Faith Justifies Us Before We Can Bring Forth any Good Work, Treatise · Part 23 – Part 24
MAry hath choſen a good parte which ſhall not be taken from her. Lucc. x. She was fyrſt choſen of God & called by grace / both to knowe hyr ſinne / & alſo to heare the worde of faith health & gladtidinges of merci in Chriſt & faith was gyvē hyr to beleve & y• ſprite of God looſed hyr hert from the boundage of ſinne. Then conſented ſhe to the wyll of God agayne / and above all thinges had delectacyon to heare yt worde wherin ſhe had obtayned everlaſting health / & namely of his mouth which had purchaſed ſo grete mercy for hyr God choſeth vsus fyrſt ād loved vsus fyrſt & opineth our eyes to ſe hys eyceading abundaunt love to vsus in Chriſte / & then love we agayne & accepte hys wyll above all thinges / and ſerve hī in that offyce where vntounto he hath choſen vsus.
Selle that ye have ād gyve almes. And make you bagges which wax not old / & treaſure which faileth not / in heven Lu. xij. This & ſoch lyke are not ſpokē that we ſhuld work as hyrelinges in reſpecte of rewarde / & as though we ſhuld obtayne heven with merite. For he ſayth a litle afore / feare not litle flocke for it ys your fathers playſure to gyve you a kingdome. The kingdome cometh then of the good wyll of Almyghty God thorove Chriſt. And ſoch thinges are ſpoken partlie to put vsus in remēbrance of our dutye to be kinde agayne. As is that ſayēge lat your lyght ſo ſhine before mē that they ſe your good workes and gloryefye your father which is in heven. As who ſhuld ſeye / if God hath gevē you ſo great gyftes ſe ye be not vnthankfull / but beſtowe thē vntounto hys prayſe. Some thinges ar ſpoken to move vsus to put our truſt in God / as ar thes. Behold y• lyllyes of the feld. Behold the briddes of y• heyre. If your childerne aſke you bred wyll ye profer them a ſtoon? and many ſoch lyke. Some ar ſpoken to put vsus in remembraunce to be ſober / to wache ād pray / & to prepare our ſelfes agaynſt tēptatyons / & that we ſhuld vnderſtonde & knowe / how that tētacions & occaſyon of evell come then moſt / whē they are leſt loked for: leſt we ſhuld be careleſſe ād ſure of ourſelves / neclygent / & vnprepared. Some thinges ar ſpokē / that we ſhuld feare the wō derfull and incomprehenſible iudgementes of God leſt we ſhuld preſume. Some to confort vsus that we deſpayre not. And for lyke cauſes ar all the enſamples of ye old teſtamēt. In cō cluſion the ſcripture ſpeaketh many thīges as the world ſpeaketh. But they may not be worldly vnderſtōde / but gooſtlye & ſpirituallie / yee the ſpryte of God only vnderſtondeth thē / and where he is not there is not ye vnderſtondinge of the ſcripture. But vnfrutefull diſputynge & braulinge abowt wordes.
The ſcripture ſayeth / God ſeeth / God hereth God ſmelleth / God walketh / God is with thē God is not with thē / God is angrye / God is pleaſed / God ſendeth hys ſpirite / God taketh his ſprite away / & a thouſand ſoch lyke. And yet is non of thē true after ye worldly maner & as the wordes ſounde. Rede the ſeconde Chapter of Paule to the Corinthians / the naturall man vnderſtondeth not the thinges of God / but ye ſprite of god only and we (ſayeth he) have receaved the ſprite which is of God / to vnderſtonde ye thinges which ar gevē vsus of god. For without the ſprite it is īpoſſible to vnderſtonde thē. Rede alſo the .viij. to the Romayns They that are leed with the ſprite of God / are the ſonnes of God. Now the ſonne knoweth his fathers will & the ſervāt not he that hath not the ſprite of Chriſte (ſayeth Paule) is none of his. Likewiſe he that hath not the ſprite of God is none of Gods / for it is bothe one ſprite / as thou mayſt ſe in the ſame place.
Now he that is of God / hereth the worde of God Jo. viij. and who is of God but he that hath the ſprite of God. Forther more / ſayeth he ye heare it not / becauſe ye ar not of God / that is / ye have no luſt in the worde of God / for ye vnderſtōd it not / ād that becauſe his ſprite is not in you.
For as moch then as the ſcripture is no thige els but that which ye ſprite of God hath ſpokē bithe Prophetes & Apoſtles / ād can not be vnderſtāde but of the ſame ſprite: Let every mā pray to God to ſend hym his ſprite to looſe vsus frō our naturall blindnes ād ignorāce / and to geve vsus vnderſtonding ād fealinge of y• thinges of God and of the ſpeakinge of the ſprite of God. And marke this proceſſe. Firſt we ar dā ned of nature / ſo cōceaved & borne / as a ſerpēt is a ſerpēt / ād a tode a tode ād a ſnake a ſnake bi nature. And as thou ſeyſt a yōg chyld / which hath playſure in many thinges where in is preſent deeth / as io fire / water ād ſo forth / wold ſlee hym ſelfe with a thowſande dethes / if he were not wayted apon ād kept therfro. Evē ſo we / if we ſhuld lyve this thouſande yeres could in all that time delite in no other thinge nor yet ſeke any other thing / but that where in is deeth of the ſoule.
Secūdarily of the hole multitude of the nature of mā / whō God hath electe ād choſen ād to whō he hath apointed mercy & grace in Chriſt / to thē ſendeth he his ſprite / which openeth ther eyes / ſhoweth thē ther miſerye / & brīgeth thē vntounto the knowleage of them ſelves / ſo that they hate ād abhorre thē ſelves / are a ſtonyed ād amaſed ād at ther wittes ēdes / nether wott what to do or where to ſeke helth. Thē leſt they ſhuld flee frō God bi deſperacion / he cōforteth thē agayne with his ſwete promiſes in Chriſte ād certifyeth there hertes that for Chriſtes ſake they ar receaved to mercye ād ther ſinnes forgeven ād they electe & made the ſonnes of god ād heyres with Chriſte of eternall life: ād this thorowe fayth ar they ſet at peace with God.
Now maye not we axe why god choſeth one & not ā other / other thinke that God is vniuſt to damme vsus afore we do any actuall deade / ſeing that God hath power over all his creatures of right / to do with them what he lyſt or to make of every one of them as he liſteth. Oure darknes cānot perceave his light. God wilbe fered and not have his ſecret iudgemē tes knowen. More over we bi the light of faith ſe a thouſande thinges which are impoſſible to an infidle to ſe. So like wiſe no doute in the light of the clear viſiō of God we ſhall ſe thī ges which now God wyll not have knowen. For payde ever accompanyeth hye knowleage but grace accōpanyeth mekenes. Let vsus therfore gyve dylygence rather to do the wyll of God / then to ſearch hys ſecrettes which ar not profytable for vsus to knowe.
When we ar thus reconſyled to God / made the frendes of God and heyres of eternall lyfe / the ſprite that God hath powred in to vsus teſtyfyeth that we may not lyve after our olde deades of ignorance. For how is it poſſyble / that we ſhulde repente and abhorre them / and yet have luſt to lyve in them. We ar ſure therfore that God hath created and made vsus newe in Chriſt / and put hys ſpryte in vsus that we ſhuld lyve a newe lyfe / which ys the lyfe of good workes.
That thou maiſt knowe what are good workes / or what workes are good & the ende & entēte of good workes / or wherfore good workes ſerve / marke this that foloveth.
The lyfe of a Chriſten man ys inwarde betwene hym and God / and properly ys the conſente of the ſprite to the wyll of God / and to the honour of god. And godes honour ys the fynall ende of all good workes.
Good workes ar all thīges yt are done wyth in the lawes of God / in which God is honoured & for which thākes are gevē to God.
Faſtīge ys to abſteine from ſurfetīge or over moch eatīge / frō drōkenes & care of the worlde (as thou maiſt reede Lu. xxj.) & the ende of faſting is to …ame the bodie / that the ſprite may have a free courſe to God / & may quyetly talke wyth God. For over moch eatinge and drinkinge and care of worldly buſines preſſe downe the ſprite / choeke hyr and tāgle hyr that ſhe can not lyft vp hyr ſelfe to God. Now he that faſteth for any other entenre than to ſubdue the bodye / that the ſprite may wayre on God / and frely exercice hyr ſelf in the thinges of God: the ſame ys blinde & worteth nor whit he doth / erreth and ſhoteth at a wronge marke / and hys entente and vinagynacyō ys abho mynable in the ſyght of God. When thou faſteſt from mea… and druikeſt all day / is that a Chriſten faſt▪ eyther to eate at one meale that were ſufficiēt for foure. A mā at foure tymes maye beare that he can not at ones. Some faſt from meate and drinke / and yet ſo tangle thē ſelves in worldly buſynes that they can not ones thinke on God. Some abſtayne from butter / ſome from egges / ſome from all māner whitte meate / ſome this day / ſome that day / ſome in the honour of this ſaynt / ſome of that / ād every man for a ſondry purpoſe. Some for the toth ache / ſome for the hed ache / for fevers / peſtelence / for ſodē death / for hanginge / drounding / ād to be delyverde frō the paynes of hell. Some are ſo mad that the faſt one of the thurſdayes betwene the two ſaynt marye dayes in the worſhip of that ſaynt whos day ys halowed betwene criſtenmas and candelmas / ād that to be delyverd from the peſtilence. All thoſe men faſt without conſciēce of God / and without knowleage of the true entente of faſtinge / and do no other than honour ſayntes as the gentyles and heathen worſhiped / ther ydolles / and ar drowned in blyndnes and knowe not of the teſtament that God hath made to manwarde in Chriſtes bloude. In God have they nother hope nor confydence / nether beleve hys promyſes nether know hys wyll / but ar yet in captyvyte vnderunder they prince of darkenes.
Watche ys not only to abſteyne frō ſlepe / but alſo to be circūſpect & to caſt all perels: as a mā ſhuld watch a toure or a caſtell. we muſt remēbre yt the ſnares of y• devill ar infinite & innumerable / & that every momēt ariſe new tēptacions & that in all places mere vsus freſh occaſions. Againſt which we muſt prepare ourſelves / and turne to God / and complayne to hym / and make out mone / and deſyre hym of hys mercye to be our ſhylde / our toure / our caſtell and defence from alle vill / to put hys ſtrēgth in vsus (for wythout him we can do nought) and above all thinges we muſt call to mynde what promiſes God hath made / and what he hath ſworne yt he will doo to vsus for Chriſtes fake / ād with ſtronge fayth cleve vntounto thē / and deſyre him of hys mercye and for the love that he hath to Chriſte / and for hys truthes fake to fulfyll hys promyſes. If we thus cleve to God wyth ſtronge fayth / and beleve hys words: then (as ſayth Paule .j. Corint. x.) God ys faythfull / that he wyll not ſuffer vsus to be tēpted above that we ar able or a above our myght that ys to ſay / yf we cleve to hys promyſes & nor to our fantaſyes and ymagynacyons / he wyll put myght and power in to vsus / that ſhall be ſtrōger thē all the tēptacyon which he ſhall ſuffre to be agenſt vsus.