Faith Justifies Us Before We Can Bring Forth any Good Work, Treatise · Part 10 – Part 13
FOr a forder vnderſtandinge of thys Goſpell / may here be made .iij. queſtions. What māmonis / whi it ys called vnrighteous / and after what maner Chriſt byddyth vsus counterfet and folowe the vniuſt and wycked ſtuard which wyth his lordes damage provyded for his awne profit and vantage / which thing no doute is vnrighteous and ſynne.
Fyrſt Mammon ys an Ebrewe worde and ſignifyeth riches or temporall goodes / ād namelye all ſuperfluyte / and all that ys above neceſſyte and that which is requyred vntounto our neceſſarie vſes / where wyth a mā maye helpe an other / with out vndoīge or hurtīge himſelfe. For hamon in the Ebrewe ſpeach ſignifieth a multytude or abundaunce or many. And therehence cōmeth mahamō or māmon aboūdaūce or plēteouſnes of goodes or riches
Secūdaryly / it is called vnrichteous mammon / not becauſe it ys goten vnrighteouſly or with vſury. For of vnrighteous gotē good …s can no man doo good workes / but ought to reſtore them whom agayne. As it ys ſayd Yſaias .lxj. I ā a god that hateth offerīge that cōmeth of robbery. And Galo. pro. iij. ſayth / honoure the Lorde of thine awne good. But therfore is it called vnrighteous / becauſe it is in vnrighteous vſe. As Paule ſpeaketh vntounto the Epheſiās .v. how that the dayes are evill thoughe that God hath made them / and they are a good worke of Goddes makynge. How be it they are yet called evill / becauſe that evyll men vſe them amiſſe / and moche ſynne / occaſyōs of evill / perrell of ſoulis are wroughte in thē. Evē ſo is riches called evill becauſe that evill mē beſtowe it amiſſe ād miſvſe thē. For where ryches ys there goeth it after the cōmen proverbe. Be that hath money hath what him lyſteth. And they cauſe fyghtinge / ſtelinge / leynge a wayte / lyinge / flatteringe and all vnhappynes agaynſt a mās neyghboure. For all men holde on ryches parte.
But ſingularly before God is it callled vnrighteous mammon / becauſe it is not beſtowed and myniſtred vntounto oure neibours neade For if my neybour nede and I geve hym nor / nether depart lyberally with hym / of that which I have: than wythhold I frō hym vnrighteouſly that which is hys awne. For as moch as I am bownden to helpe hym by the lawe of nature / which is / what ſo ever thou woldeſt that a nother dyd to the that do thou alſo to hym. And Chriſt Mathei. v. Geve to every man that deſireth the. And John in hys firſt pyſtle / yf a man have this worldes good and ſe hys brother neade / how is the love of God in hym? And thys vnrighteouſnes in oure mammon ſe very fewe men. Becauſe it is ſprituall / and in thoſe goodes which argoren moſt truly and iuſtlye / which begyle men. For they ſuppoſe they do no man wronge in kepinge them / in that they gott them not wyth ſtelinge / Robbinge / oppreſſiō / and vſury / nether hurt any man now wyth them.
Thrydly many have buſyed thē ſelfes inſtudyēge what or who this vnrighteous ſteward ys / becauſe that Chriſt ſo praiſeth hym. But ſhortely ād playnely this is the anſwere. That Chriſt prayſeth not the vnrighteotus ſtuard / nether ſetteth hym forth to vsus to counterfett / becauſe of hys vnrighteouſnes but becauſe of his wiſdome only in that he with vnright ſo wiſely provid…d for hi ſelfe As I if I wolde provoke a nother to praie or ſtudie ſaie. The the ves watche all nighte to robbe & ſtele: why cāſt not thou watche to praye & to ſtudie? Here prayſe not I the thefe and murderer for there evyll doīge / but for there wyſdome / that they ſo wiſely and diligētly waite on ther vnrighteouſnes. Like wiſe when I ſaye miſſe women tyre them ſelfes wyth gold and ſylke to pleaſe ther lovers. What wylt not thou garnyſh thy ſoule wyth fayth to pleaſe Chriſt? here prayſe I not whordome / but the diligence which the whore myſvſeth.
Off this wyſe Paule alſo Roma. v. likeneth Adam and Chriſt together / ſayenge that Adam was a fygure of Chriſte. And yet of Adā have we but pure ſynne / and of Chriſt grace only / which are out of meaſure contrarie. But the ſymylytude or lyknes ſtondeth in the origynall byrth / and not in the vertue and vice of the birth. So that as Adam is father of all ſynne / ſo is Chriſt father of all righteouſnes. And as all ſynners ſpringe of Adam. Euen ſo all righteous men and women ſpringe of Chriſt. After the ſame maner is here the vnrighteous ſtuarde an enſample vntounto vsus in hys wyſdome and dylygence only / in that he provided ſo wyſely for hym ſelfe / that we wyth righteouſnes ſhulde be as dylygente to provyde for our ſoules / as he wyth vnrighteouſnes provided for hys body.
Lyke wyſe mayſt thou ſoyle all other textes which ſounde as though it were betwene vsus and God as it is in the worlde where the rewarde ys moare loked apon / then the laboure: yee where men hate the laboure and worke falſly wyth the bodye / and not with the hert and no longer than they are loked apon / that the laboure may appere outwarde only.
WHē Chriſt ſayth Mathe. v. Bleſſyd are ye when they rayle on you / and perſecute you / and ſaye all manerevyll ſayinges agaynſt you / and yet lye / ād that for my ſa…e / reioyſe & be glad / for youre rewarde ys great ī hevē. Thou maiſt not ymagen that our deades deſerve ye Joye & glorie yt ſhalbe gevē vntounto vsus. For thē (paul. ſayth Ro. xi.) favoure were not favour I cā not receare it of favour & of ye boūteous goodnes of God frely / & by deſervig of deades alſo. But beleve as the goſpell / glad tythynges and promyſes of god ſaie vntounto the yt for Chriſtes bloudes ſake ōly thorowe faith / god ys at one wyth y• ād thou receaved to merciemercy & art become the ſonne of god & heire ānexed with Chriſt of all the goodnes of god ye erneſt where of y… ye ſprite of god poured i to our hertes. Of which thiges ye deades are witteneſſes & certifie oure cōſciēces yt our faith ys vnfained & yt the right ſprite of god is i vsus. For if I paciētly ſuffer adverſite & tribulatiō for cōſciēce of god only y• ys to ſay / by cauſe I knowe god & teſtifie y• treuth. Thā am I ſure yt god hath choſen me in Chriſt and for Chriſtes ſake / and hath put in me hys ſpryte / as an erneſte of hys promyſes / whoſe workyng I feale in mine hert / the deades beringe wittenes vntounto thei ſame. Now is it Chriſtes bloud only that deſerved all the promiſes of God ād that which / I ſoffre & do is partly y• curinge healinge and mortyfienge of my mēbres & killinge of that originall poiſon / where with I was cōceaved & borne / yt I might be altogedre lyke Chriſt / & partly ye doinge of my durye to my neighboure / whos detter I am of all yt I have receavid of God / to drawe hī to Chriſt with all ſuffringe / with all paciēs & evē with ſhedīge my bloud for hī / not as an offeringe or merite for his ſinnes / but as an enſample to prouoke hym. Chriſtes bloude ōly putteth awaye all the ſinne yt ever was / is or ſhalbe from them that are electe and repent belevinge the Goſpell that is to ſaye gods promiſes in Chriſte.
AGayn in the ſame .v. chaprer love youre enemyes / bleſſe thē yt curſſe you do wel to thē yt hate you & perſecute you / yt ye may be ye ſonnes of your father which is in hevin. For▪ he maketh his ſonne ſhyne apō evyll & on good / & ſendeth hys rayne apon Juſt & vniuſt. Not yt our workes make vsus ye ſonnes of God / but teſtifie only & certifie our cōſciēces yt we are ye ſonnes of God & that God hath choſen vsus & weſhed vsus in Chriſtes bloude / ād hath putt his ſpryte in vsus. And it foloweth / if ye love thē that love you / what reward have ye? doo not ye publicanes evē ye ſame? & if ye ſhall have favure to your frēdes only what ſynguler thinge do ye? do not y• publicanes even the ſame? ye ſhalbe perfect therfore as your father which ys in hevē is perfect. That ys to ſay if yt ye do no thinge but that ye world doth / and they which have the ſpirite of ye worlde / wherebye ſhall ye knowe y• ye are the ſonnes of God & beloved of God / more than the world? But & if ye counterfette and folowe God in well doinge thē no doute it ys a ſygne yt the ſpyrite of God ys in you & alſo the favoure of God / which ys not in the worlde & that ye are enheretours of all the promyſes of God / & elect vntounto ye felowſhippe of ye bloude of Chriſt.
ITem Math. vi. Take hede to your Almes / that ye do it not in ye ſight of mē to the entēt yt ye wold be ſene of thē / or els have ye no rewarde with your father which is in heven. Nether cauſe a trompet to be blowē a fore the when thou doeſt thine Almes / as ye ypocrytes doe yn the ſynagoges & in the ſtretes to be gloryfyed of the worlde. but when thou doiſt thine Almes let not thy lyft hand knowe what thy right hōd doth / that thy Almes may be in ſecret / ād thy ſather which ſeith in ſecret ſhall rewarde the opēly. Thys putteth vsus in remembraunce of our dutye / and ſheweth what foloweth good workes / not that workes deſerve it / but that the reward is leyd vp fo… vsus in ſtore / and we ther vntounto elect thorowe Chriſtes bloude / which the workes teſtyfye. For if we be worldly mynded and doe our workes as the world doth / howe ſhall we knowe that god hath choſen vsus oute of the worlde? But and if we worke frely / wyth out all maner worldly reſpect / to ſhewe mercye / & to doe our dutie to our neighboure / & to be vntounto hī as God is to vsus / thē are we ſure that the favour & merciemercy of God is apō vsus and that we ſhall enioy all the good promiſes of God thorow Chriſt which hath made vsus heyres therof