A godlie, zealous, and profitable sermon vpon the second chapter of Saint Iames. Preached at London, by Master George Gifford, and published at the request of sundry godly and well disposed persons

A godlie, zealous, and profitable sermon vpon the second chapter of Saint Iames. Preached at London, by Master George Gifford, and published at the request of sundry godly and well disposed persons

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Title page

¶The second Chapter of Saint Iames, verse. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23 24. 25. 26.

The second Chapter of Saint Iames, verse. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

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The second Chapter of Saint Iames, verse. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26.

I Haue chosen this portion of Scripture to interpret, because there is very great vse and commoditie in the true & right vnderstanding thereof: and the doctrine therein contained, is most necessarye for all Christians to knowe. First, because it doth directly and fully ouerthrowe and beate downe all carnall profession of the Gospell, shewing that the common and dead faith cannot saue a man. Secondly, because it is the principall pillar which the Papists doe leane vnto, & the chiefe place of Scripture which they doe peruert and abuse, to proue and establish Iustification by workes, and the merits of men, & to ouerthrow the free iustification [Page] we haue in our Lord Iesus Christ through faith. The holde which they take in this point, is vpon the speaches and phrases which the Apostle doth vse: as when he saith, Abraham our Father was iustified through works. Also Rahab the harlot was iustified through works. Likewise ye sée ye of workes a man is iustified and not of faith onely? Héerein ye two Apostles of Christ, S. Paul & S. Iames do séeme to be flat contrary ye one to the other: for wheras S. Paule saith, Abraham was iustified by faith alone and not by workes. Saint Iames saith he was iustified by works. Saint Paule saith and proueth by sundrie and inuincible reasons, that a man is iustified by faith alone without the works of the lawe. Saint Iames saith ye sée that a man is iustified by works and not by faith onely: This contrarietie is but in appearaunce: for they both wrote by one spirite which is alwaies lyke himselfe, and alwayes agréeth with himselfe. The whole blame therefore is to lyght vppon vs that we are so dim sighted as not to sée [Page] how these two seruauntes of GOD doe iumpe agrée together without anye iarre at all. I thinke it néedefull for this cause before I come to handle the wordes of the Text as they lye in order, first to take awaye this shewe of discord: If anye man will demaunde what cause there was which made them to appeare in outwarde shewe so contrarye the one to the other? I aunswere, that although there be no contrarietie in the matter it selfe which they teach, yet the diuersitie of ye schollers which they lyght vppon, and the contrarie affection of those whome they instructed, caused them to vse a diuers and contrarie order of teaching.

Saint Paule hauing to deale with such as woulde séeke to bée iustified, partlye by Faith in Christ, and partlye by theyr owne déedes, or the déeds of the Lawe, vseth this order, first, shewing that wée were lost and condempned in our selues, then next iustified and saued through the merits of Christ: afterward that wée are sanctified in him, and must shewe foorth [Page] the fruits of our faith in a pure and holy life. S. Iames lighting vpon another sort of mē which cōfessed ye frée iustification through faith in Christ, yet in this they were deceiued, yt they did not consider, how al those that are iustified, are sanctified, how all those that are in Christ Iesus are newe creatures, that they are new borne, and walke not after the flesh, but after the spirite: that the true, liuely, and iustifieng fayth doth bring foorth the fruites of righteousnesse in a holye conuersation. Now because this cannot be remooued or separated from the right and liuelye faith. Saint Iames goeth as it were backwarde and proueth, that where this latter, that is to say, the fruites of faith are wanting, there faith is wanting, and so his drift is to shewe that all vngodly and carnall professours of Christ haue but a dead faith, which in no respect is able for to helpe or saue them. A second cause why they séeme so much to differ, is héerein, that men doe not marke well howe they handle, not the selfe same matter, nor haue [Page] not the same drifte. For Saint Paule laboureth to proue, that the true fayth doth ioyne vs to Christ, and thereby saue vs. Saint Iames héere beateth vppon this pointe, that the dead faith which is but a bare Image of the right Faith cannot profite a man, this shall appeare in the wordes of the Text, and also a thirde cause is, that they doe not take this worde iustified in the same sence, but diuerselye as it shall be prooued afterwarde: Now will I come vnto the Text. What auaileth it my bretheren though a man sayth hée hath Faith when hée hath no woorkes, canne the Faith saue him? This is his proposition, and the matter which hée will dispute vppon in the whole Text following, thus much it is in effect, that it doth not auaile a man to saye hée hath Faith, nor it doth not profite him to boast and bragge, and to make profession thereof, when hee hath no good woorkes: the reason is this, because it cannot saue him: marke and obserue this well, for héere at the first enteraunce, the blindnesse of the Papistes [Page] and their folly, doth manifestly bewraie it selfe, when as they doe not sée nor vnderstand, that it is not the purpose of the Apostle in this place to dispute vpon this point, whether ye true faith doth saue & iustifie or not: but to shew that such as haue not good workes, haue not the true faith in them, and therefore whatsoeuer they professe, they cannot be saued, for he doth not propounde his matter thus, what auaileth it though a man haue Faith and haue not workes: but what auaileth it though a man saye, he hath faith & hath no workes? Wherby it is very manifest that when Saint Iames doth attribute the name of faith vnto this dead Image, hée doth it not in proper, but in abusiue speach, and after the manner of those men which called it faith, when as in very déede it is none, but onely a certeine resemblaunce and shaddowe thereof. Thus much for this enteraunce & state of his disputation, now followe his reasons by which he doth proue that this kinde of Faith cannot auaile or profite a man, for hee doth proue it very stronglye and pithely [...]. [Page] The first of them is taken from a comparison or similitude which he setteth downe thus, If a brother or a sister bée naked and destitute of daylye foode, and one of you saie vnto them, depart in peace, warme your selues, and fill your bellyes, notwithstanding ye giue them not those thinges which are néedfull to the bodie, what helpeth it? This is the summe of the matter: There commeth vnto you a poore man or a poore woman, which lacketh clothes and sustenaunce, you giue them gentle and fayre wordes, God helpe ye, God succour yée, and send ye reliefe: but ye giue them nothing, can this helpe the poore man, or the poore woman? Shall they not for all your louing words sterue for colde & die for hunger, if euerye man should serue them so, and giue them no other almes: why doe yée not sée then, that as this almes & liberalytie to the poore which is but in faire speaches is colde & doth not help, so in like manner ye Faith which is but in words and outwarde profession of speach, although it be wc neuer so great brags, is dead, & thē furder why do ye not [Page] vnderstand that a thing which is weak and dead in it selfe, can by no meanes haue power to giue life, and to saue. But obserue it a little better, thus the comparison standeth, if that liberalitie which is onely in words be colde or dead, and doth not profit the poore, nor make him a liberall man which vseth it: then it followeth also, that that Faith which is onely in speach is dead, and therefore cannot saue or profit him which hath it, if wordes onely could profit or cause it to be faith, why should not wordes also profit the poore man or woman which is destitute? If words onely can make a faithfull man, why should not words make a liberall man? If for a man to saie hée hath faith, be of that power to do the greatest things, as namely to couple vs to Christ, to raise the soule from death to lyfe, to put the Diuell to flight, and to ouercome the world? Should it not be able to doe ye lesser, that is to say, so far to preuaile with vs, & to haue such power in vs: as to bring forth good works? Déere brethren, know yt if it bée aliue & do the former, it must néeds doe [Page] this: if it doe not this latter, then surely it is dead & can do nothing to saue vs. This is a most plaine and forcible reason to proue, that the faith of a carnall and worldly Gospeller, is but a dead shewe of faith, and therefore he is not iustified nor saued, neyther can bée iustified nor saued thereby: séeing it hath no life in it selfe to worke and to bring forth fruites, it cannot giue lyfe vnto him, for how shoulde it bring that which it hath not? To set it foorth more plainly, thus ye Apostle addeth: but some man might saye, thou hast the faith and I haue workes, shewe me thy faith by thy workes, and I will shewe thée my faith by my workes. He sheweth héere how euery simple man which is a true Christian, maye be able to deale against the greatest and most skilfull Doctour that is, to proue that he hath no faith if he hath not good workes, for when hée saith, Some man will say, it is as much as if he had said, any man may say, thou hast faith, that is, thou makest thy boast that thou hast faith, shewe it by thy workes: because faith is an holy thing, [Page] wrought by Gods spirite, and a lyuely and mightie thing, therefore it cannot be without holy & good actions. For as a man is knowen to be dead, when he doth not breath, cannot stir, sée, heare, and such lyke, and contrariwise, when he doth any of these, he is known to be aliue: euen so is it with faith, if it can or doe bring forth no good workes, then is it dead, on the contrary part, the actions & stirring thereof doe shew it to be aliue. This is a strong place against all those which doe not onely vaunt themselues of a vaine and dead beléefe, but also woulde leaue no mark to know who are of God and who are of the Diuell: Let a man take thē tardie in any foule vice, wherin they wallow, & say vnto them, ye are out of the waye, ye haue not the true beléefe in God, ye are couetous, ye are a worldling, ye are a drunkard, & an adulterer or such like, their aunswere is readie, Who made you able to iudge, can you tell how I beléeue, will you take vppon you to sée what is in my heart, whatsoeuer you say, I haue as good a beléefe as your selfe. Marke well now I [Page] pray ye, for héere you may learne how to answere such fellows: say thus vnto thē, faith indéed of it selfe is a secret thing in the hart, but yet because it can no more be without good déeds, then fire can be without heate: the Lord doth bid vs by his Apostle to say vnto ye, shewe me your faith by your works, & whē your tongue is foule & your déedes are wicked, most certaine it is that the hart is vncleane, & there is no right faith, for yt doth purge the hart, as S. Peter saith. Act. 15. Looke but vpon mens words & outward brags of their beléefe, & ye would thinke there were such plentie of faith, yt there could be almost no more, euery man doeth so strongly beléeue in Christ. But come to this touchstone & trial which is héere giuen vs, shew thy faith by thy works, & it shall by & by carry vs so far on ye other side, when we sée such flouds of all horrible & beastly sins, yt it will cause vs to think vpon this saieng, When ye Son of man commeth, shal he finde faith vpon the earth? For if this be true, as it is most true, because God himselfe hath set it downe: yt the faith which is wtout good [Page] workes is dead, and those are Infidels, which like brute beasts care not but for the things of this worlde, and make no conscience of committing all kinde of euill workes: Doe ye suppose that if the Sonne of man shoulde now come, that he shoulde finde anye great store of faith? Alas, alas, how many are the sinfull déedes of the most men, which shew that they haue no faith? How fewe are the good workes and how weake euen in the small remnaunt of the godlye, which doth declare how poore and slender their faith is? But we must yet procéede further in this matter, and as it were strike it a lyttle déeper. As men are wily to deceiue themselues, so they will héere yet finde a hole to créepe out at, although they be neuer so wicked: for thus they will saye. It is true, Gods word saith, that faith is shewed foorth by good workes, well, I thanke God, though I haue many vices in mée, and am full of infirmities, yet I am not altogether without good workes: I am not so gracelesse, but at some times I remember God by praier: I doe according [Page] to my abilitie giue to the poore: I am ready to pleasure my friend: doe not these things sufficientlye shewe that I haue faith? Déerely beloued take héed, for héere you may soone be deceiued, it is not the meaning of the Apostle when he saith shew me thy faith by thy works, that a few scattered scraps of good déeds, among great heapes of sinfull workes, and as it were a few graines of Corne in a great heape of Chaffe, should be a true witnesse of the same. For it must be showed both in forsaking & renouncing all euill wayes, and also in following after all goodnes: for it is without al controuersie yt those which séeme to be good works before men are not so before God, in the man which is giuen ouer to commit sin: can yt which is good come out of the same heart in which vngodlinesse raigneth: either make the trée good (saith Christ) and the fruite good, or els make the trée euill and the fruite euill: A good trée cannot bring forth euil fruit,Mat. 12. 33 neither can an euill Trée bring foorth good fruite?Luk. 6. 43. Can the same Trée bring forth both good fruite and euill fruite? [Page] Doth a fountaine at the same place saith (S.Iam. 3. 11. Iames) send forth both swéet and bitter water?1. Ioh. 3. 7. Be not deceiued (saith Saint Iohn) he that worketh righteousnesse is righteous, he that committeth sin is of the Diuell. Some man will say, doth not the most godly man that liueth commit sin, & doth not ye good & the bad come together frō him? The godly are loden wt the corruptions of ye flesh, but yet they doe not commit sin, yt is to say, they are not giuen ouer, as vngodly men are to the obedience of sin: they are spotted with imperfections, but they do not take plesure therein as the wicked do: although they féele a lumpishnesse in them vnto good workes, yet their whole race is applied vnto good works: they would very faine obey their God on both sides, that is to say, in forsaking all that is euill, & doing all yt which he commaundeth thē. Contrariwise, the fleshly Infidell doeth with all his heart giue vp himselfe in the whole race of his life to that which is filthy, if he doe any thing which is good it is but in shew, being not done sincerely, nor comming from a good roote: but of [Page] selfe loue, vaine glorie, or such like. Hée doth not any thing for the Lords sake, but for his own. For loue him & ye shal finde him ready to do ye good, cease that, & his goodnesse doth dye. Praise him, he will praise you againe, discommend him although he deserue it neuer so much, ye shall not come in his books, be ye neuer so good. Forget not this then I praye ye good bretheren, when God hath set down so plain a rule to trie our selues by, whether we be faithfull or Infidells. If we finde our selues ful of good workes, & our heart doth beare vs witnes that we do them euen for loue towards God: well are we, this doth declare our faith. But if our euill déedes abound & our hart be vncleane, it is time to looke about vs, we are in a most miserable case. I wish of God, that we might often thinke vppon this, and be carefull to shewe our faith to the world, by our good and pure lyfe. Be not afrayde to applye this to our selues, and also to deale against the vngodlye with it. For in this dissolute age, wherein iniquitie hath almost gotten the vpper hande, it is [Page] most necessary that we vse this instrument which GOD hath put into our hands. Thou saist thou beléeuest, shew thy faith by thy workes. Now followeth another reason: Thou beléeuest ther is one God: thou dost well: the Diuells also beléeue and tremble. Way this argument well, and ye shall plainlye perceiue that it doth nothing at all helpe a man to saye he hath faith, when he hath no good déeds: if this kinde of faith could saue him, then should the Diuells be saued also, because they haue the same beléefe: but because it is most certaine, that the Diuels shall not thereby be saued, therefore it is also as manifest, that those men who haue no other beléefe but that which they haue, cannot be saued. Let vs sée then how farre the faith of Diuelles doeth goe, Thou beléeuest (saith he) that there is one God, or that God is one, and so thou thinkest this a great matter, not to beléeue as ye vaine Gentiles which did think there wer diuers Gods, and indéede for so farre thou dost well: but yet marke what a great matter thou hast attained, the Diuells [Page] doe beléeue the same, and yet haue therby no benefit or reconciliation with God, for they tremble when they remember the terrible iudgement seate & the euerlasting fire which is prepared for them. This faith of the diuils is not to be restrained to some one point, but stretcheth vnto the whole doctrine of Faith. They doe stedfastly beléeue and knowe that Iesus Christ died for the sinnes of the worlde: this is a sure reason that they know the doctrine of God, when they séeke to deface and ouerthrow it by contrarie errours. When a man therefore is of a sounde iudgement in the Scriptures for matters of Faith, and is able to confirme euerye point and to ouerthrowe the contrarie errours: though manye will saye, hée is a sound [...] man, & he taketh himselfe to be as great a Gospeller as any other, yet if he haue no workes, if his faith be not a liuelye regenerating faith, he maye estéeme of himselfe what he will, but the Lorde telleth vs that he is no more forwarde then thē Diuelles, they are as sounde in the knowledge of truth as hée.

[Page] And if this common and general faith would serue, they should be saued as well as he. But it may be héere obiected, that there is great difference betwéene the faith of Diuelles, and the faith of those men which beléeue, and yet haue no fruits of godlinesse in thē. The Diuells indéede doe beléeue all matters of faith to be true, but they do not nor cannot beléeue, that they perteine any thing at all to them, they haue no hope of mercie: but men although they be very sinful, yet they are in hope yt they shal be saued. Héere is a great difference therefore, and the faith of such men goeth farre beyonde the faith of Diuells. The Lorde giue vs eyes to sée, and heartes to vnderstand, for I will shew that the difference is. That the faith of the Diuells is more perfect: For what is the cause that the Diuels haue no hope, and the wicked men think they haue hope, is it because they haue lesse faith, nay, it is because they are more wise, and because they giue credite to that which GOD hath threatened against them. They beléeue [Page] that he will powre out his wrath vpon them because hee hath sayde it: But the wicked men they are more foolish, and where God hath pronounced against them for their sinnes eternall fire, they doe not beléeue him, and so indéede their Faith commeth short of the faith of diuells: they should beléeue the Lorde when hée telleth them that all those which doe not tourne from theyr vngodlynesse when he calleth them to repentaunce, shall bee cast into Hell. But they blinde themselues, & wil séeme to beleeue quite contrary vnto yt which God affirmeth: this is not to shut the doore to repentaunce, but to moue men to séeke for it while God doth offer himselfe, for they shall not be able when they will: it is God which must beget vs to himselfe, and giue vs the newe birth, and sanctifie vs by his spirite to bring foorth the true fruites of Faith, and not to haue such a dead beleefe, which doth chaunge vs no more then the faith which the Diuells haue, doth chaunge them. For there be very many at this daye, who [Page] béeing stuffed as full of wickednesse as euer they can hold, and their words and déeds doe plainly shew that they are no more changed then Diuells, which will so bragge of their faith and the strength thereof, that if there should be but ten in the whole Countrie saued, they hope to be of them: they neuer vnderstoode the doctrine which the Lord teacheth in this place, God giue vs vnderstanding that we be not seduced, but that we may séek at the handes of Christ, to giue vs a faith which may differ from that which the diuels haue. Héere also shall appeare ye ignorance of the Papists: They would beare men in hande that S. Iames doth speake of the same faith which S. Paule doth, & yt he plainly affirmeth it doth not alone iustifie. But [...] héere as he said before, what auaileth it if a man saye he hath faith and hath no works, can that faith which is but in words, or the dead faith saue him? So now he telleth more plainly what faith it is which he speaketh of, which cannot helpe a man, euen that which the Diuell hath. Is not that beléefe which Saint Paule sayth doth [Page] iustifie, wrought by ye holy Ghost? Shall we be so blasphemous as to saie the diuells are pertakers of him? You maye well perceiue therfore that Saint Iames doth speake nothing against that which Saint Paule hath proued, howe Christ alone is our righteousnesse, whome wée take holde of onely by Faith, for hée doth but shewe that the dead Picture of Faith, doth not saue. Remember well then what Faith is héere spoken of, and the controuersie is soone decided. The Apostle now procéedeth to his last reason, which because it is wonderfull strong, he vseth as it were a certeine Preface vnto it, least wée shoulde passe lightly ouer it, without due consideration. But wilt thou vnderstand (sayth he) O thou vaine man, that the faith which is without works is dead? See howe vehementlye hée thundereth béere, against the carnall professour, calling him a vaine man, likewise wilt thou vnderstande, cannot those former reasons satisfie thée, are they not stronge inoughe to perswade thée, or plaine inough to teach thée, I will let thée sée [Page] such a reason that neither thou nor all the world shall bée able for to gaine saie, it is so strong and so manifest that it will stop the mouths of all the cauillers: and force them to confesse, will they, [...]ill they, that the Faith which is without workes is dead: sée how meruailously the holy Ghost doth labour to driue vs from trusting to this broken staffe, and to force vs to séeke after the true and right beléefe, it we haue any care to saue our soules. And doubtlesse daylye experience doth teach vs howe needfull a thing this is. For the greatest number of professours thinke nothing lesse néedful then to séeke increase of Faith, they suppose and they will saie, they beléeue wel inough they féele no want at all, what shoulde preaching doe, they canne but be [...]. In very déede this dead saith of theirs, seemeth to them to be verye strong, it cannot bée shaken; neither is it tryed or tempted, for to what purpose should the diuell much labour to ouerthrowe it: but those which haue anye faith indéed, doe féele what néede there [Page] is to vse all meanes to strengthen it. But let vs come to the matter, he proueth now by examples, that the true faith is knowne by good workes: the first example is of Abraham: thus it is to be opened: ye know that Abraham was an holy man, & a right man indéed, he was highly in fauour with God, the couenant was made with him, that in his séede all nations of the earth shuld be blessed: ye wil then confesse that he had the right faith, there is no doubt at all in that. Likewise ye must néedes graunt, yt as there is but one God, one mediatour, so there is but one Faith, whervpon it followeth, yt as many as haue such a faith, or yt same faith which was in Abraham shalbe saued, & none els:Ephe. 4. 5 1. Tim. 2. 5 for although euery one of ye children of Abraham do not atteine to the same mesure & strēgth yt their father did, yet they are like him & haue the same beléefe. Then I beséech you obserue wel the second parte, wherein is declared howe the Faith of Abraham was fruitfull, and did declare and shew foorth it selfe by good workes, for [Page] hée offered his sonne Isaac vpon the Alter. Wherevppon it doth also followe that all his children,Gen. 21. and all the sonnes of GOD, doe declare and shew forth their Faith, by their good déedes: And whosoeuer they be which do not so, they are degenerates and basturdes, none of his children nor yet pertakers of anye blessing with him, for their: Faith is dead, and therefore they are not aliue, doe ye not sée déerely beloued, the meruailous force of this reason, and that it is as cléere as the Sonne: Heere is no starting hole left for a man to hide himselfe in, nor to créepe out at, but hée is holden fast to this, that if hée will bée saued, he must so beléeue, that he declare and shew forth to the world by his good works and holy life, how he walketh in the steps of his faithfull father. Abrahā. But why doth he choose this one worke of Abraham before all the rest? For his life did shine with holy works, he was merciful to ye poore, he interteined & lodged strangers, he was peaceable wt al men, iust & true in al his delings: doubtles this did excel al ye rest, & so farre passe them, [Page] that it maye well inough be mentioned in stéede of them all, it did declare a wonderfull faith and loue towardes God as we may easily sée, considering al the whole circumstaunces of the storie. God had called him out of his-nati [...] Countrey and from his Fathers house into a straunge lande: he had promised him a sonne by his wife Sara, of whom the blessed séede should come, he performed this promise in his olde age, euen when Sara was by nature past childe bearing, he had no other childe by hir, the promise was made in none but in him,Gen, 21. 12 In Isaac shall thy séede be blessed. Each man shall now be driuen to confesse, that héere was a great triall, when God doth bid him take his onely sonne euen Isaac, and goe thrée dayes iourney to the place which he would shew him, and to offer him vpon the Altar a slaine Sacrifice. How great a griefe is it for a louing father, to loose a sonne which he loueth déerelye, especially when he hath no more sonnes: then how much griefe might this be, not onely to sée his sonne slain, but also to slay him with his own [Page] hands: and most of all that childe, in whom the couenaunt of eternall lyfe was made, because Christ shoulde come of him, who being dead, all hope of saluation did dye with him. Al this did not with-hold, but ye faith of Abraham caried so great a loue in him & feare towards God, that he neuer grudged at the matter nor neuer made delay, but went indéede to haue slaine his sonne, hauing bound him vpon the woode, and hauing taken in his hand the sacrificing knife, to kill him. Then the Angell of ye Lord frō heuen did forbid him. Before ye Lord it was as if it had bene done, because Abraham did fully purpose to do it, then we sée plainlye by this, what the true faith is. But if any man should obiect and say, this example is not fit: euerie man cannot be lyke Abraham, nor haue such a faith as he had, he was a rare man, few or none to be compared with him. Saint Iames doth aunswere, If ye thinke this example to be too high, and that ye are not to be measured by it, I will shew you another as lowe:: what say ye to Rahab the harlot, was not she [Page] iustified by workes, did not hir faith declare it selfe by good workes? Can ye take any exception against this example? Will ye not be ashamed that your faith shoulde not be lyke hirs? As the faith of Abraham did vtter it selfe to the world, so did hirs, whereby she shewed hir selfe to be a right daughter of Abraham, although she were not of his posteritie according to the flesh, but came of one of those cursed Nations, which God had commaunded the Children of Israel to roote out and destroy, yet I say she was his daughter, according as S. Paule setteth it forth in the Epistle to the Romanes, Ro. 4. 12. that he should be the Father not onely of them which are of the Circumcision, but also of those yt walke in ye steps of ye faith of our father Abraham: like as all his children both of the Iews & Gentiles must do which will be blessed wt their faithfull father Abrahā. Then we haue héere ye exāple of ye father of all ye faithfull, with ye exāple of one of his daughters, which had ben a poore harlot, what excuse remaineth, or what can we pretende, shall we not blush, and [Page] be ashamed to say that we beléeue well, and take our selues to be the Children of Abraham and the Children of God, when we are no more lyke him (then as the common saieng is,) an Apple is lyke an oyster. Christ our Sauiour doth vse this reason against the Pharesies in the Gospell of S. Iohn. If ye were Abrahams Children (saith he) ye would doe the workes of Abraham: Ioh. 8. 3. but now ye goe about to kill me, a man that haue tolde you the truth which I haue heard of God, this did not Abraham. And a little after, Ye are of your father the Diuell, and the lusts of your father ye will do. What would we haue more plaine then this? Euen the very séed and posteritie of Abraham, which tooke thē selues to be the children of Abraham, [...] the children of God, yet Christ Iesus telleth them plainly they are the children of the Diuell, and why? Because theyr workes were not like the works of Abraham, their beléefe was not lyke his▪ but it was dead. Shall not we then as boldly say at this day, nay rather, doeth not Christ speake as plainly as he did [Page] and telleth vngodlye men to theyr face, howsoeuer ye brag of your faith, it is but dead, and howsoeuer ye boast and take your selues to be the Children of God, yet in very déede, vnlesse ye returne from your vngodly waies, & shew forth the fruites of a true and liuely faith, ye are the children of the Diuell: trust not vnto your vaine hope and dead faith, for it will but deceiue you. Déerely beloued let vs not be so mad, when God telleth vs this with his owne mouth, as to beléeue the contrary and to perswade our selues we shall do well inough although we continue in our sinnes. This is a most pestilent craft of Satan, and commeth from the roote of Infidelitie, as ye may sée in our great grandmother Eue, God had tolde hir and Adam, that what day soeuer they shuld eate of ye trée, they should dye the death, the Diuell told hir, ye shall not dye, she beléeued him, but beléeued not God, she thought euen as the Diuel told hir, she shuld do wel inough, or els she would neuer haue eate therof: we haue sucked this poyson from hir breasts: when God telleth vs, if your [Page] faith bring not forth good workes, it is dead, it cannot helpe ye, if ye continue in these wicked déedes, ye are the children of the Diuell, ye must spéedelye repent, for ye cannot when ye would: No, no, saith the Diuell on the other side, that is not true, your faith is good inough, goe on, ye shall doe wel, God hath mercie in store, ye may repent afterwarde. Now the most doth beleeue the Diuell in this, and giue, no credite at all vnto God: and neuer séeke to try themselues, whether they be in good case or not.

When the Apostle, saith héer, that Abraham was iustified by workes, and that Rahab was iustified by workes, &c. We must note that this word iustified is taken diuers waies in ye scriptures, which is one cause (as I noted before) why S. Paule and S. Iames séeme to be contrarie. S. Paule prouing that we are iustified by faith, taketh it as cōtrary to this word condemned, for being by our sins guiltie, & to receiue the sentence of condemnation, we are in Christ (into whose mysticall body we are incorporate thorough faith) acquit and discharged, which [Page] is called iustification: this cannot be by the workes of the law, because there is not perfection in the déedes of any, but euen the most pure are vncleane & spotted. Therfore as S. Paule saith, they are all vnder the curse,Gal. 3. 10. which holde of the workes of ye law, for it is written, Cursed is euery one, which cōtinueth not in al things which are written in ye book of the law to do them: ye reason of this is to ‘be considered in the most holy and pure nature of God, vnto whom no vncleane thing can be coupled, no vnpure thing (although it be but in part) can abide his presence, or haue fellowship with him.’ The word iustifie is also taken in this sence, as when a man doth declare and shew forth before men, yt he is a righteous person also before God: & that is the meaning of the word in this place, that looke how by faith we are iustified before God: so by the fruits of our faith, we are iustified (that is declared to be iust) before men.

For proofe that the Scripture doeth vse the word iustified in this sence, look vpon the saieng of Dauid. That thou [Page] maist be iustified in thy saieng,Psa. 51. 4 and pure when▪ thou iudgest, there it can signifie no more but that God might shew and declare himselfe to be iust. In the Gospell of S. Luke. chap. 16. ver. 15. You are they (saith Christ to ye Pharesies) which iustifie your selues before men,Luk. 16. 15 but God doth know your hearts. In this saieng it is most apparant, that there is a iustifieng before men, which the Pharisies in coloured hypocrisie did séeke for, but Christ telleth them, they were neuer the better, because they were not of vpright heart before God. The word is also taken in other sense, which I omit. If any man will now demaund, how it can be proued, that S. Iames doth vse it in this latter sense rather then in the former? I aunswere, that the very place it selfe and go no further doth declare this thing: for when the Apostle saith thus, Some man will say, shew me thy faith by thy workes, is it not apparant, that he speketh of that which is before men, or declared vnto men, and not of that which is before God? In lyke manner, when he saith, Abraham was iustified [Page] by works, when he offered his sonne Isaac vpon the Alter. Doth not ye scripture shew, that before. God Abraham was iustified long before by faith. If it be obiected againe, yt if may also be sayd, how he was before ye time iustified before men, or that he had shewed by his déedes vnto men, yt he did feare and loue God: and then what shoulde hinder but that it may be taken for a more full and perfect iustification, or an increase therof as well before God as before men. I aunswere, that before GOD a man being iustified, to speake properly there is no increase thereof, for he is fully and wholy discharged and acquite, or els it is no iustification. But because we haue receiued the grace of iustification, but in part and not in full measure, therefore our iustifieng before men is more and more declared by degrées, as good workes doe more and more abound in vs, and so Abraham was by this one worke more iustified before men, thē by all ye rest of his déeds, & therfore it may well be set downe in stéed of al ye rest: [Page] we sée héere then yt because by the scriptures this must néedes be taken for an increase of iustification in our father Abraham, yt it must necessarily be vnderstood of that iustification which is before men: ye sée now ye meaning of this text and the drift & scope of the Apostle is laid open vnto ye, but my chiefe purpose is yet behinde, and that wherin we are to be wrought vppon yet remaineth, which is a more particular application and handling of this doctrine. For we must not passe away thus with ye matter, vnlesse we minde to take smal fruit therby. Ye will confesse these things which I haue handled to be true, as of necessity we are forced thervnto, we cā not but grant ye the holy ghost hath giuē a perfect touchstone, then I am to exhort you in the name of God, & as ye tender and loue the saluation of your soules, to giue attentiue héede a little, & not to let this thing slip away from ye, do ye graunt that the faith which is without works is dead? And that it is no better then the faith of diuels? And yet wil ye still suppose, that idolaters, swerers, railers, [Page] adulterers, couetous worldlings, & griping vsurers, & such like are in good case, or continuing such, canne hope for mercie? Do ye confesse yt ther is but one true faith, which was the faith of Abraham and Rahab? Doe ye also acknowledge that the same faith in them did shew it selfe by good déeds? And wil yée still accept it for a sufficient proofe of a good and sound testimonie of a true beliefe, when any man can say, I do hurt no man, I liue vprightly & pay euerye man his owne, I haue alwaies ben reputed & taken for an honest man, what would ye require more of me, I liue as my neighbours doe, I trust God will hold me excused, although he haue no regarde of any obedience to the worde of GOD, to consider wherein his glorye doth consist, nor yet anye care of men, to profit either theyr soules or theyr bodyes: but contenteth himselfe with this, if hée doe them no good, to doe them no harme.

I will shew you déerelye beloued, howe these sortes of people are deceyued by two fowle errours, which this [Page] text doth most strongly ouerthrowe: the first is this, that they looke but vnto mē, and restraine their duetie vnto them, whereas they should chiefly looke vnto that which they owe vnto God, & then to that which belongeth to their brethren: the seconde is that they suppose themselues bound no further but to absteine from hurting, without regard of doing the dueties of loue, wherein one man is to profit and further another.

As concerning the first of these both the example of Abraham, and also of Rahab, do manifestly conuince them: because the fruites of their faith or the works whereby they were iustified, did not so much respect man as God, for in Abraham there appeareth onely a loue towards God, for whose sake he was cō tented to forget ye affection of a father, & to shew that although he loued Isaac déerely, yet he loued God more, so yt if we féele our loue to the Lord our God, to be so small that it cannot preuaile with vs, to kill and mortifie the lusts of sinne, and vaine plesures of the flesh: how shall we perswade our selues that [Page] we are like Abraham, which had denied the loue of himsefe so farre, that he did neuer grudge, but would willingly haue killed his sonne. Rahab after shée had made confessiō what she did beleeue concerning the God of Israel, for the same Gods sake, for the true religion, and for the Church or people of God, tooke the messengers and did hide them, to the hazard of her life, & all yt she had, affirming to the king when he sent to séeke thē that they were departed. Doth not this improue the faith of those which for the religion of God are so farre off from hazarding their liues & goods, that they dare not be séene when neuer so little daunger doth arise, wherein are those like vnto Rahab, which will turne with euery winde, and a man cannot tell what religion they be of, they will be sure to rowe with the tide, and neuer to striue against the streame: doe such now iustifie themselues lyke Rahab, haue they such a faith as she had? No déerely beloued, they are as yet verye Infidells and loue themselues, and the worlde, more then they loue GOD [Page] and his truth, this thing then is most euident, yt the true beléefe doth make all those yt haue it, ready & willing to loose their liues & their goods for ye gospel, this must not séeme to be a strange doctrine, whē as our sauiour telleth vs in sundry places yt he yt doth not forsake al, & take vp his crosse & folow him cannot be his disciple. Wel, we must therfore be so hot and zealous in the profession of true religion, that it cause vs to forget our own state and commoditie: we must haue so burning a loue to Gods truth, that nothing may be able to quench the same: We must not stagger and varie, because we shal endure trouble. Let vs conclude this point, wherein it is proued yt they erre & are deceiued, which doe not make account of kéeping religion pure, of louing it before all other things, and so of giuing to God his due honour. Remember yt from hence ye are to fetch the first part of ye true description of a godly mā, & the triall of the iustifieng faith which is but one, & therfore worketh alike, in all which are pertakers of it though not in the like mesure, & with all mark how [Page] far ye holye Ghost doth differ in setting forth a righteous man, from ye common māner of worldlings: wheras he taketh it to be ye chiefe work, which respecteth God himself & his truth: they passe ouer that & count it no matter though a man be an Idolater, or superstitious, or a swearer, which doth not reuerence the name of God, so yt he be a friendly man to his friend & such lyke, how great an enimy he be to ye word of God, it skilleth not: these are brute beasts wtout vnderstāding, very Atheists, which wil say plainly they can sée no differēce betwéen the papists & the professors of ye gospel: both because they are not able to iudge of doctrine, & also yt they looke but vnto men: now let vs come to ye second thing wherin they erre, & which this text doth confute sharply, they suppose as I tolde ye, ye men are to haue no farther regard, but to this, not to hurt, passing by all those duties, wherin they are to do good vnto their brethren: not duly cōsidering how ye law of god, doth not only bind vs to abstein frō hurting our neighbor, but also doth most straightly tie vs to do al [Page] good déeds vnto them, so that he is guiltie before God, not onely which committeth that which the law forbiddeth, but also which leaueth the thing vndone, which the law enioyneth. Now then because the true faith bringeth vs to haue care to obey God wholy. S. Iames requireth that a man should shew his faith, not only by leauing yt which is euil, but also by the performaunce of yt which is good: for thus he saith, shew me thy faith by thy déeds: & that faith which is without works, is dead, héere by ye way obserue by comparison, how far of are those frō grace, which swarme ful of vncleane vices, & their whole race is nothing but a continual sinning: wheras this is euidently héere proued, yt such mē as carie a great shew of vprightnes, in refraining from sundry vices, are stil without testimonie of true beléefe, because their holy déeds do not appeare, for when as ye holy scriptures do testify, yt ye hart is purified by faith, yt those are borne againe in the new & spirituall birth, that they are new creatures, & haue a new heart, & a right spirit, created and renewed in them, [Page] it must néedes be that they are prepared vnto euery good worke, they haue not onely put off the olde man with his corrupt lusts, but haue also put on ye new man, which is created in righteousnesse and true holinesse: & as they haue walked in darknesse, so now they walke in the light. There is one step yet further in this matter, I trust that as ye will confesse this, that if those do not beléeue well, which haue no good workes to shewe, although they be in some things vpright, and much more the foule and filthy liuers, which dishonour God and his truth, so ye will also be brought to sée, that those miserable men are yet further off, which barke against this holye doctrine, and cannot abide that a man should say to the wicked and vngodlye, thou art in the waye to hell, thou shalt dye the death, if thou returne not from these euills. They may thunder & raile against men and saye they vtter damnation: but let them looke, if they can quench the light which the Holy Ghost hath giuen in this text. Let vs retourne to the former matter againe. We must [Page] not onely abstaine from euill, but also doe good: there be many likewise deceiued in this doing good, restraining it to the baser and lesser part: they looke but vnto the bodies of their bretheren, and suppose they are to haue no further regard but of them, to reléeue and ease the miseries of the flesh, let the soule be neuer so blinde, neuer so sicke, in neuer so great danger of eternall destruction, they haue no pitie of that, which doth bewray that they sée no further then this lyfe, they haue no true loue nor pitie in thē, for then woulde they loue the soules of men, which are so precious, they would pitie the wofull miserie that they be in. For how absurd a thing is this, yt one should be carefull to ease the calamitie which lasteth but for a daye, and not respect that which is eternall, I must therfore héere againe admonish ye, that such as will haue proofe of their faith by good works, must exercise the same as wel to the soules as to the bodies of men, and because therein doth stand the greatest loue of all other, they are therein to shewe themselues most earnest. There [Page] is no more excellent note of faith, and of the true feare & loue of God, then when a man is gréeued, and mourneth to sée men out of the waye to life, running headlong in their sinnes vnto destruction, and when as he doth in loue and pitie admonish them, and séeke by instruction to draw them out of the snares of the Diuell. On the contrary side, he can neuer say he hath anye droppe of grace, which delighteth and sporteth himselfe, at the lewde and wanton behauiour of other men. Iudge déere bretheren these Cockbraines, which cannot be merrye, but at the sinfull and prophane speaches of vaine men: doe they shewe the fruites of Faith? Those abhominable beasts, which delight to make mē dronk, to the intent they may laugh: are they of God, or of the Diuell? We must diligently exercise the contrary, labouring to draw one another to God: and to conuert their soules which go astray: which is the speciall and chiefe good work that we can do vnto men. To féede the hungrie, to cloth the naked, to visit ye sick, & those which are in bōds, to opē as it wer [Page] the bowells of mercie and compassion, to all that are in misery: are verye excellent and glorious fruites of faith: & haue great promises of reward, in ye holy Scriptures, yet are they not comparable to these, when the soule is sicke in prison, and in the chaines of Satan, to visit and reléeue it. When it is pining away, for want of heuenly food, to minister vnto it: when it is full of grieuous sores and deadly wounds, to giue wholsōe medicines & salues vnto it: to mourn with the bowells of pittie & compassion for it. From hence it ariseth that al true faithfull hearts doe sob and grone with sorrow, when they sée men left without instruction, and when they behold the desolations and ruines of the Church, it doth pinch them euen at the heart, it causeth bitter teares to flow out of their eyes, when they behold any famine and dearth of the foode of life: and when they sée them runne from Sea to Sea, and from the one ende of the land to the other to séeke for it. When they sée the young man and the beautiful virgin perish for thirst, he that shall denie this, or [Page] stand in doubt thereof, neuer knewe as yet, what the vse and benefit of the word is, nor yet what that loue in the spirite is, which the Lord commendeth vnto vs. I might héere stand long in perticulars, to shewe the crueltie of those Parents, which suffer their children to be without the knowledge of God, and to perish in their sins. For one of the chiefe fruites of their faith doth stande in this which the Apostle commaundeth,Ephe. 6. 4. Fathers prouoke not your children to wrath, but bring them vp in the nourture and instruction of the Lord. For those which haue the riches and wealth of the world, the Holy ghost saith,1. Ioh. 3. 17 He that hath this worlds good, and séeth his brother stand in néede, and shutteth vp his compassion from him, how dwelleth the loue of God in him? If this be true, that the rich men of the world, do not loue God when they wil not part with their riches, to reléeue ye miserable carcase of their bretheren: then doubtlesse it is a more strong argument against them, when as so many soules perish for want of good & pure instruction, which by their wealth [Page] they might procure, if they did not make more account of their riches, then of the saluation of men. Gods word pronounceth them blessed, which imploye theyr goods to féede the poore, then how much more blessed a thing is it when they are imployed to the ministring of spirituall foode, which neuer perisheth? But let vs come to those which haue the charge of soules, what is the principal good work, which they are to shew their faith by: & wherein they are to declare their loue towardes Christ and his Church. Simon Ioanna louest thou me,Ioh. 21. 15 Féede my shéepe, féede my Lambes, féed my shéepe. When as therefore the hireling, the idle Drone, and the Idoll shepheard haue the flocke of the Shéepe & Lambes of Christ and doe not féede them, or at the least doe so féede them, that they are neuer the better: where is the faith which they boast of, is it anye other then the dead faith and the faith of Diuells? Whosoeuer therefore will haue the testimonie of his faith in this callyng, he must execute the office as the Scripture bindeth him.

[Page] Is it possible that he can giue credit to the word of God, and be of a right beléefe, and not regard this? The rest of his good déedes whereby some man will say he doth shewe his faith, are no good déedes: for if he did them of loue towards God and his bretheren, would he not then doe that, wherein his loue to both should most of all shewe it selfe? Can he loue God, and hate God? Can he loue men, and hate men? Or can hée loue God, and not regard to do his wil? Or can he loue men, and not care for the saluation of their soules? O my bretheren, who cannot say to such a man: Shew me thy faith by thy works. Who will be so blinde as to think such are in good case?

I will nowe drawe towardes an ende, onelye by this place exhorting euerye man, while God giueth him time and abilytie, to giue himselfe to the exercise of good workes, and the seruice of God.

And déere bretheren, what shoulde make vs so slacke, considering howe shorte our time is, and howe great [Page] reasons ther are to perswade vs, as first to begin with that, which is taught in this place: is it not a meruelous blessing to haue the witnesse of our faith? Is it not a miserable curse to be without the true peace of conscience, and to abide stil in doubt? Doeth not GOD promise vs also, although we can deserue nothing, but when we haue done all that we can we are still vnprofitable seruaunts, that all our good workes shal be rewarded,Ma. 10 42 euen to a Cup of cold water, which is giuen for his sake? Make yée bagges which neuer waxe olde,Luk. 12. 33 or treasure which neuer faileth in heauen, &c. Shall not the promise of reward mooue vs? Go further, how déere and precious ought the name of our God to be vnto vs, how much ought it to delyght vs to heare it magnified, how much ought we to abhorre to sée it stayned and dishonoured? Is not his name honoured when those which call vppon him, are fruitfull in good workes. Héerein saith Christ is my Father glorified:Ioh. 15. 8 that ye goe, and bring foorth much fruite. Also he saith. Let your light so shine before [Page] men yt they may sée your good works & glorifie your father which is in heauen.Mat. 5, 16. Is not Gods name dishonoured by the euill conuersation of those which professe his worde?Rom. 2. 24 Saith not S. Paule, The name of God is euill spoken of, through you among the heathen? Ought not the Gospell to bée déere vnto vs? Is it not in the mouth of ye greatest number of worldlings, when they sée ye euill déeds of professors? Loe these are your Gospellers, héere is their holye doctrine, these are they which hunt after Sermons, ye may sée what they are, & what their teaching is, they haue as fewe good works as other men, they are all in wordes. O wretches, shall not these things moue vs to let the world sée our faith and loue towards God by our good works? likewise is ther any greater loue which can be shewed towards men, thē when they shall be moued by our good déeds, to glorifie God in ye day of their visitation, when our godly deling shall cause them to confesse that it is an holy religion which we professe, & so giue eare & ioyne themselues vnto the same? [Page] Happy man which by his holy life is a meane to drawe others from their euil wayes: & to bring thē to be schollers in ye same schoole that he is. Contrariwise, what a woful and miserable wretch is that which slaundereth & dishonoureth the holy word by his sinfull life, which driueth other from it, and so thrusteth them on headlong to destruction. O vncharitable man, shall not the bloud of such in some sort be layd to thy charge, when thou driuest them from the Lord and his truth, as much as lyeth in thée, and driuest them headlong to destruction. I might procéede to many perticulars, but then I should be ouer tedious. The Lorde plant these things in our hearts, and giue vs grace to continue in all goodnesse to our liues ende, to his glorie, and our eternall comfort. Amen.

FINIS.

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A Godlie, zealous, and profitable Sermon vpon the second Chapter of Saint Iames.

Preached at London, by Master George Gifford, and published at the request of sundry godly and well disposed persons.

¶Imprinted at London for Tobie Cooke, dwelling at the Tigers head in Paules Churchyard. 1582.

¶The second Chapter of Saint Iames, verse. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23 24. 25. 26.

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14 What auaileth it, my brethren, though a man saith he hath faith, when he hath no works? can that saith saue him.

15 For if a brother or a sister be naked and destitute of daily foode.

16 And one of you say vnto them, Depart in peace, warme your selues, & fill your bellies: notwithstanding yee giue them not those things which are needfull to the body, what helpeth it?

17 Euen so the faith, if it haue no works, is dead in it selfe.

18 But some man might say, Thou hast the faith, and I haue works: shew me thy faith out of thy workes, and I wil shew thee my faith by my works.

19 Thou beleeuest that there is one God: thou doest well: the diuels also beleeue it, and tremble.

20 But wilt thou vnderstand, O thou vaine man, that the faith which is without works, is dead?

21 Was not Abraham our Father [Page] iustified through works, when he offered Isaac his sonne vpon the Altar?

22 Seest thou not that the faith wrought with his works? and through the works was the faith made perfect.

23 And the Scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham beleeued God, & it was imputed vnto him for righteousnesse: & hee was called the friend of God.

24 Ye see then how that of works a man is iustified, & not of faith only.

25 Likewise also was not Rahab the harlot iustified through workes, when she had receiued the messengers, and sent them out another way?

26 For as the body without the spirit is dead, euen so the faith without works is dead.

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¶Imprinted at London by Thomas East for Tobie Cooke, dwelling at the Tigers head in Paules Churchyard. 1582.

Information about this book

Title statement

A godlie, zealous, and profitable sermon vpon the second chapter of Saint Iames. Preached at London, by Master George Gifford, and published at the request of sundry godly and well disposed persons

Gifford, George, d. 1620.

Edition statement

1582

Publication

Publisher

Text Creation Partnership,

Place of publication

Ann Arbor, MI ; Oxford (UK) :

Date

2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

ID [DLPS]

A01727

ID [STC]

STC 11860

ID [STC]

ESTC S108636

ID [EEBO-CITATION]

99844293

ID [PROQUEST]

99844293

ID [VID]

9091

Availability

This keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above is co-owned by the institutions providing financial support to the Early English Books Online Text Creation Partnership. This Phase I text is available for reuse, according to the terms of Creative Commons 0 1.0 Universal. The text can be copied, modified, distributed and performed, even for commercial purposes, all without asking permission.

Series

Early English books online.

Notes

(EEBO-TCP ; phase 1, no. A01727)

Transcribed from: (Early English Books Online ; image set 9091)

Images scanned from microfilm: (Early English books, 1475-1640 ; 544:13)

Source

— A godlie, zealous, and profitable sermon vpon the second chapter of Saint Iames. Preached at London, by Master George Gifford, and published at the request of sundry godly and well disposed persons, Gifford, George, d. 1620..

Extent

[56] p.

[By Thomas East] for Tobie Cooke, dwelling at the Tigers head in Paules Churchyard,. Imprinted at London :: 1582.. (Printer's name from colophon.) (B1r catchword: 'tion'.) (Running title reads: A sermon on the second of S. Iames.) (Signatures: [A]² B-D E² .) (Reproduction of the original in the British Library.)

Creation

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