Common Places, Part 3 · Chapter 3 · Section 6
How Faith excelleth Charitie, and ſo likewiſe on the contrarie.
31 Now laſtly there remaineth to ſée, wherein faith is preferred before charitie; and againe, what is attributed vntounto charitie, rather than vntounto faith. Firſt vntounto faith, iuſtification is agréeable, the which we affirme ought not to be granted vntounto charitie: for while we liue here, Why faith iuſtifieth, and not charitie.charitie is alwaies vnperfect. Therefore we cannot, in reſpect of the iudgement of God, cleaue either vntounto charitie, or vntounto the good workes which procéed from the ſame, in reſpect of being iuſtified and abſolued by them. Further, in the epiſtles of Paule to the Romans, and to the Galathians, it is moſt plainly declared; that We be iuſtified by faith, and not by workes. The verie which thing the nature as well of faith, as of charitie, if it be well conſidered, dooth ſhew: for faith dooth further the mind of godlie men toward Chriſt, and toward the vnderſtanding and admitting of the promiſes made concerning him; which thing is manifeſt to be done by the aſſent of the mind: and while that we knowe or vnderſtand anie thing, the very ſame we receiue into our ſelues. But on the contrarie part, the office of charitie is, that it may prouoke and driue the will, to ſhew foorth in action, and expreſſe in ſight of the world, that which the mind hath receiued. And this herein conſiſteth, that thoſe things which we hauehave, we impart and communicate them with others. And ſéeing, to iuſtified, is to receiue righteouſneſſe by imputation; it may ſufficientlie appéere, that the ſame commeth rather by faith, than by charitie. Herevnto muſt be added that if we ſhould appoint charitie to be that, whereby righteouſnes is comprehended; it ought to be granted, that we, when we returne into fauour with God, are not enimies, (as the epiſtle to the Romans teacheth.) For charitie maketh the fréends of God, Rom. 5, 10.whom ſoeuer it adorneth; and None dooth louelove God, but he hath firſt beene belooued of him. Wherefore, faith in this is to be preferred before charitie, that we are by faith iuſtified. We may adde thoſe things, Charitie is ingendred of faith, not faith of charitie. Charitie followeth the meaſure of faith.which we recited before; namelie, that charitie is ingendred of faith: but on the other ſide, not faith of charitie. Beſides this, charitie followeth the meaſure of faith, and is eſtéemed to be the meaſure thereof. As Gregorie ſaid; that So much as we louelove, ſo much we beléeue.
32. Thoſe things which we hauehave now recited are more agréeable vntounto faith, than vntounto charitie: now let vsus ſée what things charitie dooth chalenge vntounto it aboue faith. Firſt, it indureth euen in the life to come; at which time faith ſhall hauehave no place. And that is it, that faith bringeth vsus no cléere knowlege, 1. Co. 13, 12.but an obſcure: for now we knowe darkelie, and in part; but the knowledge which we ſhall hauehave in the kingdome of heauen, ſhall be throughlie perfect. Wherefore faith ſhall giuegive place to a better ſtate: but charitie ſhall moſt of all appere in the world to come, as well towards God, as towards our neighbours. Thou wilt perhaps ſaie; And ſhall not charitie alſo be made perfect in the life to come? Which if it be granted, it ſhall continue no longer than faith. We anſwere, that here there is a difference; for ſéeing faith paſſeth into an open knowledge, When faith paſſeth into an open knowledge it changeth both his nature & kind. Charitie ſhall not hauehave in heauen all the works which it now hath. 1. Ioh. 3, 14.and into a reuealed ſight of the thing preſent; it changeth his kind and nature. Which thing happeneth not to charitie; for although the ſame become great and more vehement, yet it ſhall reteine ſtill the ſame ſubſtance: albeit euen the ſame ſhall not hauehave all the works which it now exerciſeth. There ſhall be none hungrie, to be fed; non thirſtie, to giuegive drinke vntounto; nor other like things in that eternall felicitie. Moreouer, it is attributed vntounto charitie, that (as Iohn writeth in his epiſtle) it giueth a teſtimonie of our iuſtification; We knowe (ſaith he) that if we louelove our brethren, we are tranſlated from death vntounto life. 1. Pet, 1, 10.And Peter ſéemeth to giuegive commandement, that We through good works ſhould make our calling certeine. 1. Co. 13, 13 How it is ment that charitie is greater than faith. Acts. 20, 35.And we muſt not omit that which Paule hath; to wit, that Charitie is greater than faith and hope. Which ſaieng we expound two waies; firſt, bicauſe the Lord ſaid, It is a more bleſſed thing to giuegive than to receiue. We ſhall now indéed euidentlie ſhew, that faith dooth exerciſe it ſelfe in receiuing, & charitie in giuing and beſtowing.
It is further expounded, that we are ſaid to hauehave two ſorts of righteouſnes; Two ſorts of righteouſnes.the one (I ſaie) being imputed vntounto vsus by God, by the which we are iuſtified in verie déed: and that (as it hath béene ſaid) we obteine not by works, but apprehend it by faith: and the other righteouſnes is that, which cleaueth vntounto vsus; and conſiſteth of faith, hope, and charitie, and all good works; the which (as we hauehave alreadie ſaid) doo neuer atteine vntounto the perfect obedience of the lawe, but doo onlie make a entrance into the ſame: the which is nothing elſe, but to obeie the commandements of God, with as earneſt an indeuour as we can. Wherefore I willinglie grant, that in this kind of righteouſneſſe, As touching righteouſnes cleauing and begun in vsus, charitie excelleth faith.charitie hath preeminence: bicauſe our exerciſing, notwithſtanding it be begun by faith, yet it ſtaieth not there; but goeth forward vntounto hope, vntounto charitie, and vntounto all other vertues and good works. Wherefore as in iuſtification before God, faith is the chéefe and principall: ſo in this righteouſnes that is begun, charitie is the better.
33 And if anie will demand, The affirming of two ſorts of righteouſnes is learned out of the holie ſcriptures. Rom. 5, 19.wherefore we appoint two ſorts of righteouſnes, as hath béene ſhewed before: we will anſwere, that the ſame we hauehave learned out of the holie ſcriptures. To the Rom. is ſaid; As by the diſobedience of one man, manie are made ſinners: ſo by the obedience of one, manie are made righteous. And in the ſame epiſtle the apoſtle ſaith; But to him that worketh not, but beleeueth in him that iuſtifieth the vngodlie, faith is counted for righteouſneſſe. And Paule almoſt throughout that whole chapter, ſpeaketh of this imputation of righteouſnes by faith. 1. Cor. 1, 30.And to the Corinthians he ſiad, that Chriſt is made vntounto vsus, wiſedome, and righteouſnes, and ſanctification, and redemption. But of the righteouſnes that cleaneth vntounto vsus, he ſheweth vntounto the Epheſians, Epheſ. 4, 22.when he biddeth vsus To put on the new man, which is created according to God, in righteouſnes and holines of the truth. Alſo to the Hebrues, Heb. 11, 33.when he ſaith; that The ſaints wrought righteouſnes. And it would be an infinite thing, if we ſhould recite all the teſtimonies, which we find for the proofes of either righteouſneſſe. But it is verie good to be conſidered, when the apoſtle compareth them both togither: for there it is eaſilie vnderſtood, wherein the one dooth excell the other. VntoUnto the Philippians it is written; Phil. 3, 9.That I may be found in him, not hauing mme owne righteouſnes, which is by the lawe; but that righteouſnes, which commeth by the faith of Ieſus Chriſt.
He had reckoned vp before thoſe things, which had happened vntounto him in the Iewiſh religion; Ibidem. 5.whereof he might hauehave gloried, as concerning the fleſh; the which he ſaid now that he made no reckoning of: and he eſtéemed them to be loſſe and doong, and that for the excellencie of the knowledge of Ieſus Chriſt, &c. In which place thou ſhalt alſo perceiue, that the good works, which he now exerciſed, being conuerted vntounto Chriſt, are by him accounted nothing, in compariſon of that righteouſnes, which is granted vntounto vsus by faith. The ſame compariſon alſo is vſed in the epiſtle to the Romans, where it is read on this wiſe; Rom. 9, 30.The Gentils, which followed not righteouſnes, atteined vntounto the lawe of righteouſnes; bicauſe they ſought it not by works, but by faith: but Iſrael, which followed righteouſnes, atteined not to the lawe of righteouſnes, bicauſe they ſought it by works, and not by faith. Alſo it is ſaid in the ſame epiſtle, that They being ignorant of the righteouſnes of God, Rom. 10, 3.and would eſtabliſh their owne righteouſnes, ſubmitted not themſelues vntounto the righteouſnes of God.
34 But againſt this diſtinction ſome ſaie; How can it be, How the righteouſnes which we hauehave not ſhall be imputed vntounto vsus. Galat. 3, 27. Epheſ. 1, 6.that the righteouſnes which we hauehave not, ſhould be imputed vntounto vsus? We anſwer; that we muſt not imagine, that Chriſt & his righteouſnes is ſtrange from the ſaints; for We put on Chriſt himſelfe through baptiſme: and (as it is written vntounto the Epheſians) God dooth fauour and accept vsus in his beloued. But theſe men ſaie, that it behooueth the iudgements of God to be true; but how can his iudgement be true, when as the righteouſnes, which we hauehave not, is imputed vntounto vsus; and that the ſinne which we hauehave, is not imputed? And yet neuertheles both things are ſpoken by the ſcripture: for, as touching ſinne, Dauid rehearſeth (as Paule ſaith) that Bleſſed is the man, Pſal. 32, 1. Rom. 4, 6.to whom the Lord hath not imputed ſinne. And touching righteouſnes, it is added; But vntounto him that worketh not, Ibidem. 5.but beleeueth in him that iuſtifieth the vngodlie, his faith is counted for righteouſnes. And theſe things, which the ſcripture declareth, are not without reaſon: for ſéeing righteouſnes is imputed vntounto vsus, we are not altogither deſtitute of the ſame; not that it cleaueth in vsus, but bicauſe we apprehend it by faith: therefore by faith we are trulie ſaid to hauehave the ſame. For the apprehending by faith, The apprehending by faith taketh nothing awaie from the truth of things.dooth not take awaie anie whit from the truth of the thing. Wherefore, verie manie are far deceiued, about the matter of the Euchariſt: for when we affirme, that by faith we doo eate the fleſh of Chriſt, and drinke his bloud; they ſtraitwaies conclude, that therfore we hauehave not theſe things indéed: as though that by faith we apprehend a falſe fleſh of Chriſt, or a feigned bloud of him.
Neither yet is that true, which was taken as granted; that we in anie wiſe hauehave ſinne, bicauſe it is not imputed vntounto vsus: for ſéeing they which be iuſtified, doo ſtriue againſt ſinne, and ſuffer not the ſame to hauehave dominion ouer them; therefore after a ſort they are iudged to hauehave no ſinne. On the behalfe of charitie, that it dooth iuſtifie, that is woont to be obiected, which we read in Iohn; God is charitie, 1. Iohn. 4, 8.and he that dwelleth in charitie, dwelleth in God, and God in him. Howbeit, this place is not verie proper for charitie: for elſe-where it is written alſo; He that eateth my fleſh, and drinketh my bloud, Iohn. 6, 54.dwelleth in me, and I in him. And againe; He that dwelleth in me, and I in him, Iohn. 15, 5.this man bringeth foorth much fruit. And of them alſo, which kéepe his commandements, he ſaith; that He and the father will come and dwell with them. Iohn. 14, 23Wherefore thou ſéeſt, that this abiding, which they obiect againſt vsus, dooth happen vntounto vsus through manie inſtruments or meanes: and yet is there not anie man that will affirme vsus to be iuſtified by all theſe things. Not all theſe things by which God and Chriſt dwelleth in vsus doo iuſtifie vsus.Wherefore we néed not labour to knowe, by what meanes it commeth to paſſe, that Chriſt and the father dwell in vsus, and we in them: but we muſt rather conſider, what is that, by the which he firſt and principallie dwelleth in vsus. And certeine it is, that ſuch a coniunction ſpringeth not of anie other cauſe, than of election, Rom. 8, 28.predeſtination, and calling, according to his determinate purpoſe; as the apoſtle hath contriued togither theſe things in the epiſtle to the Romans. And there is no doubt, By faith we firſt anſwer vntounto the calling of God.but that we firſt of all by faith anſwer vntounto the calling of God. Neither dooth experience teach vsus otherwiſe. When anie thing is promiſed vntounto vsus by ſome man, we then firſt of all cleaue vntounto him, when we giuegive credit vntounto his ſaiengs. Wherefore Paule in another place wrote, Ephe. 3, 17.that Chriſt dwelleth in our harts by faith.