Here after ensueth a propre treatyse of good workes The preface IT is not vnknowen to all men good chrysten reader but that the true syncere teachers of the infallyble truthe of our sauyour Iesu Chryst ben falsely defamed vnto the vnlearned people theyr good name defaced to the no lytell hynderaunce and reproche of the same truth / in that they as they be borne in haÌ„de vniustly shulde in theyr wrytynges and sermons allure and withdrawe the forsayd rude people from penauÌ„ce froÌ„ prayer from fastyng from watchynge froÌ„ paynes from labours / fynally from all good workê But what they ben and theyr workes also whiche reproue sclaunder calumpnyate and falsely impeche the pure syncere and true worde of god pronounced by the mouthes of those his good and vertuous seruauntes / it is nowe thanked be god ryghte metely well perceyued / ye and for what intent truely for none other thaÌ„ for the mayntenaunce of the god theyr belyes theyr ambycyon theyr symony theyr pryde theyr promocyon theyr treason theyr trechery theyr glotony theyr lecherye theyr murdre with all theyr vngracyousnes God therfore moste good and almyghtye of his excedynge and bountefull mercy and grace to declare and set forth his infinyte goodnes towardes his electe moste welbeloued and faythful seruauntes / that they to theyr great conforte and consolacyon may be proued innocent of this most vntrue accusacyon wrongfully layde vnto theyr charge / and chiefely to the garnysshynge and deckynge of his emperyall glory mayntenauÌ„ce of his vndoubtable truthe hathe sent the here O reder a ryghte famous and excellent worke wherin is comprehended what good workes be / howe we may please god in all oure workes / howe our workes do not please hym and out of what fouÌ„tayne they ought to spryng and flowe yf they shulde please his godhede truely out of the fresshe and lyuyng fountayne of an vndoubted faythe truste / that his moste benygne petye swetnes and gentylnes which is the father of all mercyes the god of all consolacyon and conforte / dothe loue the fauoure the petye the accepte the. And thy workes also done at his coÌ„maundement for the blode passyon redempcyon and satysfaccyon of his moste dere and welbeloued sone Iesu Chryst / in whome by whome and for whose sake thou arte thus entyerly loued fauoured and accepted As wytnessed our father of heuen hym selfe at the baptysme of our sauyour Iesu Christe sayenge This is my welbeloued sone in whom or for whose sake I am well pleased that is to say appeased and swaged of my wrathe immedyately here hym that is to saye beleue truste hym stycke cleaue harde to hym by faythe For it is he for whom I delyte in you loue you fauour you petye you accepte bothe you and your dedes This is the fountayne out of the whiche all the workes of a chrysten man oughte to procede / so that what soeuer buddeth out of the tre of this fayth is accepted and pleasaunte before god / and els it is but synne and not accepted As saynte Paule wryteth in the xiiii chapytre to the Romaynes / what soeuer sayth he is not of faythe is synne And in the .xi. chapytre to the Hebrues without faythe it is impossyble for any man to please god The reason why is this albeit thou bestowe neuer so moche in almes / fast neuer so moch paye neuer so moch watche neuer so moch / yea albeit thou haddest done as many good dedes as all the worlde Yet yf thou haue not the faythe before rehersyd / that god for the blode of his sone doth accept the thy workes / loue the fauoure the petye the / yea and that entyerly and as his owne son heyre by adopcyon all that euer thou doste can not please god / but is abomynable synne and dyspleasyth hym vtterly For howe is it possyble that thou shuldest please hym whan thou art but a Iudas vnto hym doste beare two faces in one hoode / doynge one and thynkynge another In thy dedes thou woldeste seme to be his seruaunte in thy hert thou dost neyther loue hym nor truste that he loueth the. And albeit he hathe made neuer so many and great ê“myses of saluacyon mercye loue pety and fauour in the blod of his sone to al that repent doubt not therof / but assuredly truste vnto it yet thou what soeuer thou arte that haste not this fayth lyke an hethen hounde and an vnfaythfaull myscreaunt by thy infydelyte and false herte dost make no better of hym but a lyer and false of his promyse / a tyraunte and a butchers curre delytyng in blode and neyther doste thou loue hym truste hym nor fauour hym For howe shuldest thou loue hym whan thou accoÌ„ptest no better of hym than I haue sayde And agayne howe is it possyble that he shuld loue the fauoure the petye the accepte other the or thy workes seynge thou doste fyrste abiecte hym by thy synful dyspayre and incredulytie Yea what worldlye prince wold kepe such a wretche in his house yf he knewe hym / howe moche lesse than wolde he loue hym fauoure hym accepte hym or any of his seruyce Agaynste suche workes it is that the true and faythfull mynysters of Chrystes worde haue foughten as done in most false hypocrysye and deuelysshe despayre whiche otherwyse they haue do hyghely prayse and coÌ„mende as whan they be done in true faythe and loue towarde god his coÌ„maundementes as thou shalte se and fynde in this moste goodly and excellente volume of good workes / whiche I beseche god neuer to fauour me yf any of those vntrue men / I wyll not saye false deceyuers dyd euer wryte to teach any thyng halfe so good in theyr lyues But it is an olde prouerbe that a good thyng wyl prayse it selfe / wherfore I commytte it vnto thyne owne iudgement good reader to prayse it euer as thou shalte fynde cause / So bolde I am of the goodnes therof And yf thou fynde my wordê to be true that good workes be here of our auctor requyred taught praysed and coÌ„mended to the vttermost as the truthe is then I beseche the moste gentyll and indyfferent reader to take admytte all false backe byters sclaunderers of goddes true mynysters euermore hereafter as they be not to thynke the contrary but that as they most deadely belye those good men in this behalfe / so they do also in other thynges as I truste in god it shall more playnly appere / bothe to the gentyll reader therto to all the worlde in tyme commyng And that as I beleue vnfayned to the great glorye of the lyuyng god the inestymable solace and comforte of his electe chyldren and the vtter confusyon of the chyldren of Antechrist So be it ¶ Here endeth the preface of this present worke dieu et mon droit De bonis operibus ¶ Here begynneth the boke of good workes IT is fyrst of all to be knowen
be not al equal lyke / suche maner of men muste be forborne suffered / and we muste obserue and beare those thyngê / whiche they obserue and beare / and not dyspyse theym / but teache them the true waye of faythe / as teacheth saynt Paule to the Romaynes / xiiii chapitre / hym that is weake in the faythe / receyue vnto you and lerne hym / the which thyng he dyd hym selfe / the fyrste epystell to the Corinthyanes the .ix. chapytre And vnto the Iewes sayeth he I became as a Iewe to wynne the Iewes to theym the were vnder the lawe / was I made as thoughe I had ben vnder the lawe to wynne theym that were vnder the lawe And Chryste in Mathewe the .xvii. chapytre / whan he shulde paye trybute / which he ought not to do / reasoned with Peter sayenge / of whome do kynges of the erthe take trybute or poole money of theyr chylderne or of straungers Peter sayde vnto hym of straungers / than sayde Ihesus vnto hym agayne than are the chyldren fre / neuerthelesse leaste we shulde offende theym / go to the see / and caste in thy angle / and take the fysshe / whiche fyrste commeth vp / and whanne thou openeste his mouthe / thou shalte fynde a peace of twelfe pens that take / and paye for the and me / here we se that as all workes / so all thynges be free to a chrysten man throughe his faythe yet he dothe suffre and obserue with the faythfull that / that he is not bounde to do And that he dothe vpon his lybertie beynge free nothynge doubtynge that he so dothe please god / and he dothe it gladly / takynge it frelye as any other worke that coÌ„meth to his hande without his owne chosyng or purpose here he dothe onely desyre and requyreth nothynge elles but that he maye so worke to please god with his fayth But in as moche as we purposed to teache in this boke which be very true good workes we nowe speake of the hyghest worke of all / it is manyfest the we speake not of the secoÌ„de thyrde or fourth sorte of men / but of the fyrste to whome all thother must be lyke in conclusyon and in the meane whyle be taught and suffered of the fyrste And so suche men of weake faythe / redy alwayes to do good and to lerne better / and yet not able to perceyue and vnderstande all thynges be not to be despysed iÌ„ theyr cerymonyes Blame therfore theyr folysshe blynde teachers whiche neuer taughte theym faythe but haue drawen theÌ„ so deaplye in to workes That is to wytte from that confydence that they maye be saued by theyr workes / for els they make a god sauyoure of theyr workes whch is hyghe ydolatrye and vtterly concludeth that the blod of christ is shedde in vayne for if our workes can saue vs what neded christ to dye this is thautors meanyng whan so euer he saieth fran workes therfore they muste be gentlye broughte vp by a lytell and lytell fro workes to faythe / as men do handell a sycke man / they must be suffered to leane to some workes a whyle for theyr owne conscyence vntyl they embrace faythe a ryght / lest whyles we go about cruelly and sharpely to plucke them froÌ„ theyr workes theyr conscyence be confounded or troubled and erre wauer aboute vncertayne / and so they nother kepe faythe nor workes But styffe necked men holdynge styffelye in theyr workes / not regardynge what is spoken of fayth / ye in so moche they stryue agaynst it / must be let alone / that the blynde maye leade the blynde / as Chryste bothe taught and dyd BVt peradueÌ„ture thou wylte saye howe shulde I thynke for a suertye that al my workê please god otherwhyles speakyng eatynge drynkynge slepynge to moche or in any other waye swaruynge from the ryght the whiche is vnpossyble for me to exchue I answere that this questyon proueth / that thou yet takest faythe no other wayes than thou doste other workes nother doste thou esteme it aboue all other workê / for no other cause is fayth the chiefe worke but for bycause it remayneth quencheth these venyall dayly synnes bycause she byleueth that god fauoureth the and imputeth not suche daylye falles fautes ye moreouer yf the fall be dedely / which thyng happeneth seldome or neuer to theym the lyue in faythe towarde god / yet faythe ryseth agayne doubteth not but that by by all his synnes shall be weared awaye as it is in the fyrst epystle of IohnÌ„ the .ii. chapytre My lytell chyldren these thynges wryte I vnto you that you shulde not synne and yf any man synne yet we haue an aduocate with the father Ihesus Chryste whiche is ryghtwyse / he it is that obtayneth grace for our synnes / not for ours onelye but also for all the synnes of all the worlde And the wyse man the .xv. chapytre Yf we do synne we be thyne knowyng thy greatnes And the .xxiiii. chapytre of the prouerbes seuen tymes in a day the ryghtwyse man falleth and ryseth agayne / ye this faythe truste muste be so hyghe stroÌ„ge that a man maye knowe that all his lyfe dede is no other thyng but daÌ„pnable synnes in the iudgement of god as it is wryten the 142. psalme / there shal no lyuyng man be iustyfyed in thy syghte / but we shulde rather so dyspayre in our workê / that we shulde byleue that they can not be good / but by this faythe thynkynge that we shall haue no iudgement of god but pure grace fauoure good wyll gentylnes and mercye / as it is in the .xxv. Psalme / thy mercy is before my eyes / and I haue delyted in thy truth and in the .iiii. psalme Thy lyghte is marked vpon our face that is the knowlege of thy grace by fayth and by the thou hast gyuen myrth in my herte / for as thou byleuest and trusteth so shall come vnto the. Lo thus by the mercye and grace of god and not by theyr owne nature these vayne and voyde workê be without synne / and so by faythe labourynge with the same mercye they be good / And so for our workes we maye be a frayed / but for the mercy of god we maye be comforted / as it is wryten in the .146 psalme / the lorde delyteth in them that feare hym / and in them that truste to his mercye / so we pray with full trust our father whiche is in heuen We be synners as concernyng our workes and our owne lyfe but in respect of chrystes workê his satysfaccyon blode we be iust no synners for because we cleane whooly to hym by faythe for the which we be accepted as no synners neuerthelesse to forgyue vs oure synnes We be his sones neuerthelesse synners We be acceptable and yet haue not made satysfaccyon But fayth confyrmed stablysshed in the truste of god
shall do all these thynges BVt yf thou askest wher fayth trust maye be founde from whense they come truelye that is most necessarye to be knowen Fyrst of all without doubt they come not of thy workes or deseruynges but onelye frelye by the gyfte and promyse of Ihesus chryst as Paule wryteth to the. RomÌ„ the .v. chapyter Here mayste thou ferne of saynt paule from whens faythe dothe spriÌ„g why thou mayste coÌ„mytte the wholy vnto Chryst and doubte nothing iÌ„ him albeit thy sinnes be neuer so great God setteth out his loue that he had towarde vs / seyng that whyle we were synners / Chryste dyed for vs / as though he shuld say / shall not this thyng cause vs to haue a stronge vnouercoÌ„med fayth that chyrst is deade for our synnes byfore we asked it / and for the whiche we yet cared not ye euen than whan we were contynuynge in synne / where after it foloweth Moche more than nowe seynge we be iustyfyed in his blode we shall be preserued from wrathe throughe hym / for yf when we were ennemyes we were recoÌ„syled to god by the death of his sone Moche more seynge we be recoÌ„syled / we shall be preserued by his lyfe / lo howe thou oughtest to ymagen christ in the how god hath set forth shewed his mercy to the in hym Without all thy deseruyngê goyng byfore that out of the same ymage of his grace / thou shuldest drawe both fayth and trust of forgyuenes of al synnes wherfore fayth begynneth not of workes nother is it made by workes / for fayth is a worke that ronneth and floweth out of the blode Faythe woundes and deathe of Chryst In the whiche thynge whan thou seest god so mercyfull vnto the / that he wolde gyue his sone for the thy herte must neades wexe swete / and so thou must neades loue hym agayne and so doth spryng the trust of the mere grace of god towarde the / and of his good wyll agayne of thyne towarde hym / for we neuer reade that the holye ghoste was gyuen to any man for workynge but alway to them that here the gospell and mercye of Chryste byleue it out of the whiche worde none other thynge at this daye shulde faythe come forthe / for Chryste is the rocke out of the which as Moyses sayeth / Deuteronomi 3.2 butter and hony be sucked ¶ The seconde coÌ„maundement LO hytherto we haue intreated of the fyrst coÌ„maundement / and that shortly grosely in such hast / that there may many mo thynges be spoken of them Nowe therfore by the coÌ„mauÌ„dementes the folowe we shall more largely seke these workes Therfore the seconde and next worke vnto faythe is the worke of the seconde coÌ„maundement that we shuld honour the name of god not vse it in vayne / the which no more than all other workes can be done without fayth For yf it be done without fayth it is vtter lye nought but Ipocrysye an outward show Next vnto fayth we cannot do a greatter thynge than laude set forth synge and by al maner of wayes extol and magnyfye The aucthor sayd before that there is no dyfference in workes whiche he here declareth more largely sayeth nothyng but the truthe and therfore mysreporte hym not as manye haue done to the coÌ„deÌ„nacyon of theyr owne conscyence the laude honour name of god / And though I sayde afore as it is true that there is no dyfference in workê where fayth is and worketh yet that is to be vnderstonde whan the workê be coÌ„pared to fayth / but comparynge worke to worke they haue dyfference and one is hygher than an other for as the meÌ„bres of the bodye as perteynynge to helthe haue no dyfference and helthe worketh aswell in one as in another and yet neuerthelesse the workes of the membres be dyuers sondry / one hygher nobler more profytable than another / euen so here / to prayse the name and glorye of god / is better than the workes of other coÌ„mauÌ„dementes and yet it must no lesse than all other good workes procede and be done in the same faythe He meaneth that it must be done with suche a sure faythe that we byleue vndoubtedly that god is therewith all vtterly wel pleased that he vnfaynedly enbraseth both vs oure workes for the merytes of chrystes blode wherin and wherfore we make vs so assured But I knowe that this worke is lytell made of / yea it is all vtterly vnknowen / therfore lette vs loke vpon it more dylygently content to haue sayde that this worke ought be done in faythe and truste yf it shal please god / ye forsothe there is noo worke / in the whiche thou shalte more euydentlye or myghtelye perceyue the vehemence of truste and faythe than in the worshyppynge of goddes name And it is a wonderful helpe bothe to then creasyng and stablysshynge of faythe howe be it all good workê profyte to that purpose As sayeth saynt Peter in his .ii. epystle the fyrst chapytre Wherfore bretherne gyue the more dylygence to make youre callynge and eleccyon sure by goddes workes AS the fyrste commaundement forbyddeth vs to haue straunge goddes / so it coÌ„maundeth vs to worshyppe the selfe same one and true god by fayth / truste good wyll hope and charyte / whiche onely be the workê wherwith we maye haue worshyppe and serue god For god can be nother obtayned nor loste by any worke but onely be fayth or vnbyleue / by truste or desperacyon For there is no other worke that toucheth god / and so is forbyde in this seconde worke that we take not the name of god in vayne / The whiche yet is not ynoughe / but here is also commaunded / that we worshyppe / call vpon / preache prayse his name And truely it is not possyble / but that the name of god muste nedes be irreuereÌ„tly taken where it is not reuerently worshypped For all thoughe it be honoured with the mouthe / with knealynge with kyssynge or with suche other gestures / yet yf it be not from the herte by faythe and truste in god it is nothynge / but an outwarde shewe and coloure of ypocrysye and dyssymulacyon Nowe take hede howe many good workes a man maye do at all tymes in this coÌ„maundemeÌ„t and neuer to be without the good workes of this coÌ„maundement yf he wyll so that suerly he neadeth not to go farre of Pylgrymage / or vysyte holye places And that to make more playne shewe what momente or tyme maye so soone passe ouer / in the whiche without any interrupcyon / we eyther receyue not goodnes of god / or elles suffer yll aduersytyes / and what other thynges be the benefytes of god or aduersyties / but contynuall warnynges and prouocacyons / to laude worshyp and prayse god / and to calle vpon hym and his name / and so albeit thou be cleane withoute all busynesse / haste thou not yet
/ whether that than they byleue that they please god / and whether they thynke that theyr trouble and aduersyties be mercyfully put to theym by the very fauoure of god or no / and here they wyll saye that god sheweth hym selfe wrothe and angrye / whan neuerthelesse euen in such vexacyons trouble a true chrystyan hath stedfaste truste / persuadeth farre better thinges vnto hym selfe of god / that he beareth moch better good wyll and fauoure than appeareth For in suche case he is hyd euen as the spouse sayeth in the cantycles Beholde he standeth behynde the walle and seeth me through the creastes / that is to saye in vexacyons and aduersyties whiche are lyke almoste to departe vs froÌ„ hym as a wall or a bulwarke / he staÌ„deth hydde and yet lokynge vpon me he forsaketh me not / for he standeth and is redye to helpe me in grace sufferynge hym selfe to be sene by the wyndowes of darke fayth And Hyeremye in the boke of Threnes / he hath loued vs after his herte / and hath caste downe the sones of men / this faythe they knowe not but thynke they be forsaken of god and that god is enemye to them Yea and they rather impute such ylles to men and wycked deuylles / so that they haue no truste at all in god And for this cause theyr troubles suffrynges euen as they be sclaunderous to them / so be they hurtfull And yet in that whyle they go forthe doynge good workes after theyr owne iudgement / lokynge nor carynge nothynge at all for this true faythe But to theÌ„ that byleue in god / and that in suche ylles and troubles haue a stedfaste truste that they please god / suche ylles and aduersyties be precyous merytes and moste noble of all workes Faythe maketh al thynges precyous aboue all mennes estymacyon / for faythe and truste to god maketh al thinges precyous whiche ylles be dampnable / the whiche thynge is wryten euen of dethe / the .115 psalme / the death of his sayntes is precyous in the syghte of the lord / for the more better hygher and stronger that the faythe and truste is / so moche more the sufferynges in the same fayth passe all workes in faythe / And so bytwene workes suche passyons there is an inestymable dyffereÌ„ce of better place coÌ„dycyon pryce MOreouer the hyghest degree of faythe is whan god ponyssheth our coÌ„scyence not onelye with temporall hurtes and persecutyons / The hyghest degre of faythe but with deathe helle and synne / and semeth in a maner to denye his grace and mercye as thoughe he wolde perpetuallye dampne vs / the which thynge very fewe men perceyue / as Dauid coÌ„playneth the .vi. psalme / lorde correcte me not in thy angres / for to byleue then that we please god / is the chiefe worke that may be done of or in any creature / of the whiche these iustytiaryes holy workemen benefactours knowe nothyng at all / He calleth them iustitiaries which truste of forgyuenesse of theyr synnes of saluacy on by theyr owne workes and holynesse for how wolde they here promyse or ê‘suade the goodnes and mercye of god to theÌ„ / whan they be vncertayne in theyr workes / and doubtfull and waueryng yea in the leaste degre of faythe Beholde thus haue I alwayes spoken thus haue I alwayes praysed fayth / thus haue I reiecte al workes done without suche faythe / to th ende that I myght brynge men from this false fayned shynyng pharysaycall and vnfaythefull good workes wherof all Abbeyes teÌ„ples houses al degres and states bothe hygh and lowe be full and replenysshed with to moste and true good faythful workes euen from the grounde / in the whiche thynge no man stryueth or goeth agaynste me / but vnclene beastes whose feate be not clouen as hit is in the lawe of Moyses not sufferyng the dyfference of good workê But they rousshe out so vnaduysed that whan they haue onelye prayed fasted founded this chauntrye or that / coÌ„fessed them / and done satisfactyoÌ„ after theyr owne iudgement / they wold by and by haue all these doynges good / all though in all these thynges they haue no truste of the lyberalytye or gentylnes of god / but rather they than specyally esteme them for good workes / whan they haue done many / great and longe workes / and so they regard not the grace of god nother his pleasure in theyr workes / but put all theyr truste in theyr workes / and so buylde vpon the grauell and the water / wherfore at the laste / they muste neades haue a great fall As Chryste sayeth / Mathewe the .vii. chapytre / but this good wyll and pleasure of god the father towarde vs vpoÌ„ the whiche standeth our trust / the aungelles shewed from heuen that nyghte that our lorde was borne / syngyng prayse be to god aboue / peace in the yerthe / and to men good wyll BEholde nowe this is the worke of the fyrste coÌ„maundement / wherby it is coÌ„maunded that thou shuldest haue no strauÌ„ge god / which is asmoch to saye as thus For asmoche as I am onely god / thou oughtest to put all thy truste hope faythe in me and none els / for it is not to haue one god / yf thou name hym with thy mouthe outwardelye or worshyppe hym with knelynge or other suche gestures / but yf thou truste in hym â—â—th herte and mynde promysyng to thy selfe all goodnes grace and good wyll of hym / as well in ê‘secucyon and aduersytie / as in prosperyte / no lesse in deth than in lyfe / as well in bytter harde thynges / as in pleasaunt easy / lyke as our lorde Chryste / sayde to the woman of Samarytan / god is a spiryte / and they which worshyppe hym / must worshyppe hym in spyryte and truthe And this truste hope and faythe of the herte / is the true full lyuynge of the fyrste coÌ„maundement without the whiche there is no worke at all that maye satysfye this coÌ„mauÌ„dement / and lyke as this coÌ„maundement is chief / hyghest and beste of all other / and out of the whiche all other come / in the whiche all thynges procede / and after the whiche all thynges must be ordered and reweled / so this worke / that is to saye hope and truste in the grace of god is chyef / hyghest and beste of all other workê / out of the whiche all other growe come forth / be orderyd gouerned All other workes therfore coÌ„pared to this worke / staÌ„de without the fulfyllyng of the fyrste coÌ„mauÌ„demeÌ„t as nothynge worth / and as thoughe there were no god S. Augustyne wherfore saynt Augustyne sayde excellentlye / that the workes of the fyrste coÌ„maundement be / to byleue truste and loue Moreouer we sayde before that suche fayth and truste bryngen with theym charyte and hope / ye and yf thou wylt well consydre the matter / charyte is