The Parable of the Wicked Mammon, Parable · Part 5
WHat shal we say then to those criptures whyche go so fore vponupon good workes? As wee rede Math, xxv. I was as hū gred and ye gaue me meat. &c.
And suche lyke. Whyche all sounde as though we shoulde be iustified and accep ted vntounto the fauoure of God in Christe thorowe good workes. Thys wyse answere I. Many ther are whych when they heare or rede of fayth, at once they cōsēt ther vntounto and hauehave a certayne ymaginacion or opinion of the faith, as when aman telleth a storye or a thynge done in a straūge lande, that pertayneth not to thē at all. Whiche yet they beleue and tell as a true thinge. And thys ymaginacyon or opinion they call fayth. They thinke no farther then that fayth is a thyng which standeth in their owne power to hauehave, as do other naturall workes, whyche men worke: but they fele no maner workynge of that spirit, neyther the terrible sentēce of the lawe, the fearfull iudgementes of God, the horrible damnacion and captiuite vnderunder Satan. Therfore as sone as they hauehave this opinion or imaginacion in their hertes: that sayth: verely thys doctryne semeth true, I beleue it is euen so.
Then they thynke that the right fayth is ther. But afterwarde when they fele in them selues, and also se in other that ther is none alteracion, and that the workes folowe not but that they are altogether euen as before, and abide in thir olde estate: then thynke they that fayth is not sufficient, but that it muste be some greater thyng, then fayth that shoulde iustifie a man. So fall they away from fayth againe, and crye sainge faith only iustifyeth not a man, and maketh hym acceptable to God. If thou aske them wherfore Thei answere, se how many ther ar that beleue and yet do nomore then they dyd befor. These ar they which Iudas in his epystle caleth dreamers which deceiue thē selfes with their own fātasies For what other thinge is their imaginacion whiche thei cal faith, then a dreamyng of ye faith and an opiniō of their owne imaginacion wrought wout the grace of God? These must nedes be worse at the later ende thē Olde vesselle… that … is put … Mat…at the beginning. These ar ye old vessels, yt rente when newe wyne is powred into them, that is, they heare Gods worde but hold it not, and therfor waxe worse then they wer before. But the right faith sprin geth not of mās fātasy, nother is it in any mans power to obtayne it, but is altogether the pure gift of god poured in to vsus fr…lye with out all maner doynge of vsus▪ without deseruinge and merites, yee and without seekinge for of vsus. And it is (as Paule saith. ii. Eph.) euen gods gift and grace purchased thorow Christ Thet for is it mighty in operation, full of vertue and euer workynge, whiche also renueth a man and begetteth him agayn, altereth hym, altogether in to a newe nature and conuersaciō so that a man feleth his hert altogether altered and chaunged and fare otherwyse desposed thē before, and hath power to louelove that which before he could not but hate, and delyteth in that whiche before he coulde not louelove. And it setteth the soule at libertie, and maketh hyr free to folowe the will of God, and is to the soule euen-as healthe is vntounto the bodye, of a man that is pyned and waysted awaye with a longe sokinge disease. The legges can not beare hym, he can not lyft vp his handes to helpe hymself, his tayst is corrupt, suger is bitter in his mouth, his stomake abhoreth, longinge after sibbersruse at the whyche a whole stomake is ready to cast hys gorge. When health commeth, she chaungeth and altereth him cleane, geueth him strength in all his mem bers and luste to do of hys owne accorde that whiche before the coulde not do, nether could not sustre that any man exhorted him to do, and hath now lust in whol som thynges, and his mēbres are fre and at libertye, and hauehave power to do of their owne accorde all thinges whiche belonge to an whole man to do, whiche afore th… had no power to do, but were in captiuitie and bondage. So lykewise in al thing doth right fayth to the soule.
The sprite of God a cōpanieth faith, and bringeth with her lyght, where with a man be holdeth hym felfe in the law of God, and seyth hys myserable hondage and captiuitie, and humbleth hymselfe, and abhorreth himself: she bringeth gods promyses of all good thynges in Christe, God worketh with his worde, and in his worde, And whan his word is preached, fayth worketh her selfe in ye hertes of the electe: and as fayth entreth and the word of God is beleued, the power of God loseth the hert from the captiuitie and bon dage vnderunder synne, and knitte…h and coup leth him to God and to the wyll of God, altereth hym aud chaungeth hym cleane, fassioneth and forgeth him a n…w, geueth hym power to louelove and to do that which before was vnpossyble for hym ether to louelove or do, and turnneth hym in to a new nature: so that he loueth that whiche he before hated, and hateth that whyche he before loued, and is cleane altered and chaunged and contrary disposed, and is knyt and coupled fast to Gods wyll, and naturally bringeth furth good workes, that is to saye, that which God commaū deth to do and not▪ thynges of his owne ymagination. And yt doth he of his owne accorde as a tre bryngeth forth frute of hyr accorde. And as thou neadest not to byd a tre to hrynge forth frute, so is ther no lawe put vntounto hym that beleueth and is iustified thorow faith, (as saith Paul in the fyrste epistle to Timothe the fyrste Chapter.) Neither is it nedfull. For the lawe of God is writen and grauen in his herte, and his pleasure is therin. And as without cōmaundemēt and of his owne nature, he eateth, drynketh, setteth, heareth, talketh, and goethe: euen so of his owne nature, with out coaccion or com pulsiō of ye lawe, bryngeth he forth good workes. And as an whole man when he is a thurste, taryeth but for drinke, and whan he hungreth abydeh but for meate, and then drinketh and eateth naturally: euen so is the faythfull euer a thrust and an hongred after the wyll of God, and tarieth but for occasion. And whan soeuer an occasion is geuen, he worketh na turally the wyl of God. For this blessing is geuē to all them that trust in Christes bloude, that they thyrst and honger to do Gods wyll He that hath not this fayth, is but an vnprofytable babler of fayeth and workes, and woteth nether what he bableth, nor what he meaneth or where vntounto his wordes pertayne. For be seleth not the power of faith nor the workynge of the spirite in his herte, but interpreteth the scriptures which speake of faith and workes, after hys owne blynde …a…one and folish …āta…ies and not of any feling that he hath in his herte: as a man r…h…rseth a tale of an other mans mouth and woteth not▪ whether it bee so or not as he saith, nor hath any experiēce of ye thynge it selfe. Now doth the scrip ure asscribe both faith and workes not to vsus, but to God only, to whome they belonge only, and to whom they are appropriat, who…e gyfte they are and the proper wor…ke of hys spirite. Is it not a fr…war… and peruerse blyndnes? thei teath how a man can do nothynge of hys owne selfe, & yet presumptuously take vponupon them the gre atest & hyest worke of God, euen to make fayth in thē selues of their owne power and of their own false imagina…y on and thoughtes. Therfore I say, we must …ispayre of oure selfes, and praye God (as Christes Apostels dyd) do geue vsus fayth, and to encrease our fayth. Whē we hauehave that, wee nede none other thynge more.
For she bryngeth the spirite with her, and he, not only teacheth vsus all thynges, but worketh thē also myghtily in vsus and carieth vsus thorow aduer…ite, perse cutiō, death and hel, vntounto heauen & euer lastyng lyfe.