Faith Justifies Us Before We Can Bring Forth any Good Work, Treatise · Part 26
IT ſhalbe recōpēſed y• at y• riſinge againe of y• rightewes Lu. xiiij. Rede y• texte before & thou ſhalt perceave yt Chriſt doeth here yt ſame yt he doeth Mathe. v. yt ys he putteth vsus ī remēbraūce of our dutie / yt we be to ye pore as Chriſt is to vsus / & alſo teacheth vsus how y• we can never knowe wether our love be right / and whether it ſpringe of Chriſt or no as lōge as we are but kīde to thē only which doe as moch for vsus againe. But & we bemercifull to y• pore / for coſciēce to God and of compaſſion & hertily love / which cōpaſſion & love ſpringe of y• love we have to God in Chriſt for y• p…e mercy ād love yt he hath ſhowed on vsus: then have we a ſure tokē / that we are be loved of God & waſchen in Chriſtes bloude & electe by Chriſtes deſervīge vntounto eternall life.
The ſcripture ſpeaketh as a father doeth to his younge ſonne / do this or yt & thē will I love y• / yet the father loveth his ſonne firſt & ſtudieth with all his power and witte to overcome his childe with love & with kīdnes to make him do yt which is comly honeſte & good for it ſelfe / A kinde father & mother love ther chylder evē whē they are evyll / yt they wolde ſhede there own bloude to make thē better / ād to bringe thē in to ye right waye. And a naturall childe ſtudieth not to obtayne his fathers love with workes / but conſidereth with what love his father loveth hī with all / & therfore loveth agayne / is glad to do his fathers will ād ſtudieth to beth ankefull.
The ſprite of the worlde vnderſtondeth not y• ſpeakinge of God / nether y• ſprite of the wiſe of this worlde / nether y• ſprite of Philophers nether y• ſprite of Soerates / of Plato or of Ariſtoles Ethikes / as thou maiſt ſe in ye fyrſt & ſeconde chapter of the firſt to the Corint. Thoughe yt many are not aſhamed to rayle ād blaſpheme ſainge / how ſhuld he vnderſtonde the ſcripture ſeinge he is no philoſopher nether hath ſene his metaphiſike? More over they blaſpheme ſaienge how cā he be a devine & wotteth not what is ſubiectū ī theologia? Never y• leſſe as a mā with oute y• ſprite of Ariſtotell or philoſophie / may by the ſprite of God vnderſtonde ſcripture: Evē ſo by the ſprite of God vnderſtondeth he yt God is to be ſought in all the ſcripture / and in all thinges & yet wotteth not what meaneth Subiectū in theologia / becauſe it is a terme of ther own makinge. If thou ſhuldeſt ſaie to him that hath ye ſprite of God / the love of God is the kepinge of ye cōmaundementes / & to love a mans neyboure is to ſhowe merciemercy / he wold with oute arguinge or diſputinge vnderſtonde / how that of the love of God ſpringeth y• kepīge of his cōmaundemētes & of the love to thy neiboure ſpringeth merciemercy. Now wold ariſtotell denie ſoch ſpeakinge / & a Duns man wold make .xx. diſtintiōs. If thou ſhuldeſt ſay (as ſayeth ſaīte John in the fourth of his piſtle) how cā he yt loveth not his neyboure whom he ſeith love God whom he ſeyth not? Ariſtotell wold ſaye loo a man muſt firſt love his neyboure ād thē God and out of the love to thi neyboure ſpringeth the love to God. But he yt fealeth the workinge of the ſprite of God / and alſo frō what ve…igeaunce the bloude of Chriſt hath delyverid him / vnderſtondeth how that it is impoſſible to love other father or mother / ſyſter / brother / neiboure / or his own ſylfe a right / except it ſpringe out of the love to God / and perceaveth that the love to a mans neyboure is a ſigne of y• love to God / as good frute declareth a good tree / and that the love to a mans neyboure accompanieth and foloweth the love of God as heete accompanieth and foloweth fyre.
Lyke wyſe when the ſcripture ſayeth. Chriſt ſhall rewarde every mā at y• reſurrectiō or vpriſinge againe accordīge to his deades / y• ſprite of Ariſtotles ethikes wold ſaye / loo with the multitude of good workes mayſt thou / & muſt thou obtayne everlaſtinge life / & alſo a place in hevē hye or lowe accordīge as thou haſt many or few good workes / & yet wotteth not what a good worke meaneth as Chriſt ſpeaketh of good workes / as he yt ſeyth not ye hert / but outewarde thinges only. But he that hath gods ſprite ūderſtōdeth it. he fealeth yt good workes ar no thinge but frutes of love / cōpaſſiō / mercyfulnes / & of a tēdernes of herte which a Chriſtē hath to his neiboure / & yt love ſprīgeth of yt love which he hath to God / to his will & cō maundemētes / & vnderſtōdeth alſo yt the love which mā hath to God ſpringeth of y• infinite love & botomeleſſe mercy which God in Chriſte ſhewed firſt to vsus / as ſayth John in y• piſtle and Chap. above reherſed. In this (ſaieth he) appered y• love of God to vsus warde / bicauſe y• god ſent his only begotē ſonne in to y• worlde yt we might live thorowe hym. here ī is love / not yt we loved god / but yt he loved vsus / & ſent…e his ſonne to make a gremēte for oure ſinnes. In cō cluſiō a Chriſtē mā fealeth that yt ūſpeakeable love & mercy which God hath to vsus / & yt ſprite which worketh all thinges yt are wroght accordinge to y• will of god / & that love where with we love god / and yt love which we have to oure neiboure / ād yt mercy ād cōpaſſion which we ſhowe on hī / & alſo yt eternall life which is laid vp ī ſtoere for vsus in Chriſt are all togeder y• gift of God thorowe Chriſtes purchaſinge.
Iff y• ſcripture ſaid alwaies Chriſt ſhall rewarde y• accordīge to thy faith / or accordīge to thy hope & truſte thou haſt in god / or accordinge to y• love thou haſt to god & thy neiboure ſo were it true alſo as thou ſeiſt. …. Pe. i. receavīge y• ende or rewarde of your fayth / ye helth or ſalvacion of your ſoules. But y• ſpirituall thinges coude not be knowē ſave by ther workes / as a tree can not be knowen / but by hyr frute. how coude I knowe yt I loved my neiboure / if never occaſiō were givē me to ſhowe mercy vn to hī? how ſhulde I knowe yt I loved god / if I never ſuffered for his ſake? how ſhulde I knowe yt god loved me / if ther were no infirmite / temptacion / perell ād Ieoperdye whence God ſhuld delyver me.