Answer to John De Albines, Answer to discourse · Chapter 33
The XXXIII. Chapter.
SOme of your godly ſect (toaIf you had meant to deale plainely, you ſhould hauehave named the man & the place where any of vsus do thus childiſhly reaſō. verifie that the vocation of your miniſtrie doeth come of God) doe ſet before our eies the holines of thoſe new Chriſtians, that is to ſaie, how they neuer ſweare, but yea for yea, and no for no, that they doe no wrong to no man, that they doe neither robbe nor ſteale, but that they are content with that that God hath ſent them, & that they are very charitable to the poore: then ſeeing that our ſauiour doeth ſaie, that one ſhall know the tree by the fruit,b…ndeede we may truely ſay, howſoeuer ſome that profeſſe our religion, either through the cō mon frailty of man or hypocriſie, hauehave too too little of this fruit growing of thē, that yet if they ſhould follow the rules of our religion, they ſhould bear this ſweet & pleaſant fruit abundātly. we ought to confeſſe (ſaie they) that the tree being good, the fruit is good: that is to ſaie, their Religion is good, ſeeing that, by the grace of God, it doeth produce ſuch ſweet & pleaſant fruite. I anſwere you firſt to this, that our ſauiour doeth not euer giuegive generall rules, but that that moſt commonly doeth happen, as when he ſaieth, that*Luc 6. of the abundance of the hart the mouth ſpeaketh, would you affirme by this, that his meaning was vniuerſally? God forbid, that he that is the authour of all trueth ſhould meane ſo ſtarke a lie. Doe you not remember what ſpeech he did vſe to the Phariſees, whē he ſaied,*Mat. 15. this people doe honour me with their mouthes, but their hearts are farre from me? you ſee that this ſentence is contrary to the other, if you doe not vnderſtand it as I hauehave ſaied, that is to ſaie, that manie times a man doeth vtter that, that is in his heart: as a ruffian takes great pleaſure to talke of quarels, a proude perſon to talke of hautie enterpriſes, a couetous man to talke of riches or gaines, and ſo it is of all other ſinnes. But with all this a man may not affirme truely, that hypocriſie doeth neuer raigne in their hearts, whoſe mouthes are full of Gods word.*Dan. 19. The Iudges of S. Suſan, had not they God and his lawes in their mouthes, and the Deuill in their hearts?*John. 18. We hauehave a lawe (ſaied the Iewes and Phariſees againſt Chriſt) and according to this lawe giuen vsus by Moſes, he ought to die. The zeale of iuſtice did ſound in their mouthes, and hatefull enuie did dwell in their heartes. And therefore you ſee manie times, that man doeth ſpeake contrarie to that that hee thinketh, and euen ſo it is of the ſentence of our Sauiour, when he ſaieth, that by the fruite one ſhall knowe the tree. For manie times naturally the fruit is good, although the tree be worth nothing,cThe heathē Philoſophers liues, howſoeuer they caried a ſhew of the matter of holines, they cānot be ſaid to be holy & good indeed becauſe their workes were without faith, & lacked the form of good workes. as the famous liues and workes of diuerſe heathen Philoſophers doe witneſſe, of whom the holines and ſcrupuloſity of conſcience was ſuch, that I doe beleeue aſſuredly that at the daie of iudgement, a great number of Chriſtians which leade Painims liues, will be confoūded with the example of thoſe men that knew not God. Thus of the firſt, the fruite is good, but the trees are worth nothing, for their Religion was falſe & Idolatrous, applying, as S. *Rom. 1.Paul doeth ſaie, the truth of God to vnrighteouſnes. And as for the ſecond, the trees are good, being grafted vpō the true Catholique Religion, but the fruites doe degenerate from the ſtocke.
The XXXIII. Chapter.
IN this Chapter you ſaie, that ſome of vsus hauehave gone about to iuſtifie, that our vocation is of God, by the holines of life found amongſt vsus, becauſe Chriſt hath ſaied, The tree is knowen by his fruit: and the good tree bringeth forth good fruite. Mat. 7.17. Howſoeuer thus you would perſwade your reader, that wee are driuen to vſe theſe kinde of arguments, taken from the ſhew of patience in our Martyrs, and the goodnes of the liues of the profeſſors of our religion, the trueth is, though ſometime the goodnes of their cauſe conſidered, we take comfort in their patience, and the reformation that our religion hath wrought in many remembred, in ſome ſort we reioice therof alſo, yet neuer did we build the credit of our vocation or religion vponupon either of theſe. For we know, there may be & hath bene great ſhew of patiēce in ſuch as hauehave died for hereſie: and that religion is not to be iudged either by the badnes or ſhew of goodnes in the liues of them that profeſſe it. For both amongſt the profeſſours of ſound Religion, we know there hath alwaies beene, are, and will be ſome lewd liuers: and alſo amongſt thoſe of a falſe Religion, thorow the force of hypocriſy and ſuperſtition, there hath beene found, and may be ſtill, a marueilous great outward ſhew of holines and piety. And therefore doe we alwaies teach our hearers, & readers, to learne to diſcerne the true Religion from the falſe, by ſearching the Scriptures, and not by viewe of theſe thinges which therein may deceiue them. Wherefore you might very well hauehave eaſed both your reader, & your ſelfe of all the paines you hauehave taken about this matter in theſe foure next Chapters. Howbeit, ſeing you could aforde ſo much needeles paines, to diſgrace what you could, the profeſſion of the trueth, I will bee contented to take ſo much paines, as to weigh what you hauehave ſaied, and giuegive you ſuch anſwere, as you deſerue, for the maintenance of the credit thereof. In this Chapter firſt you would proue, by conference of this foreſaied rule of Chriſt, with this ſaying Luke 6. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth ſpeaketh, that it is no more generall thē that. For after out of Math. 15. and other places you hauehave ſhewed, that notwithſtanding that ſaying of Chriſt, man oftentimes ſpeaketh otherwiſe, then it is in his heart: you conclude, euen ſo is it many times, naturally the fruite is good, when the tree is naught, as in the good liues of many heathen philoſophers: and contrarily, the trees may bee good, as grafte vponupon the true Catholique Religion, and yet the fruites degenerate from the ſtocke. Be it graunted, that Chriſts meaning was no more generally to be taken in the one, then in the other, and that it followeth thereupon, that euen as ſometime a man through hypocriſie may ſpeake well and thinke ill, ſo a good tree may ſometimes by ſome occaſion hauehave ſome fruite not anſwering the goodneſſe thereof, intermingled with the good, yet you ſhall neuer be able to proue, but that Chriſtes ſpeech here is ſo generallie true, as that alwaies a good tree bringeth forth good fruite, and a bad tree bad fruite: as alwaies it is true, that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth ſpeaketh at one time or other, though at ſometimes alſo and in ſome thinges the mouth be bridled. For Chriſt doeth not deny, but that euen of a good tree there may bee founde here and there a rotten apple, a worme-eaten one, or otherwiſe not anſwerable to the naturall fruite of that tree. For hee knewe, what imperfections there were, and would bee alwaies founde in the beſt men: neither doeth hee that ſaied, Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth ſpeaketh, ſaie it would alwaies be ſo. For he knewe, how through hypocriſie oftentimes the abundance of filthie matter lying in the heart would bee diſſembled. It is ſufficient for the verifying of theſe two Prouerbes generallie in that ſence, that Chriſt meant them, that the good tree naturally bringeth forth good fruit, and the bad, bad fruit: and that the abundance of the heart will make the mouth at ſometimes bewray that, which lieth in the heart, let otherwiſe hypocriſie doe what it can. And therefore you conclude more, then your premiſes will beare. For though it bee graunted you, that the one prouerbe hath ſome limitations as well as the other, yet it muſt bee onelie in maner, as I hauehave ſaied. Whereupon will neuer more followe, that an ill tree may hauehave ſometimes naturallie good fruite growing vponupon it, and a good tree, bad fruite: then it will euer be found falſe, that at one time or other out of the abundance of the heart euerie mouth will ſpeake. And the examples, you hauehave ſet downe are both vnfitte. For neither were the workes of the heathen philoſophers (what ſhewe ſoeuer they had outwardly of goodnes) good workes indeede, nor euer will it be graunted you of any that can diſtinguiſh betwixt good and euill, that a Catholique in your ſence (wt doubtles with you is one of the Popiſh Religion, that now is) is a good tree? The reaſon of the one is, becauſe howſoeuer the works of thoſe philoſophers had in them the matter of good workes, in the cō formity they had to the outward actions commanded by the law, yet they lacked the forme of good workes, in that they neither proceeded from a right fountaine, were done to a right ende, nor in right maner: and you know, that forma dat eſſe rei: the forme is that, that cauſeth the thing to bee this or that: and that it is writen, whatſoeuer is not of faith is ſinne, Romans. 14, and it is impoſſible to pleaſe God without faith: Heb. 11. which faith they were without. The reaſō of the other is, that your religiō being naught & Antichriſtian it ſelfe, cannot make any man or woman a good tree, but bad like it ſelfe: for qualis cauſa, talis effectus: ſuch as the cauſe is, the effect will be. Wherefore for any thing you hauehave ſaied as yet, eueryevery good tree will ſo bring forth good fruit, and euerie bad tree, bad fruit, as that by their fruit they maie bee diſcerned. And indeed (cauill you to the contrary as much as you liſt) this is moſt certaine: all the difficultie is in knowing the good and bad fruit that Chriſt meant of, and how alwaies to diſcerne the one from the other. In my iudgement (and I thinke likewiſe in the iudgement of euerie one, that well weigheth Chriſtes words and the circumſtances thereof) by the good fruit wee are to vnderſtand pure religion ioined with an holie life: by the bad fruit, a bad religion, and like life: the good tree, that beareth the former, are onelyonly the children of God, whom he hath regenerated, and iuſtified indeede in Chriſt Ieſus: the bad tree that beareth the later, are thoſe, that remaine in their ſinnes, and vnderunder the burdē thereof, not yet hauing had their eies truely opened, to ſee the trueth, nor their hearts effectually touched, and taught to beleeue aright in Chriſt. And theſe trees are to be diſcerned by ſound triall and examination, which of their fruites are iuſtified by the writē and vndoubted word of God, and which not.