A Christian Instruction Containing the Law and the Gospel, Exposition 2 · Part 22 – Part 24
In vvhat ſorte the harte of man maye fulfill the lavve of God or no, and may be condemned, or abſolued by the ſame, vvithout the vvorks which god requireth of him in the ſame.
T.
SEing that the worke which ſéemeth to be good, cannot pleaſe God, but ſo farre foorth as the hart from whence they do procéede doth pleaſe him, and that the harte doth make the worke to be accepted or refuſed at his hande:Foure demaunds. I do firſte aſke thée, if GOD can contente him ſelfe without the worke with the harte alone? The other is, if the worke which of him ſelfe is euill, may pleaſe him, or elſe may be ſuffered by him, when he that doth it, doth it not for any euill purpoſe, but doth it of force againſt his harte, or elſe bicauſe he thinketh it not to be euill? The thirde, to know in déede if GOD do condemne the wicked thoughte, although it be not put in execution, and whether it doe as muche diſpleaſe him as if the effect were ioyned with it.
D.
As touching the firſte, it is ſure that if God hauehave the harte of man, he hath the whole, therefore it cannot be but that the harte doth offer and preſente vntounto him the worke that he requireth of hym, wherefore the worke may not be ſeparated from the harte, no more than the frute from the trée:Pſalme. 1. Matth. 12. for euē ſo as the good trée neuer fayleth, to bring foorthe hys frute in his due time and ſeaſon, ſo doth the good harte at all times and in all ſeaſons that GOD requireth it, if he do it not, the cauſe is for that hée wanteth meane to do it, and alſo power, or elſe that he hath not a will to do it, if he hauehave a will, and hauehave no power and meanes to do it, that wyll béeing good, God dothe accepte, and eſtéemeth it as well as if the facte were done. The lyke dothe hée alſo, if the wyll be wicked, albeit that it hauehave not ye power to put his wicked thought in execution. Wherfore the wicked worke doth not only diſpleaſe God, but alſo the wicked will and affection, in ſorte that if it do procéede ſo farre that it is not long of hir that ſhe doth not execute hir euill purpoſe, and that there is nothing doth hinder it, but want of power, there is no doubte but that God accompteth the wickedneſſe done. For that cauſe our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, and Sainte Iohn following his doctrine,1. Iohn. 3. Matth. 5. doth compare to a murtherer him that hateth hys brother, and eſtéemeth him an adulterer that behouldeth an other mans wife, coueting hir. We muſt vnderſtand the like of all other vices, according to the interpretation that oure Lorde Ieſus Chriſte himſelfe, and after him his Apoſtles, gaue vsus of the lawe of God: but if the hart had the meane & the power to do that whiche was commaunded him to do, and hathe not only lefte it vndone, but hath alſo not employed him ſelfe by al meanes poſſible to vſe thoſe occaſions wherby he mought do them, it is a certaine teſtimonie and an aſſured ſigne that it is not good, and that there is no good will in it: for if it were good, & that the will were ſuch as it ought to be, it ſhould not be more deſirous of any thing, than to yeld vntounto God that obedience, honoure and ſeruice, which is due vntounto him, and that he requireth of hym, wherefore God cannot be pleaſed wyth ſuch an hart, for it is fayned and vntrue.
Hovve that men do glory in vayne of their good harte and of their faithe, if their vvorkes beare not vvitneſſe of it, and for vvhat cauſe the iudgement shal be giuen by God according to theyr vvorks, and vvhy the Prophets do ſo erneſtly require them, exhorting the people of God to repentaunce.
T.
WE do then in vayne glory of the hart, if the worke beare not good witneſſe of the ſame.Iames. 2. Here muſt be greate iudgemente vſed.
D.
Yea as well as of the faithe. Wherefore we may well here ſaye with Saincte Iames: ſhewe me thy harte and thy faith, by thy workes, for as the faith that is without works is not a true faith, but onelyonly a vayne and fayned faith, and dead, and a falſe ſhewe of faith, hauing nothing of true faith ſauing only the name without the effect: no more doth the harte liue to God, nor is dedicated vntounto him, that doth not declare himſelfe by good works. For the fire, how litle ſoeuer it be, cannot be without light & without heate, and at the leaſt without ſome litle ſmoke, for this cauſe, in the manner of Gods iudgement, which is ſet foorth to vsus by our Lord Ieſus Chriſt, there is in manner no mention made, but onelyonly of works by the which eueryevery man is iudged forſomuch as they ſhall beare witneſſe of the harte and faith of eueryevery man. Likewiſe when the Prophets exhorte men to true repentaunce, they doe euer prayſe works, and namely ſuche as do concerne our neyghboure, forſomuche as hipocriſie may leaſt be therein cloked, and that mā doth declare by that whiche he doth concerning the commaundements of the ſecond table, and toward his neyghboure, what harte he beareth toward God, and in what reuerence he hath the commandements of the firſt table, for it is an eaſie matter for a man to boaſt himſelfe to hauehave a ſound and perfecte harte towarde God, and to make a ſhew by the obſeruation of the outward ceremonies, but whē he muſt in déede lay hande to the worke, which is to ſay, to the true charitie, which is the ende and fulfilling of the lawe,Timo. 1. and to the workes of the ſame, whiche are the chiefe that god requireth:1. Ioh. 3.4 thē is the hypocriſy of the hart ſéen. For that very cauſe S. Iohn ſaith, yt mā which hath the goods of this world, & ſhal ſée his brother in néed & ſhal ſhut vp the bowels of his cōpaſſion frō him, howe dwelleth the louelove of god in him? And agayn, if any ſay, I louelove God, & yet doth hate his brother, the the ſame is a lier: for he yt loueth not his brother whom he hath ſéen, how may he louelove god whom he hath not ſéen? And we hauehave this commādemēt of him yt he which loueth god do louelove alſo his brother. S. Iohn doth declare plainly by theſe words, that a mā may in no wiſe better know of what affectiō the hart of mā is toward god, thā by ye which he ſheweth toward his neybor & brother, which is ye child of god & bereth his image as he doth, and that there is not a meane more méete to diſcouer the hypocriſie and diſſimulation of mans harte, than it. For a man may by the good will that is borne to the father, iudge what good will there is borne to the ſonne. And therefore, the Prophets do often times vſe theſe arguments, to vanquiſh the wicked hipocrits: and alſo our Lorde Ieſus Chriſte, in that forme of iudgemente, whereof we hauehave alredy ſpoken, declareth that he eſtéemeth all that to be done to himſelfe, that hathe bin don to his, be it good, or be it euill. And by this maner of procéeding, he doth right well declare that whereof we hauehave alredy ſpoken, for when he doth rebuke and reproue the hypocrites & the reprobates,Matth. 25. that he hath bin forſaken and euill handled by them, they anſwere forthwith, and aſke when that was done, as though they did not know of it: Wherein they do plainely declare that they wold hauehave the name to beare a great good will to Ieſus Chriſt, and to do their duty toward him: but he doth vanquiſh them of the contrary, by the tokens which they hauehave ſhewed towarde his poore members, in whoſe perſon he complayneth to hauehave bene forſaken and euill handled: as he doth complayne that he was perſecuted by Saule,Actes. 9. in the perſecution which he vſed agaynſt the Chriſtians.
Hovv that the diſsimulation and fayning of mans harte is declared by the tranſgreſsion of the Lavve of God: and hovv there is neither ignorance, nor conſtraint, nor any reaſon, vvhat ſo euer it be,No…. that can excuſe him.
T.
I Thinke alſo that this be one of the principall cauſes why God doth ſet foorth rather the worke than any other thing in that lawe, to the ende that we ſhould not be deceiued vnderunder the cloke of our heart.
D.
The matter is playne. For as the heart can not be boaſted of to bée good, excepte the mouth confeſſe it, and that he do declare by works the faith and charitie whereof he will ſo glory, it can not be execuſed, but that it is wicked and by conſequent diſpleaſeth God, when he doth a wicked worke that is forbidden by God, for either he doth it through ignorance, or elſe of a certen knowledge: if he do it through ignoraunce, it is an aſſured ſigne that the heart of his owne nature is wicked: For if it were not wicked, it could not beare ſuche fruite by any meanes, nor alſo could it by by any meanes ignoraunt of the will of God, for the ignorance is a witneſſe of the darkneſſe which ſinne hath engendred in the vnderſtanding of man, and of the contempt of god, and what negligence there is in man in ſearching to know the wil of God, as it hath bene alredy more largely touched in an other place. If he hauehave done it of knowledge, what can he alleage? May he alleage that he was enforced to do it, and that he did it by compulſion? But by what compulſion? If this reaſon were ſufficient to excuſe the ſinne of man, there ſhould be no ſinne but ſhould ſéeme worthy of excuſe: for ſo muche as it ſéemeth that there is none but it is cōmitted by conſtrainte, conſidering that man is ſo corrupted by the meanes of ſinne, and ſo made ſubiecte to the diuell through the ſame, that of his nature he can do nothing but ſinne. Wherefore ſainct Paule dothe ſay,Rom. 7. that he can not do the good whiche he woulde doe, but he dothe the euyll which he woulde not doe, bicauſe he is a ſinner, and ſlaue to ſinne, and ſolde vnderunder the ſame, which doth engēder in his members a lawe, repugnant to the law of god. For the like alſo ſayeth our Lorde Ieſus Chriſte, he that ſinneth,Iohn. 8. is ſeruaunte to ſinne.