Works, and the Reward Thereof. The Ninth Sermon
I save already through many sermons discoursed long upon God’s laws. Now therefore, because upon the consideration and handling of the law there do arise certain points not! to be omitted, which do depend upon, and are annexed hand in hand unto, the law; of which sort are christian liberty, good works, the reward? of good works; 3sin, and the reward or punishment of sin; I will speak of them in order, as God shall put into my mouth: whom I shall desire you to pray unto with me, beseeching him not to suffer me to speak, in these or other points of holy doctrine, the thing that shall sound against his holy will.
Upon the abrogation of the law doth christian liberty and follow, as the effect of the abrogating of the law; which liberty doth minister us occasion to speak of offences.
Now concerning christian liberty the most holy apostle Christ, St Paul, hath reasoned very diligently and largely; whereby we may gather that the consideration of christian liberty is neither of no weight, nor yet of little profit. Bat the treatise thereof is especially necessary to us of this age,
[eterno,—Bullinger published at Zurich, A.p. 1534, and afterwards]
[appended to his Commentaries in Epistolas Apostolorum canonicas]
[septem.] [1 non contemnenda, Lat. omitted; not to be thought lightly of.] [2 merces sive premium, Lat.] [ denique, Lat. omitted; lastly.]]
among whom there are no small number of men, which do either not understand what christian liberty is; or else, if they know it, do foully abuse it, thereby to fulfil the lusts of the flesh. 1 will therefore tell you who is the deliverer that setteth us at liberty; who they are that he setteth at liberty; and wherein and how far forth he setteth them at liberty: which things being once known, it will be an easy matter to perceive what christian liberty is, what the property or disposition of those is which are so set at liberty, and how far forth they must beware from giving offence to any man, and from abusing their granted liberty. There is none other deliverer promised, given and preached unto us, than Christ Jesus, the Son of God. For he which doth deliver other men, must be himself free from the bands wherewith they are tied, that wish and look to be set at liberty. But throughout all ages there is none such to be found in all the world, nor yet in heaven, but Jesus Christ alone, the Son of God; who for that cause did in the gospel say, “If the Son set you at liberty, then are ye free indeed.” Now they, whom the Lord delivereth, are bond-slaves; wherefore he doth deliver them from bondage, and doth incorporate them in the liberty of the sons of God. He doth set all bond-servants at liberty, excluding none but such as do by their own default, their own unbelief and disobedience, exclude themselves. For the coming of the Son of God was to set all such at liberty as were entangled in bondage. Therefore he doth so far forth deliver us, as we are bond-servants. For bondage and liberty are one opposed and contrary to the other, so that without the consideration of the one we cannot conceive the meaning of the other. Wherefore I think it best here to speak so much of bondage as this present argument shall seem to require.
First, bondage is nothing else but the state or condition wherein bond-servants be. Now those that are in bondage are either bondmen born, or else made bond-servants. The children that issue of bond-servants are bond-slaves born. The other, that are made bond-servants, are so made either by captivity, whereupon they take their names, and are called captives; for Pomponius saith, Slaves were thereupon so
a qua Lat.) [5 exhibetur, Lat.] [6 Jesus Christ, not in Lat.]
ἱὲ 802 THE THIRD DECADE. [sERrM. called, because the captains commanded to sell them for money, when they were in wars taken captives by their soldiers; and so by that means to spare their life and save them: these bondmen are in Latin also called Mancipia, eo quod ab hostibus manu caperentur, because they were taken prisoners by the hand of their enemies: or else they are made bondslaves by the civil law; as when a freeman, above twenty years of age, doth for lucre sake suffer himself to be sold for money. Bondmen therefore have lost all liberty, and do wholly hang upon their masters’ government, in whose power it lieth to kill them if they list. of Now of bondage there are two sorts; the politic’, and the spiritual. The politic bondage is not by grace and the preaching of the gospel taken out of the church of the faithful, so that there should be no bondmen at all, or that they should not do their duty, or not do the service that of right vi. they do owe. For the apostle Paul sajth: “Let every man walk according as he is called. And so ordain I in all churches. Art thou called being a servant? care not for it: but yet if thou mayest be free, use it rather.” And again: “Servants, obey them that are your bodily masters with fear and trembling and singleness of heart, as unto Christ; not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; with good will serving the Lord, and not men; knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doth, that shall he receive again of the Lord, whether he be bond or free.” And in his epistle to Timothy he saith: “Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed. And they which have believing masters, despise them not, because they are brethren; but rather do service, forasmuch as they are believ- [! Servi autem ex eo appellati sunt, quod Imperatores captivos
[vendere, ac per hoc servare nec occidere solent: qui etiam mancipia]
[dicti sunt, eo quod ab hostibus manu capiuntur. Servi autem aut]
[nascuntur, aut fiunt: nascuntur ex ancillis nostris; fiunt autem jure]
[gentium, i. e. ex captivitate; aut jure civili, cum liber homo major]
[20 annis ad pretium participandum sese venundari passus est.—Corp.]
[Jur. Civil. Par. 1628, Tom. 1. p. 9, Instit. Lib. 1. tit. 3, de jure per-]
[sonarum. ] [ sive civilis, Lat.] [3 ut vocavit eum Dominus, Lat. ]]
ing and beloved, and such as are partakers of the benefit.” And yet in this bondage the faithful have this comfort by the preaching of the gospel, that howsoever they be bond in body, yet they are free in mind and soul. For the apostle again A doth say: “He that is called a bondman in the Lord is the ΣΝ Lord’s freeman; likewise he that is called free is bond to Christ.”
This is a comfort to the faithful in all their afflictions, which know that their spirit is safe and free, howsoever their body is straitly imprisoned or sharply tormented. Therefore the saints are at their liberty, although they be never so narrowly looked to and shut up in custody; they are victorers and vanquishers, howsoever they are bound and oppressed; finally, they enjoy most exquisite pleasures even then when they are vexed with most infinite evils. I know that the children of this world do mock and scoff at these pleasures and liberty of the faithful believers, as though they were mere dreams and fantasies of very fools and asses: but God doth soundly pay them home for their scoffs and mockery, not in the world to come only, but also in this present life; while they themselves, like miserable caitiffs, being in extreme captivity, do notwithstanding even in that slavery” think themselves at liberty and in most absolute felicity. For they serve a filthy service in detestable slavery, making themselves bondmen to abominable whoredom, to beastly mad drunkenness, to the wicked mammon, and to other most vile pleasures, wherein they die and rot with endless shame and infamy. But of the service and afflictions of the saints, who do even in their afflictions enjoy their liberty and rejoice in the Lord, the apostle Paul speaketh where he saith: “We are troubled on every side, yet are we not made pensive; we are in poverty? but not in extreme poverty; we suffer persecution, but are not utterly forsaken therein; we are cast down, but we perish not; bearing about [4 1 Tim. vi. 1, 2, et qui beneficia rependere possunt, Lat.]
[6 acerbissime, Lat.]
[6 justo judici, Lat. omitted; the righteous judge.]
[” Rather, inasmuch as they are in most extreme captivity and thrice miserable, even then when they think themselves most at liberty,; Luke xvi. 9; mammon iniquitatis, Lat. and Vulg.] &e.
[9 laboramus, Lat. ]
always in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life vis, of Jesus might also appear in our body 1” And again: “In things we do our endeavour to shew ourselves as doth become the ministers of Christ; in much suffering, in afflictions in necessities, in sorrows, in stripes, in imprisonments, in seditions, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; in glory and ignominy, in reproaches and praises; as deceivers, and yet speakers of truth; as unknown, and yet known; as dying, and lo, we live; as chastened, and not killed; as sorrowful, and yet always rejoicing; as poor, and yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.” Lo, here ye see how the saints in extreme servitude have a cheerful consolation and are always at their liberty: as is to be seen by infinite examples in the Acts of the Apostles, and other ecclesiastical histories.
Now we come to the second part of bondage. The spiritual bondage hath a certain likeness to the bodily servitude. For Adam by his own fault became a bondman; and we of him are all born bondmen. He was once at liberty, and had the Lord to be his friend and favourer?; but he did disloyally revolt from God, and got himself another master, the devil, a tyrant as cruel as may be, who for his sin having gotten power over him did, like a merciless lord, miserably handle him like a bond-servant. Now we of our corrupt grandsire are born corrupt and sinners, and for our sin are also under the devil’s dominion; we are in danger of? the law, and of the curse thereof: for we are the bond-slaves of sin; we are made subject to sundry calamities by reason of our sin. This therefore is called the spiritual bondage, not because it is only in the mind of man, but because of the opposition whereby it is opposed to the bodily bondage. For otherwise sin hath made our body also subject to the curse: neither do we sin in mind alone, but in the body also; for every part and all the members of our bodies are subject unto
[2 Cor. iv. 8—10, in nostra mortali carne, Lat.; in our mortal]
[flesh: asin verse 11.] (2 per gloriam—per convicia, Lat. ] [3 nascimur ex servo servi, Lat. ] [ habuerat Dominum optimum et clementissimum, Lat.] [5 subjicimur, Lat. Tyndale’s Doct. Treat. ed. P. 8S. p. 9, n. 6.] [ civili vel corporal, Lat.; to civil or bodily.]]
sin, and infected with iniquity. Therefore we serve in most miserable bondage, while, being under the devil’s dominion, we do the things that please the flesh, by the egging on of evil affections, to the bringing forth of fruit, or rather to the making of abortion with peril of our lives, to the devil, our cruel and our rigorous master; for this verily is our hardest and most lamentable servitude and bondage.
Now on the other side, let us see what christian liberty is; that is to say, from what, and how far forth, the Lord hath made us free. In one word we do briefly say, that Christ our Lord hath delivered us from a grievous bondage’; to wit, that he hath so far forth made us free, as we by sin were slaves and bond-servants. This we may more largely expound and say: The Son of God came into this world; and, having first oppressed the tyranny of Satan and crushed his head by his death and passion, he hath translated us into his own kingdom, and hath made himself our Lord and king. Secondarily, he hath adopted us to be the sons of God, and with his blessing took away the bitter curse of the law; for he took away all sins, and purged all the faithful from their iniquities. Thirdly, he did most liberally bestow the free gift of the Holy Ghost, to the end that the sons of God should willingly and of their own accord submit themselves to the will of God, and to do the things that the Lord would have them: for the hatred of the law doth not remain, although the weakness of the flesh abideth still. Lastly, the same our Lord and King hath taken from the shoulders of his elect the burden of the law, the types and figures, with all the costs belonging to the same; and hath forbidden us, being once set at liberty, to entangle ourselves again with any laws and traditions of men. Of all this being laid together we make this definition: To deliver is to make free, and to set at liberty from bondage. He is free, or manumissed, that, being delivered from bondage, doth enjoy his liberty: therefore manuntission, or liberty, is nothing else but the state of him that is made free; the commodity, I say, which a free-made man hath received and doth enjoy by reason of his deliverance; to wit, in that he, being delivered from the tyranny of Satan, from sin, from the curse of the
[7 a gravi illa servitute, Lat.; from that grievous bondage. ] [8 by sin, not in Lat.] 20 [BULLINGER, IL]]
law, and from death, is made the son of God and heir of everlasting life; and also that he hath received the Spirit of liberty, by which he doth wholly give himself to be the servant of God, to do him service all his life long; and lastly, that, being delivered from the law of Moses and from all mortal men!, he doth altogether depend upon the gospel only, having at liberty free use of external things, as of meat, of drink, of clothing, and of such like indifferent things: and in these three last rehearsed points doth christian liberty chiefly consist.
Now to this I will add such testimonies of scripture as shall both better confirm and more plainly declare my exposition. And, first of all, I will allege those testimonies which are to be found in the books of the holy evangelists; and then those that are extant in the writings of the apostles. Zacharias the priest, and father of John Baptist, in his hymn of thanksgiving, Luke i. doth declare the truth and goodness of God in performing that to us which he promised to our forefathers; to wit, “That we, being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.” In this testimony of his we have the true liberty; that freedom, I mean, wherein we, being by the Lord delivered from all our enemies, both visible and invisible, should no longer serve them with fear, but? serve our God? in joy and gladness. There is added also the manner and order how to serve him; “in holiness and righteousness.” Holiness doth cut off and cast away all uncleanness and inconveniency: righteousness giveth to every man that which is due, to wit, the things which we of duty do owe to every man, and doth contain in it both freedom and benevolence. And in this kind of service do they, which are made free, serve the Lord their God, not for a day or two, or a certain few years, but all the days of their life. Therefore true christian liberty is the perpetual service which we owe and do to God.
In the eighth chapter of St John’s gospel, to the Jews
[1 ab omnibus hominum legibus, Lat.; from all laws of mortal men,]
[ed, 1577.] [2 citra timorem, Lat.; without fear. ] [3 ipsi Deo, Lat.; God himself] [ intemperantiam, Lat.; incontinency, ed. 1577.]]
which made great brags of the vain and silly liberty which they received of their ancestors, Christ our Lord maketh this objection: Verily, verily, I say unto you, that whosoever committeth sin, he is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever; but the Son abideth for ever: if the Son therefore shall make you free, then are ye free indeed.” In these words he maketh mention both of bondage and of liberty. He is a bondman to sin, as to a cruel master or a never-contented tyrant, whosoever doth commit any sin; for he doth obey, as one that is bound to sin. Such bondmen are all the sons of men; whose punishment is to have none inheritance in their Father’s house, which is the heavenly Hierusalem?. As for those which the Son of God restoreth to freedom, they are partakers of the heavenly kingdom and fellow-heirs with the Son of God. But Christ maketh none free but them that are faithful: therefore the sons of God and fellow-heirs of Christ are for Christ his sake their only deliverer made free and set at liberty. Neither is there any other in heaven or in earth, beside Christ Jesu, which is able to set us at freedom and at liberty.
Paul in the sixth chapter to the Romans saith: “Let not sin reign in your mortal bodies, that ye should thereunto obey by the lusts of 1.9; neither give ye your members as instruments’ of unrighteousness unto sin; but give yourselves unto God, as they that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments? of righteousness unto God. For sin shall not have power over you; because ye are not under the law, but under grace.” In these words he exhorteth them that are purged and made free by Christ to live holily in their spiritual bondage. Now he saith πού,
[1 Let not sin be in you, or in your mortal body: but he saith,]
[“Let not sin reign in you, or in your mortal body.” But when]
[Ι reigneth sin? Forsooth sin reigneth then, when we obey [6 Dominus, Lat.] [6 id supplicii conjunctum, imo irrogatum habentes, Lat.; whose]
[punishment is adjoined, nay imposed. ] [7 in ccelesti utique patria, Lat.; which is the heavenly country.] [8 credentes, Lat.; believers.]]
[9 ut obediatis ei per cupiditates ejus, Lat. and Erasmus. That ye]
[shulde ther unto obey by the lustes of it. Cranmer, 1539.] [19 arma, Lat.] 20—2]
it through the lusts thereof; that is, when we resist not, but do fulfil the lusts of the flesh. Sin therefore doth not reign in our mortal body, so long as it is but felt in the body and not obeyed or permitted to rule, but rather resisted and trod under foot!. The same sentence doth he expound by another somewhat more easy to be understood: I would not have you to permit your members to sin, as to a tyrant, to use them as instruments to work all unrighteousness: I rather require you to give yourselves to be ruled and governed by God. For since he hath set you free from death and brought you to life again, it is requisite? that ye should give your members to God, as lively instruments, to work all righteousness. And that shall ye be easily able to do, because “ye are not under the law, but under grace.”
Upon this doth all the rest of that chapter depend? unto the end. “What then?” saith he; “shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, how that to whomsoever ye commit yourselves as servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether it be of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed with heart the form of doctrine into the which ye are brought unto. Being then made free from sin, ye are become the servants of righteousness.” And yet he sheweth, that the freemen of Christ do not abuse their liberty, and give themselves again to be governed by their old and tyrannous master sin: for he maketh sin and rightcousness to be, as it were, two masters; and addeth to each of them the hire, or reward, that they give to their servants; the one life, the other death. Lastly, he saith generally, that we are his servants to whom we give ourselves to obey. Upon which he inferreth: “Being redeemed by the grace of God from the bondage of sin, and from death which is the reward of sin, we are translated into the bondage of righteousness, (whose reward is life%,) that thereby we may live.”
[[! quin calcantur magis cupiditates, Lat.]: [2 sequum est, Lat.; it is just.] (3 huc pertinent, Lat. ] [ in eam in quam traducti estis formam doctringe, Lat. and Eras-]
[mus: unto the rule of the doctrine that ye be brought unto, Cranmer,]
[1639; whereto ye were delivered, Marg. Auth. Ver.] [5 whose—life, not in Lat.] “W]
For he doth more significantly express his meaning in that which followeth, saying: “I speak after the manner of men, because of the infirmity of your flesh. As ye have given your members servants to uncleanness and iniquity unto iniquity; even 80 now give your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. For when ye were the servants of sin, ye were free from righteousness. What fruit had ye then in those things, whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death. But now ye, being made free from sin and made the servants of God, have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the reward of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” All this is so plain and evident, that it needeth no larger exposition of mine.
And yet in the seventh chapter next following he doth by comparison in a parable more fully expound all that he said before. “The woman,” saith he, which is in subjection to the man, is by the law bound to the man as long as he liveth. If, while the man liveth, she go aside to another, she is counted an adulteress; but if the man be dead, she may couple herself with another man. Even so, I say, we are dead to the law.” For Christ died for us, and was in his body offered up to be a sacrifice, or oblation, to cleanse and purge our sins, that we might thenceforth be united and coupled to him; and that we, being conceived and made with child with the Holy Spirit, may travail, bring forth, and be delivered of an excellent issue and holy fruit of good works: even as, while we served sin, and were subject unto it as to our master, we brought forth an ill-favoured babe of death; I mean, iniquity and wickedness, for the punishing whereof death is appointed and ordained. But let us now hear the very words of the holy and blessed apostle, saying: Even so, my brethren, we also” are dead concerning the law by the body of Christ, that we should be coupled to another?, who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God. For when we were in the flesh, the lusts of sin!, which were by the law, wrought in our members to bring forth fruit unto death. But now are we delivered from the
[6 impreegnati, Lat. ] [7 vos quoque, Lat.; ye also.] (8 legi, Lat.; to the law.] [9 nimirum ei, Lat.; even to him.] [10 effectus peccatorum, Lat.]]
law, and dead unto it, whereunto we were in bondage!; that we may serve in newness of spirit, and not in the oldness of the letter.”
That place in the eighth chapter to the Romans is unknown to no man, where he saith: “The law of the spirit of life through Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.” The manner of this deliverance he doth immediately after add, saying: “For what the law could not do, that God did by sending his own Son:” and so forth as followeth: for the words are sufficiently plain, and understood of all men?
In the seventh chapter of the first epistle to the Corinthians he saith: “Ye are bought with a price; do not ye become the servants of men.” In these words the holy apostle exhorteth servants under the colour or pretence of worldly bondage not to commit anything for their earthly masters’ pleasure, which soundeth against sincerity and is repugnant to pure religion: to wit, although they be called by the name of servants, yet they should not obey the wicked laws and ungodly ordinances of mortal men. The cause that ought to pull and draw us from it is, because we are redeemed and set at liberty by the price of Christ his blood. It would therefore be too too bad and unworthy a thing, if we, contrary to the effect of our liberty, should obey the naughty laws and ordinances of man.
This also is extended and stretcheth out to the laws of men which are made in matters of religion. For in the fifteenth chapter of the holy gospel written by the evangelist St Matthew the Lord and Saviour saith, “In vain do they worship me, teaching doctrines the precepts of men;” and, “Let them alone: they are blind leaders of the blind.” And the apostle St Paul saith: “If ye be dead with Christ from the rudiments of the world, why, as yet living in the world, are ye led with traditions, (Touch not; taste not; handle not; which all do perish in abusing?) after the commandments L [1 So Cranmer, 1539; and marginal reading of Auth. Ver., being dead to that wherein we were held. Bullinger adopts Erasmus’ ren-
[dering; mortui ei in quo detinebamur.] [2 notissima sunt omnibus, Lat.] [8 vel civilis, Lat.; or civil.] [4 quia, Lat.; because. ] [5 tenemini, Lat.; are ye bound.] [6 quee sunt omnia in corruptionem ipso abusu, Lat., after Erasmus:]
[whych all peryshe thorow the very abuse, Cranmer, 1539. ]]
and doctrines of men? Which things have a shew of wisdom in superstition and humbleness of mind, and in neglecting of the body; not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh.” First of all he sheweth, that the faithful ones of Christ Jesu have nothing to do with the decrees of man’s inventions, and that they are not bound to observe men’s traditions, because they are dead to traditions with Christ; that is to say, they are by Christ Jesu” redeemed and set free from traditions; which traditions did in Christ his death finish and come to an end, while he did make us his own, and set us at liberty. Then also he doth by imitation counterfeit the words of them which make those decrees, and say, Oh, touch not, taste not, handle not.”
These three precepts stretch very far, and comprehend many petit decrees; all which he doth immediately confute with these probable arguments. First, because they appoint the worship of God to be in things that perish in the use thereof; but. the kingdom of God is neither meat nor drink, but doth consist in spiritual things; and that which entereth in by the mouth doth not defile the man. Secondarily, because they are not made of God, the author of all goodness; but have their beginning of man’s inventions: But in vain do they worship me,” saith the Lord in the gospel, “teaching doctrines the precepts of men.” Neither doth the holy apostle St Paul wink at and slily pass over, because he will not answer ἰοῦ, the things which do most commend these traditions. First of all, they are commended for the shew and appearance of wisdom that is in them; for they seem to have been not without great wisdom ordained of wise men, in that they do so fitly serve to every person, time, and place. The earnest defenders of men’s traditions ery out, and say:- Our ancestors were no fools, their laws are full of wisdom. But Jeremy crieth out on the other side, saying: “They have rejected the word of God; therefore what wisdom can be in them?” Another cause why traditions are commended is the Greeks’ ἐθελοθρησκεία; that is to say, a chosen
[7 per mortem Christi, Lat.] [8 qualia sint illa decreta commemorat per Mimesim, Lat.: μιμη-]
[τικῶς subjungit; Bulling. Comment. in loc.] [9 because—answer to, not in Lat.]]
kind of worship!, which we of our own brains have chosen, and taken ourselves to serve and do God worship withal; for men do gladly and willingly receive the traditions of men, because they are agreeable to their inclination?. Yea, Christ in the holy gospel saith; If ye had been of the world, the world would have loved her own: now for because I have chosen you out of the world, the world doth hate you.” And again he saith: “That which men set such store by, is abominable unto God3.” Moreover men’s traditions are commended for humility: which is understood in two manners or respects. For first, that is said to be humility, if any man do readily obey and easily yield to that which is urged, obtruded, and thrust upon him by men of countenance and authority: secondarily, the laws of men do seem to exercise humbleness, and keep men in humility. But such obedience and humility may rather be called sacrilege, because it is not ruled and directed by the word of God, as the thing whereby alone it should be tempered and squared, but doth transfer and convey over the honour of God from God to men. Last of all, men’s traditions are commended for the neglecting of the flesh: for, Oh, that discipline and chastisement of the flesh seemeth to them a goodly thing, by which the wantonness of the flesh is somewhat bridled and tamed. Finally the apostle addeth, Not in any honour to the satisfying of the flesh:” that is to say, Which things, although they have a shew of religion and holiness, have notwithstanding in very deed no honour at all, considering that those external things are ordained of God for the ease and relief of men’s necessities. Yea, Paul doth flatly find fault with those decrees, because they give the body no honour for the satisfying of the same, that is, according to the measure of the body’s necessity. For a moderate care and looking to the body is not only permitted, but also commanded, lest we perhaps by too much lack and nearness? do mar the body, and make it unapt to do good works. Neither is the care of the flesh in any place forbidden, unless it tend to lusts and sensuality. = Wherefore the apostle saith, Cherish not the flesh unto concupiscence.” Therefore God hath granted to man for his necessity the use of meat, drink,
[1 Cultus electitius, Lat.) [2 ingenio humano, Lat.] [3 Luke xvi. 15; coram Deo, Lat.] [ inedia, Lat.] [> simpliciter, Lat. omitted; in itself.]]
sleep, clothing, rest, allowable pleasures, and other things necessary. In the fourth chapter to the Galatians St Paul saith: “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, and made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive by adoption the right (or inheritance)” of children. Now because ye are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son: if thou be a son, thou art also an heir of God through Christ.” And immediately after again: Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath delivered us, and be not again wrapped in the yoke of bondage.”
In the second to the Hebrews he saith: Christ was made partaker of flesh and blood with us, to the end that through death he might expel him that had lordship over death, that is, the devil; and that he might deliver them which through fear of death were all their life time in danger of bondage.” Thus I hope these testimonies of scripture suffice for our purpose.
These things being well weighed and throughly considered will plainly teach, what kind of liberty they have which are made free by Christ, and what their property and inclination is; to wit, most religious, and altogether given to holy things; that is to say, in all points addicted to the Spirit, without which there is no liberty, and by which all the sons of God are always governed. The Lord’s freemen do most diligently beware that they do unadvisedly offend no man by their liberty, nor vainly abuse their purchased freedom; for they have continually before their minds and eyes the weighty sayings of the holy apostles of their Lord Christ Jesu. St Peter in the second chapter of his first Epistle saith: “As free, and not having the liberty for a cloak of maliciousness, but even as the servants of God.” And Paul
[6 In this exposition Bullinger has borrowed literally from Calyin’s]
[Comment.; and both from Erasmus’ Annotations, in loc. cit.] [7 ut adoptione jus filiorum acciperemus, Lat. and Erasmus: that]
[we thorow eleccion myght receave the inheritaunce that belongeth]
[unto the naturall sonnes. Cranmer, 1539.]]
[8 aboleret, Lat.] [9 See page 307, note 10.] [10 verse 16, preetextum vel velamen habentes malitize, Lat.]
saith: “Brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only let not liberty be an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. For I, when I am free, have made myself servant to all, that I may win the morel.”
They therefore do specially? abuse christian liberty, who, seeking after carnal things under the colour and pretence of the Spirit and of liberty, do make their brags, that they by the preaching of the gospel are set free from all bodily debts and duties: and therefore they do deny to their masters, creditors, magistrates, and princes, the duty that they owe them; by that means revolting and rebelling against them?, These fellows are seditious stirrers, and not the reverencers xii. of the evangelical doctrine. Paul crieth: “Give to every one that which is due: tribute to whom tribute belongeth; custom to whom custom is due; fear to whom fear; and honour to whom honour doth appertain. Owe nothing to any man, but this, that ye love one another.”
Moreover they also do abuse christian liberty, who, when they have not received the Spirit of liberty and of the sons of God, when they are not as yet delivered from Satan nor justified by Christ, do notwithstanding promise liberty to all men; and think that, for the opinion which they have conceived of their liberty, they may do whatsoever it pleaseth them; by that means gainsaying good laws and severe discipline with exclamations and outcries that liberty by laws is entrapped, betrayed, and trod under foot. Against such, and especially against the teachers of that vain and pernicious liberty, St Peter taketh stomach, and saith: fi. “These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they have spoken the great swelling words “of vanity, they entice through lusts in the voluptuousness of the flesh such as were clean escaped from them which are
[[ Gal. v. 13; 1 Cor. ix. 19; liber sim ab omnibus, Lat.; when I]
[am free from all.] [3 primum, Lat.; in the first place.] [3 See Bullinger, adv. Anabapt. Lib. 11. cap. 2, and Hooker, Eccles.]
[Pol. Pref. Vol. 1. p. 183, Oxf. 1820.] [6 nondum, Lat.; not as yet.] [5 inescant homines per concupiscentias carnis voluptatibus, Lat.]
[and Erasmus: they entyse thorow lustes in the volupteousnes of the]
[flessh. Cranmer, 1539.]]
wrapped in error, while they promise them liberty; whereas they themselves are the bond-servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, into the same is he brought in bondage:” and so forth as followeth. Now when men de after that manner abuse liberty, that licentious lust is not” worthy to be called by the name of liberty.
Last of all, they do abuse christian liberty, whosoever do abuse things indifferent, and have no regard of their weak brethren, but do offend them unadvisedly. We must therefore in this case always have in mind this notable saying of St Paul: All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things do not edify.” Touching this matter there is more to be seen in the fourteenth chapter of St Paul’s Epistle written to the Romans.
And here by occasion, yea, rather being compelled by necessity, I will speak a little, and so much as shall be requisite for the godly-disposed to know, touching offences. Scandalum, which word the Latins borrow of the Greeks, doth signify a falling, a tripping, a stumbling-block, an offence, a let or hinderance: such as are stones in a street that stick up higher than the rest, or gins that are of purpose subtilly set or hid to snare the feet of them that pass over them: for they which do either light on or stumble at them, do fall, or else are turned out of the straight path.
Now this kind of snare or stumbling-block is by a metaphor transferred to the estate of religion and manners of men. For he giveth an offence, whosoever doth with overthwart, foolish, or unseasonable words or deeds either do or say to another man anything whereby he taketh an occasion to sin. Therefore scandalum is an occasion given to sin and do wickedly, and the very impulsion or driving to a fall or to wickedness: Other there are that do define scandalum to be an offence joined with a contempt’: for an offence doth usually draw a contempt with it; or, as we may say also, an offence doth rise upon a contempt. To conclude therefore, it is put for an injury offered by one man to another.
[6 sancto vocabulo, Lat.; the sacred name.] [7 So Zuingle defines it, De vera et falsa religione, Comment. p. 412,]
[Tigur. 1525.]]
by Now we offend other men either by our words, or else by our deeds. The offence that is given by words is partly in evil, foolish, and unseasonable doctrine, and partly our daily talk or communication. The greatest offence is that which doth arise of wicked doctrine, directly contrary to the true doctrine of the holy gospel. The next to this is that offence which doth arise of foolish and unseasonable doctrine; which, though it be derived out of the word of God, is notwithstanding either unaptly uttered, or unwisely applied. For the preacher may sin either by too much suffering or lenity; or else by too much sharpness and overthwart waywardness?, so that the hearers being offended do wholly draw back from all hearing of the gospel. And yet, for all this, the light of the gospel must not be hidden, nor the truth slily winked at3, because men will be offended; but preachers must with all their diligence take heed that the word of God be wisely set forth and aptly dispensed. Whatsoever things are against the laws of God, those must most constantly be accused, and without fear most diligently confuted, howsoever the world and worldlings do storm against the same.
Now they do by their daily talk cause their brethren to stumble, whosoever let their tongues run loose to talk they care not what; and at their pleasure, without advice, to babble they care not how: of which sort are filthy speech and ribaldry, but especially such blasphemous words as are unreverently uttered against God, the holy scriptures, and articles of our faith; for evil words corrupt good manners. I do not here exclude the letters or writings of men which do unadvisedly offend their brethren.
Lastly, stumbling-blocks of offence are laid before many men either by promises or else by threatenings: so often, I mean, as by alluring enticements of many -fair promises, or else by terrible threats and torments, they are turned from the right path of truth into byways and errors; for so did Pharao lay a stone of offence before king Zedechias, by causing him to make a league with him, and by that
[1 licentia, Lat.] [3 nimia mordacitate et morositate, Lat.] [3 dissimulanda, Lat. ] [4 recte secetur, Lat.; 2 Tim. ii. 15.]]
means to trust more in the power of Egypt than in the mighty hand of God Tyrants do oftentimes give weak Christians causes of offence, while they by torments drive them to deny the name of their master Christ. j Now the deeds, whereby men are offended, be of two sorts; that is to say, they be either lawful and at our free choice, or else unlawful and utterly forbidden us. But even lawful deeds are by abuse made unlawful. For it is lawful for the faithful to eat what they lust: for to the clean all things are clean. But thy eating is made unlawful, if thou dost eat with the offence of thy weak brother: for he doth not understand that it is lawful to eat indifferently every kind of thing; and thou knowest very well that, if thou eatest, he will be offended; and yet notwithstanding thou dost eat and despise him: assure thyself in so doing thou givest cause of offence, and sinnest not a little against thy weak brother. To this we add all unseasonable using of free things and indifferent.
Βαΐ here we must note, that the doctors of the church do diligently distinguish and make a difference betwixt weak brethren and stubborn persons. The weaklings are such as be utterly ignorant in some points of religion; and yet notwithstanding are tractable enough, and fear the Lord; not erring of purpose with malicious overthwartness, but touched with a certain weakness of faith and religion, suffering themselves nevertheless willingly to be instructed. Of such the apostle saith: “Him that is weak in faith receive ye, not to strifes of disputations.” But the stubborn and obstinate people are they which, when they know the truth and liberty of the saints, do notwithstanding harden their minds, and set themselves against the truth of liberty which they know; desiring to have much granted them, and every man to bear with them, not so much for that they do ever mean to give place to the truth, as to the end that by this occasion once granted them they may at last subvert the truth and christian liberty, and in stead thereof set up their trifles and superstitious vanities. Of such men the Lord speaketh in the gospel, saying: “Let them alone; they be blind leaders of the blind.” And Paul in the second chapter to the Ga-
[5 potentite et liberation diving, Lat.] [6 veritati et libertati, Lat.; the truth and liberty, ed. 1577.]]
318 THE THIRD DECADE. [sErM. latians saith: “Titus, being a Greek, was not circumcised, because of incomers, being false brethren, which came in privily to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage. To whom not so much as for an hour we gave any place by subjection; that the truth of the gospel might continue with you.”
Moreover to this place is to be referred the difference that some men do very wisely make betwixt the giving and
the taking of an offence.
An offence is given then, when by thy fault, by thy importunity, I say, and thy lightness, thou either doest or sayest a thing for which thy brother hath a cause to be offended’. The other kind of offence is not given, but taken or picked out, not by thy fault, but by the malice or wickedness of another man: as for example, when thou dost sin neither in word nor deed, when thy deeds are nothing insolent, nor thy words unseasonable, when thou either sayest or doest the thing that is both free and lawful for thee to say and do; and yet another taketh pepper in nose? and is offended with that liberty of thine: which is all one, as if a man that walketh in a plain path? should hap to trip or stumble, and presently quarrel with his companion, as though he had laid a block in his way.
Now the unlawful and forbidden deeds wherewith men are offended do tend against God and his laws, are done contrary to all seemliness, equity, right, and reason, and stir up others to imitate the like revels and desire of ill rule’: for such are idolatry, murder, whoredom, covetousness, pride, and luxury. So did the wicked king Jeroboam set up the golden calves to be a stumbling-block unto all the people of Israel. And in like manner do many, with their drunken tippling and overnice bravery in gaudy apparel, not only offend others, but also make them worse, and by their ill example draw them into like and more foolish vanities.
[1 merito, Lat.] [2 This proverbial term for an angry person (see Ray’s Proverbs,]
[pp- 140, 197. Lond. 1817) is added by the Translator. ] [8 in quo nulla posita est offensio, Lat. omitted; where no stumbling-]
[block has been laid.) [+ The mention of a companion is an addition of the Translator’s. ] [5 ad paria studia et scelera, Lat.]]
Finally, to give an offence is a very great sin; as the saying of the Lord in the gospel affirmeth. For in Matthew he saith: “Woe unto the world because of offences. It must needs be that offences come; but woe to the man by whom the offence cometh! Whosoever offendeth one of these little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.” And Paul the apostle, speaking to the brethren that give offence, doth say: “Through thy giving of offence perisheth thy brother for whom Christ died.” And again: “And so ye sinning against your brethren, and wounding their weak consciences, do sin against Christ himself.” But what can be devised more heinous than to sin against Christ? Let us all therefore take heed, that by abusing christian liberty we give no occasion of offence to the weak, but always do the things that do belong to charity.
- Last of all, we must especially confirm our minds against the enemies of the gospel, who cease not daily to lay innumerable heaps of offences upon the preachers and zealous followers of the evangelical doctrine. “Ye,” say they, “are the causes of all the broils, seditions, wars, and hurly-burlies, wherewith the world is at this day disquieted.” Against these offensive outcries, I say, we must confirm our minds with that notable saying of Christ in the gospel: “1 came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance with his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law: and a man’s foes shall be they of his own household.” Here we must call to remembrance, and lay before our eyes, the notable examples of the prophets and apostles. King Achab said to Helias the prophet, that he was the disturber and plague of the kingdom; but the prophet replieth, that not he, but the king, was the troubler of the country. The rebellious Jews objected against Jeremy, that, since the time they began to leave the worship of their (idol) gods, and to hearken to the preaching of the word of God, they never had one jot of felicity, but that mishaps by troops fell one upon another’s neck. To which objection they were answered, that those misfortunes did light upon them because of their sins, and especially for their rebellion and unthankfulness’ sake. The
[6 unica sententia, Lat.]
unbelieving Jews at Thessalonica cried out against Paul and Silas, saying: “These fellows, that have troubled the whole world, are come hither also.” But Paul, speaking against i. the Jews his enemies and persecutors, said: “They, as they have killed the Lord Jesus and their own prophets, so do they persecute us: they please not God, and are adversaries to all men; resisting us that we should not preach the gospel unto the Gentiles to their salvation, that they may still fulfil their sins; and so at last the endless! anger of God may fall upon them,” These sayings and such like let the faithful think upon and have in their minds, and let them persevere still with constancy and patience to spread abroad the doctrine of the gospel, howsoever the world doth fret and cast offences in the way. And thus much hitherto touching offences.
It remaineth now, as my promise in the beginning was,
to say somewhat in the end of this sermon concerning good works. For we have learned that christian liberty is not licentiousness, but an adoption into the number of the sons of God, which do bestow all their life upon the study of godliness and virtues: we have learned that the law of God is the rule and doctrine of good works: the course of order, therefore, doth now require to have somewhat said touching good works.
First of all, let us determine of the very true and cerlain signification of works, because the word is used diversly, and is of ample signification. For works are the labours and busy exercises of men, by the which they get their livings: for Paul commandeth every man to work with his own hands; the law forbiddeth us to do any work on the sabbath-day; and the Israelites were oppressed in Egypt with hard and wearisome work and toil. There are also workmen, to whom the Lord in the gospel commandeth to pay the hire that is their due. A work also is the thing which is made or expressed by the artificer or workman; for the prophet Jeremy, speaking of a potter, saith: He made a work upon a wheel.” Moreover a work doth sigi. nify an office or duty; for Paul saith, “Do the work”
[[! in finem, Lat.] [2 This treatise of “offences” is transferred by Bullinger from his]
[Comment. in Matt. cap. xviii. Lib. vir. fol. 172, Tiguri. 1542. Cf.]
[Calvin. Instit. Lib. mr. cap. 19, 11, 12.]]
Ae he. 1. OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 321 (meaning the office) “of an evangelist:” and the Holy Ghost, speaking in the church at Antioch, saith, Separate me Paul and Barnabas for the work whereunto I have chosen them.” Furthermore, the works of the Lord are the mighty deeds of God, whereby he doth declare his power and goodness unto men: and in that signification heaven, earth, and man himself, are said to be the works of God’s hands. Works also are the benefits of God bestowed upon us men; for in the gospel he saith: “I have shewed you many good works:” (as if he should have said, I have done you many good turns) There are also evil works, I mean works of iniquity: whereupon some men are called workers of iniquity, whose deeds are the works of the flesh and of darkness. Again, there are good works, I mean sundry virtues, the fruits of faith; of which sort are justice, temperance, charity, patience, hope, &c. For the Lord in the gospel said: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify the Father which is in heaven.” The apostle saith that we are made for good works, to walk in them. Those same are called the fruits of repentance, and works worthy of repentance. They are called the works of light, and the fruits of the Spirit. The same are the works of humanity, benevolence, and charity: such are commended in Tabitha, which is read to have been full of good works. Paul saith: Let us work good, while we have time, to all; but especially to them of the household of faith.” Such a like work of humanity and charity did Mary bestow upon Christ our Saviour, who said: “She hath wrought a good work on me.” This being thus declared, we will now describe good works in their colours and qualities.
Good works are deeds, or actions, wrought of those which are regenerate by the Spirit? of God, through faith,
[and according to the word of God, to the glory of God, the [383 vocantur, Lat.; are called.] [2 This parenthesis is the Translator’s.] [5 illis respondent, Lat.] [6 The express phrase, works of light, does not occur in Scripture;]
[but Bullinger seems to refer to Rom. xiii. 12; for, in his exposition of]
[that passage, he says: Hic palam audimus—quee (sint) opera tene-]
[brarum, que lucis, p. 106, Tigur. 1537.) [7 spiritu bono, Lat.; by the good Spirit.] 21 [BULLINGER, 11.]]
honesty! of life, and the profit of our neighbour. This brief description I will prosecute by parts, and expound so well as the Lord shall give me grace.
First, I will by proof shew that there is none other well-spring, from whence good works do flow, than God hime self, which is the author of all good things. For the prophet saith: “All men are liars; God alone doth speak the truth?” And the Lord in the gospel saith: “None is good but God alone.” Good works therefore must have their beginning, not of man, who is a liar and corrupt, but of God himself, the well-spring of all goodness. And God doth by his Spirit and by faith in Christ Jesus renew all men, so that “they, being once regenerate, do no longer their own, that is, the works of the flesh, but the works of the Spirit, of grace, and? of God himself. For the works of them that are regenerate do grow up by the good Spirit of God that is within them; which Spirit, even as the sap giveth strength to trees to bring forth fruit, doth in like manner cause sundry virtues to bud and branch out of us men, as the Lord himself doth in the gospel testify, and say: “I am the vine, ye are the branches. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abide in the vine; so cannot ye also, unless ye abide in me. Whosoever abideth in me, and I in him, he bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.” To the same cause is that to be referred, where as? we say that a good work is done by faith. For faith is the gift of God, whereby we lay hold on Christ, through which we are both justified and quickened; as the scripture saith, 4] The just shall live by his faith.” And in another place saith Paul: “ΒΥ faith Christ dwelleth in our hearts.” And again: “I live; yet now not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which now I live in the flesh, I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Now he that liveth doth the works of life through him, no doubt, by whom he is quickened; and he that is justified doth the works of righteousness through him that justified
[1 ornamentum et honestatem, Lat.] [2 Ps. cxvi. 11; Rom. iii. 4: where the Vulgate has, est Deus verax;]
[Erasmus renders, sit. 3 [8 adeoque, Lat.; and so.] [ cum dicimus, Lat.] [5 Eph. iii. 17; in cordibus vestris, Lat. ]]
him: that is, the righteous do through Christ work righteousness, and righteousness containeth the whole company of virtues. So then God alone remaineth still the only wellspring and author of good works.
But let us now see the testimonies of scripture, by which we may evidently learn, that the works of them that be regenerate are attributed to God himself, who by his Spirit and by faith doth work in the hearts of the regenerate. Moses testifieth, saying: “The Lord shall bless thee, and the Lord thy God shall circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, that thou mayest love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.” Lo, here the cause that godly men do rightly love the Lord doth proceed of the circumcision of the heart. Now who, I pray you, doth circumcise the heart beside the Lord? The prophet Esay doth more plainly say: Thou, Lord, shalt ordain peace: for even thou hast wrought all our works in us.” In the gospel after St John our Saviour saith: “He that worketh verity cometh to the light, that his works may be seen, because they are wrought by God.” And again: “Whosoever abideth in me, and I in him, he bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.” Paul also to the Philippians saith: “To you it is given for Christ, not only to believe in him, but also to suffer for him.” And yet again more plainly: “It is God that worketh in you both to will and to do according to the good purpose of the mind” Likewise also St James saith: “Every good giving and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh from the Father of lights.” Moreover St Peter, ascribing all the parts of good works to God, doth say: “The God of all grace, who hath called you to his eternal glory through Christ Jesus, restore, uphold, strengthen, and stablish you.” For “we are not able,” as Paul in another place saith, of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but all our ability is of God.” Therefore God alone remaineth still the only well-spring of all good works, from whom, as from
[6 Phil. ii. 13; pro bono animi proposito, Lat. and Erasmus. Sensus]
[est, Deus operatur in nobis velle et perficere, idque facit quod propenso]
[in nos animo sit, quod nos amat, et familiariter admodum complectitur.]
[Bullinger, Comment. in loc.] 21—2]
a spring-head, good works! do flow into the saints, as into sundry streams and channels?
Yet here by the way this must be added, that good works, although they do in deed proceed from God, and are in very true and proper phrase of speech the fruits of the Spirit and of faith, both are notwithstanding, and are also said to be, ours; that is to say, the works of faithful men: partly because God worketh them by us, and useth our ministery in the doing of the same; and partly because we are by faith the sons of God, and are therefore made the brethren and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. For by this right of inheritance all the works of God, which are in us God’s gifts, do begin to be not another’s, but our own and proper works. Yea, the very scripture doth attribute them to us, as unto sons and freeborn children; for the Lord in the gospel saith: “The servant abideth not in the house for ever; the son abideth for ever.” Therefore, as all things in the father’s house do, by right of inheritance and title of propriety, come to the son, although the son hath not gotten them by his own industry, nor gathered them by his own labour, but hath received them by the liberality of his parents; even so the works of God, which he doth work in us and by us, which are God’s gifts bestowed upon us, both are, and are said to be, our own, because we are the sons of the household, as it were, by adoption, and therefore are the lawful heirs. Wherefore it were the sign of a very unthankful mind for an adopted son, being forgetful of his father’s beneficence and liberality, to make his brags, that all those goods, which he enjoyeth by right of inheritance, were gotten and come by through his own labour and travail. Whereupon Paul said very religiously: “What hast thou that thou hast not received? If thou hast then received it, why dost thou yet boast as though thou receivedst it not Ὁ Very well thought the holy martyr of Christ, St Cyprian, who was wont to say: ‘ We should boast of nothing, because we have nothing of our own?” And to this
[1 opera vere bona, Lat.] [3 as—channels, is the Translator’s addition. ] [3 In nullo gloriandum, quando nostrum nihil sit.—Cypr. Testim. mr.]
[ad Quirinum 4. Op. Par. 1633, p. 373.]]
IX.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 8920 place belongeth that saying of the prophet Esay: Shall the axe boast against him that heweth with it; or shall the saw brag against him that draweth 105?” We, verily, are the instruments or tools of God, by which he worketh; for the apostle saith: “We are joint-workers with God; ye are! God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace which God hath given me.” Therefore, according to the meaning of the apostle’s writing, St Augustine, Lib. de Gratia et libero arb., in the sixth chapter, doth say: “When grace is given, then do our merits begin to be good, and that through grace. For if grace be taken away, then man doth fall, not being set up, but cast down headlong, by freewill. Wherefore, when man beginneth to have good works, he must not attribute them to himself, but unto God, to whom it is said in the Psalm, Be thou my helper: O forsake me not. In saying, Forsake me not, he sheweth, that if he be forsaken, he is able to do no good of himself.” So then in these words St Augustine doth plainly enough declare, that good works are ours after that sort, that yet notwithstanding they cease not to be the works of God; yea, that they ought nevertheless to be ascribed to the grace of God that worketh in us’,
Now by this which we have hitherto alleged out of the scriptures touching the true original cause of good works,” we may easily understand how and after what manner the scripture doth attribute righteousness unto our merits. For I have in another place sufficiently declared (and will again say somewhat, when I come to the treatise of the gospel) that faith, not works, doth justify us in the sight of God: which is the especial point and chief foundation of the evangelical and apostolical doctrine.
[6 pertinere videtur, Lat.] [5 Is. x. 15; qui ipsam agitat, Lat. and Calvin.] [6 Sed plane cum data fuerit (gratia), incipiunt esse etiam merita]
[nostra bona, per illam tamen. Nam si illam subtraxerit, cadit homo,]
[non erectus, sed preecipitatus libero arbitrio. Quapropter quando]
[ceeperit homo habere merita bona, non debet sibi tribuere illa, sed Deo,]
[cui dicitur in Psalmo, Adjutor meus esto, ne derelinquas me. Dicendo,]
[ne derelinquas me, ostendit quia si derelictus fuerit, nihil boni valet]
[ipse per se.—Aug. Opp. Par. 1531, Tom. vi. fol. 268, col. 1.] [7 Cf. Calvin. Instit. Lib. mw. cap. 5, 14.] [8 Decad. 1. Serm. 6, Vol. 1. p. 104.]]
326 THE THIRD DECADE. [sErM. All our works generally are either the works of nature or the flesh, or else the works of the law, or else the works of faith or grace. Now the works of nature or the flesh do not justify, but condemn us; because that which is born of flesh is flesh.” But “the lust of the flesh is death, and enmity against God.” What the apostle thought and said touching the works of the law, I did declare! to you in my i. former sermon: “By the works of the law,” saith he, “shall no flesh be justified.” But if we beat out and examine the works of grace and of faith, we shall find that they both are, and have been, done by faithful and just men.
Whereupon it is manifest, that justification did always go before the works of righteousness: for the just man doth work righteousness; so that righteousness is the fruit that the just do bring forth. Man, verily, is justified freely by grace, and not by works, which follow after justification. What may be said to that, where the scripture saith? that even Abraham, the father of all that believe, was not justified by the works of grace and of faith? He lived 430 years before? the law; he believed in God, and by true faith did most excellent works: and yet by those his works of faith he was not justified. For Paul doth plainly argue thus: “If Abraham were justified by works, then hath he wherein to boast; but not before God. For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. To him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of duty: but to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.” Now whereas we conclude, that we also shall be justified according to the example of Abraham by faith, and not by works, we ground that conclusion, not upon our own minds, but upon the apostle’s doctrine, who saith: ‘ Nevertheless it was not written for him only, that faith was imputed to him for righteousness; [} copiose exposui, Lat. [2 aperte testatur, Lat.] [ Gal. iii. 17. Hoc loco Apostolus 430 annos a promissione facta Abrahs ad legem usque numerat. Bullinger, Comment. in loc.] [4 Ei vero, Lat.; now to him.] [6 See Tyndale’s Doctrinal Treatises, Park. Soc. ed. p. 103.]
[6 propter Abraham, Lat.] i
but it was written for us also, to whom it shall be reckoned, if we believe in Christ.” Touching this matter I have already disputed in the sixth sermon of the first Decade, I verily am persuaded that this doctrine of the apostles and evangelists ought to be laid up in the bottom of every faithful heart: that we are justified by the grace of God, not by merits”; through faith, and not through works,
But while we urge and repeat this doctrine uno the people, we are said of many to be the patrons of all naughtiness, and utter enemies to all good works and virtues. But we, by this our preaching and doctrine of faith which doth only justify, do not contemn good works, nor think them to be superfluous. We do not say that they are not good; but do ery out upon the abuse of good works, and the corrupt doctrine of good works, which is defiled with the leaven of the Pharisees. For we teach to do good works, but we will not have them to be set to sale, and to be bought I cannot tell in what order of bargaining. We will not have any man to put confidence in them; we will not have any man to boast of the gifts of God; we will not have the power to justify, or to merit life everlasting, to be simply attributed unto them. For by that means Christ should wax vile and contemptible?, who hath with his death alone merited for us the heavenly kingdom of God Almighty. Neither do we by this, as many think we do, separate good works from faith, Our doctrine is, that works and faith are not severed, but cleave together as closely as may be: so yet notwithstanding, that justification is properly ascribed to faith, and not to works. For works do consist in our worthiness, but faith doth cleave to the promise of God, which setteth before us both righteousness and life in the only-begotten Son of God, Christ Jesus our Saviour. And Christ is sufficiently able of himself, and by his own power and virtue, to justify them that believe in his name, without any aid or help of ours at all.
I will not wink at some men’s objection, but freely confess, that the scriptures here and there do after a sort attribute both life and justification unto good works. But the scripture is not contrary to itself: therefore we must search
[7 non meritis nostris, Lat.] [8 per fidem in Christum, Lat.] [9 et oppugnaretur, Lat.; and be fought against. ]]
and examine, in what sense, and how, life and justification are ascribed to our works. St Augustine doth so answer this objection, that he referreth our works! unto the grace of God; for in his book De gratia et libero arbitrio, the eighth chapter, he writeth: “If eternal life be of duty given to good works, as the scripture doth most plainly testify, saying, Because God will reward every man according to his works;’ then how is eternal life of grace, considering that grace is not given as due to works, but freely and without deserts? as the apostle Paul doth say, To him that worketh the reward is not reckoned of grace, but of duty;’ and again, The remnant,’ saith he, are saved by the election of grace: and immediately after he addeth, If it be of grace, then it is not now of works; for then grace is no more grace.” How then is eternal life, which is gotten by works, a gift? Or else did not the apostle say, that everlasting life is a gift? Yes, verily; he said it so plainly that we cannot deny it. Neither are his words so obscure that they require a sharp understander, but an attentive hearer. For when he had said, The reward of sin is death; he addeth straightways: But the gift of God is life everlasting in Jesu Christ our Lord.’ Methinketh therefore, that this question can be none otherwise resolved, unless we understand, that even our good works, to which eternal life is given, must be referred to the grace and gift of God; because the Lord Jesus saith, Without me ye can do nothing τ and the apostle, when he had said, Ye are saved by grace through faith,’ doth presently add, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast?’” Thus much hitherto out of St Augustine.
[1 bona opera, Lat. ] [3 Si enim vita seterna bonis operibus redditur, sicut apertissime]
[dicit scriptura, Quoniam Deus reddet wunicuique secundum opera]
[ejus; quomodo gratia est vita eterna, cum gratia non operibus red-]
[datur, sed gratis detur? ipso apostolo dicente, Ei qui operatur merces]
[non imputatur secundum gratiam, sed secundum meritum; et iterum,]
[Reliquise, inquit, per electionem gratiee salve facta sunt; et mox]
[addidit, Si autem gratia, jam non ex operibus, alioquin gratia jam non]
[est gratia. Quomodo est ergo gratia vita stern, que ex operibus]
[sumitur? An forte vitam seternam non dixit apostolus gratiam? Imo]
[vero sic dixit, ut negari omnino non possit; nec intellectorem acutum,]
[sed tantummodo intentum desiderat auditorem. Cum enim dixisset,]
[Stipendium peccati mors; continuo subdidit, Gratia autem Dei vita]
Now although this answer of St Augustine be godly and plain enough to him that simply searcheth for the truth, yet I am sure that some there are which never will be answered with it. They will, I know, go about upon St Augustine’s words to infer that works, and not faith alone, do justify us men. For thus they argue: We are justified, and do obtain eternal life, by grace: good works do belong to the grace of God: therefore good works do justify us.
Now it is not amiss to close and buckle hand to hand with these disputers, that in this little ye may perceive that they be mere shifts of sophistry, which they set to sale under the name and colour of very sound arguments. And first of all, there is no man so foolish, if he hath read the doctrine of St Paul, but knoweth very well that those two propositions cannot hang together: we are justified by grace; and, we are justified by works. For that sentence of St Paul is as clear as the sun, where he saith, “If of grace, then now not of works: for then grace were no grace.” We do freely grant both their propositions; to wit, that we are justified by grace, and that works belong to the grace of God, or be the gift of God: but we deny their consequence, and say that it is false; to wit, that works do justify. For if that be true, then may we in like manner truly say, A man doth see; an hand doth belong unto a man: and thereupon infer, therefore a hand doth see. But who would gather so vain a consequent? For all do understand, that a man doth consist of sundry members, and that every member hath his effects and offices. Again, what is he which knoweth not, that the grace of God, which is otherwise undivided, is divided and distinguished according to the diverse operations which it worketh? For there is in God a certain (as it were) general grace, whereby he created all mortal men, and by which he sendeth rain upon the just and unjust: but this grace doth not
[seterna in Christo Jesu Domino nostro. Ista ergo queestio nullo modo]
[mihi videtur posse dissolvi, nisi intelligamus et ipsa bona opera nostra,]
[quibus eterna redditur vita, ad Dei gratiam pertinere, propter illud]
[quod ait Dominus Jesus, Sine me nihil potestis facere. Et ipse apostolus]
[cum dixisset, Gratia salvi facti estis per fidem; et hoc non ex vobis, sed]
[Dei donum est, non ex operibus ne forte quis extollatur; vidit utique,]
[&c.—Aug. Opp. Par. 1531, Tom. vir. fol. 268, col. 3.] [8 suas vires, Lat.]]
justify; for if it did, then should the wicked and unjust! be justified. Again, there is that singular grace, whereby he doth, for his only-begotten Christ his sake, adopt us to be his sons: he doth not, I mean, adopt all, but the believers only, whose sins he reckoneth not, but doth impute to them the J righteousness of his only-begotten Son our Saviour, This is that grace which doth alone justify us in very deed. More- -over there is a grace, which, being poured into our minds, doth bring forth good works in them that are justified. This grace doth not justify, but doth engender the fruits of righteousness in them that are justified. Therefore we confess and grant, that good works belong to grace, but after a certain manner, order, and fashion?
Again, they object and say: But grace or faith and works, justification also and sanctification, are so joined together, that they cannot be severed one from another: therefore the thing that agreeth to one is also appliable unto the other.
I verily neither dare nor do in any case gainsay, that faith and works do cleave together; but I do utterly deny that they twain are all one, so that the thing which is attributed to the one may also be applied unto the other. For faith, although it be weak and unperfect in us, doth notwithstanding lean and stay upon Christ his perfection alone, and so far forth it doth justify us. But our works have in them (for I use the mildest phrase of speech) some sprinkling of vice and sparkle of error, because of the original disease that is natural in us all: but it followeth not therefore, that the grace of God is polluted by any vice or fault of ours; which should of necessity follow consequently, if, by reason of the strait knot betwixt them, the properties of the one were common to the other. Although the light of the sun be not separate from the heat thereof, yet is not the light the same that the heat is. Neither is it a good consequence to say, The sun giveth light to the world; therefore the heat of the sun giveth light to the world, because in the sun the heat and light cannot be separated. Yea rather, the sun in respect of his light doth lighten the world, not in respect of the heat that it hath. And yet the sun doth both warm and
[1 omnes impii, Lat.] [2 sed sua ratione, suo modo, Lat.]]
i 1X.] OF CHRISTIAN LIBERTY, WORKS, AND MERITS. 331 lighten the earth at once. In like manner we are freely Justified by the merciful grace of God, for Christ his sake, our Lord and Saviour, not in respect and consideration of the works of grace, that are found in us; although these works are engendered and brought forth by that free grace. And so we must attribute all glory wholly to the grace of Godand not part stakes with him, and take to our own share any part of his glory.
These wranglers have yet another shift, and say: Although we say that eternal life is given by God to all faithful believers, not for faith only in Christ Jesus, but also for the works of faith; all the glory nevertheless shall redound to God; namely since we acknowledge and confess that those works are wrought in us by the power and grace of God.
To this our answer is; that glory must so be given to God as he doth please to have it given him. If the will, purpose, and counsel of God were to receive us into his friendship for the works’ sake, which his Spirit and grace doth bring forth in us; then should he unadvisedly, without discretion, have sent his only-begotten Son into the world, and rashly have appointed him to the terrible pangs of bitter death. But God, in all that he hath created either in heaven or earth, much less in this case, which is the greatest that belongeth to man, the chief and most excellent creature that he hath made, did never at any time do any thing rashly, without great advisement. Wherefore it is assuredly certain, that it was never the counsel and purpose of God for our own good works and virtues to redeem us from the tyranny of Satan, and to accept us for his sons; but for the only sacrifice and satisfaction of his only-begotten Son Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. For the judgment of Paul in this matter remaineth firm and invincible, where he saith: “If righteousness come of the works of the law, then did Christ die in vain.” And that divine saying of St Peter remaineth for ever uncontrollable: “There is salvation in none other.”
Again, they do lay certain places of scripture together, and thereupon do argue thus: Although Paul in one place doth say, “Ye are saved by grace through faith;” yet in another place the same Paul doth say, “We are saved by
[3 that belongeth—hath made, not in Lat.] [6 opera fidei, Lat.; the works of faith. ]]
hope.” Now who knoweth not that hope is, as it were, upheld and strengthened by patience?—Christ himself in the gospel agreeing thereunto, and saying, “In your patience ye shall possess your souls.” Therefore not faith only, but hope and patience do bring us to salvation.
To this we answer thus; That the holy apostle doth sufficiently expound himself, if a man will take the pains to read him throughout, and weigh with himself the end and cause for which he spake every several sentence. Ye are,” saith he, “saved by grace through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not of works, lest any man should boast,” &c, Hath he not in these few words most evidently declared what his belief is touching grace or faith, and works? Who would desire a plainer speech? There is none so very a dorhead! as that he understandeth not, that the benefit? of salvation is wholly and merely ascribed to grace. For he doth not divide salvation or justification partly to faith or grace, and partly to works; neither doth he attribute the first place to faith, and the second place to works: he doth utterly exclude all boasting. Ye are,” saith he, “saved by grace through faith.” And immediately after he addeth, “and that not of yourselves.” He annexeth the cause: “it is the gift of God.” And again: “πού of works.” He sheweth why: “Lest any man should boast.” He that understandeth not this doth undoubtedly understand nothing at all. contra He that wresteth or otherwise cavilleth at this doth speak » against the sun, and saith that the light is darkness. Now «t Whereas the same apostle doth in another place say, “We are saved by hope;” it is by the marking of the whole place to be gathered, that his meaning is as if he had said: “told you, that they which believe in Christ are the sons and heirs of God, and have thereby their salvation and felicity; but I would have every one to understand it in hope and expectation, not in enjoying the very thing itself, and present fruition.” Now who can hereupon infer, Therefore hope doth justify? But we do rather make this argument: Patience is no patience at all, unless the patient man be first justified by true faith: therefore the commendation of patience?
[1 bardus, Lat. Dor: a drone.] {2 totum beneficium, Lat.] [8 patientize laus et virtus, Lat.]]
doth wholly depend upon faith, and not the praise of faith upon patience; although faith be declared and shewed forth by patience.
For it is a sentence utterly unworthy to come out of a christian man’s mouth, to say, that faith is made perfect by good works; that is to say, where faith doth want a piece, that there good works do patch it up. For when we name faith, we do not name simply the quality of believing which is in our minds, but we have an eye to Christ himself 4, our Lord and Saviour, together with his righteousness and heavenly gifts; upon whom alone, as upon a base and sure foundation, our faith doth rest and firmly stand. But to go about to supply the want of any thing in Christ Jesus, is nothing else but with devilish blasphemy to disgrace the Son of God. The faith of saints, I confess, doth declare and shew itself by works; but it followeth not thereupon, that works do therefore make perfect that which seemeth to be wanting in Christ his perfection. For there is nothing lacking in our deliverance, redemption, and justification wrought by Christ. The apostle James did say indeed, “Seest thou how faith was made perfect by works?” But his meaning was none other but to say, Seest thou how faith, by the works which followed it, did declare itself to be a true and righteous faith, and not an hypocritical faith? For before these words he said: “Seest thou how his faith was effectual through works?” Again, the apostle Paul said: “1 fulfil that which is lacking to the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church.” But you may better translate the Greek τὰ ὑστερήματα to be that rather which is behind, than that which is lacking to the afflictions of Christ: for the Greeks call τὰ ὑστερήματα not only those things that are wanting, but also the remnant (which word St Ambrose also used)’, I mean the remnant
[[ See Vol. 1. addend. p. 112, line 32.] [6 Col. i. 24. Suppleo vel adimpleo, Lat. The former is the ren-]
[dering of Erasmus, the latter of the Vulgate. ] [6 quee supersunt, quam que desunt, Lat.] [7 —qui nunc gaudeo in passionibus pro vobis, et suppleo relliquias]
[pressurarum Christi, &e. Ambros. Comment. in Ep. ad Coloss. cap. 1,]
[v. 24, Tom. 11. Append. pag. 266, Par. 1690. But these commentaries]
[are not genuine. See James’ Corruption of Scripture, Councils, and]
[Fathers, ed. Cox, Lond. 1843, p. 26.]]
and those things that are remaining behind. And St Peter saith, that “Christ suffered for us, leaving behind him an example for us, that we might follow his trace and footsteps.” Therefore the apostle affirmeth, that he by suffering fulfilled the remnant which was behind. After this again they allege the words of the apostle xii Paul, where he saith: “If I have all faith, so that I can remove mountains out of their place, and yet have not charity, I am nothing.” For upon this they infer, Therefore not faith only, but also charity, yea, rather charity than faith, doth justify.”
But we say that Paul in this sentence doth neither deny that faith alone doth justify, nor yet doth attribute the justification of the saints to charity. For when we affirm that J we are justified by faith, or when we make faith the cause of justification, (which thing must be by often repetition beaten into our memories,) we do not understand that faith, as it is a virtue in us, doth work, and by the quality? that sticketh to us doth merit, righteousness in the sight of God; but so often as we make mention of faith, we understand the grace of God exhibited in Christ, which is through faith freely applied to us, and received as the free gift of God bestowed upon us. And in that sense doth Paul? use the name of faith, when he affirmeth that faith doth justify. But in this place of the thirteenth chapter to the Corinthians ~ he doth not so take the name of faith, but putteth it for the power of working miracles; as is manifest by that which followeth, where he saith, “so that I can remove mountains.” That faith doth not comprehend Christ wholly, but only the power in shewing of miracles: and therefore it may be sometime in an unjust man and an hypocrite; as it was in Judas Iscariot, to whom the faith of miracles profited nothing, because he was without the justifying faith; which faith is never without, but of itself engendereth, charity.
Again, whereas they object that saying out of the gospel of St John, “Whosoever knoweth my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and my Father will
[1 hasce relliquias, Lat.] [2 qualitate sua, Lat.; its quality.] [3 apprehenditur recipiturque, Lat. ] [ et Paulus, Lat.; doth Paul also.] [5 habet, Lat. ]]
love him, and we will come to him, and make our abiding in him;” therefore for the observation of the commandments, that is, for our works’ sake, God is joined to us: we again allege this saying of the same evangelist and apostle John: “By this we know that we abide in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.” But that Spirit of God is a free gift: therefore we are joined to God by mere and free grace. It followeth in John: “And we have seen and do testify, that the Father hath sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.” Thou hearest, I hope, by what it is that the world is saved, and what Christ the Saviour of the world 156. Now who knoweth not that he was sent unto us of the Father by the mere and only grace of God? It followeth now, how that grace is received: “Whosoever confesseth that Jesus is the Son of God, God abideth in him, and he in God.” But in the sixth of John, instead of confesseth,’ is put believeth and no marvel, since out of a true faith a true confession doth arise. By faith therefore are we saved’, and by faith are we joined unto God. But letting pass these wranglers, who will never be without store of such sophistical shifts, we do again return to our purposed argument, to shew you how, and in what sense, life and justification are attributed to works.
They that are well exercised in the reading of the holy scriptures, that they may reconcile the places of scripture that seem at a blush to be at discord, do teach that faith and works in very deed are not separated one from another. For the same Holy Spirit which giveth faith doth therewithal also regenerate the understanding and will, so that the faithful doth ardently desire, and do his endeavour in all things, to do service to God his maker. Therefore, for the unseparable knot betwixt faith and good works, which always keep company and attend upon faith, we say, that justification is sometimes? somewhat unproperly attributed to works, which is somewhat more properly to be attributed to faith, but most properly of all to be ascribed to Christ apprehended by faith, who is in very deed the foundation and subject of our faith.
[6 rather, and who the Saviour of the world is, namely Christ. ] [7 recipimus salutem, Lat. ] [8 sequuntur, Lat. ] [9 rather, that there is attributed to works that which, &ec.; justifi-]
[cation is not in Lat.]]
ie Safa Le Sa en ae TT 336 THE THIRD DECADE. ~~ [SERM. I will yet essay to make this more manifest. In true faith there are two things to be considered, reconciliation and obedience: reconciliation, because by faith we understand and verily believe, that God is reconciled to us for Christ his sake, by whom we are adopted into the number of the sons of God; and obedience, because they that are reconciled do wholly yield themselves to him to whom they be reconciled, with earnest desire and zeal to do his will and pleasure. So then we say that faith! is of two sorts, the justifying and the obeying faith? ΟΥ̓ the justifying faith? St Paul maketh mention, where he saith: “Being justified by faith, we have peace toward God through the Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we are reconciled.” Again he maketh mention of the obeying faith? where he saith: “Know ye not, that to whom ye give yourselves as servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye do obey; whether it be of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?”—that is to say, which obedience maketh you to do the things that are righteous, and to be the servants of righteousness, which shall turn to you to eternal life; and not the servants of sin, which turneth unto death. Now therefore justification is properly attributed to the reconciling righteousness through Christ Jesus, and is improperly ascribed to the obeying righteousness, or righteousness of obedience. For the obeying righteousness is of the reconciling, and without the reconciling righteousness obedience should not be called righteousness. To which this is also to be added, that they which are justified do not put any confidence in this obedience, as that which is always spotted in this world by reason of our flesh.
To this also agreeth this other explication which I will here annex. The most proper work of faith is purification and sanctification; for St Peter doth expressly say, that by faith our hearts are purified. But in sanctification the holy scriptures do shew to be two especial things: first, that all the faithful are freely purified by the blood of Christ Jesus;
1.18, for again the same St Peter saith: “Ye know that you are redeemed not with transitory things, as gold and silver; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of an unspotted Lamb.” St Paul saith: “Ye are sanctified? by the will of God through
[1 justitiam, Lat.; righteousness. ] [2 faith, not in Lat.] [3 Heb. x. 10, 14, sanctificati sumus, Lat. ]]
the oblation of the body of Jesus Christ once made. For with that one oblation he made them perfect for ever which are sanctified.” St John also saith: “The blood of Jesus Christ the Son of God doth cleanse us from all sin.” Therefore the most proper phrase of speech is to say, that we are sanctified through faith by the blood of Christ, who said: I sanctify myself for them, that they also may be sanctified through the truth.” The latter is, that they which are sanctified by the blood of Christ through faith, do day by day sanctify themselves, and give their minds to holiness; to the doing and study whereof the apostles do most earnestly exhort the saints. For Peter saith: “As he which called you is holy, sobe ye also holy in your conversation; because it is written, Be ye holy, for Iam holy.” St Paul saith: “This is the will of God, even your holiness,” &c. 1 Thessal. iv. St John saith: “Now are we the sons of God; and yet it doth not appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every one that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he also is pure.” Now this purging or purification, which is made by our care and industry, is called by the name of sanctification, not because it is made by us as of ourselves, but because it is made of them that are sanctified by the blood of Christ, in respect of Christ his bloods. For unless that sanctification, which is the very true and only sanctification in deed, do go before, our sanctification (I mean, that which we work) is none at all. But if that go before, then is this of ours imputed for sanctification, although in the meanwhile the spots of sin remaining in us do defile it, and that we do put no confidence in it. Therefore, so often as thou shalt read in the holy scriptures that righteousness is attributed to our good works, thou shalt think straightways, that it is done for none other causes than those which I have hitherto already declared unto thee. For the apostolical Spirit cannot be repugnant or contrary to itself.
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