The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, Parable · Part 33
AS pertaninge to that whiche Iames in thys. iii. Chapter. fayeth. What a vayleth thoughe a man say that he hath fayth, if he hauehave no deades? can fayth saue him? & agayne. Fayth without deades is dead in it selfe. And the deuils beleue and tremble. And as the body without the spirite is deade, euen so fayth without deades is deade. It is manifeste & cleare that he meaneth not of that fayth wher of Peter & Paul speke in their epistles, Ihō in his Gospel and fyrst Epistle, & Christ in the Gospel when he sayth, thy faithe hath made the safe, be it to the accordyng to thy fayth, or great is thy faith &c and of which Iames himselfe speaketh .i. Cha. saying. Of hys owne wyl begat he vsus wyth ye word of life, yt is in beleuing ye promises wherIn beleueyng the worde are we made ye sō nes of God. in is lyfe, at we made the sōnes of God.
Whych thinge I also thys wise proue. Paule sayeth, howe shall or can they beleue wyth out apreacher? Now I praye you when was it hearde that God sent any man to preach vntounto ye diuyls, or that he made thē any good promes? He threat neth them oft, but neuer sent embassadours to preach any atonement betewene hym and them. Take an ensample that thou mayst vnderstand. Let there be two pore men both destitude of raymente in aExample of ye beleueynge of Deuels. winter, the one stronge that he fealeth no grefe the other greuously, mornynge for payne of the colde. I then come by and moued wyth pitye and compassyon saye vntounto hym that fealeth hys dysease, come to suche a place and I will gyue the raymente sufficyente. He beleueth, cometh, and obtayneth that whyche I hauehave promysed. That other seeth al this and knoweth it, but is partaker of naught. For he hath no faith, and yt is because ther is no promise made him. So is it of the deuils The deuils hauehave no fayth. For fayeth is but ernest beleuinge of Gods promises. Now are ther no promises made vntounto ye diuyls, but …ore thretninges. The old Phi losophers knewe that ther was one God but yet had no faith, for thei had no pow er to seke his wyl nether to worship him The turkes and the saresons know that hauehave no power to worship God in spirit to seke his pleasure, & to submit thē vntounto his wyl. Thei made an Idoll of God (as we do for ye most part) & worshipped him eueryevery mā after his own imaginaciō & for a sundry purpose. What we wyll hauehave done, that must God do, and to do oure wyll worshippe we hym and praye vntounto hym: but what God wyll hauehave done that wyll nother turke nor saresonne nor the muste parte of vsus do. What so euer wee ymagin ryghtuous, that must God admytte. But Goddes ryghtuousnes, wyll not our herte admytte. Take an other enAn other exem ple. sample Let ther be to such as I speake of before and I promise both, and the one because he fealeth not his disease cometh not. So is it of Goddes promyses. No man is holpe by them but synners that feale ther synnes, morne and sorowe forIohn Baptist shewe… ye people theyr dise… ses by the lawe and then sent them to Christe to be healed, them and r…pente with at there herte For Iohn Baptiste wente before Christ and preached repentaunce, that is, he preached the lawe of God right, and brought the people in to knowledge of them selues, and vntounto the fear of God, and then sente them vntounto Christe to be healed. For in Christe and for hys sake only hath God promised to receyue, vsus vntounto mercye, to forgyne vsus and to giuegive vsus power to resiste sinne▪ How shal God saue the, when thou knowest not thie damnacion? How shall Christe deliuer the from synne, whē thou wylt not knowledge thy synne? Now I pray the how many thowsādes ar there of them that saye I beleue that Christ was borne of a virgin, that he dyed, that he rose agayne and so furth, and thou canste not brynge thē in belefe, that they hauehave any synne at all? Howe many are there of the same sorte whyche thou canst not make beleue that a thousande thinges are sinne whyche God damneth for sinne all the scripture thorowe out? As to bye as good chepe as he can, and toSinnes forbo den. sell as deare as he can, to rayse the market of corne & vitaile, for his owne vaūntage, withoute respecte of hys ueyboure or of the poore or of the commune wealth and such lyke. Moreouer how mani hun drede thousandes are there whiche when they hauehave synned, and knowledge there sinnes: yet truste in a bald ceremonye or in a lowsie freris cocte and merites or in the praiers of thē that deuoure widowes howses and eate the poore out of howse and herboure, in a thynge of his owne ymaginacion, in a folish dream and a false vision, and not in Christes bloude and inHowe they yt are disobediē … vntounto the ryghtuousnes of ye lawe and the truth of God▪ are faythlesse. the trueth yt God hath sworne? All these are faith…lesse, for thei folowe ther owne ryghtuousnes and are disobediente vntounto all maner ryghtousnes of God: boeth vn to the ryghtuousnes of gods lawe where with he dāneth al our dedes for thoughe some of them se ther sinnes for feare of payne, yet had thei leuer that such deades were no synne (and also vntounto the rightuousnes of the trueth of God in his promyses where by he sayeth all that repent and beleue them. For though they beleue that Christe dyde, yet beleue the not that he dyed for threir sinnes & that hys death is a suffciēte satisfacion for there sinnes and that God for his sake wilbe a father vntounto them and geue them powere to resiste sinne.
Paule sayth (to the Romains in the. x. Chapter.) if thou cōfesse with thi mouth that Iesus is the lorde and beleue wythe thyne herte that god raised him vp from death, thou shalt be safe
That is if thou beleue yt he reysed hymGod raysed Christ for our sauation. vp againe for thy saluacion. Many beleue that God is rich and almyghtye, but not vntounto them selues and that he welbe good to them and defende them and be their God. Phara… for payne of ye plage was compelled to confesse his sinnes, but hadde yet no powere to submytte hym selfe vntounto the wyll of God and to lette the chylder of Israell go and to loose so greate porfet for Gods pleasur. As oure prelates confesse there sinnes sayenge: though we be neuer so euill, yet hauehave we the power.
And agayne, the scribes and the pharises, say they, sate in Moises seate, do as they teach but not as they do. Thus confesse they that they are abhomynnable. But to the secōde I answere, if they sate on Christes seate they woulde preachr Christes doctryne, now preach they their owne tradicions and therfore not to be hearde If they preached Christ we ought to here them thought they were neuer, soThe preachars or the true gos pell ought to be herd though they lyue naughtyly. abhominable, as thei of them selues confesse and hauehave yet no power to a mende nether to let lowese Christes flocke to serue God in the spirite whiche they hold captiue compellinge them to serue theyre false lyes. The diuils fealte the power of Christe and were compelled against th…ir wylles to confesse that he was the sonne of God, but had no power to be contente therewith nether to consente vntounto the or dinaunce and eternall cowncell of the euerlasting God, as oure prelates feale the power of God against them but yet hauehave no grace to geue rowme vntounto Christe, because that they (as the diuils nature is) wyll them selues sitte in his only temple, that is to wete, the consciences of men. ¶Simō magꝰ beleued, Actes. viii. with such a faith as the diuils cōfessed Christ,Simon Magus. but had no righte fayth, as thou seyst in the sayd Chapter. For he repented not consentinge vntounto the lawe of God. Nether beleued the promyses or longed for them, but wondred only at the myracles whiche Philippe wroughte and because that he hym selfe, in Philippes presence, had no power to vse his wychcrafte, sorcery and art magike, where with he mocked and deluded the wytes of the people: he woulde hauehave bought the gyft of God to hauehave sold it muche dearer, as hys successiours now do and not ye succestoures of. Simon Peter.
For were they. Simon, Peters successours,Our spiritual tie are the successors of Simon not Peter. they woulde pre…che Christ as hedyd, but they are. Symon magusses successiours, of whyche Simon Peter well prophesied in the seconde Chapter of his seconde Epistle sainge, there were fals prophettes amonge the people (meaninge of the. Ieues) euen as there shalbe false teachers or doctours a monge you which priuely shall brynge in sectes damnable. Sectes is partetakyng as one holdeth of frauces a nother of domynyck whiche thinge also Paule rebuketh. i. Corinthi. i▪ and▪ iii. Euen denienge the Lorde that bought them, for they wyll not be saued by Christe nether suffer any mā to preach him to other. And mani shal folowe their damnable wayes. Thou wylt saye shall God suffer so mani to go out of the right wayes so longe? I answere many muste folowe their damnble wayes or else must Peter be a false prophete, by whiche the waye of trueth shalbe euyl spoken of, as it is nowe at this presente tyme. For it is heresye to preache ye trueth and thorowe couetuousnes shal thei wt fayned wordes make merchaundyse of you, of theyr merchaundyse and couetuousnes it neadeth not to make rehersall, for they that be blinde se it euidently.
Thus seest thou that Iames when heWhat fayth Iames speaketh. sayeth, fayth withoute deades is deade, and as the body wyth oute the spiryte is deade, so is fayth without deades, and the deuyls beleue: that he meaneth not of the fayth and truste that wee hauehave in the treueth of Gods promises and in his holy testamente made vntounto vsus in Christes bloude, whyche fayth foloweth repenttaunce and the consente of the herte, vntounto the lawe of God, and maketh a man safe, and setteth him at peace with God.
…ut speaketh of that false opinion and ymagynacyon where wyth some saye, I beleue that Christe was borne of a virgine, and that he dyed and so furth. That beleue they veryly, and so strongely that thei are readye to sley whosoeuer would saye the contraye.
But they beleue not that Christe dyed for theire sinnes, and that his death hath pleased the wrath of God and hath obtayned for them all that God hath promysed in the scriptuer. For how can they beleue that Christ died for theyre sinnes and that he is theyre only and sufficiente sauioure, seynge that they seke othre sauiours of ther owne ymaginacion and seynge that they feale not theyre synnes neyther repente, excepte that some repēte as I aboue sayd) for feare of payne▪ but for no louelove nor consente vntounto the lawe of God nor lōging that they hauehave for those good promises whiche he hath made thē in Christes bloude.
Yf thei repented and loued the lawe of God and longed for that helpe whyche God hath promysed to gyue to all that call on him for Christes sake, then v…tily muste Goddes tryeth gyue them powere to do good workes when so euer occasion were giuen, either must God be a fals God. But let God be true and eueryevery mā a lyer as scripture sayeth. For the trueth of God lasteth euer, to whom only be all honor and glory for euer
Amen.
¶ A short rehearsall or sūme of this present treatyse of iustification by fayth
Fayth the mother of all good workes iustifieth vsus, before we can brynge forth any good work: as the husbond marieth hys wyfe before he can hauehave any lawful chyldren by her. Forther more the husbonde maryeth not hys wyfe, that she shoulde continue vnfrutefull as before, and as she was in the state of virginitie (wherein it was impossyble for hyre to beare frute) but contrary wyse to make her frutefull: euen so fayth iustifieth vsus not, that is to saye, maryeth vsus not to God, that we shoulde contynue vnfruteful as before, but that he shoulde put the sede of his holy spirite in vsus (as Saynte Iohn in hys fyrst epistle caleth it) and to make vsus frutefull.
For Paule sayth Ephesi. ii. By grace are ye made safe thorowe fayth, and that not of your selues: for it is the gift of God and commeth not of the workes, lest any man shoulde boast him selfe. For we are his workeman shippe created in Christ Iesu vntounto good workes, which God hath ordeyned that we shoulde walke in them (…)
BE not offēded most dere Reader that diuers thynges are ouersene thorowe neglygence in thys litle treatise. For verely the chaunce was such, that I maruayle yt it is so wel as it is Moreouer it becometh the boke e u…n so to come as a morner and in vyle apparayle to wayte on h…s master which sheweth him selfe nowe agayne not in honoure and glory, as betwene Moses and H…ly as: but in rebuke and shame as betwene two mortherars, to trye hys true frendes and to proue whether there by any fayth on the erth.
End of the text · William Tyndale, The Parable of the Wicked Mammon (1547)