inuinciblie for when S. Paule saith vve are coheires vvith Christ yet conditionallie that is if vve suffer vvith him that vve may also be glorified vvith him he sheweth the excellēt dignitie which in Christ we are called vnto beinge graffed into that vine and made members of his bodie and partakers of the diuine nature he doth shew and deduce this that as Christ our head suffered first and those his sufferinges were not only media meanes but also causes efficient of his glorificatiō in some respect so from him the lyke vertue is deriued vnto vs his members for as it behoued Christ to suffer and so to enter into his glory as he humbled him selfe to the death of the crosse propter quod for vvhich cause God exalted him so his members by tribulations folow where he is gone before and not by faith only but also by patiente suffering inherite the promises and such sufferinges workes of charitie are semen and fundamentum the verie foundation and seede growing to life euerlasting as the Apostle calleth them And in this comparison cōsisteth the dignitie of our Christianitie as in S. Paule euery where appeareth for vvhom he hath foreknovven he hath also predestinated to be made conformable to the image of his sonne that he might be the first borne in many brethrē And albeit the sufferings of this life wayghed in them selues are short and transitorie and therefore can not be condigne to the glorie to come vvhich shal be reuealed in vs yet being wayghed as rysing and wrought in vs by the spirite of God sanctified in the bloud of our Sauiour and applied to his honour so this our tribulation vvhich presentlie is momentanie and light vvorketh aboue measure exceedinglie an eternal vveight of glorie in vs. And S. Paule els-where most diuinelie conioyneth both these in one so as a man can not deny this effect to Christian mens workes but first he must deny the same to the workes of Christ vve see Iesus saith the Apostle because of the passion of death crovvned vvith glorie and honour that through the grace of God he might tast death for all for it became him for vvhō all thinges and by vvhō all thinges that had brought many children into glorie to consummate the author of their saluation by his passion for be that sanctifieth and they that are sanctified all of one for the vvhich cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren In this diuine discourse S. Paule compriseth the maner of Christes glorificatiō and of Christians of him as the head of vs as the mēbers of him as the roote first begotten brother principal anointed with oyle of exultation prae participibus aboue his felovves vs as braunches seconde brethren inferior receiuing of his fulnes yet so that we alway continue in the same race and course according to our measure and proportion and so are made conformes conformable to our head vvho is the firste borne amongst many brethren The sum of al is this that as in the place cited by M. Martin glorification in Christ sheweth his workes to haue bene the causes efficient thereof and in Christ passion and glorification are so compared together as the cause and the effect and one inferreth the other so in vs Christians his members compassion in the Apostles sense and conglorificatiō proueth lyke cause and effect and one is concluded of the other and this shal appeare more plainlie by that which ensueth You vnderstand not S. Paule alleaged by your selfe when of his wordes Donum Dei vita aeterna eternall life is the gift of God you conclude ergo it is not gotten by our trauails fot the Apostle meant nothing lesse then any such illation which in so manie places he refelleth And if these two grace and vvorkes be so opposite in Christians that one must destroy the other then consider I pray you the force of these argumentes In feare and trembling vvorke your saluation sayth S. Paule ergo our saluation is of workes and therefore not of grace our afflictions and calamities susteined patientlie vvorke our glorie ergo it is not of grace he that sovveth sparinglie sparinglie also shal reape and he that sovveth in blessinges of blessinges also shall reape that is he that geueth almes aboundantlie shall haue in heauen aboundant reward and he that geueth lesse shal haue his reward proportionable ergo heauen is not of grace Come ye blessed saith our sauiour receaue my Kingdome why so for what cause for because you haue done the workes of charitie you haue fed the hūgrie harboured the stranger visited the sick succoured the diseased c. ergo heauen is not of grace he that is not a hearer but a doer of the lavv shall be blessed in or for his vvorke ergo not by Gods grace and mercy and so forth infinite such argumentes might be made after the paterne of M. Whit. and proue as wel and yet notwithstanding how many so euer they be be they a carte-loade they are all wicked and not worth a straw and no more is his And the Apostle intended nothing els in so sainge but to commend the grace of Christ which is the true cause of merite or good workes and not to deny the value of good workes as he might haue learned of S. Austine noted vpon that place in the new testament were it not that he disdaineth him and plainly accompteth him a superstitious and Sorbonical papist for geuing that sense and interpretation And vpon these his good argumēts fourthlie I say M. Whit. vnderstandeth not the state of the question where of he writeth for if he had he woulde neuer talking of Christians regenerate by the spirite of God haue imagined a contrarietie betweene grace and vvorkes mercy and iustice inheritance and purchase which although perhaps it is not so easelie conceiued in buying a peece of lande yet is it not hard to be conceiued in buyinge or procuringe heauen no harder then it is to beleeue that we shal enioy heauen by Gods infinite grace and mercy yet for al that by right and iustice because Christ our sauiour hath trulie and fully paid for it and S. Paule and S. Austine of old haue many tymes notified vnto vs the recōciliation of these two which to ignorant men seeme so opposite That heauen is of grace S. Paule cited by M. W. proueth that it is of vvorkes any one of those places sheweth which last of all I noted and in the same epistle whence M. W. taketh his argument the same S. Paule most euidentlie declareth where he saith In the iust iudgement God vvill render to euerie man according to his vvorkes to them truly that according to pacience in good vvorkes seeke glory honour and incorruption life eternall but to them that are of contention and that obey not the truth but geue credite to iniquitie vvrath and indignation Tribula tion
and anguish vpon euerie soule of man that vvorketh euill of the Ievv first and of the Gentil but glory honour and peace to euery one that vvorketh good to the Ievv first to the Gentil for there is no acceptiō of persons vvith God by which wordes also he clearlie refuteth that distinctiō of media and causes efficient wherein M. whit seemeth well to please him selfe and twiteth M. Martine with ignorance thereof for when he layeth in indifferente balance good workes and euill and so maketh one the cause of heauen as the other is the cause of hell to which effect the place is flat and euident M. W. must be content to geue ouer that inuention how dearely soeuer he esteeme it except he wil say that sinnes are the meanes but not the cause efficient of damnation That heauen cometh of mercy S. Paule sheweth at large in the first and second chapter to the Ephesians that it cometh of iustice the same S. Paule sheweth when he saith There is laid vp for me a crovvne of iustice vvhich our lord vvill render to me in that day a iust iudge and not only to me but to them also that loue his comming when he saith in iust iudgement God vvil render to euery man according to his vvorkes and iustice requireth that as God should punishe the vvicked so he should revvard the good it were iniustice to do otherwise as he sayth to the Hebrues That heauen commeth by adoption and of inheritance M.W. sayth it and though he proue it not we beleeue it because it is true but that it is not gotten by vvorkes and trauayls this we deny because it is false and S. Paule refuteth when he compareth the crowne of heauen to a pryce or garland which is proposed to wrestlers runners or such like thereby declaring thus much that as the first is gotten by running and labouring so is the second by payne and wel working and the same our Sauiour signified when he sayd The kingdome of God suffereth violence and the violent beare it avvay The same is proued by that ordinarie phrase wherein heauen is called merces operum 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the hyre paiment vvages stipend or pryce of vvorks The same is proued by S. Paule whereas though the worde properly sound in the better part yet for truth of doctrine he vseth it indifferently as well for the payment of eternall damnation which sinners receaue for their iniquities in hell as the contrary payment of eternall saluation which good men receaue for their holines in heauen So he saith in the epistle to the Hebrues that all preuarication and disobedience hath receaued 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iuste retribution and payment as afterward in the same epistle that Abrahā Isaac Iacob and Moyses for Christs loue susteyned all affliction hoping for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 iust retribution or paiment and in the same chapter he putteth the beleefe of this pointe as a first principle in Christian religion for so he speaketh He that commeth to God must beleeue that he is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 one that vvill repay men for their good vvorkes which point sith you haue not yet learned it foloweth that you are very greene and a mere nouice in Christian religion And S. Austin whose iudgement agreeing with S. Paule I trust you will esteeme as wel as before you did Luthers in sundrie places expounding these wordes of S. Paule 2. Timoth. 4. My resolution is at hand I haue fought a good fight I haue consummate my course I haue kepte the fayth concerning the rest there is layd vp for me a crovvne of iustice vvhich our lorde vvill render vnto me in that day a iust iudge neuer maketh doubte of this veritie He vvill render sayth S. Austin being a iust iudge for he can not deny the revvarde vvhen he seeth the vvorke I haue fought a good fight that is a vvorke I haue consummate my course that is a vvorke I haue kepte the fayth that is a vvorke there remayneth to me a crovvne of iustice this is the revvard but in the revvard thou doest nothinge in the vvorke thou art a doer but not alone the crovvne commeth to thee from him the vvorke from thy selfe but not vvithout his helpe And agayne VVhy vvill God render to me a crovvne of iustice because he is a iust iudge VVhy a iust iudge because I haue fought a good fight I haue consummate my course I haue kepte the fayth therefore being iust he can not but crovvne these thinges By these vertues sayth the same doctor imparted to vs from God a good lyfe is ledde in this vvorlde and lyfe eternall the revvarde thereof is repayed in the next for here these vertues are in acte there in effecte here in vvorke there in revvarde here in office there in ende And he doubteth not to call them the very pryce whereby as I may say we buy heauen with which worde you are so much offended And that this iustice nothing diminisheth gods mercy or this purchase our adoption as you very simply imagine the same doctor in very many places teacheth To note one for all explicating the place of Timothee before touched God vvill render to me sayth he a crovvne at that day a iust iudge He said not he vvill geue but he vvill render vvhen he gaue he vvas merciful vvhen he shal render he vvil be a iudge because mercy and iudgement shall I singe to thee ô Lorde but forgeuing our offences he made him selfe a debtour of a crovvne there I obteyned mercy our lord therefore is mercifull first but aftervvardes he vvill render a crovvne of iustice Is not a crovvne sayth he els-where disputinge this matter more at large rendered as due to good vvorks yet because God vvorketh those good vvorkes in vs therefore he crovvneth vs in mercy c. This may serue to informe you a litle in the state of this question and for your further satisfaction I referre you to the Catholike new Testament in English especially those places whence you commonly fetch your arguments agaynst this necessary parte of Christian lyfe and fayth Finallie I say you vnderstand not your self and your owne doctrine when you write that such vvorkes though they be not causes efficient of saluation yet are they necessarily to be done except vve vvil be excluded from grace and glorie For how stādeth this with your doctrine of only fayth how wil that alone serue the turne if now of necessitie good workes must come to helpe forth the matter Thinke you that impertinent distinction of causa efficiens medium can serue you the whole course of your doctrine whole bookes and cōmentaries of your maisters brethren being against you some there are sayth Flacius Illyricus vvho drousely vvayghing the matter thinke this to be the cōtrouersie properlie betvvene vs the papistes vvhether good vvorks
before it rise againe vvith such fruit and commoditie as vve see so is it in the resurrection of our flesh In al which arguments there is no one that conuniceth necessarily no not that which is the principal Christ is risen therefore vve shal rise because true it is wel might Christ rise though we neuer rise as he truely was crucified and descended into hel as we by Gods grace shal neuer But the veritie of this pointe being first planted in the harts of Christian men by Christs teaching and doctrine then afterwardes these reasons are good motiues to declare that the resurrection standeth wel with Gods prouideÌ„ce his iustice his mercy his other workes in creating or redeeming of the world The like is to be said of that wherewith M.W. maketh most sport I meane the real presence which if any man would directly proue by one of M.W. arguments as Christ vvas transfigured Ergo he geueth vs his body in bread vvine he maketh as blynd an argumeÌ„t as did a famous English preacher vvho in great sadnes would proue the English CoÌ„munion booke to be good because in our Creede we are bound to beleeue not the Masse but The communion of Saintes Or as did an other of like vocation then a preacher afterwardâ— a Doctor vvho felt him self much troubled in conscience and almost perswaded that the masse was found in many places of scripture because in many subscriptions of S. Paules epistles he found written Missa est Corintho Missa est Philippis Missa est Roma Missa est Athenis Missa est Nicopoli But no Catholike man was euer so mad as from Christs transfiguration to deduce such an Ergo and absolutely as vvel he might infer ergo he is in euery cheste in euery chamber in euery tree in euery mountaine in euery peece of bread in the vvorld But thus to â—angle is for Lucianes hickscorners it is not for Diuines Thus far only we applye such reasons First grounding our faith simply vpon our Sauiours wordes declared by the vniforme consent of three Euangelists S. Paule and interpreted by the vniversal consent of Christs Catholike church in al times and ages because we find certaine carnal and fleshly meÌ„ lead by reason and sense and humane conceite offended at this article vpon pretence of philosophical rules of natural qualities of mathematical dimeÌ„sions as we see by M.VV. we supposing that they be not plaine Atheists wherein perhaps sometimes we are much deceaued for D. Whitegift telleth vs that the English Church is novv full of such by declaration and comparison of other things which they professe to holde and beleeue shew them that this is not so vnpossible or so vncredible or so vnlikely as they preteÌ„d whereas some other points they retaine as far aboue reason as this And thus far forth we applye Christs transfiguration Christs walking vpon the waters his entring vnto his disciples the dores being shut c. to declare that his body is not bound to those general rules which nature and reason hath appointed to common bodies and on vvhich is founded the greatest part of the Zuinglian Diuinitie And therefore as in the first if a man would haue brought Christs or S. Paules reasons to M. VVhitakers ergo as thus God is omnipotent Ergo the dead shal rise God is the God of Abraham of Isaac and Iacob Ergo the dead shal rise Christ is risen againe Ergo the dead shal rise The Apostles were not miserable fooles Ergo the dead shal rise Their preaching was not in vaine Ergo the dead shal rise The husband man soweth corne and it dieth before it bringeth forth fruite Ergo the dead shal rise As I say any man framing these arguments of Christs and S. Paules wordes were he an Ethnike had plaied the ignorant foole if he bare the name of a Christian had plaid the part of a wicked caytife and an Atheist because true it is euery article of our faith is in this sort subiect to scorne and irrision so M. W. in this case folowing the like example must needes before God and man sustaine a hard iudgement And therefore if he shal be disposed hereafter to write more bookes I would wish him to leaue this apish tricke which he hath learned of M. Iewel who notwithstanding got smal honour thereby and surely if the matter were correspondent such kinde of iesting would better become some merie felow making sport vpon a stage with a furred hood a wooddeÌ„ dagger theÌ„ either a learned bishop such as M. Iewel tooke him selfe to be or a profound Reader of diuinitie as I thinke M.W. would gladly be accounted And whereas next he saith Quando has nouorum magistrorum c. vvhen vvise men shal heare these interpretations arguments of these nevv maisters if there be left in them any sense I vvil not say of the holy Ghost but of common iudgment they can not thinke a religion builded vpon these grounds to be firme assured and better then al other I answere first that he much deceaueth him selfe when he calleth these the interpretations of new maisters as he doth likewise after in his Antichristian booke where he saith Nouâ— Theologi Rhemenses c. The nevv Diuines of Rhemes teach that the bishops blessing taketh avvay venial sinnes where as we speake not so of our selues but vpon warrant of an old Diuine of Milan euen S. Ambrose whom there we cite And here excepting the places where we vrge the very text of the Euangelist euery one of the other is the interpretation of old and auncient fathers of S. Epiphanius S. Ambrose S. Hierom S. Austin S. Chrysostom S. Siluester c. And if these be new maisters I maruel who be old be like M. Iewel M. Horne M. Fulke M. Keltridge M. Charke and such vvorthie doctors of your old congregation vvhich novv grovveth vvel to fiftie yeres standing if I misrecken not my selfe For M. D. Haddon a fevv yeres sithence in his ansvver to Osorius made greate vaunt that then your gospel had continued aboue thirtie yeres abating from that count 6 yeres Annos plusquam triginta excepto sexennii turbulentissime tempore And therefore belike novv it is come to a goodly and a reuerend antiquitie But as auncient as it is many a good man liueth who knew when it was not begotten and may liue ful wel til it be againe dead and rotten Then vvhereas you affâ—rme our religion to be built vpon these grounds you folovv but the coÌ„mon vâ—yne of your felowes that is to belye vs sauing that you haue gotten perhaps a deeper habite therein thorough to much imitation of M. Iewel In this very kinde S. Austin complaineth that he was much iniuried by the heretikes of his time so doth Luther that he vvas vexed by the heretikes of his age vvhose authoritie I had rather vse to you then S. Austins because you seeme to honour him more esteeme him
holy Ghost to craue the praiers of sinful flesh which implieth sume feare of falling humane imbecillâ—â—ie then to excuse the maner of the stiâ—e and writing and in that respect Craue pardon of sinful flesh which is a thing of farre lesse preiudice And yet this doth the Spirite of God almost in euery epistle of S. Paule to the Romanes to the Corinthians to the Ephesians to the Colossians to the Thessalonians c. Thus standeth the note Hereby vve see that though the Holy Ghost ruled the penne of holy vvriters that they might not erre yet did they vse humane meanes to search out and find the truth of the things they vvrote of Euen so doe Councels and the President of them Gods vicar discusse and examine al causes by humane meanes the assistance of the Holy Ghost concurring and directing them into al truth according to Christes promise 10.16.13 as in the very first Councel of the Apostles them selues at HierusaleÌ„ is manifest Act. 15 7. and 28. Againe here vve haue a familiar preface of the Author as to his frende or to euery godly Reader signified by Theophilus concerning the cause and purpose and maner of his vvriting and yet the very same is confessed scripture vvith the vvhole booke folovving Maruel not then if the author of the second booke of the Machabees vse the like humane speaches both at the beginning and in the later end nether do thou therefore reiect the booke for no Scripture as our heretikes doe or not thinke him a sacred vvriter The Angel vvissheth wel to meÌ„ of good vvil that is those vvhom God embraceth vvith his grace and mercy ergo men haue free vvill By this example a man may see what difference is betwene the old Gospel and the new If the wordes were â—easte as in the old time they were read and vnderstoode the consequent of this reason would haue held and so S. Augustine gathered whom we alleage But taking the word and sense as M. W. deliuereth it nether S. Augustine nor any other sober man did or would euer haue inferred such a consequent Our words are The birth of Christ geueth not peace of minde or saluation but to such as be of good vvill because he vvorketh not our good against our vvilles but our vvilles concurring August quaest ad Simplic li. 1. q. 2. tom 4. Christ vvent into Peters shippe ergo the vvhole church is Peters shippe This is of like qualitie with the second before noted It is only an allegory aptly and truly declared the substance whereof is vsual among the auncient fathers who cal many times the Catholike church by the name of Peters shipp And touching this special place S. Gregorie maketh no question but Christ so signified by this fact when he made choyse to enter into that shippe Thus he writeth Iesus a scended into Peters ship c. sitting there he preached to the multitudes Per nauem Petri quid aliud quam commissa Petro ecclesia designatur By Peters shippe vvhat els is signified but the church vvhich vvas commited to Peter To like purpose vpoÌ„ the same place writeth S. Ambrose S. Augustine S. Bede The wordes of our annotation are these It is purposely expressed that there vvere tvvo shippes that one of them vvas Peters and that Christ vvent into that one and sate downe in it and that sitting he taught out of that shippe no doubt to signifie the church resembled by Peters ship and that in it is the chayre of Christ and only true preaching Barnabas laid dovvne the price of his land at the Apostles feete ergo vve must kisse the Popes feete If the Apostle S. Peter had not before told vs that heretiks in the later daies especially should be Illusores mockers and the Prophete Dauid named their general profession a Chayre or schoole of scorners CathedraÌ„ irrisorum we might by our owne experience haue learned thus much of the Protestant writers of our time who by this feate among the popular haue brought into contempt the grauest partes of Christian religion and haue much shaken the obedience due both to spiritual and ciuil magistrates By this chiefely the Lutherans refel the article of Christes Ascension and being in heauen as we see in BreÌ„tius By this the Zuinglians refute Christs desceÌ„ding into hel as we see in maister Carlile and disproue the real presence whereof their common preachings and writings are witnes By this as a very plausible meane the Germane ministers stirred the people against their Emperour Charles the fift as vve reade in Sleidan And hovv like M. W. is vnto them for his smale talent by most of these his merie conclusions it appeareth In this present hovv far his vnreasonable collection differeth from our reasonable admonition the discrete reader may easely iudge Our vvordes are Barnabas as the reâ— did not only giue his goods as in vulgar almes but in al humble and reuerent maner as things dedicated to God he layed theÌ„ dovvne at the Apostles holy seete as S. Luke alvvaies expresseth and gaue them not into their hands The Sunamite sel dovvne and embraced Elisaeus feete Many that asked benefites of Christ as the vvoman sick of the bloudy fluxe fel dovvne at his feete and Marie kissed his feete Such are signes of due reuerence done both to Christ and to other sacred persons ether Prophetes Apostles Popes or other representing his person in earth See in S. Hierom of Epipanius Bishop in Cypres hovv the people of Hierusalem of al sortes flocked together vnto him offering their children to take his blessing kissing his feete plucking the hemmâ—s of his garment so that he could not moue for the throng Ep 61 cap. 4. cont error Io. Hierosol The Eunuch of the Quene of AEthiopia came to Hierusalem to vvorship ergo pilgrimages to holy places are acceptable to God why this reason should not be allowable I can not gesse The Eunuch came a long iourney froÌ„ Aethiopia to Hierusalem there to worshippe God and is commended for so doing therefore if we goe in like maner to Rome or HierusaleÌ„ for like cause we are not to be blamed where is the dissâ—militude whence riseth the inequalitie what part is there not answerable that man to vs his fact to ours his intention to ours the beginning continuance and ende proportionable to ours euery part and parcel of his doing fully reseÌ„bled in ours If M.W. haue any hid imagination which we can not reach vnto let him imparte it we wil frame him a reasonable answere The marginal note vpon the wordes of S. Luke is this Note that this Aethiopian came to Hierusalem to adore that is on pilgrimage VVhereby vve may learne that it is an acceptable act of religion to go from home to places of greater deuotion and sanctification To Christ is geuen a name aboue al names that in the name of Iesus al knees should bovv
a refuter of errors make this a light one had you any part ether of the spirite of S. Paule S. Cipriā S. Austine or such Saintes of the Catholike Church or some zeale and sense of your owne Gospel and religion how could this euer haue slipt out of your penne to cal them most holy who by your doctrine were as far from al true holynes as euer was Scribe or Pharisee to cal thē most holy who had not in them the first stepp or degree where holines beginneth for whereas to holines first of al and principally is required faith in the death and passion of Christ then zeale and feruour in good woorkes to cal a man holy without the first is to commend for strenght and valor a man that hath neuer a sound ioynt or to praise for eloquence such a one whose tongue is cutt out of his head In the number of Christians professors of Christianity there haue bene from the beginning many that haue liued very hard seuere lyues that haue bestowed their goods amōge the poore that after many labours and trauails rare workes of extraordinarie zeale haue at lenght suffered death for the testimony of Christ And this oftentimes chaūced in the primitiue Church within the tyme of the first persecutions before Constantinus Magnus yet if such men liued and died schismatikes that is not beleeuing rightly in the church did euer any true Christian holde them for good holie If I spake vvith the tongue of men and angels saith the Apostle and knevv al mysteries and could moue mountaines if I bestovved al my goods vpon the poore and my bodie to the fier for the testimonie of Christ yet wanting the charitie of my brethren being without ecclesiasticall vnitie it profiteth me nothing wherevpon S. Ciprian They cānot dvvell vvith God that be not in vnitie vvith the Church though they burne amidst the flames being deliuered to the fier or cast to vvild beastes so yeld their lyues yet that shal not be to them a crovvne of faith but a punyshment of infidelitie such a one may be slaine he can not be crovvned he professeth him self such a Christiā as the deuil many times pretendeth him self to be Christ For as S. Austine saith vvhosoeuer is separated from this Catholike Church though he thinke him self to liue verie commendablie yet by reason of this only offence that he is deuided from the vnitie of Christ in his Catholike Churche he shal not haue life eternal but the vvrath of God remaineth vpon him And is al this true of men Christians by profession beleeuing rightly in euerie other article of faith onely erring in a secondarie point against the visible church and is it not much more true when the error runneth so grossly against the first and chief and capital article of Christianitie and that proper and peculier part whēce Christianitie hath his name the death and passion of our sauiour the verie hart life and soule of our religion can a fault against the bodie so pollute and contaminate a man that he becometh with al his supposed holines an infidell vvicked prophane an enemy of God and a damnable creature and can such sacriledge against the head be so light and contemptible that the offender remaineth notwithstanding faithfull a good Christiā and most holie S. Paule in the beginning when the law of Moyses was not yet quite abolished nor the gospel so vniuersallie and clearlie published said of the Galatians who would haue ioyned the law with the gospell O ye sensles Galatians vvho hath bevvitched you not to obey the truth Beholde I Paule tell you that if you be circumcided Christ shal profite you nothing and though an Angel of heauen teach you so that is preach you workes wherebie you should be withdrawen from Christ anathema be he that is the curse of God light vpon him how thē may a Christian that ether loueth or feareth Christ thus extenuate the fathers error being by M. W. declaration in substance the self same by reason of circumstance farre more haynous the light of the gospel spread more larglie the truth of doctrine more deepely rooted the law more vndoubtedlie abolished and euerie part of Christian religion more clearly acknowledged and professed wherefore in this I take M. Whit. inexcusablie rather for a Pagane then for a Christian when he saith The fathers by their penitentiall vvorkes derogated from Christ and thrusting them selues into his roome ascribed to their ovvne inuentions the satisfying of Gods vvrath and remission of their sinnes and yet for al this calleth them sanctissimas most holy whereas this being true they were the most impious and detestable men that euer the sunne saw Luther in his booke aduersusfalsò nominatum ordinem episcoporum describing his iustifiing faith writeth thus although wickedly yet agreablie to his owne doctrine and the common doctrine of the protestants Marke me saith he vvhat is Christian faith Christian faith is to beleeue that by no vvorkes but by onlie faith in Christ as thy mediatour and by mercy in him geuen thee freely thou art iustified and saued Gal. 1. so as a man despaire of all his ovvne strength vvorkes and endeuours and depende altogether of an other mans merites and an other mans iustice Iudaical faith is to entend to be iustified to blot out thy sinnes and be saued by thy ovvne strength and merites Rom. 10. by this Christ is cast avvay To like effect he writeth in his second commentarie vpon the Galatians expounding these wordes his qui natura non sunt dii seruiebatis ye serued them vvhich by nature vvere not gods vpon these words he maketh this question and thus solueth it is it all one in S. Paule to depart from the promise to the lavv from faith to vvorkes and to serue gods vvhich by nature are not gods I ansvvere vvhosoeuer falleth from the article of iustification he becommeth ignorant of God and is an idolater And therefore it is al one vvhether he returne to the lavv or to the vvorshipping of idols al is one vvhether he be a monke a Turke a Ievv or Anabaptist for this article once taken avvay there remaineth nothing but mere error hipocrisie impietie idolatrie although in shevv there appeare excellent truth vvorship of God holines c. Yea speaking expresly of the auncient fathers and in respect of this special matter he most wickedly but most plainly adiudgeth them to hell fier for their wicked faith in this verie cause I speake not saith he against the papistes for their life but for their faith because they vvil not come to God by only faith but by faith and vvorkes and therfore if the fathers those old papistes liued now I would speake vnto thē as I do to these new papistes thus stand his wordes Si illa facies veteris papatus c. if that face and forme of old papistrie stoode novv if that discipline vvere