of the righteous and punishment of the vngodly which rewarde is not referred to the deseruing of oure woorkes but to the free mercie of God and therefore when the faithful doe any thing for the which God giueth them a rewarde they receiue not the same as of duetie but as giuen them fréely by grace And thys same dothe the Scripture manyfestly teache for Paule saythe The revvarde of sinne is deathe but eternall life is the gifte of God throughe Iesus Christ our Lorde Wherefore it is manifest that oure sinne deserueth deathe but oure righteousnesse deserueth not eternall life For it is the frée gift of God which Christe hathe deserued for vs and is therefore freely giuen vnto vs Wherefore the Apostle sayth For I counte not the afflictioÌ„s of this present time vvorthy of that glory vvhich shall be shevved on vs in the life to come Yet neuerlesse these men go about to persuade with all men that we deserue so great things by our owne woorkes and so wilfully sette them selues againste the faithfull Doctrine of our Lorde who saythe So you likevvise vvhen you haue done all that you can yet say that you are vnprofitable seruauntes vvee haue done that vve oughte to haue done And againste this saying of Augustine God revvardeth his ovvne giftes and not thy merites Againe If thou vvilt be an abiecte from grace then bragge of thy merites The. xxiii Question Whether that Marie Magdalenes sinnes were not forgiuen for the earnest loues sake which she bare vnto Christe The Answere IF that sinnefull Maries sinnes were forgiueÌ„ hir for the loue which shée bore to Christ then shée recompenced thys hir forgiuenesse and therefore it was not the frée gift of God neither wer hir sinnes remitted by grace But the Gospell teacheth that shée had remission of hir sinnes without any desert For the Lorde sayth There vvas a certaine man vvhich had tvvo detters and vvhen they vvere not able to paie him he forgaue bothe of them the dets Wherfore if hir det were forgiuen and pardoned then did shée not purchase or deserue it by hir loue Furthermore the wordes of the gospel plainly teache that Maries loue sprang from the forgiuenesse of hir sinnes and not the forgiuenesse of hir sinnes from hir loue for so is it written Of these tvvo therefore that is to say of the two detters which were pardoned tell me vvhiche vvill loue him most Simon answered saying I thinke him to vvhome moste vvas forgiuen And he said to him thou hast iudged right And therefore he afterwarde telleth with what great loue Marie embraced him and that bicause he had forgiuen hir many sinnes Yet notwithstaÌ„ding these men dare manifestly affirme the contrary to wit that â—ure Lord forgaue hir hir sinnes that for hir loues sake But yet they obiect that Christ sayd Many sinnes are forgiuen hir for shee loued much To that I answere that it is all one as if he should haue sayd many sinnes are forgiueÌ„ hir â–ª and therfore shée loueth much And that this is the true meaning of our Lordes words the things which go before and the things which folow after do manifestly teache For euen immediatly after these words he saith To vvhome a little is remitted he loueth a little Then knitteth he vp his words thus Thy fins are forgiuen thee Thy faith hath saued thee go in peace Sée therfore what saued hir first the free grace of our Lord by which hir sinnes were forgiuen secondly faith by the which shee receyued the mercy or grace of god and committed hir selfe wholely to him And héere hence it came that shée obtained quietnesse and faithfully loued him The. xxiiij Question Whether Christe did not reiect those which beleued in him and cast out deuils in his name and did not good workes and whether he will not call all those to eternall life which haue done good works whether he will not condemne al those at the last day which are workers of iniquitie The Answere IT hath bin euer known that the faith to woorke miracles is distincted from the faith in christ Wherfore it followeth not that bicause the faithe to woorke miracles saueth not those which doe them therfore true faithe in Christe saueth not Like as it foloweth not as we haue said before The deuil beléeueth and yet is not saued therfore faith saueth not For there is one faithe of the deuels an other of the faithfull wherby they trust in the grace and promisse of god Furthermore Christ shal iudge in the laste day after the manner of men for they iudge of things manifest and known and so also shall Christ do But bicause faith is the gift of God spirituall and inuisible yet notwithstanding sheweth it selfe by workes so that therby is made manifest who are faithful and who not therfore the Lord iudgeth according to works But let vs heare the sentence of the iudge Come saith he you blessed of my father possesse the inheritance or kingdome prepared for you before the foundation of the world And in whom are we blessed but only in christ Gal. 3. Wherfore if the kingdome come by inheritance theÌ„ is it of grace Furthermore if it be prepared before the foundations of the worlde then was it prepared before we were borne or could doe good woorks Of this matter Paule speaketh more Ephesi 1. Thus much haue we spoken of faith and good woorkes which we do not condemne or despise as our aduersaries do falsly accuse vs but this is it we onely séeke that we wold not haue that to be attributed to good woorks which only is due vnto christ For otherwise we exhort all meÌ„ to the doing of good woorks and that not such as we faine or deuise of oure selues but suche as God hathe commaunded to be done throughe true faithe and not to make marchandise of them Yea we testifie vnto all those churches which we teach that they are greatly reproued and coÌ„demned if they brag of faithe and declare not the samâ— by good woorkes The sixth Common place Of Intercession Inuocation and woorshippyng of Sainctes which now liue in heauen The. xxv Question Whether they doe not beleeue that Christe and his members that is to say the Angelles and Sainctes which liue in heauen doe pray vnto God for the vniuersal church of Christ The Answere IT is bothe faithfully manifestly taughte in the gospell the wrytings of the Apostles that Christ doth pray for his vniuersall churche and for all faithfull and is their only intercessor aduocate and mediator to God his heauenly father For Christe himselfe in the Gospell saythe Verely verely I say vnto you vvhat so euer you shall aske of my father in my name he vvill giue it you Hitherto you haue not asked any thing in my name novve aske and you shall receiue it And again Come vnto me all you that doe laboure and are heauy loden and I vvill refreshe you These woordes therfore of Christe
therby righteousnesse vnto them selues Wherfore Job sayth Althoughe I were iuste yet would I not make answere but intreate my ludge And Dauid sayth Enter not into iudgemente O Lorde with thy seruaunt bycause no man liuing shall bee iustified in thy sighte And it is euident what Saint Paule writeth to the Romanes the seuenth Chapter Fourthly if any man should be iustified by his workes then Abraham and the Apostles should be iustified by the works of their faith but that they were not iustified by workes is manyfestly taughte Romanes 4. Galathians 2. Wherfore iustification is not to be attributed to workes althoughe liuely workes procéede from sayth Fifthly nothing ought to be done or suffered in the churche of Chryste that should obseure or darken the death and merites of Chryste and frée mercy of God but if we attribute iustification to our workes then they blot out bothe the merites and death of Chryste and the frée mercy of God as Paule teacheth Galath 2. and. 5. Therefore we must not ascribe iustificatioÌ„ to works Sixtly wee muste keepe faithfully and purely the Apostles doctrine and that teacheth that wée are not iustified by works but through faythe in the froe mercies of God lyke as it appeareth Acts. 15. and in al the Epistles of Paul wherefore wée muste faythefully and stedfastly cleaue to this doctrine But yet amongst many testimonies I will bring onely one whereby it shall manyfestly appeare that this Answere of ours to this twentith Question is taken out of the wordes of S. Paule and therefore in the seconde Chapter to the Ephesians he sayth thus By grace are yee saued throughe Faythe and that not of your selues it is the gifte of God and not of woorkes leaste any man should boaste For wee are hys woorkemanshippe created in Chryste Iesu vnto good woorkes whiche GOD hathe ordeined that we shoulde walke therin And truely I thinke there is no man could speake this more plainly wherefore it is méete that we beléeue this the Apostles doctrine and that we be not so miserable and wicked menne as a great numbre are to affirme that it is a false and heretical opinion to beléeus that faith iustifieth before God and not woorkes The. xxi Question If faithe only iustifie whether theÌ„ the Deuill Judas and such like be saued If not then whether it dothe not followe that men are not saued only by faith â–ª but also by charitie and hope The Answere TOuching the Deuill Iudas Simon Magus such like they had not true faithe in Christ for if they had had this true faith in him then had they also had Christe and eternall life like as it is written He vvhich beleeueth in the sonne of God hathe a testimonie in himself And this testimonie is that God gaue vs eternall life and this life is in his sonne He vvhich hath the sonne hath life Wherfore sith they haue not life they neither haue faythe nor Christe for so it is wrytten Hee vvhich hath not the sonne of God hath not life And againe Except you beleue that I am the sonne of God you shall perishe in your sinne But whereas S. James saythe in the seuenth Chapter of his Epistle that the Diuels doe beléeue and tremble and S. Luke in the eighte Chapter of the Actes saithe that Simon Magus beléeued it is not to be vnderstanded of true faith but of a false and dissembling faithe For in the holy scripture there is mention made of two kindes of faith that is true faith false True faithe is liuely and of great force in Christe iustifying vs in him and afterwarde bringethforthe good wooâ—â—â—â— Yet notwithstanding it followeth nâ—â— that we shall not be saued through faith but by charitie and hope also For if we be not saued by faithe onely then those things muste néedes be false which are redde in the gospel and wrytings of S. Paul touching Christ and faith in him But bicause those whiche beleeue in Christ are made heires of saluation by his merites therefore they hope loue also Therefore when the scripture attributeth iustificatioÌ„ to hope and charitie or calleth good woorks the righteousnesse of the faithfull that is not done for the woorks sake but bicause the true beléeuers are vnited with god so please God in him therfore are their works acceptable vnto him and bicause they are iustified by faithe in Christe they doe also the woorkes of righteousnesse so that all honoure and glory mighte be giuen to faithe or rather to Christ and the frée mercyes of God. Wherefore when we say that we are iustified by faith onely before God we doe not say that saith is alone without hope charitie and good woorkes but we say that faith alone iustifieth bicause we receiue by faithe the frée mercy of God Christ his redeÌ„ption for in him onely oure true iustification consisteth and not in our woorkes which procéede of faithe Not for that faithe wanteth these for if it be true faithe it woorketh good woorkes as Peter Paule James and John teache and yet notwithstanding it first iustifieth and so man being iustified by the grace of God throughe faith in Christ doth finally bring foorth good woorkes 2. Pet. 1. Rom. 6. Iacob 2. 1. Iohn â— c. The. xxij Question Whether they beleeue that good workes done of charitie and throughe the grace of God doe deserue eternal life through Christe and for his sake The Answere THe grace of God and merites of Christe cannot be coupled with our workes For Paul saith plainly If vve be iustified by grace then not by vvorkes for els grace vvere no grace But if vvee be iustified by vvorkes then is it not by grace for else vvorkes are no vvorkes Rom. 11. The like dothe the Apostle teach Rom 4. And in the second Chapter to the Galathians he saythe I make not the grace of God of none effecte for if righteousnesse come by the lavve then died Christe in vaine For if vve vvere able to deserue eternall life vvhat neede had Christe to suffer But hére is obiected vnto vs that the merites of manne be made effectuall through the merites of Christe but this they finde not in the holy scripture for they teache that righteousnesse and saluation is bestowed vppon vs for Christes sake and not for oure workes and howe then might they teache that oure works are made meritorious through the merites of Christe But these men cannot abide that all things which we receiue should be referred to the frée mercies of God but they woulde haue some parte with it And therfore héerein they diligently labor that althoughe they are constrained to graunt the glorie to Christe that yet neuerthelesse in the wrapping vp they mighte plucke somewhat to themselues And to thys ende they wrest those places of Scripture in which rewarde is promised the righteousnesse of the faithfull In deede we Confesse that many things are written in the holy Scripture touching the rewarde
are woÌ„t to bring out of the scriptures against vs our doctrin And he encoraged me héerunto saying that this labor wold not be so tedious harde vnto me as profitable and grateful vnto many good men And it would be the lesse laboure for that many of oure countrymen hadde wrytten very largely in the same matter so as there remained nothing else vnto me but to bring them into some bréefe order And as touching the profite héereof he sayde it mighte well be perceiued for that héeretofore there was sette foorthe an Enchiridion of common places by Iohn Eckius a very stoute champion on the Popes behalfe which being studiously and earnestly read of many Papistes confirmed them in their erroures and therefore he had no doubte but if some like booke were set foorthe by vs many would willingly reade the same and thereby also take greate profite which thing he sayd mighte well be gathered bicause that little Bookes of all those chéefe poyntes mighte very easily be spredde abrode by the Printers and so be studiously read of all men Wherefore these many other things which he was wonte moste grauely and learnedly according to his custome to rehearse vnto me did easily persuade me that suche a booke would be very profitable and acceptable to many but that I shoulde attempte or enterprise to begin such a worke I cannot yet persuade my self not for that there wanteth good will bothe to gratifie my friend priuely as also openly to pleasure others but bicause I stoode in doubt how to finishe the same But when the yere last past there was put into Printe a little boke by the Reuerende father Doctor Henrie Bullinger in whiche he Aunswereth to certaine Articles or Questions wherewith the Inquisitors of Bâ—â—â—ria as they say examine those whiche are suspected in Religion I thought with my selfe that the same would not only satisfie the minds of diuers godly men but also the speciall requeste of ourâ— Parkhurst and therefore haue I turned the same into Latine that all menne might reade it For in this booke are all the chéefe argumentes of the Papistes and especially those with whome they are wont to pose and trouble the minds of the simple and vnlearned bréefely confuted and answered And whereas Phillip Melancthon of moste woorthy memorie father of all the learned men that hither vnto haue liued in Germanie wrote a Boke answering these Articles of Bauaria as the title of his boke doth testifie yet of 61. questions he only answered but. 18. peraduenture supposing that by the Answeres made vnto those the rest also might easily be confuted But D. Bullinger hauing regarde to profite the simple and vnlearned maketh answere orderly to eche one of these questions and therfore though he tooke this matter in hand after that great learned man D. Melancthon yet is it profitable bicause not only Melancthon did not answer to them all but also bicause in that his aunswere are some suche things which are not altogither alowed of the godly and chéefely those things which are written in the 22. Article touching Free vvill Of the which matter I wil nowe say nothing but he that readeth both the bookes and wayeth the argumentes may easily iudge This Booke doe I sende vnto thée most learned Jewel first bicause of the great friendship betwéene thée and oure Parkhurst that so by you I may satisfie his desire and request or else that at the least he may héerewith contente hym selfe vntil some better learned than I may take this his desired work in haÌ„d Furthermore my desire was that by this a publicke testimonie might be extant not onely of my duetie towardes you but also of your loue towardes me which I not onely perceiued when we were togither but also do perfectly vnderstand by your letters since sent vnto me And although the Popishe doctrine be throughe Goddes great mercy quite chased away from youre Countrey of Englande for the which all godly doe greatly reioyce yet I truste this my work shal not be vnprofitable to wéede out of the minds of the simple the dregs of that Doctrine so as thereby the pure doctrine of Christe may be the faster and better engrafted And in the exercise héereof you haue not onely many helpers to me vnknown but also those whome I right well know men of excellent learning and vertue true Bishops in Christ D. Iohn Parkhurst D. Eduin Sandes D. Robert Horne The reuerend father Iohn Bale D. Iohn Pilkinton D. Thomas Leuer D. Iohn Fox and D. Laurence Humfrey all whome I beséeche Christ to preserue From Zurich Idib August 1560. Henrie Bullinger to the Christian Reader THere are almost euery where throughe Germanie scattred abrode certayne Questions written or Printed and that to the ende the professoures of the gospel and especially such as amongst theÌ„ are vnlerned might by them be troubled broughte into doute and as it were quite driuen from the gospel as from a newe doubtfull false and corrupt doctrine For some of these Questions are so coloured with scriptures that at the first sight they seme to haue some shew of truth But they all shute to this marke that they may thruste in and plant not the true church of Christ and his doctrine but the churche of Rome her doctrine manners statutes and other abuses Whereby it comes to passe by the infirmitie of man and by reason of persecutions that many coÌ„ceiue an euil opinion and lothsomnesse of the gospel and that chiefely when they see there is no man to instructe them strengthen and comforte them Wherfore when by some I was requested to make some breefe and plaine answere to the said Questions and somewhat to open the matter that bothe they might perceiue how to vnderstande those places of scriptures as also see that oure relion grounded on the Gospell is not suche as they slaunder it to be I toke that matter in hande And applied my diligence to defend the true religion as indede it is the duetie of euerye good Christian to comfort the godly and suche as were afflicted and according to the talent giuen me of God for without his helpe all mans doing is but vayne I answered the .lxi. questions for so many came vnto my hands therfore whether there be more or lesse in other places I know not Wherfore I beseeche thee good Christian Reader to take this my trauell in good parte and follow the Counsell of S. Paule who byddeth thee to proue all thinges and to keepe that which is good And thus much more I say for their sakes that shall eyther reade or heare this Treatise that if they bee weeried wyth the contentions and strifes in Religion and the sharpe tauntes that oftentimes fall out in that cause I haue in this Booke cheefelye laboured to teache the matter moste briefly and playnly and that without all heate of contention to Gods glory and the profitable â—difying of the godly The Artycles or Common places which are touched in these lxj
place he saithe what hast thou that thou hast not receiued wherfore if thou haue receiued it why bostest thou as thoughe thou hadste not receyued it And agayne he sayth It is giuen to you in the things appertayning to Chryst that not onely you shoulde beleeue in him but also suffer affliction for hys names sake Likewise he sayth For it is God that woorketh in you bothe the will and the deede euen of hys owne good will. And although the faythfull doo all that they doo with a frée spirite and willing minde yet neuerthelesse this their fréedome and willingnesse is let and hindered very much through the defectes and infirmities of the flesh whiche alwayes remayneth with vs euen vnto deathe Wherefore Paule greatly complayneth saying The flesh rebelleth agaynst the spirit and the spirite agaynst the flesh so that the things which I would not do that do I. Touching this matter read more Roma 7. And yet in this case doo we not attribute vnto man any more frée will than that which the frée mercy of God worketh by whose holy spirite he is fréely gouerned preserued But as touching the infirmity which dwelleth in vs the operation and working of the spirite is hindred and let thereby so that mans free will can doo nothing that is good and so that good which it is willing to doo and dothe is of the frée grace and holy spirite of god And therfore Paule attributeth not his good workes to hys owne free wil but to the grace of God saying By the grace of God I am that I am and hys grace was not in me in vayne but I labored more than they all and yet not I but the grace of God that was with me 1. Corinth 15. Marke well that he sayth yet not I but the grace of God which was with me But touching euill lyke as wée haue sayde already wée doo it not by compulsion or agaynst our will but willingly and that by reason of the corruption which is grafted in our nature And yet when wee runne headlong to the Deuill God can lette and stoppe vs and giue vs an other manner of mynde whereby wée may bée stirred and drâ—uen as it were to the things wherein before we had no delight The fithe Common place Of Fayth and good Woorkes The. xviij Question What they thinke of fayth hope and charitie The Answere TOuching these thrée being in déede the cheefe poynts of our Christian religion I thinke very wel and truely of them euen as the word of god hathe taughte Fayth is the sure confidence of a man that is lyghtened of God whereby he trusteth in God and in his onely son our Lord Jesus Chryst and his vndoubted worde and that to the remission of sinnes and eternall lyfe Hope is a stedfaste pacient and comfortable looking for of those things whiche we beléeue cheefly if the receiuing of them be deferred and appeare otherwise thaÌ„ they were beléeued to be charitie is poured into our hearts encreased and preserued and is due both to God man so that we should loue God aboue all things and our neighbour as our selfe euen as Chryste also hath loued vs The places of Scripture from whence these descriptions are taken I haue therfore willingly left out least this Booke shoulde grow and encrease vnto an huge volume The. xix Question Whether these three vertues faith hope charity are but one thing or else distinct vertues in the holy Scripture and chiefly whether the one may not be taken for the other The Answere TOuching these thrée singuler giftes of God S. Paule speaketh distinctly giuing to ech of them their peculyar properties 1. Thes. 1. VVe giue thanks vnto God almightie for you all making mention of you in our praiers remembring alwayes your effectuall fayth diligeÌ„t or working loue and stedfast hope in our Lord Iesus Chryst. c. And forasmuche as he giueth thankes and prayers vnto God he teacheth that these vertues are fréely giuen froÌ„ him vnto men and that therefore they ought to pray and render thankes vnto him And vnto faythe he attributeth a certayne effectuall working bicause that from hir all good works yea hope and charitie do spring And he calleth charity diligeÌ„tor working bicause true charitie or loue laboreth and exerciseth hir selfe to please bothe God and man And to hope he attributeth stedfastnesse and pacience bicause Paul in the eight to the Romanes sayth That wee are made safe throughe hope But hope if it be seene is no hope For how can a man hope for that which he seeth But if we hope for the thing whiche we see not by pacience wée looke for them Therefore fayth hope and charitie are distincted vertues and haue eche their proper operations And therefore are they seuerally reckened by S. Paule 1. Corin 1. in which place he sayth that these thrée are Agayne these vertues are so coupled togither and depende so one of an other that they can not in any wise be hadde seuerally For who so rightly beléeueth in God and his word the same also hopeth to receiue the things he looketh for Lyke as Paule teacheth out of the Prophet Abacuc in the Epistle to the Hebrues cap. 10. Againe who so rightly beléeueth in God loueth him as his chefe and euerlasting good and loueth man bicause he is the image of God redéemed by him as S. John teacheth in his Epistle And therfore Paule to the Hebrues Cap. 11. interpreteth fayth by hope saying Fayth is the substance or grounde of thynges which are hoped for And in hys firste Epistle to Timothe he sheweth that charitie springeth from faythe saying Furthermore the end of the commaundementis loue from a pure hart a good conscience and fayth vnfayned Therefore like as there is but one sunne and yet he is not alone so is there but one fayth and yet is she not alone But as from the sunne procéedeth two seuerall things so that thereby three things are in the sunne that is the globe or body of the sunne from whiche procéedeth brightnesse and heate and these thrée are so ioyned in one sunne that by no meanes they can be separated and yet are they three distincted things hauing eche their seuerall properties So lykewise these three vertues faythe hope and charitie are so knytte togither that by no meanes they may bée separated and yet are they seuerally distincted Wherefore euen as from the Globe or substaunce of the sunne as from one spring lighte and heate doo flowe so from faythe also bothe charitie and hope doo spring And as the body of the sunne is not the lyghte or the heate so Fayth is neyther Hope nor Charitie Yet neuerthelesse the bodye of the Sunne is not wythoute Heate and Lyght and Fayth is not without Hope and Charitie And as the sunne shineth by his brightnesse and not by his heate so faythe inasmuche as shée receiueth Chryste iustifieth vs before God and not through charitie Therfore