A Wholesome Antidote Against Anabaptists, Dialogue 9
The .ix. treatie or dialoge.
How that our ſaluacion and rightwiſneſſe, is not to be deſcribed to our workes but to faith.
Symon.
IF the Anababtiſtes doo teache, that our ſaluacion, & rightwiſnes, ought to be aſcribed to our workes (whiche is the .iii. parte of this article) thou wilt not ſaie (I thynke) that thei doo erre in it.
Ioiada.
There is nothyng that I will graunt them, leſſe. For this thynge beynge ones graunted, al ye epiſtles of Paul ar condemned, as falſe, & whiche dyd ſeduce the people. For this is the thyng onelyonly, wherfore Paule, with ſuche a zeale did repugn & reſiſt againſt falſe prophetes, whiche did teache, that rightwiſneſſe dyd come of workes: where as ſainte Paul did attribute our rightwiſnes to faithe. That maie eaſily bee ſene by ye epi. to the Ro. and to the Gala. But I wil bring out of them, certaine places, which can not be confuted. In the .iii. cha. to the Romains, Paul ſaieth thus: All hauehave ſynned and ar deſtitute of the glory of god, but are iuſtified freely by his grace, thorowgh the redemcion that is in Chriſt Ieſu. And in the .iiii. Ro. If Abraham were iuſtified by workes, thē hath he wherin to reioice, but not with god, for what ſaieth ye ſcripture Abrahā beleued god, & it was counted vntounto him, for rightwiſnes. To him yt worketh is ye rewarde not reckened of fauoure but of dutye. To him y• worketh not, but beleueth in hym, that iuſtifieth, the vngodly, is his faith counted for rightwiſnes. Euen as Dauid deſcribeth the bleſſedfulnes of that man, vntounto whom god imputeth righwiſneſſe without dedes. Bleſſed ar thei (ſaieth he) whoſe iniquities are forgiuen, & whoſe ſinnes are couered. &c. And in the xi. to the. Ro. There is a remenaunt left accordyng to the election of grace, if it be of grace then it is not now, of workes. For thā grace is no more grace But if it be of workes, then is it no more grace. For then wer deſeruyng, no more deſeruyng. In the ſeconde to the Galathians: The lyfe, whiche I nowe lyue in the fleſhe, I lyue by the faith, of the ſonne of God, whiche loued me, and gaue hym ſelfe for me, I deſpiſe not the grace of God. For if rightwiſeneſſe cometh of the lawe, then Chryſte, is dead in vaine. In the thyrde chapiter, he doeth argumente and reaſone after this maner: That no man is iuſtified in the ſight of God, by the lawe, it is euydent. For the iuſte ſhall lyue by faythe. The lawe is not of faythe, but the man, that fulfylleth the thynges, conteyned in the law, ſhall lyue in them. Chryſt hath delyuered vsus from the curſe of the lawe, in as muche, as he was made accurſed for vsus, that the bleſſing of Abraham might come on the gentilles thorough Theſu Chryſte, and that we myght receaue the promiſe of y• ſpirit, thorow faith. Brethern, I ſpeake after y• maner of men. Though it be, but a mans teſtament, yet if it be alowed, no man deſpiſeth it, or addeth any thyng ther vntounto. To Abraham, and his ſede, was the promiſe made. He ſaieth not, in thy ſedes, as in many, but in thy ſede as of one, which is Chriſt, this I ſaie, that the lawe, which beganne. CCCC and .xxx. yeres after, doeth not diſanulle the teſtament, which was confirmed afore of God, vntounto Chriſt warde, to make ye promiſe of no effecte. For if the inheritaunce cometh of ye law, then it cometh not of ye promiſe. But god gaue it, vntounto Abraham by promiſe. For if ther had ben a law geuē, which could had geuen life, thē no doubt rightwiſneſſe, ſhoulde hauehave comed by ye lawe. But the ſcripture, concluded al thinges vnderunder ſinne, yt the promiſe, by y• faith of Ieſu Chriſt, might bee geuen vntounto them yt beleue. In ye ii. cha. to the Ephe. ye ar ſaued thorow faith, & not of our owne ſelues. It is the gift of god, and cometh not of our dedes or workes. For we ar his owne workmāſhyp, created in Ieſu Chriſt to do good dedes, which he hath prepared for vsus to walke in, & in the .iii. to Ti, we wer alſo folyſhe, diſobediente, deceaued, ſeruyng to luſtes and voluptuouſnes, liuyng in malice, and enuye, hatefull or odiouſe and hatyng eche other. But after yt the goodnes and louelove of our ſauiour God, not accordynge to the dedes of rightwiſnes, whiche we hauehave done, but accordyng to his mercye, had made vsus ſafe, by the fountayne of regeneracion, and renuynge of the holy ghoſt, whiche he hath poured vponupon vsus abundantely, thorow our ſauiour Ieſu chriſt that we beyng iuſtified by his grace, ſhulde be made heyres of euerlaſtyng lyfe, accordyng to our hope. Theſe places are plaine, and can not be auoided. For thei, that ſpeake againſte them, are no chriſten men, but felowes of the falſe Apoſtles, againſt whome Paule writeth, callyng them euyll workemen, and ſubuerſours of the goſpell of Chriſt. And by theſe wordes, not onelyonly the Anababtiſtes, but alſo, all popiſhe doctours, are noted, and whoſoeuer beſyde, doo attribute our rightwiſnes and ſaluacion to our dedes & workes.
Sy.
I can ſaie nothing againſt the manifeſt veritee. But I wold faine know of the, in what reputacion thou haſte the epiſtle of Iames, and how muche thou doeſt eſteme it.
Io.
And I aſke the firſt, what thou thinkeſt, or what oppinion and iudgement thou haſte, of the afore aledged places, and howe ſtrong thou coūteſt them to be.
Sy.
Thei are manifeſt, and true and alſo ſtrong enoughe, and dooe attribute ſaluacion, and iuſtifiyng: to faith, but Iamis doeth adſcribe ſaluacion to our woorkes and dedes.
Ioiada.
What ſemeth vntounto the then? is it right, yt many places, ſhulde geue the ouer hande to one, or one place to many.
Symon.
The interpretaciō of one place, muſt bee taken out of many. But what dooeth this to the epiſtle of Iames?
Ioiada.
Had the apoſtles all one learnynge and ſpirite?
Symon.
All one. But I aſked the, touchynge the wordes of Iames.
Ioiada.
I hauehave had alwaies in ſingulare reputacion, the epiſtle of Iames, and hauehave alwaies geuen great credit & a faith vntounto it, though it hath ben ſuſpected by Euſebius, and other beſyde, & counted leſſe apoſtolicall. But if it be Apoſtolical, it foloweth, that it hath the ſame meanyng and ſpirit, that the epiſtles of Paul hauehave. For this thou haſt graū ted before, that thei had al one learnyng and ſpirit, moreouer that the places, whiche I hauehave aledged out of Paule, and doo adſcribe ſaluacion to faythe, and not to woorkes, are bothe true and ſtronge. Now it foloweth neceſſarily that it is not the meanynge of Iames, that woorkes ſhoulde iuſtifye and ſaue, and that therefore this darke place and ſaiyng of Iames ought to be expounded, by many plaine and manifeſte teſtymonyes of Paule.
Symon.
What is that?
Ioiada.
That is to ſaie, that Iames dooeth not goe about, to proue, that workes iuſtifie, and that fayth iuſtifieth not, but that faithe without workes, is no faithe, but an oppiniō and credulitie, or light beleue, which faith can not ſaue. And y• it is ſufficient to ſaluacion to truſt & leyne vponupon this vaine oppinion. It is manifeſt therfore, y• Iames doeth not take here faith, for that true and liuely faithe (whiche faith is a gyft of God, and renuyng of the mynde, and lyfe) but for a falſe oppinion, which foolyſhe men do call faith, with the whyche faythe, the diuell beleueth, all quakyng and trē blyng, but by it, he is made neuer the better, nor ſaued. Beſyde that, he vnderſtandeth not humaine or bare workes without faithe, but faithe workyng effectually thorough charitee and louelove. Ponder the wordes of ſaynt Iames, and thou ſhalt perceiue, that he proueth there, partly, that faithe can not bee without workes, partly that faith workyng thorough charitee, doeth bothe iuſtifie and ſaue. Therefore Iames dooeth not diſagree from Paule, but meaneth al one thing with him agreyng, both in one ſpirit and learnyng.
Sy.
Yet it ſemeth vntounto me, that our ſaluacion is adſribed to workes, when it is attributed to faythe. For if faith can not be without workes, nor workes without faith, thei muſt be all one thyng, and that, which is attributed to one is attributed to the other.
Ioia.
Faith and woorkes are almoſt ſo one thynge, as the godhed, and manhead, are one perſone in Chriſte. And yet it folowed not that the godhed is mortal, becauſe that Chriſt dyed in very dede vponupon the croſſe. Yet notwithſtandyng, it is all one perſone. whyche can not be diuided. So we maie ſpeake in this buſyneſſe. Faith iuſtifieth. Here faith is taken, for the election, and grace of God, and alſo for the redempcion, whiche is not adſcribed to our owne workes, though thei can not be ſeparated from faith, and which folowyng moſt certainly of faithe, are very ſure & vndoubted ſignes & tokens of faith and election of god. For ſo Paul doeth ſpeake: Whom he hath predeſtinated, them dydde he choſe, whom he hath choſen, them did he call, whome he hath called, them dyd he iuſtify. And Iohn alſo: We knowe, that when he ſhall appere, we ſhall bee lyke vntounto hym, and eueryevery man that hath this hope, doth make him ſelfe cleane, as he is pure .i. Io. iii. In one ſonne, there is bothe lyght and heate, and the one is not from the other. Yet notwithſtandyng the lightyng or illuminacion, is attributed to the lyght, and not to the heate, and the heatyng or warmeneſſe, is adſcribed to the heate, and not to the lyght.
Symon.
But the ſcriptures dooe often and in many places, adſcribe ſaluacion, to oure woorkes and merites.
Ioiada.
That is done, not becauſe that the worke, ſhoulde bee barely taken by it ſelfe, but as a woorke or dede, comyng of faithe, wherby that, whiche is fartheſt, and chyefeſt (that is to ſaie faythe) maie be manifeſted, and ſhewed. I aſke the, can a man, dooe any good thynge of hym ſelfe.
Symon.
No. For no man, is good, but god onelyonly.
Ioiada.
And Chriſt ſaieth in the .xv. of Iohn. As boughes can not brynge forthe fruite, excepte, they remayne ſtylle, in the vine. So ye can bryng forthe no fruite excepte ye remayne in me. For without me ye can dooe nothynge. Now I aſke againe, who bringeth forth the grapes and the wyne?
Symon.
The vine.
Ioia.
If god, ſhoulde take awaie his ſtrengthe frome the vyne, and ſhoulde not worke in it, that, which we dooe ſee, coulde that vine brynge for the wyne?
Sy.
No.
Ioiada.
The chyefe thyng therefore that geueth wyne, is not the vyne, but God, and yet notwithſtandyng, we dooe adſcribe the wyne to the vyne, whereas it dooeth onelyonly come of God.
Symon.
I can ſaye nothynge agaynſte the truthe.
Ioiada.
It is all one reaſon, when the ſaluacion and euerlaſtynge lyfe, is attributed to oure owne workes, where as it cometh of God onelyonly, and of gratuitee and free election. For GOD worketh …s, bothe to be willyng, and to doo or performe the thyng, that he hathe moued vsus, to be willyng to do, accordyng to his bountuous wyll. He, I ſay, worketh in vsus good workes, as in his electes, notwithſtanding the workes ar attributed vntounto vsus, and are called ours, whiche neuertheleſſe are Gods, that glory & honor may be geuē to god only. Doeſt thou vnderſtande what I ſay?
Sy.
I doo vnderſtand it very well.
Ioia.
Dothe it ſatiſfie thee?
Sy.
ye as truly, Now do I perceiue, that the lernyng of the Anababtiſtes, cometh of ygnoraunce and boldneſſe, and that it is very pernicious and hurtfull, whiche is gaye in the ſyght of the ſimple, but in dede is an error, & malicious rudeneſſe …ut I deſyre to knowe, what thou wylte ſaye of the .v. concluſiō: For they be fully perſuaded, that ſoules are a ſlepe.