Christ which all are inuisible thynges hoped for But Winchester dreaming vs forth his new fained faith coupleth her to an externe knowledge of what maner a visible fulfylling I caÌ„ not tel you nor yet of what a fond confuse condicion nor yet of hym selfe expressed Ioyne thou thy faith to an outward visible bodely thinge and so it is neither faith nor hope Blessed are they that beleue se not Nowe muste Wyn. proue his condition with the fulfylling and knowledge thereof to be thinges inuisible hoped for as eternall life c. or elles his faith shal not be that fayth whiche Paule diffineth christe so often mencioneth in his gospell VvintonÌ„ IT may appeare in you euidently howe malyce maketh you blynd wheÌ„ rehersyng my wordes yet ye aske me whether fayth goeth before workes For when I saye as you reherse that the fulfyllynge of the condicion requireth fyrst knowledge what the condicion is and then that this knowledge is attayned by fayth do not I geue faith the fyrst place as the meane of knowledge what is the condicion which must nedes go before the fulfyllynge the fulfyllyng before thatteyning of the effecte In this place who is first saye you by myne owne wordes fayth or workes And yet ye saye by my proces workes go before when my wordes rehersed hitherto declare the contrary But ye were so pleasaunt in scoffinge that ye forgate the matter And these be the frutes of the spirite that vexeth you This is the milde meke sobrenes of your profession of christiane charitie I wyll aske you a question wakynge Is not all oure certeine knoweledge of gods wyl and pleasure by faith Some parte of your wordes semeth to saye yes when ye call it the certeinte of thinges inuisible And yet wheÌ„ ye say that I dreame an exâ—erne knoweledge of visible thinges with addicioÌ„ of these two wordes that is to say externe visible Ye say ye can not tel vs more of it And it is a world to se howe fondely ye talke for fayth in no sence can signify an externe knowledge which is only by the senses And where dydde I talke in my dreame of visible thinges speakynge of god and his wyll which be all inuisible and in gods wyll is coÌ„teyned the condicioÌ„ I speake of whiche after knowledge thereof as I saide muste be fulfylled and without knoweledge before can not be fulfilled As for your mangled argument to conferme the proufe ye promysse shall be more commodiously entreated afterwarde In this parte I shewe only howe ye wrangle with me take vpon you to improue that ye vnderstand not as by the rehersal of my next article shal appeare more plainly Ye reherse it thus Vvinch thyrde artycle This faith commeth of God this faith is a good gift It is good and profitable to me It is profitable to me to do well and to exercise this faith Ioye This faith so farre of flytted frome the inuisible iustyfycatyon whether it be the gyfte of God and profytable to Wynchester I doubte it but this I am sure of by Christes owne wordes that when Wynchester hathe done all that God commaunded hym whyche I dare saye he shall neuer do and so neuer fulfyll his condicion yet is he but a seruauÌ„t if he be not a lord vnprofitable I wolde aske Wynchester when he loketh and considereth fyrste theffecte of christes passion whether he beleued it or no If he did not beleue so was he then an infidell If he beleued it seinge it is the promysed forgyuenes of synnes in Christes bloud whether beleued he it to be effectuouse to hym selfe or only to other men If to other and not to hym selfe so is his faythe and the deuylles faythe all one If he beleued his owne synnes to be forgyuen thereby so was he iustified by faith onelye ere any other condicion was knowen or spoken of or elles he muste make christ a lyer which sayeth As thou beleuest so come it to the. WheÌ„ Iairus desyred Christ to come helpe his doughter and in Christes commynge Iairus his seruaunt mette him saienge Desease not Christe out mayster no further for your doughter is deade What sayde Christ Sayde he not to hym feare not Beleue only and she shall be safe These same wordes onely beleue stande bothe in Marke and Luke What condicion elles then fayth onely in Christes promysse can Wynchester fynde to enioye the effecte of Christes passion Christ all condicions elles set a syde only faith mencioned saide Thy fayth hath saued the. What condicion elles then faith dydde Chryste requyre of the chyldes father prayenge hym to caste the euyll spyryte oute of his sonne Added he any thynge elles then faithe sayenge If thou canste beleue all thynges are possible to the beleuer Awaye Wynchester with your confuse comberouse condycyon fonde fulfyllynges and your craftie knowledge and abuse not the preciouse gyfte of fayth to serue your synful affectes to proue your blasphemouse coÌ„clusion But yet perchauÌ„ce Wynchester wyll aunswere to my former questyon that when he beholdeth the forgyuenes of his synnes in Christes passyon he seeth also therwith his condicion well be it so Then aske I hym whether the forgyuenesse of his synnes there beholden and hym selfe hearynge Chryste callynge and cryeng Comme vnto me Wynchester laden with synnes and I shall ease the whether I saye it is moore profitable for hym by fayth to sette holde â–ª of the forgyuenes of his synnes nowe offered hym by christ that can not lye or to tarye and sende him worde that he wyll fyrste knowe and fulfyll his condicion A wyse man wolde thynke it moost profitable to sette holde firste by faith vpon his iustificacion frely now offered hym and to take the thynge certeyne and present rather then so precyous a gyfte neglected to labour in an vncertayne condycyon For yf his condicion be the workes of the lawe as he wyll not denye it whiche it is impossible for any flessh to fulfyll as Paule affirmeth and al our best workes are infected with Adams byrth poison stayned lyke the sycke womans clothes as Isai saith And if Wynchester I say tary tyl he hathe fulfylled his condicion he shall come to short of his iustification in Christ For ere he beginneth to ful fyll the condicion he is disobedient to christes callinge and refuseth the forgiuenes of his sinnes of which vnfaith fâ—ll disobedience what so euer dede foloweth it is synne yea and that a greuouse synne as Samuel exaggerateth it vnto kinge Saule albeit he dyd it as they say of a good intent Vvynto HItherto I haue touched your blynde malyce to improue my wordes onely because they were myne For they haue no thinge in them but that myght be spoken of one that wold mainteine your owne opinion Neyther Barnes ne his scoolefelowe dyd euer varye with me in them For they be principilles so true and euident as they can haue no contradiction of hym that is not vnshamefast And when I say this fayth commeth
of God do I not make god auctoure of fayth wher by is assured knowledge of gods wyll and pleasure conteynynge the condicion of oure estate required to enioy theffecte of christes passion whiche is the summe of that I said hitherto Nowe when ye reherse for mine article as foloweth This faith is a good gyft it is good and profitable to me It is good and profitable to me to do well and exercyse this fayth Ye note me to haue spoken a sorte of good wordes but suche as I spake not in dede be in dede nothynge to the purpose And it had ben a coold speache to say fayth is a good gifte it is good and profitable it is profitable to me to do well I that had called faith the gyfte of god necessaryly before all requyred for knowledge it had ben worship fully spoken afterwarde to saye fayth is a good gyfte by laken as though any gyfte of god coulde be otherwyse then good Barnes wyt was more fresh â—râ—de that exâ—ed grace â—rred al in â—arnes and many mo our matter more lyuely quycke theÌ„ to make these articles as ye note them And they serue nothyng to the coÌ„clusyon that ye reherse afterward ergo by the gyft of god I may do well before I am iustified And that was in dede the mater proponed betwene vs. whether a maÌ„ myght haue grace to do well before he were iustified For maister Barns had affirmed that albeit god saith we must forgyue our neyghbour to obteyne forgyuenes of god yet he said that god must forgyue vs first before we forgiue our neighbour For elles to forgyue oure neyghbour were synne by the texte that ye brynge in All that is not of fayth is synne A true sayeng but brought in to subuerte truth as the deuyll dyd scripture And in this dreame was Barnes that folowyng the newe scoole of extremites he denyed al degrees of grace as you do said A man could do nothyng good or acceptable before the grace of iustificatioÌ„ For coÌ„futation wherof I agreed fyrst with hym and he with me of the former proposicions and came to this that we must haue fayth firste of all to knowe what we shulde beleue After this I asked him if a gentile felte him self moued to go heare a preachynge or rede some parte of scripture whether wolde he cal it wel done of him to go to the sermoÌ„ rede the scripture or were it synne because it was before faith He said it was good And then I said it must nedes be so for it was of God profitable to hym And thereupon folowed the conclusion that ye laughe at ergo a man may do good before his iustification Barnes was not contente in dede with the conclusion And wheÌ„ he sawe that he coulde improue none of the partes wherof it folowed Then began he to saye that suche a gentyle so moued to go to the sermon or to rede scripture was then iustified of god in that mocion And then I replied Ergo men be iustified before fayth and so were it by Barnes false that onely faith iustifieth for this man was iustified without faith For howe shulde he haue faith before he hadde harde when faith is of hearinge as saint Paule sayth But to defend and maintaine his first fonde saieng that a man can do no good thinge before he be iustified he was faine to maynteyne that a man is iustified before he heareth and before he beleueth and so confounded he the degrees of gods workynge in time in vs. Fyrst to call vs and then to iustifie vs as saint Paule declareth it Those he hath knowen he hath predestinate and those he hath predestinate he hath called and those he hath called he hath iustified and those he hath iustified he hath glorified So as callynge whiche god doth by many meanes is before iustification at the lest in ordre or els if we considre no prioritie in gods workinge in time in vs we must aswell say god hath glorified vs when he doth iustifie vs as that he hath iustified vs â—erard that â—ffred with â—arnes had preached at the callynge of vs. And in dede one of Barnes companions had preached that God had iustified vs before the beginninge of the worlde puttynge no difference betwene iustificatioÌ„ in time and predestination and election that God worketh aboue tyme and such a coÌ„fusion ariseth where men will take vpon them to affirme that they vnderstande not And because they neyther done mind to do anye good dedes they wold perswade to the world the we caÌ„ do no maner of good dedes tyll we haue no nede of them for our saluacion that is to say til we be iustified and clerely in goddes perfyt fauour and assured by our owne belefe of lyfe euerlastynge I speake coÌ„fuselye of workes of iustice and workes of penaunce together whiche they do not distincte as appereth by Ioye in the laste article but for doctrine I saye with saynte Austine that bona opera iusticie sequuntur iustificationem and opera penitencie precedunt and as though we shulde saye to god Giue me my wages aforehande and make me sure that I shal haue heauen and then I professe I wil forgeue my neighbour Then I wil fast the true fast from synne Then I wil pray Then I wyll do almose Then I wil loue mine enemy For then I can do it And before the al our dedes al our thoughtes be synne Ne man can haue grace to do any of these before iustification And so if belefe be requyred before iustification there aryseth then a maruelouse perplexytye howe I shuld worke well the worke of beleefe before I am iustified But as we say my synnes be forgiuen because I beleue so bycause my synnes were forgyuen I dydde beleue And for defence hereof they enter into a darker matter of goddes priuie counsayl of predestinacion and make predestination the next and immediate cause to our saluacion Predestinacion And then as all the worlde hath almost lefte doynge so they shulde leaue talkynge of workes yea and faith also and saye that men be saued by predestination For god hath so appoynted whose wyll in them that be predestinate shal be fulfylled and in them that be reprobate can not be withstanded Voluntati enim eius quis resistit And so when men haue so longe stryuen to atteyne knoweledge of the truth and babled of faith and workes without atteynynge eyther of both then as men do that be wery of all together they resort to the ydle reasonynge as the Grekes cal it That shal be shal be And as god hath appointed so must it be and god knoweth who be his and he wyll lose none of them And al beleued that were preordinate to euerlastynge lyfe and they that be indurate can not heare or se for god hath blynded them finally all thinges come to passe by an absolute necessite and so mannes lyfe death manours behauour state condicion and
without the workes of the lawe that he mente by the workes of the lawe but cyrcumcysyon and the other ceremonies nowe abrogated and not the lawe of the commaundementes Then let him heare Paule expownynge hym selfe of what lawe he mente aunswerynge to suche obiections By the lawe sayth he cometh the knowledge of synne and I hadde not knowen concupyscence to haue ben synne hadde not the lawe sayde Thou shalt not haue any concupiscens or lust And then when he wrote his pysâ—les circumcision and the rytes and ceremonyes were abrogated amonge the christen Iewes and the Gentyles neuer were bounde to them as was Abraham iustyfyed by fayth onelye ere the lawe was wrytten and before he was cyrcumcysed And Peter sayd that this same lawe whyche Paule excludethe from iustificacion and Wynch calleth his condicioÌ„ is a yoke importable whiche proueth it not to be circumcysion nor anye of their ceremonyes of Moses lawe for these were lyght enoughe to beare lyghter and easyer then to not luste or desyre any thynge agaynst goddes wyll or for a ryche man to forsake all and gyue it to the pore or for Wynchester to caste of his pride his bisshopryke with all his vaynglorye and to become the humble poore pure persecuted preacher of goddes worde It is redde that therewas one man that by suffring doynge and fulfyllynge the lawe of the commaundementes came to heuen euen christe onelye In Math. we reade of a nother yonge man that wolde go to heuen by doynge some good workes askynge Chryste Good Mayster what dedes shall I do to haue lyfe eternall whose mynde Chryste seynge dydde set hym but certayne of the easyeste commaundementes to fulfyll them And he sayde as for these I haue done them alredye wel then sayd chryst or rather so thought If ye wyll nedes go to heauen by doyng I shall set you to do such dedes as I knowe well ye wyll neuer do yea they be impossible for you to do theÌ„ euen to sell his substance and to geue it to the poore and so to folow hym now goyng forth to Ierusalem to suffer death What dydde this man I praye you howe farre went he with Christ thinke you went he not his waye heuyly from christ And yet wyll Wynchester go to heauen by doynge and fulfyllynge his harde condicion I dare saye he wolde skratche his head twise as dydde this ryche man ere he solde his bysshoprike and hadde gyuen it to the poore And therefore christe pronounced that it is impossible for such riche men to come to heauen God therfore trusted vs so litle with the fulfyllynge of the lawe and so by this condicion to come to heauen that he toke it out of our handes layd it vppon his sonne christes backe to be fulfilled For yf he had left our saluacion in our owne handes to be deserued by our workes we had ben al dampned VvintonÌ„ Your haÌ„deling of this my conclusion declareth plain that ye vnderstaÌ„d not what ye say nor of what thing ye affirme and that I leaue to the iudgement of the reader with remeÌ„brauÌ„ce of that I haue before written For ye fondely improue a conclusion which myght stand be true with your fonde paradox of only fayth iustifieth onlesse in teaching ye wyl so handel the matter as Barnes did that a maÌ„ is iustified before he beleueth For and if beleue go before iustification as a cause doth theffecte then seing in scripture belefe is called a dede and proceding from the gift of god must nedes be a good dede it foloweth necessarily Ergo I may by gods gift do a good deede before I am iustified But I moued Barnes of a deede before belefe that is that lerning to beleue by hearing sermons or reading wherin the grace of god prepareth mans wyll as scripture sayth So truly do you saye wheÌ„ ye cal me pelagian I asked Barnes of that deede whether it were good or no and proued it good And then bicause it is done before iustification I brought the conclusion aforesayde wherof ye take occasion to be ioyful in the mery moneth of May. All which your iestinges I can so wel digest as I am not ashamed to cause theÌ„ to be rehersed in this boke bicause the buddes of your fruteful lerning may appeare to considre what frute we may loke for of theÌ„ As for the matter of iustificatioÌ„ by faith and workes was not ment betwene Barnes and me to be spoken of in this conclusion and so therin ye striue not with me but with your self beat your owne shadow in stead of an aduersary Where ye thinke I am not so ignorauÌ„t in my graÌ„mer as to englyshe the text of saynt Paule Fides que per dilectionem operatur Fayth which is wrought by charitie and make operatur a uerbe passiue ye thynke not amisse if I shulde englysshe it worde for worde But as for the sense because scripture doth attribute life to charite withoute which fayth remayneth dead I se no suche cause of absurdite as ye fynde to saye fayth is set a worke by charite The enterprise of thesâ— sâ—eres is worldly anâ— they set it furthe witâ— prophecies other worldly vanities and the good lerned men of the Greke churche expounde saynte Iames after that sorte And as for suche vanitie in prophecies if ye do regarde them in the peruerting of iustification you and Barnes with your secte were that company who haue so confusely handled that matter as ye make iustificatioÌ„ before al faith in hym that is onely moued to beleue Considre with your self whether this turnynge vpsidowne in consideratioÌ„ of the doctrine in iustificatioÌ„ .xl. yeres past may be verified on you or me I affirme the same iustificatioÌ„ that was theÌ„ taught you be the turners Ioyes prâ—phecy noteâ— him self anâ— he seeth it not so by your owne prophecy be noted for Antechrist I gyue no credite to suche prophecies but because you do I allege youre owne prophecie for your owne confusion Blynde men â—ee nothinge and as ye can not se goddes truth whiche ye beleue not so ye can not se the true sense of your owne prophane prophecie whiche ye beleue And yf ye wyll nowe go backe from youre backewarde iustificacion after your accustomed maner then must you place the studyouse worke of learnyng our belefe and likewise the worke of baptisme the worke of beleuing and the worke of loue to be before iustification and some of them in the thefe hangynge on the crosse God iustifieth no man without the gyftes of fayth and loue this ye graunt whiche when man receyueth he receiueth by theÌ„ iustification wherin I call mans deserte and merite onely the vsing of the benefites offred of faith and loue And other deserte and merite man can not haue For what hath any man good that he hath not receyued And therefore the commaundemente of loue with oure hole hartes c. is not so extreme as ye make it to a christen man whose faythe speakethe to
otherwise be healed but they must nedes talke he byddeth them talke of suche matters as wherein an errour is withoute all daunger Thus in effecte sayeth Gregory Nazianzene who amonges some yf he were here myghte percase heare that he wolde be sorye for and yet he for his highe learninge in diuinitie hath ben honoured and celebrate by the name of Theologus as exceading al other in knowledge of diuÃnite They that sawe the absurditie ensuenge of the mysorder hath testified it vnto vs whom it is better to byleue theÌ„ by abiectynge theyr counsayle abyde the inconuenience whiche the churche then felte It is nowe tyme to returne to the discussion of the reste of youre booke wherein it foloweth Ioye Forthe on Winchester Vvin. ix â—ticle Faith must be to me the assuerance of the promyses in god made in christ if I fulfill the coÌ„dicioÌ„ and loue must accoÌ„plisshe the condicion whervpoÌ„ foloweth thatainmeÌ„t of the promyse accordinge to Gods trweth Ioye Yet dare not he expresse his condicioÌ„ sayenge playnly Faith assewreth me of the promyse of god if I fulfyll the lawe but Win. nor none elles but onely chryste fulfylled the lawe ergo neyther Winch. nor any els standynge this condicion shall neuer be assured of the promyse of God Paule argueth a nother wayes excludyng the condicion that men myghte be the suerer and certayner of the promyse For yf the promyse shulde stande of an vncertayne yea impossible condicion who shall be certayne and assured of the promyse Thus argueth Paule By the workes of the law came not the promyse to AbrahaÌ„ or to his seade hym to be thayer of the worlde but by the rightwise makyng by fayth For yf they that wyl be iustified by the workes be therfore made thayers so is faith and beleue in vayne and the promise voyde frustrate For the law worketh but wrath ergo it worketh no good workes to thattaynement of iustification It worketh wrath for that it is impossible to be perfourmed accoÌ„plyshed of man which is flesshe as Paule constantly affirmeth therfore it wrappeth all the workers therof to be iustified thereby vnder the curse For as many as stande vppon the workes of the lawe to this ende euen for theyr iustificacioÌ„ are yoked vnder exetracion and tyed to the curse Gala. iii. For where is no law there is no transgressyon Wherfore Paule nowe concludeth agaynste Winchester sayenge out of faythe is the herytage geuen lyke as oute of grace that the promise myghte be the more ferme and sewerer vnto all the seade not to it that is onely out of the lawe but also to it whiche is oute of the faythe of Abraham Paule in spirite dydde se before this Winchesters condycion to frustrate the promyse and therfore he confuteth it here so clearely And agayne vnto the Galathens If anye wolde obiecte sayinge ergo the lawe is agenste the promyses God forbyd saith Paule but if there had ben a lawe geuen whyche myghte haue geuen lyfe then no doute iustification myghte haue commen by the lawe But the scripture concluded all vnder synne that the promyse the promyse I saye out of the faith of Iesu Christe shoulde be geuen and not deserued to the beleuers Thus ye se how with so many wordes Paule excludeth Wynch impossible condicion to make fast the promise in Christ that our faith myght be the sewrer stayed and cleaue to it If onely vnbelefe dampneth why shulde not onelye faith iustifie it is a good argument of contrary But yet because Win. wyndeth in his condicion so harde for the attaynement of his iustificacion by workes I wolde fayne se some one of his good workes so perfyt pure without any carnall affecte annexed either of vayneglorye or of loue to hym selfe or for feare of payne not done nor for hope of reward or any lucre promocion or to receyue a better thinge for the doinge thereof out of so pure an herte that it be not done of any affeccion to the person put onely of fayth and zeale for the glorye of god profit of his neighbour or onely to mortify his owne affectes and to set naught by hym selfe to abnegate and renounce his estimacion and glory to be renewed in spirite and to folowe christe mekelye to death Paul acknowlegeth hym selfe and complayneth in his most perfection not to be able to do that good which he wolde do but to do that euyll whiche he wolde not do He durste not call in this condicion to atteine his iustificacion thereby but constantlye affirmed as many as stande vpon the workes of the lawe to fulfyl them thereby to be iustified are yoked vnto the curse of the law sayenge Cursed is euery man that abydeth not in all thinges written in the booke of the lawe to perfourme them I wonder therefore that Wynchester dare stand vpon his condicion to be fulfylled to attayne any part of his iustificacion therby Dare he claime thinke ye any part of his iustificacion for burning of Doctor Barnes and his felows for preaching agenst these wykedly armed artycles Tel vs Wynche dyddest thou burne them so cruelly of loue and not of hatred or enuye trwelye loue burneth no man â–ª for preachynge the truth charitie enuyeth not c. Abi igitur post Christum satana Come bak deuyl after christe thou arte sclaunderous to his crosse for beinge maried to thyne own wytte thou sauourst not the heauenlye and godly iustification but suche one as naturall reason perswadeth amonge men euen one good turne for a nother to be done and so to deserue thy iustification But be it in case that Wynche thus condicioninge with god hath in his owne opinion done some good dede whereby he dare clayme his iustification yet shall not that same deede serue hym to the attaynement of that effecte For were it neuer so good yet dothe his false opynyon in his deede make it dampnable But lette vs speake of a good deede absolutelye excluded from all carnall affectes yf any man maye do such one this deede is not our dede but the dede of God workynge it in vs for what deede soeuer procedeth out of oure corrupte nature is naughte It is god sayeth Paule that worketh in you accordynge to hys good mynde bothe to wyll well and also to perfourme your worke Neyther are we apte and able to thynke so muche as a good thoughte out of our owne selues but al oure ablenes commeth frome God And Isaie sayeth Lorde set peace amonge vs for it is thou that workeste and fynyssheste all thynges in vs both oure thoughtes and dedes And therfore well sayde Austen God crowneth in vs hys own deedis and not owrs Condycyon not therefore Wynchester with God for your dedes whiche as all men see them are but malyce mischeif enuye rankor bytternes bloude thirstinge pryde cruell tyrannye blasphemies persecucion of christes innocent lombes and of his worde deceytefullye flaterynge your prince euyll cownsel geuing to prouoke the wrath of god vpon you all and vpon that noble