Faith Justifies Us Before We Can Bring Forth any Good Work, Treatise · Part 16 – Part 20
OEther not treaſure to gether in erth &c. Matth. vi. But gather you treaſure in heven &c. Let not your hertes be glued to worldy thinges ſtudie not to heape treaſure apō treaſure & riches apō riches / but ſtudie to beſtowe well that which is gotē allready / ād let your habundāce ſuccore ye lacke ād neade of the po…r which have not. Have an eye to good workes / to which if ye have luſt & alſo power to do thē / then ar ye ſure that the ſprite of God is in you / and ye in Chriſt electe to the rewarde of eternall lyfe which foloweth good workes. But loke yt thine eye be ſingle & robbe not Chriſt of his honoure aſcribe not yt to ye deſervī ge of thy workes which is gevē the frely by the merites of his bloude. In Chriſt we ar ſonnes In Chriſt we are heires / In Chriſt God choſe vsus ād elected vsus before the beginninge of the world / created vsus anewe by the worde of the Goſpell / and put his ſprite in vsus / for becauſe we ſhuld do good workes. A Chriſtē mā worketh bi cauſe it is the will of his father only. Iff we doo no good worke nor be mercyfull / howe is our luſt therin? Iff we have no luſt to do good workes / how is Gods ſprite in vsus? If the ſprite of God be not in vsus / howe ar we his ſonnes? How ar we his heyres / and heyres annexed with Chriſt of the eternall life which is promyſed to all them that beleve in hym? Now do our workes teſtifie and wittenes what we are / and what treaſure is leade vp for vsus in hevē / ſo that our eye be ſyngle ād loke apon the commaundement with out reſpecte of any thinge / ſave becauſe it ys Gods wyll / and that God deſyreth it of vsus / and Chriſt hath deſerved that we do it.
Math. vii. Not all they yt ſaye vntounto me lorde / lorde / ſhall entre in to the kyngedome of heven / but he yt doth the wyll of my father which is in heven. Though thou canſt laude God wyth thy lippes / and call Chriſt lorde / and canſt bable and talke of the ſcripture / ād knoweſt all the ſtoryes of the byble. Yet ſhalt thou there by never knowe thine election or whether thy fayth be right. But and if thou feale luſt in thyne hert to the wyll of God / and bringeſt forth the frutes therof / then haſt thou cōfedence and hope / and thy deades and alſo the ſprite whence thy deades ſpringe certyfye th… ▪ Hert that thou ſhall enter / yee art all ready entred in to the kingdome of heven. For it foloweth / he that heareth the worde and doth it / / byldeth hys howſe apon a rocke / and no tempeſt of temptacyons can over thorowe it. For the ſprite of God is in his hert and cō forteth hym / and holdeth hym faſt to the rocke of the merites of Chriſtes bloude / in whom he is electe. Nothing ys able to pluck hym out of the hondes of God / God is ſtronger then all thinges. And cōtrary wyſe he that heareth the worde and doth it not / byldeth on the ſonde of his owne ymaginacion and every rēpeſt over throweth his byldinge. The cauſe is / he hath not Gods ſpyrite in hym / ād therfore vnderſtōdeth it not a right nother worketh a ryght. For no man knoweth the thinges of god (ſayeth Paule in the .i. piſtle to the Corinthiās in ye ſecōde Chapter) ſave the ſprite of God: as no man knoweth what is in a mā / but a mās ſprite which is in hym. So then if the ſprite be not in a man / he worketh not the wyll of God nether vnderſtōdeth it though he bable never ſo moch of ye ſcriptures. Nevertheleſſe ſoch a mā may worke after his owne ymaginacion / but Gods will cā he not worke / he maye offer ſacrifice / but to do mercye knoweth he not. It is caſye to ſaye vntounto Chriſt Lorde / Lorde: but therby ſhalt thou never feale or be ſure of y• kī gdone of hevē. But & if thou do ye will of God thē art thou ſure that Chriſt is thy lorde in deade / & that thou in hī art alſo a lorde / in that thou fealeſt thy ſelfe looſed and free from the bondage of ſynne / and luſty and of power to do the will of God.
Where the ſpryte is there ys fealinge. For the ſpryte maketh vsus feale all thinges. Where the ſpryte ys not there ys no fealinge / but a vayne opynion or ymaginacyon. A phyſycian ſerveth but for ſyck men / and that for ſoch ſycke men as feale ther ſekeneſes ād morne therfore / & longe for health. Chriſt like wiſe ſerveth but for ſinners only as feales there ſynne & that for ſoch ſinners / that ſorrowe ād morne in there hertes for health. Health is power or ſtrēgth to fulfyll the lawe or to kepe the cō mandementes. Now he that longeth for that health yt ys to ſaye / for to do the lawe of God is bleſſed in Chriſte / and hath a promyſe that hys luſt ſhalbe fulſylled and yt he ſhalbe made hole. Math. v. bleſſed ar they which hōgre and thurſt for rightweſnes ſake (y• is to fulfyll the lawe) for there luſt ſhalbe fulfylled. This longyng and cōſent of the hert vntounto the lawe of God / is the workynge of ye ſpryte which God hath poured in to thine hert in erneſt that thou myghtyſt be ſure that God wyll fulfyll all hys promyſes that he hath made ye. It is alſo the ſeale & marke which God putteth on all men yt he choſeth vntounto everlaſtinge lyfe. So lōge as thou ſeiſt thy ſinne / & morneſt / & conſenteſt to ye lawe & longeſt (thoughe thou be never ſo weke) yet the ſpyryte ſhall kepe the in all tēptacions from deſperacion & certyfye thine herte / yt God for hys trouth / ſhall delyver the & ſave y• / yee & by thy good deades ſhalt thou be ſaved / not which thou haſt done / but which Chriſt hath done for the. For Chriſt is thine / and all hys deades are thy deades. Chriſt is in the and thou in him knyt to gether inſeparably. Nether canſt thou be damned except Chryſt be damned wyth the. Nether can Chriſt be ſaved except thou be ſaved wyth him. Moreover thy hert is good / right / holy ād Juſt. For thy hert is no enymye to the law but a frēd & a lover. The lawe and thy hert ar agreyd and at one / and therfore is God at one wyth the. The conſent of the hert vntounto the law / ys vnite and peace betwene God and man. For he ys not myne enemye which wold fayne do me playſure and morneth be cauſe he hath not where with. Now he that opened thy dyſeaſe vntounto the and made y• longe for health / ſhall as he hath promyſed heal y• / and he yt hath looſed thy herte ſhall / at hys Godly layſur / loeſe thy mēbres. He that hath not the ſprite hath no fealing / nether luſteth or lōgeth after power to fulfill the lawe / nether abhorreth the pleaſures of ſynne / nether hath any moare certente of the promyſes of God / than I have of a tale of Robin hode / or of ſome teſt that a mā telleth me was done at Rome Another mā maye lightely make me doute or beleve the contrarye / ſeing I have no experience thereof mi ſelf. So ys it of them that feale not the workyng of the ſpyryte / and ther…ore in tyme of tem…acyon the byldinges of there ymagynacyons fall.
MAthei. x. He that recceavith a prophete in the name of a prophete / that ys becauſe he is a prophete ſhall receave therewarde of a prophete and he that geveth one of thes lytleons a cuppe of colde water to drinke / in the name of a dyſcyple / ſhall not loſe hys rewarde. Note this that a prophete ſignifyeth as well hym that enterpreteth the harde places of ſcripture / as hym that prophiſies thinges to come. Nowe he that receaveth a prophete / a iuſt man / or a diſciple / ſhal have the ſame or lyke rewarde / that ys to ſaye / ſhall have the ſame eternalllyfe / which is appoynted for them in Chriſtes bloude and merytes. For except thou were electe to the ſame eternalllyfe / and haddeſt the ſame fayth and truſt in God / and the ſame ſprite / thou cowldeſt never conſent to ther deades and helpe them. But thy deades teſtyfye what thow art ād certyfye thy conſcyence that thou art receaved to mercy / and ſantyfyed in Chriſtes paſſyons and ſofferinges / and ſhallt here after whyth all them that folowe God / receave the reward of erernalllyfe
Of thy wordes thou ſhalt be iuſtyfyed ād of thy wordes thou ſhalt be cōdēned. Math. xij. That ys thy wordes as well as other deades ſhall teſtifye wyth the or agaynſt the at the day of iudgemēte. Many ther are which abſtaine frō y• vttewarde deades of fornicaciō ād adulterie / never the laſſe re…oiſe to tal…e ther of & laugh ther wordes & laughter reſtifie agaīſt thē / yt there harte is vnpure / & they advlterers and fornicatours in the ſyght of God▪ The tōge & oder ſignes of times vtter ye malice of ye hert / though a mā for many cauſes abſtayne his hōde / frō y• owteward deade or acte.
Iff thou wylt enter in to lyfe kepe the cō maūdemētes Mathei. xix. Fyrſt remē bre that whē God cōmaūdeth vsus to doo onie thīge / he doth it not therfore / becauſe that we of ourſelves are able to doe that he cō mādeth / but that be the lawe we myghtſe ād knowe our horrible dānaciō & captiuite vnderunder ſinne & ſhuld / repēt & come to Chriſte / & receave mercye & the ſpryte of god to looſe vsus / ſtrēgh vsus & to make vsus able to do goddes wyll which ys y• law. Now whē he ſayeth if thou wilt enter ī to life kepe the cōmandemētes / is as moch to ſay / as he yt kepeth the cōmādemētes ys intred in to life / for except a mā have fyrſt the ſprite of lyfe in hym by Chriſtes purcheaſinge / it is impoſſible for hym to keape the commādemētes / or that hys hert ſhuld be looſe or at lybertye to luſt after them / for of nature we ar enemyes to the law of God.
As towching yt Chriſt ſayeth after warde if thou wilt be perfect / goe and ſell thy ſubſtāce and geve it to the pore he ſaieth it not as who ſhuld ſaie yt there were any gretter perfection thē to kepe the lawe of God (for that ys all perfectiō) but to ſhowe y• other his blīdnes which ſawe not that the law is ſprituall and requireth y• hert. But becauſe he was not knowīg that he had hurt any man with the outwarde deade / he ſuppoſed yt he loved his neyghboure as him ſelfe. But whē he was bade to ſhewe the deades of love / & geve of hys abūdāce to thē that neaded / he departed morninge. Which is an evidēt tokē that he loved not his neyboure as well as hym ſelfe. For if he had nede hym ſelfe / it wold not have greaved hym to have receaved ſuccour of an other mā ▪ Moreover he ſawe not that it was morther and thef…e that a man ſhulde have abondaunce of ryches lying by hym and not to ſhowe mercye therwith / and kindly to ſuccoure his neibours neade. God hath ge…ē one man riches to helpe an other at neade. Yf thi neighboure neade and thou helpe him not being able thou wyth holdyſt his dutye frō him and art a thefe before God.
That alſo that Chriſt ſaieth / how yt it is harder for a rich mā (which loveth his riches ſo that he can not finde in his hert liberally ād frely to help the pore ād neady) to enter in to the kingdome of heven / then a camell to goo thorowe the eye of an nedle / declareth y• he was not intred in to the kingdome of hevē / that is to ſaye / eternall life. But he y• kepeth the cōmaundemētes is intred ī to life / ye hath life and the ſprite of life in him
THis kīde of devyls goeth not out but by prayere and faſtinge. Math. xxvij. Not that the devill is caſt out by merytes of faſting or prayinge. For he ſaieth before yt for ther vnbelefes ſake they coulde not caſt hī out. It is fayeth no doute y• caſteth out the devils & faith it ys yt faſteth & praieth. Fayth hath the promyſes of God where vntounto ſhe cleveth / and in all thīges thurſteth the honour of God She faſteth to ſuddue the bodie vntounto the …prite that the prayer be not let / and that the ſprite maye quyetly talke wyth God: ſhe alſo when ſo ever oportunyte ys geven prayeth god to fulſyll hys promyſes vntounto hys prayſe and glorye. And God which ys mercifull in promyſinge and true to fulfill them / caſteth out the devils and doth all that fayth deſ…reth and ſatyſfyeth hyr thurſt.
…Ome ye bleſſed of my father / enhrere the kingdome prepared for you / frō the beginnyng of the world. For I was a thurſt and ye gave me drīke. & cet. Mat. xxv. Not that a mā wyth workes deſerveth eternall lyfe as a worke mā or labourer his hyre or wages. Thou readeſt in the text that the kīgdome was prepared for vsus frō the begīninge of the world. And we are bleſſed & ſantyfyed. In Chriſtes bloud are we bleſſed frō that bitter curſe & dānable captyuyte vnderunder ſinne / where in we were borne & conceaved. And Chriſtes ſpryte is poured in to vsus / to brynge forth good workes / and our workes a… the frutes of the ſprite / and the kingdome ys the deſervinge of Chriſtes bloude / and ſo is fayth and the ſpyrite and good workes alſo. Not wythſtondinge the kingdome foloethw good workes / & good workes teſtyfye that we ar heyres ther of / and at the day of Indgemēt ſhall they teſtyfye for the electe vntounto theyr cōfort and glorye / And to the confucyō of the vngodlie vnbelevyng & faythleſſe ſynners / which had not truſt in y• worde of Goddes promyſes nor luſt to the wyll of God: but were caryed of the ſprite of there father the devill vntounto all abhominacion / to worke wy…kednes with all luſt delectacion and gredines.