YOur entrye to the ma­ter is fitte for your processe:Steuen Gardines the bys­shop. for neither dyd I euer write suche arti­cles, ne Barnes was burnte for preachinge onely faith iustifiethe. I was by Barnes choise, his scolemaister at the which tyme we entreted the article of onely faith iustifieth: as shal hereafter appere.

MY entrie into the matter was very fitte for my processe:Ioye. for although another might perchaūce write these articles, yet do this your owne derke declaration and perti­nate defence of thē shewe the same to be yours, althoughe they had not borne your name. For neuer did the child so lyuely resemble his owne father, as do these articles & their de­claracion expresse the bysshoppe of [Page] Romes antichristen doctrine, by you both preached and in your other bo­kes writen for his defence, therebye declaring your selfe to be his owne obedient sworne sonne. It had bene therfore more honesty & lesse shame, yea & more godly for a christen bys­shop beinge of a christen kinges coū cell, pretendinge to be his frend and faithfull subiecte, for the estiewinge of so violente a suspicion, yea rather so bold a manifest declaration, your selfe to stande yet so styll vppon the popes parte agaynst your so gentle and louynge a prince, to haue vtter­ly renyed and renownced them for your articles, seing they be so direc­tely against y^e worde of god, against the olde holy doctours, againste the abolyshment of the pope, only stin­kinge of Pelagiane, leauened with the popes pharisaical sower leauen. Ye speke to me in your preface as excusing your selfe of doctor Barnis death, that he was not burnt for the [Page ii] article of onely faith iustifieth. How ye handled doctor Barnes your sco­ler, better learned than his maister, I can not tell. But this wel I wote by your owne wordes, in youre pre­face, that anon after, the maister and scoler coulde not agre vpon this article of our faithe, & his maister had openly forgeuen him,Barne [...] was v [...]rgi [...] ff [...]n, the scoler was sent into the tower, and in conclusiō brent in smithfelde. Howe smothely soeuer ye haue here firste of all for your defence painted your excuse in wasshinge your handes with pilate yet by your owne wordes, the contention in this matter of faith was one­ly betwixt you and him, onelye you he troubled, onely you he offended, onely you, he openly (to vse your termes) encombred with shamefacenes only you complayned of hym so greuously to the kynges maiestie. And who compelled him to recante open­ly, I can not tell. Onelye you accuse him of heresy in your boke, ye might saye [Page] perchaunce with the olde holy spiri­tuall pharisais and byshops, Nobis non licet interficere quemquam. It is not lawfull for vs to kyll anye man. And so after ye haue accused & condemned pore christ, deliuer him vp into the seclar handes to do exe­cucion, because so holy bishops wold not pollute their sacred anointed fingers with innocent bloud. But this is plaine: openly he asked you forgeuenes at saint Maries spittel, where ye gaue it him in an outward signe, but whether in herte, god knowethe it. And he stondinge at the stake as­ked the shryue the cause of his death and he saide he knew it not. And thē last of al, doctor Barnes as one sus­pectīg only you, sayd these wordes. If doctour Steuen bishop of Winchester be the causer of my deathe, oure lorde my god, for christes sake, forgeue it him, as I wolde my selfe be forgeuen. And besides all these e­uidences, the comon fame can not be [Page iii] stylled. But this so waighty a cause in a bisshop, that shulde be an edi [...]ier and no destroier, a feder, a nourisher to minister life, and not a bloudsou­per, I leaue it to the iudgemente of God, when doctor Barnis and you shall both shortely stande before the iudgement seat of Christe,

It is of lyke truth that ye affirme of me, The bys­shop. that I shuld by these articles proue that workes must iustifye. I neuer went about to proue that, how so euer it liketh you to reporte of me, I neuer wrote so, I neuer preached so, I neuer affirmed so ne enterprised to teache Barnes so.

This is my iust reporte of you in my former booke gathered of youre articles.Ioye. That ye wolde proue that workes must iustifye, that is,when I al­ledge then [...] ber and the leafe of hi [...] boke, it is of his first [...] prīted bok [...] in the greater volume with our workes, we must merite the re­mission of our sinnnes, whiche whi­ther it be of lyke truthe, with my former saienges, your owne wordes w^t ­in .viii. lynes folowynge declare it, sayenge. ‘Ye wolde not be afrayde to [Page] vse that speache, that with our wor­kes we must merite the remission of oure sinnes, if I and other had not diffamed y^e word, merite. And in the next leafe ye saye, we with the grace of god doing the workes of penaūce taste and fele the passion of Chryste. Whiche taste and felynge commeth by doinge the workes of penaunce.’ Which what els is it then by doing the workes of penaunce to deserue the taste of christes passion, felynge therby y^e remission of our sinnes?ioan. 6. For to tast & fele christes passiō is to tast and fele certainly oure remission of synnes as Ihon declareth it, by the eatinge of his fleshe, and drinkinge of his bloude, by our faith, therof the iustified to lyue. And if by doing the workes of penaunce (as ye teache) we deserue this taste and felynge, so deserue we by your penaunce doing our iustificacion. And euē by and by ye confirme this your false doctrine of meritinge, sayenge.‘That good men haue called it meritinge to vse [Page iiii] the benefites of Christes passion.’ Whiche your iuglynge I shall dis­close, when I come to the place. And in the laste lyne of the same syde, ye saye. ‘And sinners be called to grace to do the workes of penaunce, wherby to recouer y^t fauour of god with remission and forgeuenes of their sinnes.’ And in the next lefe, ye saye. ‘So as Christ merited and deserued thorowly, we by participation in v­singe his giftes, merit and deserue. And saye ye not that they that wyll enioye the remission of their synnes muste fulfill your condicion?’ which condicion ye declare to be stuffed ful of all your owne good workes, cal­lynge them Winchesters workes. Turne to your .xlix. lefe folowinge, and ye shall see it true that I saye. What els do ye seme to proue, but by workes to merit our iustificaciō? And yet is your doctrine so intricate perplexe and repugnant, that in many places ye fight against your selfe to seeke oute youre shiftes to make [Page] youre popish parte to seme true to foles, that haue neither learninge ne iudgemēt. What els didde I con­fute with the manifeste scriptures against you, then youre meritinge by workes youre remission, you euer sweatinge youre feble defence with pelagians papistry, as it shall appeare hereafter? And therfore ne­uer denye it for shame that ye euer went about to proue it or to write it or to preache and teache it. Ye haue gone about it in deade, for ye neuer coulde hit it with all the shaftes ye haue shotte. It is greate shame for one that wolde be sene so highly learned, and a byshop to, so sone to eate his owne wordes, & deny his owne hand writing, whē he seeth his part naught, and so false that he is not able by scriptures to defende it.

The bys. I wolde not be aferde to vse this spech (with our workes we muste merite the re­mission of our sinnes) had not you and o­ther, to the worlde diffamed and sclaun­dered the worde (merite).

[Page v]It is in dede a sclaunder,Ioye. not of vs geuen, but of you superciliouse pharisais receiued: who for youre concupiscence of the flesh,A sclaunder geuen and a sclaūder receiued. & of your eyes, and for your pryde, be the very worlde in deede, as Ihon painteth your romysshe court. For a receiued sclaunder is when a thinge wel done or saide, is sinistrely of malice euell taken, as Mathew describeth it.

But as touchinge the churche of Christ takinge it, I tell you againe as Elyas tolde kinge Achab. It is you and your fathers house of rome for that ye haue forsaken the lordes preceptes, & be gonne after Baalim folowing your fathers false doctrine Pelagiane, whiche haue diffamed the very onely trewe merites of christes passion with your owne stinkīg merites of your sinful workes ther­by to deserue remission of youre sin­nes. Which ye so laden with mo merites then ye nede of in youre super­fluouse supererogations, that ye sel [Page] so dere your owne ouerplus merites your misses, fat fastinges, myndles prayers, vnwylfull watchinges, &c. Your holy father Paul .iii. of Rome hath yet in store, & nede be, his chur­ches treasure, an infinite chistefull of your saintes merites, yea and of Christes merites to, wherout by participation, for mony, he is readye to lash out this your marchaundise of merites, and yet in nothinge (to vse your wordes) diminishing theffecte of christs passiō. This is your diffa­macion of merite, whose good name ye ought to restore by gods worde, if ye wil not be sene to stand vpō your father the popes side. Of what elles foundacion stode al your abbeis monasteries chauntries, yea and youre bisshoprikes to, but vpon these your popisshe merites, in prayers and mysses, for the deade, to plucke them out of your fained purgatorye? And therfore be thei worthely subuerted Christ so prophecienge of them. Euery [Page vi] plantacion which my heuenly fa­ther hath not planted,Math. 5 [...] shalbe vpro­ted. Your byshoprikes therefore do but tarye the verifienge of the same. Neither I, ne anye true christiane knoweth any other merites for sinne then the plenteouse merites of chri­stes passion, by his mooste preciouse bloude, perfitly & perpetually deseruinge for al that beleue in him forgeuenes of their sinnes. And am certi­fied by this his almyghtye euerla­stinge worde. That man is frely iu­stified by the grace of god thorowe faith in Iesu Christe: so that this worde gratis, frely,Rom. 3. excludeth all the merites of any worke of the law, frō faithe iustyfyenge, but not from the faithfull iustified man. If this say­enge be sclaunderouse to meryte,In his pi­stle to etesipho. & dialo i. Austē. in. psal: xxxi. & lxx. & in his pistle .lii. &c. so be Hierome and Austen great sclan­derers of Meryte, whiche constante­lye affyrme agaynst the Pelagyans man to haue no merytes. If thou wylt (sayth Austen) be quite & voide [Page] of grace, bost thy merites. And god croneth his owne giftes, and not thy merites. And the scriptures affirme euery where all rewarde celestiall to be geuen vs oute of the free mercye of god for christes sake,Ro. iiii. & .xi and not for any of our merites, Ye myght haue sene it clearely, yf ignoraūce & malice had not blyndened you, by the so manye mightye argumentes made of Paule. ex contētione, of these contraries: workes and grace, merite and free gyfte, ryghtewysenesse of the lawe and of faith, from vncertaine to certaine, from to haue any thinge of grace, and of dewtye deserued, frō the waueringe infirme vnperfit deades of the lawe, to the ferme promise receiued by faith, that merites and grace, ne faith and workes beynge so contrary in this cause of contēciō can neuer be cōcurrant into one, and the same acte of our iustificacion.

The scripture holly consenteth that all our beste workes of the lawe be [Page vii] sinne & filthy, & therfore not to haue that dignitie to deserue remission of sinnes, as I haue sufficientlye pro­ued it in my cōfutatiō of your false articles, which ye haue not yet, ne cā disproue. The lawe is the wyll and mynde of god, holy, spirituall, iuste, and good, and requireth suche perfit holy, and iust workes, as be not cor­rupte ne stained with any carnall affect of man, but suche workes were there neuer perfourmed but onelye of him, of whome the father testified This is he in whome I am pleased Wherfore man so longe as he is called fleshe, can not deserue by doinge the workes of the lawe. God promi­seth rewardes to the fulfyllers of y^e law,Rom. viii. but because it is impossible for man called fleshe to fulfyll it, there­fore he sent his sonne Christe to ful­fyll it, that his fulfyllynge by oure faith apprehended, shulde be oures, thus made of the father our righte­wisenes, our holynes, wysdome.i. Cor. i. &c. [Page] And here I write it yet againe, that ye laye so heuily to my charge. Euen that god commaundeth to man,Rom. viii. so longe as he is called caro (whiche is as longe as he lyueth) thinges im­possible,i.li. retract. ca. ix. In en [...]h. ad [...]auren. de gratia [...] li. arb. ca. xvi. homili. in Io. xxix. et episto. xxiiii as Paule, and Christe, and Austen testifieth saienge. Man hath not in his power to be good, eather not seynge for hys ignoraunce what maner one he oughte to be, or els, if he see it, yet is he not able to be suche one, as he seeth him selfe to oughte to be: And therefore sayeth he in ma­ny places. God cōmaundeth impos­sible thinges to man, that he know­inge his owne imperfection and im­possibilite, shuld seke helpe of him in whō is all perfection, & helpe in our nede. And all to depresse mans arro­gancy, and to shewe him to hym selfe to be but a synner, so to be saued only by the grace and mercye of god and not for his owne merites not to glo­rye in our selues.i. Cor. i. Ephe. ii. Thus is the lawe the vssher of y^e scole to take vs forth [Page viii] to christe, it sheweth vs our synnes, it woundeth vs but healeth not, It prouoketh vs by faith to seke helthe in Christe, that all the glory myghte be geuē to the grace of god in Christ Which geueth not his glory to any other nether by participation,Ephe. i. nor by retaliacion. And then ye saye playne contrarye to all your owne doctryne in your hole boke thus.

Christes passion in the sight of god, The bys is (onl [...]) sufficient sacrifice for the sinne of all the worlde, so ful and so perfite, as ne­deth not any addicion or supplemēt of any mannes desert to the appeacynge of gods iuste wrath against man for synne.

By this exclusiue (onely) & youre absolute speche,Ioye. it shulde folow that all men without faith, shulde be sa­ued. yea and without youre condici­ons to. Ye shulde haue added there­fore, is onely sufficiente sacrifice to the beleuers in him. But howe stan­deth this peece with your so manye good condycyons, so full of youre workes to deserue your remyssyon? [Page] which all, ye saye, be required to that tainement of oure iustification. All your principles, argumentes, reasōs autorities violently wrested, youre collettes, versicles, with sancte ma­rie & omnium sanctorum meritis, With sancta maria ora pro nobis, sancte Georgi, with al your lyke papistry, tend to the contrarye that ye haue here sayd.To merite by partici­pation. For euen your owne praphane vaine voice of your participation, maketh christe but halfe a deseruer, halfe a satisfier, and but a party patched sauiour. For what is it els to merite and to satisfye (as ye say) by participation, then to diuide part or halfe to him, and part to vs. It behouethe a lyer, euer to haue a good memory, lest his wordes fight against him self, compelled to vtter his lyes with his owne mouthe, as your selfe hath here done openly. Diuide not gods essenciall indiuisible names from him. Halt not thus (for shame) with Baalis byshoppes into [Page ix] both partes, as Ely the prophet for­biddeth you, Eyther let christe be an hole entire sufficient sauiour, deser­uer and satis [...]ier for synne, or elles none at all: Diuide not his glorye to your synfull merites and satisfac­tions. Christe is not diuided saithe Paule. It was he that al alone trode the wine presse in his bloudye robes none of all the worlde to haue holpē him, Isaie .lxiii.

Christ onely is our hope, only Christe is our lyfe, our waye, The bys▪ onlye Christ is oure sauiour, holly thorowly perfetly abso [...]utely, totally, entirely. &c.

If christ be suche one, then away with all your meritinges,Ioye. satisfaccions contentacions for sinne, awaye with all your condicions for that­tainement and enioyinge of the re­mission and saluacion. Here may euery reader see howe shamefully repu­gnant is your doctrine

The contencion is not of the preciousnes validite and effect of christes passyon but of the vse of it. The bys.

[Page] Ioye.A goodly shameles shifte lo. Be ye slypte now from theffect so soden­ly to the vse? Euen an euident token of a gilty conscience, that mis [...]rusteth and is a fraide of his owne doctrine, Do not the remission of oure sinnes pertaine to the preciousenes of Chri­stes passion? Is it not the validite & th [...]ffect therof that iustifieth and ab­soluteth the beleuers from synne?

Saye ye not youre selfe firste of all. Theffecte of Christes passion, requireth a condicion? ye neuer saide the vse thereof requireth the condicion. Theffect therof was euer the marke that ye dyd shote at, and I confuted it. The contencion was euer betwixt vs. whether by faith onely, or by workes or by faith and workes together mā is iustified, & at the same marke yet bend ye al your feble ordināce in this your declaraciō. And as for the vse of Christes passiō ye neuer spake of tyl now for a shifte as one wery of his false part. The vse therof presupposeth [Page x] the hauing therof whiche is the iustification by onely faith. Whiche once obtained we well vse it in y^t we remēber it w^t perpetual thankes geuing, lauding & praising our heauēly father, thorow our sauior christ for so ryche inestimable a benefite. What faithful man doubted of this vse after he had enioyed the gyfte? And this vse of it, is the gift of god. Nowe what contencion and matter can ye moue or make of this vse? Except ye wyll contende to shewe your highe witte and wilye rethorike to fynde a knotte in a rishe, as haue the prouerbe. ‘In youre scole with Bar­nes, ye saye ye traueled to enstructe him of the condicions before theffect & agreed vpon faith to be one, & then ye brought in mo cōdiciōs & workes as to forgeue your neyghbor, & your incorporaciō into christ by baptisme or returning to him by penāce.’ whi­che all, for that they go before the forgeuenes (after you) they can not be y^e vse of the thinge not yet obtayned, [Page] wherfore nether with hī, ne in your articles is there, ne coulde be any cō tention of the vse of christes passion. But I wyll by waye (as they saye) of communication, admitte your cauillacion, and trappe you in youre owne wordes, thus saing in the next syde of your lefe.

And we with the grace of god, doinge the workes of penaunce, taste and fele the passiō of Christ, The bys, and as good men haue called it meritinge and deseruinge to vse the benefites of Christes passion.

Before ye were in the vse of chri­stes passion,Ioye. and now ye be fledde to the meriting to vse the benefites therof. And this is your mistye maze ye wold leade your readers into, more to wonder at your highe lerninge & wyly witte, not perceiued ne vnder­standen, then to gette any frute therby. This is your iuglynge cast with your wide wordes of (vse, and meri­tinge to vse) as ye iugled with your confuse condiciō so ful of your yong condicions. Nowe euerye man seeth [Page xi] the benefites of Christes passion to be infinite and innumerable, and euerye one to haue his proper vse

And thus haue ye broughte vs into a confuse wylde wyldernesse wherin ye maye with your wilye ro­myshe foxe, wynde your self into many perplexe wayes as into an C. an­gles. Amonge therfore so manye be­nefites, for youre pleasure, to take your course with your worde (vse) let y^e remission of our sinnes in christ by faith (if it so lyke you) be one of these benefites. To vse a benefit wel, is to encrease it, remember and ac­knowledge it with thankes geuing dailye to thautor therof. This vse we must deserue with the workes of penaunce (saye you) ere we haue the benefit vsed: a goodly godly dreame lo. I had wende that the vse of this benefite, as to acknowledge it, to re­member it, to encreace it, & to thāke god, had ben also the giftes of hym that saith, without me ye can do no­thinge, [Page] no not so muche as to thinke wel, to wil wel, or to begin any good worke: Or els after you & your good men, these benefites we must deserue to vse them with y^e worke of penaūce Now hath penance hir vse, ergo we must w^t a nother former worke de­serue the vse of penaūce, and so with a nother former to deserue that vse, & thus haue ye brought vs by your fōd dreme into your infinite intricate & endeles maze of your meriting to vse If (ye say) I obserue not how charyly ye speke, saieng thus. And we w^t the grace of god doīg y^t workes of penāce tast & fele y^e passion. Uerely I so ob­serue it, y^t I se it maketh against your self. For christes passiō is tasted & felt by faith. And god geueth no mā such a grace as by workes to deserue another grace, for so shulde he make his grace no grace, as Paule proueth it. Rom. xi. Then ye saye addynge.

The bys. And by the strength of christes passion we deserue to do penaunce for synne.

Ioye.This tale repugneth to the former [Page xii] head sentence. For there penaūce de­serued to tast christes passion: & here by christes passiō we deserue to do penaūce, here is wondres shiftinge w^t these two thīges one to deserue y^e to­ther, now by penāce to deserue to tast the passion & anon by the strength of the passion to deserue to do penance. Suche is the incōstant doctrine of y^e vnlerned papists, plaing fox to hole w^t their penaunce & christes passion. Ye know well y^t christes passion not tasted by faith profiteth nothīg at al y^e infidele turke or false christian, but is the sauour of death vnto death to thē. And how then can ye by y^e strēgth of it do penaunce before it be tasted, by faith? ye said first that penaunce goth before y^e tast: ergo that penance before faith tasting the passion cā be but a sower and an vnsauery penāce euē such one as was in Esau Iudas & in the turkes penaunce, whiche yet haue not by faith tasted y^e swete sauor of their forgiuenes in christes passiō [Page] And euen this lo, is your popysh penaunce ye wolde teache before fayth iustifieng. Now then sith there be so many workes, and partes of youre popish penaunce, tell vs playnly by whiche parte or worke of youre pe­naunce, taste & fel [...] ye christes passi­on? nether by youre broken contrici­ons and attricions neuer healed, ne by your neuer satisfyed satisfactions ne satispassions in your purgatorye, ne by yours to skant contentacions or whisperinge dome absolutions, ne by your auricular confessions, hauynge not one worde ne promyse of God to tast so great a benefite, do ye taste and fele Christes passion, or by whiche worke of youre penaunce enioyned vnto your gostly children do they taste it? I haue herde (the more shame it is) your ghostly fathers in their auriclar confessions to haue tasted and groped ryght knauyshelye their goostly. But neuer therby to haue tasted Christes passion. For y^t [Page xiii] onely so bitter cup, none tasted ther­by so to merite but Christ, and yet ye skof, with potestis bibere calicem. &c. Maye ye drinke the cuppe whi­che I shall drinke? It appearethe here by your wordes, sayenge, It to be necessarye some to taste and fele of Chrystes passyon by youre pe­naunce and alledginge of the texte, y^t ye neuer tasted it your selfe, ne tasted the true vnderstandyng of Christes wordes, by potestis bibere calicē. &c. Iudas dyd all youre workes of pe­naunce. He came and confessed openly, (which agreeth better with gods worde then auricularly) his sinne to the highe byshops your predicessors he made restitution to them of the monye, which they gaue him to be­traye Christe, he was heuye, contrite and attrite. They gaue him their ab­solution with. Quid ad nos? what is that to vs? if thou hast betrayed the lust bloud. Tu videris. Take hede to thy nowne charge, and let vs alone. [Page] And yet so farre was Iudas from y^e taste of christes passion, for all these his & your workes of penaunce that of a desperate mynde he hanged him selfe▪ And wherfore came Iudas w^t his & this your penaūce to this wret­ched ende? verely because it proce­ded not oute of the roote of faithe in Christe ne of the knoweledge of the mercy of god in Chryste, oute of the whiche faith and knoweledge what penance or worke soeuer procedethe not,Ro. xiiii. it is syn. And yet wil you so īpu­dently cōtend & sweat for your wor­kes of your penāce to go before faith iustifyeng, & to merite y^e fayth where by we taste and fele Christes passion and the remissiō of our synnes. Here is holsome doctrine that ye teache. ‘Ye saye good men haue called pe­naunce meritinge and deseruing to vse the benefites of christes passion.’Euen suche good papistes as ye be to restore your misteres, merit mere­trix to hir spirituall spouse the pope [Page xiiii] and to you againe. If your penaūce shulde deserue to vse these benefites of christes passion, so shuld one dede and euer the worse dede deserue to do a better (a wise doctryne, I war­raunt you) sette in a circle withoute hed & taile, ye shuld loke vpō y^e scriptures rather thē on your good pope holy men. Which scriptures tel vs, y^t al our best dedes be corrupt & filthel [...] stained w^t sinne,Isay. 64. so y^t they be not able nether to deserue any reward gostly ne to sustaine y^e iudgement of god,Ps. c, [...]i. but will condempne you before hym so farre of be thei to merite, And therfor said Austē. Thy good workes ar y^e giftes of god lest y^u shuldest thinke thē to be thy merites.Rom. [...]x. It is not in the willer nor doer to wyll or to do well but it belongeth to the mercy & grace of god preuētīg thy wil w^t his grace to do good. what is it y^t god biddeth vs to do but he biddethe vs to aske grace of him to do the same, tellīg vs plainly y^t if it were in our power to [Page] do it, so were it no nede for vs to ask the doyng therof. For no man asketh the thinge which he hath.

The bys. Penaunce hath ben called lykewise satis­faccion, as wherin man satisfieth, that is contenteth God.

It hath ben lykewise so called in dede,Ioye. euen of lyke papists, with lyke autoritie out of no scripture, but likewise against gods worde in like blasphemye to christes merites, and his satisfaccions. To satisfye is to con­tent god, ye saye. And here ye make a sodaine stoppe, ye shuld haue added boldely, to content god for synne, as ye saye in your boke of your necessa­ry enstructions, affirminge that it declareth‘a desire in man, to cōtent god his father for his synne.’ And yet in the same boke,Hebre. vii.viii.ix.x. as in this, ye say clene contrary. That chryste onelye is the sufficiente, ful and perfit satisfaction for sinne, which is the truth. The fa­thers almyghty voice so testifienge of Christe, to be his derely beloued sonne for whose sake onely he is contented, [Page xv] satisfied, and appeared. God geue ye grace once to euomite these antichristē popish blasphemies, & to know christes onely sufficient satis­faccion and merites for your sinnes. If you coulde satisfye and contente the iustice of god againste your syn­nes with your rightwisenes of wor­kes, so were Christe deade for you in vayne. Paule to witnes. gala. ii. neyther were you subiecte to the righte­wisenes of god. Rom. x. But yet happy is your sely satisfaction, that she hath gotten hir a newe name called now (cōtētaciō).Cōtentatiō The fathers iustice coulde not haue ben contented with man, vntyll one had contented and satisfied him, fulfyllinge the whole lawe in euery poynte, but suche one was onely that innocent lambe oure sauiour Christ, as testifieth the scripture. wherefore awaye for shame, w^t your counterfaited contentaciō, and with youre synfull satisfactions to. And at laste to wynd [...] vp youre tale [Page] of merites, ye bringe vs in a blynde collet out of your popishe portewes, with. Meritis & precibus beate Marie & omnium sanctorum. by y^e merites and prayers of blessed marye, and of all saintes, for wante of scriptures. Peter byddeth you to speake and alledge the scriptures, for your doc­trine, Therout to geue a rekeninge thereof. For the ferme worde of God muste assewer vs of the true doc­tryne and not the deade dreames of lyenge men.

That thynge whyche I commaund the to do or to say, do it saith the lord Deuteronomii .xii. nether shalt thou adde to, ne minishe any thynge ther­of. Nether wyll we receiue of you a­ny thinge in thys contencion which the worde of god hathe not or with the worde fighteth, yea shulde there an aungel out of heuen affyrme it. God hathe sufficientlye shewed it by Nadab and Abiu, Leuiti. x, where he wolde not anye straunge fyer to be [Page xvi] offred vpon his altare nor broughte into his temple, but vehemently dyd he so abhorre humane tradicions & mennes deade dreames, that with their owne straunge fyer he destroyed them as he shall destroye you and confounde you with youre owne straunge doctryne, as in this your declaration it shalbe sufficiently de­clared.

Men in y^e state of grace purchased by christes mediacion do the workes of iustice, The bys, & synners be called to grace to do the wor­kes of penaunce / whereby to rekouer the fauour of god with the remission of their synnes, Ioye.

These men in the state of grace, do not the workes of iustice but oute of fayth iustifienge. But tell vs playn­ly what coloure ye rekouer vnder your worde rekouer? To rekouer is to obtayne agayne a thynge loste. ye shulde haue sayde playnelye. By y^e workes of penance, sinners obtain [Page] or purchace grace loste which is the fauour of god and remission or their synnes: And nowe what els haue ye couered, then that penaunce deser­ue forgeuenes of sinnes▪ which is our iustificacion. And yet ye saye before, ye neuer went about to proue it 'that workes must iustyfye. And yet in so sayeng, as workes of penaunce to rekouer grace and remission ye bothe wolde proue it and also make grace no grace, ne Christes passion of none effecte. For a iuste confutation of this your doctrine. I shal therfore proue it clerelye by scriptures, that man muste be firste iustified by faith,Repentaunce foloweth faith iusti­fienge. ere either he repent holsomely or be baptized with water. And be­cause ye haue diffamed true repen­taunce and iuggled so longe with your do penaunce, makyng the peo­ple beleue they haue done it. when they haue done or sayde all their pe­naunce enioyned them by their goo­stly fathers, ye shall know, that repē tance [Page xvii] is a turninge to the lord god, wherby we of y^e syncere feare of god humbled, aknowledge our synnes, and all our hole lyfe we make newe: So that the hole lyfe of a penitente faitheful is a perpetual mortifica­cion of his fleshe and a reuiuinge of the spirit, euen the perpetuall custo­die of his lyfe fygured in baptizme of water, wherin the dopinge & buriyng signifieth our mortification, our synnes buried in Christe his deathe: and the lyfting vp oute of the water teacheth oure arysinge wyth Christ reuiued into a newe lyfe. Also the hebrewe worde (his) and the greke Metanoite, in latyne, Resipiscite, si­gnifye to be turned to a better minde or chaunge your lyfe. Which worde Ioan and Chryste vsed sayeng. Re­sipiscite in propinquo enim est reg­num coelorum. Repēt ye, or chaunge youre lyfe, or be ye turned in mynde for the forgeuenes of synnes is nigh And Chryste beganne his preaching [Page] lykewise sayenge. Be ye turned or repente ye, and beleue the good ty­dynges of youre remyssyon. They preached not onely saienge repente ye, as ye dreame, and there stopped, but they euermore in all their ser­mons, as did his apostles, added the cause why they shuld repent, whyche cause implyed and conteined therin the promise of remission of their syn­nes sayenge, for the remission of your synnes is at hande. For so much sig­nifieth the gospel & the kingdome of heauen in those places. Which pro­mise apprehended by faith, anon the herers prepared them to repentaūce turninge their myndes, conuerted to god whome they before knewe by faythe beleuynge hym for hys mer­cyes sake in Christe to receyue and to forgeue them. For who turnethe hym selfe, to God, whome he nether knowethe ne beleuethe to be mercy­full to hym, ne loueth him before he turneth to hym? For they preached [Page xviii] fyrste the lawe whereby came the knoweledge of theyr synnes, and eft sone the gospell of forgeuenes pro­mysed in Chryste, whyche by faythe apprehended, then beganne the true repentaunce. Also we are often com­maunded to repent by these wordes of god spoken of the prophetes. Conuertimini ad me & salui eritis, con­uertimini ad me & ego conuertat ad vos. Be ye turned to me and ye shall be salfe, and I shall be turned to you. Where ye se that God com­maundeth vs nothinge but he bid­deth vs aske the same of him, as Au­stē confirmeth and declareth it, your selfe alledgynge his wordes, sayeng Iube quoduis modo des quod iubeas

Ergo we muste aske oure repen­taunce and conuersion of god, saing Conuerte nos deus salutaris noster, and Conuerte me domine & ego conuertar. Conuert me, LORDE and I shall be conuerted. If thys prayer be of faythe, as it muste [Page] nedis be, if it be made to the father in christis name so must faith go before the conuersion and the peticion and prayer before the thinge obtayned, therebye. Agayne, when I am promised of god to be saued if I turne to him, there my faith, first ap­prehendinge the promise procedeth to the precept in turning to him, as doth the seruant beleuinge his ma­sters promised couenant, addresse him to his seruice and fulfillinge of his masters cōmaundements, altho­ughe his seruice in folowinge his master be placed befor the cause, as your self here after gyueth an exam­ple, saing, he that foloweth me is my seruant, placinge theffecte before y^e cause, in your lxxxviii. lefe & seconde syde of this your boke & in the lxxxix lefe ye saye. In this speche. ‘I ioyne that is out of al kynde of causes to theffect, as to folow me is no cause to be my seruant but rather ensueth of seruice and of the couenant which [Page xix] is the cause why that he folowth me, & importeth that he was my seruant before he folowed me. Euen so do the scripture place theffecte of our con­uersion before the cause, which is faith first apprehending the promise in this & lyke speches.’ Be ye turned to me and I shalbe turned to you, be ye turned and ye shalbe salfe. Repēt ye for the remission is nighe. And thus lo, be ye confounded & proued to teache false doctryne & to peruerte the scripture, by your owne wordis & by your onwe exāple. And that faith iustifyinge muste nedis go before repentance, and our conuersion to god as the scriptur teacheth vs, con­trary to your popishe papistry. But I knowe howe falsely ye iugle with youre do penance in your boke of enstructions, saing Resipiscite & credite euangelio. thus englyshing it sayenge. Fyrst be contrite & knowledge your synnes, and then receiue the gladde tidinges of remission. &c [Page] Because theffecte is placed before y^e cause therefore ye wolde make foles beleue theffecte to be before the cause cōtrary to your owne wordes in this your booke in the .lxxxix. lefe, and by this placinge, ye wold proue penace to be before faith iustifyenge: But yf ye hadde redde but .ii. lines before in marke, ye shoulde haue learned playnely the preachinge of the gos­pell, that is of y^e glad tidinges of y^e promised remission of synnes, which is y^e cause of repentaūce as Io. bap. affirmeth it. Math. iii. to haue gone before theffecte of repentaunce com­maunded. But this licenciouse libertye, to peruert the holy gospell, that ye take to your selfe also by your do penaunce, as ye do vpon Peters sayenge to Symon Mago: Resipisce igitur ab ista tua malitia, Englyshīg (ab) with (fore) thus sayenge. Do penaunce for this thy malyce. when the texte is. Turne thy mynde from this thy malyce: so fayne wolde ye [Page xx] holde styll your popishe sacramente of do penaunce, to merite forgeuenes of synnes. The true conuersion to god presupposeth the knoweledge of sinnes which commeth by the preachinge of the lawe: It presupposethe also the preching of the gospel wherby commeth faythe, and knoweledge of the mercy of god, promising forgeuenes in Christ. wherfore ye se it ne­cessarilye that repentaunce and the conuersion vnto god muste folowe faith iustifieng cōceiued by hearing the gospell: Also faythe iustyfyenge muste goo before baptismefaith iust [...] fien [...] is befo [...]e bapti [...] Mat. xxvii For Christe bodde his Apostles go forth and teache all nacions ere they baptized them. And what thinke ye they taughte them? Uerelye euen the lawe and gospell as he had commanded them, and then as many as bele­ued they baptized them: So that fayth iustifieng them, went euer be­fore the baptime of water, as it is [Page] to see in the actes of the apostles.

Albeit I see howe falselye and howe vnlearnedly ye bringe in your Baptizetur unusquis (que) uestrum in remissi­onem peccatorum, for the contrarye as I shall declare your ignoraunce and falsifieng of y^e scriptures, when I come to the place.A note worthy to be obserued. And here note it (christen reader) that so longe as we see our synnes in the lawe and in our consciences accusing and condemp­nynge vs: & behold them not by faith in the promysed forgeuenes in the gospel of Christes death, to haue suffered for the remission of them, thus our faith rechinge the mercy of god our father vnto Christes passyon suffred for them, Chryste thus made of hym oure ryghtwysenes, and oure satisfaccion: all oure heuinesse and sorowes contricions and attricions are but suche repentaunce and hea­uynes, as toke Cayne, Saule, Achi­tophel, and Iudas, whiche call it an extorted legall heuines (and ye wyl) [Page xxi] contrarye to the wyllynge euangely call heauynes and holesome repen­taunce: whyche legall heauynes is lyke the extorted heauynes and he­uye fearefull paynefull repentaunce that is wrested out of the racked and pyned Malefactours, confessynge their synnes for very fear and payne onely:ii. Cor. vii. which vnholsom repentaunce after the worlde, Paule teachethe it to be repented and caste of. But the true holesom repentaunce after god, beinge his gyfte, begynnethe at the contemplacyon of oure synnes by faith, forgiuen in Christes death and resurreccion, hys ryghtuousnes, hys satisfaccion and merites felte and tasted by our fayth certaynelye and fermely to be communicated vnto vs. In the boke of nombers we read that the chyldren of Israell were not healed ne delyuered from the hotte styngynge serpentes so longe as they looked vpon them, but rather with feare and payne, the more vex­ed, [Page] with thir venome. But when thei turned their eyes from those serpen­tes stinging them and behelde the brasen serpent exalted and hanged vpon the tre, then were they healed. And lykewyse, so longe as we behold our sinnes in our owne consciences accusinge vs or in the lawe forbid­dinge sinne, workinge wrathe and makinge sinne the more to abound, we maye well feare, be heauy, ful of horrour for payne & dread of damp­nacion, but as for any quietnes, rest, and peace of conscience, we fele none vntyl we conuerte & turne our eyes by faith lyftinge them vp beholding the brason stronge serpēt christ god and mā exalted vpon the crosse there sufferinge for our sins, appeacinge the fathers wrathe, makinge the sa­tisfacion withe the oblacion and sa­crifice of his blessed bodie. wherefore your repentance, before our sinnes be here knowen & sene with the eyes [Page xxii] of our faith in christ lyfted vpon the crosse there sufferinge for them and purgynge or wasshynge them away is but Iudas his repentaunce.

Also it is to be noted,Rom. vii. that as there be dyuers degrees to ascende frome vnder the lawe vnto the grace of the gospell of remyssyon, so be there dyuerse heauynesses ere we come to the holesome and frutefull repen­taunce vnder the gospel perpetual­lye and gladlye to be Practysed.

For we muste fyrste fele and taste of a desperate state deduced to hel, ere we be reduced to heauen, mortyfy­ed ere we be reuyued. Paul entering to clyme these degrees of the lawe in lyke heauines,Rom. vii. and mortificacyon sayde that synne was then deade, when he lyued wythoute the lawe shewynge hym hys synne, but when the lawe was comen and had shewed hym hys synne, then was he deade & his sin aliue. For sinne now knowne [Page] by the lawe, the lawe worketh wrathe euen her lyuelye offyce to feare and to condempne the synner, to make synne the more aboundaunte thru­stynge man to hell and slayeth hym. And here maye we see wyth Esaye the prophete, God to worke in vs a straunge worke to do his owne.Isa. xxviii. In whyche straunge worke workynge, yet we knowe hym not (for he wyl be for a lytle space a hydden god) no more then dyd Iosephes bretherne knowe hym for their brether Ioseph but toke hym for some cruell straun­ger al that whyle he dissembled with them, feared them, threatened them, and troubled them, whyles he hy­dynge hys face from his owne bre­thren so vexed them with greate heauines & feare,Genes. xlii.xliii.xliiii. or he wold be knowne to them, yea and all that whiles in so workynge that straunge worke it was greate paine to Ioseph to hold in his teares,Ioseph in this straung worke with his brethren fygured god in chryste for that he muste haue wroughte so straunge a worke with [Page xxiii] them to worke his owne bretherly louyng worke, at last to open hym self to them. This worke also god fygu­red to Moyses, when he dydde sette hym in the clyffe of the rocke telling hym,Exo. xxxiii. hys hynder partes he shulde se but not his face. The former com­punction and heauynes, euen gods straunge worke in vs before faythe iustifienge, his heuye hande yet co­ueringe our face, we knowe it not to be his work, ne as yet beleue we god to be oure sauyoure and forgeuer in Chryste, vntyll he shewe vs his hin­der partes: that is the incarnacion of Chryst, sent and suffrynge for oure synnes. Adam as sone as he hadde synned, hadde an heuye conscience, horryblye feared with the wrath of god, vnto deathe and dampnacyon,Gen. iii. flyenge from his voyce and presence euen in the midde daye, whiche hea­uynes was but a desperate repen­taunce and farre of to merite anye grace, as it appeareth by his flyenge [Page] awaye frome God callynge hym.

But yet the myghty mercyful voice of god so staied him, and rubbed hys synne into his remembraunce, that at laste the gospell of the blessed pro­mysed seade preached: Adam con­ceyued faythe by the hearinge ther­of, and beganne trewelye to repente, for nowe he sawe his synnes not in hys owne naked gyltye conscyence accusynge hym, ne in the precepte condempnynge hym, but in the bles­sed seade Chryste, forgeuynge hym. And then to confyrme and to testifye as it were wyth seall oblygatorye that GOD hadde iustyfyed hym for hys faythe onelye, in that seade to come, he added hys sacred sealled Sacramente, euen the skynnes of the slayne sheepe, to kouer Adam and Eues naked shamefastnes, sig­nyfyenge to them that blessed seade, to be offered vp an innocente lambe, wyth hys ryghtewysenes to couer their transgression, and with his blessynge [Page xxiiii] to couer their malediccion, v­pon thys his bloudy sheepes peltch when so euer Adam loked, he myght well wepe and repente him selfe that euer he hadde committed that synne whych as it shoulde brynge so innocente a lambe to so gylteles a death, so coulde it neuer haue bene forge­uen wythoute the sheddynge of so innocente precyouse bloude. And here at the contemplation of hys synne in Chrystes death to come, be­ganne he frutefullye to repente, do­ynge on dayly that coote, puttynge hym into a perpetual remembraunce and into repentaunce, the contynual custodye of hys lyfe, euermore se­ynge his synnes purged in the sead to come, euen in the lambe of God, that takethe awaye the synnes of the worlde. But nowe I retourne to youre booke wherein ye adde thus. sayenge.

[Page] And nowe I adde this gathered out of scripture, The bys. (Ioye. where I pray you) y^t lyke as in other actions or qualities being in god essentiall, we be called by participation, by the names attributed to god, and for so miche as we do participate, haue also the thinge in dede: And therfore as god is goodnes it selfe, we by participatiō frō him, be good. As god is lyght it selfe, we by participacion frō him be lyght. As god is wisedome it selfe, we by participation from him be wise, So as Christe merited and deserued thorowly, we by participation in vsing his giftes, merite and deserue And as Christe satisfied fully, so by parti­cion we also satisfy.

Ioye.He that gathereth not with me (saith Christ) skatereth, ye haue not iust­lye gathered with him, ergo ye haue skatered by your participacion. If your gathering be true in these your expressed accions and essencyals of meritinge and satisfienge, so muste it be true in gods other actions and essencials: but blasphemouse and false, is the lyke gatheringes in hys other names and accions. Where­fore youre gatherynges in these be [Page xxv] blasphemouse and also vngodly. The minor I proue by your owne lyke demonstracion. God partici­pateth to mā his names of wysedom and goodnes by whiche he created al creatures, and yet foloweth it not, without blasphemy that the same man by particicipacion of those na­mes of wysedom & goodnes of god, shuld create any one of the lest crea­tures that euer god made, no not so muche as a wynge of a gnatte can he make by participaciō. Now how say you, Is this wel gathered, that be­cause god participateth to vs his names, y^t therfore we may do his diuine actions? God imparteth his right­wisnes to man wher of man is called iust, yet it foloweth not that therby by participacion man myghte iusti­fye him self, or any other, let god im­parte to you his benediccion, and let vs then see whether therwith by participacion you withall the fingers ye haue, can so blesse an infidele or [Page] turke, yea or your owne selfe, that he or you be blessed and chosen of god. The lorde telleth you that he wyll curse youre blessynges because ye haue applyed your hertes vnto such blasphemies of his holy names.Mal. ii. Here maye euery man see howe vnlerned­ly, howe blasphemously and fondely ye gather to make your antichristen doctryne to seeme true to the symple vnlearned, to seduce thē into errours Ye must beware howe ye gather w^t god from his essencial names, to his diuine actions, participated to syn­ful man. For thoughe in our regene­racion and incorporacion into christ we do Chryste vpon vs, as writethe Paule. Gal. iii, and so be couered w^t his ryghtwysenes, holynes, wyse­dome, merites. &c. yet maye not we there with worke his diuine accions onely appropriated to his godhead, ye speake shamefull repugnaunces in youre wordes, saynge ‘as christe merited thorowlye and satisfyed fully [Page xxvi] so do we merite and satisfye by participacion.’ How standeth these toge­ther? he thorowly, and fully, absolut­ly, totally, perfitely, as ye saye before & yet we by participation, as it were partely halfe deuyded to hym, and parte to vs, when your wordes be al and wholly, and fully, to hym, what parte leaue ye for vs? But admitted your terme of participacion, althou­ghe I knowe the scripture hathe it not expressely, but the doing vpō vs his rightwisenes, his goodnes and other names, yet albeit it folowethe god participateth to vs his goodnes and wisedome, and so we be good & wyse: it foloweth not that we hauing these names do the selfe same diuine accions & workes of god whiche he wrought w^t his wisedōe & goodnes in the creacion of y^e world of nothing he participateth to vs christes meri­tes ergo therw^t we merit as did christ for vs y^e remissiō of our sins? I deny your argumēt, but it foloweth ergo we by [Page] his merites be forgeuen and saued & not for our owne, he participatethe to vs his satis [...]accions ergo we satis­fy for our synnes? nego argumentum but it foloweth ergo by his satisfaccion doone vppon vs, the fathers iu­stice is appeaced and he is plea­sed wyth vs as the fathers voyce out of heuen hathe declared it, your argument (if ye be not deceiued to deceiue other) is a mere deceit called of sophisters. fallacia secundū quid ad simpliciter. If a man shulde aske you howe, and wherein, the wisdom and godnes and light in god differe from these thinges in vs, after the kyndes of diffirences, really or rati­onally, genere, or specie &c. I thinke ye muste be compelled as your ga­theringe here declare you to make suche an answer as shuld proue your wysedome but folishnes, [...]. Cor. iii as Paule saithe, and the light in you to be but derkenes,Math. vi: as chryst affirmeth it, and your merites and satisfaccions to be [Page xxvii] synne and wikednes, yea blasphemy to christes merites and satisfaccions Paule was bothe holye iust & good and yet with those names could he not do y^e goodnes he wolde do,Rom. vii. but that euil whiche he wold not do. If christe meriteth and satisfieth for vs fullye and perfetly as the pistle to the hebrews declareth, so is there no parte of your meriting ne satisfyeng by participacion lefte for vs. Away therfore with your prophane vaine vocables as Paule biddeth you,i. timo. vi. where ye reade falsely & in y^e greke vnlernedly, nouitates for manita­tes, to smyte me there with, when with y^e same rodde ye worthely smyte yourselfe vsinge these your newe­found stertinge termes of participa­cion, condicions, effectes, to merit to vse ye cannot tell what, and dare not or cannot vse and speke the playne simple wordis of y^e scripture left vs of the holy goste. It is an euident token that ye suspecte your doctrine [Page] to be false and mistruste your parte when ye flye from the scriptures to suche sliber shiftes as to merite by participation. ye abuse your patched participation placyng it impertinēt­ly. For the scripture calleth vs good wise, iust, holy, &c. because by faythe in our regeneration of the spirite we by adopcion made the childrē of god do christ vpō vs his vestures as his rightwisenes, holynes, wisedom, merites and satisfaccions, couered now with his, as with our owne of which doing vpon vs or clothing vs,Psal. 111 [...]phe. 4 6. gal. 3. Rom 13. colloss. 3. there is often mencion in the scriptures & not of youre participacion: For these so excellente his diuine essenciall in­separable names kouer non frō their contraries but suche as haue doone Christe vpon them incorporated in­to him ere ye can make redy your participated merits to place thē a parte post as ye do. ye deale not iustely w^t Christe, to couple your vayne meri­tes, & insufficient satisfactions with [Page xxviii] his so painefull merites & ful satisfaction expressed out of his mooste ten­der innocent bodye and bloud in his so bitter passyon. Ye ought not therfore by participation ioyne so contrary merites together so iniuryouslye to christes deth & to his glory which saith I wil not geue my glory to any other. For it is I alone (saith he) whi­che for my nown selues sake do away thy sinnes, & not for thy patched merites It is I saith he y^e trode the wyne presse all alone, not one to helpe me It is I that wylbe alone, and haue no pere ne match. &c. We esteme not therefore (as ye do) our iustification so vyle a thing, as to be bought and deserued w^t our sinful workes. But we esteme it so preciouse as to be bought and deserued with the moost precyouse bloude of that innocente lambe our sauyoure Christ. The re­mission of oure synnes, in whiche we affirme our ryghtewysenes to stand is so ryche and of so precyouse a price, that it can not be recompensed [Page] ne satisfyed with any good dede of ours. And therfore coulde it neuer haue ben gotten ne bought onlesse it had ben frely geuen vs. But so came it not to christe. For it coste him no small price, It coste him his owne most preciouse blode without which so worthey and so ryche a pryce the iustice of god coulde neuer haue ben satis [...]yed ne the redempciō paide for vs. These thingis when we teache men, then are they monished that as oft as they sinne, so oft do they shede that most innocent bloude of christe. Also we teche our filthines to be so lothely and stinkinge that it coulde neuer haue ben washed away but with the only fountaine of this most preciouse holy bloud. This doctrine who so heare it, conceiue they not (thinke ye) a greater horrour displeasure and feare for their sinnes then if we shulde teache them falsely (as ye do) their sinnes to be so easely wiped away w^t a buzing absolutiō y^• prestes [Page xxix] hand laide vpon their headis, with a Lady psalter penaunce, or with a wyll worke of oures, with an euyll wyll doone, as for the choyce of a meat and such lyke? yea and yf there be any sparke of gods spirite in thē, home afraid wil they be, and tremble beinge once purged, any more to walowe them selues wrapped againe in the myer, wherby (as much as in thē lyeth) they trouble and infect the pu­ritie of this so swete and cleare a foū taine. I haue wasshed my fete (saith the faithful soule) and shall I defile them againe?Canti. v. Nowe is it plaine whether of vs two make the forgeuenes of oure sinnes moste vyle, & do most sclaunder to the dignitie of oure iu­stificacion, As for your popishe doc­tryne in this article is but a spighte­full mocke and skorne, to saye god to be appeced and pleased with your owne friuole synfull satisfaccions and merites, that is with dirte and derme. But we affirme the offence [Page] & our synnes to be muche more gre­uouse thē w^t such maner light trifles (I cal thē no worse) to be purged & wyped away, yea we teache y^e offence commytted agaynste the high maie­stie of god to be more waightye, and therfore so muche the more to be ab­horred then wyth these youre easye & vaine of noughte worthe satisfacto­rye merites to be remitted. And therfore it to be the only prerogatyue & pryce of Christes bloude to satisfy and deserue our remissiō. As for you if rightwisenes faile, ye teache it to be restored by your owne satisfacto­ry workes, but we affirme it with goddes worde, to be muche more preciouse then maye be compa­red and recompensed with any work at all ours. And therfore for the restoringe therof we constantly teache almen to flye onlye to the mercye of god apprehended by onely faythe in Christe Iesu.

[Page xxx] But I dyd neuer vtter this proposition in these termes, The bys. to saye that man must merit remission of sinne, nor haue not redde it in this forme:

No. But ye saye it by participation,Ioye. and vnder your forme and colour of youre condicions ye speake it plain­ly. ‘Ye say that by the workes of pe­naunce men taste and fele Chrystes passion, whiche the scripture sayth is tasted by felynge remission of synnes ye say that sinners be called to grace to do the workes of penaunce wher­by to recouer remyssyon of theyr sinnes.’And in your collette ye praye ut mere amur assequi quod promit­tis. That we myghte deserue to ob­tayne the thynge God promysethe whiche is remyssion of oure synnes. And in youre seconde article ye saye ‘They that wyll enioye the remyssy­on of theyr synnes, muste fulfyll poure condicyon,’ whyche, as ye de­clare it, is stuffed ful of your merites [Page] and winchesters good workes. And all youre argumentes reasons ga­theringes and deduccions tende to the same popishe point.

The bys. Without I wold encounter with you in raylynge I haue nothinge to saye here vnto: &c.

Ioye.I raile not on you, I tel you of your false doctrine, confutinge it w^t gods worde. It is you that rayle vpon me and rebuke me mooste impudentlye causeles for writinge the truth, and confutynge your popyshe Antichri­sten doctrine, whereby ye seduce the people into errours, into theyrs and your dampnation, and in many pla­ces ye belye me deadely: and sclaun­der me most haynouslye with here­sye and be not able to proue it. It is you y^t peruert & falsefy gods worde to stablish your antichristē heresies. It is your deuillysh dryft, & wycked counsel to thrust gods holy eternal worde of saluacion out of that noble realme. persecutynge it so cruelly w^t swerde and fyer so mercylessely burninge [Page xxxi] the innocent lambes of christe for professinge Christe and his holye worde. Ye can saye nothing against me alledginge the scriptures trulye as I do, except ye wyll impugne the veritie as ye do, ye haue not yet in al your bokes iustely soluted one texte that I haue brought against you, as euery reader maye see it, yf he lyst to compare our bokes together.

I for my selfe boste not my workes to the worlde, The bys. but do the office of an hand at a crosse to saye, this is the right waye, &c. Except ye do thoffice of a true hand and iuste minister, not onelye poyn­tynge the right waye into whiche y^e hande nayled to the crosse neuer en­tred it selfe,Ioye. ye shall not be so excused with onely pointinge before christes iudgement seat. If ye be christes or his apostels successor, ye must folow their exāples which did not point to other the waye, standynge them sel­ues styll, lyke idle handes, but they wente before their flocke into the right waye bothe in trewe doctrine [Page] preachinge and also in example of godly lyuinge. And ye must remem­ber y^t Chryst commandeth sclaunde­rouse and false pointinge handis (as ye be one) into wronge wayes, to be cutte of from the body as he did euel eyes, whiche be euel bysshops, to be castoute of their bysshoprykes. Ne­ther do I iuge you otherwyse then god biddith vs iuge the tree by hir frutes, and to be ware of you. Ye call me a runner about, and dare not ap­pere euery where. I am so i dede, but for no offences committed agenste god and my prince ne agaynste any other, whiche is my counforte in an vpright conscience before god and his holy chirche. I am by you dro­uen out of my natyue lande from my frendes to wander and trauell in a strange contrye, the more is my he­uines and sorowe and payne especi­ally in my syknes & olde age: wherof I may thanke you & your popisshe impes persecutinge the gospell and [Page xxxii] diuisinge your vngodly and vncri­sten actes, inhibicions, enstructions condempnacions and articles wher­by ye haue & yet make many a pore man to smarte.z [...]par. 24. Psal. 103. Sed dominus meus uideat inquirat et iudicet, qui ius reddit ac uindicat omēs qui patiūtur istam iniuriam. But the lorde wyll se to and serch it, & be your iudge, whi­che geueth true sentence vpon you, & delyuereth al y^t suffer this wrong.

When I traueled to enstructe doctoure Barnes I declared to him this proposiciō (Theffecte of christes passion hath a condicion) nether derkely nor confuselye. The bys, And why ye shulde so call it, I see not, for both the matter is certaine and the wordes cō monly vsed and vnderstanden. Theffecte of christes passion is the worke therin en­tended, that is to reconcyle man to god & to brynge hym to saluacion. Ioye.

If your termes of cōdicion & effecte had ben so playne as ye saye, so had they neded no declaratiō to D. Barnes ne now to me, ye know y^t christes so plenteouse a passion broughte to man manye ryche and innumerable [Page] benefites and effectis, as ye cal them And againe, your confuse condicion, wente greate with infinite condiciōs as your selfe declare hir to containe all the willes and pleasures of god. And is it not nowe a confuse derke speache to saye. Theffect therof hath a condicion [...] who knoweth of whiche effecte and of which condicion amōg so manye ye speake? Now ye declar [...] theffecte to be the reconciliacion of man to god and the bringing of him to saluaciō. And yet is it not so clere­ly ne clerkely declared, seinge there be so many thinges yet contained in theffecte and betwixt it, and mannes saluacion, standinge the course of mannes lyfe. I wyl therefore helpe you to declare it. A reconciliation whiche is an atonemente or a peace makinge presupposeth a discord and inimite betwixte the parties, wherof one hath offended the tother. The parties at discorde were god and man. The thinge that made the dis­corde [Page xxxiii] was the synne cōmitted by mā againste god his creatore. The at­ouemaker was christe god & man by sufferinge his passion for the sinne commytted therby so apeacynge hys fathers wrathe and satisfyenge his iustice that the manne beleuynge in Christ to haue suffred for his sinnes and to haue rysen for his iustifyca­tyon shall neuer haue hys synnes imputed vnto hym but be cleane re­mitted and forgeuen. And thus we haue your effect of christes passion to be the forgeuenes of oure synnes, whiche is oure iustification and ab­solucyon vpon thys condicion that we beleue in christ. Thus doth paul in many places declare it,rom. v. i. cor. v. collos. .i and also the fathers voyce out of heauen vp­pon Christ made for vs that oblaciō expyatory purging our synnes, that we myght be perfitlye made ryght­wyse thorowe hym.2. cor. v. Now it is playn what is mente by your effecte. Euen the remyssyon of our synnes thorow [Page] faith in Iesu christe. And thus accordynge to the wordes of the scripture will I hence forth cal it, and let your straunge termed confuse effecte passe wyth all youre confuse condicions, saue onely faith in christ. Which cō ­dicion who so haue it, he enioyeth his remyssion, and if he hath it not, he is dampned, had he done all Wynche­sters workes contayned in his condicion, Then ye saye.

Barnes and I agreed vpon faith to be one condicion. The bys. And because he was my scoler I wolde learne him mo condicions then fait [...] required for mannes forgeuenes of his sinnes, euen this where in he openlye inuered against me, in his sermone. That is to forgeue my neighbour or els I shall not be forgeuen. And concluded vpon that he had graunted to me before that the fulfyllynge of this condicion was not the di­minucion of the glorye of christes passion.

Here ye shewe one of your iuglynge castes with doctor Barnes,Ioye. ye say ye wolde lerne hym mo condicions thē faithe, and ye brynge in the precepte [Page xxxiiii] of the forgeuenes of your neighbour whose fulfyllynge is requyred for the forgeuenes of sinne say you, And then ye runne thorowe as it were in washe waye to your conclusion that he had graunted you, That the ful­fyllynge therof diminisheth not theffecte of christes passion, as thoughe the precepte were now fulfylled and you at youre wayes end krowynge vp your triumphe before the victo­rye. But herken a lytle, and lette me aske you thys one questiō? Whether fayth in Chryst be your fyrst condycion goyng before your precept or no? whervpon ye saye doctour Barnes and you fyrste agreed: By your own saienge it is the first condiciō. Then thus. Faith in Christ implieth in it selfe y^e ferme assiewred beleif in christ to haue suffered for hir synnes accordynge to gods promyse whych affyrmeth to the same beleuer that as he beleueth accordinge to hys promyse so commeth it to hym. Wherefore [Page] this man must nedis be iustifyed, ere youre second condicion be spoken of And yet ere ye come to your conclu­sion I muste staye youre hastye iourneye in the fulfilling of this precept of the forgeuenes of youre neygh­boure euen as ye wolde be forgeuen youre selfe of god. This is an harde precept of the law and is not so sone fulfilled of man, as ye weene for.

It is not in mans power to forgeue his brother with the same affecte as Christe forgeueth vs beinge hys e­nemyes. [...]uke .xvii. And therfore hys dyscyples hearinge this to harde a precepte for their free choice (as ye terme it) in continently prayed hym saing. A dau ge nobis fidē., encrease our faith, teachynge vs, fayth to supple the impossibilite of the preceptes, & that no man can so forgeue without the gift of faythe iustifyenge. And therefore I wyll denye it vtterlye to be anye condicion required for the forgeue­nes of our synnes, tyll I be perfitlye [Page xxxv] assured, you or any other to haue fulfylled it accordinge to the mynde of the lawe geuer, and withoute faithe goynge before. And the cause why I denye it and exclude it from the acte of iustification is this.rom. iii Paule excludeth all the workes of the lawe from the act of iustification, this precepte in your condicion without faith is a worke of the law, & therfore I admytte it not into the attainemente of the remission of synnes as cause or condicion without whose fulfyllyng hys sinnes be not forgeuen, Another cause is, I consider,1. cor. x, & 1. Phi. 2. this precepte of loue who sekith not hir owne profit but other mennes, is geuen to man yet corrupte with his carnall affec­tes and stayned with a natural loue to him selfe and with hatred to him y^t displease hym or hurt him and is his deadly enemye whiche is his neigh­bour notwithstandinge, whom he is commaunded to loue as him selfe, & to diuyll and diuide this naturall [Page] loue from him selfe into hys enemy­es bosome hym to fede to comfort, to helpe and to forgeue as hym selfe.

But this our loue to our selues is so depely roted in our hertes, that we can hardely depart from it to geue it to our frendes, muche lesse to oure e­nemies.Mat. v Also for the forgeuenes of my neyghbour whiche procedethe of loue, I am commaunded of god to haue so perfyt loue,Phi. ii. collos. iii. Rom. v. and to be so affected towarde hym as was christe towarde me when I was his enemye whiche then, dyed for me. yea who is glad to die when he hathe deserued to dye. yea a man wyll skante dye for hys frende. This precepte ther­fore of loue and forgeuenes was once onely in one Iesu Chryste perfytlye fulfylled: when bothe the preyst and the leuite the holyest order amonge you and the Iewes slypte by their wounded neyghboure lyenge halfe deade, and neuer turned theyr faces towarde hym. In our common for­geuenesses, [Page xxxvi] lurketh there no synne? Shrewd, subtyle, false, and vnser­chable is the herte of man who kno­wth it?Iere. .xvi Psal. xix. who seeth his owne sinful se­cret nature? Fro my secrete vnsene synnes to my selfe clense me lorde, sayth the prophete. who forgeueth without litle or miche of these affec­tis? ether because he wold haue him stil to frende to do him seruice or pleasure or for a vauntage or for feare of displeasure or for shame or hatered, or feare to be noted as no chrysten man with many moo then one man can serche out of a nother or espye in himself. Also sith fayth & loue be imperfit in mā corrupt with his concupiscence, what perfit loue can procede into the forgeuens of his neyghbour? The lawe is bothe holy iuste spirituall and perfet and requireth euen so persitly & spiritu­ally and euen of siche one to be ful­filled. Be ye persit, saith chryst as your heuenly father is perfit, & if we [Page] shulde saye, that this worke of loue and forgeuenes were so perfitelye, done that there remained in vs no synne but that y^e dignitie of the dede deserued forgeuenes, so neded that man not to praye in his pater noster forgeue me my dettes: but suche a man I [...]an calleth a lyer.Ioan. i. But admit the fulfillyng of thys your sec [...]nde condicion after faith, yet it foloweth not that this your forgeuer hath al­so f [...]lfilled all the other preceptes of the lawe as the loue of God aboue a [...]l with all his herte, soule, minde. &c. and the last precepte, Thou shalt haue no concupiscence. He is accur­sed saith the lorde that perfetly per­fourmeth not, [...]eut xxvi [...] ne abideth in al the precepts writē in y^e law, wherfore a man is not iustified for fulfyllyng of one or two of youre condicions, but he must fulfyll all written in the booke of the lawe, or els he is accursed.

Nowe when you or anye other wyll come forthe and dare saye, ye haue [Page xxxvii] so perfitely, as gods mynde is, fulfilled this your condicion and all the rest of yours, and all the lawe, then wyl I dispute with you of your con­clusion whervnto ye hasted so swift­ly, whether the fulfillyng therof dy­mynysheth ‘the glory of Christes passion,’ In the mean season. I wyll tell you as Paule sayth. If you or anye other coulde gette ye remission for y^e dedes of the lawe workynge, so were Christ dead in vayne for suche men.Gala. ii. God acciteth the man that wilbe iu­stified by his workes vnto hys iugemēt seat and pleadeth with him thus sayenge. Isay .xliii. Put me in mynd and we wyll reason the cause in iud­gement. Shewe me that thinge or worke wherby thou wilte trust to be absolued and iustified. And here god beginneth with the firste man & so commeth to the most holy fathers as Abraham and Moses, and concludeth all men vnder synne none to haue deserued their forgeuenes by [Page] any of their workes, but faith. Thou haste made me thy seruaunte to bere awaie thy sinnes and thrustedst me downe ladē with thy iniquities. Man is therefore iustifyed, saith Paul, frely by grace thorow faithe in Iesu christ. wherfore your condi­cion of workes cannot be placed in the accion of iustificacion. I exclude therfore with Paule by this exclu­siue, Sola fide, all the workes of the lawe from the said accion affirming constantly with him. That by fayth man is frely iustifyed without the workes of the lawe. where is nowe your gloriacion,rom. iii in your confuse condicon? exclusa est. It is excluded saith Paule, and yet ye wil haue no exclusiue as to say sola fide. But skof it out wth your karoll alone alone Qua lege? or quo iure? by what au­torite or condicion. by the condicion or reason of workis? No no saith Paule. Imo per legem fidei. But by the autorite of faith. And therfore he [Page xxxviii] concludeth. Man by fayth to be iu­stifyed without the workes of the law, what can be spoken more playn­ly agenst your condicion and merits, for our free iustificacion by only faith, all the workes of the lawe ex­cluded from fayth in the accion of our iustificacion? Thus ye see your operose condicion clene excluded frō this accion. And now to your second Article: that is, to vse playn speche,The bysho [...] his .ii. articl [...] ‘They that wil enioye the remission of their sins, must beleue.’ (for faith ye saye is your firste condicion) And because ye fantazie so many faithes and knowleges and belyke haue as many beleifes, I wil restraine you to the only beleife in Iesu Christe to haue suffred for our sinnes. And nowe let vs adioyne your next arti­cle in as playn wordis banishing youre effecte and this terme con­dycyon. Sayenge thus.His. iii. a [...] cle. The ful­fillinge of faith (for as yet I medle with no more of youre other con­dicions [Page] but with onely faithe youre firste condicion) requireth the know­ledge of faithe, whiche knowledge (say you) we haue by faith. And thus haue we your paradox.Wīchesters paradox. That faithe is knowne by faythe. Is not this a proper naked mouse, wherof so great a gronynge mountaine hath so long traueled? Who laughe not at this naked sayenge, faythe is knowen by faith? This is lo, your confuse arty­cle wrapped in so many perplexe termes, when it is resolued into playne speache and sifted from youre com­brose condicions and derke effectes. If you and your doctrine feared not the lyght it shulde neuer haue ben inuolued in such obscure, vayne, and perplex speache. The symple playne truthe knoweth no deceytful colou­red sophems ne any perplexed persuasions wherby as the serpent deceiued Eue, so wold you deceiue the simple of whiche wyly deceite and deceitful wylines in suche teachers Paule diligently [Page xxxix] warned the Ephesiōs, and abhorred it in the simple veritie to be myxed.Ephe. v i. cor. ii

It may appeare in you euidently howe malice blyndeneth you, The bys. when rehersynge my wordes, ye aske me whether fayth go­eth before workes. &c.

Beware malyce hath not so blynde­ned you, that when,Ioye. as once before ye were promoted, ye sawe and profes­sed the truth, but now drowned with the worlde ye be so blynde that ye see not the sonne in the cleare myddaye. Malyce blyndened me not, for I perceiued your craftye iugglynge with your confuse condiciō therin to wrap your workes to iustify. And purposely I asked you, whether fayth wente before workes euen to souke oute of your owne wordes, the same truthe whiche ye impugned, euen onelye fayth to iustifye, which ye haue now graunted, aunswering faith to haue the fyrste place.Only faith iustifieth by his owne graunt. Of whiche graunte let this be the principle. The remissiō of our sins requireth faith ī christ [Page] in the first place. Then thus, who so beleueth his sinnes forgeuē in christ the same is iustified, this man so beleueth, ergo he is iustified, he is iusti­fyed by no nother of your condiciōs then by faithe, ergo fayth onelye iu­stifyeth, The maior is the scripture in an C. places That who so beleue in christe hath lyfe euerlastynge, the minor is euident in euery beleuer in Christ. Also whersoeuer is fayth and beleif into christ to haue suffered for hir synnes, there is remyssion of syn­nes, here is faythe fyrste of all into Chryste: wherefore here is remis­mission by youre owne graunte by only faith whyche is your fyrste con­dycyon. For as thou beleueste accor­dynge to my promyse (sayth chryste) so commeth it to the, but thou bele­uest in me to haue suffred for thy synnes as I haue euer promysed, ergo it muste nedes so come vnto the thus beleuinge. Nowe if ye geue vs forth [...]ny mo of youre condycyons after [Page xl] thys faythe iustyfyenge, whyche is your firste condicion, so come they al to late to iustyfy, for the faythfull is nowe alredy iustified by onelye faith ere your other condiciōs cā be made redy or fulfylled. Then ye aske me a question wakyng, because I sayd ye dreamed an externe knowledge. In dede I then dreamed ye wēt aboute such a thinge. And now I haue my dreme: for that ye say, faith is knowē by fayth: And then ye coupled youre newe found faith (as I said) to an externe knoweledge of your outwarde condiciō, so y^t now by your owne wise deductiō we be comē into this youre fynne narowe issew. Faith is knowē by faith, for these be your words. ‘The fulfilling of y^e cōdiciō requireth first knowledge:’ your cōdicion ye say, is faith. the fulfilling of faithe is to be­leue in christ: Then is this y^e playne sence. To beleue in christ, faith into hī is first required, thē ye adde, which,‘knowlege we haue by faith:’ Now is this yo^r saiēg resolue it īto plain [Page] speche. The remission of our sinnes by chrystes passion, hath first faith into christe. This beleife into christe diminisheth not the forgeuenes of our sinnes. Then ye say, they that wil enioye their forgeuenes muste beleue in christe. To beleue in chryst requireth faith, which faith is knowē by faith. And thus by derkening the trwe iustificacion with your vayne termes haue ye brought vs in, two faithes,The bys­shop [...] two faithes. one to be knowne by the to­there. Nowe yf it shulde be asked: wherby knowe you your first faith? Ye must seke vs out a nother former faith therby to know it, and so be we lyke to fall into infinite faythes.

And here let vs sette togither all your skatered sayinges folowinge towchinge this knowlege of faithe by your firste faith. First, ye saye, by faith is all our certaine knowlege of gods wyl and pleasure,folio .xviii. and .xix. And here it wold be knowen, by whiche faith, ye meane, is al this knowlege, by your [Page lxi] former faith or by your latter sayth. For ye said, faith is knowē by faith. And thē ye say. That Barnes & you came to this. that we must haue [...]aith first of al to know what we shuld be­leue. And here ye iugled ageyn w^t hī in dede, whiche I espiyd before in your two faithes by one to know the tother. [...]e popes faith. For I sawe it before howe priuely ye went about to bringe vs into the popes faith, & your popisshe beleue to be extolled aboue christis faith. For the thinge that we shulde beleue is the word of god in the old & new testament perfitly conteined: vnto the which word redde or herde of siche as god hath ordeined to be saued,Acte. xiii, faith is geuen to beleue it and to know god the father in christe, to cleaue to it and lyue therafter. But you, and youre holy father anticryst of Rome haue dreamed & decreed vs another former faith which ye here cal your faith firste of all,Fayth fyrste of all. to knowe whether the bible and the holy scri­ptures [Page] writen by the holy goste and withe the finger of god, spoken out of goddis mouthe be the worde of god or noo: as thoughe ye wolde w^t the serpente the deuil deceiuinge. Eue, call it into doute whether we must & shuld beleue the holy scrip­tures or no, except ye had so admited it, so to make the holy gost and the spirit of trewth euen god him selfe a lyer. and to doute whether our faith geuen vs of god fully and fermely perswading vs thē to be gods very word be the trew crysten faith or no? And thus bringe ye the vnlerned simple & all that yet beleue in your popishe doctryne into doute of all y^• is writen in the holy byble: as whe­ther God created heuen and erthe, and cryste be the sonne of god made man, borne of the virgin and haue redemed vs w^t his death and resurrec­tion. &c. Into this dampnable doute when ye haue by your deuillyshe doctrine brought your disciples, then to [Page xlii] be delyuered theroute, ye haue vsur­ped an autoritie aboue & ouer gods worde by bringinge in this your for­mer faithe to knowe what we muste beleue, which your first faithe is ioy­ned and stayed vpon youre fathers holy decrees as ye well wete it. No man so hardly to beleue or to receiue the scriptures as gods worde onlesse he with y^e court, church (I shuld say) of Rome had graunted admitted permitted and delyuered them to vs as to be the catholike scripture. No ne any man so hardy otherwise to vn­derstād or beleue thē, then as this antichriste of Rome and you his bys­shoppes by your falsely vsurped po­wer haue falsely expouned and in­terpreted thē. So that this your first faith of al (as ye cal it) is plainly pla­ced vpon & correlatiue to the popes holy decrees. And you folowīg your holy fathers steppes by your tiran­nous cōpulsiō w^t fier vsurping the same auctorite aboue god, & ouer his [Page] word compell vs yet so to beleue it as ye falsely expowne it in this your de­uellishe derke declaracion & in your other false bokis.Thauctori­ [...]e and vn­ [...]erstanding [...]f the scrip­ [...]u [...]e must do [...]ende vpon [...]he pope [...] Gardiners [...]en & mouth whose arrogant ex­altacion aboue god & his holy word Daniell & Paul so lyuely describe, and at laste afirme you to be slayne withe y^e same breath of gods mouth whose course ye cōtende so mightely this daye to stoppe and to suppresse. And euen this is your popishe drift with your derke termed effect condi­cion and dowblinge with our onely simple plain faith to place the popis faith firste of all, therby to knowe chrystis faithe, euen anticryst euer contrarye to Chryste to his faithe and to his word, to bringe vs in to the knowlege of chryste and beleife of his gospell.To be con­federed with the popes frendes and to wryte a­gainst hys e­nemies, is a shrewd tokē of a papiste. which is an euident profe that ye stand yet vpon his syde to bringe him in againe w^t his firste faith of all, as (your bokes declare you) writen for his parte and doc­tryne, ageynst the popis enemies. I [Page xliii] knowe it reported of diuerse papi­stes, that the pope is more be holden to you for so defendinge him withe your penne agenste his aduersaries then to any other of his cardinals and bishops. And therfore ye may be glad of so high commendacions & prayse and so good a reporte of the popes frendis. But we y^t be chrysten men vnder our moste noble kinge & haue renounced the pope with his false first faith and falser doctryne, wil not admitte this your popishe assercion. That we muste haue this his firste faith of all to knowe what we shuld beleue. For we knowe it by our vndouted assewered faith which is the knowlege of gods mercye to­warde vs in christe geuen vs of god that y^e holy byble is his vndowted euerlastinge worde, and constantly we beleue all that is contayned ther in when we read or heare it, althou­ghe your holy fathers autoritie had neuer so affirmed ne admitted it.

[Page]For by y^e word of faith, as paul calleth it, [...]. l [...]. [...]om. 10. faith is geuē vs, & not by y^e false decrees of antichrist. And our faith stayed vpon gods holy word is the selfe same knowlege of god in christe. Ioan confirminge the same, [...]oh. 17. [...]sai. 53. Collos. [...]. i. Ioan. v. sainge we be certainelye perswaded that the sonne of god is commen & hath geuen vs mynde to know him, which is the trueth and we are in y^e truthe. At laste, sith the scriptures be y^e thing whiche we shuld beleue, and your first faith of all, must go before the knoweledge of the scriptures to be beleued, so must your first faith be ioyned to, and sustained, not vpō the scriptures, and worde of god, but v­pon mans worde. But euery man is alyer, both your holy father, and you to, ergo your first faith of al must ne­de stande vpon and be stayed with lyes.

The bys. The [...] I asked doctour. Barnes if a gentil felte h [...]m selfe moued to go heare a prea­ching or read some part of scripture, whe­ther wolde ye call it well done of him so [Page xliiii] to do, or were it sinne because it were be­fore fayth seing faith is of hearynge. And he saide it was good, &c

It is good as the heithen philo­sophers call their ciuil morall ver­tewes good and the popes scole bo­na ex,Ioye. or in genere or moraliter & not ex fide y^t is a good haithen dede. But seinge we be entred into the Christen religion grounded vpon fayth iusti­fyenge. I aunswer that he beyng (as ye say) a gentyle, whiche is an idola­ter not yet beleuinge in christe, his goinge, his hearinge or readynge is naught and sinne before god, though it apere good before men, for the tre is yet euyll, and vnto the vnpure & synful, saith Paule, nothīg is cleane for his herte is not yet purified by faythe. Wherfore as Paule saythe, what is not of faith is synne.

But because ye saye he is moued.

I muste aske you farther, whether thys mocyon telleth hym that hys haythen gentylysshe relygyon is [Page] false and dampnable, and the chri­sten religion to be the true waye to his saluacyon in Chryste? which mo­tion now thus conceiued by the spi­ryte of fayth, I say, this man, goethe forth to heare the worde for the con­firmation of his faith into chryste to be encreaced and more knoweledge of the same to be augmented, [...]. thir­sting his saluacion, as did Corneli­us the centuriō, which had his faith iustifienge him, ere he went forth to heare peters sermō. And as for your vayne replicacion of no graunt, that heithen good dedes iustifye before faith whiche commeth of hearinge, it is not worth a podyng. For because Barnes graunted the gentiles dede to be good whiche had not yet herde the word, therfore ye conclude to ha­stelye, ergo, men be iustified before faithe, for thoughe youre gentiles dede be one of your good dedes, yet i [...] iustifieth not, ye aske how he shuld haue faith before he heareth the [Page xlv] sermō, sith fayth cōmeth of hearing? for Barnes (ye say) had graunted, in that mocion he was iustified. Youre argument therfore is naught worth For ye must learne by christes wor­des, that as there be two maner of wordes, that is to saye, the inwarde, and exterior worde, so are there two maner of hearinges, For faith com­meth not onely of the outwarde hea­ringe of the sowne that smyteth the exteriour eares, but especially out of the hearing of the interne word that persethe the herte by the secrete in­stincte and mocion of the spirite re­generynge the faythfull. Of whiche interne hearynge the scripture spea­keth sayenge. Audiam quid loquatur in me dominus deus. I shal heare what thynge the lorde god pleasethe hym to speake in me. And christ saith all that haue herde and be learned of the father, they come to me, and we be al taught of god, of y^t which eares and interne hearinge, Christe when [Page] he had taught certaine lessons spiri­tually to be vnderstanden out of his allegorike speches: he cried loude, who so hath eares to heare lette him heare. Of this interne word of faith speaketh Paule saienge. Nighe in thine harte is the worde of faith,Rom. 10. and also in many other places.

And because they nether mynde to do any good dedes. The bys,

(Ioye. None of your gentile iewishe good deades.)

They wolde perswade to the worlde that we can do no maner of good dedes till we haue no nede of them. (Ioye. As thoughe a iustified man were not boūd ne obediēt to gods precepts, lo)

for our saluacion, That is to saye, till we be iustified and clerely in gods perfit fa­uour, & assured by our own beleif of life e­uerlasting. And as though we shuld say to god geue me my wages afore hand, & make me sewer that I shal haue heuen and then I promise y^t I wil forgeue my neighboure Oh blasphemy,Ioye. pernyciousely per­uerting christes holy worde & doc­trine, oh wicked lye most impudente for neuer find ye these blasphemouse [Page xlvi] lyes in myne ne in any other christen writers bokes, we exhort you to moo good workes in one lefe of oure bo­kes, then ye be able to do all the day­es of your lyfe. And euen this is a good dede, with goddes almyghtye worde to confute youre popishe doc­trine: wherwith ye wolde yet mayn­taine the pope, and bringe him in a­gaine at your daye so sore longed for It is a good dede to stande on gods part with his word to resist such an­tichristes with all your impes. For all oure bokes, if ye wolde suffer thē to be sene, perswade, and exhorte the readers to such good workes as god commaundeth, and disswade and de­hort al men from youre dampnable superstitious workes, rites, and tradicions of lyeng men. we with christ laye firste the foundacion stone, euen Christ him self in our ferme and con­stante faithe. But you peruertinge goddes order in doctrine sette youre workes, yea and that Heathen [Page] infidele iewysh workes, before faith If a iewe or a turke shulde come to your scole, wolde ye first teache hym your good workes and popish cere­monies before the true beleife into god thorow christ? and baptize hym ere he beleue? The Iewes and Tur­kes do such good ciuyle workes be­fore men as ye teache men to be iustified thereby. They praye, they faste geue almose, heare and rede the scriptures, pay their dettes, bye and sell, and make their wares truely and iustely, kepe matrimonye, whiche they do not withoute the common helpe and grace of god, and yet be thei not iustified by them before god, but be­fore men after youre iustificacion w^t ­out and before faithe. But we which haue professed the christen religion, groūded vpon faith in Christ, teache the good workes which be the frutes of the spirite of faith, and not youre pharisaik rightwisemakynge, ne your iewishe iustification, For what [Page xlvii] hath belial with Christ & the derke­nes to do with the lyght?gal. 5. The tree muste be firste good, ere it bryngeth forth good frute.

And so if beleif be required before iustifi­cacion, there ariseth then a meruelous perplexite, The bys, how I shulde worke well y^e worke of beleife, before I am iustified. But as we saye, my synnes be forgeven because I be­leue, so because my synnes were forgeuen I dyd beleue.

Go to,Ioye. and skoffe and deride God and his holy worde whiles the lorde that sitteth in heauen laugheth you to skorne, and shall at last smyte you sodēly with his yerney scepter, declaring your arrogante ignoraunce in that ye here affirme the worke of be­leife to be mans worke, when christe and Paule telleth it you, if ye had e­uer learned so farre.Ioan. vi. That hoc est o­pus dei (& non hominis) ut credatis. &c. This is the worke of god and not of man, to beleue in him whome god hath sente, Neyther for the de­fence of anye errour, as ye falselye [Page] reporte vs, do we enter into so harde a matter of gods priuey counsell, as ye call predestinacion and make it the immediate cause of oure saluaci­on, as your selfe blyndely stomble in to it, no occasion geuen you, but to declare onely your ignoraunce, as ye saye, lest any other, espienge it in dede shuld iustely preuent you with the same strype. For we say w^t Paul That god hath chosen vs in christe accordinge to his gracyouse good wyll and pleasure and not for oure merites,Ephe. 1. & 2. before to worlde, was made But wherefore? to do what we lyste? as reasoneth the forlorne saiēg: If I be predestined to be saued, so shall I be saued do I neuer so euel, god for­byd. but we be predestined saith paul to this ende that we shulde here be faithfull holye and blameles before god by loue.Ephe. 1. which hath predestined vs to be his sonnes by adopcion thorowe Iesus Christe.Ephe. 2. &c. that the glorye of his grace shoulde be praised. [Page xlviii] And that we be created of god in crist Iesu to do good workes prepared of god, and not of oure selues,Ephe. 2 [...] that we shulde here walke in them ere we obtaine that promised saluacion. And that we be after our election and predestinacion called to be regenered of the spirite by faith, whiche spirite of faith in Christ certifieth vs of oure eleccion, hauynge nowe the pledge and ernest of the spirite,1. co [...]. 1. Ephe. 1. Rome. 8. euen Christ hym selfe geuen vs, testifieng to our spirites, y^t he hath chosē vs to be his. This assewraunce in faith is taught vs euery where in scripture by gods promises, sealed both with the inter­ne obsignacion of the spirite of faith and also with the visible seales of his sacramentes testifienge to vs his beneuolence towarde vs in christ both by baptisme and his holy supper.

And dare you then so arrogātly saye against this holy assiewerd certain­tie & obsignation of the spirite in the promises of GOD receiued in the mooste certytude of oure [Page] faith, and be so bolde as to impugne this ferme assewrance and perswa­sion of y^e spirit of fayth, to perswade any man (as ye do) to dubitacion ig­norance vnbeleif & to doute of gods holy promised eleccion and his pre­destinacion in chryste? wyl ye saye agēst this. That y^e faitheful be saued by predestinacion and their eleccion in christe? whom god hath predesti­ned and chosen they shalbe saued, for god repenteth him not of his elecci­on, but it must necessarelye and im­mutably come so to passe in his elect accordinge to his ferme purposed decre in his euerlasting immutable prouidence, so that it lyeth in no mannes hande to resiste his wyll ne to take a­ny of his chosen from hym. And therfore whiles we that beleue to be pre­destined and chosen in christe,Our predes [...]ination election sought and founde in christ onely thus serche and treate the knowledge of oure predestinacion in christe, and not in goddes secret counsayle, ne in oure selues, in Christ, I say, within [Page xlix] the limites of goddes expresse wyll & worde, there is no such perill therin, ne is it so harde a mater as ye make it, but ioyouse, swete and counforta­ble to euery faithful humble cristian But if ye leaue y^e light and the waye of hys worde, and will serche, treate, and measure it with your owne fond reason and curiositie of your witte (as ye here do) then be ye worthely caste vp of god into your owne for­lorne sence and ignoraunce, strayed awaye into labyrinths inextricable into your owne confusion, compelled to peruerte and to falsefye the scrip­tures wresting them to seme to agre and to serue your ignoraunte reason for feare (as ye saye) of your mere ne­cessitie all thinges to be done, drea­med out of your owne feble brayne which cannot in the scriptures see wyth saynt Austen, the necessyte in y^e wyll of god predestenynge to stande with the free wyl of the predestined, to do good. And againe with the ne­cessitie [Page] of reprobacion in gods wil to stande the libertie into euyl in the reprobated, so that his dampnacion be imputed vnto hym selfe, for his owne voluntary faulte. [...] volun [...]ary neces­ [...]ite. Nether can ye see howe this necessitie is no com­pulsion, ne constrained necessitie but a voluntary necessitie. God wil haue mercye of whom he lyst, and harden whom it lyketh him. The cause in­scrutable of his diuine secrete will is worthely hidden from vs, so pro­founde are his iudgementes that mannes reason cannot attaine to thē and yet will your fonde witte be ready to accuse god of vnrightwisenes, oneles he geue you a reason to your mynd, and a rekening why (sith all things depende of your mere ne­cessitie▪ and of the secrete godly iuste wyll) he shulde dampne any man?

As thoughe the potter were bounde to geue a rekenynge to his claye, wherefore he hath not made all his [Page l] vessells therof a lyke in honoure. And as thoughe gods depe inscrutable iugementes and wyll, must be mea­sured with your hyghe witte.

Oh myserable man, that thou art (sayth Paule) whiche darest replye reason with, and incuse thy maker on this maner: as thoughe God were bounde to attemper the magnitude of his secrete workes to thy rude ca­pacitie. Are his diuine workes per­uerse because they be hid to thy sin­full reason and carnall witte?

Be we therfore content with this answer of God,Mat. 20. to the murmures in his vyneyarde. It is my wyll, It is my pleasure thus to do wyth my now [...]e, and thus to vse my crea­tures to my glorye. It is god that hathe made all things for him selfe,prour. 16. and for his owne wil, euen the wiked vnto an euel day. And hardined pharaos hert worthely, and yet is he not [Page] therfore thautor of euil as mans fōd reasō gathereth therof. For we know that as the fote pathes of the lorde lye in the seas, [...]sal. lxxvi. and his foote steppes be not sene, euen so lye his workes in al thinges euen in the wicked for­lorne, and be not sene to mans rea­son, which at his godlye pleasure so disposeth and ordeineth y^e secret depe iugementes of his vnsercheable wyl by his godly prouidence in all men, that as it perteineth to his wisedom to forsee all thinges to come, so be­longeth it to his power to rule and moderate all thinges with his al­myghtie presente forthe stretched hande. Senharib was a wicked hei­then kynge, and yet God vsed the same (hym selfe not knowinge it) to be hys instrumente to scourge his people,Isay .x. the kynge hym selfe enten­dynge nothynge els then ambicion cruelty, and myscheife,. Here didde neyther the kynge ne hys people the [Page li] the Iewes in this worke of god espy his iote steppes, much lesse in his predestinacion and reprobation, for yf they had sene them, blynde reason wolde haue anone concluded, God to be y^e autor of euyl, or els not haue iustely punished the kinge, seinge he did but gods wyll and his message. Let god therefore as Isaye saythe worke s [...]raunge workes vnknowen to vs to worke his owne,Isay .xxvii [...] as he did when he sprange forth in the mount Perazim, and declared his fury in y^e vale of Gibeon. All that is before writen of this mater, it is writen saith Paule for our doctrine to haue counfort by the scriptures and hope thereby of our saluacion,Rom, xv and not to feare vs from the holsome study and meditacion therof, ne to bring vs in­to any perplex dout of oure electiō & predestinaciō ī christ, as your proces appereth after ye lefte Pauls wor­des and fell into your owne reaso­nynge [Page] therin, ‘callinge the wordes of the holy ghost, idle reasonyngs, and wrappinge them in vnreuerently, with the idle saings and reasonings of the grekes (as ye terme them) bryngynge in your absolute mere necessite, and mans lyfe, death, maners behauioure. &c. and euery thinge to be fixed (ye saye bothe in skoffe and derision) of God, and fastened in hys place appoynted, wyth nayles, ryuetted and clenched with mere necessitie. &c.’ By suche blasphe­mouse skornefull speche and wry­tynge of the mere necessitie of gods eternall moste myghty immutable wyll, wysedome and power, effectu­ousely to perfourme his diuine de­creed operations and actions, vna­ble to be resisted, ye openlye declare your selfe to be not so perfytly myn­ded as ye oughte to be thus vnre­uerently wythoute feare, to wryte vpon your creatore. Of whiche ma­ner men of so depraued and corrupte [Page lii] mynde, Dauyd speketh saing The skoffinge fole saith in his herte, that god is not god.Psal. 13. c 2.14. Then ye reherce many that may be made obieccions a­gainst you of gods in [...]allible fore­knowlege and necessarily decreed will and prouidence and predestinacion, but with all the coloured reth­rike ye haue ye cannot assoyle one of them. And as for fre libertie to do good, no man hath it, til the spirite of libertie, thorow christ, hathe taken awaye his bonde libertie (if suche one may be called fre liberty) to sinne and made in him a free lybertie to do good as the scripture and Austen e­uery where declareth it. And again, That the necessite vnable to be changed in gods decreed will, necessiteth no man by coacction to synne but it is the voluntary necessitie of mans corrupte nature that driueth him to synne in whiche corrupte nature ye shuld yf ye were lerned, & not ī gods [...]ecret wil seke mās necessite to sin. so [Page] that God is no autor of sinne (whi­che be farre from all christen mens thoughtis) but iust and holy in all his workes, & vsed pharaous wor­thely deserued voluntary induraciō vnto his owne glory. He tempted Iob, and Satan temptid the same, here is one and the same accion, but of vnlyke entēts willes & endis, For god tempted, him to proue his pa­cience, to excercise his faith hope & loue and to set him vp an example of pacience before all afflicted faith­ful men, But Satan tempted him to bringe him into blasphemouse mur­murings ayenst god by impaciēcy, & so to despayer and to dampnacion. The scripture saithe that the father delyuered vp his owne sonne to be crucifyed for vs, & christ delyuered vp him selfe into their handis. And Iudas and y^e byshops delyured him vp into his crucifiers handis, But god did it for his glorye and our re­dempciō Iudas & the hygh preistis [Page liii] did it of auarice enuye and malice. So that the diuersite of the endis, maner, willis, entent and the affectis of the doers in the same acciō, make it good to one and euill to a nother, Ye prouoke me muche to digresse & to contende with you in the mater of predestinacion and fre libertie, ther­by craftely to call me into a new feld from our proposed cause of iustifica­cion, as thoughe ether ye were wery of, or mistrusted your false part therin, And especially in this place.

Antequam Abraham fierer, Ego Sum. In whiche text, ye playe and daley before tyme, aftir tyme, aboue tyme, yea and out of tyme to, asking me ‘whether (before) signifieth tyme or no tyme, wherof ye saye my playn scolers can no skill.’ (And I dare sai, nomore can you) For in this text ye tomble in your tences present and paste, done, vndone, or in doing, placinge y^e present tence, in god before the pretertence in man, as thoughe, [Page] Sum, in that place, ego sum, were a verbe substantiue, and not the essen­ciall name of god to Moses. Exo. iii. that he shulde tell his people his name to be this worde, sum, when he was bode to saye. sum misit me ad uos. that is to say, Iehouah, he that hath his beinge of him selfe, and all creatures their being of him hath sēt me to you. For god is not measured ne tenced with tyme, ye shulde haue conferred the text and ye shuld haue sene that christes mynde was firste to declare him selfe to the Iewes to be very man in that he tolde them, Abraham desyred to see his daye, that was of hys incarnacyon, and then in ende of the chapter he declared him selfe to be verye God namynge hym selfe by his essency­all name expressed to them in Exo­do, where he sayd, ego sum qui sum Whyche is but as colde a speche as to saye. A man is a man. [Page liiii] excepte the sharpe demonstra­cion called emphasis be intended vpon the later, Sum, in an higher sharper and harder accent. So that if that name ineffable might be ex­pressed, as it cannot be of man, yet to pointe vs vnto it as it were a farrof, the lerned in the tongues insinuat it by this latyn nowne, existo existonis as one might saye, I am that essen­ciall beinge as I said before. So that ye haue declared your igno­rance in dede to take gods essenciall ineffable name, for the verbe Sum es fui, a verbe of the present tence: makinge no difference betwixt the first Sum and the last, in this sen­tence. Ego sum, qui sum. For ye may tyme and tence the first Sum, but so canne ye not the later Sum. whiche god vsed when he bode Moses tell them, Sum, hathe sent me vnto you, and Chryste vsed the same his essen­ciall name, here vnto the Iewes, [Page] in this texte Antequam Abraham nasceretur ego sum. Before abrahā was borne I had my beinge of my selfe and al creaturs their beinge by me. This is the trwe englishinge ther of as we maye w^tours to skāt a spech declare it. And therfore saith Austen. Appende verba, & agnosce mysterium &c. Antequam Abrahā fieret. Intellige fieret ad humanam naturam. Sum, veroad diuinam per­tinere substantiam. way these words and aknowlege the mystery. Before Abraham was made, vnderstande thou, this worde (was made) to per­tayne to his humane nature. But y^e worde (Sum) to pertaine to the di­uyne substance. But it wold aske to greate a boke to refute all your er­rours and ignorances in this pese and in other of your boke, and ther­fore I towche but some of them, and haste me ayen to your sainge in your xlvii. lefe folowinge cōcerninge our firste proposed mater of iustificaciō,

[Page lv] A controuersie there is, howe god wor­keth this iustificacion in man, The bys. whether to iustifye he giueth him one gifte of faith or two giftes of faith and charitie. And in this cōtrouersie one thīg is very peruerse, that these which saye that god iustifiethe man with one gift of faith onelye, will be sene more to extoll god in his fauour vnto man then they that saye god geueth thre giftes in the iustification.

I saye with Christe, sainte Paule and with all the olde holy doctours that god to iustifye man geueth but onely the one gifte of faith beleuing into Christe vnto the onely accion of his iustificatiō,Ioye. albeit there be three giftes in the man iustified, as faithe, hope, and loue, not idle waiters to be sette a worke, as ye raile and ieste of goddes holy giftes. Neither Paule taught of god, bringing but the one gifte of faith, excludynge all the o­ther from the acte of iustificacion, doth peruersely (as ye saye) in extol­lynge god therby when he bryngeth in Abraham onely by faith iustified and therfore to geue all the glory vnto god. Rom. iiii. and likewise of eue­ry [Page] man by faith onely iustified and not of workes. Ephe. ii. howesoeuer it lyketh you to skof it oute, I know of howe fonde a dreame and false a grounde ye argewe agaynst me and maister Bucer to proue your charite to be concurrante with faith in the act of iustification, or els (as ye full wisely saye) charitie to stand by ydle tyll she be sette a worke.Gardiners faithe for­med, and vnformed shapt and shaples. For ye haue dreamed it with frier dunce, that there is a material shaples faith and a formall fashioned faith. And that your material faith must stand idle, as ye teste of Charite, & canne do no­thinge without hir shape and formalitie, whereby she is formed and sha­ped into accion formed with charite. By whiche fonde dreame ye wolde make (I say) your shapeles faith to stand idle tyll youre colde charitie had set hir a worke A goodly godly frierly dreame lo. But the scripture teacheth vs that faith in hir owne essenciall selfe and consideration is [Page lvi] as actual, effectuouse, and as formally fashioned as is charite in hir essencial selfe. For the syngle spirituall giftes of god admitte no suche phi­sicke composition as ye dreame. And as effectually as charitie loueth god knowen firste by faythe in Chryste so effectually and as formally wor­keth onely faythe firste hir proper accions, as to beleue in god appre­hendinge his promises in christ, and there is no idlenes in eyther of the gyftes, for as God geueth none of your materiall shaples giftes, so ge­ueth he no idle giftes, as ye blas­pheme hym and his giftes, we teache therfore with gods word, faith hope and charitie, to be essencyally disti­ncte, but not diuided in sondry: And we knowe, and teache it, that saythe in her selfe hathe hir owne proper formal accions as to purifie hertes, to certyfye the soule of hyr forgeue­nes in CHRISTE, faythe. knoweth god in Christ, faith setteth [Page] y^e conscience at reste, faith apprehen­deth the fre promises in christ, faithe seethe god and thinges inuisible, faith pleaseth god, faith goeth vnto god with many mo hir owne peculi­ar workes expressed. Heb. xi. Faithe declareth hyr selfe effectuouselye by the workes of charitie of hope of pa­cience, almose. &c. But by whiche of al these hir proper workes doth faith iustifye? verely the scripture saith by hir beleuinge in god thorowe christe Iesu, hym to be geuen hyr, to haue suffred and satisfied for hir sinnes, made of god the father hir righte­wisenes, holynes, wisedome and re­dempcion. By this onely act of faith is man iustified before she declareth hir selfe by hir workes of loue, for the thinge loued muste be firste kno­wen by faith. Faith iustifieth in that she worketh by beleife into christ certifieng and inducyng vs into the cō munion,by whiche worke faith iu [...]tifieth. and doing Christes ryght­wysnes vppon vs to be oure owne [Page lvii] vesture comon to him and to vs co­ueringe vs thus beleuinge in him:Gene. 27. as it was wel fygured in Iacob co­uered with hys elder brothers clo­thes and vestures so well sauoringe in his fathers nose whervpon he re­ceiued his blessinge in that blessed sead contrary to the curse and male­diccion.

This word onely faith hath and doth maintaine muche bablinge when ye ioyne it to faith sayenge, onely faith iustifyeth, The bys. & defendinge y^•, ye trouble the people. &c.

It mainteineth the more bablyng and gendereth the mo erroures by your popishe Antichristen doctryne teaching with other heritiques that faithe and workes together must iustifie,Ioye. It is your popishe Pelagians bablynge, for your workes, dāpning christe and saint Paule in the places I alleged against you, and ye haue not yet soluted them, ye accuse of sich bablynge Austen, Ambrose, Hierom, Uulgarye, Chrisostom, Hugh Car­dinall, Erasmus, so ofte in his lear­ned [Page] & godly worke of his Paraphra­se vpon y^e newe testament with many mo bothe godly and learned men af­formynge onely faith to iustifye.

Reade Origene (and ye [...]yste) vppon this place. Arbitramur hominem fi­de iustificari. &c. and call hym and the other reherced, mainteiners of muche bablynge. If to saye onelye fa [...]th iustifyeth mainteyneth so muche bablynge, as ye bable and blustre for your synfull workes, so haue all these said great learned and holy men interpretinge the scriptures done muche hurt and troubled their readers. It is no meruayle ye bable so boldely, and impugne so blyndlye this verite of faith onely iustifieng, for ye neuer knewe what this faith is. It is neither your acquisite ne your formed ne vnformed faith, ne­ther your assentynge historik faythe, neither your explicite ne implicite faith, neither your fained ne deade [Page lviii] faith, neither the diuellis faith, nor yet your firste faythe of all, that we ioyne with the exclusyue, onely, but it is the lyuely iustifienge faithe,faith iustifyinge. e­uen the ferme assiewred knowledge of gods beneuolence towarde vs, whiche grounded vppon the veritie of the free promyse in Christ, is both reueled to oure myndes, and presen­ted into our hertis by the holy gost. And therefore are these wordes, Iu­stitia iustificatio and iustificari often tymes ioyned to faithe onely, and neuer to Charitie ne to workes to iustifye before God, Paule vsynge in expresse wordes these exclusiues. Abs (que) operibus and sine operibus legis, gratis nisi. &c. That is frelye withoute the workes of the lawe.

And where the Iewe (as nowe do you) for his iustifycatyon ob­iecteth his workes. Paule tel­leth hym playnelye. Thy gloriacy­on in thy workes is excluded byrom. 3. [Page] by the auctoritie of faith. And to exclude all other accions, and merits of workes, he addeth. Gratis per gratiam per fidem. that is frely thorowe faith. And Christe biddeth him be­leue onely, and thou shalte haue thy desier: Also Paule expresseth it with this exclusiue,Gal. 2. nisi, affirminge, we knowe it, man not to be iustified of the workes of the lawe but by faith, which lyke speache Christe vseth by the same exclusiue,luke. 18. nisi, to proue only God to be good, sainge. Nemo bo­nus nisi unus, Nempe deus. There is none good but one, that is god, as muche to saye as christe him selfe ex­presseth it, there is none good nisi solus deus, but only god. For the same power hath, nisi, to exclude in nega­tiue propositions, as haue Solum & tantum in affirmatiues.

They trouble the people with a fyne distinction of offices, sayeng that in iusti­ficacion of man, The bys, it is the onelye office of fayth to iustyfye. And charite and hope [Page] there waytyng without office whiles the man be iustified.

Here ye playe sir Thomas Moris parte, whyche when he was subor­ned of you the spiritualtie to wryte agaynst the truthe,Ioye. and coulde not solute the scriptures ne argumentes layde agaynste hym, then he skoffed and iested them out. Better learned men then you call the actes of fayth and charite, offices, ne a more proper terme can there be geuen them, if ye lyst to se what officium is, and wher­of it commeth, mary I meane not of suche offices as ye constitute among your officers, as butlers, cokes. &c. And here because the truth of God, and youre lyes be at so deadly a dis­corde you hauynge no truthe for your cause to be defended, ye putte to this shameles lye of me, that I shuld write, ‘Charitie and hope there to waite withoute office whiles the man be iustified,’ whiche nether I ne any els but suche as ye be didde [Page] euer saye it. But I say it yet againe to you this which ye shal neuer iust­ly auoid ne confute,The officie of faith, of hope, [...] of loue That it is the office acte propertie or nature (call it as ye lyste) of faith onely to appre­hende the free promised forgeuenes in christis moste preciouse innocent bloud. Nether is hope idle. For it is the constant expectacion of those thi­ngs conceiued by faith oute of the worde of god, which hope shameth vs not. Nether is loue there idle, but is the frute of faithe euen the good affecte toward god and bene­ficence toward our neighbour to fulfil the works of mercy. For the gifts of the holy gost breke not forth into workes in the same instant thei be sowen into y^e soul of man, but receiue their nourishment and encreace and be nolesse idle then is the good erthe and the grane sowen lapped therin all that tyme before the grane spie­reth & apere aboue y^e grounde, The [Page lx] holy goost as he geueth no idle but frutefull giftes at their dewe tune, so suffereth he not his giftes to lye idle in his good soyle, althoughe ye haue litle grace to consider & see it, but ra­ther to blaspheme him and his gifts with youre skoffinge idle waiting, hauyng rather respecte to your idle wayting seruauntes in your skorne­full allusion. Thoughe your self slepe or winke and se not at al times yet maye ye not saye in suche tymes, that God hath geuen you idle eyes. And for that your superciliouse mo­rositie, is so of [...]ended with the terme (office) of fayth, what difference (I praye you) put ye betwixt these two sainges. The eye onely seeth, and it is [...]he onely office therof to see? ney­ther is there any man so brutyshe, as in this speache. ‘It is the onely office expressinge the cause formal, of faith to iustifie, to exclude god the cause efficiente out of his office.’ For (one­ly as Paule teacheth, excludeth the [Page] workis of the lawe & not god from the acte of iustificacion as ye cauill to seke euasions, verely if ye were of god, ye wold neuer impugne so ma­nifest verities with siche trifflinge skoffes and cauillacions ne trouble and hynder chrystes chirch to seduce them with these your fonde and false bokis. But ye stande a litle to highe in your own conceight, beware ye fall not. Dominus videt et iudicat. Que stat caueat ne cadat. he y^t stond let him beware he falleth not.

The. bys And so (onely) is nowe shifted from faith to thoficie of faith, And these be thei that accuse other men of darknes.

Nowe herken (good reader) wether this be so derke a shift,Ioye. Onely y^e eare heareth, and it is the onely office of the eare to heare. this bishop wolde haue it the office of charite also to iustifie, and I, to exclude charite frō y^t office, tell him that it is the onely office of faith and not of any other gift to iustifye. & haue constantly confirmed it by scriptures.

[Page lxi] But the scripture telleth me that who so loueth not remaineth in death. The bys. And ther­fore if the state of a iustified man be lyfe in Christe, which is godly loue hath as well hir office in iustification to geue lyfe as faith hath hir office to be in knowelege the most certaine grounde and foundacion of it, and hope hir office to be placed and e­stablyshed vpon them bothe.

I denye your longe bablynge vaine and darke argument which is this breifely in fewe wordes.Ioye. The office (here be ye compelled to vse this terme office) of charite is to geue life ergo charitie iustifieth. A lyke argument the office of charitie is to be pacient, ergo charitie iustifieth. But what and if I denye your antece­dence, and proue it by scripture, that faith and not loue is the lyfe of the iustified. Abacuc. ii. The iust man liueth in his faith. For faith hath not this epithete, ut uiua dicatur, that is to be called lyuely except there were lyfe in hir, wherof the iust lyueth.

Abacuc. ii. Also Paul sayth. The life which I nowe lyue in my fleshe, per [Page] fidem uiuo filij dei. I lyue it by the faithe of the sonne of god. And Iohn saith, he that remaineth in loue dwelleth in life, the cause why Abacuck & Paule declareth for that he that re­mayneth in loue dwelleth in faythe, whiche is the lyfe of the iuste, So y^t to abide in loue, declareth the man to continue in the lyfe of faith. But I argew thus to you, Charite can not loue god onles she first knowe god. but by faith iustifienge god is firste knowne, ergo faith iustifienge is be­fore charite louinge. Wherfore charitie iustifieth not. For the thynge muste be firste knowen ere it be belo­ued, Then thus, faith iustifienge is before charitie louyng, For the man is iustified in the former accion of faith knowyng & beleuinge in gods mercye thorowe christe. For faith is a lyuelye faith in hir owne proper work of beleif into christ, ere she worketh by charite. But you wold make charitie egall in accion with faythe, in the worke of iustificacion, whiche [Page lxii] ye shall neuer do with all the popes lawe ne with all his dirtye diuinite, ye haue. And to proue your popishe parte, ye sweate greatly to ioyne life to charitie as though then ye hadde your purpose. And in your .lv. lefe folowinge, ye saye the scripture ge­ueth lyfe to charitie, but ye dare not alledge that scripture: as I haue al­ledged lyfe to be geuen to faith, ye wold here by adioyning lyfe in charitie, to be concurrant w^t faith in iusti­ficacion (as I perceiue) make faith your materiall shaples dead and an idle faithe, till charitie setteth her a worke geuing to fayth hir forme & lyfe. But this dreame wil not serue you, as I haue tolde you before.

And then ye saye hope muste be pla­ced and establyshed of faith and loue contrary to the hole order and trea­ty of them thorowout all the scrip­ture, as ye se it distinctly, orderlye, and playnlye in all and in euerye parte and pistle of the Apostles, [Page] and in the prophetes, firste of faithe, then of hope, and laste of all of loue, yf you vnderstande them. Then ye prate pertly of your workes before your iustificacion. And I tell you Shew me but any one of your good workes before your iustification be­fore god and I shall soone tell you whether it be good or badde, yea and that by the true twich stone of godis holy word that lieth not.

Ioy violently writeth this text of scripture, The bys. when ye haue done al that I haue cō maunded you then say you we be vnprofi­table seruauntes. &c, and all to diminishe thestimacion of good workes,

Ioye. after. [...]udolph in vita Christi.This byshop violentlye wresteth this texte with the monkes exposici­on of the chartir howse to serue for his and their merits wherevpon theirs and all other monkish howses were founded and buylded till the gospell ouerthrewe them as it shall shortely subuerte your byshoprykes to, as christes owne exposition of the same texte playnelye declareth [Page lxiii] it. Your monkish glose is. ‘That be cause god is riche enough. and want nothinge, ne nedeth our commoditie goodis ne profit by our dedis, therfore we muste say, we be seruāts vn­profitable to him.’ But christ telleth vs a nother cause, sainge. Say that ye be seruants vnprofitable, be cause ye haue done but your abounden dewty. For what thanke hath that seruant because he hath done but y^t he is commaunded to do? These be Chrystis wordis to destroye your merits and supererogacion workis to merit more then ye nede which ouerplus ye sel to other men for mo­ney and londe to be geuē to your bi­shopriks, & abbeis, therfore ye may be ashamed to render any siche a po­pishe cause cōtrary to christis owne wordis: ye saye god hath no nede of our commodite, profit, and seruice, It is trwthe. & therfore ye serue him theraftir, redier to serue your lustis the deuil the pope & the world. God [Page] cōmādeth vs & al creatures to serue hī, but aftir you, nether to ꝓmoue ne to set forth his glorye name & good­nes ne one to profit a nother. Christ biddeth vs so to let our lyght shyne before mē that thei seinge our good.math. v. works might glorifye our father in heuen. And what ye do to the lest of myne, ye do it to me, saith he, so that his pleasure profite and commoditie by our seruice consisteth and remai­neth yet still in his chirche and his members. And as the tolerances, persecucions, & inuries, done to his members he rekeneth them done to himself, as it is to se, collos. i. act. ix. so accepteth he al benefites and wor­kes of mercye and seruice done to his chirche of the pore faithful membres of christ as done and comon to himself. as ye se mat. xxv. For which vtilite and profit done to him in his members he calleth vs (contrary to your exposiciō) profitable & faithful seruants to hī, For he nedeth our seruice [Page lxiiii] in his chirche and mēbers, and necessarye it is y^t all his creatures so serue him, sith he hathe therfore cre­ated them to celebrate his gloriouse name, and geuen them and vs com­mandement so to do. Albeit god is omnisufficiente & almightye riche in himself, yet standinge the creacion of al things in heuen & erth to mini­ster and serue him accordinge to his precepte, it is necessary his glory & goodnes to be spred & celebrated by their seruice. God nedeth not our goodes, ergo he nedeth not our ser­uice? how folowteh your argument? seinge he hath created al things to serue him. ye be a riche bishop hau­inge of al things enoughe and nede not your seruants goodes, yet seing ye haue seruants it is necessary that thei serue you, al thoughe ye be able to serue your selfe, wherfore I pray ye be as good for gods seruice as for your own, for it standeth & maketh as miche for his honour to require our seruice as it dothe for youre [Page] honour to be serued, orels ye wold peruert the vniuersal order of the worlde, if kinges and magistrates hauinge, seruants shulde haue no nede of their seruice. Ye saye god nedeth no seruice of vs. whē he bid­deth you therfore, to go into his vyneyarde to plough vp mens har­tes with his worde therin to be so­wen and planted, & to fede his flock. Tushe, may ye say, god nedeth none of my seruyce by your exposition, for he is able enoughe to do it him self, my seruice can not profite him, and so his seruice and precept forsaken, ye maye go into the popes garden there to playe the gardiner, plante, & sowe his popishe rites, tradicions & deuyllishe doctrine still as ye haue done to poyson the simple soules w^t errours and heresies. To whome it shal be sayde at laste. O euel and vnprofitable seruaunt. &c. take him a­waye and his handes and fete bounden, cast him into exterior derkenes, [Page l] where is weping and gnasshinge of tethe. Then ye saye. Gods seruice is profitable to vs, but if ye did beleue your owne saieng, ye wold serue him ernestlier then ye do, and seke that profite in his seruice with the perell of your lyfe, as didde Christ and his apostles with their true successours, forsaking all that they had to folow hym in his seruyce of faythfull and free preachinge his gospel. Paule in his vocation euer sought the pro­fit of the other to be saued with the great paines, presonmentes, and pe­rel of his owne lyfe, so that he said it were more profit for him selfe to be with Christe then here stil. Where ye se that Christes seruauntes, serue not for their own profit, as ye saye in youre false exposition, but for o­ther mens profyt, for charitie seketh not her owne but other mens profyt. Then ye saye, the state of mens ser­uauntes is to do their masters pro­fyt, and not their own. But I thinke [Page] euery good faithfull seruaunt to re­kē his maisters profit to be his own and so shulde ye teache them if ye wil haue good seruantes. Let vs se whe­ther this seruaunt in the parable be­inge all the daye in the felde, [...] xvii. doinge his maisters profytte, contrarye to your exposition, didde not also his owne? Had he not all his liuinge of his maister? whiche was no smal profit to him selfe. [...] xix. Then ye bring in for your tother seruaunt that profitethe hym selfe and not his maister christ, this text. Si uis ab uitam ingredi ser­ua mandata. If thou wilt enter into lyfe kepe the commaundementes, as thoughe he keping the commaundementes shulde haue therfore de­serued heauen. And then as Paule saythe, Christ hadde dyed in vayne for that seruaunt. But ye knowe to what seruaunte Christe spake those wordes, euen to the yonge ryche la­wier and pharisaies scoler, taughte of them to go to heauen, by doinge [Page lxvi] good dedes & not by faith in christe. The person of the speaker, and hys question induced Christe, so to tem­per his aunswere to his mynde. For this lawier was so sene & noseled in the law & workes that he was (as ye be) persuaded by the pharisais to go to heauen by his owne doinge and not by christes suffringe: and thus went he forth blyndened with the cō ­fidence of workes. Nowe (I praye ye) what profit gote this your yonge pharisaicall scoler, who ye say so profited him selfe and not his maister by his seruice? althoughe he sayde he hadde kept all the reherced commandementes from his youth, he had no profite by that seruice, as ye saye, he had, for euen here he forsoke his maister, and went his way heuely, christ pronouncynge howe impossible it was for suche a seruaunte to come to heauen. Wherefore this texte with all the former exposition of the [Page] the first text make plaine againste your selfe and against all your ser­uauntes, and their seruices so wisely brought in for your fonde and false purpose and are all your own kayes to cleaue your logges and your own hatches to open your lockes. Euen the processe and conference of the text before from the beginning of the chapter wherof christ was moued to tell his disciples this parable of that bonde seruaunt not to worke for wa­ges, but because it was his aboundē deutye, wold leade you into the true vnderstanding therof, had ye grace so to obserue your owne so oft reher­ced rule. For Christ had geuen his disciples in the beginninge of that chapter all to harde and impossible to man, [...] xvii. a precepte of iniuries, and hurtes, so often to be forgeuen, and bodde them beware, and take hede to them selues, seynge that nedes muste suche sclaunders and offendicles come. This precept of pacience and [Page lii] loue to forgeue their enemies, sclaunderers and hurters so oft as they of­fende vs, they knowinge it to be so impossible to the nature of man to corrupt with the naturall loue of him selfe, and againe, seinge faith to be so mighty a gift whereby the law is fulfilled,rom iii.x. cetle. xxxii when loue is to weake to do it, praied him to encrease & strengthen their faith. Then Christ telleth them the power and might of faith, being as lytle as the musterde seade, yet therby shuld they do things im­possible to the nature of man to do, euen to commaunde the depe roted great wylde fygtree to rende vp hyr rotes, and to be transplanted in the sea, declaringe therby, that the lawe impossible to man to be fulfilled, yet by faith,how faith not worke fulfilleth the lawe. we beleuinge christ to haue fulfilled it for vs, do remoue his fulfillynge so transplanted in vs, that we by fayth fermelye haue his fulfillinge of the lawe as oure own, he beinge made of his father oure [Page] ryghtwisenes, in whiche his ryght­wysenes, and not in our owne we ap­pearinge before his seat, & presence haue not our synnes imputed to vs, so iustified, obteyning that laste and perpetual blessinge geuen to all his blessed chosen children. To con­firme this doctrine, and to destroye your false popish supererogiciō workes and merites. Christe knytteth to the parable. Sayenge, which of you hauinge a bonde seruante, (al gods elect be his bonde seruauntes to do his commaundementes of deutye, & to serue him lokynge for no wages) ploughinge and fedinge your catell in the felde wyll saye to him as sone as he come home, come, sit downe & eate, but will rather byd him, saieng, go and prepare for my souper, and dresse the to serue me till I haue ea­ten▪ which done, eat thou and drink: wyll he commende or geue hym any thanks for doinge but his dewtye? No I thinke. Here ye see how Chrsti [Page lxvii] expoundinge hym selfe, destroieth youre merites to be loked for youre dedes of deutye and bond seruice.

And euen so (saith he) saye ye and thinke it in dede, we be seruauntes vnprofitable, for that we haue done but our abounden deutye. Now go to, and tell you vs your other tale & monkishe dreame, that we be seruaū ­tes vnprofitable, because god is so riche that he nedeth not our seruice. a faier reason, and goodly glose for your merits, ye be a riche and vale­aunt byshop, and be able to sette vp wype, and curry your owne horse, ergo ye nede no seruice, but maye do it your selfe. Do not the obediente mi­nistration of his aungels and the o­bedience and seruice of his creatures al make for the glorye of god to be celebrated amonge vs, althoughe we knowe hym omni sufficiente?

Here thou seest, christen reader) how impudently and arrogantlye this [Page] byshop dare render another and cō ­trary cause and exposition of the text then Christ him selfe hath left vs in plaine wordes, and then saye, that I in expressynge and alledginge iuste­ly Christes wordes, do violentlye wreste and wryte them. But what is it that Antichriste dare not do and saye agaynst christe and his veritye to falsefye the scriptures, to thentent he myghte wreste them to seme to serue hys deuyllyshe doctrine? We knowe that god is almighty, infi­nite riche, and nedeth not our goods but yet as he commaunded the firste frutes of euery thinge to be offered vp vnto him, so wolde he all his gif­tes in vs, yea and all oure dedes, ser­uice, wordes, and thoughtes to be cō secrated into his glory and honour, and into the edification and profit of his bodye and membres, whiche so doynge we be seruauntes faith­full and profitable for him, and to other, as the scripture calleth vs, [Page liiii] and thus we sanctifye and celebrate and magnifye his holye name, as he commaundeth it, Then ye chopin this text of zachary. Vtsine timo­re. &c. To proue your merits to deserue deliueraunce from our ene­myes, and so to lyue and serue him in holynes and well doynge. But ye sleyghtly leaue out hym, by who­se merits we be thus delyuered.

Ye shulde haue redde the verses be­fore, and then ye shulde haue seene, that GOD the father hadde erec­ted oure myghty helthe, euen christ, that by hym, and his power and me­rites, we delyuered from oure ene­mies myghte serue hym withoute feare in holy lyuynge. But suche pe­ces ye can omytte as impertinente to youre euyll purpose. And these be the hatchets ye bringe in, to open your lewde lockes.

[Page] And after this sorte thei vse predesti­nacion, The bys. which being signified to vs for our counforte, do declare what care god hathe of vs whereby we shulde be the more en­couraged to worke hauynge god to oure helpe. &c.

Ioye. ‘Why then in your boke of neces­sarie enstruccions commande ye the people to beware of predestinacion and not to medle therwith leste they fall into any vayne trust in it, these be your wordes, and teache that no man shulde be sewer therof, ne of his election?’ Nowe ye saye it is writen for oure counforte, and anon ye feare men from it, nowe it is a vaine trust and then it is a counfortable adsew­raunce, and anon ye put all men in dout therof and of their election in Christe, makinge faith no faith, but a waueringe doute, ne gods promise of no effecte. So inconstant and wa­ueringe is youre doctrine. Whiche predestinacion, ye saye, we vse it as your hatchet to open lockes. And I say, your selfe vse it, as a nose of waxe [Page] against the fier.

But now I returne to you maister Ioye.

(Ioye, And I to you my lorde.The bys.)

And where ye appose me, whether when I considered theffecte of christes passion, I beleued it or no? I professe I beleued.

Then ye aske whether I beleued it to be effectuall to me. To this I aunswere you That first I beleued, it was and is effec­tual to me in my baptisme wherein I ob­tained remission of my synnes and renouacion of lyfe.

I perceiue ye lete great skorne to be apposed of me.Ioye. But yet I wolde ye aunswered me directely to my que­stion, For I asked you whether now seen your baptisme when ye taughte your scolers this conclusion, then beinge a synner, as euery mā is, whē ye firste considered your sinnes in your self and loked vpon your effect that is remission in christes passion, whether then, I saye, ere ye loked to any other condicion thē vpon onely faith, whiche is your fyrste condici­on, ye beleued Christes passion to be effectuouse to you or not? If ye dydde, so muste ye neades be [Page] iustified by only faith & by no other cōdiciō, which ye must nedis graunt magry your tethe, For as ye beleue, accordīg to gods promise so must it infallibly cōe to you. But in your answer, fearing lest ye shuld be iustified by faith only,the bishop is afraide lest he shuld be iustified by onelye faith. ye shift frō this tyme, to your baptism wher ye wold couple your faith diuided, part to christ & parte to your baptysme by bothe to gither to be iustifyed, as though not faith only in christe, ne christes dea­the were sufficient, But I wil stoppe ye in from that stertinge hole therby not so to escape, And muste by your leaue appose ye yet agen, & aske you whether before your body was do­ped into the fonte with the wordis of baptisme, ye beleued or no. If ye saye no, so make ye your godfathers and god mother lyers and your selfe to, which all affirmed in your person Credo. I beleue, or els the preist had chrystened an infidele. For the order of Christis doctrine is y^t the doctrine [Page lvi] and profession shulde go before the baptisme as ye see it bothe in infan­tes and waxen. If one shuld come to you to be baptized, ye wold first en­structe him in our faith and heare him openly professe it ere ye put him into the water as chryste taught and commanded his apostles to do, say­inge, Go and teache all nacions my gospell and whatsoeuer els I haue taught you & them that beleue bap­tize into the name of the father and &c. This order obserued the apost­les in their actes first preachinge y^e lawe to shew them their sinnes and then the gospell of remissiō in christ,the vse of baptisme: whiche thinge beleued, the hearers be iustifyed before god & regenered of the spirit of faith therby obsigned and sealed certifyed of their eleccion in christe, And then is the exterior obsignacion of baptisme with water the testificaciō to the chirche added to certifye them the same persone to haue had receyued y^e spirit of faithBap [...]me is the testification to [...]he churche of the regeneration of the spirite. [Page] and to be regenered before of god, so that as circumcision was to the Ie­wes chirch, signaculum iusticie fidei that is the exterior seal testimoniall of the iustification by faith, lo is baptisme with water the exterior seal te­stifienge to vs that the baptized is iustified also by faith, and certifieth the congregacion as a testification of the beneuolence of God towarde the baptized, and of his spiritual giftes receiued. For the water saith Austen, is but an elemente and nothing withoute the worde of promise, whi­che is the worde of faith iustifienge before the persone be baptized.

Baptizme with water therfore is the testificacion and seal, certify­enge the hole congregation of his incorporation and member of christes chirch to be admitted into their societe to praye to heare the worde with them and to receiue the lordes sup­per. Besides that baptisme in figure [Page lxxii] is y^e perpetuall custodi of y^e christen life by mortificaciō & repētaūce signified by the dopinge into the water in the death and burial of christe, and his resurrection vs to ryse vp conti­nually into a new lyfe,ephe. iiii collos. ii. gal. iii. as Paul tea­cheth vs. Rom. vi. Thus did Philip first enstruct the queens courtyer of Candace, and then asked him whe­ther he beleued with al his hert, that is constantly and purelye, before he wold baptise him. And Paule and Silas obserued the same order with the keper of the presone,act. xvi. when the keper beinge in a desperate mynde for feare they had ben fled, wolde haue slaine him selfe, but otherwise aduertised by Paule, he comen to hym selfe, saide. Maysters what must I do to be saued. whiche aunswe­red. Beleue into the LORDE Iesu, and thou with all thy house shalte be saued. After whiche be­leife they were baptized.

[Page]This is sufficient to declare the vse of oure baptisme with water, & that we be iustifyed by faith only before it, ere we can repent frutfully, & thus is al your popish trysh trash contay­ned in your other second condicion cleane wypt awaye frō thatainment of iustificacion. And if ye haue any workes els in your condicion, ye see that thei must come bake and folow faith iustifyinge, and not go before it. For when Peter affirmeth (whom ye alledge for Paule) that by fayth hertes be made pure,act. xv. he sheweth it, that by no externe visible ne materi­all signes or creatures as causes es­senciall as by water and suche lyke, mens hertes be purified, but onely of God thorow faith, wher Chrisostom saith. A sola fide illa assecuti sunt & non operibus vel circumcisione. Of onely faith haue they obtained those thinges & not for workes or circūcisiō. ‘Then ye say. By y^t sacramē [...] of your penaunce ye beleue to reco­uer [Page lxxiii] the state of grace.’ I perceue that althoughe ye be a lawier, yet wolde ye seme to be sene in scole mater bringing in dunces and such fryers dead dreames now articled in louayn sai­enge. That the sacramentes of the newe lawe iustifye and confer grace. Sed hoc uerum est ubi non interponitur obex. But y^t is true where there is no lette to barre them out from y^t high preuilege. The scripture affir­meth Christe euery where to be the dore barre, to let them and all other creatures from that priuilege to geue grace and remission of synnes, for els he shuld haue dyed in vayne. But ye muste aske your doctoure dunce and his fryerly faryne of lo­vaine, by what scriptures he & they proue this dreame, and then are ye all set a grounde. If your sacrament of penaunce shoulde recouer and geue ye grace, and your penaunce a weary worke, so were grace tedious­ly deserued, and then (saith Paule) [Page] grace were no grace, Grace is a fre gifte geuen vs for christis merits only, here ye do with the scole men tectely withe your (rekouer) declare your selfe a palliated pelagian. Be­ware of suche doctryne for it is naught, and vnkouer it agen with your rekouer. For ye kouered this pelagians potte before with your penance as I haue iustely refuted it. For and if ye were asked by whiche parte of your popish penance, as whether by your confession auriclare, or by your contricion, or your insufficient satis­faccion, or whisperinge absolucion, or by any other dede inioyned you ye rekouer this state of grace, ye shuld bringe vs forthe but a nakedneste out of your condicion. For if ye beleue (as ye saye ye do) in any of the popis sacraments or in any part of them therby to enioye theffecte of Christis passion, hauinge no worde of faith ne promise of christe therin, ne worde of institucion of the same [Page lxxiiii] to stablish and sustayn your faith, ye shall haue but a doutful waue ringe forgeuenes and as fearful and vn­quiet a conscience when ye shalbe apposed in y^e article of death of your gostly aduersaries and assawted with synne, desperacion, the iuge­ment of god,our workes may not sustaine the iudgement [...] of god. death and hell, For yo­ur faith in your sacramente of pe­nance not sustayned of gods pro­mise, wil then fainte and haue a fall. The mooste holy repentant men pr­aid god not to entre into iugeme­nt with them accordinge to thir de­sertis, for then shuld noman lyuinge be iustifyed in gods sight. And ayen in the psalme If thou, lorde, shuldst loke narowly vpon our wykednes­ses, Lorde, who might abyde it? Hi­therto haue I proued constantly by scripturs, Faith iustifynge to go be­fore baptisme. And now what condi­ciō of yours soeuer cometh aftir baptysme the same must folow iustifi­cacion, but your penance folowethe [Page] wrapped in clothes as rocked in cradle, when y^e worlde was yet. And euen thē, Adam by faith in that pro­mised sead obtained remission and was iustifyed as were all the holy fathers longe before Ioan bap. was borne, and Ioan bap. himself, thinke ye not but that he was iustifyed be­fore christ preched? ye wold make a meruelouse world & brīg vs in a new strange doctryne, if there were no re­mission of synnes tyl christ had prea­ched & suffered. was he not the lōbe slayne from the begininge? If ye loke well of abells oblacion, and of the sheepe slayne to kouer adam and Eues nakednes with the skynes, ye shal see Christes remission of sinnes longe before Ioan preched penance. when Ioan preached sainge, Repēt ye and be conuerted to God for the remission of sinnes is nighe: and said lo, this is the lombe of God that ta­keth awaye the sinnes of the world, and who so beleue in him hath lyfe euerlastinge, did he not preche the [Page lxxvi] gospell annexed as the cause to per­swade them to repentance? yisse trw­ly & thei beleued in Christe ere Ioan baptized them. And thus ye may see vpon howe feble a Maxime as ye call it, ye a rather a minime, ye laid your false grounde to argewe your popish penance to precede remissiō. wher fore tell vs plainly & be shorte, whether ye will teach men to be ius [...]i­fyed, by faith only, or by workis one­ly, or by faith and workes bothe to­gither? If by faith onely, so be we agreed, If by workis onely without faith, so were the haithen infidelis faithls iewes iustified, and Christ dead in vayne,rom. ii [...]. and al the scripture ayenst you, as Paul proueth it, All men to be sinners, no not one iuste by the works of y^e lawe stoppinge euery mans mouth shewing al y^e worldholden gilty obliged to sinne, no fleshe by the workis of the lawe to be iusti­fyed be fore god, and in an hundred places moo in the scriptures.Esay. lvii▪ I shall, saith the lorde, disclose thy [Page] good workes (as thou takest them) and shew y^e that they shal neuer pro­fit the. [...]et. xiii. Also Paule concludeth mightely and manifestly his sermon declaring playnly the lawe impossible to be fulfilled of vs, and so to iustifye no man, and therfore by onely faithe man to be iustified, saing thus. wher­fore we conclude doing you to wete, ye men and brethern, that by this mā I say, Iesus Christ, the remission of synnes is brought vnto you, the re­mis [...]ion and absolution (I tell you) from al the sins frō which it was impossible for you to be absolued by the law of Moises. By this Iesus christ I tell you, euery man y^t beleueth is iustified. And what so euer is not of faith is sin, of faith saith peter purifieng y^e hertes. [...]. xiiii. [...]. xv. wherfore workes alone cannot iustifye. Nether faith & wor­kes togither as concurrant into the same acte of iustificacion may iusti­fye. For the workes of the lawe (by whiche be vnderstanden al the cere­monial, [Page lxxvii] iudicial and moral precepts (as Paule proueth it) and al the old holy doctours, especiall Austen, cal­led iustitia legis, iustitia ex lege. li.iiii. de spā et littera. and iustitia operum. be excluded frō that acte as contrary to the rightwisenes of faith, as the scripture setteth them in so manifest opposition and contrarity, that as the ryghtwisenes of the lawe was the cause of the reieccion and fall of the Iewes out of gods fauour, so was y^e rightwisenes of faith the liftyng vp of the gentiles into his grace and fauour, as your selfe (I thinke vnwares) in the expoun­dinge of Paule in your predestina­tiō, here in your .xxvii. lefe, haue said it against your selfe, where ye set thē with Paule to be so contrary causes y^t it is impossible for these two rightwisnesses to be concurrant into this one effect of iustificatiō, & iustificaciō of faith & workes be so contrary that whereas is y^e one, y^e other must nedes auoyde and geue place, as Paule in [Page] contencion comparinge them togi­ther estemed his own rightwisnes of the lawe as donge and dirte in re­specte of the rightwysnes of faith before God.philip. iii. rom. ix. & .x. and said, that our right­wisnes which cometh of the lawe was the fall of the iews, because thei goinge about to seke to stablish their own rightwisnes, therfore were thei not subiect to y^e rightwisens of god. Agen sithe your doctryne is, noman to be sewer & certain of his forgeue­nes, by your text not wel vnderstan­den, nescit homo an dignus sit odio uelamore, And our best workes, as Isay saith, be so sinful and spotted, and therfore not to quiete and certifye our consciences, and agene faith to be the ferme certitude that exclu­deth al dubitacion and vncertainte seing now that faith and workes be of so contrary effectes,Workes make vs vncertaine faith c [...]rtifeth vs al dubitation excluded it must nedis be impossible these two inconsistents & repugnātes to sich an effect, to may go together into one & the same effect [Page lxxviii] and accion of our iustificacion. And by this means of your merits (yf ye coulde) ye wold make Christ no hole intiere perfit sauiour, contrarye to your sainge before: Now if your condicion so ful of your good workes be in any of the .iiii. kinde of causes to serue your effect, put it in formallye like a philosopher, & I shal by gods worde displace it. But I can neuer thinke it that ye beleue your owne doctrine of workes to iustifye, for if ye did sewrely ye wolde worke beter workes then ye do. For what els do ye then wryte and striue against the gospoll, yea ye worke your brother Cains worke, slaieng your brothern for the truth, ye preson ye persecute, ye burne, ye banish, ye condempne al good bokes & professours of gods word, to set vp your own antichristē articles, & dāpnable popish doctrine Thē ye say. ‘The scripture requiret of a christē mā y^t he be baptized wherby to be incorporated into christ. it is [Page] true.’ For noman wil baptize him tyll he hear his belif and know him to pro­fesse faithfully the Christē religion. For the onely vtwarde baptisme maketh not a christian be fore God, as ye se it in Iudas and Simon mago. For a very christian must be first by his regeneracion of the spirit of faith incorpored into christ ere he by baptisme of water be incorpored into the congregacion, for y^e visible incorporacion auayleth not (Saith austen) without thinuisible incorpo­racion and sanctificaciō by faith. At last ye bringe in this texte. Baptize­tur vnusquisque in remissionē pec­catorum, whiche, as I remember, is the frist scripture I haue herde ye allege yet for your false doctryne, ye brought in a colet and a versicle out of your porteus to proue your parte besydis your participacion in dede, And yet in this text ye make so great haste into remissionem peccatorum to be conioyned to baptizetur, that [Page lxxix] ye leaue out .v. wordis, and euen the chefe mater, betwixt your first worde & the last. For the text is Resipiscite & baptizetur vnusquisque vestrum sub nomine Iesu Christi in remissi­onem & &c. Repente ye, & let euery one of you be baptized in the name of Iesu Christe into the remission of sinnes. Nowe ye know that noman wilbe baptized and ther by professe the name of Iesu Christ, but he first beleue & knowe what is Iesu christ and his name, which is the anoynted sauiour, which who so beleueth him sichone to be to him, he is iustifyed by that same faith onely in Christe Iesu to be his sauiour. But I will not gretly steke with you for this litle ouerskippe. ye speke of a good rule in your boke. ‘How y^e scriptures, albeit thei seme contrary, yet is the [...] but one veritie, and al one trwe word which muste be gathered out by the conference of y^e places notinge what gothe before, and what folowth,’ [Page] which your own lesson if ye had ther diligently obserued, ye had sene this text to haue made iustly against you For note first what went before preached of Peter in that longe sermone and ye shall see that he preached to them bothe the lawe shewinge them their sinnes in putting to deth the innocent blod christe author of lyfe, & quitinge a murtherer, and also y^e gospell of remission and saluacion in Iesu Christe as it standeth in euerye place of that sermon, and playne it is, that these men beleued that sermon whilis it was in prea­chinge as many as were predestined vnto lyfe. wherefore thei were iusti­fied first by their faith ere thei were baptized. And to confirme this, lette vs see what foloweth, and conserre all together. When Peter had all done his exhortation, the texte saith. Qui ergo libenter acceperunt ser­monem eius baptizatisunt. And thē All that hadde gladly receiued his [Page lxxx] sermon were baptized, gladly to re­ceiue his sermon, what els is it, then to beleue his sermō which receiuing by beleif, ye see went before their baptisme.Baptism is the seal testimoniall to the churche of the remission of sins But yet wherfore saith the text into the remission of sinnes? vere­ly. Baptisme is the visible sygne of the former regeneration of y^e spirit by faith, and testificacion to the con­gregacyon that the baptized hathe hys synnes forgeuen hym, and therefore to certifie the Churche that he is a member of them and hathe receiued signaclum iustitie fi­dei, that is the seall and obsygnacy­on of the ryghtewysenes of faith to be incorporated into them, to pray, to heare the worde in their societe, is it added in remissionem pec­catorum. that thei nowe doute not of remissyon of hys synnes.

And therfore it foloweth immediatly Et accesserunt in die illo. And there were commen into that cōgregaciō ī [Page] that daye aboute thre thousand sou­lis, For before thei were thus certi­fyed of their religion, and faith and remission of their sinnes, by that ex­terne seall testimoneall of baptisme with water, they were not receiued into the chirche of the faithful. So that to be baptized into the name of Iesu Christe into the remission of sinnes, be fore the hole congrega­cion, is by baptisme, as by the visible sygne openly our professiō into christes religion to be declared and testifyed to the chirche, and that we be conseigned with the seall and testi­monye of the rightwysmakyng and remissyon by faithe. A lyke phrase is vsed where it is writen, Ioan preached repentaunce into the remissi­on of sinnes, he saithe not, prea­ched repentaunce, as for or by the whiche dede they deserued or shuld deserue remission, but that therby o­penly sene and knowen, the congre­gacion shuld be certifyed as by a [Page lxxxi] ferme and infallible testimony, such repentant persōs to haue their forgeuenes not for their doinge penaunce as the papist teach, for that false doc­trine the churche of christe neuer knewe it, but for their faith onely in Iesu christe, and so the chirche not to doute of their faith but to receiue them into their societe.

And this is also one of winchesters workes, The bys, to go to god when he is called w^t the help of the caller. And this is also one of Winchesters workes, when god saithe, beleue, I must beleue.

Why then went ye not to him when god called you in cambridge ere the cardinall called you to his seruice?Ioye. ye were there once so called that ye defended the truth against this pa­pistry which ye now maintayne.

when I was brought before doctor Shirton dean of the cardinals chappell and before doctour capon his almonor sent to cambridge to enquire for vs that professed the gospell and for our bokes, you standing by them [Page] at the cupborde in peter college aule did speak for me & for my bokes as by name for pseugmata Chrisost vpon Gnes. which Ihon Oecolam­padius had translated, And gaue vs both your good word, so that I kept the boke stil. And what fauourable letters afterwarde ye wrote to mai­ster George Stafforde to geue hym warninge when he was complained of to the cardinall for readynge and declaringe truely and faithfully the pistle to the Romains & shewed him howe he shulde temper his lection in vtteringe the truth and excuse of him selfe, &c. I know it, and remem­ber it all. For maister George didde euer shewe me your letters. Also I saw M. Chikēs letters both sent vnto you & yours sent to him agen as concerning y^e cause of y^e gospell then in growing & fauored of you gretely as I & thei perceiued by your letters wherin yet I remember and forget not your wordes. And when I was [Page lxxxii] sent for to the cardinall and accused by the byshope of lincolne langley by sir william Gascoine knight y^e cardinals treasurer and by the prior of Newnahams letters, whiche letters ye had, it was shewed me what good words & good counsell ye gaue me, and euen after it I did, and so esca­ped the cardinals and the byshops handes. For ye saide, I did wisely, if I coulde kepe me out of their hands for that tyme did M Bylney and ar­ture apere before him, and I was sent for, to kepe them companye to haue holpen them to bere fagots or els to burne for gods word or to re­cant, But I thanke god and your good premonicion and counsell for that I toke another waye. But ah lasse for pitie anon after y^t yours so gracious a callīg of god to his truth in cambridge y^e cardinal called you frō y^e calling, & the world called you to promocions, and he that called christ into the top of so high an hil & shewed him al the pleasures & glory [Page] of this wretched worlde, called you vp to him also, sainge, that he wolde geue you them all if ye wolde fall downe worship and serue him. And verily, ye haue worshiped him high­ly and done him the most highe ser­uice in persecutinge and writinge ayenst gods holy eternal veritie whiche ye once tasted and fauored ye haue done satan great plesures in slaying and burning christis inno­cent faithful litle floke, and yet ye ceasse not to serue him. But take hede your Master is a false lyer and a murtherer from the begininge, and thoughe he hath kept promise with you for these .xix, yeres, yet wil he in conclusion paye youe with a con­trary expectaciō If ye by faith turne not to Chryste repent and change your lyfe. ye be yet caryed awaye of your worldly fleshly stronger affec­tes for vainglory, And in a certain, slomberinge securite your sinne lur­keth, yet hidden to your self, w^t cains [Page lxxxiii] brothers murther, It sleapeth yet, but where? In foribus, saith the text. In the gates.gene. iiii So that when your sinne shalbe awaked at y^e day which drawth nighe, then not onely your selfe shall see and fele it a perpetuall gnawinge worme vpon your consi­ence euen in the brode open gates where all men also goinge in and cominge out, shal openly know that it is the very almighty word of god that ye persecute with powr penne and mouth. ye saye ‘when god calle­the you, ye will go, and when he bed­deth you beleue, ye wilbeleue.’ Ye knowe that god calleth you inces­santly and biddeth you beleue at all tymes.Io. vi Hebrew .xi. And therfore make no (whē ­nes) at it. Nether go ye to him with your fete, but by faith and beleife in Christ, as Christ, declareth it, but as faith is non of your giftis, so is beleif in christ non of winchesters workis but the worke of god. Ioan .vi. ye saye, to go to god, and to beleue [Page] be winchesters workes. In dede to go to god otherwise then by faithe, may wel be one of your own workes and not gods worke. And to beleue indiffinitly or absolutely without a­ny addicion of christ, as ye speke na­kedly expressing nothing into which your beleife shuld tende, may be wel also one of your workes, for the de­uyll so beleueth as Iames saith, and the turke beleueth with suche a beleife that there is a god. But to beleue in christ, belike is non of your workes ye be so loth to expresse & put to y^t name to your beleife. And when god biddeth you loue ye say ye must loue. But yet ye do not so, for then shuld ye neuer hate. To beleue thus & to loue euer, as god biddeth you be no light ne easy burdens of y^e law as ye make thē. Then when ye haue reherced al the works of the lawe in fullyng al gods wyll ye say thus.

The bys. And all these workes which seme a great heape of workes, be conteined in y^e cōdiciō y^t must be fulfilled for y^e obteining theffect [Page] of christes passion being remission of sinne & a new state of life. And thus haue I told you plainly my faith & also the workes I meane of before iustificatiō & likewise y^e cō diciō which ye call so confuse & blind. And thus I taught Barnes & otherwise then thus (which is y^e catholike beleife) I thāk god, I haue not beleued, nor dare not. &c

What is all this els then by your workes to merit your remission and to be iustified by your owne merits?Ioye. which ye said at first ye neuer went about to proue ne to affirme preache ne teache it, and yet nowe ye saye ye taught Barnes thus, and ye beleue it to, If ye shulde find such shameles contradiction, lies, and repugnaūces in our bokes, lorde how wolde you triumphe ouer vs? But howe dare ye be so bolde as to set your saluaciō vpon so many harde and impossible condicions hauinge not one worde of faith to sustaine your beleife?

Ye haue in deade recited an impor­table heuy heapes of workes contei­ned in your condicion, as I euer vnderstode it, & your self haue now dclared [Page] it, and as I fyrst confuted it, and yet ye say I vnderstode not your ar­ticles. But and if ye cā fulfil al these condicions thereby to haue remissiō and saluation, as ye saye, so maye ye be heuey in your harte y^t Christ hath died for you in vayn. gal. ii. But let vs see some one of these cōdiciōs con­taining gods will, whiche ye wil fulfyl (ye say) ere ye obtaine your remis­sion of sinnes. [...]he bishops [...]ndicio [...]s your vocacion is to be & byshop a diligent superintendente watcher ouer christes flocke to fede them with the pure worde of god frely faithfully and truly preached continually to them, to se that none wāt this gostly fode, ne perishe for lacke t [...]erof, ye must tell them their sinnes what and who so euer thei be. Gods will is, to helpe, socour, and releue y^e pore, hungry, naked, and destitute, ether counsel or any other thing, yea althoughe they be youre enemies, & that with the same affects of loue as Christ had toward vs when he died [Page] for vs, and lete his lyfe for his shepe But ye persecute, preson, and burne them for the truth, and wilbe cruelly auenged of them that resist your de­uyllysh doctrine. And if thei were he retiques, whom the mouth of God, their profession, their godly lyuynge & their constant pacient martirdom, declare to be the very chosen childrē of god, yet doth christ cōmande his disciples to permit theuill wedes to growe together with the good corne vntill the haruest be comen, leste in pluckyng vp so cruelly the euyll ye pluck vp the good with all. If Paul (saith Austen) had ben roted vp an heretike,i. cor. xi. ii. timo. ii. he had neuer ben so good corne. There must be heresies (saith Paule) amonge you, that the pro­ued men maye be made manifeste a­monge you. Also he byddeth the ser­uaunt of god in your vocacion to be no brawler, no chider, ne mocker or rebuker (so farre of shuld ye be from so cruel persecution, & bloud sheding [Page] but to be pleasaunt, swete and ientle to almen, redy to teache the ignorant and sich as be out of the waye, suffe­ringe the euil withe mekenes and to enstructe them that withstand your doctryne (albeit it were trwe as it is openly knowne to yourselues and to almen to be false and erroniouse) that yet it wolde please God at any tyme to geue them repentance to turne to the knowlege of the trwthe and so to ryse by repentance out of the snares of the deuil, But you mistruste your own false doctryne so miche that ye nether dare dispute with them and vs with gods worde ne suffer them to speake ne permitte our answeres to your false bokis to be sene but condempne and banesh them. But what speke I to you that yet wil not knowe the gospel from heresye? but be so blyndened with blode and mischif, that moste blasp­hemously ye call gods holy worde, heresye, and the popis antichristn [Page] doctryne ye call christis gospell. whom god stryketh worthely with this dampnable comminacion say­inge. wo be to you that saye Good is euil, and that as is euil to be Good & cete. If ye were trwe bishops and Christ is successours, so shulde ye be sent as the father sent Christ, and as Christe sent his apostles, to preche his worde and not your owne po­pishe dreames, to fede his flok and not to poysyen them, to gather in the out strayed and not to persecute the trwe teachers and to hunt them out of y^e realme orels to burne thē for not holdinge your vngodly antichristen doctryne & not beleuinge your deuillishe articles, ye shuld be sent to edi­fy and not to destroy, to plant & not to pluk vp by y^e rotes, to water & not to burne: to go preache & not to ryde about lyke princes, hauing but meat & drinke & sufficient lyuing for you and a minister. He bode ye also that in no wyse ye shuld be called lordes. [Page] And that ye shulde not tangle your selues with worldly & seculare busi­nesses. Nether by gods will shuld ye haue so great possessions, but the ste­wardes to distribut them according to the firste geuers myndes, to the pore, to whome ye be bounde to re­store, that as ye haue so longe holdē vniustly from them. These be but a fewe of your easiest condicions to be fulfilled or ye attaine your remission as ye say, and your saluacion. Then is there yet amonge many, one litle one, and the last condicion, called Non concupisces. Thou shalt haue no concupiscens in y^e, that is no lust ne desyer ne any affect contrary to gods will and his holy spirit: Paul was a right chosen spirituall vessell, and wrestled with this precept all dayes of his lyfe aftir the lawe began to lyue in him, and him selfded, and yet he confessed it with an out cryeinge that he was ouermatched and [...]om. vii. all to weake to fulfill it crying [Page lxxxvii] to god for helpe sainge. Miser homo ego. &c. Oh wertched man that I am, who shall delyuer me out of this body of sinne obliged and gyltye of death?act. xv: Saint Peter argewith also ayenst your condiciō, of an inutilite and impossibilite thus gatheringe his argument. The lawe was not geuen to iustifye, nether were our fathers iustified by it, and therfore shall not we be iustifted by it. Wherfore then will ye now tempt god?

Thei tempt god that will rather fo­lowe their owne imaginacions then gods worde, as wolde the Iewes at that counsell, and as nowe wold you go to heauen by a nother waye then god hath cōstituted to vs, as thou­ghe ye wolde be sene wiser then god whom by this your pertinate obsti­nacie, as dydde the Iewes ye haue prouoked to caste his hea­uy wrathe vppon you, as dydde the Iewes vppon them selues, euen to [Page] laye siche a yoke vpon the neckis of your disciples whiche nether our fathers nor we (saith peter) were able to bere. Here ye se peter to call the yoke of your condicions imposible to be borne. wherfore he concludeth, thus. we beleue, by the grace of our lorde Iesu christ to be saued as were thei. Now if ye list to go a nother waye by other condicions to heuen then went our fathers, trwly I tell you, ye be lyke neuer to come there. As many, saith Paule as be vnder the workis of y^e lawe, which be your condicions, that is, beleue to be iustifyed by the doing o [...] them, ar obliged and whelmed vnder the curse, which is contrary to the blyssinge in the blessed promised sead christe, he pro­ueth it by Moses sainge. Cursed is euery man that standeth not, [...]eut. xxvii. ne con­tinueth in all the preceptes writen in the boke of the law to do them. ye said before often, ‘That Christe is an hole sauior, and hole forgeuer, [Page lxxxviii] redemer &c, wholly, totally &c. so that his sufficient sacrifice of his body nedeth not any addicion or supple­ment of any manis desertis to the apeacinge of gods wrathe for sinne.’ And why then here do ye patche his absolute and perfit remission with these so many your patched to con­dicions for thatteinment of your forgeuenes makinge him but a peesed sauior by participacion? ye haue re­hersed here many of wincchesters workes, but ye place thē in a wrong place vnderpropped with a false opinion, ether to iustifye or to be placed before faith iustifyinge. God commuandeth vs to be holy and perfit as is himself, but this burden of the lawe ye will spotte it oute by youre particypation, but yet will not this glose helpe ye before his iudgement seat. Paul therefore to geue all the glory to god and non to our workes, excludeth all the workes [Page] commanded in the lawe, from faith, in the accion of our iustificaciō tellinge the Galathians. That if ye be circuncised Christe profiteth you nothinge. By circumcision vnderstandinge the hole profession and lawe of the iewes, as do we by bap­tisme the hole Christen profession. vpon which place. Erasmus a man of nolesse lerning then iugement, writeth in his paraphrase thus. per­chaunce ye so please your selues, sainge that we swarue not, ne fal frō Christe but with Christe we couple the lawe, that the expectacion of our saluacion might be the sewerer. But Christ (I tell you) as he wolde this whol benefit to be comon to almen, so wold he it to be thankfully accep­ted and imputed to faith onely. He wil not suffer any to be his felowe ne matche in this mater. For if ye trwly beleue your perfit sauinge helthe to may be geuen you of this onely Christe, wherfore then plucke ye to [Page lxxxix] you circumcision? If ye mistrust christes onely remission, so knowledge ye not yet the benefit of christ of whiche they may not be partakers that mistrust him. For by onely faith and not for your merits is it geuen you. These (I think) be sufficient for the refutation of this declaraciō of your condition stuffed [...]o full of so manye meritoriouse workes to deserue your remission contrary to the iustificati­on by onely faith. yet here ye harpe mich of your good workes before iustification which (as I haue tolde you oft) because thei procede not out of a good roote whiche is faith purifieng the hert, they muste nedes be synne, as Paule and Peter affirme it, and as Austen constantly writeth. What good workes did Paule be­fore his iustification? he persecut [...]d the christians to death, and yet he kept the lawe and precepts a [...]ter the pharisais fashion, which is called y^e ryghtwisenes of the lawe. In which [Page] rightwisenes (he saith) if any shulde haue had confidence, I might haue had as great a cause to reioyse as a­ny other, I was circumcised y^e eight daye, I was an Israelite in profession of the lawe as holye a pharisei as the best and so zelouse for my right­wisenes of the lawe, that I persecu­ted the congregacion, and was as touchinge the rightwisenes and iu­stificacion which is in the law blameles before al men. But these good dedes whiche semed to me then so profitable, as I beleued to be saued by them, I nowe beter taught take thē for hindraunce and damage, for that I now know christe to be my lorde and sauiour, for whom I esteme thē all but for detriment and dunge that I might be more profitablye ioyned to christe and be founde in hym not hauynge my nowne good deedes, and ryghtwisenes of the lawe, but that rightwisenes which is thorowe the faith and beleif on christ whiche [Page lxxxx] is the rightwismaking of god vpon faith. phi. iii.The bys.

Upon the confidence of the texte ye bringe a lyke kaye to cleaue a logge sainge As thou beleuest so come it to the. Christe spake these wordes to Centurio allowing his faith so muche, &c. And it is a ioye to see howe ye wil apply this to al men how soeuer they haue cōceiued their faith whether it be catholyke or no. And then the arriane may be saued by his faith and the sabelliane, the Lutherane, the zwinglyane, & Ioye by their faith, for the text serueth al As thou beleuest so come it to the. And if any beleued that glotony were no synne, as thou beleuest so come it to the:

Nowe truely I meruell that siche a bishoppe as ye wolde be sene to be shulde be so farre caried awaye of these your so vngodly and corrupte affectes, as so peruersely, so falselye,Ioye. and so vngodlye to reporte me and so sinistrely to interprete my alled­ginge of Christes wordes. Ye saye I applye them for all mens false be­leife. If I shulde haue so shamelesly belyed you or any man, I hadde ben [Page] worthei the most shame and rebukes T [...]rne to my wordes in your thirde article and loke whether I applye them not to you thus. If ye beleue your sinnes to be forgeuen ī christes death? thus sayeng. If ye so beleue so be ye iustified by your faith onely ere any other condicion was knowē or spokē of, or els ye must make christ a lyer, whiche saith, As thou beleuest so come it to the. Loke (reader) and these be not my wordes in that place alledged as christ spake them to the true beleuer centurio, and to euery a like beleuer to the worldes ende, be­leuinge according to christes worde and promise. But nowe I wil (be­cause I see you in a false beleife) ve­refy your exposition vpon your own selfe, sith ye haue ministred the occa­sion, beleuynge youre selfe to be iu­stified by your workes, euen so come it to you as ye beleue, euē a false faith to haue a false iustification, and lyke saluacion to like faith and forgeue­nes. [Page xci] And as for Ioye, thorowe the grace of god in his sauiour Christe, beleueth to be forgeuen and saued by the only sufficient merites of christes passion and his resurrection, and that CHRIST is made of my father my onely rightwisnes & rightwismakyng, my holynes, my wisedome, my satisfaction apeacyng my fathers wrath for my syns neuer to be īputed to me for my faith only in Iesu christe, my fulfillyng of the lawe, my free redemption, expectati­on, lyfe and resurrection and the im­pleciō of all my iust desires, my faith and confidence is in him onely, and not in any of my deades, which I a­knowledge to be sinful, imperfit, and naught, worthei dampnacion. And therfore this litle faithe whiche god hath geuen me of his fre benigne mercy and fauor in Christ, for which with al his other giftes I daily geue thankes I praye to be encreaced and not to take his holye spirite ne [Page] worde of truthe at any time fro me, certi [...]ieth & adsiewerth me withoute any dubitacion of my forgeuenes & saluacion in and for my onely sauy­oure Christe. And as I thus beleue accordinge to gods terme promise in Christe, euen so am I in sewer hope and confidence in him onely, to come to me, to whom be glorye, praise and thankes for euer. Amē. And as christ vnderstode his saienge alledged of the true faith euen so do I (and not of any mans false faith, as ye so im­pudently belye me) vnderstande it, and alledge it, and reade it withe beleife in hys promise to be fulfyl­led onelye of euerye trewe fayth­full.

The bys. And it is as fonde that ye bringe in of Iairus, and maketh nothing to the purpose ye bring it for, For albeit the faith of my­racles were alone w [...]th the faith of saluacion, which your autours abhorte (because Christe sayde to Iairus beleue onely) do that proue that christ requireth no nother whereby to atteine saluation?

[Page xcii]Ye wolde mocke oute this texte by wyndynge in impertinentlye youre faith of miracles.Ioye. Whiche faith, neither hadde Iairus, ne christ ment it, but onelye the true faith in Christe, Iairus beleuinge hym to be the very Messias god and man and sauiour of the worlde. And of this faith came Iairus to Christ, and Christ speake therof onelye, sayenge onelye beleue and thy doughter shalbe salfe. For the faith to do miracles is suche one as Paule spea­keth of to maye be withoute chary­te and without the faith iustifyenge, as is in the enchaunters sorcerers and wytches whyche cannot stande with the faythe of saluacyon as ye dreame. Wherefore these wordes of Chryste. Onelye beleue make all for the purpose. Onely fayth iustifienge to obtaine oure de­syers of god in Christe, whether it be remission of our sinnes, our saluacion [Page] our helth, or the reuiuinge of our soules, as it obteined to Iairus the reuiuinge of his daughter, a mi­racle necessary in the beginning of y^e chirche to confirme the gospell.

And you could find so plaine a texte of loue, as to saye. Onelye loue me, and thou shalt be saued, or thy loue hathe saued the, then yet mighte youre doctrine haue some appea­raunce of truthe. Neither because (as ye blaspheme) that Chryste bode Iairus onelye beleue, and so to haue his doughter againe alyue, therfore didde he discharge Iairus of all good workes, neuer any to be done of him, what peruerse papist, wolde so gather of christes sayenges? And you likewise inferre of onely faith iustifieth, ergo, saye you, let vs do no good workes. But we with Paule and the scriptures teache constant­lye and inferre, ergo we muste do good workes. Nowe howe saye ye to [Page xciii] the argument? For it is impossible for true faith to be idle, but is as Paule saith, effectuously workinge thorowe loue although I see howe falsely and vnlernedly ye interprete the greke [...] with a contrary significacion, violētly to wrest Paules wordes to your sinfull sentence.Agens sci [...] occult [...] & inna­ta sibi [...]rtute Trewe faith wil be declared by hir workes as the tree by hir fruites.

And therefore it is shame to you to gather vpon christis wordes to Iai­rus. Onely beleue, that Christ wold haue him therby to do no mo good workes but to lyue vngodlye in an idle false and fayned deade faith.

Ioye bringeth in another miracle of Christ, when he sayde, The bys. thy faith hath sa­ued the. And here Ioy saith is no condiciō but faithe,

It is Christ that saith it adding no nother condicion then faith.Ioye.

To this I saye, that this is not all the sripture. The bys. And he that wyll truelye iudge of scripture must ioyne altogither, for that is not spoken in one place is spo­ken in a nother and all at laste must make [Page] one worde. That is in some part attribu­ted to faith (as in this miracle) is in a no­ther attributed to charite, as when christ sayth Dimissa sunt ei peccata multa quia dilexit multum.

Ioye.Can ye ioyne your scriptures no better to gether for loue to iustify? truelye ye be but a yonge scoler, or els ye haue hadde but a leude mai­ster. But hadde ye gonne as longe to scole with that conuerted penitēt woman as ye haue done with Sy­mon that gloriouse phariseye that then bode chryste to dinner, she had lerned you in the same parte of scripture euen the same lesson that christe taughte hyr sayenge. Fides tua te saluam fecit. Luc. vii. Thy faith hath saued the go thy waye in peace, ye wolde haue the scriptures ioyned togyther, and howe saye ye nowe? See ye not in the same place, to y^e same womā spo­ken before the same Phariseye and for the same remission and saluacian, sayd vnto hir of CHRIST [Page xciiii] Thy faith hath saued the? And ye had red but .v. lynes farther of the same mater & marked the hole con­clusion of all, ye shuld haue sene it playnly. Thy faith hathe saued the. But belyke ye fetched out this ver­sicle, Dimissa sūt ei peccata, of your portews where it standeth alone without the circumstance of the hole gospell. whiche hathe in the correcte text. Remittantur peccata eius. &c. whiche maner of speche, mode and tence, differe miche from your ver­sicle, confer the scriptures and loke how ofte ye fynde Thy faithe hathe saued the, onely beleue &c. If thoue canst beleue &c. by faith man is iusti­fyed, and siche lyke, and agene how oft ye fynd, Thy workis haue saued the, for thy workes or for thy loue thy sinnes be forgeuen the or saued for thy charitie, and so for youre pourpose? For the conciliacion therefore of these textes whyche [Page] (as ye haue rend one out of your portews, and the tother alledged of Christ in the gospell) seme to be con­trary, one to make for you, and the tother for me, we must confer the hole context, but firste, to go to the breste of the mater, be cause it were to longe to reherce the hole story, ye muste note. That the phari­seis faith and doctryne was as now is yours, that thei shuld be iustifyed by their workes, and therfore christ, when he had reherced the workes of this womanis loue, vpon whiche siche false teachers onely gaze and wonder as vpō only Ioans vtward camels cote and letherne girdle and not vpon the faithe wherof the wor­kes of loue procede, he added prop­ter quod dico tibi For the whiche thinge I tell the (y^e I say) which art a pharisay and lokest but vpon hir workis. so that the pronowne, hathe heir propir vehemency and pithe in the demonstracion to the pharisei [Page xcv] whiche as he sawe but hir workis & not hir faith, so coulde he not beleue it, no more then you, that faith onely shuld iustifye, but loue and hir wor­kes of the lawe, and therfor for the tother doctryne of onely faith to iu­stify, thei (as do you) conceyued gre­at hatered ayenst christ & all his, fore teachinge only fayth to iustifye so short away to heuen as thei and you fantazye. And therfore to con­dempne his, and yours hipocritish hatered and malice which fight so cruelly for loue (and haue non at al) to iustify, to condempne, Isaie, your hatered with that sinners loue, and it to be a testimony ayenst yours sel­ues in your own opinion of your iustificacion ful of malice ranker and enuye, let it be so said also to you y^t loue not, I wil, or let it apere to you hir many sinnes (in your sight and aftir your opinion) to be forgeuē be cause she hath loued mich. So that, hir loue, Christe made it not to the [Page] pharise the cause of hir remission but the probacion therof into his own codempnaciō iudging him self an holy pharisei for biddinge Christ to diner and the woman to be agreat sinner not worthi to haue had comen into his howse but must haue washed it aftir hir. It is an argument a poste­tiore, wherby the thinge is shewed to him that onelye gazethe vppon the externe workis and not of faith, and proued of the euident signes folowinge faith as Christes simili­tude declareth it by the two detters. This is the storye (to ioyne the scriptures togither aftir your rule) which your self so lowdly obserue. Acertain pharisei bode Christ to dyner (for no greate loue ye maye be sewer) but as you and such lyke nowe a dayes, will haue some good simple menne at your table, ether so soucke out, or to trappe them vnwares or to make a testinge stoke of their godly com­municacion if thei speake the truthe so circūspectly y^t ye cannot set hold of [Page xcvi] them. And a non as thei wereset commeth in this notable sinner (meruel y^e holy pharisei stopped not his nose) stādīg behind christ w^t a boxe of oyntment wepinge at his fete, washing them with hir teares runninge downe by hir chekes, wyping them with hir heare, and often kyssinge them in the anointinge. Here was great oddes betwixt so holy a phari­saye and so sinful a woman, In so miche that he thought, If Christe had ben so holy a prophete as he was takē, he shuld haue knowē who & how greate a sinner she was that towched him, and so aftir the pha­risei to haue thruste hir out of the house. But here Christ comen to call sinners to repentance, and not siche holy phariseis, so iuste in their owne conceight, so ful of your good condi­cions of workis, y^t thei wil be iusti­fyed by their good workes & breke open heuen gatis withe their holy dedis, hauinge no nede of Christis [Page] merits by his passion, putteth forth his similitude tectely, comparinge the holy pharisei to the famose sinner present teachinge him and vs that the comon misse women be­leuing in Christ and repentant shal go be fore y^e holy hipocrits bishops and phariseis for al their holy holy workes, into the kingdom of heuen, and that he came not to call sich iust hipocrites that wil be iustifyed by your good condicions & there own good workes, but to declare them to be farther of from forgeuenes and saluacion then the publicans and misse women y^t in faith acknowlege themselues sinners whom Christ is comē to cal to repētāce. And here is to be noted y^t christ by this smilitude of the two detters maketh the pha­risaye in his own answere to con­dempne himself, and to iustifye the sinful woman. There were two det­ters, saith he, one ought fyue hōdred pence, the tother .l. And when nether [Page xcvii] of them was able to paye their dettis where be now your meritis in your condicion to deserue remissiō? where be your satisfaccions with your con­tentacions for your sinnes by parti­pacion? Cum non essent soluendo, saith christ: when thei were not able to paye, to satisfye ne to content ne to deserue, then their creditor mercia­bly & frely forgaue them both. Here ye must note, where Christe placeth his forgeuenes, whether before or after loue? He saith when neither of them was able to paye he forgaue them, Ergo not for their loue were thei forgeuen. But nowe speake Simon ye pharisei & condempne your selfe and your owne false doctrine of workes to iustifye? whyche of these two shall moste loue his credi­tor? Mary quod Symon (I thinke he to whom is most forgeuen. Thou hast iudged ryght. lo, here it is plain that forgeuenes goth before loue, Ergo for hyr loue was she not for­geuen, [Page] but because she was forgeuen mich,Thinnersi­on of t [...]e cō sequence therfore she loued mich. And here christ inuerteth y^e consequence, turninge himself to the woman, but spekinge to the pharisai sainge.

Seest thou this woman? (he saw the woman and hir workes of loue, but not hir faith) I am comen into thy house, and thou haste done none of these tokens of loue to me (he hadde geuen christe a dyner, but neither of faith nor yet of loue) Thou hast not geuen water to my fete, she hath wasshed them with the teares of hir eyes &c. For which thinge I tell the (but the womā he told hir another cause) Remittantur peccata eius multa that is, lette hir greate and many sinnes be forgeuen (as thou iudgest and be­leuest) because she hathe loued mich. And nowe because we shulde see the inuersion of the consequence and the euydent probation to the pharisey more clearly, Chryst clerelyer to vs and to her expresseth the remission to [Page xcviii] go before loue saienge. To whome is lyttle forgeuē he lesse loueth, whi­che importeth. To whome is miche forgeuen, he most loueth, declaringe loue and hir degrees to followe the degrees of forgeuenes procedīg out of the degrees of the rote of faith iu­stifieng. But in conclusion to certify the woman whose faith was known to him and to hir onely, and not to y^e pharisey that seeth and wondrethe only vpon his own holy works therby to be iustified and by his owne rightwisenes, he telleth hir constant­ly affirming for the peace and tran­quillite of hir conscience all dubita­cion and doute set a parte. sainge.

Thy faith hath saued y^e, go thy waye in peace,rom. v. as Paule saith we iustified by faith haue peace. &c. Here is plain by your owne rule of the conference of scriptures, that of faith commeth forgeuenes, & out of forgeuenes co­meth loue folowing faith & forgeue­nes into y^e iust confutacion of al y^t ye [Page] haue and shal hereaftir bring in for your charite to iustifye. So that ex­cept ye frame the scriptures better and iustlier for your part, ye shal (as ye so scornfully and skoffingly tell it me) bringe but your croked keyes to cleaue your knotty logges. But sith ye will nedes stryue so fondelye and so vnlernedly againste the truth, I shall by gods grace to my poore and litle talent by gods helpe defende it And tel if you euē here, y^t if ye were in very dede so well lerned in the scriptures as ye couet and glorye to be sene in your bokes and shewe youre selfe, and as ye make foles to beleue, and knewe it in hert, descended vnto your self to see your own ignoraunce as with your lippes and painted pen ye faine your self to teach in your predestinacion, ye wold neuer moue penne ne open your lyppes thus arrogantly▪ and so blyndly, & so boldly, ye and blasphemousely agenst the lorde and his annointed. For I tell [Page xcix] it you constantly that suche hipocri­tishe phariseis as esteme them selues better for their shininge vnfaithfull workes, then be the sinners for their onely lyuely faith into christe, do but byd christ and his to diner to trappe them, and owe more vnwares then thei be ether able or willing to pay hī. As lyke an vnhandsom hatchet to o­pen your lockes make ye of, spe sal­uati sumus. that is. In hope be we saued. To open this locke that ye may see how lytle it maketh for your purpose, I shal by y^e ioining of y^t as goth before, and that as foloweth, shew ye what is hope, and Paules mynde.cap. viii.

He had before mightely proued, by faith onely man to be absolued from sin, treating sin, the lawe, faith, and grace, and here he commeth to the worke of hope, whiche is exercised & shineth in pacience proued by tribu­lacion, wherof he here maketh large mencion setting forth our consolaci­on in the middes of oure affliccions [Page] by the hope of our saluacion to come calling hope the expectation of those thinges which haue bē before concei­ued by faith,Hope y^t is to wete our saluatiō and the redemption of our bodies in the resurrecciō, for in this hope, saith he, we loke and abyde for our salua­cion. For we must first know y^e thing ere we can ether waite and hope for it or loue it, and be firste assiewered by our faith apprehendinge the pro­mise therof to haue it, ere by expec­tacion we wait for it, wherefore the scripture saith: firste we be saued by faith, and then in ferme hope we wait for our saluaciō, For if y^e thing wai­ted and loked for by hope were sene present, saith Paule, so were it not by hope loked for, for wherfore shuld a man hope for the thinge which he seeth? For asmuche therefore as we se not the saluacion whiche we hope to haue, therfore thorowe pacience we tary and hope for it. Hitherto be Paules wordes wherby ye se y^t we be [Page c] first iustifyed and saued by faith, as the order and processe before of his pistle declareth it, ere we tary and wait for it by hope. Is this a Good argument, By hop, or in hope we a­byde in a ferme expectacion for our saluacion conceiued before by faith, ergo hope sauethe? By faith in hope we be saued, that is faith setteth vs in a perfit hope of saluacion, For the saluacion is promised and receiued first into faith beleuinge and kno­winge it ere it be waited for by hope.

Men vse now a dayes this blasphemouse sophistry, whē thei wil īpugne such deuout saings as haue ben vsed in our chirch, The bys. whē eche man exhorteth other to saue his own soul, or desireth a nother to saue his neighbors soule, or els moueth his frende by al­mos, praier fasting, & good dedes to worke the welth of his soule. Al which saluaciōs & workts of saluacion, good & deuout men vnderstand to be done (as in dede thei can­not be done otherwise) by the merites of christes passion and gifte of god. And yet these beastes that put no differēce betwene a key and an batcher diffame the speache.

[Page]If you or any of your scolers shulde come to me with this fonde speche to desier me to saue his soule,Ioye. I oughte to teache you, and them, accordinge to scriptures, that there is but onely one sauiour Iesus Christe god and man, and so shewe you the waye to him, as testifieth Paule and christe, to go to hym by faith into him, and to tell you that I am no sauioure of soules, no not of my nowne. And as for the deedes whiche ye so blasphe­mousely call saluations, and workes of saluacion therby men to saue eche others soules, in so detestable a blas­phemy▪ as no godly eares may heare as the scriptures abhorre and detest the speache, so oughte nether your mouth to haue vttered it, ne w^t pen to haue writtē it, For the scripture knoweth but y^e onely worke of oure saluacion and redemption which only christe Iesus once for euer and also perfitly, openly and so plentuouslye wroughte in the myddes of the [Page ci] erthe, as witnes the psal.lxxiii. when he of­fered vp to his father in sacrifice his owne blessed innocent body to be crucified on the crosse for our sinnes.

And as for prayers almos, fastynge whyche god commaundeth, and not you, the scripture calleth them the fruites of our faith and the frutes of the spirite declaringe our obedience to god and his preceptes testifienge our faith iustifieng and our loue to god and to our neighbours. Ne call vs not beastes because we will not vse, but rather impugne with gods worde those blasphemouse speches of your popishe chirch and deuoute pa­pistes pilers of the rome churche or rather of the courte of rome, we be nowe god be praysed vnder a nother head and in a nother chirch. Is this a godly vnderstondinge of your de­uout papistes, To saye that by the merits of christes passion, men by their dedes shulde deserue to saue them self. ye blaspheme & diffame y^• [Page] merets of christes passion and robbe him of his glory with youre speache in so sayenge, and of his merits to.

And euen these lo, be youre romyshe craftye kayes and youre owne beast­ly hatchets ye vse to deceiue the sim­ple christians and to seduce them from their onely and sufficient sauy­our Christe into mennes saluacions by workes of your owne inuented popish saluacion.

After your lende diuiniti ye fal to fond policie, The bys, askinge whether it be more profita­ble to take forgeuenes of synnes without a condicion or tary till the condicion were fulfilled? whiche question is so fondly conceiued that I wil aunswere merelye to it, as the prentis of London did aunswere his maister before the wardens, when he asked him, why sonne. Is not a colde capod good meat? yes quod the prentis if I had had it.

Ye both falsely and truncatelye reherce my question whiche is thus in my booke.Ioye. whether you laden with synne Christe callynge you and promysynge to ease you, frelye [Page cii] forgeuynge you for your faith I ask you were it more profitable to you by that onely condicion of faith to set holde of his fre forgeuenes now of­fred you by Christ that cannot lye, or to tary and send him worde, ye will first knowe and fulfill your condici­ons? And you answer as did the prentes, That his master had spokē of miche good meate if a man coud haue it, As thoughe Christes wor­des and his promyse to be forgeuen for our faithe, were but vayne reher­sallis of vayne things neuer offred ne promised ne let before vs, as ne­uer were the colde moton befe ne ca­pons recherced of that vaine lyinge man the prentices master. Compare ye Christes almighty infallible pro­mises to vayne menis lyes? And matche ye Christes ernest holy wor­dis with siche a prophane light iest? Now I se y^e god worthely punisheth in you one syn with a nothere euen your obstinate arrogāt impiete & cō tempte [Page] of god and his worde, with blyndnes, & hath made folishe your wisdom,rom. i. and hathe casten you vp thorow your own lustes into a forlorn mīd, god geue ye grace to know nomo condicions & wais into your remission and saluacion but only fa­ithe in Christis moste preciouse blo­de and shortly to repent.

And so your maship hath said trwly that a man were beter, The bys, if any thinge could be beter then god hath ordined it, to take re­mission of sinne without any condicion. For then without any endeuore all shuld haue it.

Ioye.And your lordeship shuld haue lerned ere this that God hath offred and promised to vs all remission vppon this onelye condicion that we beleue in Christ, and not vpon your condicion of works, as I haue iustly by scriptures hytherto proued it. Nether therfore folowth it, That then with out any endeuer almen shuld haue it. Is not faith an harde condicion think ye? Shal euery mā [Page ciii] beleue in Christe when he lestethe? and haue faith when he wil, without the sharp assawtis of hir contrarie enimies as of infidelite desperation sin deuil and dubitacion? shal euery man haue it encreased at his idle pleasyre, loke vpon Abrahams faith so sore tempted vppon Iob Dauyd, and of his that saide, lorde I be­leue but help my vnbeleif? and loke vpon the apostles faith tempted vpō the seas and in other places. Faith is a rare and mighty gifte, geuen not without the merits and intercession of our sauior Christ. And if euer ye shal fele y^e batails of sin death hel the deuil, the iugement of god and des­peracion preassinge agenst the spirit of faith in you, and wrestlinge with your spirit and litle faith to dryue you in to vnbeleif and dubitacion of forgeuenes & desperacion, whilis ye beholde your sinnes only in the lawe in your own conscience and iugemēt of god, your aduersary accu­sing [Page] you, & not in the death of chryst with a constant and manly saith in him, but to be brought into this des­perat state to see your self wetingly and willingly of a set malice to haue resisted and thrusted the worde of saluacion from you, when it was so benignely offred you, to haue closed vp your eyes agenst the light, to persecute the gospel, to wryte and speke ayenst it, to impugne y^e trwthe and with your dampnable doctryne to haue seduced so many soulis into hell and with your false enstrucciōs to bringe many into damnable er­rours, and with your cruel vngodly actis and articles to be the autor of somiche innocent bloudshedinge w^t infinite moo accusacions ayenste you, ye shal fele them to be to labori­ouse and hard an endeuer, and har­der a fre choise of you to assent with your faith to breke thorow and smit of, and auoid all these heuye accusa­cions? If this shalbe so hard and he­uey a batail ayenste the trwe faith, [Page ciiii] loke neuer then that your false faith with your fre choise and assent to it when ye list, shal stand & sustain and abyde it, ye shal fynde it no smal en­deuor ne lyght batail to hold faste your faith in Christ, if ye hade it as litle as the mustard sede. Many an holy man felinge this stryff & temp­tacion haue cryed. Lorde geue me faith, lorde encreace my faithe, Lord strengthen my faith for christis [...]ake lord lede me not into this temptaciō If ye had red the psalmes with faith and the story of Iob and trwly vn­derstode them, ye shulde haue sene how iuste menis faith hath ben tempted tried and ouerthrowen, and how thei be first slayne ere thei be quike­ned in spirit, first drouen down into hell ere thei be reduced into heuen. first to tast of desperacion & damna­cion ere they tast of any strong faith and saluacion. This is y^e souldyers lyfe, and Hercules labor, by faith to fele remission and saluaciō assiewred vs in oure soulis and not so easye a [Page] pleasant passetyme as ye yet dream [...] in your idle worldly welthines an [...] sinful securite. Trewe faithe is n [...] idle assent ne acquisite qualite as y [...] list to haue it with your dremed endeuor, But as y^e course of y^e wynd is not knowne so know ye not yet what faith is, as your bok is playnly shewe your ignorance. But here I omitte y^e accusacion brought ayenst you for not doinge your pastorall office accordinge to godis vocaciō and lyke the successour of any one of the apostles, in whiche office (if any one of your floke be founde, to haue perished for want of the very fode of godis worde, purely faithfully and frely not preched of you) his bloude shalbe required at your hādis. Now say on.

We muste take godes benefit as it is of­fered, The bys. and not as we wold haue it.

ye saye trw. For the benefit of our remission and saluacion,Ioye. is euerye wher offred vs in the scripture. For [Page cv] our faith into christ, and not (as ye wolde haue it) for the fulfillinge of your condiciōs shewinge your selfe therin to be wiser then god and to in­uent a nother and better way (as ye beleue) to heauen then by Christe, as god hath decreed and ordined, ye wolde belyke sette god to scole. as ye did take vpon you to teache doctour Barnes better lerned then you.

Ergo by the gift of god I may do wel before I am iustified. The bys. your handlynge of this my conclusion declareth plaine that ye vnderstande not what ye saye. For ye [...]ondely improue a conclusion that mighte stande and be true. (Ioy. yea after your truth) with your [...]onde paradox of onelye faith iustifieth, onlesse in teachīg ye wil so hādle y^e mater as Barnes dyd Thaia man is iustified before he beleueth. For if beleue goth before iustificacion, as a cause dothe theffect, then seinge in scripture, beleif is called a dede and procedinge from the gift of god must nedes be a good dede, it folo­weth necessarely, ergo I may by gods gift do a good dede before I am iustified.

A wise argument lo,Ioye. as though to beleue in Christ were the dede of mā [Page] & not as christ affirmeth it the work of god. Ioa. vi. saieng. This is the work of god y^t ye beleue in him whō he hath sent. ye shall know that by y^e handlyng of your conclusion I vn­derstand it better then ye wetesaffe, & haue iustly confuted it in my former boke, as euery reder may se it, & your self know it, if arrogāce & malice had not blyndned you to not se faith in christ iustifieng to be y^e rote & foūtain of al good works and what is not of this faith purifieng the hert to be sin I haue hitherto remoued al your cō dicions as your penance baptism. &c from the place before iustificacion & haue compelled you by scriptures to place them after faith iustifieng. And now ye be brought to thꝭ narow shift as to seme to proue beleif to go before iustification which ye say is a good dede ergo. But I shal driue you (as euery reader shall se it openly) from this your last shameles shifte that al mē shal se you to stand naked of al e­uasions [Page cvi] without any mo sterting holes, First ye must graunt that faithe into christ is the gift of god: now ye speak of beleif. and ye set it confusely tantum as y^e sophisters say, without any thing into which y^e acciō & work of y^e verbe shulde passe. And if ye wil haue it stand so absolutely, nothing added, so is it as good a dede as y^e deuil doth y^e same. For as Iames saith The deuils beleue, & the turkes and Iewes beleue. But speake you like a christian expressing the very work of faith as it is gods gift, euē to beleue in christ iesu to haue suffred for your sins. And now se whether this good worke be yours, as of you, or gods work in you? It is not yours saith christ, but y^e work & dede of god.Io. vi. Mat. xv. And agē vnto Peter he said flesh & bloud hath not shewed y^t this thing, y^t is to beleue in me, but my father in heuen. And now let vs se wether this work thus to beleue in iesu christ, go befor iustificaciō or be y^e self same iustificacion. [Page] The scripture saith that who so thus beleueth is al redy iustified, yea and moreouer is passed from death into life.Ioan. 3. [...].v Now is your iugling w^t bare beleif disclosed. Let vs se what shift els can ye make? yet say on a gods name

The bys. But I moued Barnes of a dede before beleif. That is the lerninge to beleue by bearinge sermons or redinge wherein the grace of god prepareth mans will, as the scripture saith (so truely do ye saye when ye call me Pelagiane) I asked Barnes of that deede whether it were good or no, and pro [...]ed it good.

If your lerning to beleue were y^e dede of your gentile,Ioye so haue I tolde ye before in what kynde of goodnes it standeth. But ye may not iugle I say, with your naked and bare beleif but adde to, in christ to haue died for your sinnes. And then the mater is playne. That this learninge is faith & beleif it selfe in christ, taught and geuen vs of god: for y^e geuer of faith geueth ther w^t y^e lerning therof. Redye neuer that so oft repeted texte. we be al taught of god? And I shal ge­ue [Page cvii] my lawe into their mindes & wryt it in their hartes, and how ofte pray ye the lorde in the psalmes to teache you his waies, and not your owne dead dreames. This lerning is the knowledge and the same disciplyne to beleue in christ to haue suffred for my sinnes, wherof god saieth by his prophet Isaye. In scientia uel cognitione sui iustificabit iustus meus multos. liii In the knowledge of him shall my rightwise one christ iustifye ma­nye: of the same knoweledge speketh Iere, ix. wherin he wolde vs only to glory. & the wisdom saith. To knowe the is the perfit iustificacion,xv whiche thy rightwisnes and power in iustifienge is the rote of immortalite. And where hath god set forth this moste absolute knowledge of him selfe clerlyer then in the scriptures & in christ his expresse image? I cal ye not pelagiane for sayng god prepareth mās will, but because ye write and teache that‘when god promiseth to vs any [Page] gift or grace we haue fre wil on oure part and assent by fre chose to receiue it and to work w^t it, which is theffec­tuall receiuinge and the worthines on our parte whereby we be iustified’And note wel (say ye) y^t there must be on our part a worthines. &c. these be Pelagiās heresies as euery mā may se in the pelagians pistles, & in au­stens bokes agenst pelagiane & cele­stium. And these be your wordes in the, lxviii. lefe of your boke on the se­conde side of the lefe in y^e beginning declaringe your selfe what an enemy ye be with pelagyane to grace, yea and that in manye places of thys your most pestilent heretical boke as I haue & shal shew you in y^e places.

As for the matter of iustificacion by faith and workes, The bys. was not ment betwene Barnes and me to be spoken of in thys conclusion. And therefore ye stryue not with me but with your self and beat your owne shadow.

IoyeNo I thinke ye ment then rather to bringe him to the fier. And it is [Page cviii] best now for ye to saye ye ment not y^e mater of your iustificaciō and so not to defend it any lenger against gods word, for ye may be ashamed of your false part. Notwithstanding yet all your declaracion in the defence of this matter al your argumentes ga­theringes, and reasons tende into y^e iustificacion by your condicion so ful of good workes. For ye say here fo­lowinge to proue charitie to iustifye and so to set faith a worke, as ye en­glyshe fides operatur per dilectionē, and that the scripture geueth life to charitie to iustifie, but ye allege not that scripture. It is a greate iniu­ry that ye do to y^• verbe, operor, whi­che being so longe a verbe deponent in an actiue signification nowe to presse it downe with a passiue: saing fides operatur, faith is set a worke. So maye ye by like poetry make lo­quor to signifie I am set a worke to speke & to aske you. Whē christ said. Pater meus operatur & ego operor [Page] ad hoc vs (que) temporis, My father and I am sette a worke vnto this daye, who did set them a work I pray you especially when they created y^e world of nothing? If charite shuld set faith a work, so shuld she be before faithe, both in gift and operacion, contrary to Paule, saing, loue procedeth oute of faith vnfained. [...]. timo. i. But this absurdi­tie and ignoraunce is groffer then nedeth refutacion, ye shulde haue lear­ned better of Erasmus in his annotacions what the greake signifieth: & then ye shulde haue truely thus en­glyshed it. faith which effectuouslye worketh thorow loue, or doth by hir natural in graffed powr hir workes by loue,

Cōsider w^t your selfe whether this turnīg vpsidown in cōsideraciō in the doctrine of iustificacion. xl yeres past may be verefied on you or of me. The bys. I affirme the same iustifi­cacion that was then taught, and you be the turners, and by your owne prophecy be noted for antichrist

If ye wil affirm and stand stil in the sameIoye iustification that was taught & [Page cix] knowen xli yere ago, so stand ye still in tht popes false doctrin and in his iustificacion and is not yet abolyshed out of your crede. The iusti [...]icacion by faith only hath standen these fiue thousande and fiue hondred yeres & more.Hebr. xi For by faith Abel offred a plentuouser host to god thē Cain, by which faith he deserued testimonye that he shuld be rightwise. And as for y^e popes iustification by his workes began with him self of late, when he iusti [...]ied with his indulgences pardōs and pilgrimages & with his merits for buyldynge saint Peters church and for giftes and lond geuen to his sinful seat, yea he was & is so plentu­ouse in iustifieng for workes that he steketh not to iustifye. and wil geue clene remission a pena & a culpa. to as many as wil lifte vp weapon a­gainste our mooste noble kinge and his realme, and agenst al them that haue abolyshed his holynes. And if ye wyll stand still to this iustificaciō so be ye not the kinges frende albeit [Page] we see howe craftely ye turne & wind it in, vs not to be the kinges frendes which standing on the kinges parte in perell of our liues with penne and mouth with the scriptures fighting against y^e kinges vtter foo the pope whiles you w^t mouth & pē fight sore for y^e pope stand vpō his part in his defēce against vs & his enemies whi­che haue and shalbe the fall of him whom ye sweat so sore to sustain and set vp, ye knowe that his and youre iustificacion .xl. yeres agoo stode vp on merits & satisfactions by works vpon his penaunce absolucions and receiuing of his inuented sacramen­tes and euen vpon his false faith, & antichristen religion. and yet it standeth vpon the same feble foundaciō as your selfe may see it in this youre defence of him and his iustificacion declaring your selfe stifly to stande vpon the popes parte, whiche sith it be so greate an offence against your prince, I meruel it is not espied ne [Page cx] loked vpō. It shuld be quickely espied in me or in any other thus openly by bokes as ye do for the popis de­fence to wryte ayenst the popis eni­mies and to succoure the pope & his false doctryne in all that ye may to retaine him or to brynge him the easilier in again at your day so sore lō ­ged for. For what els is the pope to be still in englond then his faith his doctrine & al his religion there to be mainteined stil depelier autorized & fermilier roted then euer it was be­fore? For this iustificacion which ye so strongly defend is y^e principal foū dation stone of y^e rome chirch which so long as it stil remaineth in englōd (colour it & couer it as ye can) the ro­mish foxe is not put out of his hole And he y^t mainteneth this his chefe erth castell & couert, he muste nedes be y^e foxes frend. Whē d. Butte herd frier forest ī saīg his cōfiteor for his absolution (for he had once recāted & was comē to ideo p̄cor & added ideo [Page] beatam Mariam et beatissimum ac sanctissimum patrem franciscum orare pro me: By my trowth, quod he, and this fryer proue not a false herlet, let me brent for him: and in dede it proued euen so, For he fill to his vomit ayen and was brent with the idole of wales. And if ye will not turne but still affirme the same po­pishe iustificaciō y^t hathe ben taught these .xl. yeres of the popis disciples and of his apostles, standinge still in his faith and defendinge his reli­gion truste you whoso will, ye come not into my crede. When ye make answer to the bokis agenst your vn­aduysed vowes and to the croppe eared foxe, handle them craftilier & wryte more circumspectely for be­wrayinge your selfe. Ye bid me go bake fro my bakwared iustificacion &c. But I tell you, by gods grace, I wil neuer go bake from chrstis rightwysmakinge by faith onely in him to the popis and yours antichristen [Page cxii] absolucion as ye do openly and so declare yourselfe by your own hand writinge. ‘And if I do not, ye say, I must place your studiouse worke of, your lerninge to beleue with y^e work of baptisme. &c. before iustificacion.’ To this ye be answerd oft before, ex­cept ye take the studiose worke of y^e lerninge of your beleif, for the spel­linge and redinge that childrē lerne ere thei cane their credo. which as I haue proued it enioied their iusti­ficacion before their baptisme and lerne their beleif aftirward. But take it for the lerninge of y^e beleif in Iesu Christe to haue dyed for our sinnes printed in our hertis, so be all thus taught of god blessed, as hathe the psal. Blessed is he whom thou tea­cheste O lorde, out of thy lawe. So that god by his spirit, in teachinge geueth faith into Chryst, and his scoler in lerninge receiueth it at y^e same tyme, and is belessed in teachinge & taught in his blessed iustificacion by [Page] the same lerninge. And as for the baptisede with water, God biddeth and teacheth vs to prepare them be­fore, bothe by the lawe and gospell taught them, by the lawe to shewe them thir sinnes and by the gospell to conceiue faith into christ for their remission, and thus the faithful re­genered first of the spirit, be often asked whether thei beleue the arti­cles of our faithe recited, and if thei saye credo &c. then must thei be bap­tized and not afore, aftir your ars­warde popis iustificacion plantinge your herbes withe y^e rotes vpwarde.

God iustifyed noman without the gifitis of faith and loue, The bys. this ye gaunt.

(Ioye, Yea, and put in hope to)

Which when man receiuethe, he reciueth by them iustificacion,

No sir, not by them, but by faith only he receiueth it,Ioye saith the scrip­ture. Ye wold fayne (I perceiue) by your by worde (By them) tomble them in both togither as the causes of iustificacion. But therfore I de­nye [Page cxii] your by worde (By them) as by siche causes. for only faith hath that office and strength sufficient and is the Cause formall or instrumentall by which only man is iustifyed. I wyll disclose your iuglinge (By thē) in a playne example. Albeit a man hathe bothe eyes eares and nose all togither in their places in one head, as be faith hope and loue togither in one soul, yet it folowth not but is a grosse absurditie to say the man seeth by them: or heareth by them, but as he seethe and heareth but by one onely sence, so is he iustifyed but by one onely gift geuen him for the same office & cause. For as we geue to euery sence hir distincte & seuerall accion, so attribute we to euery disti­ncte gifte of faith hope and loue hir proper seuerall operacion & distinct accion.Faith beleueth. hope abydeth and waiteth for Charitie leueth. Faithis proper acion is to iustifye in apprehendinge y^e promsed remissiō in christ, hope by expectaciō waiteth for the saluacion conceiued [Page] knowne and beleued before by faith▪ Charite loueth the thinge knowne before by faith, and waited for by ho­pe. Now go to and say on.

The bys. When man receiueth faith and loue, he receiueth by them iustificacion, wherin I call mans deserte and meryte. (Ioy you so call it but not the scripture so cal­leth it) onely the vsinge of the benefits offred of faith and loue.

Ioye ‘Lorde what a confuse perplexe blyndnes is there in these latet wor­des (wherin I cal mans deserte and merits in vsinge. &c. wherin ye saye) In which wherin mean ye?’ In faith or in loue or the receiuinge by them iustificacion or in the iustification it selfe? Me thinke ye wolde the man to merit in the receiuinge by them, iustyfycacyon but as no man receiueth by them, but onelye by faithe, iustificacion, so can no man merit by or in suche a false receiuing. your re­ceite by them is false and vngodly (as I haue proued it) ergo the meri­tinge [Page cxiii] therin is as false and vayne. here wold ye buyld your merits vpō a false grounde and cleue them to the vsinge of crystes benefitis, as before but that false foundacion withe the reste of your popish tymbringe, ye se, I haue clerely ouerthrone and sub­uerted it: I meruel ye haue so sone forgoten yourself saying before (be­lyke your boke was longe ī making, or els your memory is naught) in the xii. and xiii. leues, ‘Sinners be called to grace to do the works of penance to recouer the fauor of God with remission of their sinnes, and that Christe is thonely sufficiente sacrifice for sinne, so perfit so total so absolute as nedeth not any addicion or supplement of any manis desert and merit & cete.’ Did not Christe, think ye, in that his so sufficient a sacrifice merit for vs and obteyned vs grace well to vse his benefits? Do man merit ether in receiuinge faith or in vsinge his faith and loue? ye ar an enimye with [Page] Pelagiane to Christes meritis and to grace. who worketh our will and moueth it to receiue faith? Paule saith it is god that worketh it in vs for his owne graciouse good willes sake and not for our merits. Haue ye not yet red, that as Paule writethe to the Philippians in the second chapiter? Deꝰ est is qui agit in uobis & ut uelitis & ut efficiatis pro bono animi proposito. That is to saye. It is god y^t worketh in you, both that ye may will and also your will to bring it into effect, ye & y^t for his own good propose of mind. Paule teacheth vs y^t y^e fre gift of god, & our workes and merites be so cōtrary y^t y^e thing, whi­che is of grace may in nowise be said to be of workes, or els grace were no grace,rom, [...]i, ne workes were no workes. But you wolde, by the vse of the first grace or gifte, deserue a better grace or gifte, which saing maketh the se­conde gift but a very seconde grace, that is no grace at al, for y^t as it so deserued with your abused vse, cā be [Page cxiiii] no fre gift ne grace. Giue we therfor al the glory to god, and shame & confusion to our selues remembringe.ii. cor. iii. That we ar not apte ne able of oure selues to think any good thoughte as oute of our selues but al our a­bilitie and aptnes is of god who be praised and glorified for euer. amen. For what hath any man good that he hath not receiued? The bys. And therfore the commaun­dements of loue with our hole hertes mindes. &c. is not so extreme as ye make it to a christen man whose faith speketh to god boldly, da quod iubes as S, Austen saith▪ Geue that thou commaundest, by reason wherof the yoke of the lawe impossible to be borne, is in christ easy thorow the gifte of god by christ in whom we may do all.

I am glad ye haue graūted y^e thing for which ye rebuke and reuile me so spightfully,Ioye euē y^e yoke of y^e law īpossible to be borne of man. For now be fallen therw^t al your merits both in vsing & in deseruing youre iustificacion by the workes of the law, & your satisfactiōs w^t hir cōtēta [...]iōsly flat in y^e dust which fal ye wel cōfirme w^t your first text saing, what hath anye mā good that he hath not receiued? [Page] here ye bringe in bothe scriptur and austen for the destruccion of al your owne hole doctryne. For if we pray god to geue vs y^t he commandeth, so is it not in our power to get it, for noman prayeth for that he hathe or can haue it when he lyst. Nether is the commandment of loue so easy as ye wene for, ne be ye comen so easely ne so sone into christ to bere the yoke of his lawe so easely y^t it be so sweete and his burden so lyght to you. we must be firste sharpely whipt and sewery scourged ere we come to this highe lesson of perfeccion. Remem­ber ye not what christ said to y^e yong riche man? If thou wilt be perfit, go sell all thou hast, geue it to the pore and come and folowe me. And who taketh not his crosse & folowth nothī going to his passiō when he is called he is not worthei to do him seruice. Euery chylde he loueth he chasti­seth, christ nourtereth vp his childrē in the scole of his crosse & in y^e profe­sion [Page cxv] of their baptisme practizinge them in the perpetuall mortificacion of their flesshe to dye with him from synne and to burye them ere thei ryse with him into their neweslate o [...] holy and innocent lyuinge ye speke of. Ye say, ‘the yoke of the law impossible to be borne, is in Chryst easye thorowe, the gift of God,’ but ye expresse not y^e gift of faith ne loue wherby it is ful­filled and the yoke therof so easy to be borne as the scriptur declareth it, when we by faith onely apprehen­dinge the promise in Christ, do vpon vs his rightwysnes his fulfillinge for ours rom, iii.viii.x.i. cor. i. gala. iii. Belike ye fansy not faith in hir proper place and office, ye haue so great mind to loue. The continuall batil betwene the fleshe & the spirite in euery iust man is not so easely faughten as ye dreame in your pleasaūt s [...]ombringe securitie and welthines, as ye may se in the lyues and exam­ples of them whom ye banishe their [Page] natiue countrey, persecute at home presonne and burne, and in the liues of christ and his apostles. Man cal­led fleshe is a perellouse sturdy hy­dra to be ouercomen of the spirit, for when one head sinne is smiten of, thre for one arise more fierce. And when al perchaunce be somwhat ta­med yet will not concupiscence and the loue to our selfe let the spirite be at rest but make businesse against it Subtile and shrewd and vnsercha­ble is mans hart. I haue geuen you but a fore tast of this easy coming to Christ to bere your easy yoke so pleasauntly. Thei that haue experience of that sharp thorney iourney as I­say hedgeth it in, and of that bitter batail, as Paule complayned therof when he felt y^e lawe aliue & working hir offices in him, can tell ye more of this. But wote ye what watte the herimite in cambridge once said, [...]atte the heremite. when one saide to him, Watte, I meruel y^• once being so lustye a rutfler and so [Page cxvi] and ioyly a courtyer woldst take this straight religion vpon the. Tusshe quod watte. It is easy enough as I vse it. And so belike the impossible heuy yoke of the lawe, and the bur­den of your pastoral office dilated so wide be lyte and easy enough as ye vse them. The loue of god with all your harte mind and soul. &c. and to loue your neighbour as your self be all lyte and easye enough to you as ye vse them.

Nether loue nor faith can be in man per­fit, The bys. and thei nede both cōtinu al encrease. It is truth,Ioye rom. vii and therfore sith the law is perfitly good iust holy and spiri­tual, it requireth as perfit iuste and holy workes in like degree of perfeccion out of as perfit faith and loue, whereby ye se the lawe impossible to be fulfilled of man. For which saing lorde howe fiercely runne ye vpon me herafter as though ye wold gore me thorow with your byforked hor­nes, and thrust me downe quyck in­to helwith a.M curses & excecratiōs [Page] And yet here your self saye the same again & againe to, nothinge afraide of Hieroms curse.

But he that knoweth our infirmities taketh in good part our imperfection for our sauiour christes sake, The bys. vpon whom our saluaciou is grounded and neither vppon workes ne faith with your diuision.

IoyeIt is impossible for our weke sin­full fleshe perfitlye to fulfyll the law And therfore god sente his sonne to fulfil it for vs,rom. viii. y^t our faith reaching [...] to vs his fulfilling might couer ou [...] transgression with his rightwisene [...] so to do christ vpon vs.gala. iii. i. cor. i. Or els if y [...] take it absolutely as ye speake it, s [...] were euery mans imperfeccion tak [...] in good worthe and after you, euery man shulde be saued. Wherefore to haue spoken perfitely and plainely [...] after the scriptures, ye shulde hau [...] added (for our faith in our sauiour [...] christ, god taketh oure imperfeccio [...] in good worthe) and thus expressed the condicion. for christes sake ye say And shal I be so bold to add, to mak [...] [Page cxvii] all se wer, & not for your merits ne for the meriting to vse his benefites, as ye say. Upon whom ye say, our saluacion is grounded, and nether vppon workes ne faith with my diuisyon. Then tell vs after your deuise and diuision, howe saluacion in christ is grounded vpon faith with your wel deuised diuision? Christ spekinge to Peter without any diuision of saith, grounded his chirche vppon plaine faith as ferme as the rocke. And Paule sayth: one LORDE one faith one baptisme one chirche one christe and one saluacion, ye wolde not (I se) haue me to diuide faith in christ from your condicion of works ne from your first faith of all, but ioyne them together as Iermans lippes to be the ground of saluacion But Paule telleth you, workes and faith to be so contrarye vnto this ef­fect that thei may not both lye toge­ther in the foundacion,titum. iii. for when the benygne loue of GOD oure saui­uiour [Page] toward vs was declared, he saued vs, not for oure good workes which we did, but of his mercye dyd he saue vs, lo he excluded oure good workes called opera que sunt in iu­stitia. Yea saye also, ‘ne vpon faith w^t my diuision wherof I deceyue the simple peple:’ In good faith, when I speake of faithe iustifyinge and faithe sauinge, I diuide it not into manye members but saye onelye faith in Christ & so make no diui­sion therof. For I speake plainly w^t Chryste paul and all the olde lerned doctours, excludinge from the acte of instificacion all the works of the law. And I place works aftir iusti­ficacion as the frutes of the iustifyed tree declaringe hir obedience & loue to God and to his lawe. But ye be to busye withe your terme of diuision to make siche diuision contencion & brawlinge aboute wordis, when ye espye your parte is naught ye go­aboute to make sectis and diuison & heresies in Christis chirche w^t your [Page cxviii] [...]rophane vayne vocables of Diui­ [...]ion, participacion, to merite the vse, meritinge to be the vse, vse meri­tinge, one dede to deserue another, to merite grace, learninge to come to beleif, Fayth to come to the knowlege of faithe, works to vse the giftis, a faith firste of al, with many mo siche monsirose prophame spe­ches to consound men and to make diuysion heriseis and sectis amonge y^• simple people: Thē ye adde. saying ‘As though works were at a conten­cion with faith.’ verely Paul so set­teth them a sonder in contencion and contrariete in the acte of iustificacion that he vtterly excludeth workes frō faith, in plain and many wordis frō that act to set faith onely to iustifye as maye euerye man se it, where he settethe iustitiam legis contrarye and agaynste iustitiam fidei, and commonlye vseth his arguments ex contētioneor a loco contrariorum whiche is the moste euident and strongest kynde of argumentacion. [Page] Also the contrary effectis of faith and workis (as I haue often out o [...] paul declared them) shewe them to be so contrary in the cause of iusti­ficion that thei in no wise may be concurrant into y^t effecte. It is sone sene by your maner of argewinge, that ye neuer knewe the stacion or state of the cause of the pistles to the Romans and gala. Ne vnderstande ye the arguments of them. except of a sette maliciouse porpose (whiche God forbyd) ye so wilfully so openly and not of ignorance impugne the verite, Nether knowe ye Pauls wōt and proper phrases in these wordis, lex iustitie, iustitia legis, iustitia exlege, iustitia nostra, and agene, Iusti­tia dei, iustitia ex fide and lex fidei iustificatio legis, & iustificatio fidei ne the difference of these contraries ye know not. For when ye adde. say­inge lyke as the works of Moses lawe were at a contentiō with faithe ye vnderstande not of what works [Page cxix] [...]f Moyses lawe Paule speakethe [...]hen he so oft mencioneth circumci­ [...]ion and the workes of the lawe ex­ [...]luded from faith, nether knowe ye what faith is.The bys.

And some talke of faith wherwith to ap­ [...]rehend gods mercy, as though faith had [...]ādes to take and hold fast, and loue none [...]nd thei graunt that noman is instified w^t out charitie, but yet faith properlye thei say apprehendeth the iustificacion wherof how properly thei speke, I shal speke hert after at large. (Ioye, and I shall aunswer you as largely.

We speke of faith truely and re­uerently according to gods worde and not after your own vayn imagi­ned material and formal faithes.Ioye

And we saye, by faith we set holde of gods merciable fre promises ī christ and our setting hold is beter vnderstanden of the lay man then your apprehens [...]on, And we and our readers know as well [...]aith to haue no materia [...]l handes, as faith to haue no fete when Paule saith, by faith we come to god. And christe biddeth vs all [Page] that be burdened come to him. If [...] li [...]t of your liberalite to geue to lou [...] handis fete and winges to, to sethold & fly to god aftir faith iustifyīg hath enbraced him in Christ and shewed him now knowne by faithe to loue, I wil not ageine saye.

The bys. ye cannot tell what condicious. Barne [...] I spake of.

Ioy.Of what condicions soeuer ye spake ye say y^t he & you agreed of faithe to be one, and the first. And here ye de­clare your second cōdicion to be full of Winchesters good workes as your selfe cal them, again the which good workes to iustifie I wrote and confuted them, and therefore I know of what condicions ye mente as your self now declare them.

I euer affirmed that we be frely iustified and frely saued. The bys. And yet god in geuing vs this fredome for christe, worketh so in or­der, and so willeth vs to obserue it, which I call the condition. As for wante therof we shall ether not obtaine this fredome, or lese our fredom when we haue obtei­ned it.

[Page cxx]Ye euer affirmed that ye be frely iu­ [...]tified by your workes of penaunce baptisme.Ioye &c. both here and also in your boke of necessary enstruccions which is a lyke speche as to haue a dynner geuen me frely for my mony If ye can set these two contradicto­ries togither in figure, frely and the same for mony and frely for works, so are ye he that can blow forth oute of the same mouth both hotte & cold at once with one breathe. But yet here is but a derke and a slyber shift that ye make to set frely and merits togither, It is but an obscure ridle ye adde, & nedeth another oedipus to expoune it, ye meane some false­head in this pese to settle youre cro­ked confuse condicion I can not wel tell wher, ne vpon what vnstiethey stole, ye say (which I call the condi­cion) my grammer master, when he gaue me englysh to be made in latin and came to the relatiue (whyche) he wolde euer aske me, whyche [Page] what? because of the concorde with his antecedent. And here it is neces­sary I aske you y^e same, which what call ye the condicion? Before ye cal­led the workes of the law, with your penaunce, baptisme, and the ful [...]il­lyng of all gods wyll and pleasures the condicion, & in the, lxix lefe folo­wing, ye call oure worthynes youre condition. And here goo before your relatiue (whiche) many antece­dents, o [...] whiche, one is a fredome, whiche I canne not tell whether ye take it for the fredome in iustify­cacion, wherein the spirite of liber­tie thorowe faithe into Christe ma­keth vs free from sinne, or for yours and pelagians free choice and con­sent, when grace is offred you, either to receiue it or to refuse it, as ye wryt in your enstruccion boke and agene in this boke ī your .lxviii. lefe, which is euen playn pelagians herelye: yet be there mo antecedents nierer your relatiue, as the workinge in order, [Page cxxi] and the orde it self, & the obseruing of the workinge in order: here is a shrewd perplexe pese of work, to set­tle your croked combrose condicion with frely. It is hard here to knowe which is your condicion. Here haue ye shapt oute shiftes enoughe and digged ye vp many (but yet all to narowe and to straight) sterting holes The blynd slymey snaile yet for fear of to harde and hurtfull resistence pretentat cornibus uiam, gageth the way before with hir leithey hornes. The fredome ye say is geuen vs fre­ly in christ, ergo we deserue it not by obseruing the order ye speake of so derkly. Place once your confuse condicion vpon some certain seate, and if ye be not afraied ne ashamed of your doctrine, call youre condicion by one or other certain proper name It is a token that ye feare your part as false and naught, that ye dare not speake in plaine wordes plainly and tell vs what thing here ye cal youre [Page] condicion. ye say, which I cal y^e condic [...]on, as for yours so callinge, ye be but a mā & euery mā is a lyer, nether will I accepte your wordis in this cause for truth, excepte ye confirme them with scripture or arguments grounded therof, no man is bounde to beleue your condicion seinge ye dare not openly expresse it, ne cannot proue it by scriptures to be the cause of your effecte. you call it so: but tell vs where the scripture so calleth it? ye shulde haue added plainly with Paul, speakinge thus. Frely be we iustifyed by grace thorowe y^e redēp­cion by Iesu Christe by faith in his bloude, [...]om. iii. & not as ye falsely saye, frely by workes of penance.

Ioye depraueth gods preachings so abho­minably & detestably as euen in this place God suffereth him to wryte so vndiscretly of him as hathe not ben lykly sene or herd. The bys. For not beinge content to allege Christes wordis in a sence of his owne imaginacion he vttereth it thus. christ so said or rather so thought. &c.

[Page]Here ye rage,Ioye here ye exaggerate and heap vpon me a thousand blasphe­mies for saing y^e trwthe, That chryst thought as he said, as he expres [...]ed his thought by his worde. The pha­riseis yonge scoler came to him to know by what dedis doinge, as ye teache, he might come to heuen, For thei teache men to come thither by their free chose and liberty to do the works of the lawe, their scoler, not yet knowinge his owne weakenes to do it, ne thimpossibilite of the lawe to his free libertie. For the yssew and ende of this story is to declare man to haue no fre libertie of himself to fulfill the lawe, and also thimpossibi­lite therof to man, as Christe decla­reth it, vnto this mā thus drowned and deceiued with y^e phariseis false doctryne. Christ reciteth certain pre­cepts, whiche all saide the scoler he had kepte frome his youth, He hadde kepte them aftir the pha­riseis [Page] fashion and yours concerning the outward iustice and letter of the law, but not as christe had expoun­ed it of mens affectes to be repres­sed. When he sawe the arrogante boldenes of this yonge pharisei, he thought by a nother precept to bring him into the knowledge of his owne weaknes, and how lytle fre libertye he had to do gods commaundemēts and how muche free libertie and of your bonde choice to euil and to not do as Christ willeth vs to do, and a­gaine how impossible it is to man to to do that god commaundeth him, & herof commaunded him that thinge which as it laye not in his fre liber­tie to do it, so was it impossible for hī to fulfill it, as christ expressinge his owne former thought saith. Soner shal the camel go thorow the nedles eye then the rich enter into the kyngdome of heauen, addynge. That as is īpossible to mā is possible to god Nowe howe saye ye? Dyd not christ [Page] thinke to commaunde that rich man a thinge impossible when he said. If thou wilt be perfit goo and sell all thou haste and geue it to the pore & cōe folow me? If ye say he thought it not, so make ye him a dissembler to saye one and to thinke another.

What so euer he then commaunded him, he thought the same, but he cō ­maunded him a thinge impossible. Ergo he thought the same, y^e minor is Christes wordes, solue the argu­ment if ye can. Whiles I tel you yet mo of Christes thoughtes, when he saide, he came not to cal iust men but sinners to repentaunce he thoughte not to call such obstinate arrogante pharisais that wolde be iustified by their condicion so full of good wor­kes as is yours.psal. lxvii [...] Also when god said let their owne table be turned into their owne snare thoughte he not to halter you with youre owne pleasaunt policie whereby ye thinke to banyssh and to suppresse his gospel [...] [Page] ye alledge the scriptures for youre false doctrine, and ye be haltered and confounded with your owne textes. ye make bokes thinking by the same to extinguish the verite and to con­found vs, and se ye not therby the truth the wyder to be spred, and the mo to knowe it into your owne vtter shame and confusion? he tolde his, y^t the haithen kinges shulde be tikled with these flateringe titles and na­mes of your lordship and your gra­ce, and saide to you uos autem non sic, But se that you be not so called. Thought he not therby to knocke downe your arrogant pryde and to teache you humilite? verelye he for­sawe and thought euen then vppon your pryde and lordeships to be ex­alted aboue him selfe. But sone fin­deth the wolfe an occasion to deuo­ure the innocent lambe for drinking of the swete waters which shulde be comon to them both geuen of god to quench their thirst. Here may euery [Page cxxiiii] reader see the venome of your kan­cred hart how gredily ye hunt for occasions to depraue, bely and to sclā ­der me causeles, ye say I alledge ch­ristes wordes in a sence of my nown imaginacion. It is you and such popishe impes as yet defende his anti­christen doctrine that wrest so violētly the scripturs to your own damnable deuises. For of al sich scriptures Si vis ad vitā ingredi. &c. Si vis perfectus esse. &c. and forgeue and ye shalbe forgeuen, ye gather with pe­lagiane your fre choice and libertie to do good, and to kepe the commaū dements, and to set vp your popishe merits and iustificacion of workes all damnable and iniuriouse to christes bloud as very enimies to grace and to god. when christ proueth by siche textes man to haue no fre libertie to do good and his commaundementes to be impossible to man, and that no man can therfore merite his remission ne saluaciō. And euē your own wordes fight against your own [Page] exposicions. God commandeth vs things impossible to shewe vs to our selues nether to haue free libettie to do good ne to be able to merit oure saluacion, that we shuld not glory in our dedis ne reioise ī our worthines but to render all glorye merits and dignitie to him, and that we aknow­leginge our own infirmite and im­possibilitie shuld seke strengthe and power at him, and that we shulde by faith enbrace his rightwisnes, his holines, his merits, and satisfacciōs, and his fulfillinge of the lawe, for owr owne, thus to geue all the glory and thankis to him for our remis­sion, redempcion & saluacion thorow Iesus christ. These saings. Forgeue and ye shalbe forgeuē, and siche lyke containe in them bothe a precept and also a promise (if ye godly expended them) whiche promise assone as faith a [...]prehendeth she addresseth hirself effectuosly by loue to y^e fulfillinge of y^e precept, ī forgeuinge hir neighbor [Page cxxv] For ther is nomā y^t forgeueth trwly onlesse he beleue first in christ is pro­mise to haue forgeuenes hī self. And therfore, when christ saithe, Forgeue & ye shalbe forgeuē, faith first setteth holde vpon hirowne promised for­geuenes in the later sentence and so of faith procedeth to do the precept. your self heraftir can place theffecte before the cause & yet tell vs y^e cause to go before theffecte, And canne ye not as well see and admitte the same order in Christes word is as in your own examples? So that the man is not forgeuen because he forgeueth as ye arsewardly imagen, but becau­se he beleueth God to forgeue him therfore is y^e beleuer both forgeuen himself & of that faith he forgeueth his brother. Ye shuld therfore acor­dinge to your owne example & doc­trine hereaftir, of him y^t folowth you to be your seruant, haue cōsidered & lerned, y^t your forgeuenes of your neghbour, is the effecte declaringe [Page] you to be forgeuē of god, & y^e forgeuenes wherby god forgeueth you to be y^e cause of your forgeuenes of youre neighbour, & thus y^e effect to be pla­ced before y^e cause. Sich inuersiōs of cōsequēces in arguīg fro y^e effect to y^e cause called argumētes a posteriore, y^e comē speach & y^e scriptur o [...]tē vseth As to say. y^• flowers be sprōgē forth & spred. & y^e trees waxe grene, ergo it is sōmer. And yet is somer y^e cause of this effect & theffect placed before y^e cause. And christ told the phariseye. Hir sines be forgeuē hir because she loueth mich. But ī declaring y^e very cause w^t theffect he expresseth hir for­geuenes of god to be y^e cause of hir loue, saīg. To whō is mich forgeuē thei be boūd mich to loue: & euē thus de­clareth it christ ī his parable. mat. [...] teachīg vs god first to forgeue vs y^e greter detts to thītēt y^t we seīg hī self mercifull in forgeuing vs, shuld be moued y^• more gladly to forgeue our brethern y^e lesse dettes. So that his former forgeuenes of vs is y^e cause [Page cxxvi] mouīg vs to forgeue other, saīg. Behoueth it not y^e therfore to haue pite & cōpassiō of thy felow seruāt, seing y^t I am so redy to forgeue y^•? yea I had forgeuē y^e before, as y^u knowst it, & therfore y^u oughtest lykewyse to haue forgeuē hī, where it is plaine, our forgeuenes of god to be y^e cause whi­ch shuld moue & excite vs gladly likewise to forgeue our neighbour. & y^t y^e forgeuenes of our neighbour is placed first as theffect befor y^e cause as it is there & ī other placs īferred saīg. Forgeue & it shalbe forgeuen you. your own exāple of your seruant folowing you hereaftir brought in of you cōfoūdeth your self, if malice had not so blīdned you, & for your malice god so worthely to haue hardened your hart against y^e truth, y^t in redīg his word ye nether vnderstande it truely ne with feare & reuerence en­brace it, but abuse it into your owne dāpnacion & into the destruccion of many other soules. If one shuld cōe to you sekinge youre seruice, and [Page] you couenant w^t him sayinge, Folo­we or waite vpon me and thou shalt haue .xl. s. yerely. Is not this comon couenant consented ther vpō y^e cause why he serueth you? And yet is the­ffecte here in your owne wordis pla­ced before the cause of his seruice for except the mā had beleued your pro­mise and trusted to your wordis he wolde neuir haue done ye seruice. And euen so ī this and lyke speches. Forgeue and thou shalt be forgeuē, we first by faith in gods promise ap­prehend our own promised forgeue­nes of god which causeth vs to forgeue our brothern. For excepte ye ob­serue this order ye shall fynde it but a faint fayned forgeuenes. I wil not saye agenst it but that ye may be a good lawyer and a ciceroniane re­thricion bold & eloquent in doggish eloquence to perswade blasphemies and lies by crafty colours to turne whight into blak and to make foles beleue y^e krow is whyght lest ye lese [Page cxxvii] your estimaciō But as for any good & godly lerninge or trwe vnderstan­dinge of the holy scriptures I know there is but litle or none in all your bablinge bokis. Had ye counseld bu [...] with. S. Austen vpon siche texts Si vis ad vitam ingredi. Si. vis perfec­tus esse. &c. he wold haue lerned you a truer lesson. or if ye had lerned the promyses & precepts contained in siche speches and consydered the proper cause with hir effect ye shuld haue sene the vnbeleif of the yonge scoler of the phariseis ī the promised perfeccion offred him of Christe to haue ben the cause of his departure and to not fulfill the precepte of sel­linge his good and to geue it to the pore, as is the beleif of the entrie into lyfe promised in these wordes (If thou wilt entre into lyfe) the cause why man endeuoureth him to the keping of y^e commandements. And yet is it god y^t worketh bothe thou­ght wyl and endeuour in vs to kepe [Page] them, which when god commandeth vs to aske of him to kepe his precep­tis, ye se it not to be in our powr to fulfill them, wherefore ye be to ha­asty so fyercely to run vpon me with so many excecracions and fulmina­cions out of hieroms mouthe, for sayinge the trwth with Chryste and Paul that is The lawe to be impos­sible to man, whiche your self haue herto before said and affirmed the same, spekinge of mans imperfection and imfirmities, sainge that the yok of the lawe is impossible to be borne of man. Read Austen for this mater. and conferre them to gither w^t iuge­ment as he wold haue al menis wri­tings to be iuged & tryed by y^e scrip­tures,lib. ii. de pre [...]atorum merites. [...]a. ii. &. iii, & the sciptures to be red with faith. epist. lxxxix.cc.xcv.li. de. co [...] rept & gratia in psal. lxx. & .cxviii. & concio. xxvii. Ambro. ca. i. de lac. & uita bea. ca. vi. Aug. ad ualenti. God cōmandeth things impossible to vs, that we might know what w [...] [Page cxxviii] ought of him to akskē.

As ye expowned my sayinges, so haue ye expowned scripture, The bys, onely as ye wold haue it, or as ye gesse at it, withoute any consideracion how one exposicion agrethe with another, ye be lyke your self ī peruersitie thorowly. &c.

My confutacion & your declaracion be ioined together in one boke let the lerned Christen reders iuge bothe our exposicions, and in this boke to,Ioye if ye dare permitte it to be sene. But in this peece ye triumphe ouer me ayen, ere ye haue goten the victory as thoughe ye had me now vnder your fete. But yet I stande, & haue you in my daunger to declare your ignorant blyndnes & blynde igno­rance, how vnlernedly, impertinent­ly and peruersely ye alledge y^e scriptures for your popissh doctryne. as euery reader shal see here aftir.

When I had proued to barnes that it was vnaduysedly said of him that man might not do well by goddis grace before iustifi­cacion, The bys I did first inproue that fond saing wherby he confounded y^• order of iustificacion. [Page] And when I had declared that (as I haue before touched) then I told him how it folowed also, that by the gift of god, mā might do good towards thatainement of iustificacion.

How truely ye reporte of doctour Barnes I know not.Ioye But and if ye had no nother probacion then of the good worke of your gentil idolatar going to heare a sermon, it was but fonde and feble as I haue iustely before cōfuted it. And here agen I say That as god geueth his sonne to shyne both vpon the faithfull and infideles, and geueth them both for­me, beutye and riches, so geueth he them of his common and general influence and grace. as well to the turkes as to the christianes, victories, faier wether, corne, catell, to moue, to lyue, yea and to kepe their promi­ses faithfully in contractes and con­federacions and lyue in a ciuile mo­rall iustice, as men saye that knowe them, more iustely and faithfullyer thē some baptized with water. Thei [Page cxxix] be merciful in helpinge eche other with almose, thei faste. &c. But before god in any good work of faith in Chryst, thei haue not to reioyse of, which good works christē mē ought to treate teache and proue their par­tes, and not as ye do of the turkes & iewes faithles good works before men onely. How proue ye that the turke may do well to thatainement of iustificacion when he neuer enten­deth to knowne beleue in Christe to be God and man, his sauior, ne to be iustifyed by his passion? but only by the good works of Mahumets lawe as ye by y^e good workis of the popis lawe. by which your good dedis ne­ther thei ne you shal euer be iustified Where vnto herken a litle here how wy­sely ye speke in your iustificacion by onely faith. This I aske, who beleueth? The bys. god or man? I think ye wil say man by gods gift. and so god geueth the gift of faith, & man receiueth it. Do not here concurre in two workis god and man? which lye bothe in one bedde, & be kouered with one kouer­led to thacomplesshment of iustificacion. [Page] And is god so ielouse then that he will not haue it spoken when he worketh, and man also worketh with him by his gift & helpe? Be not we called cooperatores dei in scripture [...] &c.

But herken you agen and behold here your iugglyng castes.Ioye ye aske who beleueth, god or man? If ye had asked who beleueth his remission of his sinnes in christ. I wold aunswer you, y^e iustified man. or els I know the deuil beleueth and the turke to, so absolutely as ye speake it, but to speake of the true beleif into christe, who so beleueth he is alredy in the same worke of beleif iustified. And thus ye come to late to proue this man to do any good worke before he be iustified or any concurrant work with god to the same effecte. For the very selfe same dede of beleif into christ iustifieng him, is his iustifica­tion wrought of god in the beleuer in christ, & not of y^e beleuer. I se well enough your fallace in iuggling w^t a truncate beleif, omitting christ in­to [Page cxxx] whom y^• accion tendeth in the iustificacion, & al to forme your informe faith and material beleif. I see also howe sleithely ye slip out from the i [...]uisible worke of iustificacyon in­to the outwarde offyce of mens pre­chyng called in that ministracion cooperatores dei, the instrumentes of god in plantinge and wateringe,i, cor. iii, god geuinge thencreace, as Paule declareth them. Can ye conueye no clenlier god and man into one bed? I tolde ye before ye shulde finde the couerled to skant (as Isaye saith) to couer thē both in this one acciō of iustificatiō. For to beleue in christ, is not the worke of man,the work [...] of god ī mā & not of mā but of god in man, as christ telleth you. And if ye aske who receiueth faith into y^e mās hert so to beleue in christ? I answer with Paul, non ego, sed gratia dei in me, not I but y^e spirit & grace of god in me, and not the man by yours and pelagiās fre choce, as ye & he techeth like false heretikes & enmies to grace For y^e geuer of faith & grace, taketh [Page] away first the stonney hert fro mans fleshe ere he giueth him a newe softe hart and put into him a newe spirit.Ezec. xxx. It is god that worketh in vs bothe the will to receiue it and to beleue therw^t in effect for his own good willes sake and not for your merites by your fre choice as ye with pelagiane teache men in your boke of enstruc­cions a booke full of repugnances of false and popishe doctrine,Philip. ii. ii. cor. iii, as it is to se to euery learned reader, a boke belyke penned of you, for it sauou­reth euery where of your dampnable doctrine. And therfore fearing lest it shulde haue ben writen against, you amonge your selues haue armed it with the kinges title and autorized it with his name, being afraid to iu­stifye your owne bokes. And euer there were any traiterouse touche cō mitted agenst his maiestie, that was one, and the most ingratitude so vn­thankfully to abuse the ientle noble clearnes & y^e most benigne ientlenes [Page cxxxi] of so gracious a prince to you which hath promoted you out of the dong­hill to sit felowlike with lordes and dukes. And is this the thanke and honor and humble seruice ye rendre therfore to his maiestie, to father a false boke vpon his highnes into y^e denigracion of his cleare fame ma­king his grace to sustaine the infa­mies and sclaunders of your damnable popish boke? It is verely no smal offēce, subiects so to abuse the good­nes of their prince, if it were well loked vpon. The byshops and phari­seis in christes time, when they coud not by their own learninge suppresse christ and his doctrine, then thei studied to extinguishe him & his worde with the secular autorite and power abusing the simplicite of the magi­strates. I haue therefore iustlye by scriptures cōfuted your boke (yours I call it and not the kinges boke so vnworthy his name or title) whiche confutacion wold god his maiestye [Page] might reade once printed and iuge it by the scriptures to know you in fel and fleshe. Take hede. ye shal be­wraye your selues at last and mashe your selues in your owne knit net­tes. ‘But returne we. ye say that man on his parte by his fre choice and assente receyueth the grace of god offred him.’ And here ye harpe agene secretely vpon the same stringe, but dare not make it to sowne ouerloud. And then ye breake out boldelye as though I had graunted and not es­pied your iugling with your naked shaples beleif, and ye ask it stought­ly as though your premisses coulde not be denied. ‘Do not here concurre in two workes god and man whiche lye both in one bedde? & couered w^t one couerled to thacōplishmēt of iu­stificacion?’ I aūswere, here is bothe god & mā, & here be .iii. works, one is y^e receiuing of faith which is y^e work of god in man (as I haue proued it before (for no man cometh to christe [Page cxxxii] but his father draw him. The secōd worke is the beleif into Iesu christe forgeuing the man his sinnes,philip. i & this is also y^e worke of god. Io. vi. the, iii is the remissyon of his synnes or iu­stificacion, whiche is also the onelye worke of god. Nowe is not youre bedde to shorte and your couerletts to skant in this act of iustificaciō, to kouer & containe your mans concurrant worke before his iustificacion? Shewe vs here anye one worke of mā as his own & not geuē hī of god to do it? For he is here but as y^e yren or mater vnder the smythes handes to be made the sawe wherewith god entendeth to worke his workes and as the clay in the potters handes.

Then ye triumph w^t a true text, but falsely applyed, saing. Be not we cooperatores dei? that is workers w^t god? yis verely as instruments in y^e externe ministracion of prechīg his worde as Paule allegeth it:i cor iii but not in the hyd inuisible worke of our iustyficacion before god, as ye falsely [Page] alledge it. There Paule speaketh of another maner work, which ye wold confounde with the worke of iustifi­cacion.God ma­keth vs to work with him. And yet euen that worke of preaching do he not attribute to thē selues but to god onely, esteminge them selues of no valewe but as bri­tle vessels wherein god putteth his tresure & as instruments wherwith he worketh as the sawer with his sawe, and addeth iuxta gratiam dei accordinge to the gift of god geuen vs to worke with him. A like key to cleaue your logge bring ye in of Gedions swerde, which god vsed with Gedion as visible instrumentes to gete the victory of the Madianites, As iustly might ye haue brought in this text. in circuitu impij ambulant Byshops, friers, and monkes, walk rounde about in their cloisters and galeries for your purpose which ye go so far about in compasse to proue that man worketh with god into the accomplishment of his iustification. [Page cxxxiii] Thus ye snak & rende out textes w^t ­out any respect of the circumstance of the mater, how impertinently so­euer thei be to the thinge ye wolde proue, ye passe not therof, so ye maye at all auentures cast thē at your ad­uersaries head, as do the dronkerds in their fury, what so euer come next to hande, be it potte plater, or candel sticke, it flieth at his head. Because thei called vpon Gedeon then a liue present in batail animating him to fight for thē, therfore your a like reason is, we must nowe lykewise cal v­pon Gedeon and his swerd, & vpon saint George, and siche lyke saintes dead which nether heare ne knowe vs. The lord asketh vs sharply saīg with a thretening.Isai, 6 [...]. [...] Pro uiuis ad mor­tuos? Wil ye seke helpe at the deade for men liuing? Do not euery naciō seke it at their own gods? If we therfore be christians let vs fetch coūsell & seke helpe at our only lyuing god one alone for vs al sufficiēt, & nether [Page] at Gedion ne at Georg, The faith­ful. uicerunr regna per fidem. Thei had the victories vpon kingdoms thorowe faith. what and if Gedions swerde was the worde of god promisynge him the victory gedion at last with faith apprehending it?ephe vi Pauls interpretacion maketh al for it. Be­lyke as ye imagine of george to be called vpon in bataile, so ye beleue, that as he was valeant (if there were any sich) in batall, so helpeth he now likewise fighting and florishing in heauen or in the ayer, so that what he once didde aliue, as to kill a dragon, the same he now deade is yet redy to do ayen. Hitherto tēdeth al your fond & vain bablyng in hole two leues folowing crieng, [...]he bys. y^e swerd of god & of gediō. & dn̄o & gedioni After which sort knowing that god vseth the members of his chirche in the ministery of his workes with mutual prayer one to helpe another, we saye.

(Ioy. but the scripture neuer said it) God and our lady helpe vs wherein god geueth the helpe, & our lady prayeth for it Ioy. what then doth christ if he be at [Page cxxxiiii] home.? which is an help to obtayne helꝑ. (Ioye. And who shall obteyne vs hir help) And so in the honor of God and our lady. (Ioy. Soli deo honor & gloria.) God geueth not his glory from him, (Ioy, No, he parteth it betwene him selfe and our ladye. soo)

Here is a goodly dead dreame out of the popis portews,Ioye and not one wo­rde of scripture for it, but playne a­yenst it. Saye not the scripturs that there is but onely one mediator be­twixt God and man with his praier Iesus christe,gala. iii i timo ii and that the helpe of God is omnipotent and omnisuffici­ent? we be here al members of christs chirche in the ministery of his wor­kis with mutuall teachinge exhor­tinge helpinge and prainge one for­other, ergo shal menis workes helpe God to iustifye or shal the departed into heuen do y^e same ministery there for vs which thei did here liuing? hi­therto tēdeth yo^r deducciō out of yo^r prīcipal purpose. Is it not y^e dimini­shīg of gods honor into y^e derogatiō [Page] of his glory to attribute y^e proper helpe and his proper essenciall workes re­serued to his godhed ī christes onely humanitie deserued and father them vpō, or imparte thē to mā or womā? As Gediō dirst not saye, My swerde, but the swerde of the lorde gote the victorye, so neuer bode thei Godion fight for them aftir he was dead. Ne­ther doth gods worde bid vs praye to any saynt departed, albeit beinge alyue we helpe eche other w^t mutual prayers, what we do here for other, it folowth not, the same to be done of vs in heuen, or els let Paul preache in heuen & make tentes. &c. If Paul beinge in heuen in spirit, had ben, or is, as profitable with his prechinge or prayers to the congregacion as he was here in bodye & soul, he wold neuer haue writen these wordes to the Phillipians thus sayenge.

As for myself to be in heuen with Christe it is miche better and farre more profitable: but to tary here still [Page cxxxv] in my fleshe, I were more necessary and profitable for you. Where ye see, Sayntes to be more necessary & pro­fitable to their mutall members whē thei & we be here togither, thē when thei be taken from vs into heuen.

But this place of scripture, you ne your papistis, euer espyed ne vnder­stode it belyke, ne many othermoo ly­ke places ayenst you. what els is mēt by Iacobs vision beholdinge thaun­gels descendinge and ascendinge by the ledder,Gen. xxvii the lorde of powers onely sittinge vpon the toppe therof, then the onely Christis intercession and merits by the ministracion euen of thaungels to be brought vnto vs? And albeit abrahams seruant was committed to y^e custodie of the aun­gell, yet did he not pray to him in the iourneye, but vnto the lord to pros­per it and to shewe his mercie to A­braham.Gene. xxiii So that God therfore ma­keth not his aungels (& then miche lesse y^e soulis departed) y^e ministers [Page] of his power and goodnes, ne to be prayd to, so to diuyde (as ye dreame) any of his glory to them. Nether promiseth he to vs his help by y^e seruice of soulis or spirits to thentent we shuld diuide our praiers faith and confidence betwxt god and thē. For it is platos playn philosophy and the popis heresie to go and seke to God by aungels and spirits of the deade (and not by christ only) them therfore to be worshiped because thei may get vs helpe with God. [...]n epi, [...]. cra [...]ill. All the pro­mises of God ar in Christ, etiam and amen,i [...]. cor. i that is to say adsewerdly con­firmed & fulfilled perfitly, wherfore there be none confirmed in mary pe­ter George or nicolas nor ī gedions swerd by their intercession & prayers vs to be helpen, and therfore we can­not aske helpe of them in any faith or beleif, and if we aske it not in faithe of thē, neuer let vs hope to obtayne our peticiōs at them. Shew me one worde of faithe to praye to sayntes? [Page cxxxvi] These .iiii. things where in cōsisteth the glory of God we ought only to attribute them holly vnto him and not to imparte ne diuide them to any creature. that is to wete,iiii, thinges giuē to god onely adoracion, faithful confidence, inuocacion, and thanks geuinge. These be approp­ried to god only as the scripture testifyeth euerywhere. And it is the next synne ayenst the holy gost to attribut the onely helpe of God to any mor­tal man or creature & so to diuide his own glory or any parte ther of frō him. Ye haue nether scripture ne ex­ample ī al the bible for your prainge to saints, but y^e playn contrary. And ye be commanded to teache nonother doctryne then ye can geue a rekenīg therof out of the scriptures. Ye brīge in to confirme y^e menis works must be concurrant with gods works in iustificacion (for herof yssewth all your deduccion) this childish fainge [Page] ‘Christs crosse me spede & saint Nico­las.’ And God and our ladye help. God and S. George helpe. who lau­gheth not at these fonde probacions? lorde, what shameles shiftis be thei compelled to seke, and how blinde be thei, that haue hardened their hertis agenst y^e veritie? Be these your scrip­tures to proue your parte? It is as I euer said. Selden be these popish lawyers good & lerned diuyns. Had the bishop of rome no beter learned capitains to defend his false religiō it were sone fallen. But your puft vp autoritie and arrogant boldenes ar­med with crueltie be mightier in mischeif then your lerninge, ye may now lye as ye liste and wryte what ye will, when ye haue banished and condempned all mens bokes and answers agenst you. where fynde ye in scripture that, S. nicolas praieth for vs, or that. S. george or Gedion fighteth for vs? Be it in case George were the patrone of france, and the [Page] frenche men shulde call vpon him as effectuousely as the englyshemen in batail, shuld not saint George fight againste him selfe?

And god helpeth by geuinge of helpe, The bys and Nicolas by praienge for helpe.

(Ioy. And what then doth our only intercessor christ for al sufficiente?) In confession wherof we set forth the ho­nour of god. (Ioye. yea ye stele it from him like theues and murtherers.) Euen as god wolde haue it magnified. (Ioye. unde uersus.)

Yea euen as ye wold haue it ho­noured and magnified after youre owne wicked inuencion of which deuillyshe deuisers of gods worshyp and glorie after their owne beastely wittes, Paule thus saith.Ioye rom. i when thei had knowen that there was god, yet did thei not worship him as god, but shewed their own vaine curiositie and arrogancie, and curiouse vani­tie in their owne reasoning for gods gloriouse honour, In so miche that thei obscured their owne blynde ig­norant [Page] hertis, and where thei tho­ught them selues to haue done most wysely for gods honor and glorie, there thei proued themselues starke foles and fil to wo, shipinge and cal­linge vpon the creaturs in stede of God y^e creator of all. Agene, beholde how greuously Christe stryketh you with the autoritie of Isay for honouringe God with menis precepts and tradicions?mat. xv. God tolde Abrahā that his name was (el, shaida) that is one alone for al sufficient and almighty And if ye beleue him not to be siche one to helpe you, then cal to nicolas, runne to George Marye. &c. & saye, the moo, the beter, as do your blynd disciples. And if ye beleue that Ni­colas his helpe must helpe God to helpe you, so make ye God no God, or if ye think y^t Nicolas his eares be not stopt ne kut of (as ye list to lye & iest of vs) or not to be a slepe. wel, kry on hard vpon him as did Baals pre­stes [Page cxxxviii] vpon their God tyl Nicolas an­swer you. Cal lykewyse vpō George, in batail, whylis yet God winketh at your false and supersticiouse inuo­cacions, at last for your hardnecked idolatrye, and for your persecutinge and shedinge of innocent blode, wor­thely to turne the edges of your sa­thanik swerdis and there popishe pointes ayenste your selues mooste vnhappely to fight for your false God. God neuer bode vs go and call vpō any other then on himself onely in cryste and for his sake. And if ye beleue not him, gete ye to some other helpers & sauiors by participation and make them your false gods by adoracion and inuocacion. For vnto whom soeuer ye go and cal vpon in your anxt and nede beleuinge the sāe to helpe you, whether it be niclas Ian or George, the same is your god in whom ye beleue, For howe can ye call vppon him (saith Paule) inrom. x [Page] whome you beleue not? And ye be maried to y^t god in a false saith hope and loue committing with him as y^e prophets testifye aduouterouse ido­latrye. Beware god is a ielouse god and loketh to haue our hole faith cō ­fidence, hope and loue, with all oure hole hertes. And how standeth these together,timo, i. onely to god be honor glo­ry and praise, and yet ye geue his honour and diuide it betwixt him and mary and Niclas. &c. by participaci­on? He is contente that parents and magistrates haue their dewe ciuile honor and reuerence, but gods own glorye honour and worship in spirit and veritie by inuocacion of faith, I pray ye let him selfe onely enioye it, totally entierly absolutely, and holy as ye terme it and robbe him not of it ye may aswell by participation im­part [...] his godhed and his diuine power from him as his glorye and ho­noure whiche be hys inseperable es­sencials. Your doctrine is blasphe­mose [Page cxxxix] to gods holy name and glory. Rpent ye. And to confirme this damnable doctryne ye peruert christis wordis. sainge If any man honor me, my father shal honor him in heuē where the text is. Si. quis mihi mi­nistrat, pater meus cohonestabit eum. that is. Whoso ministreth vn­to me (meaninge in his vocacion by preching or gouernīg truly in his office) my father shal beutifye him in glorie, euen the same that Paul saith If we here suffere with christ in his trwe seruice any ignominy, we shalbe glorifyed w^t hī ī heuē. For he setteth ignominie agenste glorye. But your wordes sowne naughtely, as to saye, whoso honoureth me (where honor is taken for gods honor) and then continently to say My father shall honor him, as though ye wold haue honor in bothe places to be taken a lyke, makinge God to honour his creature with his diuyne honor. Ye muste recite the scriptures as thei [Page] stande and alter not christes words for your wiked purpose lest, as Sa­lomon saithe, ye be reproued as a lier.

God spendeth not his glory and honor ne hathe the lesse, The bys.

Ioy [...]No but you asmiche as in you lyeth wolde robbe him of them, and ye cō ­mitte that excecrable sacrylege that Paule speaketh of Roma. ii. For as in his adoracion, confidence, faith, inuocation and in thankes geuyng consistethe hys glorye and honour, so be they not diuisible from hym. But because (as ye saye) GOD is ryche omnisufficiente and aboun­dante in glorye, yet therefore ought ye not to steale anye from hym, as saye theues. It is no synne to robbe the ryche that haue enoughe.

The bys. But god so spredeth his honoure abrode and is thereby magnified amonge vs.

IoyeHe spreadeth it not abrode either to [Page cxl] be stolen or diuided from hym as ye wold, and teach by your participati­on, but to be acknowledged of vs and thanked for it, which his glorye and honoure if ye vsurpe or diuide them to anye other so dishonoure ye and blaspheme god, and ye honoure the deuyll. For god w [...]lbe honoured and magnified after his owne pre­scripte wordes and not after youre vaine imaginacions as thei leade you thoughe they appeare in youre eyes neuer so gloriouse.deuter. xii. There is no creature in heauen ne vpon erth, ex­cepte it be antichrist, but abhorreth & putteth it from him when it is offred hī. But ye wil eat still of the tree of knoweledge of good & euell at the perswasion of the serpente, decer­ninge and deuisinge to God what glory and honour ye list, and teache it to be good withoute his worde. ye saye we cannot abyde that christe suffred for oure example. yisse better then you, that neuer folowed hys' [Page] example, and yet will be called his successors.

The bys. Also ye loue christ but ye diuide him fro [...] his seruantes his saints departed vnde [...] a wronge pretence of the preseruacion o [...] his holy honour.

IoyeChrist wil haue his hole honor reserued to him selfe onely, as Paule and Isay saye. Nether will his saintes departed desire it but refuse it offred them, as did the apostels and aun­gels vtterly thruste it from them, as did the aungel in the apo. xxii. and not christ in the forme of an aungel: Christ him selfe ye call lyfe, The bys, but ye call his seruauntes the saintes departed dead mē and for spyte cut of their eares.

Thei be no liuinge men but liuinge spirits and dead bodies,Ioye nether can men cut of their eares, seinge the spi­rits haue nether eares ne bodies ne heades, but as touchinge y^t bodely part: be resolued into dust▪ Thei be idle idols eares, that haue eares and heare not, eyes and cannot se, whose eares ye say men cut of, and by your own consent their stockish dead bo­dies [Page cxli] cast into the fier. because ye cō ­mit idolatry before them.

Thus diuide ye christ and make strife be­twene his giftes also w^t your onely faith to put charitie out of office in iustificat [...] ­on. The bys

Onely faith to iustify maketh no strife with charitie which is pacient and enuieth not faith to do hir owne proper office as ye of enuy vncharitablye contende and s [...]riue so falsely:Ioye But it is your popishe doctrine that maketh the strife & scisme diuidinge your selues from all christen faith­full and true religion. For as the londe is diuided in situacion frome all other, so wold ye forme it to your selues a sondrye faith and religion from all other nations. Christ neuer chaunged the heude of any chirche ether in the Iewes or gentiles, but he also with the same chaunged the bodye euen the chirche, or els it were but a monstrose thinge an antichri­sten church to haue a Chrysten head and a Christen head to haue Anti­christē [Page] ministers, as ye haue studyed longe craftely to bringe it to passe in englond till your tyme & daye be­comen, when ye maye agene ioyne your abolished head to his owne re­serued body so craftely kepte of you for the same ende. For ye knowe it ful well, what muste nedis folowe so longe as the popis chirche stonde, and his bodye lyueth amonge you. And euen here if ye list, take a taste of winchesters wylye witte to bringe home agene his, in name and title onely with him and his holy aboli­shed father. To abolish a thinge is so to skrape and blott it out into na­ught that nether s [...]nt ne sauore ne any vestigie stepe or figne remayne therof.To abolish But whether the popis faith & religion, with his rites ceremonies & tradiciōs be so abolished, I reporte me to all y^• realme. I bode ye in my former boke seke out y^e text wher charite iustifyethe, but yet haue ye not found it. And therfore ye now fal to [Page cxlii] your own fonde witte with this fō [...] sophisticall argument.

God iustifieth: god is charitie, The bys. ergo charitie, iustifieth.

I denye your argument,Ioye for that your termes in the premisses and in the conclusion be not of one & lyke significaciō as ye wel know. Thē ye bid me reade a certain text of Paule agen & do as plato was wōt to do, saing, do it not touch me? I haue red it agen & here I write it to you againe to see whether ye cā yet se & fele whe­ther it toucheth you, & let all indifferēt reders be iuges whether it hit ye not & set ye not out in your own co­lors & it were apelles hī self had paī ted you saing. he y^t wilbe iustified by workes & not by onely faith in Iesu christ, is in the way of perdicion euē in a corrupt mind caried away of cō ­trary lustes and affeccions, euer ler­ning & neuer comē to the true knowlege. For sich deceiuers shal go forth [Page] worse and worse til their wykednes be rype leadinge other into errours, theirselues beinge blynde and farre out of the waye, auerted vnto vayne speche and false doctryne willinge to be sene Doctors and teachers and yet vnderstand thei not what thei say ne of what thing thei make their articles actes and enstruccions.

paraduenture ye wil say ye make thē not) but I dare saye ye geue euil counsel bothe to the makinge and also to the cruel execucion vpon thē that will rather obey god then mens tradicions.

To the atteinment of iustificacion is re­quired faith and charitie. The bys.

Ioy.This sainge I confuted in my former boke thus. Faith only saith christ and Paul, is required to that­inment of iustificacion which is of God. Nether is charitie diuided frō fayth but from the efficacie effecte & office to iustifye, for to this effecte and office is faith onely sufficient effectuously: As from fyer or fro the [Page cxliii] sone we exclude not heat ne brightnes, but yet hathe hir heate and bri­ghtnes their sondry effectes and offices, for the heat warmeth & w^t hir brightnes she shyneth and geueth lihgt Here may euery reader se how false­ly ye report my wordes and how maliciousely ye reporte of me faininge and forminge your owne false foun­dacion thus.

ye saye that charitie is ioyned with faith and ye take faith and charitie for .ii sisters, but ye make faith the elder sister. The bys. Hitherto ye say truth of me,Ioye. for in y^e natural order of their proper opera­tions faith worketh hir accion in knowledge of god and iustificacion before charitie worketh hirs in lo­uinge god. &c:

And ye affirme that in iustification, charitie, Ioye that ye call the yonger sister is not ex­cluded. These be your wordes wherin ye saye the same. Isay.

No ye belye me deadly,The bys. they be not my wordes as euery reader may see it. But they be yours fained false wordes therevpon to deduce your [Page] false doctrine folowinge. And here thrise ye rather your false inuented saing vpon me which I neuer said ne thought ne wrote them Isaye that chartie is with faith, but yet excluded from thefficacy effect and office to iustifie so that she is not cō currant with saith in the accion of iustification, as I geue my plaine ex­ample, but charitie hath a sondry act and operation from faith as to be­leue in christ and to loue him be two actes as be to see and to here the sondry offices and actes of two distinct sences albeit thei be both together in one head. And Isaye charitie is in the iustified man, but not concurrāt into theffect of ius [...]ification as anye cause formall with faith thereof, as ye falsely report me. Here maist thou see, good reader, what crafty falshed he vseth to argew, ex non concesus. of that I neuer graunted it him, to make his false parte appere true, I wrote more circumspectely addinge a plaine example, for I knewe howe [Page cxliiii] sinistrely capciouse this byshop is, lest he shulde take any aduauntage at my wordes, And nowe when his owne conscience telleth him that charitie is not concurrante with faithe in the worke of iustificacion contra­ry to his conclusion, then he seketh his shiftes, first in the, xlvii. lefe therto place loue, because thei that abide in loue (saith he) abyde in faith whi­che is the lyfe of the iust. There he went about to proue charite to geue lyfe, which I haue refuted iustly.

Then in the .lv. lefe, he saith scriptur attributeth lyfe to charite, but that scripture can he not yet finde. And now at last, as mistrustīg al this not to help him. he saith. That Isaye y^e charitie is in iustificaciō & y^t I say y^e same y^t he saith & belieth me falsly, for I neuer said it, as myboke testifieth. Another variance betwene you and me is ye say, The bys Albeit both sisters faith & charitie be in iustificacion, yet charitie the yonger sister (as ye terme it) standeth stil idle and only waiteth vpon hir elder sister.

[Page]I neuer said these wordes as euery man may seeit it in my boke.Ioye When theirwith wil not serueye, then be ye compelled to flye to lyes. In dede I call by waye of doctryne faith and charitie two sisters and faith to be the elder because she is the rote of charitie and is first in operation.

And nowe I wyll compare faithe, hope, and charitie to .iii. sisters or w^t Sophocles to the .iii graces called charites, so connexed hand in hande as it were inseperably linked togi­ther ut gratia gratiam pariat uel tra­hat, impugne the similitude if ye cāꝭ These .iii. graces or giftes put into one soule are not idle giftes of god as ye blaspeme hys giftes, but be in their continuall encreace vnto their proper distincte accions, and may be well called after their autor, or soule wherein they are. Entelechia that is a lyuely perpetuall vnwearye wor­kynge substaunce, althoughe the body sleapeth, which solicite the good [Page cxlv] tree to bringe forth hir frute in hir tyme. which graces in their encreace be knowen by their orderly operati­ons and frutes. Faith in christ firste beleueth into hym and iustifieth and teacheth man al his good workes to be wrought in him of god, and not of himself, faith purifyeth hertes, and maketh a quiete conscience whiche is our holy sabboth and rest, so oft commanded in the lawe to be sancti­fyed of vs. By hope we continue ī the thinge now known and promesed. By faith, and by expectaciō pacient­ly tary for it. Faith beleueth God to be trwe, hope taryeth tyl God exhi­beth his trwth in tyme when thocca­sion shalbe geuen. Faith beleueth God to be hir father, hope taryeth tyl he declare him self fatherly to vs. Faith beleueth eternall lyfe to be geuen vs for christis sake, hope wai­teth for the daye where in it shalbe reueled vnto vs. Faith is y^e foūdaciō stone wher vpon hope and charitie [Page] reste and leane fast to it. charitie ex­tendeth hir to god knowen by faith, and to hir neighbour. These .iii. gif­tes, I may also by waye of doctrine compare to .iii. di [...]tinct knids of lea­des throne into one and the same grounde, whiche albeit anon thei a­pere not aboue the grounde, yet ne­ther is the earthe ne the seades idle, (as ye taunt and terme it) but by the secrete power of the moost high sea­disman worke their naturall distinct operacions and officies ere thei ap­pere and fructifye their distinct fru­tes. Neither adde I anye (onelies) otherwise to faith then the scripture, and all the olde holy doctors do, as hir onely proper distincte operation requireth, In the iustified man they be al .iii. but not concurrant into the one and same effecte of iustification. but eche gifte seuerally tendeth into hir proper accion and be not idle, no notherwise then whē the man hauing both eies eares & nose, seeth with his [Page cxlvi] eyes onelye, yet be not therefore his eares ne nose idle sences. Then by an other false supposiciō wold ye deduce a falser conclusion, sayeng.

In dede theffect of faith is properly to illumine the vnderstanding & of charitie to warme. The by Now if the iustificacion of man implyed only thexpulsion of derkenes frō mans vnderstāding, theffect of faith wold suffice: but seing god in iustification mo­ueth mannes hert and kindleth loue in it, why may not these two vertues with their two effectes by gods working concurre in mans iustification?

Fyrst the scripture teach you that to illumine the vnderstandynge is not so properly attributed to faith but also to the declaracion of y^e word saienge,Ioye Declaratio sermonum tuorū illuminat & intellectum dat paruulis. The declaration of thy wordes illu­mineth and geuethe vnderstandyng to the litle ones. And agen, praecep­tum domini lucidum illuminans oculos. The precept of the lord is pure & bright illumininge the eies of oure vnderstāding. And in another place lucerna pedibus meis uerbum tuum [Page] thy worde is lanterne and light to my fete. If ye had red diligently and vnderstanden the psalmes ye shulde haue sene this propertye attributed to the worde, but I will not steke w^t you for so litle ignorance. Then ye saye. If the iustificacion implyed onely thexpulsiō of derkenes theffect of faith were sufficient, As thoughe if the iustificaciō implyed not onelye that effecte but many other it shuld not be sufficient but it implyeth ma­nye mo effectes besyde youre war­nynge with charitie and yet is it sufficient. For in the iustifycacion by faith onely, God purifyeth the herte, In the iustificacion is implied thexpulsion of dubitacion of the remissiō, and is implied the peace and setlinge at reste of a tranquill conscience and yet all these imp [...]yings let not faith onely the lesse to iustifye. But what and if I saye, that God by faith war­meth the hert and kindleth it to loue as by the rote of charite? I am able [Page cxlvii] to proue it. Thus, God geueth no cold faith into manis hert but a war­me faith effectuouly to warme, ergo. Faith warmeth charite and kindleth loue with oute the which warminge faith, your charite were as colde as yse. Nowe is this youre wyse ar­gument, God in iusti [...]icacion kind­leth loue in man, ergo charite iusti­fyeth. I denye your argumēt: proue it if ye can, For God kindleth not loue by loue, but kīdleth lou by faith For if loue be not warmed by faith it shalbe but a cold and faithles loue. I meruel ye be so blyndened & wil not see the trwth but so sinistrely of ma­lice to seke these feble childish shiftis had ye rede but this one text of Paul (malice not blyndinge your vnder­standinge) Porro finis precepti est charitas ex puro corde & cōsciencia bona & fide non simulata, timo. [...] Thende of the precept is loue procedinge out of a pure hert and out of a good con­science, and out of faith vnfayned. ye [Page] might haue sene plainly out of what rote charite springeth, and faith iu­stifienge, purifienge, and makinge a good conscience to go before charitie But herken what foloweth, a quibu [...] quod aberrarunt quidam, defecerūt ad uaniloquium, uolentes legis esse doctores non intelligentes que lo­quuntur neque de quibus asseuerant from the whiche doctrine and order of faith and charitie. &c. because some men haue erred and gone farre from it, therfore are they fallen back from the truth vnto vaine and lieng spech false reasons and arguments agenst the veritie, willinge to be seene and to be doctours of the lawe and tea­chers of gods law not vnderstāding what they speke, ne of what thinges they make assertiōs articles and sich lik affirmaciōs, enstrucciōs, &c. now how say ye, haue not S. Paul liuely described you here, & set ye forth in your iust colors? Blame not me for recitinge these words, but Paule for [Page cxlviii] writinge them and your self for verifieng them of your sel [...]e with youre owne dedes wordes and writinge. Trewely, not with all the learninge subtilite, rethrike, and witte ye haue shall ye proue charitie to helpe faith to iustifie, but only faith to do it, for ye striue against the truthe and as christe tolde Paul It is to harde for ye to kick against y^t prick. God once illumine your hert w^t his word to se once onely faith to iustifye. amen.

As for Paul declareth [...]lainly that albeit he speketh sometime of faith without mē cion of charitie, The bys yet he meaneth not faith, as a bare foundacion, but faith with cha­ritie to iustifye.

Albeit,Ioye ye be the popes lawer and doctour to, yet do I not take ye to be of so highe autoritie, as to beleue these your bare wordes concerninge the vnderstanding of Paules mynd But & if Paule haue so plainly declared his minde, as charitie wyth faith to iustifye, seinge ye be so well seene in Paule, expresse Paules mynde [Page] with Paulis wordis for this mater, lyke a lerned bishop. Nether we ne Paule ne Christ call faith onely iu­stifyinge, a bare foundacion, for god geueth no siche idle, bare cold giftis, as ye prate of, nether christ buylding his chirche of that rocke of faith onely in him, wold haue it called a bare foundacion, al this your extenuacion of faith to make it youre ma­terial shaples faith I tell ye, wyl not serue your popishe purpose, the al­mighty power of gods euerlastinge worde preaseth to sore vpon ye, for onely faith iustifyinge. Ye coud ne­uer haue cōtended in a more difficile yea impossible argument and mater to proue, then not oneli faith to iusti­fye, but charite to be concurrant ye shulde haue red it. Hebreus .x. how Paul declareth his mynde and order of these giftis sayīge and affirminge, vs to come to our great priste Christ with pure herte in the certaintie and asseweraunce of (faithe) ourr hertis [...]aith [Page clxix] sprincled, and theuil conscience put a waye, the body wasshed with pure water, we holdinge the confession (of hope) not waueringe (for he is [...]aith­ful which hath promised) & consider we one another,Hope into this en [...]e that we maye prouoke vs (to loue) & to do good workis,Loue. where ye see in what place fayth first standeth with hir proper seueral operacion, wher hope with hirs, and laste of al charite pla­ced with hir workes, whiche order of these .iii. giftis the scripture euery where obserueth, placinge faith as the foundacion and rote of hope and charite & of al other vertews, so y^t as Paule saithe, what soeuer is not of faith is synne. And here, aftir your longe vain bablinge of faith y^e brin­geth knowlege and faith that hath not charite, (as though trwe faithe and knowledge contrarye to Isaye were not all one, or were withoute charite) and faithe not to geue lyfe but loue to be y^e lyfe of y^e iuste cōtra­ry [Page] to all the scriptures, then ye wold haue youre onely. onely ioyned to o­nely god & not to faith. As thoughe when the scriptures with y^e doctors saye, by onelye faith man is iustified, thei wolde exclude god the principal cause efficient from our iusti [...]ication and remission whiche plasphemye to think, who is so madde and brutish? And to confirme your deuillish drift ye adde stoughtly, ‘And this i [...] the plaine teachinge and agreable with scriptures whiche muste be vnder­standen as one parte be consonante w^t another without siche hacking as ye make of it,’ But not one worde of scripture bring ye for your teaching ne agreablenes, but lordly ye say.

Thus we must vnderstand them, as though ye had y^e same falsly vsurped autoritie ouer y^e scripture & our faith as hath your ātichristē father of rōe to cōpel & cōmaūd vs to beleue & to vnderstād what ye list, which is y^t v­surped powr & honor aboue god wherof [Page] daniel and Paul speke. For when Christ euer referred his doctryne to the lawe and prophetis, yet will this blody beaste and hir whelpes compel men to beleue their false doctryne & falser faithe for their owne popishe persons vsurped false autorite only. God gaue abraham faith where with to beleue in him, The bys. and charite wher with to loue him. And abraham as he beleued in God so he loued him, bothe to gither.

(Ioy It is trwe, if he coud do bothe at once with one acte)

Here haue ye condemped your self For fyrst ye saye,Ioye God gaue Abra­ham faith to beleue in him. And now as touchinge this firste gifte what saith the scripture? credidit. Abrahā deo et imputatum est ei ad iusticiam, Abraham beleued in God and it was imputed him vnto rightwisenes, here ye se that same only acte of bele­if in God, to be rekened to him for his rightwysnes, ere loue proce­deth to hir proper worke for loue presupposeth the thinge knowne by faithe ere she canne loue it.

[Page]As your selfe saith within .xii. lyues before, and that faith brīging knowledge must nedes procede loue, and yet blyndely, ye forgetting your self harpe still of this your onely vntewned stringe. Charitie loueth, ergo charitie iustifieth. your selfe see it, & ye say and write it, that faith & loue being two distincte giftes, muste ne­des tende into two sondrye, and dis­tincte effectes, and yet be ye so blynd that ye wolde violently make them concurrant into the one effecte of iu­stification. And ye saye, charitie iustifieth, which speche of faith, as to saye faith iustifieth, offendeth your dili­cate eares, because, I speake it. As thoughe all lyke speches, saue suche as come out of your mouth thorowe malyce and arrogancy, yea and that so proudly, shuld stinke as saith the psal. lxxii. vpon you. I maruell ye sweat so sore with so many wordes, for charitie to iustifye and haue so litle charite your selfe and lesse loue [Page cxli] to faith iustifienge, whiche is truth And as often as Paule nameth faith not speaking of loue, The bys. so ofte and oftener, spea­keth Ioan in his pistles of charitie, with­out mencion of faith.

If the often speaking of a thinge shulde proue,Ioye so do Ioan speake as often of synne, withoute mencion of faith, as doth Paul of faith without mencion of loue. I wonder ye shame not thus fondly to reason. But shew vs where saith Ioan, charitie iustifieth, as oft as Paule saith, by faithe we be iustified? who seeth not by the­se your vain shiftes and febler weak arguments, how falce is your parte, when ye can neither by scripture nor reason proue it, howe oft saith Paul in one chapter. By faith all oure fa­thers haue deserued the testimonye of rightwisenes? Then wolde ye by as f [...]nde a profe make it appere that charitie iustifieth, because christ saith The father drawethe vs to him by faith. which to make it somwhat like ye falsely expowne christs words by [Page] putting to your owne dreame, saing that by loue we be drawne to Christ. But and if ye had red but two lynes forther, ye shuld haue sene Christ to haue expowned himself, sainge, vs to be drawne and to come to him onely by faith: thus concludinge. Euerye man therfore that hath herd of my father and is lerned of him he cometh to me. To hear of y^e father, the scrip­ture expowneth it, to beleue and to haue faith geuen vs of him, as christ affirmed it to peter:Mat. xvi. and as Paul de­clareth it, faith to come of hearinge, And therfore to hear of god, and to be lerned of god, and to beleue in him thorow christ be alone, Paul calling it, auditum fidei, that is the hearing of faith, or faith had by hearinge.

And turne to y^e pistle to the hebrews and loke whether we come not first to God by faith ere we loue him, ye had nede go studie the scripturs yet beter & lerne to conferre y^e places, & not thus to allege thē at rouers. Ye [Page clii] say a litle before, Thei muste be vn­derstanden as one parte be cōsonant to the other, without hackinge as I make of thē, but in so saing, ye twich your selfe by the nose. Yt here openli chop your hackinge knyfe into your own sower herbes with a false glose hackt into your owne potage. For ye neuer obserued the context ne confe­rence of the places, which is a token but of a popish lerned doctor. And as for me, I haue not, ne desyre I any other waye, as euery reader may see it, to confute your falsely alledged & falselyer expowned autorites then by the circumstance & conference of y^• context & by lyke places, nether can I, ne will I vse any other weapen to confute your false bokis.

And as for the speche of (onely faith iusti­fieth) the scripture hath it not And yet hath it ben spoken by some lerned men to exclude the workes of moses lawe. The bys.

Albeit the scrpture hath it not in the same syllables,Ioye yet it hath the very self same sence, as I shall so mani­festly [Page] shewe it, and proue it that ye shall not be able to auoyde it. For christ saith, as it is written, bothe in Luke and Marke. Only beleue and thy doughter is safe, nothinge els requiring of the man for the restoring of his daughter, but faith onely into him. In a nother place he sayde. If thou canst beleue, I can helpe the, & all thinges be possible to him that cā beleue, here is nothing els required then faithe of the man for driuinge out that euil spirite of his sonne. In all other his saluacions and helpe, & hearing and grauntinge their peticions, christ required onely their saith into him, as all the story of the gos­pell testifieth. Now commeth Paul as the most faithfull treater, and expouner of the lawe and gospel, whi­che diuideth the hole scriptures and the ministracion of the preachers & apostles of christ into y^e preaching of y^e law and of the gospel. And here he proueth the state and cōdiciō of eue­ry [Page cxliii] man, ether to be vnder the lawe or vnder the grace of the gospell, wherof he deduceth two maner of right­wysmakinge or rightwysenesses, one rightwysnes of the lawe and the to­ther of the faithe of the gospell, ex­cluding with expres wordis mightely and clerely the rightwisnes of the lawe from the iustificacion by faithe, as one contrary to the tother, affir­minge constantly, and often. That we be siewer and certain, man to not be iustifyed by y^e workis of the lawe (which iustificacion he euery where calleth the rightwisnes of the lawe) but by faith. And we conclude man to be iustifyed by faith without the workes of the lawe. And clerely to exclude al the workis & rightwysnes of the lawe, that the onely rightwis­nes of faith might stand clerely in sight, he saith men be iustified frely, thorow grace, by faith. Now ye see, That ther be but two thingis in con­trouersy, one contrary to the tother, [Page] to iustifye, that is to saye, the workis of the lawe, & the gifit of faithe. But Paul constantly excludeth y^e works of the lawe, and admitteth and affir­meth onely faith to iustifye. For no­thing els then faith is annexed and ioyned to this iustificacion, wherfore it is must nedis folowe only faith to iustifye in the iustificacion of fayth Also man is not iustified by any thīg els then by faith, ergo only faith iu­stifieth, man seeth not with any sence els then only with his eyes, ergo his eyes onelye see. What beast is so brutishe as to denye or cauill agenst these so plaine speaches? Of these Paules argumentes & christes wor­des, all the olde holy doctours gathered this ferme conclusiō. Only faith iustifieth, which you ne anye els can iustly impugne, ye haue hitherto therfore shet out al your shaftes at a wronge marke, which yet could not see ne euer hit the truth ne vnderstād what Paule meaneth by the contra­ry [Page cxliiii] position of these his wont words. Iustitia fidei, & iustitia legis, iustitia ex fide, & iustitia ex lege, iustitia pro pria & iustitia dei, w^t such like phra­ses, often he saith by faithe man is iustified, but neuer by charite, ne in any place of the scripture is it writē. And yet you of a set proposed malice con­ceiued agenste the veritie, contende thus arrogantly to impugne y^e truth and all to shew your wily witte, and high lerning in perswading blasphe­mies to foles, leste ye shulde lese the false opinion, and vaine estemacion whiche the vnlerned haue conceiued vpon you. ye saye some learned men haue so spoken it, as onely faith iustifieth. And be ye so highly learned in your own conseit, y^t ye be ashamed or let scorne to speke y^e same, but thus arrogantly & vnlearnedly to impugne such learned mens sainges? ye saye, they sayd it to exclude Moses lawe. And I tel ye, that Paul also therfore said it, euē to exclude Moses law frō the act of iustificacion. And why wil [Page] [...] [Page cxliiii] [...] [Page] not you say the same also with the same lerned men to exclude the same lawe of Moses? ar ye so wyse as to varye and agen say these lerned mē? what other law wold ye exclude then moses lawe? Be not the .x. preceptis conteined in Moyses lawe? [...]n your. 4 article. which I haue constantly proued by the scrip­tures bothe here and in my former boke that Paule and Peter vnder­stode and proued it playnly euen by the workis of the lawe, the .x. com­mandements whiche ye call the mor­alls to be excluded from faith in the acte of iustificacion as in nowyse to to be concurrant into that effecte.

Which ye cannot auoid ne solute w^t all the learninge ye haue, And for the texte ye bringe in of Paule. Ne (que) circumcisio &c. maketh directelye a­gainste you, as I haue playnely de­clared it afore.

The bys. And he that hathe not charitie is no­thinge.

IoyeAnd why? because he hath not faythe [Page cxlv] into Christe which is the lyfe of the iuste and rote of charitie. Then this is your argument. He that hath cha­ritie is somewhat, ergo charitie iustifieth, your argument is naught: Ne­ther yet this, God makethe his pro­mise to them y^e loue, as well as to thē that beleue, ergo charitie iustifiethe, this is naught also. A lyke argumēt God maketh his promise to him that worketh, writeth, honoureth his pa­rentes, is paciente, ergo workes writinge. &c. iustifye, these argumentes be worthei the wisedom of him whō god hath blyndned and made folish his wisedom snarled in his owne wily craftines.

Ioan sayeth, he that loueth not god, kno­weth not god. The bys.

And why? because he hath not faithe into christe whereby he shulde know god the father in christ.Ioye

So that without loue I cannot frutefully beleue, no not the beleue of knowelege. &c. ergo loue iustifieth. The bys

Loue is not the cause of beleif inIoye [Page] christ, but the beleif into christ is the cause of loue. ye must, I tel you leaue your iugglynge cast with your truncate absolute beleue, and lyke a chri­sten beleuer, put to christe in your be­leif, or elles the deuyll and the turke beleue without loue, with the beleife of your knowledge & with an histo­rike faith, ye say ye cānot beleue frutefully w^tout loue. I beleue ye wel: y^t nother w^t your loue, ne without it, cā ye beleue in christ. But I, and all o­ther faithfull to whome god geueth his gifte of faith in Iesu christ, we cā beleue in him, loue not beinge so concurrant into the act of beleif in christ as to say with loue I beleue in christ as well as with faith. As to saye in a like speach. I am not iustified with­out my .v. senses, and yet do thei not iustifye me. ye speke in a lyke fallacie as the man told the boter wyfe y^t she made hir boter with her eares. It is truth, quod she, I made it not with out them, but hadde them when I [Page cxlvi] made it. Your self lo, now be ye come to daley with sich idle ridels. For no iust argumētes can ye make for your loue to iustifie. Ye shulde impugne this sayeng. That without faith and beleif in christ iustifienge I cannot loue christ. And then let vs see what ye can bringe in for the yonger sister to helpe hir elder in iustificacion, or theffect to helpe hir cause to worke. ye argue, as the creues goeth, lyke y^e peruerse gardiner of whom speaketh Alexander Macedo, turninge the toppes o [...] your herbes into y^e ground and the rotes vpwarde, from thef­fecte to the cause, from the toppe to the roote, all backewarke and arse­warde.

But ye now preasse vpon me to shew ye scriptures in this forme of sillables, The bys. cha­rite iustifieth, and yet ye haue no scripture so framed for faith, as to saye, faith iusti­fieth.

No, but I haue scriptures to shew ye.Ioye That christ faide often and to manye. Thy faith hath saued y^e, & Paul [Page] oftener saith, that man by faith is iu­stified. and what differēce is betwixt these two sentences. To him that be­leueth in him that iustifieth the vn­godlye, his faith is rekened to hym for rightwisenes, & faith iustifieth? what differenc make ye betwixt these two sentences. By faith man is iustified, and his faithe iustifieth hym? And now shewe me as mich for your charite, where ye haue but once this sentence By charite man is iustifyed and I wil graunte it you that chari­tie iustifieth, but as I know ye shall neuer shew it nether in sēce nor sillables so shal I neuer to you graūt it. But to aunswer you according to your fo­lyshenes and to stoppe your mouthe, The bys. who begin to appose me as children were wont eche other in their primers to aske, where fynde ye me two deus withoute a meus. This miche I say, I find in Paul. deus iustificat and then in Ioan, deus est charitas and so I fynde charitas iustificat.

[...]oyeAnd is this all the scripture ye can fynde for loue to iustifye? Then I se [Page cxlvii] well ye haue not forgotten all youre boyes plaies, nor y [...]t all youre brag­ginge sophistrye. I am content to be called fole of you so worldly a wise, but yet Paule telleth me agen. That the folyshnes of this worlde is wise­dom before god, and the wise of this worlde be very foles before god, But at leste wyse ye shulde haue remem­berd the wysemans counsel, biddīge you, Not to answer the fole accordig to his folishnes lest ye be made a fol [...] your self. In good faith I thought not of siche childish fashions and Plays when I saide. Where fynde ye that charite iustifyeth? but ment it simply and playnly askinge it you, to shewe me the place in scripture which perchaunce meself had neuer sene ne hered of before but now ye, knit vp your syllogisme thus sayng. Deus iustificat, deus est charitas, ergo charitas iustificat. For quicquid predicatur de subiecto predicatur de predicato. And so if deus predicatur de iustificare to say. Deus iustificat and then charitas predicatur de [Page] deo deus est charitas, the scripture y^• faith deus iustificat, saith also charitas iustifi­cat. And thus I geue ye wordes for words who deserue none other. For els I know y^t charitas que de deo predicatur est iucrea­ta, and so differeth it a charitate qua iusti­ficamur.

IoyeMary sir, I thanke you with all my harte, for thus haue ye soluted your own false argument, as the so­phisters solute such false sillogismes sainge, non tenet syllogismus ubi ter mini non supponunt omnino pro eo­dem. But yet here me thinketh ye haue forgotten youre sophistrye and knowe not whiche is subiectum copula and praedicatum in proposi­tione. Ye saye that in thys youre fyrste proposicyon. Deus iustificat deus praedicatur de iustificare. where ye shewe youre selfe not to knowe whyche is subiectum and praedi­catum, ne copula. For copula nus­quam incidit in subiectum uel prae­dicatum. Ye saye deus predicatur loke beter of your maior, and how [Page cxlviii] your argument shuld stād in y^e third figure if deus were predicatum in y^e maior and subiectum in y^e minor. Ye be so hyghe in diuinite that ye haue forgoten your logik and sophistry.

But ye saye thei be but wordis for wordis ye geue me. In dede wordis be taken for deceights wit­hout any trwthe, as ye vse youre vayne wordis in all your bokis, all verite set a parte. But in erneste, let these your trifles & skoffes passe frō so graue a cause. And shew vs in sēce seriously as I haue shewed you of faith iustifyinge, albe it not in forme of syllables, where it standeth ī scripture, Charite iustifiethe? For I no­wmber not your syllables but I seke out of you the very trwe sence onely, from which ye now slip lyke y^e slyper ele and the deffe aspe into a nother tale sayinge thus.

Now where as ye say, y^t if the forgeuenes of oure sinnes and oure suluacion shulde The bys [Page] depende of the condiciō of our workes, we shuld neuer be sewer and certain of one iustificacion, for al oure workes be vnperfit and foule. Thus I aunswere you, That what sewernes ye wolde haue, I cannot tell, but of this am I sewer, that god hath thus ordeined, that baptisme is necessarye to attaine saluacion, and yet all children be not sewer to be baptized. And this do scripture tell me assewerdlye that a man must perseuer in good doinge to thende or els he shall not be saued. And that he that standeth in vertu, may fal and be cast out. In all these your assewranees haue ye not one worde ne mencion of faith into god and Christe, [...]oye nor yet of his most adsewered promised forgeue­nes apprehdesd by faith euen the ve­ry vndoubted certitude it self. Wherby men may see howe faithles & vn­sewere is your doutfull waueringe popish doctrine, which al these your assewerances the turke and iew may haue without faith iustifieng. ye say ye cannot tel what sewrance I wold haue. wherin ye say not tru. For how oft haue I laid before you the assew­red promises in Christe holden by [Page cxlix] faith, agenste your waueringe wor­kis? And yet I tell ye agen. That if the kinges maiestye wolde promyse you before all his nobles another bishopryke nowe perchance voide, and therto put his owne seall and wrytinge to confirme his promise, wold ye not reken your self sewer therof? Miche more then, If god y^• verite promise me forgeuenes ī christ & geueth me ferme faith to beleue it, wryting his promise w^t his own hād sealled with Christis death and most preciouse blode, yea and geueth me thernest and pledge of this promise, euen his own sone Christe and his holy spirit, the pledge as Paul saith and ernest of our forgeuenes and saluacion testifyinge vnto my spirit that I am his chosen beloued prede­stined childe in christe, commandinge me to call and beleue him to be my merciful father, shuld I not beleue in him & be assewered of my saluaciō forgeuenes & perseuerance in hope? [Page] al dubitacion and dout excluded? If I did not beleue & constantly hope for it, so shuld I dishonor gods ve­cite (which syn be satte fro me) wherfore hathe God geuen me the certi­tude and vndouted assewrance, but in hope to abyde paciently waitinge certainly for his performance? wyll ye beleue beter, men then God? And to excercise this owr assewerd faith and hope, he sendeth vs continuall crosse and affliccions, And we haue the continual reading & hearing of his holy scripturs vt permaneamus fide fundati ac stabiles, that we perse­ueringe grounded and faste roted in faith shuld not swarue from the hope of y^e gospel. And al be it, in y^e straight and narow path of charite I swarue and fall by y^e waye, yet haue I gods promyse apprehended by my faithe that I shal not so fall as to hurte me & be broken, but to ryse agene. For y^e Lord hath promised to put his hand vnder me to lyft me vp ayen, w^t an c. lyke counfortable promyses to re­duce [Page cl] repentant sinners into the waye which promises humbly with reue­rence and fear and thanks I enbrace It is thou, oh lorde, that assewerest me to perseuer certainly and settest me in assewerance.Psa. iiii, Howe many pro­mises haue we, God to be our stren­gth, our rok, bulwerk, castel tower, defence, helper, for Christ our inter­cessour and reconciler his sake with a thou said lyk confortable excercises of our faith to strengthen and con­firme our hope and expectacion in sewerty and perseuerance? But your doutful doctryne knoweth nether God ne Chryst ne faith. But to con­firme ours, yet aftir this a fore said obsignacion of the holy spirit, God assewerth also his congregacion therof with the visible seals of baptism & his holy souper to put vs in mynde of his beneuolence towerd vs, & of his testamēt & couenāt ī chrstis blod In baptisme dewli ministred I remē ber & se his deth burial & resurrecciō Baptisme [Page] wherin also I am taught to be mor­tifyed, my sinnes buried in his woun­dis,Roma. vi. and to ryse agene into a newe lyf. And in the holy souper of the Lorde, dewly ministred, I remember and see with the eyes of my faith,The sup­per of the lor [...]e. in the breakinge and geuinge of the holy bread his bodi brokē crucified & geuē me into the remission of my sinnes, And in the holy wyne lykewyse po­wered forthe and geuē me, I remem­ber and see his most preciouse blode shed for me into the remission of my synnes. And euen these be holy sacred adsewerances in my faith and hope of my saluacion thus dayly excerci­singe my faith and hope into a per­petuall perseuerance in the same ad­sewerance while I lyue, which as [...] ­werances (ye saye, ye cannot tell of) A shameles ignorance in a bishop & great infidelite and blasphemy is it in you, if ye will not know this so manifest a sewerance offered and geuen into euery faithfull Christi­anes [Page clxi] hand herte and mouthe,

Thus haue I lerned ī scripturs, If we tur­ne when god turneth to vs. The by [...] If we beleue when god illumineth vs, If we loue as god kindleth vs. If we be baptized as god, commandeth vs we shallbe iustified.

Ye iugle with your (Iffes) and half turnes.Ioye For as there is no man tur­ned to god with frutefull repentance but he first knowe gods merciable forgeuenes in christ by his faith iu­stifienge him, so is there none but thei first knowe God in christe, ere thei loue him, & beleue ī god thorow Iesu Christ ere thei be baptized into his name. For who professeth god y^e father the sonne and the holy ghoste and the christen religion, onlesse he knowe it. It were a backward order and an vpsidowne preposterouse plā tynge, the profession to go before the doctrine and knowledge of the reli­gion, as it hath ben a longe season v­sed, and therefore all suche preposte­rouse religions (as ye see) degenered into apostacye and into all the most [Page] filthy abominacions and idolatrye be now come to naught, as christ prophecied of all such backward plantacions. And therfore your (Iffes) stād in a wrong place. For your baptisme with water is such a condicion, that as al thei that be baptized therwith, be not therfore saued, so were not all they that beleued in christ, and al the chosen infantes conteined vnder the promise, dyinge before circumcision or baptisme dampned, but withoute circumcision and baptisme of water saued by election and their beleif.

And therefore your doctrine of your (Iffes) holdeth not. And if the quene of Candaces courtman, so enstructe of Philip in the wagen▪ had died in that faithe before his baptisme with water, yet had his onelye faith saued him by christes own wordes sainge, who so beleue in me hath life eternal. It is not y^e baptisme with water, ne your penaunce y^t saueth vs (as ye dreame) for no element, ne creature, [Page] ne mans work may do that thing. It is god only in christ that regenereth with the spirit of faith,i. pet. iii. Titu. iii. Ioan. iii. i. Ioan. v Ioan. i and by that inuisible baptisme be we saued of god thorowe Iesu christe. If you shulde tarye till ye haue fulfilled all your conditions for your saluacion, ye shulde come to short of the gates shuttinge. And therefore merciablye saith the lorde in Isay. He wyl make short his word of rightwismakinge,Isai, x. and finish it in a plenteous aboūdāt rightwisenes, euen in christ made of him our rightwisnes holden by faith onely. Children by your popish doc­trine, that dye before baptime, and y^e infantes in Moses law diyng before the aight day, shulde be dampned as ye teache, whiche is to harde for you to proue, when the scripture is plain agenst you, as I am able to proue it and can shewe it plainely. The bap­tisme therfore with water wasshethe onely the body, and the minister bringeth the water and wordes onelye & [Page] no saluacion nether as causes effici­entes ne formall. So that baptisme with water is but the visible seall instituted of god,Baptisme and ferme token of the former iustification by faythe in the regeneration of the spirit, y^e seall (I say) testifienge to the congregation that he is incorpored into them. For thus it correspondeth (sayth Pe­ter) the newe byrth, wherby the spot­tes of the soule be taken awaye.i. Pet. iii.

And thus is baptisme with water, signaculum iustitie fidei, the seal and testimony of the rightwisnes of faith as was circumcision, and not y^e selfe same rightwisnes it selfe, as ye teach ye may make it signum iustitie ope­ris operati siue iustitie baptismi, after your scole men that is the sacrament or seall of the rightwisenes of wor­kes or of the rightwisnes of baptism with water, and man thereby to be iustified as ye dreame, and so Christ in vaine to haue dyed. Besydes this it is the fygure of our perpetuall mor­tificacion [Page clxiii] and repentance as I haue o [...]ten declared the vse therof before. And as touchinge the imperfeccion of faith and charitie in man (as ye saye) Albeit our faith (I saye) be as litle as the mustarde sead, and as im­perfit as was his that saide, lorde I beleue but yet helpe my vnbeleif, yet god accepteth it for our iustificatiō for christes sake bidding vs, daylye to praye for thencreace therof. Then ye saye, all our workes be imperfitte.' It is truthe that ye saye. And in so sayeng ye haue condempned al your own doctrine of merits satisfacciōs, and condicions of workes, to deserue remission. For no imperfitte workes may deserue perfit remission ne make perfit satis [...]acciō, as ye well know it. And for this cause of our imperfeccion, indignitie, & impossibilite by workes to merit our remission & saluaciō god hath taken it out of our handes and from our workes & layd it vpon christ as ye se in the prophete Isaye, [Page] him by his perfit fulfilling of the law & by his so perfit workes to merit, to satisfye fully and perfitlye and so to obtaine vs y^e remission and saluation for our faith into him. And thus is he made of his father & ours, for vs our iustificacion our rightwisnes, redēptiō, our holines, our wisdom, our satisfacciō,Rom. viii & our implecion of y^e law, whiche all we by faith receiue as our owne for that he is geuen to vs, holy with al his that he ether dyd or suf­fred in his blessed innocent body and soul. And euen these be our elder brothers clothes,Genes. 27 done vpon vs by faith so swetely sauouring, which so delite and please our celestial father, as did Iacobs elder brothers fragrant ve­stures sauor in his father Isaac his nose, that he gaue him his brothers blessing, as shal our father for y^e same doing on by faith (& not for your participatiō) of our elder brother christe his swete clothes of his rightwisnes merits.Gala iii. i. Ioan. v. &c. For who so euer be bapti­zed [Page clxiiii] of the spirite by regeneration of faith, they haue done christ thus vpō them. And thus w^t Iacob be we made Israelites. And thus be we all made y^e sonnes of god, for that we haue be­leued in Iesu christ, saith Paul, & not (as ye say), for y^t ye haue done youre good works & ful [...]illed your cōdiciō Thus ye se how Paul, Ioā, & Peter & christ speke of y^e baptism of y^e spirite & not of y^e visible baptism of water to geue remissiō & saluacion. ye geue imper [...]eccion to our works & to faith, & to loue, ‘it is truth.’ But yet muste ye cōsider y^t thimperfecciō in our works so minisheth & takethe so awaye the goodnes & dignite or worthines of thē, that thei may not be called good ne meritoriouse. But faith Isaye [...] being imperfit & as litle as the mus­tersede, or as weke as his y^t said, help lord my vnbeleif, yea or so matched in perel with temptacion, w^t feare, & dubitaciō as was peters faith so boldly leaping into y^e sea to mete his maister christe, when the sourges arose [Page] agenst him so highe that with his li­tle weake faith he began to sinke, yet as litle as it was, it was y^e good gift of god, & saued hī for christes sake frō drowninge. For it is our perpetuall byshop and onely intercessour in he­uen that continually prayeth (as he dyd for Peter & his felowes) lest our faith faile vs, euen in the middes of the stormye tempestiouse floudes of the troublous sea of this world. For the giftes & calling of god be sich as it cannot repent him of them in hys chosen.Rom. xi. Then ye say, ‘Iob sayd, I fea­red al my workes, in which, faith (ye say) may be comprehended.’ But it appereth, that ye vnderstand not Iobs wordes, for he neuer feared his faith but his works only, which were euil & imperfit. And the ebrw or chaldie worde, signifieth erumnas and labo­res meos omnes, that is to saye, I feared al my miserable workes, and laboriouse miseries, which he called his own euil workes, for it foloweth [Page clxv] sciens quod nō parceres delinquenti knowing that thou woldst not spare the trespasser. So that here ye see how that ye manakle and rende oute by patches the textes for youre wic­ked purpose not consideringe what gothe before ne foloweth, nor yet what the wordes properly signifye. If ye coulde comprehende faithe in Iobs works, so wolde ye make faith no gift of god, ne beleif gods worke, but Iobs worke so feared of him self And all the scriptures agre w^t Iob so speaking of his owne workes on­ly and not of faith. For manye holye men fearing y^e same, desired god not to enter into iugement w^t them ne to iuge them after their workes. ‘Then ye take in hand to describe the sinfull nature of man as borne out of Adam and Eue, sayeng that the powers of our soule properly receiue faith and loue, and vpon the occasion of the worlde and the flesh & suggestion of the deuil be redy to rebellion. &c.’ In [Page] whiche saienge ye speke not truelye of mā in his corrupt nature as borne out of Adam, conceiued in synne ro­ted in his soule, called altogether in scripture, flesh, the olde man, the body of sinne and deathe, inimitie agēst God, naturallye the childe of wrath a contynuall rebellyon agaynste gods spirit. For occasion or no occa­sion geuen, [...]es. vi .vi [...]i. sich one is he before he be regenered as god painteth him, sai­enge, after the hebrewe verite. Euery imaginacion of mannes harte is on­lye euyll, is, sayth the texte, and not prone or redye (as ye terme it) yea and that at all times, euen from hys youthe, withoute the spirite of God regeneringe hym, he is brydeles runnynge into the free felde of all carnall lustes. Of the power of this corrupt mans nature, ye speake, as by his fre choise to receiue faith with loue. &c. Uerilye this man hathe no suche a Pelagianes power of hym selfe to receiue faithe, no more then [Page clxvi] hadde ADAM. him selfe power to come to God when he fled from his voice in paradise so ferefullye with shame sekinge where to hyde him frō his presence. There is no sich proper power properly (as ye terme it) in mā to receiue faith or any grace, except that naturall proper powr be properly taken a waye and pourged with the spirit of libertie by faithe puri­fyeng the herte so makinge in him a newe hert prepared to receiue faith makinge a new and free powr from his naturall bondage to synne. So that your fre choice to receiue grace may not here be placed withe pela­gians errour enimie to grace to set vp your fre choice & bonde libertie to syn.

For althoughe the gylt of originall sinne be t [...]ken away in baptime yet the skarre of it, The by [...] and (as it were) the mater of it dothe remayne. whiche as it trobleth and letteth manis perfection in vertew and therby is maintained a continuall stryfe & debate, so is it not to be accompted [Page] our syn tyl we conceiue it by enbracinge & agre in to sich carnal mocion [...].

IoyeIn this your bare sayings without any scripture be contayned many er­rours as it must nedis come to thē y^t teache out of their own headis. First false it is that baptisme with water taketh away the gylte of any synne. For it is God onely yea and that by Chryst onely that taketh a waye the gilte of synne. And therfore Paule saith playnly that the original synne whiche entred into y^e worlde by only one man Adam,Rom. v. is taken awaye (he speketh there, of y^e gylte) by y^e grace of God euen by that only one man & fre gifte geuen vs Iesus Christ, and not by any creature ether of water, worde or minister, as cause withoute which the gilt is not taken awaye. For ther, Paul in a longe contenciō w^t many wordis setteth onely chryst his gift, grace, his iustificacion and his obedience ayenst the gylte of ori­ginal synne of that onely one Adam. [Page clxvii]And where ye saye, ‘The skarre (as it were) y^e mater yet remaineth, ye speke very fondly and grossely,’ yea falsely so to teache and so to diuyde it, as thoughe there were in synne a physik and na [...]urall corporal composicion ex materia & forma as ye dreame of the simple giftis of faith hope and loue. which all your dead dremes ye imagine to stablesh your popish doc­tryne with the aristotilyk scolemen. The scripture, austen and ambrose call playnly your skarre (as ye terme it) euil concupiscence, euil lus [...]e and desyer forboden in the laste precept, and Paul calleth it the law of sinne, the body of synne, the body of death and euen syn it self, And your owne wordis folowinge say the same, in that ye affirme it to‘trouble and lette manis perfeccion in vertewe &c.’ For that as dothe and worketh siche vn­godly impediments so troublinge manis soul hindringe it frō vertew and fightinge ayenst the holy spirit [Page] of god that wold make him perfit, must nedis be the mother of synne & sinne it self stryuinge agenst the wyl of God. Paul speking of this concu­piscence, whiche ye cal y^e skarre, saith he had not known it to haue had ben synne, had not the lawe sayd. Thou shalt not haue siche lust or desire in the. This synne originall, although it be not imputed, ether to the chosen infants for their eleccion in christ, or to the faithful waxen for their faith in Christ, yet is it not so roted out of the childerne of Adam, but that it ly­eth lurkinge in vs as longe as we lyue, as doth heat or fier in y^e flynt & chalke, and as venome ī the serpent, and is not sene tyll either water be cast vpon the chalke, or the serpent angred. For man is pacient enough tyl occasion of wrath be geuen him, & wel pleased so longe as he hathe his desyre & mind fulfiled. & so of alother sinnes. ye say this skarre (or rather concupiscence & syn as y^e scriptur calleth [Page clxix] it) is not to be accōpted our syn tyl we cōceiue it by cōsēt. which saing is plain false. For whose sin els shuld it be then his in whose soul it lyeth? Is not mā conceiued & borne therin and therewith? It is, saith austen, by traduccion drawne out of Adam in a perpetual ysew īto al his posterite, & was daugher of y^e synne in Adā & is mother of al the synnes in vs. ye say, ‘It is not ours tyl we conceiue it by enbracinge & agreinge by consent to our carnal mociōs,’ And therfore, ye say s. Iames saith. y^t concupiscēce (lo, here your self is cōpelled to cal your skarre & mater concupiscence which is synne) whē it conceiueth, bringeth forth synne. ye vnderstand not what Iames saithe. For he presupposeth concupiscence to be ī man (as Dauid and Paul saye) from his concepcion, as an euil sead or plant ingraffed in to y^e nature & soul of man, as Austen declareth it to bring forth opēly euil frut, and therfore Iames saith not as [Page] ye saye, that we cōceiue it not tyl we en [...]race & agre to it by consent, But he saith (if ye loked a litle before) thus Euery man is plukt awaye, and (as it were) with a baight taken & holden of his own proper natural concupi­scence. And thence forth, he saith, cō ­cupiscence aftir she hath conceiued by cōsent, synne is brought forth in­to light, meaninge sin actuall & not original. where ye see your skarre or rather concupiscence firste to be con­ceiued into the soul ere she enbrace by consent any syne actual, as is the woman a woman and apte to con­ceyue before she conceyueth and as is the mother before hir daughter, & if the daughter be syn, nedis must the mother goīge grat w^t the daughter be sinful. Thē ye compare as wysely, ‘Concupiscence to a baron woman without a man, so makinge hir man the agrement of his frewil cōsenting to the yll mocion, of whiche as out of man she conceiueth.’ ye shulde haue [Page clxix] loked beter of your baron woman, & noted wether she cōsēteth not as wel as hir man, and so in the woman also to be a mutual consent, lust and con­cupiscence as well to be the mother of syn, as hir man to be father therof. But concupiscence hir self, ere she cō ­ceiue and consent to commit actual syn, is (as Paul tell you) sin it self, euen the daugher (as austen saith) of sinne ere she be y^e mother of actual synne in sighte, and ere she conceyue (as ye say) of hir man. And although she (concupisence I mean) consēteth not, but lyeth secretly in the soul, so sone as it is created & ioyned to the bodye, not yet stering, yet is she an hidde venome and preuey, heat as it were in the chalke or spark hid vnder the ashes not aperinge: vnto y^e which hid sinne the prophete loked when he said, who vnderstandeth or seeth his synnes? and fro my hid sinnes clense me, And shreud and vnserchable is manes herte said Iere. wherof Ioan [Page] said. If we shulde saye that we haue not sin in vs, we deceiue our selues & y^e truth is not ī vs. And therfore said Dauyd, Blessed is he to whom god imputeth not his sinne, he saith not blessed is he that hath no synne, but he that hath synne, & is not imputed ne rekened to him for his faith. Paul commaunded the Roma. that synne reigned not, ne shuld haue dominion ouer them, so that thei obeied not it by hir concupiscence. But to be clene without concupiscence, he could not so be him selfe, as ye se in the .vii. cha. complaining of it saieng. ‘I am solde a bonde man vnder sinne to do y^t euil which I wold not do. &c, And as for your parēthesis (although mē might by grace be without syn) it is so rare a byrde as was ne neuer shalbe sene, but only christ, as the scripture & Au­sten affirme it.’ Nowe haue I shewed it to you clerely by scriptures, yours (as it were the skar and mater of ori­ginall syn) to be no skar but sinne it [Page clxx] self, ne to be none so healed a wounde but that we must be regenered of the spirit, and taught by the baptisme of water to mortifie that concupiscence, & that it is in mortifying, neuer mor­tified, tyl at the last breath out of our bodies. Paul him selfe & al faithfull felt this cōcupiscence dwelling in thē striuing against the renouacion of y^e spirit whiles they lyued. It is there­fore so blody and so skabby a skar in the soule, that it is euer in cure in the woūded half dead & half a liue, whō the samaritane committed to the in­holder. luc▪ x. and not so cleaue a skar as ye go about to cure it by baptism.

And so maister Ioye to returne to our mater, The byss▪ yf ye wolde for policie fle from the worke of loue to the work of faith because ye wolde be assewred, ye be no more assewe­red in respect by your own worke by faith then ye be by charitie, but all oure assewe­raunce is in gods promise. quia deus verax & omnis homo mendar.

No (my lorde) I fly not frō the work of loue to the worke of faith,Ioye as ye do frō faith to loue, thei both flyinge frō [Page] you. But I do enbrace them bothe. But in the worke of my iustificacion I obserue the order and doctryne of the scripture, onely by faith to be iu­stified, and so to procede to y^e workes of loue, first assewered by my faithe (which assewerance loue can not ge­ue me) into Christe, that he hath for­geuen me my sinnes. Nether speke I of any other assewerāce by my nowne works (as ye wolde falsely impinge it vnto me) but onely by the worke of faith into Christe, which is not my worke, but gods worke and his gift in me. But I spake plainly of faith it self, which is the very self certitude & vndouted adseweraunce, ioined to gods infallible promise, sealled with his holy sprit my pledge, pant, and ernest peny geuen me in Christs pro­myse, with which my faith thus sea­led I am assewered of my remission and saluacion thorow hope. ‘But all our adsewerance (say you) is in gods promise.’ Ioye. But what asewerance [Page clxix] haue ye in gods promise except ye be­leue it? Euen here haue ye condemp­ned your self, and of purpose left out faith the assewered certitude of gods promise, and not charite, ye wil vtter the trwth and bewraye your self vn­wares, the infallible prouidence of God so bringinge into light by your selues the same thinge ye contende to kouer and to suppresse. For, this my former boke ayenst you (I dare saye) ye wold haue punished him y^t shuld haue brought it first into the realme, and now haue ye made lawes y^t none siche bokis be openly redde ne solde in the realme, but haue condempned them. And yet hathe God so blinde­ned and infatuated you in your own false tyranye as to make your self to printe the same boke agene and yet agen to, & to be openly & frely redd w^t yours, and sold in the realme. And for one secret. C. by your own blynd procurement are there now openly a M. distributed in y^e realme into ma­ny [Page] [...] [Page clxix] [...] [Page] hādes that neuer had thē before.

The byss. And therfore how soeuer ye and yours wyll test at it, I wyll retourne to my com­mon collet a prayer in the churche. Om­nipotens sempiterne deus, da nobis fidei spei & charitatis augmentū, & ut mereamur assequi quod promi [...]ti [...] fac nos amare quod precipis.

IoyeNow I pray ye returne to it againe, and into the popes portewes, youre versicles, litanies, matens, euensōg, and misse to, that yet prayethe in the same to merit to obtayne remission of sinnes and saluacion by their popish workes pardous, and pilgrimages. For in deed ye be drouen frō the scriptures, and compelled as euerye man seeth to flye to your popysh portews and missale to begge your false and beggarly autorities to cōfirme your doutfull doctryne. I dare saye, yf ye had knowen the scriptures to haue confirmed it, ye wolde neuer haue sought suche shiftes.

The byss. Wherfore the some of our helth beginneth continueth: and is accomplysshed by gods mercye. Quia ne (que) volentis ne (que) currentissed [Page clxxii] miserentis dei est: so the seweraunce of our helth depēdeth vpon gods promyse.

I am afrayde lest as ye iugled w^t your bare beleife,Ioye so wolde ye do with gods promise, ye shuld haue therfore added to it, saying playnely (The as­seweraunce of our helth dependethe vpon goddes promyse of remission & saluacion in Christ apprehended by faythe.)

Mary (quod you) and that is truthe. The bys And here you wyll clappe your handes & extoll the strength of treuth.

(Ioye. yea and of fayth to.

As though we pharseis, as ye saduces call vs, wolt oppresse it. The promise of god is all. Et ideo ex fide, say you.

(Ioye. And therefore oute of faithe (saith Paule) is the heretage geuen. Geuen he saith and not deserued, vt firma sit promissio. that by grace and not by Wynchesters workes it be geuen, that ferme and sewer myghte be the promise)

[Page] Ioye.I think there was neuer haithen gentyle or Iewe that so spightfully and so blasphemously mocketh out gods holy word, as here do you of a sette proposed malice, sinning agenst the holy goste. For here, because ye shuld not erre of ignorance, god hath su [...]fred you to fall into the place of S. Paul which vtterly conuinceth & destroieth all your dampnable doc­tryne. Here Paul, setting the lawe against the promise of the gospel, as one contrary to the tother in the acte of iustificacion, maketh .vii. mighty arguments to proue onely faith w^t ­out the workes of the lawe to iusti­fye, because the rightwysnes of wor­kis and of the lawe cannot stand to­gither. For that as cometh to vs by the promise (he saith) it cannot come to vs out of the lawe, but the here­tage cometh to vs by the promise, er­go not out of the lawe, emonge the whiche arguments this is one. If our iustificacion shulde depende of [Page clxxiii] the works of the law, no man were sewer of his iustificacion, bothe for thimperfeccion of his works, & also for thimpossibilite of the lawe to be performed of mā. And agen, the lawe worketh wrath and maketh sinne the more breeme to abounde. Onely that thinge iustifyeth which settleth, ma­keth sewer and fast our consciences out of doute, but that is the fre pro­mise of God receiued by our faith, & not the werkis of the lawe, wherfore our faith onely staid vpon gods fre and vndouted promise iustifyeth. Then he argueth agen thus, Euery fre merciable promise of god in christ to forgeue vs our sinnes is receiued by onely fayth, our iustificacion is the free merciful promise of God in Christ, wherfore it must nedes be re­ceiued by faith onely. For our iusti­ficacion were promised in vayne, if we our selues might deserue it by works. For not by the works of the lawe, saith Paul, cometh the promise [Page] to Abraham or to his seade, him to be the ayer of the world but by the rightwysenes of faith. For if they that wyl be iustified by the workes of the law be therefore made the heyres, so is faythe and beleife in vayne, and the promise voyde and frustrate. For the lawe worketh wrathe, and where as is no lawe, there is no transgression. Wherefore out of faith is y^e heretage geuen as out of grace, that the pro­myse shuld be the more ferme & sewer vnto all the seade, not to it onelye that is oute of the lawe, as be the Ie­wes, but also to it that is oute of the faythe of Abraham, euen to the gen­tyles, whyche Abraham is the father of vs all, yf we resemble him in lyke fayth. Into this playne peese, when this bysshoppe hadde broughte hym selfe so wrapped and masshed as it were in a nette, so accombred that he coulde in no wyse wynde oute hym selfe, then beginneth he to mocke, to rayle, and to ieste vppon Paules [Page clxxiiii] wordes,‘with Ideo ex fide, saye you, and these wordes hath the scripture, saye you, ut firma sit promissio, saye you, And ye saduces tell vs phari­seis, we wolde oppresse the trueth.The promyse of God is all saye you. And ye Saduces wolde extolle the strengthe of the trueth.’

Ioye. It is Paule the vessell of God that saythe all these wordes and not we. And why shulde not we Christianes extol gods trueth and defende it, agaynste you popishe Pelagians, and with the scriptures confirme it agaynste you Antichristes? Be ye angrye that we extoll, honour and prayse trewe faythe ioyned to gods promyses a­gaynste you rancke phariseis, & per­uerse popyshe pelagians? Be ye not contente that we take gods parte to defende his honoure, and magnifye his glorye agaynste your deuyllyshe doctrine oh antichristen papistes

And nowe ye wyl percase bring in Melan­cthons correlatiues of faith and promise. The byss. [Page] And that y^e cause why we be iustifyed by charite (saith he) is, because the promise cannot be receyued but by faith?

IoyeIt is not Melanch. that sayth the promyse of god in christ is not recei­ued but by faith onely, It is Paul, it is Christ that say it. For what auai­leth a promise and no man beleue it? Be not faith and gods promises cor­relatiues in the faithfull beleuers, to whom god maketh his promises? Cā ye separate the faith of the iuste from gods promises, or his promises frō their faith? Can ye confute Melan. doctrine in so teaching? ye scorne his lerning and iest vpō his doctrine, & of all the learned men this daye whi­che write in Germany. And why? ve­rely because with their pennes, and by goddes worde, they haue geuen your gostly father of rome his dead­ly heade wounde. ye may mocke Melanchton, and scornefullye skof and ieste of the lerned Germaines (as ye do) but confute their doctrine iustly, ye cannot, ne attaine to their know­ledge [Page clxxv] and learninge, ne come nighe their cleare iudgement. But it is the propertye of all arrogante papistes, to contempne and mocke them whose bokes they be not able to beare after them.

And thus they reason. Seing our sal­uacion dependeth vpon gods promise, The byss. and a promyse cannot he apprehended but by faith onely, we must nedes saye onely faith iustifieth. And to make the matter playne, they bringe in a similitude. If one man promyse another .xx.li. how can he to whō the promyse is made apprehende the pro­myse but onely by beleuynge him that pro­myseth? And this is the newe scole of ger­many, where sophistrye is not banysshed, but hath a newe garmente, and is clothed with pretence of simplicite. For in this teachinge is a maruelous apperaunce of plainnes, and thorowly cōsidered, it containeth a mere deceyte. And note well reader that thou maiest perceaue this iuglynge sophi­strye where it deceaueth the. It is not de­nied, but onely faith apprehendeth the promyse therin is no controuersy.

If ye this graunt, what deceitful sophistrye what iuglinge call ye it man to apprehende gods promise by his faith only?Ioye God promiseth me re­mission [Page] in christes death affirminge him to be iustified, and to haue lyfe e­ternall that beleueth in hym, and by faith apprehendeth this promyse of god. Call ye this iuglynge sophistry and mere deceite to beleue gods pro­myse? Here lo reader, maist thou see whother this popish byshop is cari­ed of his arrogante affectes, so blas­phemousely to raile of onely faythe, apprehending gods true promises? He graunteth him selfe onely faithe to apprehende gods promise, and yet he impugneth onely faith to iustifye to make god false of his promise, as though Christe neuer sayde, As thou beleuest so come it to the. Now let vs see how ye can wynde your selfe oute of the bryars.

The byss. But marke well this when god iustifi­eth man: god ministreth mercy to vs, whi­che was the thinge god promised to geue vs, as zachary ꝓphecied, God to geue him selfe to vs, who [...]s all mercy whervpon is grounded our saluacion.

IoyeIn this prophecy of zachary, it is [Page clxxvi] playne that God of his merciable goodnes and not of any mannes de­sertes had made a promise to Abrahā and to our fathers to sende vs that blessed seade Christe oure sauyoure, which promise who so beleued had remission of their synnes. Of mercye was the promyse made, and the thing promised was remyssion of synnes in Christ. And who so beleued the pro­myse was iustified, wherefore onelye faith iustifieth, now what can ye iu­gle or discant vpon this? Sing on a goddes name.

Wherin we must considre distinctly and a­part the promise of god, The byss. and the thinge promised, which is mercy.

I thought as mich ye wold iugle w^t mercy,Ioye which in zachary is taken as euery mā may se by the conference of the text for the fre merciable fauour & goodnes wherof without any merits of man, god was moued thorough: Christe to promyse, and now ye wold make it the thinge promysed, wyth whiche alteringe yet am I concente, [Page] yf ye take mercye as the scripture oft taketh it in other places, for the for­geuenes of sinnes in christe to the be­leuers. But yet go to procede ī your wycked porpose tyll ye haue haltred your selfe againe.

As [...]n their example (for I dare make no newe) when one frende promiseth ano­ther .x [...] li. the promyse is the bonde, The byss. the thinge promysed is the .xx.li. In whiche example, though I graunt that I appre­hende my frendes promyse with beleuing hym, yet I apprehende not that is contay­ned in my frendes promise with beleuinge hym, For I apprehend that with my han­des, if it be paid me. And so althoughe we apprehende gods promyse with our bele [...]f, yet the e [...]hibiciō of the mercy of god whi­che is the thinge comprehended in goddes promyse, we apprehende that with al sich partes of vs of bodye and soule, as be con­forted and healed by that mercy.

IoyeBe not here ioly iuglynge castes with apprehending with handes and with al partes of body and soule, and apprehendinge with faith, nowe the exhibition of the mercye and then the thinge promised, and the promise to [...]e apprehended, who se not & laugh [...] [Page clxxvii] not at this antichristen apprehender and holy holder of so siyber an ele by the taile? Because I receiue my fren­des promised money with my hand and his promise w^t beleuynge, ther­fore I must receyue my forgeuenes in Christe with a nother instrument and mean then with my faith. For I must receiue my ꝓmised forgeuenes with faith only, and yet the exhibiciō therof saith he, I muste receyue with all the partes of body and soule, now go to, and tell vs your wyse reason, and whether faith in receyuinge the promised forgeuenes receiueth not al so therwith your exhibicion, that is in englishe, the geuinge or gifte?

As in the workinge of Christis miracles, The bys the promise of helthe in body & soul was receiued by faith in the vnderstandinge lightened by god, but y^e helth was receiued in al the partes healed of body and soul.

But & if by faith onely,Ioye the healed persone had not first receyued his promised helthe, it had neuer comen [Page] into his bodye nor soule, wherfore by faith onely is the helth promysed of body and soule receiued, and thus be ye confuted & confounded with your owne exāple contrary to your former apprehending. Now say on yet agen.

Now if ye wyll yet wrangle and saye that the promise of god is mercye, The byss. and god wyll surely fulfyll his promise, so as the apprehender of the promise apprehend also mercy, I wyl not vary with you. For oure lady said. Suscepit Israel pucrum suū re­cordatus misericordie sue. God hath takē to him Israel his seruaunte remembrynge his mercye, that is accordinge to his mer­ciful promise which the next verse decla­reth. Sicut locutus est. &c. yet ye shal note here a distinction in degree of mercye, be­twene y^e mercy in y^e merciful promise when our lady saith, recordatꝰ misericordie sue, & y^e very receiuing of Israel to his seruice, which god deth in y^e iustificacion of man. For thē he taketh Israel the beleuer that seeth god to his seruaunt, which is a fur­ther mercy. (Ioye. Are not all mercy­es and forgeuenes a lyke nyghe to y^e beleuer? Paule sayth, nygh vnto the is the worde of faithe, euen in thy mouth and herte.

The byss. And the very mercye promised. So as Is­rael [Page clxxviii] apprehēdeth the merciful promyse by faith. But being taken to seruice, receiueth the further mercye promised, in receiuinge a newe hert a newe spirit, which god crea­teth in man with the gifte of charitie and resuscitateth in man lyfe.

Ioye.Ioye But tell vs, ere ye wynde your selfe any farther into this youre laborouse labyrinth and mysty maze, whether, when Israell receiued hys mercifull promyse by faythe, he was not euen then taken to seruice, and receiued a newe herte, and new spirit and was euen then (ere charitie wroughte resuscited to lyfe) yf ye say no. So make ye Israels faith recei­uinge the mercyful promyse no lyue­ly fayth, no faith purginge the herte, no true faith, but a deade faith of no efficacye ne power. If ye saye yea: so is all youre confuse bablynge fonde vayne lyes. But say on.

Wherefore we maye not properlye saye, The [...] we apprehende iustificacion by fa [...]the whiche is the exhibition of mercye.

But how happenethe it nowe y^t toIoye [Page] iustificacion ye geue this new name of exhibition of mercie, and cal it not by her wont and playne name as the forgeuenes of synne, the absoluinge from synne, or your effecte of christis passion, or remission, as ye were wont to cal it? Trwly ther lurketh some de­ceit in this your new foūd word (Ex­hibicion) but say on agen?

Which is thexhibiciō of mercy promised by God to iustify man, The byss. onlesse we wold call the promise of God and thexhibicion of y^• thynge promised all one.

Ioye.Ioye when God of his mercie promiseth me remissiō of my sinnes, & euen then, I hearing it, receiue it by faith onely, am I not nowe in that same receiuinge ther of iustifiyed? Christ the write affirmeth it, as thou beleueste my promise so is it to the. And what then prate ye and bable ye all in vayne of your distincte exhibi­cion and of so many receytes &c. but saye on yet more,

The byss. And here in is the sophistrye of this [Page clxxix] newe scole slythely to passouer and iugle as this man speketh of vnder the borde?

Here hast thou (good reader) a longe cōfuse talke of this bish.Ioye which as it is all out of his owne brayne dreamed withoute anye scripture, so hathe it nether head ne tayle, but full of croked cauillacions, and diuersely diuised distinccions, al to forme and to fashion vnto him selfe some slyber shyftes, that y^e simple readers might not espye him to be confounded and confuted, but that he wold haue euer somewhat to saye for him selfe agenst the plaine veritie, whiche saith. God hathe of his mercye promysed vs in Christ oure free forgeuenes, whiche promysed forgeuenes we by faith on­ly in Christe receyue and in so recei­uinge it we be iustifyed. This olde breife and playne speche of the scrip­tures, he calleth the new scole and so­phistry of y^e germans. But loke thou vpon these his new rehersed receits, one of the merciful promyse by faith, an other receite of the further mercye [Page] promysed, and a nother receite of a newe hert. [...]is recei­ [...]is. &c. and a receite of y^e thing promysed, and of the exhibition ther­of, and thou shalte see another maner straunge termed nouities bothe of scole papistry and sophistrye, yea and euen confuse perplexitie and perplex confusion it selfe in all this said peese and in that as foloweth. For here y^u haste a promise and the thinge pro­mysed, [...] a promyse without the thinge receiued, bothe dystincte. Here haste thou the exhition of the thinge pro­mised, a receiuinge of the mercifull promyse by faith, [...]oy [...] another receauing of the further mercy, and another re­ceit of a newe hert. And al these must be thinges distinct, and yet all knitte together in one bonde, one promyse is apprehended by faith, the thynge promysed must be receaued with bo­dy and soule, handes and fete. &c.

Then hath this multiplier made vs a promised mercy, & an exhibited mercy by exhibicion, [...] a mercye receiued [Page clxxx] one with faith and another with hā ­des and partes of oure bodye a mere mercye, a further mercye, and I wene a mercye furthest of all that shall ne­uer come nigh him. Anon he teacheth of a mercy receiued by faith, but the exhibitiō therof with another instru­ment. Then he minceth mercye diui­ded into degrees betwixt the further mercy in the promise & the nierer mercy in the receiuing. So as mercy promysed, and mercy exhibited and mer­cy receiued, and mercye fled so farre from hym, shulde not be all one. And here hath this myghty multiplier of mercye created vs two newe hertes, one created by his faithles faith, and another by his colde charitie, and yet hath not this meruelous maker fyrst taken awaye his owne stonney herte w^t his fre choise. And at last (as he is an ingeniose artificer) hathe he iug­gled vs forth .iiii. new iustificacions called of him exhibicions. One not properlye apprehended by faythe, [Page] another properlye apprehended by fayth, the thirde is properly called y^e exhibition of mercye. And the fourth is kaught by his colde charite. And this is all this highly lerned lawiers diuinite lo. For the which to be cōfir­med, he bringeth in our ladies songe Suscepit Israel puerum suum. &c.

But I dare say, that as for hir, so ho­ly, graciouse playne woman, by those wordes, neuer thought ne mente all these so mysty mazes so ful of perplexities, and inextricable angles. In good fayth when I sawe hym bring in suscepit Israel puerum. &c. for his popish purpose, I meruayled great­ly therat, and thought of some other straunge subtyle knot (as it were) of another Gordias, not to be cut in sunder of euery mans swerde. And here I remembred the swerde of a good mery florishinge felow, which in con­struccion dyd diuyde and cutte Suscepit a two in the myddes, and made these two wordes therof saienge. Sus [Page clxxxi] the wyld bore of rome, cepit hath ta­ken away Israel puerum suum, oure ladies sonne Christ called Israell, in that by his antichristen religion he taketh away and deuoureth christes faith and his worde, alluding vnto y^e lxxx. psalme, describinge the wylde frothei bore of rome, wrotinge vp the vyneyarde of christe in burnynge his churche. But returne we to Samp­sons foxe tayed by tayle to his felo­wes with fier brondes to burne vp the philistens good corne.

As sone as man beleueth, The byss. god procedeth to the fulfyllynge of his promise for his parte, and geueth vs a newe spirit and a newe herte and so iustifieth vs (Ioye. What thinge then doth your charite whiles man as sone as he beleueth is iustified? ye wyll condempne youre selfe.The byss. If we receiue it and assente by oure fre choise vnto it, and worke with it, whi­che is theffectuall receiuinge and the wor­thynes on our part, wherby we be iustified

Yea marye.Ioye It was tyme to adde youre (yf we receaue it. &c.) but yet [Page] your (yf) commeth all to late to your man y^t beleueth. For ye saye that as sone as he beleueth god iustifieth hī, ergo he is iustified and hath alredye receiued his iustificacion before your (yf). But belyke ye wolde haue saide when god offred to man faith, and yf we receaue it by oure free choise and assent▪ then god procedeth to the ful­fyllynge. &c.

The byss. And note well this, that there muste be on our part a worthines & therfore howsoeuer ye wyll smyle at it, It is a good prayer, or a pro nobis sancta dei genitrix ut digni effi­ciamur promissionibus christi. Pray for vs holy mother of god that we maye be made worthy of Christes promises.

Here thou seest the byshop to play ii. partes at once,Ioye one contrary to y^e tother. The fyrste, he sayth, is goddes parte, in procedinge to the fulfilling of his promyse to the beleuer, the se­conde is playne Pelagians parte, whiche was a rancke heretyque and enimye to GOD and to his grace, affirmynge man on his parte to haue fre choice to receiue goddes gyftes, [Page clxxxii] and to assente to them when they be offered him, and so workinge with them to make our selues worthye, as Wynchester saith, to be iustified effe­ctually, And here this myghtye ma­ker maketh two iustifications, one for goddes part goten by only faith, and another on oure parte goten by Pelagians fre wyll to receiue grace and to worke our owne worthynes, whereby we be iustified, I thoughte Pelagiane wolde halter hym selfe at laste, or els ye must thruste these two contrary iustifications both into one poke, where they shall agre togither as the foxe and the hounde, and as Pelagiane and saint Austen, for this is plaine that heretique Pelagians opinion and heresye, which Austen so myghtely confuteth in his bokes a­gainst pelagian and celestiū, de gra­cia christi & in li. de remi. peccatorum sayenge. Men laboure to finde in oure wyll that as is ours and not of god, but howe it maye be founde [Page] I know it not. In this peese euerye man maye see, what an enemye with Pelagiane the byshop is to grace, & wolde priuily drope into the peoples hertes this present poison of Pelagi­ans scole. That the grace of god doth but helpe our weake wyll and infir­mitie: and so to make vs chekmates. and felow workers with god, vs on our part and him of his part, for oure iustificaciō diuided betwixt vs both. diuidinge Christe, whiche was and is euer an hole entier sauiour. Agēst the which heresy, god by his prophet Ezechiel, [...] declaringe of what power our wyll is left to it selfe, speakethe thus, I shall geue ye a newe herte, & put a newe spirite in the middes of you. And I shall take awaye the sto­ney hert frō your flesh and geue you a soft herte. Nowe tell vs. Howe can mans owne naturall stonney rebelli­ous hert helpe god, and by his free choise and assent worke with god in his conuersion to worke his owne [Page clxxxiii] iustification, ether to wyll well, or to endeuoure, or frely to chose good or to assent, or to conforme him self (as ye saye) to gods wyll and to vse his gyftes? when god saith plainelye.

This stonney hert muste be first ta­ken awaye, and a newe made put in­to man, clene contrarye to his firste herte and wyll. But here may euerye learned christen reader see howe per­uerselye ye handle the scripture, lea­uynge out quyte the taking away of the hard stoney hert, as though your fre choiced man hadde none siche, ne were the sonne of Adam, leaping ouer it into a newe herte and newe spirite, euen sich one as was Adam created before he lost his fre lybertie to good by synne, you diuidinge his workes betwixte the man and god, affirming in the same, god to worke his parte, and the man with his free wyll and herte, with his assent and youre free choice. &c. to worke his owne worthines on his parte, as two men shulde [Page] draw out a logge together bothe by one lyne, one to helpe the tother. But aunswere me (by youre fayth) trewly to these two questions? what thinge worketh the man on his parte in the takynge awaye of his stonney rebellious herte? If he worketh any thinge with sich an hert,The affectes of the flesh be inimitie to god. it must nedes be a­gainste god, and not with God, for what els can such an hert worke but euyll,Rom. viii and agaynste God, and not with GOD, but againste his owne helth? Also whether is thys newe herte and wyll, oure owne naturall hert and wyll or no? These can not be ours, for our owne stonney is takē away & this new hert is contrarye to ours, so that we cannot haue two cō ­trary hertes and wylles at once.

Wherfore seing they be gods giftes, let vs not vsurpe them for oure free choice, but geue that belongethe to god to hym selfe, and that as is ours to oure selues, and make them not oure workes on our parte (as ye do [Page clxxxiiii] so pertelye and distinctlye) settinge them checkmate againste gods wor­kes in contention for our part, as ye do with Pelagiane enemye to god­des grace and glorye, and to myche a frende to your owne blynd nature. Repente ye and obserue the trewe Sabbothe, which god so ofte in the lawe and prophetes commaunded so religiousely to be kept. Euen in re­stinge and ceassynge from your owne false opinions, euyll wyll, and worse workes, and suffer god to abolysshe all that your owne is, and to worke his wyll and workes in you. And let vs be so called cooperatores dei, as Paul expouneth it of him self vn­der correction sayenge, not I haue so wrought and laboured in the gospel preching,i. cori. xv. but it is the grace of god in me. We shuld be rather sufferers thē doers or workers w^t God, suffring hī to draw to work, to handle vs w^t his holye spirite, as the sawer drawethe [Page] and handleth his sawe and attribute y^e worke to the cheif workmā, & not to his sawe. For it is god that worketh in vs, to wyll, to perseuer, and to fi­nishe for his own goodnes sake and not for our desertis. The firste parte of any good worke is our wyll, the o­there is enforce and endeuor to prose­cute and to finisshe it, and here ye see god to be the author of them bothe. Thus ye se god to worke all in euery thinge both beginninge, middes, and ende,i. cori. xii. who be praysed, glorified, and thanked for euer. But you with pelagiane, wyll worke with, and help him and for the confirmatiō of this here­sye of your fre choice to receiue grace and so to worke your owne worthy­nes, ye bringe in youre autoritie oute of the popes portewes. Ora pro nobis sancta dei genitrix. &c. Praye for vs holy mother of god (and yet was she mother but to his manhead) that we myght be effectuousely made worthy the promyses of Christe. For scrip­ture [Page clxxv] haue ye none. ‘In whiche prayer (saye you) we acknowledge and tru­ly professe, that the promyses of god require in vs a worthines, whiche worthines standeth, in our fre choice, to receiue the promise. For the promises be not to all men without condi­cion absolute.’ Ioye, No they be made to them that receaue them by faithe which is the fr [...] gift of god, and not to them that receiue them by your fre choice.Rom. iiii And therfore it is asked what and if some of them beleue not gods promises? shal their vnbeleif frustrat the promise? God forbid (sayth Paul) for god wilbe found true of his pro­mises when al mē be found liers. For as he knoweth to whō he maketh his promises, so forseeth he who shall by faith onely receaue and cleaue to thē. ‘Then ye wold proue vs to haue go­ten to vs this worthynes by our free choice in receiuinge the grace and gyft of gods merciable promise by y^e sainge of Wysedome.’ God tempted [Page] them and found them worthey of him This text sayth that god found them worthy after he had proued their pa­cience by aff [...]yctions, but not by their fre choise for receiuynge grace, but because him selfe in geuynge them his giftes of faith pacience and other vertewes maketh them worthey.

And your owne popysshe prayer, ora pro nobis. &c. is directly against you. For no man prayeth for that thynge sayth Austen which he hathe, or can gette it with his free choice when he lyste, and youre selfe alleged Austēs wordes for y^e same, saying. Iube quod uis, modo des quod iubeas, lorde cō ­maunde what thou wylte so thou ge­uest me grace to performe it. ‘Then ye bring in Centurio, who, ye say, be­cause he sayde he was vnworthy that Christe shulde come into his house, therfore wolde ye proue vs to be worthy of god.’ wherein me thynkethe ye be besides your selfe and se not what ye saye: to proue vs worthy because [Page clxxxvi] Centurio sayde he was vnworthye? This shoulde proue vs rather to be vnworthye, excepte ye wold make vs worthy because we confesse vs with him to be vnworthy, and so be we vn­worthye in dede, or elles our confes­sion is false we makinge oure selues therby lyers and vnworthey. Thus maye euery reader see how false doc­trine wyll neuer agre with it selfe, & lyes wyll euer breake forth and apere with y^e longe eares of the asse ietting in the lyons skynne, presse ye them downe neuer so stiffely. At last, when ye haue prynted depe and faste, this Pelagians heresye of free choyce in your readers hertes, then to blere the eyes of some not so symple readers, but may perceaue your iuglynge, ye wolde seme to them to mytigate or to qualifie your heresies with a mitiga­cion,His wor­thines is now calle metenes. and moderation of y^e word (worthines) calling it metenes after god­des acception, ‘as ye myghte thus [Page] saye with your wont false coloure of correction to your scolers. Albeit I haue taught you, with your fre choice and working with the same in assen­tinge, to receyue gods promysed mercye and grace and thus on youre parte to obtaine your owne worthi­nes whereby to be iustified, yet thys notwithstandinge, ye must mitigate the worde, worthines, and cal it Me­tenes after gods acceptacion.’ (Ioye. ‘A worthey couer to Pelagians pot, loo.) Gard. so that al siche may be ac­compted worthey as conforme themselues to gods pleasure and vse siche giftes of god as wherby god maketh vs worthy, both the giftes receiued and other mo.’ (Ioye. Lorde how this slymei snayle pretenteth hir doute­full slyber waye groped before with hyr leithey hornes for feare of resy­stence and obstacles? Here Pelagian perceiuynge, the deseruinge of his worthynes by fre choice to be to grosse to be hyden or colored, is com­pelled [Page clxxxvii] now to flye from that speache to a newe fantazyed phrase. ‘That we must deserue our worthy makinge of god, or our new mitigated Meatnes after his acception, by conformynge oure selues to gods pleasure and by vsynge suche giftes of god as wher­by god maketh vs worthey both the giftes receiued and other moo.’

Ioye. Beholde, good reader, what s [...]yber shyftes pelagiane is compel­led to seke for his merites and free choice in endeuouringe and confor­ming him self to gods wyll and by his free choice in meriting to vse the giftes of god to make vs worthy and meat for god. Before he saide. By fre choice, we on our parte had gotten & deserued this worthines, and that there were workes of penaunce cal­led the meritinge and deseruynge to vse the giftes of god: Mary (as I re­member) he added by participation. So that this is the sence of his prayer nowe to our ladye, and not to oure [Page] lorde. That he might be made wor­thy, on his part, and not o [...] goddes parte to be made meate and confor­mable by his free choice, bonde to synne to the fulfyllynge of goddes wyll. &c. And after all these so intri­cate speaches, he makethe a playne note agaynst hym selfe sayinge.

The byss. And it is to be noted, that we pray, that we may be made worthy (for we canne not make our selues worthy) but muste receiue all of god.

(Ioye.Ioye No, of our ladye we must re­ceaue somewhat, and part of our sel­ues. Haue ye so sone forgotten youre prayer to our ladye. ora pro nobis, praye for vs holy mother of god that we maye be made worthy?)

The byss. Of whome is all our worthynes, and of our [...] selues vnworthines.

IoyeWhere is your fre choice by assēt to receiue grace and to worke with it, whiche ye called before theffectual receiuinge and the worthines on our part whereby we be iustified? where then be your dedes of penaūce to merit the vse of sich giftes of god? wher [Page lxxxvii] be your merits to deserue your meatnes, your worthynes, and conformi­te ye spake of wherby men maye con­forme them selues to gods pleasure and to vse his giftis?The byss.

And yee in thateinment of worthines, we be workers w^t god by grace as is afore said ye laide before we be workers by our fre choice on our part,Ioye for this worthines. How stand these togither? But whē thapostles mēcioned gods work in them, thei said, nether the plāter ne the waterer is any thīg, but it is god that geueth the encreace, and Paule sayth of hym self laboringe aboue all his felowes, as correcting his speach not I, but y^e grace of god in me wrought it. So y^t thei attributed al theyr workes and labours, ye & their wyll & endeuoures and worthines all to gods grace wholly & nothing to thē selues and so shuld ye do, if ye taught truly. But here ye harp agen of your vntewned [...]arring condicions saing.

The promises of god requyre the conditi­on of worthines on our behalfe wherein is required our endeuour. The bys

[Page]ye shulde speake playnly accordinge to the scriptures sainge.Ioye The promi­sed forgeuenes of our sinnes in christ requireth our faith whiche is y^e gyfte of god geuen vs for christes merits, and put your good condicions your worthynes and endeuours in youre purse, and deale them forthe into your almose. ‘For by this scorpions tayle added. (The condicion of oure worthynes is requyred on oure be­halfe wherin is required oure ende­uoure) so smelleth of Pelagians fre choice and merites contrary to grace that it poysoneth all the reste of your doctrine.’ For oure endeuoure muste procede oute of oure wyll and vnderstandinge, which both, if they be vn­to any good thinge moued, it muste come all of god.

ye bryng in a text of Paule, lyke a keye to cleaue a logge, The byss. for his spekynge in that place, nothinge parteineth to the iustifica­cion we spake of.

The kaye that I bringe in of S. PauleIoye openethe the doore so wyde [Page clxxxix] that all men not being starcke blynd (as ye be) may see that our best, wor­kes iustifye vs not. These be his wordes,i. Cor. iiii where he speaketh of his office of preaching, affirming him self to haue done it to trewelye and faythfullye that no man coulde blame hym, no not my nowne conscience, sayde he, can accuse me of anye vnfaithfulnes or slaknes or negligence therin, saīg thus of him selfe. Nullius mihiipsi conscius sum. I know me self faute­les, in nothinge concerning my ministery gilty, Sed nō per hoc iustifica­tus sum, now conster you it forth & se whether in englysh it be not. But yet for this doīg, or by this, am I not iustified. Wherfore if Paul graunt hī self not to be iustified for so blameles laborouse, so perellous and so hyghe an office and so good a dede, loke not you to be iustified for anye of youre good condicions yet not perfourmed

Hitherto thou seeste (christen rea­der) howe this byshops doctryne is [Page] patched togither of mere papistry & sophistry & of shāeles lies, & heresies, buylded vpon s [...]er soft sādes, euery wher inconstant, lyke it selfe, waue­rynge, repugnante, slyppinge from one shyft to another, sekyng cauilla­cions and corners to couer him selfe w^t colets, versicles, litanies, popishe prayers, with blynde and balde rea­sons sukt out of his owne wyly wic­ked wit, no scriptures groundlye ne faithfully nor truely alleged for hys part, ne for his doctrine and declara­cion. And as thou hast now hitherto a tast therof, euē of y^e same sowersauor smelleth all the rest of his boke, as I shall vtter it in the next part of mine aunswer god wyllyng. For I know that the holy scriptures, procedynge fro the mouth of the euerlastinge ve­ritie. (Albeit Satan with his sworne Antichristis haue euer contended to peruert, and yet ceasse not by all their subtyles engins and fraude serpen­tyne and false doctryne, by teachinge [Page cxc] ignoraunce (as wryteth this bishop) to blot oute of mens hertes the knowledge of goddes holy gospell, neuer­more to be harde ne redde, but vtter­lye to be extynguyshed with fyer and swerde as heresies, addinge theyr bitter comminacions and cruell con­dempnacions in banyshing and bur­nynge thys yeare so manye godlye bookes and bybles) yet are they by the almyghtye merciable power of GOD, so preserued roted, defen­ded and nourisshed in the brestes of his chosen, that lyke as the ferme strong palme tre, the greater waight be laide vppon hir, the mightylyer she aryseth and spreadethe: euen so, the worde of GOD, the cruel­lyer it is depressed and resisted with the tyranny of the byshops & priestes the stronglier it arysethe, the wyder it is dylated, the myghtilyer it as­cendeth the deper it is rooted, the fasterit standethe. For there haue bene manye excellente wittes, [Page] bothe of the popis sophisters, of his scole diuines, of his rethricions and lawyers mighty in perswadinge blasphemies and as subtyle by sophems to peruerte christis pure veritie which haue stretched forth their ve­nomouse tongues, excercised their wylie wit is and popish pennes, ar­med with the seclare swerdes, with al their senews bent ayenst y^e pore plain gospel, which all, as thei haue hither­to enforced into their owne confusion and wretched fall, so haue thei the highlyer promoued it ayenst their owne willes. And yet these blynd be­astis, worthely thus caste of frō god, see not their own blody entents nowe plainly frustrated, and their own wi­ked enforcements to haue preuailed ayenst them seluis. What, thinke ye, shalbe the ende of themprowr nowe encensed of the pope to subuerte chri­stes gospel receiued in germanye?

Shall it not be turned into their mutuall confusion one to be the destruc­cion [Page cxci] of the tother and eche of them to be the minishing of y^e others strēgth? one to consume the tother, the worthi wrath of God at laste to be powred forth on them both? when the seclar arme thus longe defendinge and en­richinge the beaste of Babylon shall at last eat vp hir fleshe and burne vp hir citic.Collo. ii. Christ in whome are hidden the treasures of all knowledge and wysedome, was once foreuer reueled so plentuously & manifestly, that no­thing necessary for our saluaciō may be added ne desyred, but we ought to be content with his sufficient articles and sacramentes left vs in scripture al vnwritten verities (as they cal thē vtterly detested. And euen then were y^e last dayes and houre. as Ioan and Paule testify,Heb. i. wherof his sacraments and articles and his doctrine be cal­led y^e last y^t shuld be taught & delyuered vs, the fathers voice with greate maiestie out of heuen commaunding vs to heare his sonne as the last and [Page] sufficient most perfit teacher & maister, vs not to wayte for any other af­ter hym, lest any thense forthe shulde be deceiued by any further vayne ex­pectation and loking for any false te­chers and writers as haue this bys­shoppe with his Antichristes hither­to seduced men withe their false boo­kes and falser doctrine: from y^t which our lorde preserue and defende this his church of englonde, to whom be prayse for euer. Amen.

And now vnto you (my lord) send I this fyrst pece to occupy your selfe in makinge aunswer. It was Easter ere I had your boke, & thē had I litle tyme skant .xx. dayes to read it & to make this answer, and lesse quietnes to wryte. For in dede ye made me a runner about into vncertaine seates and vnder, and otherwhiles aboue vncertaine sower elements. But the lorde see to it, and [...]e iudge which ta­keth out of your handes into lyberte all that yet suffer wronge of you.