fidem Abrahae Basil ibid. A nevve Faith. Folow Abrahams Faith saith S. Basill If a man imagine and frame vnto him selfe a new deuised faith persuading him selfe assuredly and vndoubtedly that all his sinnes be forgeuen in Christe and for his sake Esai 53. for that he hath taken our sinnes vppon him further assuring him selfe that for this faithes sake he is the Sonne and heire of God Rom. 8. and heire partener with Christe although he neither suffer with him to be glorified together with him nor die with him to liue together with him it may trewely be saied of such a one Credit Christum noÌ„ credit Christo he beleueth that Christ is but he crediteth not Christ he hath a faith of his owne but he hath not Abrahams faithe for if he had he would as well be contente to crucifie the lustes and vices of his body as desire to liue with Christ as well suffer Gala. 6. as reigne with him Fidelis sermo It is a trewe saying 1. Tim. 1. and by all meanes worthy to be imbrased that Christe Iesus came into this worlde to saue sinners Fidelis sermo It is also a trewe saying If we haue died with him we shall liue with him 2 Tim. 2. Marke this vvel if we suffer with him we shall reigne with him if we denie him he will denie vs if we beleue not he remaineth trewe he can not denie him selfe Who so beleueth one of these Scriptures and careth not for the other he hath not Abrahams Faith nor is his childe For Abraham beleued God that is as Chrysostome saith Credidit dictus Dei. Gaue credite to Goddes woordes obeying and folowing them not one but all Wilte thou knowe good Reader what Abrahams Faith was and how thou maiste be made his childe Learne by example of him whom trewth it selfe declared to be the trewe Sonne of Abraham Zacheus standing before Christ at what time he came into his house Luca 15. saied Lo I geue the one halfe of my goodes to the poore and if I haue deceiued any man in ought I restore him fowre times as muche bicause he beleued the wordes of Christe Date elemosinam c. Geue almes and all is cleane to you â—sal 5. He said I geue the one halfe of my goods to the poore And bicause he beleued that God hateth all vniust dealers he saied if I haue deceiued any man in ought I rendre fower for one And beleuing these thinges whiche to a carnall man seeme harde and doing them so readily for Christe his sake we doubte not but he beleued likewise all other pointes of Faith as readily Whereuppon Iesus saied vnto him Luca. 19. This date health and saluation is come to this house bicause he also is the Sonne of Abraham And how he was the Sonne of
you And he will shewe the cause Chrysosto Hom. 41. in Gene. August Serm. 49. de verb. Dom. for that they haue done the woorkes of mercie there rehearsed But bycause neither all these Scriptures nor anye one syllable of them can be false therefore it is false that fayth alone iustifieth meaning by fayth alone to shutte out eyther hope charitie penaunce the holye Sacramentes or vertuouse life and good workes from our perfyte Iustification VVhat they were who in sundrye ages haue taught that men should be saued without good workes THE XII CHAPTER IF nothing els could make vs think that godly life were nâ—cessarily required in a Christian man and workes of faith a greate and singular helpe to the atteyning of our saluation the diligente practise of the Diuel were sufficiente to make vs beleue it who beside his particular trauayle and persuasion whiche he vseth seuerally with euery man to turne him from wel doing hath also in sundry ages moued such as by his sleyghtes he coulde abuse to teach and openly persuade in derogation of good workes that the same were not auayleable August de fid ope cap. 14. De praedestin SaÌ„ct cap. 7. Euseb Eccles histo lib. 2. ca. 1 cap. 13. Theodore here fabis compen lib. 1. Iren li. 1. cap. 20. or not necessary for a Christian mannes saluation When S. Paule was most diligent to sowe the good feede teaching the right faith of true Iustification the Diuel was as busie to intermengle his cockle and darnel emong it making men that vnderstode not S. Paule beleue that he sayde it was sufficiente for a man to haue faith though he lyued yll and dyd no good woorkes Symon Magus who was taken for a God taught his followers to care litle for the Prophetes nor to feare the threatninges of the lawe but bad them like free men to doo what them lysted for they shoulde atteyne saluation not by good doing but by grace Whereupon suche as were of his secte boldelye gaue them selues to all luste and intemperate life Carpocrates saied men should be saued by faith and loue Theodo ib. Iren. li. 1. cap. 24. as for all other thinges they were of them selues indifferent and by opinion of men sometyme were taken for good sometyme for yl but nothing was naturally euill Valentinus and his scholers say Theod. vbi suprà Iren. li. 1. cap 1. they neede no works for that knowlege may suffice to saluation and therefore such as be emong them moste perfite without all care and feare doo what so euer is by Gods lawe forbidden It is saied of Eunomius August de here ad Quodvult De. ca. 54 that he was so farre an enemy to good conuersation that he plainely auouched no man shoulde take hurte by any sinne what soeuer he commmitted or continued in so that he were partaker of the faith that he taught Euen in S. Augustines tyme th' enemy of good life persuaded carnal and dissolute men to think Note August de fid ope cap. 1. cap. 27. that liued they neuer so il continuing in great sinne and not so much as professing amendement yet if they beleued in Christe and receiued his Sacramentes they should be saued But as the serpente in all these tymes wente aboute by his craftie to seduce whome he coulde 2. Cor. 11. Ioan. 17.18 so did not the holy Ghoste withdrawe his care and helpe from the Churche mouing at the first S. Peter S. Iames and S. Iohn to redresse by their Epistles the errour which vnstable heades had falsely gathered of S. Paules true preaching and afterwarde inspiring the learned Bisshoppes of euerye age to note and condemne the heretiques aboue named moued also S. Augustine againste the corrupte opinion of sundry in his age to write this learned Booke Of faith and woorkes whiche is delyuered thee herewith to put thee in remembraÌ„ce of the enemies craftes and sleightes For as by enuye of hym deathe came into the woorlde Rom. 5. so by the same enuye to turne Christian men from life euerlasting Ephes 2. he hath gone aboute in sundrye ages and yet doth to pul from them good workes which God hath prepared for vs to walke in His desyer is specially to take from vs faith and the professing of Christe but bicause he dareth not attempte that by playne and open meanes Leo. ser 4 de collect Sciens Deum non solùm verbis c. Knowing that God is denyed not onely by woordes but also by deedes he hath taken charitie from many men from whom he could not take awaye faith Note He vnderstandeth to well that as charitie is the life and strength of faith so pulling awaye the one he shal be able either to drawe the other after or els to make it deade and vnprofitable to him that keepeth it Which if he may obteyne and make vs beleue that faith alone iustifieth taking away hope charitie penance and the vertue of Christes Sacramentes from woorking our Iustification and good workes from helping our saluation what doth he els but bring the Gospel which S. Paule calleth the stronge and mightie power of God Rom. 1. to a naked and bare name Therefore seing we knowe his slyghtes and haue learned them not only by report of other ages 2. Cor. 2. but also by the lamentable experience of our owne let vs to resiste him put on al the whole armor of God Ephes 6. 1. Thess 5. that we may be able to stand against him that lyeth in wayt for vs. Let vs not only take in hande for our defence the buckler of faith but also to saue the whole body put on the lacke of faith and charitie and take for an helmet hope of saluation not leauing of the breaste plate of iustice Ephes 6. nor the gyrdle of truth For he that goeth to that fraye hauing but a buckler maye take a deadely wounde for lacke of a helmet or breast plate and if he so doe he may be founde giltie of his owne death bicause he was warned to arme him selfe in all partes and to put on a complete harnesse The cause whye good woorkes are donne and that they are rewarded in this life with increase of grace and in the worlde to come with life euerlasting And why they be so rewarded THE XIII CHAPTER AS I haue shewed that good workes must necessarily be done of such as wil be saued so wil I now declare for what ende they should be done and what fruite and profite they bring to the doers Vt curent bonis operibus praeesse qui credunt Deo. Tit. 3. To the intent that suche as beleue God may haue a care to be chiefe doers of good woorkes The holie Ghost saith of them Haec sunt bona vtilia hominibus They be good and profitable for men Tit. 3. If we aske to what ende he saith Pietas ad omnia vtilis est 1. Tim. 4. promissionem habens
riche in good workes easely to bestowe 1. Tim. 6. to geue parte to laie vp a good foundation against the time to come to the intente they maie gette the trewe life In all whiche places and many like God promiseth to suche as leaue their frendes or landes to suche as keepe his commandementes or geue almose for his sake life euerlasting And to declare more plainely Aug epist 105. De grat lib. arbit cap. 8. that he geueth it in respecte of wel doing and to recompence good workes life euerlasting saith S. Augustine in many places of holie Scripture is called a reward Christe saieth to his Apostles be glad and reioice bicause your reward is plentuouse in heauen And who so euer geueth one of the leaste of these a cup of colde water to drinke onely in the name of a Disciple Matt. 5. verely I saie vnto you he shall not lose his rewarde Matt. 10. Mar. 9. When thou makest a feaste call the poore the feeble the lame and blinde and happy shalte thou be that they be not able to requite thee Luc. 14. For it shal be requited thee in the resurrection of the iuste By the worde of requitall he promiseth rewarde and by the resurrection of the iuste the Kingdome of heauen The sentence that Christe shal geue in the latter day suffreth vs not to doubte but that the kingdome of heauen shall be geuen as a rewarde for good workes for he shall saie to them that stande on his righte hande Matth. 25 Come you blessed of my Father receiue the kingdome that was prepared for you from the beginning of the worlde Quibus meritis Aug. Ser. 49. de ver Dom. Chryso Hom. 41. in Gen. saithe S. Augustine For what desertes And Chrysostome Cuius gratia propter quid Why and wherefore For I was hungry and you gaue me meate to eate c. If Christe make good workes a cause of our saluation and geeueth the kingdome of heauen in respecte of them who shal be heard speaking to the contrary Hebre. 11. He that commeth to God must beleue that he is and that to suche as seeke him he is a rewarder The waie to seeke him Chryso hom 22. ad Hebr. Moral Aug. in Psal 76. Note vvel saie Chrysostome and S. Augustine is by deuont praier and good workes If we muste then as well beleue that God is a rewarder as that he is God sith he rewardeth nothing but vertue and well doing he that denieth him to be a rewarder of good workes beleueth not in effecte that he is God. For if he be God he is trewe of his promes and then wil he rewarde good workes as he hath promised Why good vvorkes be revvarded Lucae 12. And this being so no man needeth to aske how the workes of a Christian man shoulde come to that estimation with God to be rewarded with life euerlasting For as Christe saied to his Apostles Complacuit patri vestro dare vobis regnum It hath pleased your Father to geue you a kingdome Marke vvel God promiseth to revvarde good vvorckes euen so hath it pleased him to promes rewarde of that kingdome for good workes And he hath promised it that can not lie Vppon this ground standeth al that is saied and taught in the Catholike Church in commendation and rewarde of good workes Not that we of our selues can claime of him or chalenge him for our debter bicause we haue first giuen him but bicause he hath promised vs Debitor factus est c. God is become our debter Aug. Ser. 16. de ver Apost in Psal 32. conci 1 saith S. Augustine not by taking any thing of vs but by promising that whiche it pleased him for it is one thing when we saie to a man thou oweste me suche thinges as I haue geuen thee and an other thing when we saie thou oweste me bicause thou haste promised me Non possumus ergo ei dicere c. Ser. 31. de ver Dom. Rom. 11. We can not then saie vnto God rendre that thou haste receiued for who gaue him firste to be requited againe We can not saie Render that thou haste receiued but plainely we saie Render that thou haste promised Vppon this promise S. Paule saied I haue wrasteled well for the game 2. Tim. 4. I haue finished my race I haue kepte my faith For the reste the crowne of iustice is laide vp for me whiche our Lorde shall render vnto me in that day as a iuste iudge Although it came of mercie that God called S. Paule Galat. 1. 1. Tim. 1. and gaue him grace to doo good workes and to keepe his Faithe yet when S. Paule hath so done he saied that God of his iustice woulde render him the crowne Vppon this promes Ezechias and Nehemias praied God 4. Reg. 20 2. Esdr 5. to haue respecte to their life and to remember their well doing not as prowde men presuming of them selues but meekely acknowleging Psal 144. Psal 83. that God is faithefull and trewe in all his wordes and where he geueth grace he will also geue glorie and rewarde Matth. 2â— As he saieth vnto the laboroures Go into my vineyarde So he saieth also that whiche is iuste I will geue you No man goeth vnlesse he be called and yet who so euer laboureth faithfully and trewly when he is sente is assured of wages bicause it was promised Leo serm 4. de Collect vppon this promise Leo saied Cibus egeni regni coelestis est pretium largitor temporalium hares efficitur aeternorum The meate giuen to the needy is the price of the kingdome of heauen and the geuer of thinges temporal Matth. 13. Cypria de Elemo is made heire of the eternal S. Cyprian saith that Christe by the parable of the merchante who solde all his goodes to bie a preciouse pearle teacheth vs that with the quantitie of our patrimony we should purchase and bye euerlasting life August in Psal 147. And S. Augustine saith Viduae suffecerunt duo minuti nummi c. Two litle peeces of coine were inough for the wydowe to doo mercie two peeces of coine were inough to purchase the kingdome of God. A smalle price a man mighte saie for so greate a Iewell were not the bountie and liberalitie of God the owner who being Lorde of all hath sette suche a price vppon it and by his gratiouse and free promise hath bounde him selfe to performe it This is the trewe commendation which the Scripture and auncient Fathers geeue vnto good workes and these be the causes why Christian men should doo them They that say good workes serue to geue testimony and make declaration of our Faith and be commendable but haue no rewarde of grace here nor value of euerlasting life albeit they exhorte men to liue godly they maie commende and set forth good workes in wordes but they hinder the doing of them in
deede Note Nouatus his heresy was that suche as fell into deadely sinne after their Baptisme coulde not be absolued by the prieste Cyprianus lib. 4. Epistola 2. neither restored to the Church againe but muste be lefte vnto Gods iudgemente and yet did he exhorte men to doo penance and satisfaction to waile and weepe night and day for theire sinnes S. Cyprian saith of him that he was Misericordiae hostis Cypria li. 1. epist 1. interfector poenitentiae The enimie of mercie the killer of penaunce bicause though he exhorted men to satisfaction and penance yet saith he Cypria li. 4. epist 2. He tooke away the medicine and remedie that came of satisfaction Operari tu putas rusticum posse c. Thinkest thou the husbandman can worke if thou say to him Trimme thy ground with all skill of husbandry plie thy tillage diligently but thou shalte reape no corne at haruest thou shalt haue no vintage thou shalt take no profite nor fruite of thy oileyearde thou shalt gather no apples of the trees As suche an exhortation to husbandrie were inough to discourage the good husband from his trauaile And as they killed penance saith S. Cyprian that tooke away the fruit of it Note euen so doo they hinder nowe a daies the dooing of good workes that commend them in wordes and take away the rewarde of them in deed Nemo enim sine fructu imperat laborem Pacia epistol 1. ad Sympronia for no man saith Pacianus enioineth labor without profite Neither is there any profite or rewarde that a true Christian man passeth vppon if it perteine not to life euerlasting for this life and all that belongeth vnto it he is taught to sette litle by Therefore the Church exhorteth al men to doo good workes but it keepeth not backe the liberall promise of life eternal which Christ hath annexed to them S. Paule saith be ye stedfaste and vnmoueable euer plentifull in euery worke of our Lord. And why 1. Cor. 15. Scientes quòd labor vester non est inanis in Domino Knowing that your labour is not idle in our Lorde And when he saith in our Lord he meaneth no temporall nor worldely rewarde It is not onely a comfortable saying Chrysost ho. 8. in Gen. but a trueth taught by the Scripture that a Christian man should directe all his doinges to serue God in hope of life euerlasting Lette vs not fainte and be wearie of well doing Gala. 6. saith S. Paule for we shall reape it in his time without fainting Heb. 11. This cogitation maketh men quietly and contentedly to beare aduersitie Moyses did chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God then to haue a pleasure of sinne for the time But what made him content so to doo Aspiciebat enim in remunerationem He loked to the rewarde Prima ib. in cap. 11. ad Hebr. Ita quando quisque aduersi aliquid patitur Euen so euery man when he suffereth any aduersitie should call to remembrance what rewarde he shall receiue thereby at Goddes hande The lacke of this cogitation maketh vs many times to fainte in well doing Chrysost hom 22. ad Hebr. Omnia nobis difficilia videntur All thinges seeme heard to vs saith Chrysostome bicause we haue not the remembrance of God. This cogitation maketh men contente to take vppon them a painefull kinde of life whiche otherwise they would flee De adulter cōiug lib. 2. cap. 20. Note S. Augustine saith that diuers being sodeinly taken and required to be Preestes whereby they muste liue chaste all theire liues were contente to doo it Sperantes se illustrius in Christi haereditate fulgere Trusting to shine the brighter in Christes inheritance This cogitation caused Martyrs willingly to susteine all paine and tormente Confessours to leade a vertuouse and straite life Virginnes to dispise worldelie pleasures of all whiche it may truelie be saied Aspiciebant in remunerationem They looked to the rewarde This hope maketh seruauntes doo good and true seruice to theire maisters in which sense S. Paule saith Quodcunque facitis ex animo operamini c. Coloss 3. What so euer ye doo doo it hartelly as it were vnto our Lord and not to men knowing that of our Lorde you shall receiue the rewarde of inheritance And when I speake this muche of good workes and of the rewarde due vnto them what workes I commende thou knowest good Reader by that which I haue saied in the 13. Chapter of the first Booke An answere to certeine obiections made against the rewarde of good workes THE XIIII CHAPTER BVT all this notwithstanding yet some lette not to say that the workes of faith which Christian men doo can not deserue rewarde of life euerlasting neither stande in Goddes iudgemente as well bicause they be vnperfite as also bicause no man liueth here withoute sinne and fewe without greate sinne and breache of some of the commaundementes Iaco. 2. and then is it written Who so offendeth in one is made giltie of all and thereby say they all our workes be infected and consequentely excluded from that greate rewarde To the firste pointe I answere Note vvel these tvvo kindes of perfection in iustice There be two kindes of perfection in iustice the one such as is in God the Angelles and that happie company of men who being presente with God enioy the sighte of the Deitie An other such as may be founde in men being yet Pilgrimes from God and liuing in this worlde In comparison of the first kinde of perfection no man is iuste neither any iustice of man be it neuer so exquisite and perfite can stande in the iudgement of God. In that respecte it is true Iob. 15. Ecce inter Sanctos eius nemo immutabilis coeli nō sunt mundi in conspectu eius Lo emong his Saints and holy none is immutable and the heauens in his sight be not cleane Mar. 10. So is it vnderstanded saith S. Augustine Nemo bonus nisi vnus Deus quia omnia quae creata sunt c. No man is good August de perfect iustitiae but onely God bicause all thinges that be created though God haue made them very good yet if they be compared with the Creator and maker they be not good with whom if they be compared they be not In the same sense is it said Non intres in iudicium c. Entre not into iudgement with thy seruaunt bicause no man liuing shal be iustified in thy sight This is meant by it saith S. Augustine Aug. vt suprà entre not into iudgement with thy seruant Noli me iudicare secundùm te qui es sine peccato Iudge me not after thy selfe who arte without sinne And where he saith no man shal be iustified he referred it to that perfection of iustice which is not in this life In the same manner doth S. Hierome expounde the place Li. 1.
dialo cont Pelagia But as no man is iuste in comparison of that excellent iustice of God of the Angelles and Sainctes so yet saith S. Augustine De spiri lit cap. 36. Dici potest quaedam iustitia minor huic vitae competens qua iustus ex fide viuit quamuis peregrinus à Domino It may be said that there is a lesser iustice meete for this life whereby the iust man liueth through faith though he be yet a Pilgrime from God. S. Basil expounding these wordes of the Psalme Iudica me Domine secundùm iustitiam meam Psal 7. Iudge me Lord according to my iustice saith Est quaedam Angelorum iustitia humanam trangressa c. Basil in Psal 7. Ibidem There is a iustice of Angels that passeth mannes iustice And if there be any power aboue Angelles it hath an excellencie of iustice answerable to his greatenes and there is the iustice of God him selfe that excedeth all vnderstanding of minde being vnspeakeable and incomprehensible to all mortall nature Iudge me therfore Lorde according to my iustice that is to say according to that iustice which men may atteine vnto Note and which is possible to suche as liue in flesh No thing can be more plainely spoken to proue both that there is a iustice in God and his Angelles which surmounteth mannes nature and also that there is a iustice that man may atteine vnto And so be all good mennes workes and theire iustice vnperfect if they be compared with God and his Angelles and yet perfite according to the estate and nature of man. It is said Diliges Dominum Deum tuum Matt. 22. ex toto corde c. Thou shalt loue thy Lorde God with all thy harte with all thy soule with all thy minde And yet saith S. Augustine De spirit lit cap. 36. Neque si esse non dum potest tanta dilectio c. If the loue of God can not yet be so greate as vnto that full and perfite knowlege of heauen is due it is not now to be taken for a faulte Note Reader he saith although mannes loue towarde God wante of that perfection that shal be in heauen yet it is not accompted a sinne nor faulte S. Paule speaking in his owne person Philip. 3. as he confesseth he wanted one of these perfections so doth he signifie that he was not without the other Non quòd iam acceperim aut iam perfectus sim Not that I haue already receiued it or am alreadie perfite c. And in the same place Quicunque ergo perfecti sumus hoc sentiamus As many of vs then as be perfite let vs be of this minde he saieth he was not perfite and yet that both him selfe and others were perfite which wordes S. Augustine expounding Aug. contra 2. epi. Pelagia li. 3. ca. 7. saith Si secundùm hominus mortalis capacitatem pro huius vitae modulo perfecti sumus ad ipsam perfectionem hoc qucque pertinere intelligamus vt Angelica illa quae in Christi manifestatione nobis erit iustitia nondum nos perfectos esse sapiamus If we be perfite after a mortall mannes capacitie according to the measure of this life let vs vnderstande this also to be one pointe of perfection not to thinke our selues perfite after that Angelicall iustice whiche we shall haue when Christe shall shewe him selfe And in an other place declaring the same wordes he saieth Perfecti Ser. 15. de verb. Apost non perfecti perfecti viatores nondum perfecti possessores vt noueritis quòd perfectos viatores dicat qui iam in via ambulant perfecti viatores sunt We be perfite and not perfite perfite waifarers not yet perfite possessours and to th'intente ye may knowe he calleth waifarers perfite they that nowe trauell by the way be perfite waifarers And here I may admonishe the Reader to consider with him selfe howe well such as nowe a daies do condemne all mannes good workes for imperfection doo agree first with S. Paule and then with S. Basill S. Augustine S. Hierome with others that I might here allege They say All our iustice and good workes can not helpe towarde the kingdome of heauen bicause they be vnperfite S. Paule saith As we lacke one perfection so haue we an other S. Basill saith we lacke suche iustice as is in God and Angelles but haue a iustice which mannes nature may atteine vnto and may be iudged thereby S. Augustine saith we may be perfite after the capacitie of mortall men and after the measure of this life though after that Angelicall iustice whiche we shall haue in heauen we be not nowe perfite he saith we be perfite as waifarers but not perfite as possessours bicause we be not yet in heauen They say bicause our loue is vnperfite it is sinne S. Augustine saith although it wante of the heauenly perfection yet it is neither accompted sinne nor faulte They say no good workes may stande and abide Goddes iudgement for that no man liuing shal be iustified in the sighte of God. S. Basill saith Lorde iudge me according to my iustice not like an Angell but like a man. S. Augustine and S. Hierome say It is not meant thereby that there is no iustice in man but that man may not be iudged after the rule of God who is without all sinne and that no man liuinge here shal be iustified in Goddes sighte that is to say founde iuste after suche perfecte iustice as is in heauen And thus may the Reader also perceiue that such as condemne all mannes good workes as vnperfite vnder coloure of an heauenly perfection go about to take away all perfection suche as may be in earth Note And bicause men in this worlde can not be Angelles they would not haue them so much as iuste men Matt. 5. And where Christe hath saied Estote vos perfecti Be you perfite they say no man is perfite Matt. 6. And where as he calleth fasting praier and almoes our iustice and promiseth rewarde to the same they say there is no iustice in vs that can deserue any such rewarde Rom. 2. If no good workes may stande in the iudgement of God how shall he in his laste and iuste iudgement render vnto euery man according to his workes Or howe is it true Opera illorum sequuntur illos Theire workes folowe them To what ende doo the good mennes workes folowe them if there be no rewarde for them And this much concerning the first parte of the obiection Iacob 3. To the second I say although it be true In multis offendimus omnes In many thinges doo we all offende bicause as S. Augustine saith Aug. contra Iulia. lib. 2. fight we neuer so manfullie against vice we are men yet God of his goodnes hath prouided a remedie the remedy I say of penance wherby suche as falle may rise againe and be restored to the estate of
perfecto magistro reuelatam fideliter custodimus vt ab incontemptibili dispensatore mandatam We alone be the innocente lyuers what maruayle if it muste needes be so In deede it muste of force be so We that haue learned of God innocencie and good life bothe knowe it perfectely bycause it is reueled by a perfyte Maister and we keepe it faithfully bicause it is commaunded by an officer that maye not be despised Take this lesson Christian Reader learne of Christ for thy Iustification not onely to beleeue but also to lyue godly and vertuously whiche lesson as thou seeste they kepte whom thou canst not but commende and so shalte thou be like them whome thou doeste rightely commende Thou knowest by that which hath benne saied before in the twelth chaptre of this second Booke what a false and dissolute doctrine concerning Iustification is able to doo When Simon Magus Carpocrates and Valentinus had taught that menne might be saued by grace fayth and knowledge without good woorkes they re scholers gaue them selues to luste and licentiouse lyfe To auoyd that mischiefe beleue assuredly this godly and learned saying Non dormiētibus prouenit regnum coelorum Leo. ser 2. in Epipha ser 5. ibid. sed in mandatis Dei laborantibus atque vigilantibus vt si dona illius irrita nō fecerimus per ea quae dedit mereamur accipere quod promisit The kingdome of heauen commeth not to sleapers but to such as labour in Gods commandementes and watche to th' ende that if we make not his giftes ydle and voide by such thinges as he hath geuen we may deserue to receiue that which he hath promised The right and assured way to come to this fruite of Iustification Miche 6. is to followe the counsel of the Prophete To do iustice to loue mercie to walke carefully in Gods sight Circūspiciat se omnis anima Christiana Leo. ser 1. de Qua. drag Let euery Christiā soule saith S. Leo looke about it selfe and by straite examination discusse the inwarde thoughtes of her harte let it see that no debate cleaue there that no couetousnes settle let chastitie driue away incontinencie let the light of truth driue away the darckenesse of lying c. Let pride asswage let humilitie be taken in let anger amende let vengeance cease and wronges be forgotten Aug. Ser. 15. de ver Apost The like counsel geueth S. Augustine Proficite fratres mei c. Increase my bretherne serche your selues euer without guyle and flattery Especially folow one shorte rule which he maketh for euery man Augustin Tract 6. in epistol Ioan. saying Interroga cor tuum si est ibi dilectio fratris Examine thy harte whether the loue of thy brother be there Si inueneris te habere charitatem habes spiritū Dei. If thou finde that thou haste charitie thou haste the spirite of God And then if his spirite that raysed Iesus from the deade dwell in you Rom 8. he that raysed Iesus from the deade will also geue life to your mortall bodies And thus do we see that the way to examine and trie our selues and thereby to iudge of our Iustification is not only to serche whether we haue faith but also whether we loue 2. Cor. 7. and liue godly Perficientes sanctificationem in timore Dei. Doing holinesse in the feare of God. The Conclusion and ende of the VVoorke THVS haue I nowe by Gods helpe finished the second parte of this Treatie wherein mine intente hath ben to aduertise the Christian Reader See the Preface how to eschewe the second great or rather most dangerouse fal on the lefte hande whiche S. Augustine willeth all that teache or speake of Iustification to beware of Aug. in praefat Psal 31. The perill is for men to presume only of Goddes mercie dooing nothing them selues towarde their owne saluation whiche opinion he saieth if any man folowe leadeth him vndoubtedly to euerlasting ruine of sowle and bodie And bicause the onely or readiest meane to leade a man to that fall is to thinke that faith alone may suffise to iustifie and saue vs I haue at good length prooued that faith alone is not inough to bring a sinner from sinnefull estate to Gods fauour nor of wicked to make him righteouse without the woorking and helpe of hope charitie penance and the Sacramentes of Christ wherein I haue ben the longer bicause this opinion is lately crepte into the worlde and nowe spred farre and wide For albeit in times past some thought they might be saued without good woorkes yet did they not saie they might be saued without the Sacramentes De fide oper c. 27 As by this booke of S. Augustine thou maiest see And so all be it they waded deepe inough to drowne them selues yet wente they not so farre into the bottomelesse goulfe as sundrie haue done in this our age who saie that nothing woorketh in the acte of our Iustification but onely faith And therevppon haue brought in this proposition and made it a common speache emong them selues and theirs Faith alone iustifieth excluding therby from the acte of our Iustification not onely hope charitie and penance but also the very Sacramentes For if faith alone iustifie a sinner and make him of wicked rightuouse then is there none of these requisite or necessary for that effecte whiche neuer anie aunciente man learned that I haue seene didde maineteine I haue further declared that faith alone can continue no man in the state of grace muche lesse increase him in iustice and least of all bring him to the ende and perfectiō of iustice in life euerlasting without the helpe of good woorkes And so is the opinion of Iustification by onely faith in trueth and deede disprooued and founde vntrue in no sense maintenable as they take it I saie as they take it For although certaine aunciente Fathers sometime vsed these woordes Faith alone iustifieth yet doe they not meane thereby as these doe to exclude any of the vertues afore named or Sacramentes as I haue plainely shewed In the .18 Chapt. of this secōd booke I haue according to my promise in this whole Treatie affirmed nothing of my selfe that whiche I haue saied I haue prooued by euidente Scriptures folowing euery where the interpretation of suche as God hath placed in his Churche Ephes 4. to be Pastours and Doctours to the perfiting of the holie and to the building vp of Christes body which is his Churche The labour hath ben bestowed to the ende that the godly man whiche is the Christian man might be perfite and sownde 2. Timo. 3. readie and instructed to all good woorkes Whiche God graunte thee and mee with thee good Reader Once the beste exhortation and righte encouragemente to doe good workes See the .23 chapter is truely to thinke and beleeue that no man hauing time and opportunitie to doe them shal be saued without them Thus endeth the Seconde Booke of this
hath chosen vnto him selfe Of the gifte of perseuerance THE XIII CHAPTER THE like maie be saied of the gifte of perserance wherof it is writen Matth. â—0 24. who so perseuereth vntil the ende he shall be saued the whiche thing can not be had from anie other then from him which is able to stay him that standeth that he maie continually stand and to set him vp againe that falleth No man maie promise him selfe any thing of certaintie with an absolute certaintie although all men ought to settle and repose a most sure hope in the helpe of God. For God excepte they do not their parte according to his grace as he hath begon a good woorke Philip. 1. so will he ende it woorking in them to will 1. Cor. 8. 1. Cor. 10. Philip. 2. and to make perfecte How be it let them that thinke them selues to stande take heede that they fall not And let them with feare and trembling woorke their saluation in labours in watchinges in almesdeedes in praiers and offeringes in fastinges and chastitie For knowing that they are regenerated in hope of glorie and not as yet in glorie they haue cause to misdoubt of the battaile whiche remaineth with the flesh with the worlde and with the diuel in the whiche battaile they can not be conquerers vnlesse with the grace of God they obey the Apostle Rom. 8. saying We be debters not to the flesh to liue according to the flesh for if you liue according to the flesh you shall die but if you shall mortifie the deedes of the fleshe by the spirite you shall liue Of them that are fallen and of their recouer THE XIIII CHAPTER NOW such as are through sinne fallen from the grace of Iustification whiche they had receiued maie be iustified againe if when God stirreth them to rise they will procure through the merite of Christe to recouer the grace loste by the Sacrament of Penance For this manner of Iustification is the recouering of him that is fallen whiche the holie Fathers aptly termed the second boord after shipwracke of grace lost For in deede for them that fal into sinnes after Baptisme Ioan. 20. Christ Iesus hath instituted the Sacrament of Penance when he saied Take ye the holie Ghoste whose sinnes ye forgeaue they are forgeauen them and whose ye reteine they are reteined Wherfore it is to be declared that the penance of a Christian man after his fall differreth verie much from that whiche is done before Baptisme and that in this penance is conteined not only a ceasing from sinnes and a detestation of them or a contrite and humbled hart but also a Sacramentall confession of the saied sinnes at the leste in purpose and to be made at time conuenient and the absolution of a Priest There is also conteined in this penance a satisfaction by fastinges almesdeedes praiers and other godlie exercises of spiritual life not for the paine euerlasting which is forgeauen either by the Sacrament or els by purposing of the Sacrament together with the offence but for the temporall paine the whiche as the holie Scriptures teache vs is not alwaies forgeauen wholly as it is in Baptisme to suche as being vnthankefull for the grace of God Ephes 4. whiche they haue receiued haue sorrowed the holie Ghost and haue not ben afraied to violate the temple of God. Of this penance it is writen be mindefull from whence thou art fallen Apocal. 2. 2. Cor. 7. Matth 3. Luca 3. do penance and do the former woorkes And againe That sorrowe whiche is according to God woorketh penance towardes a stable saluation And againe Do ye penance and do ye the woorthie frutes of penance That by euerie mortal sinne grace is lost but not Faithe THE XV. CHAP. AGainst the craftie wittes of certaine men whiche through swete talke and faire wordes do seduce the hartes of innocentes Rom. 16. it is to be holden that the grace of Iustification once receiued is lost not only by infidelitie by the whiche Faith it selfe is lost but also by any other mortal sinne although faith be not lost Herein do we defend the doctrine of Gods lawe which excludeth from the kingdome of God not onely Infidels but also the faithfull 1. Cor. 6. being fornicatours adulterrers wantonnes buggerers theeues couetouse drunkerdes euillspeakers extorcioners and al others which do commit mortal sinnes from the which they maie with the assistance of Gods grace absteine and for which they are seperated from the grace of Christ Of the fruicte of Iustification that is to saie of the merite of good woorkes and of the consideration of merite THE XVI CHAP. WHEN men therfore are by these meanes iustified whether they do continually keepe the grace once receiued or whether they do leese it and recouer it againe the wordes of the Apostle are to be set before them Abound ye in euerie good woorke Hebr. 10. knowing that your labour is not void in our Lord. For God is not vniust that he will forget your woorke and loue whiche ye haue shewed in his name And 1. Cor. 15. Leese not your affiance which hath a great reward And therefore to such as woorke well to the ende and hope in God we ought to set foorth life euerlasting both as a grace mercifully promised vnto the Sonnes of God through Christ Iesus and as a wages faithfully to be paied according to the promise of God him selfe to their good woorkes and merites For this is that crowne of Iustice whiche the Apostle saied 2. Tim. 4. was laied vp for him after his conflicte and running whiche he saied should be rendered vnto him by the iuste iudge And not onely to him but also to all them that loue the comming of Christe For seing that the selfe same Christe Iesus doth continually sende downe by influence into them that are iustified as the head into the members and as a vine into his branches a vertue the whiche vertue goeth before accompanieth and foloweth their good woorkes without the whiche their woorkes could not possibly be acceptable to God and meritorious we ought to beleeue that there lacketh nothing els in such as are iustified wherfore they maie not be thought by their good woorkes whiche are done in God to haue satisfied the lawe of God so muche as the state of this life requireth and truly to haue deserued life euerlasting which they shal enioy when the time cometh if so be that they depart out of this life in grace for so much as Christe our Sauiour saieth Ioan. 4. If any man shall drinke of this water which I shall geaue him he shall not thirst for euer but it shall be made in him a fountaine of water springing to life euerlasting And thus neither is our owne proper iustice so taken to be our owne as though it proceded from our owne selues neither is the Iustice of God either vnknowen or resused For that Iustice which is called ours bicause
euil Accursed be he THE EIGHTENTH CANON IF anie man saie that the commaundementes of God are impossible to be kept euen of a man that is iustified and in the state of grace Accursed be he THE NINETENTH CANON IF anie man saie that there is nothing commaunded in the Ghospel besides faith that al other thinges are indifferent neither commaunded nor yet forbidden but free or that the ten commaundementes do nothing apperteine to Christian men Accursed be he THE TWENTETH CANON IF any man saie that a man being iustified and neuer so perfecte is not bound to the keeping of the commaundementes of God and of the Churche but onely to beleeue as though the Gospell were a bare and absolute promise of life euerlasting without anie condicion of keeping the commaundementes Accursed be he THE XXI CANON IF anie man saie that Christe Iesus was geauen by God vnto men onely as a redeemer whome they should trust and not also as a lawe maker whome they should obeie Accursed be he THE XXII CANON IF anie man saie that a man being iustified either maie without the speciall helpe of God perseuere in the Iustice receiued or that with the saied helpe he can not perseuere Accursed be he THE XXIII CANON IF any man saie that a man being once iustified can sinne no more nor leese grace and therfore saie that he which falleth and sinneth was neuer truely iustified or contrariwise that he maie in all this life auoide al sinnes euen venial sinnes vnlesse it be by special priuilege of God as the Churche holdeth of the blessed Virgin Marie Accursed be he THE XXIIII CANON IF any man saie that iustice receiued is not conserued and also that it is not augmented before God by good woorkes but that the Woorkes them selues are the frutes onely and signes of Iustification already gotten and not a cause of the same to be augmented Accursed be he THE XXV CANON IF any man saie that the iust sinneth in euerie good woorke at the least venially or which is more intolerable mortally and therefore deserueth euerlasting damnation and that he is not damned for that onely bicause God doth not impute those woorkes to damnation Accursed be he THE XXVI CANON IF any man saie that the iust ought not for the good woorkes whiche haue ben done in God to looke and hope for the euerlasting reward from God through his mercie and the merite of Iesus Christ if they shal continue euen vntill the ende in well doing and in keeping the commaundementes of God Accursed be he THE XXVII CANON IF any man saie that there is no sinne mortall vnlesse it be the sinne of infidelitie or that grace once receiued is lost for none other sinne be it neuer so grieuous and enormeouse excepte it be by the sinne of infidelitie Accursed be he THE XXVIII CANON IF anie man saie that when grace is lost by sinne faith is alwaies lost withal or that faith which remaineth is not true faith although it be not liuelie faith or els that he which hath faith without charitie is not a Christian Accursed be he THE XXIX CANON IF anie man saie that he whiche hath fallen after Baptisme can not rise againe by the grace of God or that he maie rise againe but so that he recouer the iustice loste by onely faith without the Sacrament of penauncee as the holie Romaine and vniuersall Churche taught by Christ our Lord and his Apostles hath til this daie professed kept and taught Accursed be he THE XXX CANON IF anie man saie that after the grace of Iustification receiued the fault is so forgeauen to euerie penitent sinner and the gilt of the euerlasting paine taken away in such sorte that there remaineth no gilt of temporall paine to be paied either in this worlde or els in the worlde to come in purgatorie before the way may be set open to the kingdome of heauen Accursed be he THE XXXI CANON IF anie man saie that a man being iustified sinneth whiles he woorketh well in respecte of euerlasting rewarde Accursed be he THE XXXII CANON IF anie man saie that the good woorkes of a man instified are so the giftes of God that they are not also the good merites of him that is iustified or that he which is iustified doth not by good woorkes whiche are done by him by the grace of God and by the merite of Iesus Christe of whome he is a liuely member verely deserue increase of grace life euerlasting and the atteining of the same life euerlasting so that he departe out of this life in grace yea and the increase of glorie also Accursed be he THE XXXIII CANON IF anie man saie that this Catholike doctrine touching Iustification expressed by the holy Councel in this present Decree doth in any wise derogate from the glorie of God or from the merites of Iesus Christe our Lord and doth not rather sett foorth the truth of our faith and finally the glorie of God and of Christe Iesus Accursed be he AMEN A TABLE OF THE CHAPTERS OF THE TREATIE OF IVSTIFICAtion Wherein the Argumentes and the principal matters of the whole Treatie are conteined In the First Booke Chap. 1 VVhat is meant by the worde of Iustification And what degrees perfect Iustification and saluation hath in it Fol. 1. a. Chap. 2 VVhat is meant by the name of Faith and howe many kindes of Faith there be Fol. 3. a. Chap. 3 VVherin the controuersy of Iustification resteth and what is the readiest waie to know how the same is wrought in vs. Fol. 6. a. Chap. 4 VVhat was lost in Adam by sinne and what is restored by Christe in our Iustification And in what thinges our Iustification standeth Fol. 6. b. Chap. 5 Of the Causes of our Iustification Fol. 10. b. Chap. 6 That the Sacramente of Baptisme is the instrumente and meane whereby God iustifieth vs. Fol. 11. b. Chap. 7 Of Iustification of Infantes by the Sacrament of Baptisme Fol. 12. a. Chap. 8 Of the Iustification of suche as were christened being of perfect age and what was required of them Fol. 13. b. Chap. 9 That our Iustification and the vertues wherby we receiue it be the giftes of God and come of Grace Fol. 15. b. Cha. 10 That man hath free will whiche being holpen by grace Chap. 10 worketh in our Iustification and what it worketh Fol. 18. a. Cha. 11 That such as fal into sinne after Baptisme be iustified by penance Chap. 11 againe and what penance is required of them fol. 22. a. Cha. 12 Of the increase and perfiting of our Iustification wherein Chap. 12 it is truely said that we be iustified by good workes and not by faith onely Fol. 26. b. Cha. 13 VVhat good workes be and how they be called ours 29. b Chap. 13 Cha. 14 A brief rehearsal of so muche as hath ben hitherto saied in Chap. 14 the Treatie of Iustification Fol. 31. b. In the Second Booke Chap. 1 How dangerouse it is for a man to presume onely vppon
touching the questiō of our Iustification Which he decideth thus farr to wit whether faith without good woorkes may saue a Christian man or no. The occasion of S. Augustines Treatie of saith and vvorkes Where vnto he was moued by a corrupte opinion of some menne in his time For whereas whole countries then were not yet fully conuerted to Christe and therefore diuers of al ages as they were brought to the faith came yearly to be christened some were of opinion that as manie as would beleeue the right faith though they liued vngodly yet might be receiued to Baptisme and be saued through faith and the Sacramentes without good workes Against whome he wrote this godly and learned Booke entituled De Fide operibus of faith and woorkes prouing therein at large that faith without good life can saue no manne And bicause the value and estimation of good workes hath been and yet is called in question to wit what accompte God maketh of them and whether any reward be geuen vnto them especially of life euerlasting and whether they be necessarie and able to healpe vs to attaine the same I haue also chosen certaine Arbitrators touching the especial and chiefe workes commended by Christe as Praier Fasting and Almes dedes And those suche men that in their handes thou mayste without daunger put thine opinion and iudgement For Praier I haue chosen S. Chrysostome for Fasting S. Basil and S. Leo for almose deedes S. Cyprian and S. Leo againe The first and second Confessors but so liuing for certaine yeares that they daily looked to be Martyrs The third also a Confessor but such as in his life by a Generall Councell of 630. Bishops was called S. Leo and since his death hath ben so taken of the Churche Concil Chalcedo Sess 3. and hath also for his most excellent learning bene surnamed Leo the Greate The fowrth a flower of the worlde in his life for vertue and learning and in his death a moste constante and vndoubted Martyr S. Cyprian and S. Augustine liued in Africa S. Basil in Asia S. Leo in Europa S. Chrysostome parte of his life in Asia parte in Europa And so by these doo we heare as it were speaking in them the voice of the whole Catholike Church 1. Tim. 3. which is the piller and staie of truthe against the whiche no man well aduised will frame him selfe a singular opinion For vnto the Churche is the holy Ghost the teacher of al trueth promised Ioan. 15. 16. which promise no priuate man hath Their Antiquitie is suche that the latest and lowest of them al liued within 400. yeres after Christe Peruse and way without affection gentle Reader the Treaties of these holy Fathers I might require thee also to stand to their decision bicause there is no exception to be taken against them But that I leaue to Gods gracious working and thine owne good will bicause I take not vppon me to be Iudge of the cause but a motioner toward peace Only this muche I saie of them that whereas Iudges should be voide of hatred freendshippe enmitie and pittie Salust de bel Catil these men are suche For as S. Augustine saieth of them and of others like Nullas nobiscum Aug. contra Iulia. Lib. 2. vel vobiscum amicitias attenderunt vel inimicitias exercuerunt Neque nobis neque vobis irati sunt neque nos neque vos miserati sunt Quod in Ecclesia inuenerunt tenuerunt Quod didicerunt docuerunt quod à patribus acceperunt hoc filijs tradiderunt They neither regarded friendshippe nor were at enmitie with vs or you they were neither angry with vs nor you nor tooke compassion of vs or of you Looke what they founde in the Church that they held suche as they learned they taught what they receiued of their Fathers that deliuered they to their children Take therefore Christen Reader if thou be a childe of the Churche these thy Fathers lessons Aske thy Fathers saieth the holy Scripture and they will shew thee Deut. 32. enquire of thy Elders and they will tell thee These be thy Fathers these be thy Elders These are suche of whom Christe saied he that heareth you heareth me Lucae 10. he that dispiseth you dispiseth me These are the high Pastours of Christes Church of whom Christ saied Matth. 18. he that heareth not the Churche let him be to thee as an Heathen and Publicane These are the lightes of the Church of whom Christe saied You are the light of the worlde Matth. 5. Acto 13. whose predecessours saied also of them selues that they were placed to be a light to Nations to woorke saluation euen to the vttermost of the earth Of whome also an other saied He that knoweth God harkeneth vnto vs. 1. Ioan. 4. He that is not of God harkeneth not vnto vs. In this we trie the Spirite of Truthe and the Sprite of Errour If thou wilt then be lead by Truthe and not seduced by Errour harken to these holy and learned Fathers all Bishoppes and chiefe Pastours in the Churche of Christe in that time and age whiche the Aduersaries them selues accompte for the purest Let these hardely be thy Arbitrers in decision of these present controuersies They lacked no learning to know the Truthe They wanted no vprightnesse to write as they knewe They can not be partiall They knewe neither parties They liued taught and flourished in the time of Truth by the Aduersaries owne Confession To speake farder in the commendation of these most holy and learned Fathers it were but a vanitie There nedeth no candle when the day light shineth Where good wine is there nedeth no garland to hange out These Fathers commends them selues All the Christian worlde reuerenceth them and crediteth them as holy Fathers as most learned Doctours as singular lightes of the Churche of Christe bothe Greke and Latin. To whom this publike testimony of all Christendome suffiseth not to him nothing will suffise Reade therefore Christian Reader Vse and peruse And reading these remember that thou readest not any writer of late yeares any priuate learned man any particular Iudgement or doctrine But that thou readest in these the doctrine of the primitiue Churche Auncient and generally approued Fathers briefely the publike Testimony and common voice of all Christendom And that not certaine of their sayinges culled out from the whole but their whole and full Treaties word for word as they wrote them laied before thee Last of all not any suche writinges as they wrote by waie of controuersy as against an Aduersary but partly a settled and deliberated doctrine such as S. Augustines Treatie is partly Homelies and sermons made and pronounced to the whole people suche as all the rest are in whiche kinde of exercise the Pastour of Goddes people will be most aduised what he speaketh and muche more what he writeth To make an ende Thou hast hitherto hearde learned men prouing and debating matters now in controuersy
holy Scripture to take a moderate and middle waye As thus That both to keepe peace in the Churche we suffer dogges within the Churche Math. 7. and yet when the peace of the Churche may otherwise be kept not to geue that which is holy vnto dogges When therefore we find euill persons in the Churche either through negligence of the Prelates or by some excusable necessitie or by close and couert surreption crept in whome we can not correct or brydle by Ecclesiastical Discipline then lest that wicked and daungerouse presumption might arise in our mindes whereby we should thinke it needeful to separate our selues from such sinneful persons thinking that otherwise we should be defiled with their sinnes and so goe about to drawe after vs a company as it were of cleane and vnspotted Disciples broken of from the knot of vnitie vnder colour of auoyding euil company let vs cal to remembrance those parables those diuine oracles and most euident examples out of the Scriptures by which it is shewed and forespoken that euil persons shal be mingled in the Churche with the good euen to the ende of the world and day of last Iudgement and yet shal not therefore in the vnitie and participation of the Sacramentes hurt the good which do not consent vnto their doinges But when the Pastours and Prelates of the Churche are able without the breache of common peace to exercise and execute dewe discipline against lewde and wicked persons then agayne lest through dulnes and slowth we fall a sleepe we are to be waked and stirred vppe with other spurres of preceptes whiche perteyne to seueritie of correction That so by bothe manner of testimonies and sayinges of holy Scripture directing our steppes in the waye of our Lorde he being our guyde and helper wee neyther waxe dull vnder the name of patience nor yet cruell vnder the pretence of diligence VVhen and to what personnes Baptisme is to be geuen THE VI. CHAPTER THIS moderation then according to sound doctrine being kept let vs looke to that whereof wee nowe intreate That is Whether men are so to be receaued to Baptisme as that no care or regarde be had therein least that whiche is holy be geeuen vnto dogges so farre forthe that not so muche as open committers of adulterie yea and professing a continuance therein should seeme meete to be kept from a Sacrament of so great holinesse Whereunto without doubt they should not be admitted abstinēce fasting and exorcismes preparatories to receiue baptisme if during those very dayes in the whiche after theyr names geeuen and preparing them selues to receyue that grace they are with abstinence fastinge and Exorcismes purified and purged they should professe to lye with theyr true and lawefull wyues and woulde of this one thinge being at anye other tyme lawefull for those fewe solemne dayes denie the forbearing Whiche being so howe should an aduouterer refusing amendement be admitted to those holy thinges whereunto euen a lawefull married man refusing but a litle abstinence is not admitted But saye they let hym be firste baptised Obiectiō and afterwarde taught what apperteyneth to good lyfe and manners So is it donne Ansvver when it happeneth any man to be nere his end and at the point of death when at the pronouncing of those few wordes wherein yet al other thinges are conteyned he beleeueth and so receaueth that Sacrament to the ende that if he happe to goe out of this life he maye departe free from gilte of all his sinnes past But whereas such a man recouering agayne desireth space and tyme to learne those thinges whiche are to be learned what other tyme may be founde more conuenient wherein a man maye learne howe to becomme faithfull and howe he ought to lyue then that tyme wherein with a minde very attentiue Catechising and holden in suspense of very religion he requireth to haue the Sacrament of saluation Are we so farre alienated from our senses that eyther wee remembre not our selues howe diligent and howe attent we were to that whiche was commaunded vnto vs by them whiche first entred and instructed vs in the faith at what time we required the Sacramentes of that font and were also therefore called * Competentes are they that stand to be baptised together and cause their names to be taken for that purpose Competentes or elles that wee marke not others which euery yeare runne to this font of regeneration how they behaue them selues for the time of those dayes wherin they be instructed exorcised and examined howe carefully and diligently they come together with what a desire they burne and in what greate expectation they depend If that be not a tyme to learne what lyfe most agreeth with so worthy a Sacrament as they then desire to take what tyme will there be for it What when they haue receaued it remayning yet in so many and great crimes and being euen after baptisme not new men but old offendours so as with strange preposterousnes it should be first saied vnto them put on the newe man and when thei haue put him on it should then after be said vnto them Colos 3. put of the olde Not so the Apostel Who keeping right order of speache saith first put of the olde and then put on the newe Math. 9. Yea our Lorde him selfe crieth No man soweth new clothe to an olde garment ne doth any man put newe wine into olde bottelles And what elles I praye you doo they all that tyme when they stande in rewe and beare the names of Cathecumenes but harken what should be the faith and life of a Christian man That when they haue prooued them selues 1. Cor. 11. The blessed Sacrament ministred together vvith Baptisme then they may eate of our Lordes table and drinke of his cuppe Bicause he that eateth vnworthely eateth and drinketh iudgement vnto him selfe But that thing whiche is done in all that meane tyme in the whiche by right good order of the Church they which come to professe Christes name do first take the degrees of Cathecumenes the same is much more diligentely and more instantly donne in those dayes wherein they are called Competentes when I saye they haue already geuen in their names to receaue Baptisme That suche as are to receiue Baptisme must be taught as well the woorkes of Faith as Faith. THE VII CHAPTER WHAT saie they if a maide vnwitting An obiection marrie her selfe vnto the husband of an other woman Forsooth if shee neuer knowe it Ansvvere shee shall neuer be thereof an adulteresse But if shee knowe it shee shal from thence forth beginne to be an adulteresse after that shee shall wittingly lye with an other womans husband Euen as in the right of landes so long is a man rightly termed a lawful possessour without any fraude as he is ignorante that he possesseth an other mannes lande but when he shall knowe it to be an other mannes possession and dothe not then departe from
it then shall he be reputed an vnlawfull possessour and then is he rightly called a wrong dealer God forbid therefore that by compassion not humaine but vaine we should so sorrow when wickednesse is corrected as though Marriages were broken Namely in our Lorde his Cittie in his holie hill Matrimonie a Sacrament that is the Church where not onely the bond of Marriage but the Sacrament thereof is so commended that it is not lawfull so muche as to the husbande him selfe to graunt his wife vnto an other man. Which thing yet in the Romain common welth it is saied Cato did not onely without blame but also commendably But I neede not dispute any farther in this pointe sith they them selues to whome nowe I answeare dare not affirme that this is no sinne nor yet deny it to be adultery lest they should be conuinced manifestly to gainesaie our Lorde him selfe and his holie Ghospell But whereas they are of opinion that such shoulde be first admitted to the Sacramente of Baptisme and to our Lordes Table although with open mowth they refuse correction yea rather that no admonishmente shoulde at all be geuen them of this faulte but that afterwarde they shoulde be taught that if they will take vppon them to keepe the commaundementes and to amende their faulte they shoulde be accompted emong the good corne but if they contemne the same they shoulde be tolerated emong the cockell in this saying they shewe plainely inough that they doe neither defende these crimes neyther yet esteeme them as lighte or no crimes For what Christian manne is there of any towardnesse that will esteme adulterie as a small or as no crime Notwithstanding they perswade them selues that the manner and order how these faultes and crimes in others may eyther be corrected or tolerated they haue founde out in the holie Scriptures when they saie thus did the Apostles bringing foorth for that purpose out of their writinges some testimonies where they finde that the Apostles firste taught the Doctrine of Faith and afterwarde deliuered the preceptes of manners Wherevpon they gather and inferre that onely the rule of faith must be shewed and opened to them which come to receiue Baptisme but the preceptes of good lyfe must be geuen after Baptisme As though they read some of the Apostles Epistles disputing of onely Faith written to suche as were not yet baptised and some other Epistles disputing of good lyfe written to suche as were alreadie baptised But nowe whereas it is well knowen that the Apostles wrote their Epistles onely to Christians already baptised why yet doe their Epistles then conteine bothe these preceptes I meane preceptes towching faith and preceptes towching good lyfe But wherefore shoulde they not so doe Thinke these men trowe wee that to suche as come to be baptised we ought not to geaue bothe and to suche as are baptised we must geaue bothe Whiche if they thinke absurdly spoken then lette them confesse that the Apostles in their Epistles gaue their doctrine perfecte of bothe those pointes but therefore to haue most commonly begunne with Faith and then to haue folowed with that whiche apperteineth to good lyfe bicause that in man him selfe onlesse faith goe before good lyfe can not followe For what so euer man seemeth to doe as well onelesse it be referred to pietie which is to God it must not be called a good woorke Nowe if some foolishe and vnskilful personnes would thinke the Epistles of the Apostles to haue benne written to Cathecumenes and suche as are not yet baptised truly then must they withall confesse that preceptes of good manners agreable with faith are togeather with the rules of faith to be opened and taught vnto suche are as not yet baptised Onlesse perhappes by this their disputation and reasoning they will haue vs to saie that the former partes of the Apostles Epistles wherein they spake of faith were to be readde of the Cathecumenes and the latter partes wherein preceptes are geauen howe Christians shoulde liue to be readde of the faithfull Whiche is to fonde a thinge to be spoken of Theyr Doctrine therefore hathe no proufe out of the Apostles Epistles nor argument to perswade vs to thinke that those which are to be baptised shoulde be instructed in faith onely and those that be baptised instructed in good life by reason that in the former partes of their Epistles they commended faith and after consequently exhorted the faithfull to liue well For although that be in the first place and this in the later place yet are bothe by one vndiuided maner of speache most often to be taught bothe to the Cathecumenes both to the faithfull bothe to them that are to be baptised and bothe to them that are alreadie baptised To the one that they may learne to the other that they forgette not what they haue learned To the one that they may professe to the other that they may continewe in moste holsesome and sounde doctrine To the Epistles then of Peter and of Iohn out of the whiche they bring certaine testimonies lette them adde both the Epistles of S. Paule and of al the other Apostles and vnderstande them all so to be written as that they would haue first faith and then manners to be ioyntly spoken of And this to be their meaning I haue if I be not deceiued euidently declared vnto you That it behoueth men not onely to knowe but also to leade a good lyfe before they come to receiue Baptisme THE VIII CHAPTER An Obiection BVT in the Actes of the Apostles saie they Peter spake in suche sorte to the three thowsandes whiche hearing his woorde were in one daie baptised as that it may appeare he preached vnto them onely the faith whereby they should beleeue in Christ For when these men had said vnto Peter What shall we doe Actor 2. He answered them Doe ye penance and be ye baptised euery one of you in the name of our Lorde Iesu Christ into the remission of sinnes and ye shall receiue the gift of the holy Ghost Ansvvere But howe then is it that they doe not marke these woordes Doe ye penance For therein is expressed a throwing away of the olde life that they which be baptised may put on a newe But to whome is that penance whiche is done from dead woorkes fruitful and auaileable if he perseuer in adulterie and other wickednesse wherein the loue of this worlde is wrapped But he meant saie they that they shoulde onely doe penance for their infidelitie An obiection bicause they beleued not in Christe Ansvvere A marueilouse presumption I wil not terme it nowe more grieuousely that hearing it saied Ephes 4. Doe ye penance they will thinke the onely actes of infidelitie are spoken of sith that in the Doctrine of the Ghospell it is plainely taught that the olde lyfe must quite be changed into a newe In whiche place also and euen in the same sentence the Apostle saieth Let him that did steale
steale no more and so foorth where more at large he prosecuteth the same matter teaching what it is to put of the olde manne and to put on the newe Ephes 4. And yet if they woulde haue marked but these very woordes of S. Peter whiche they alleage they might haue had good cause better to consider of the matter For when he had said Doe ye penance Actor 2. and be ye baptised euery one of you in the name of our Lorde Iesu Christe into remission of your sinnes and ye shall receiue the gifte of the holy Ghoste For to vs is this promise made and to our children and to all as many as it shall please our Lorde God to call be they neuer so farre of He that wrote the booke immediately added these woordes And he testified this in many other woordes saying Withdrawe your selues from this wicked worlde And they moste greedily receiuinge and embracing his woordes beleeued and were baptised and three thowsande sowles gained and wonne in that one daie Nowe who seeth not here that in those many other woordes whiche the writer of the Actes S. Luke for length omitteth S. Peter earnestly laboured that they should withdraw them selues from this wicked worlde For euen the sentence it selfe is briefly shewed for the inforcing and perswading whereof S. Peter vsed those many other woordes For the summe and effecte of his whole perswasion is plainely sette downe when it is sayed Withdrawe your selues from this wicked worlde But howe this thinge shoulde be donne Peter gaue proofe in many other woordes In whiche woordes no doubt was comprised the condemnation of deadde woorkes which the louers of this worlde wickedly doe committe and the commendation of good lyfe whiche they should obserue and followe that withdrawe them selues from this wicked worlde Nowe therefore if they thinke good lette them perswade vs that he withdraweth him selfe from this wicked worlde whoe beleeueth onely in Christe yea though he purpose to perseuer in suche vices as he liketh euen to the very open profession of adulterie Whiche if it be abhominable to saie then lette them whiche are to be baptised not onely heare what they oughte to beleeue but also howe they may withdrawe them selues from the woorkes of this wicked worlde For at that time and place muste they learne howe they oughte to liue after they dooe beleeue VVhat it is to preache Christe And of the Baptisme of the Eunuche THE IX CHAPTER THE Eunuche saie they whome Philip baptised An Obiection Act. 8. Ansvvere saied nothing els but I beleeue that Iesus Christe is the Sonne of God. And in this profession he was presently baptised What Will you therefore that menne shoulde onely make that aunswere and so be baptised foorthwith Is there nothing to be asked by the instructor or to be professed by the beleeuer touching the holy Ghoste Nothing touching the holy Churche The holy Churche professed in the Creede by the Catecumenes Nothing touchinge the remission of sinnes Nothing touching the resurrection of the dead Lastly nothing touchinge Ihesus Christe him selfe but that he is the Sonne of God Is there nothing to be learned or professed touching his incarnation of the Virgin His Passion his death on the Crosse his buriall Resurrection the thirde daie or of his Ascension and sitting on the righte hande of his Father For if when the Eunuche had answered I beleeue that Iesus Christe is the Sonne of God it seemed he had done that whiche was sufficiente to be presently baptised and so to goe his waie then why doe we not followe that onely and let passe those other thinges whiche we must needes expresse euen when the streightnesse of time dothe vrge present Baptisme by asking questions wherevnto he that is to be baptised must in al pointes aunswere yea though he haue not ben able to knowe them without the booke But if the Scripture forbare the reporting and left to our supposing and vnderstanding those other thinges which Philip did with the Eunuche then to be baptised and in that it saith Philip baptised the Eunuche would vs to vnderstand that all other thinges requisite therevnto were firste complete and finished whiche although for shortnesse sake they be not in the Scripture spoken of yet by the course of the tradition Traditiō vvher Scripture faileth we know they were to be fulfilled then in like sorte also where it is written that Philip preached the Gospell and our Lorde vnto the Eunuche We can not doubt but in that instruction al was said vnto him that perteine vnto the life and maners of him that beleueth in our Lord Iesu For to preache Christ is not onely to tell what is to be beleeued concerning Christ but also what things are to be obserued of him who commeth to the vnitie of his mystical body yea and throughly to open al things which are to be beleued of Christ not onely whose Sonne he is of whome he was begotten as touching his Diuinitie and of whom as touching his humanitie what he suffered and wherefore what is the vertue of his resurrection what gift of the holy Ghost he promised and gaue vnto the faithfull but also what manner of members he seeketh to be head vnto to teach to loue to deliuer and bring to euerlasting lyfe and glorie When these thinges are opened at some tyme briefely and in fewe woordes at an other tyme largely and amplely then Christ is preached And yet not only that which perteineth to faith but also that which concerneth the manners and woorkes of the beleeuers is declared VVhat it is to knowe Christe crucified and who loueth God and his neighbour THE X. CHAPTER IN this sense also is that to be taken An other Obiectiō which they alleage out of S. Paule saying I saied among you 1. Cor. 2. I knowe nothing but Iesu Christ and him crucified Which wordes they thinke to haue ben so spoken as though nothing els had ben taught them but that they should firste beleeue and afterward being baptised should learne al such things as appertayne to lyfe and manners This say they did at the ful suffise the Apostle who sayed vnto them that although they had many schoolemasters in Christe 1. Cor. 4. yet had they not many Fathers for he had by the Ghospell begotten them in Iesu Christe If then he which begat them thorough the Ghospell Ansvver allthough he thanked God that he had baptised none of them but Crispus Gaius and the familie of Stephana taught them no more but Christe crucified what if some man should also say they had neuer heard of Christe his Resurrection when they were begotte thorough the Ghospell 1. Cor. 1. Which if these men wil not sticke to graunte to then let them remembre what he saied in an other place to the very same his scholers Thus he saieth I haue firste opened vnto you that Iesus died according to the Scriptures was buried and rose againe the thirde daye according to
them which are all ready baptised and so let them no more saie that to them whiche are to receiue Baptisme the faith onely which is to be had in God is to be preached and after the receiuing of that Sacrament they are to be instructed of good life as of a second precepte teaching that whiche belongeth to the looue of their neighbour For the lawe whiche the people receiued after the passage of the read sea as it were after Baptisme conteineth bothe Neither was the distribution of the commaundementes so made that before the passing of the readde sea the people was taught to beware of Idolatrie and after they were passed were taught that their Father and Moother were to be honored that they should not committe adulterie not kill and suche leeke orders of a good and innocent conuersation emong men That suche as will not change and amende their wicked life are not to be receiued to Baptisme THE XII CHAPTER IF therefore any man so come to the requiring of holy Baptisme that he professe he will not departe from the sacrifices of Idols except it be perchaunce after when he list him selfe and yet doth presently requier Baptisme and earnestly praie that he maie be made the temple of the liuing God being not onely an Idolater but also a continuer in most wicked sacrilege I aske of those menne whither they woulde thinke him so muche as to be allowed for a Cathecumene No doubt they will crie he ought not For we can not iudge otherwise of their meaning Let them therefore render a reason by the testimonie of the Scriptures whiche they thinke so to be vnderstanded howe they dare repell any from receiuing Baptisme whiche will protest and saie thus I haue learned and I woorshippe Christe Crucified I beleeue Iesu Christe to be the Sonne of God Differre me no longer Acto 8. Requier no more of me The Apostle woulde not them whome he did begette through the Ghospell to knowe any thing els for that time but Christe Crucified And Philippe after that the Eunuche had pronounced that he beleeued Iesus Christe to be the Sonne of God did not delaie the baptising of him Why then doo you forbidde me the woorshipping of Idols And why refuse you to admitte me to the Sacrament of Christe except I doo first departe from Idols I haue learned to worshippe Idols from my childhood I am rooted in it by a longe custome I will leaue then when I am able and when it shall be conuenient but though I doo not let me not yet ende my life without the Sacrament of Christe lest perhappes God aske my soule at their handes What thinke we woulde they answere to suche a man. Would they haue him admitted God forbidde I doo not beleeue them to be so farre gonne What then will they answer to him that shall so saie Yea and that shal adde farther that nothing ought to be saied vnto him at the least before baptisme of forsaking Idolatry no more then that former people heard thereof before their passage through the redde sea bicause the lawe whiche they receiued after their deliuery out of Egypte taught them that Truly they would saie to that man Thou shalt become the temple of God when thou hast receiued Baptisme But the Apostle saieth 2. Cor. 6. what hath the temple of God to doo with Idolles But why then doo they not see that it is leekewise to be saied Thou shalt become the member of Christe when thou hast receiued Baptisme The members of Christ can not be the members of an harlot For thus saieth the Apostle also in an other place 1. Cor. 6. Erre not for neither fornicators nor seruers of Idolls nor diuers others which he there reckeneth vp shall inherite the kingdome of heauen How then is it that wee exclude from baptisme Idolaters and thinke meete to admit fornicators When both to these and to other euil liuers the Apostle saieth And truely suche haue you bene but now you are wasshed sanctified and iustified in the name of our Lord Iesu Christ and in the spirite of our God What is then the cause that when it appeareth wee haue power to repell both sortes yet I permit the fornicatour cōming to baptisme to remaine in his lewdnes and doo not permitte the Idolater Especially when I heare it spoken both to the one and to the other this haue you been but nowe are you wasshed But the grounde of these mens errour is that they thinke all such which beleue in Christe The errour vvhich S. augustin in this vvorke cōfuteth and haue receiued the Sacrament of Baptisme are sure to be saued but yet through fire though they be so negligent in correcting their manners that they liue extreme wickedly Whereof I shall by and by see by Gods helpe what is to be thought and iudged according to the Scriptures VVoorkes of faith should go before Baptisme THE XIII CHAPTER BVT as yet I will stande a while vpon this question wherein they holde that such as are baptized should be instructed in good life and suche as come to be baptized onely to be instructed in the faith Which if it were so besides so many thinges which we haue saied already Iohn Baptist woulde not haue saied to them that came to his baptisme Generation of Vipers Matt. 3. who shewed you to flie from the wrathe to come Doo ye therefore woorthy frute of penaunce c. In whiche words he warneth them not of faith but of good workes In like manner to the souldiars saying what shall we doo He said not beleeue first and be baptised and afterward ye shal know what you must doo Luca. 3. but he foretolde them and forewarned them that in dede like a forerunner he might prepare and cleanse their life against our Lordes comming into their harte saying Vexe no man sclaunder no man content your selues with your wages Likewise to the Publicans asking what they should doo exact saith he no more then that which is appointed to you Th'euangelist thus briefly reporting these thinges for he needed not at large to put in the whole Catechismes gaue sufficiently to vnderstande The holy Scripture reporteth not all thinges that it apperteineth to his dutie who instructeth the person to be baptised to teache him and instruct him in good life Now in case these men had aunswered Iohn flatly wee wil not doo worthy frutes of penance wee will slaunder we will vexe we will exact those thinges which are not dewe vnto vs and yet notwithstanding after this their protestation Iohn had baptised them yet could it not therfore be said in this matter whereof now our question is that when a man cometh to be baptised he should not be instructed to leade a good life But to passe ouer other thinges let them remember and marke what our Lord him selfe answered when the riche man asked of him what good he might doo to attaine the life euerlasting Matt. 19. if thou wilt
keeping or for the getting of wordely riches committeth murther adulterie fornication Idololatrie and suche lyke shall not bycause of the foundation be saued through fyer but loosing quyte the foundation shal be tormented with euerlasting fyer Wherefore that also whiche they alleage out of the Apostle thinking to proue thereby that only faith profitteth where he saieth 1. Cor. 7. If the infidell partye departe let him or her departe for a broother or a sister is not in suche thinges subiect vnto bondage The duty to God is to be preferred before the bonde of vvedlocke that is to say that for the fayth of Christe euen the very wife coupled in lawfull Matrimonie should without fault be forsaken yf she will not tarry with a Christian man onely for this cause bicause he is a Christian they marke not withal that by the same saying of the Apostle shee may very wel and lawfully be dismissed and put away yf shee say vnto her husband I will not be thy wyfe onlesse thou heape riches vnto me by theft or except thou nowe thou art a Christian man vse thy accustomed robberies wherewith thou diddest furnish our house or any other kinde of lewdnesse or wickednesse that her husband before had vsed wherewith shee being delighted did either satisfie her lust or get her liuing easely or goe the more gaily apparelled For then he to whom his wyfe shal thus saye if he haue truely done penaunce from deade workes at his comming vnto Baptisme and haue in his foundation faithe whiche woorketh through looue without doubt he shal haue more regard to the looue of the grace of God then to the voluptuousnes of the fleshe Gal. 5. and will strongly cut awaye the member that doth offende him and what soeuer sorrowe of his harte he doo by carnall affection to his wyfe indure by suche separation that lo is all the hurt that he shall suffer that sorrowe is the fyer by the whiche his heie being burned he shall be saued But yf he so enioyed his wife as that he kepte her not for concupiscence but for charitie and pitie to see yf perhaps in time he might winne her to the faith yelding rather then requyring the duty of wedlocke truly he shal not be carnally sorry when he is separated from such mariage For why he did not though married purpose any other thing then godly 1. Cor. 7. and howe he might please God. Math. 5. And by this meanes looke howe muche the more he buylded by such godly purposes gold siluer and pretious stones so much the lesse losse should he susteyne and so muche the lesse coulde his buylding whiche was not nowe of heie but of substantiall golde and siluer be burned with any fyer And thus whether men do suffer such thinges in this lyfe only or that after this lyfe some such Iudgementes do followe the saying of S. Paule thus expounded doth not I trowe vary from reason or truth How be it if there be any other good exposition thereof that my happe is not to chose or to light on yet so long as we holde this we are not forced absurdely to saie vnto vniust personnes 1. Tim. 1. rebelles traitours the lewde and defiled killers of their fathers or mothers murtherers fornicatours offenders againste kinde theeues bribers lyers periured personnes or suche like whiche are contrary to the sownde doctrine whiche is according to the Gospel of the glory of the blessed God if ye do no more but beleue in Christ and take the Sacrament of his Baptisme though ye doe not forsake your moste wicked lyfe yet shall ye be saued Neither can herein the woman of Chananee prescribe against vs because our Lorde gaue her at the firste that shee asked Mat. 15. when he had saied before It is not good to take the breade of children and geaue it vnto dogges For he being the searcher of the heart sawe her chaunged within whome he praised by worde of mouthe And therefore he saide not O dogge great is thy faith but O woman Mat. 15. great is thy faith He chaunged his terme bycause he sawe the affection chaunged in her and knewe that of suche his rebuking of her was growen good fruite But it were in deede to be maruailed at if he had praised in her Iac. 2. faith without good workes that is to saie a dead faith and not suche a faith as might woorke through loue which S. Iames was not afraied to call a faith not of Christians but of Diuelles Finally if they will not vnderstande this woman of Chananee to haue chaunged in her heart her wicked woorkes and manners when Christe by contempt and reproche rebuked her then whome so euer they shall finde onely to beleeue and yet not onely not to hide their wicked life but freely to professe it and neuer meane to chaunge it let them on Gods name heale their children if they can as the daughter of that woman of Chananee was healed but let them not make them members of Christ which wil not forbeare to be the members of an harlotte In dede they doe not amisse vnderstande that he doth sinne against the holy Ghost and is without pardon giltie of eternall sinne whiche till the very ende of his life wil not beleue in Christe But this were true if they rightly vnderstoode what it were to beleeue in Christe For it is not to haue the faith of Diuelles which is rightly called a dead faith but to haue that faith which worketh through loue and charitie Suche as obstinately continue in lewde and vngodly life should be put backe from Baptisme and what it is to hide our Lord his money THE XVII CHAPTER WHICH thinges being so when we dooe not admitte suche vnto Baptisme we goe not about to pul vppe the cockle before the time but we are lothe to goe farther and sowe cockle as the Diuell dothe Neither doe we lette or kepe of him that is willing to come vnto Christe but by their owne profession we conuince them that they haue no will to come vnto Christ Neither doe we forbid them to beleue in Christ but we plainely shewe that they will not beleue Christe who doe either saie that it is not adulterie which he saith is adulterie or els doe beleeue that adulterers may be his members who as he teacheth vs by his Apostle shall not inherite the kingdome of heauen but are enemies to the sownde doctrine Gallat 5. 1. Tim. 1. which is according to the Gospell of the glory of the holy God. And therefore these men are not to be accompted emong them Luc. 4. which came vnto the marriage feast but emong them that woulde not come For when they dare moste openly gainesaie the very Doctrine of Christe and contrary the holy Gospel they are not repelled when they come but them selues refuse to come But as for them who renounce the worlde at the the least in woordes though not in deedes they come and
their transitory paine is signified although this should be most impudently said seing that all who without exception shal rise againe among whome no doubt the vnfaithfull shall also be our Lord hath diuided onely into two partes to wit life and Iudgement meaning thereby that the Iudgement should be vnderstanded eternal as wel as the life though he did not there adde that woorde for neither saith he there into resurrection of eternall life though he would not haue it any otherwise vnderstāded yet let them then consider what they will aunswer to that where he saith But he which beleueth not Iohan. 3. is already iudged For here no doubt they must either vnderstand Iudgement for eternall paine or els presume to say that infidels shall also be saued thorough fier For saith Christ He which beleeueth not is allready iudged that is to say is allready destined and appointed to Iudgement And then where is that which they promise for a singular benefite to such as beleeue and yet liue wickedly sith that they also which beleeue not shall not be damned but iudged Which if they dare not to affirme then lette them not presume to promise so fauourably vnto them of whom it is said they shal be iudged by the Lawe For now it appeareth that eternall damnation is also termed Iudgement But nowe as touching those that wittingely sinne what if we finde them not onely not to be in more easie but to be in much woorse and harder case Verely these be they chiefly whiche haue receiued the lawe For as it is written Where there is no lawe Rom. 4. there is no transgression And to this ende also is it saied I had not knowen concupiscense except the lawe had said Rom. 7. thou shalt not lust Sinne therefore taking occasion of the lawe hath wrought in me all concupiscence with many other such like whiche the same Apostle speaketh of this matter But from this most greeuous gilt doth the grace of the Holy Ghost deliuer vs through Iesu Christ oure Lord Rom. 5. which Grace Charitie being powred into oure hartes doth make vs to delight in iustice by the which immodederate concupiscence is ouercommed Hereby therefore is it proued not onely no easier Rom. 2. but much more greuous paine to be maent to them of whom it is said they which sinne in the lawe shal be iudged by the lawe then to them which sinning without the lawe shall perish without the law It is proued also hereby that Iudgement in this place is not ment for trāsitory paine but for the eternal paine whereby infideles shal be also iudged For they that vse this sentence to geue hope of saluation by fier to them whiche euen beleeuing doo liue moste lewdely saying to them they whiche haue sinned without the Lawe shall perish without the law but they which haue sinned in the lawe shal be iudged by the lawe as though it were said they shall not perish but be saued thorough fier coulde not see that the Apostle spake this bothe of them which sinned without the law and of them which sinned in the law For th'Apostle there in dede treated both of the gentiles and of the Iewes shewing that the grace of Christe whereby they might be deliuered was not only necessary to the Gentils but to the Iewes also All which that very epistle to the Romains doth euidently shew Therfore let them now if it like them promise euē to the Iewes also sinning in the law saluatiō through fier though the grace of Christ deliuer them not For of them also it was said By the lawe they shall be iudged Which if they do not then speake they against them selues who confesse that they are tied with the band of the most greuous and heauie crime of infidelitie Why do they then applie to Infidels and to the faithful a like in a thing appertaining to the faith of Christ that which was spoken of them that sinne without the lawe and of them which sinne in the lawe sithe all this was spoken not of the faithfull but of the Iewes and the Gentiles inuiting them bothe to come to the faith of Christe Of the libertie of a Christian man and what Christian libertie is if it be rightly vnderstanded THE XXIIII CHAPTER FOR it was not saied they which haue sinned without faith shall perish without faith and they which haue sinned in faith shall be iudged by faith but the wordes are without the law and in the lawe Rom. 2. that it might plainely appeare that matter was touched which was in hand betwene the Gentiles and the Iewes not betwene good and euill Christians And yet if in that place they will needes by the word Lawe vnderstand faith which were to vnreasonable and to absurd yet may they reade the sentence of the Apostle Peter which is in this matter most open and plaine speaking of them who tooke to maintaine their fleshlines and to couer their nawghtines that which is written we which appertaine to the newe Testament be not the sonnes of the handmaide Gala. 4. but of the free woman by that libertie whereby Christ hath made vs free thinking that hereby was ment they might liue freely take all thinges as lawful whatsoeuer liked them being now put in securitie by so great a redemption not marking withall that which was said Brethern Gala. 5. ye are called into libertie only make not that libertie an occasion of carnalitie Whereupon S. Peter him selfe also saieth Free 1. Pet. 2. not as hauing libertie for a cloke or couer of naughtines Of the which sorte also he speaketh in his second Epistle 2. Pet. 2. These are drie springes and clowdes driuen with an hurlewind to whome a miste of darcknes is reserued for speaking proude thinges of vanitie they allure in concupiscences vnto vnclennes of the flesh those which were escaped a litle being conuersant in errour promising vnto them libertie when them selues were the bondmen of corruption For of what soeuer a man is ouercome to the same is he become bond For if fleyng backe from the filthines of the worlde into the knowledge of our Lord and common Sauiour Ihesu Christ they being againe wrapped and intangled in them be ouer-come the latter are become to them woorse then the first for it had bene better for them not to knowe the way of Iustice then knowing it to returne backe from the holy commaundement once geeuen vnto them for in them is the prouerbe truly verefied The dogge retourned to his vomite and the sowe being wasshed to wallowing in the mier Why then is ther yet promised against this most manifest truth a better state vnto them which haue knowen the way of Iustice that is our Lord Christe and liue naughtely as though they had not knowen him at all when it is most cleerely saied It had bene better for them not to haue knowen the way of Iustice then knowing it to returne backe from the holy commaundement deliuered
vnto coles but being taken out of the fier it appereth more pure as doth water being clarified Such were the bodies of those three children in Babylon hauing thorough fasting the vnconsumptible nature of the Amianthon For in the great flame of the fornaice they being as of the nature of golde did ouercome all the force of the fier Yea they appeared to be of muche more excellencie then golde For the fire dyd not mealt them but preserued them whole Yea and that Naphtha apud Dioscor lib. 1. cap. 99. when nothing in the worlde did stay or keepe backe the flame But contrary Naphtha a kinde of naturall and vnquencheable lime pitche and small twygges dyd so nourrishe it that it was spread the length of xlix cubites and so feeding rounde about consumed many of the Chaldeans The children then being entred with bodies purified by fasting did treade vnder their feete and ouercomme that deadly fier breathing a moiste aire as it were a sweet dewe vpon that vehement fier whiche yet durst not touche so muche as their heare bicause the same had ben bred and nourished by fasting Dani. 9. Daniell also the man of God specially beloued whoo in three weekes neither eate bread nor drancke water being put downe into the denne taught also euen the lions to fast Dani. 6. For as though he had ben made euen of stone or brasse or some other harder substaunce the lions could not once enter their teeth into him So had fasting hardened the body of the man as steeled yron and made it inuincible to the lions Nay they coulde not so muche as once open theire mouthe against that holy man. Fasting quenched the force of the fier Fasting stopped the mouthes of the lions Fasting sendeth praier vp to heauen being as it were a winge thereunto to carry it vpward Fasting is the wealth of the howse the mother of health and the schoolemaster of youth Fasting is an ornamente to olde menne a good companion to wayfaring persons a safe and trusty conuictour to such as dwell together The husband suspecteth not to be deceiued by his wife when he seeth her delight in fasting The wife fretteth not with ielousie when she seeth her husband geeuen to fasting Who euer sawe a house decaie by fasting Vewe what thinges are at this daie within thy house and surueie them agayne hereafter and thou shalt find nothing thereof wanting through fasting No beast or other liue thinge lamenteth his death No bloud is seene in thy house No heauie sentence of death geeuen by the vnsatiable belly against the poore beastes The cookes knife is at rest The table of the faster is content with such thinges as voluntarily do rise and growe of the earth The Sabaoth was geeuen to the Iewes Exo. 20. That thy beast saith God and thy seruaunt may be at rest Let thy fasting be a rest of continuall labours vnto thy seruauntes that serue thee all the yeere Suffer thy cooke to be quiet Geue rest vnto thy Sewer Forbeare the hand of thy cupbearer and butler Let him haue some repose who prepareth thy manyfold Iouncats and bancketting disshes Let thy house sometime be quiete from those innumerable tumultes from smoke fulsom sauour of rost and from the running vp and doune of them that do nought but minister vnto the bellie as to a dame that can neuer be pleased Euen exacters of tributes do sometime affoord some libertie to the subiectes Let the belly likewise geue some truce to the mouthe Let that which is euer crauing and neuer ceasseth which receiueth to day and forgetteth to morrowe geue vs truce for fiue daies When it is full then it disputeth of abstinence When the meate is a litle passed then it forgetteth quite all such doctrine Fasting knoweth not the nature of death The table of the faster dooth not sauer of vserie The fathers vseries doo not strangle the litle child of the faster in his nonage winding about him like serpentes And truly besides all this sometime to faste is a meane to the increase of pleasure and delight For as thirst maketh drinke to seeme pleasaunt and as hunger gone before dooth make the furnished table the more delight some right so dooth fasting encrease the gladsome lyking of meates For that putting it selfe betwene and thereby interrupting in part the continual glut of delicacies shall make the receiuing thereof againe the more pleasaunt euen as of a friend retourned from far countries Wherfore if thou wilt make vnto thy selfe thy table pleasaunt take vnto thee somtime a chaunge by fasting But thou that art excessiuely possessed with the looue of deliciousnes doost not perceiue that thou diminishest much of thy delight by continuall vsage thereof and for looue of pleasure lesest in dede the chiefest pleasure For nothing is so pleasaunt but that by continuall fruition it waxeth fulsome But of those thinges which are rarely had the fruition is delightsome A Similitude Euen in this sort he which hath made vs hath deuised that by chaunge and orderly retourne of thinges in this life the pleasure of those thinges which he hath graunted vs might still remaine with delight vnto vs. Doest thou not see how after night the sonne is more bewtiful And waking more pleasaunt after sleepe And health the more desired and esteemed after feeling of sicknes and aduersitie Euen so after fasting is the table also the better welcome both vnto riche menne and suche as haue it well furnished and also to poore folke which haue but from hand to mouth that which the earth yeldeth Luc. 16. Feare the example of the riche man. Deliciousnes of life brought him to the fier For he was not broiled in the flame of the furnaice bicause he was accused of any iniustice but for his soft and delicate life We haue therefore nede of water to quenche that fire And fasting is not only profitable for the time to coome but also presently very healthsome vnto the bodie For the best health and state of mannes bodie being growen vp to the highest falleth backe and decaieth of it selfe very nature failing and not being hable to beare the burthen of so great strength Beware least thou which now spittest water doo not hereafter with the riche man desire and longe after a drop of water No man euer surfeted of water No mans head did euer ake and was heauy with water No man passing his life with drincking of water had euer any neede of an other mans feete No mans legges haue bene bound no mans handes made vnprofitable by drinking of water For the default about disgestion which necessarily happeneth to suche as liue delicately doth bring vnto their bodies vehement diseases The coulour of the man that fasteth is reuerent not flowring vp to an vnshamefast readnes but adorned with a temperate palenes His eye is gentle his gate humble his face modest not disgraced by fonde lawghter his speeche moderate his hart sincere and pure Calle to thy remembrance the
by her cōmitted to marry an other then if putting her away for fornication he then marry an other not bicause this is not also adultery but for that it is the lesse then the firste where the wife being put away for fornication an other is married And in the same Chapter he farther saith Ambos enim licet alterū altero grauius moechos tamen esse cognoscimus VVe know both of them to be adulterers though the one more greuous then the other And so we see that though not in equal and euen ballance yet are they both weyed in one balance of adulterie And that point semeth to darke C. In the bookes before alleged which he wrote to Pollentius To. 6. li. 1. ad Pollēt cap. 9. it was vnto him a matter so euident and plaine that being out of al doubt thereof he doubted not to say That whether a man put away his wife that hath cōmitted no adultery or her that hath ben taken in adultery if he mary an other he cōmitteth not a smal or venial offence but manifest adultery which is a mortal and dedly sinne saying vtrosque moechos esse minimè dubitamus VVe nothing doubt but that they be both adulterers And in an other place of the same worke speaking of them who for vnchast life put their wiues out of their cōpany he saith To. 6. li. 2. ad Pollēt cap. 19. To. 7. de Nupt. Concupis lib. 1. c. 10 Non alia quarant coniugia quia non erunt coniugia sed adulteria Let them not seeke other mariages for they shal be no marriages but adulteries To the same effect in an other worke whiche he wrote also after this booke he saith that who so euer in that case marrieth againe Lege Euangelij reus erit adulterij By the law of the Ghospel he shal be guilty of adulterie But if any such matches fortune to be made I can not certainly say Touching this point also D. he saith in an other place in the person of his aduersary yet as a truth in both sides graunted Quòd videlicet qui dimittit viuere permittit adulteram Tom. 6. de Adulterinis Coniugijs ad Pollent li. 2. ca. 16. si alterā duxerit quamdiu prior illa viuit perpetuus adulter est nec agit poenitētiam fructuosam à flagitio non recedens Nec si Catechumenus est ad baptismū admittitur quoniā ab eo quod impedit non mutatur That he which putteth away his wife for adultery and suffereth her to liue if he marry an other as long as that former wife liueth he is a continual adulterer neither doth he any fruteful penance as long as he cōtinueth in that wicked acte Neither if he be a Catechumen can be admitted to Baptisme bicause he leaueth not that which letteth him from baptisme Thus much haue I thought good to say here good Reader to the end that neither thou shouldest misconstrue S. Augustine neither doubt of his mind and opinion in these pointes which albeit he doth not resolue here yet as thou seest he doth in other and later Bookes by him written cleerly define and plainly teache VVhat they ought to doo that are to be baptised and what benefit they take in baptisme THE XX. CHAPTER THerefore to shewe nowe what is the sownd and true doctrine lest a daungerous securitie be geeuen to any deadly sinne or elles a more daungerous authoritie graunted this is the order of the cure and remedy thereof That they whiche are to be baptised do beleeue in God the Father the Sonne and the holy Ghost in such order and sorte as the Creede is deliuered that they do penaunce from thier deade workes and doubte not but that they shall receyue in Baptisme a ful and perfect remission of all their sinnes paste Not yet so that it shall be nowe lawfull for them to sinne But that it shall be no more hurtful to them that they haue before sinned And that it is a remission of al that is past not a permission to do the like any more Then may it truly be said euen spiritually Ioan. 5. behold thou art made whole nowe sinne no more which our Lorde therefore saied of the bodyly health bicause he knewe that to him whome he healed that paine and disease in the fleshe was happened by the desert of his sinnes But to him that entreth an adulterer to be baptised and being baptised goeth forth an adulterer I maruaile howe these menne can thinke it may be saied behold thow art made whole For what can be a greuous and deadly disease if adulterie shal be accompted healthe It is not to be thought that the Apostles admitted to Baptisme suche as liued in great and heinous sinne THE XXI CHAPTER BVT in the three thousandes saie they whom the Apostles Baptised in one daie Obiectiō and in so many thousandes of beleeuers Acto 2. emong whome the Apostle preached and filled with the Gospell the whole countreis between Hierusalem and Slauonie Rom. 15. it is leeke there were some menne cowpled with other mens wiues and some weemen with other wiues husbandes whervpon the Apostles shoulde haue made a certaine rule which should from thence foorth haue been kepte in the Churches whither suche should not be admitted to Baptisme except they had first forsaken and corrected their adulterous liues Ansvver As though it might not leekewise be saied against them that they finde not any one mencioned who being suche was admitted Or as though the Scripture could conueniently haue made mention of the particular crimes of euery man. Which truly would haue growen to an infinit matter and nothing needfull sith that generall rule is sufficient at the full where Peter at large protesteth to suche as were to be baptised saying withdrawe your selues from this wicked worlde Acto 2. For who doubteth adultery to appertaine to the wickednes of this worlde and those especially which choose to continue in that iniquitie But in like manner maie it be saied of common harlotes which no Church admitteth to Baptisme till they be deliuered from that filthy life that emong so many thousandes then of beleeuers emong so many nations some such might be found and that the Apostles should haue geuen for the rules of their receauing or of their repelling But by some smaller matters wee maie well gather coniecture of the greater For if the Publicans comming to the Baptisme of Iohn were forbidden Lucae 2. to exact any more then was appointed and taxed vnto them I maruaile if adultery could be permitted to suche as came to the Baptisme of Christe Obiectiō They saie also that the Israelites committed many and greuous offences and shedde muche blood of Prophetes and yet not to haue deserued by those factes to be vtterly rooted vppe but for their onely infidelitie that they would not beleeue in Christe But here they marke not that their sinne was not onely in that they would not beleeue
Maisters But this shall wee best bring to passe if we lyue as menne vertuously addicted to continuall prayer to the seruice of God and to carefull looue of pietie and vertue thinking and esteeming that to offer our prayers with a pure and sincere harte vnto God is the only life the only health the only riches and the onely scope and effect of all that good is For as the sonne geeueth light vnto the bodye so dothe prayer illumine and geeue light vnto the sowle If therefore it be a greate lacke and misse to a blinde man not to behold the sonne howe muche greater losse is it to a Christian man yf by continuall prayer he doo not receyue into his mynde the light and cleere bright beames of Christe the Sonne of God But nowe who is there that is not astonned and doth not wonder at so bounteous courtesy and singular kindnes as God doth herein extende and shewe to mankinde in affording to mortall men so great honour as to admit vs for woorthy to talke with him selfe and to laye downe our prayers and desiers before him For of trouth Prayer a familiar talke vvith God wee do euen truly talke with God so often as we applye our selues to prayer By prayer also we seuer our selues as it were from that societie which otherwise wee had with brute beastes and be in deede cowpled thereby with Angelles For prayer is the woorke of Angelles Yea and it passeth in some respecte their dignitie if to haue present talke with God hym selfe be a thing aboue the dignitie of Angelles And that so it is yea and a muche hygher preeminence they them selues doo teache vs offering truely theyr prayers Hovv and after vvhat manner vve shold praye with muche tremblinge and geeuing thereby example vnto vs to knowe and learne that who so euer presenteth him selfe before God must doo it with muche ioye and yet with great trembling With trembling while wee feare leaste wee may seeme vnwoorthy by our prayers to haue speache vnto God. With Ioye when we thinke of the greatnesse of the honour whiche God of his so greate care ouer vs hath vouchesafed to bestowe on creatures of mortall kinde that it may be lawfull for vs continually to haue the Ioye and fruition of speaking with his Diuine Maiestie The fruit of praier By whiche meanes wee obtayne also this that wee being mortal and hauing continuance but for a tyme cease so to be For though by nature we be mortal yet by this speache and familiar life whiche we leade with God we passe ouer to an immortall life For of necessitie it followeth that he whiche hath familiaritie with God getteth to be ouer death and ouer all suche thinges as are subiect to corruption And as it can not be that he which enioyeth the light of the sonne beames should be in darkenesse so neither can it be by any meanes that he which vseth to company with God should still remayne mortal For the very heigth and excellency of this dignitie doth transfer vs to immortallity For if they that haue free speach with th'emperour and be cōuersant familiarly with him can not lightly be poore after that honour gotten at his hand much lesse may it be that they which by prayer dayly and familiarly speake with God should haue soules subiect to death VVhat the death of the soule is For the death of the soule is impietie and a lyfe which is lead contrary to the lawe of God. Wherof it foloweth that the life of the soule is the seruice of God and a life worthy of that seruice But a vertuouse life and worthy of Gods seruice doth prayer wonderfully winne and procure vnto vs and being wonne doth increase and laie it vp as a great treasure in our mindes For whether a man be possessed with the loue of virginity or be it The vertue and force of prayer that he hath inclination to embrace the honorable chastitie of wedlocke or if he study to bridle and restraine anger and with mildenes to become familier or haue he desire to be pure and voide from the infection of enuy Finally if a man couet and labour to do ought elles that tendeth or appertaineth to wel liuing he shall by the guide of prayer preparing the waie to suche life finde a cōmodiouse and easie way to al vertue and goodnes For it can not be Chastitie iustice other vertues are obteined by prayer Mat. 7. it can not be I say that they which aske of God chastitie iustice mildenesse and gentlenesse should not obteine that they aske For our Lord him selfe saith Aske and it shall be geauen vnto you seeke and yee shall finde knocke and it shall be opened vnto you For who so euer asketh receiueth and he that seeketh findeth and to him that knocketh there shall be opened And againe in another place Who is there emong you saith he of whome if his sonne aske breade he will geue him a stone Luc. 11. Or if he aske fisshe he will geaue him a serpent If you then being euil can geue good giftes to your children howe much more will your heauenly Father geaue his holy spirite to suche as sue to him therfore With suche sayinges and with suche hope hath the Lord of al thinges stirred and inuited vs to prayer It behoueth vs therefore being obedient vnto God continually to passe our whole life in prayer and in praising of God and to haue muche more care of the seruice of God then of our owne lyfe For so will it come to passe that wee shall leade a lyfe suche as is meete for a manne For who so euer dothe not praie vnto God nor hath desier to enioye the delight of daily talking with God that man is deade wanting life and of a sicke and deseased minde For euen this is a moste euidente argumente of a franticke and fonde minde not to vnderstande the great excellencie of this honour not to loue and delight in prayer and not to knowe that then the sowle is dead when it is not with all looue and humilitie laied prostrate before the feete of God. For euen as this our bodie if the sowle and lyfe be awaie is truely dead and stinking euen so the sowle except she raise and stirre her selfe vppe to prayer is dead wretched and of very euill and vnpleasant sauour And to the ende we may truely conceiue this and thinke it in dede a more heauy and sorowful thing then any death to be depraued of the benefitte of prayer A notable example that Prophet Daniel dothe wel teache vs. Who did chose rather to suffer death then onely by the space of three daies to be kept from praying for the King of Persians Darius Daniel 6. did not require of him to committe any wicked acte onely this he obserued if any manne within three daies shoulde be taken with asking owght of any God or man saue of him selfe onely But the Prophet indured not