M. But God doth allure us to good doing rewards, both in this life and in the He to me and a covenant with us as it were for certain wage : S. That reward, as I have said, "_ for their worthiness, and rendered to them as for deservings, but by the bountifines of S& bestowed upon us without deserving Art & doth give us as a gift of his own dear in seru. his liberality through Christ. We f and liberality, I mean it free and bomnin desert or merit: that it be Godine b which he applieth to our salvation which trust in him, not hired a were a merchandise of his commite him for some profit to himself, regung : recompence or price, which once the liberality and majesty of God M. Whereas then God do I -tification, and by the same fan air. works, tell me, dost thou think that the nature, or the gift of God? S. Faith is the gif . lent gift. For both our wits as a ceive and understand the wiston f opened by faith, and our hear trust, or to wrongful and in THE other creatures, than to tre ruta v structing us with his ward and g his Holy Spirit, maketh us agrari wise would be far from entering no te s... se wits; and sealing the promises so informeth us that we are not an truth of them. These things he mystic pray to the Lord to increase her sath h n Rom. ix. 31, 32. Gal. 6 3. & cxliii. 2. M. How then dost thou say that they please God? S. "It is faith that procureth God's favour to our works, v. 6. Heb. xi. while it is assured that he will not deal with us after extremity • Ps. cxxx. of law, nor call our doings to exact account, nor try them as it were by the square: that is, he will not, in valuing and weighing them, use severity, but remitting and pardoning all their corruptness, for Christ's sake and his deservings, will account them for fully perfect. 11, 12, 14. M. Then thou standest still in this, that we cannot by merit of works obtain to be justified before God, seeing thou thinkest that all doings of men, even the perfectest, do need pardon? S. God himself hath so decreed in his word; and his P Luke xviii. Holy Spirit doth teach us to pray that he "bring us not into Rom. iv. 2. judgment. judgment. For where righteousness, such as God the Judge q Rom. iii. 20. shall allow, ought to be throughly absolute, and in all parts and points fully perfect, such as is to be directed and tried by Gal. ii. 16. the most precise rule, and, as it were, by the plumb-line of ▾ Ps. cxliii. 2. God's law and judgment; and sith our works, even 'the best of them, for that they swerve and differ most far from the *Job iv 18. & rule and prescription of God's law and justice, are many ways & xxv. 4, 5. to be blamed and condemned; we can in no wise be justiJob xv. 14, fied before God by works. xv. 14, 15, 16. Ps. cxxx. 3. 15, 16. & xxv. 6. Isai. lxiv. 6. 1 Cor. iv. 4. M. Doth not this doctrine withdraw men's minds from the duties of godliness, and make them slacker and slower to good works, or at least less cheerful and ready to godly endeavours? S. No: for we may not therefore say that good works are unprofitable or done in vain and without cause, for that we obtain not justification by them. For they serve both to the glory of God; and "Matt. v. 16. the profit of our neighbour "and to 1 Pet. 11. 12. 33. Phil. ii. 10. X Matt. xii. they do, as by certain testimonies, assure us of God's good12. 1 Pet. i. will toward us, and of our love again to God-ward, and of our faith, and so consequently of our salvation. And reason it is, that we being redeemed with the blood of Christ the Son of God, and having beside received innumerable and infinite benefits of God, should live and wholly frame ourselves after Rom. xiv. the will and appointment of our Redeemer, and so shew ourvi. 20. 2 Cor. selves mindful and thankful to the Author of our salvation, and by our example procure and win other unto him. The Matt. v. 16. man that calleth these thoughts to mind may sufficiently rejoice in his good endeavours and works. 7, 8. 1 Cor. v. 15. 1 Thess. v. 10. 1 Pet. ii. 12. M. But God doth allure us to good doing with certain rewards, both in this life and in the life to come, and doth covenant with us as it were for certain wages. S. "That reward, as I have said, is not given to works for their worthiness, and rendered to them as recompence for deservings, but by the bountifulness of God is freely 2 bestowed upon us without deserving. And justification God doth give us as a gift of his own dear love toward us, and of his liberality through Christ. When I speak of God's gift and liberality, I mean it free and bountiful, without any our desert or merit: that it be God's mere and sincere liberality, which he applieth to our salvation only whom he loveth and which trust in him, not hired or procured for wages, as it were a merchandise of his commodities and benefits used by him for some profit to himself, requiring again of us some recompence or price, which once to think were to abate both the liberality and majesty of God. M. Whereas then God doth by faith both give us justification, and by the same faith alloweth and accepteth our works, tell me, dost thou think that this faith is a quality of nature, or the gift of God? e con are Matt. v. 12. xxv. 34, 35. Tim. i. 9. & x. 41, 42. & Eph. iii. 20. b Rom. iii. 24. 1 Cor. i. 1. & xi. 6. Gal. v. 4. 2 Tim. i. Rev. xxi. 6. 23, 24. John xi, 40, 1 Pet. 20, 21. • Matt. xvi. 7, 8, 9, 11. 34. viii. Rom. 6, 7. 1 Cor. 14. f Matt. vi. 30. & viii. 26. & xvi. 8. & xiv. S. Faith is the gift of God, and a singular and excel-d Mark ix. lent gift. For both our wits are too gross and dull to ceive and understand the wisdom of God, whose fountains opened by faith, and our hearts are more apt either to distrust, or to wrongful and corrupt trust in ourselves, or in other creatures, than to true trust in God. But God, instructing us with his word and lightening our minds with 31 his Holy Spirit, maketh us apt to learn those things that other- 17. Luke wise would be far from entering into the dull capacity of our Col wits; and sealing the promises of salvation in our souls, he so informeth us that we are most surely persuaded of the truth of them. These things the apostles understanding, do pray to the Lord to "increase their faith. THE THIRD PART. OF PRAYER AND THANKSGIVING. M. Thou hast in good time made mention of prayer. For now thou hast ended the declaration of the law of God, and of the Creed, that is to say, the Christian confession, it followeth next to speak of prayer, and of thanksgiving, which g Matt. xvi. xxiv. 45. i. 9. 2 Tim. ii. 7. h Luke xvii. 5. is nearly conjoined to it: for these are in order knit, and fitly hanging together with the rest. S. They be indeed most nearly joined, for they belong to the first table of God's law, and do contain the principal i Ps. 1. 15, 23. duties of 'godliness toward God. Acts ix. 21. Rom. x. 12. & xv. 6. 2 Cor. i. 2, 4. 2 Tim. ii. 22. M. In declaring of prayer what order shall we follow ? S. This order, master, if it so please you: first, to shew 1 Pet. i. 17. who is to be prayed unto: secondly, with what affiance: The order of prayer. teaching for thirdly, with what affection of heart: and, fourthly, what is to be prayed for. k Ps. xvii. 7, 8. & xxvi. 1. lxxviii. & civ. toto. M. First, then, tell me who thou thinkest is to be called S. Because our life and salvation standeth in the hand &xxviii. 8. & of God alone, in whose power are all things. Sith then God doth give us all that is good and that a Christian man ought to wish and desire; and sith he alone is able, in every 1 Ps. xviii. 1, danger, to give help and succour, and to drive away all && xei. 1, perils, it is meet that of him we ask all things; and in all distresses flee to him alone, and crave his help. For this he m Ps. 1. 15, 23. himself in "his word asketh and requireth, as the peculiar and proper worshipping of his majesty. &c. 26, 27, 28, 2, &c. & lxxxi. 7. & lxxxix. 26, 27. n Ps. ii. 12. & xxv. 1, 2. M. Shall we not then do well to call upon holy men that are departed out of this life, or upon angels? S. No. For that were to give to them an infiniteness to be present everywhere, or to give them, being absent, an understanding of our secret meanings, that is, as much as a certain godhead, and therewithal partly to convey to them our confidence and trust, "that ought to be set wholly in God & exvii. 8, 9. alone, and so to slide into idolatry. But forasmuch as God calleth us to himself alone, and doth also, with adding an oath, promise that he will both hear and help us; to flee 27. John xvi. to the help of other were an evident token of distrust and infidelity. And as touching the holy men that are departed out of this life, what manner of thing, I pray you, were this, P Ps. cii. 21, forsaking the 'living God, that "heareth our prayers, that is most mighty, most ready to help us, that "calleth us unto Matt. xi. 28. him, that in the word of truth promiseth and sweareth, that, o Ps. 1. 15. 23, 24. 23, 24. q Ps. 1. 15. . Eph. iii. 20. t John xvi. 23, 24. with his divine power and succour, he will defend us; forsaking him, I say, to flee to men dead, deaf, and weak, which neither have promised help, nor are able to relieve us, to whom God never gave the office to help us, to whom we are by no scriptures directed, whereupon our "faith may surely Rom. x. 8, rest, but are unadvisedly carried away, trusting only upon the dreams, or rather dotages of our own head. M. But God doth to our salvation use the service of angels, that wait upon us, and therefore do hear us. S. That is true. But yet it appeareth nowhere in the word of God that God would have us pray to angels, or to godly men deceased. And sith faith resteth upon the word of God, and what is not of faith is sin, I said rightly that it is a sure token of infidelity to forsake God, to whom alone the scriptures do send us, and to pray to and crave help of angels, or godly men departed this life, for calling upon whom there is not one word in the holy scriptures. b 12 14, 17. Ps. xci. 11, i. 11, 12. Heb. 23. a 9. 14. Rom. x. 17. Matt. vi. 6, M. But seeing charity never falleth out of the hearts 1 Cor. xiii. 8. of the godly, even while they be in heaven they are careful for us, and do desire our salvation. S. That cannot be denied; yet it doth not follow that we must therefore call upon them, unless we think that we must call for the help and succour of our friends, be they never so far from us, only because they bear us good-will. M. But we oft crave help of men that be alive, and with whom we are presently conversant. 1 d 1 Cor. xii. 11, 21, 25. Pet. iv. 10. 1 Cor. x. 24. S. I grant. For men, as they have 'mutually need one of another's help, so hath God granted them power, one mutually to help another; yea, and he hath expressly commanded every man to relieve his neighbour with such help Matt. vii. 12. as he can. We do therefore call upon men, as ministers of Gal. vi. 2. God's goodness, according to the will of God, looking for help and succour of them: but yet so that all our trust be settled in God alone, and that we reckon received from him, as the spring-head of all liberality, whatsoever is delivered us by the hands of men. Therefore this is well and orderly 1 Pet. i. 10. done, and no impediment to the calling upon of God alone, so that we confess that we do not from elsewhere look for any good thing, nor settle our whole succour in any other. M. Dost thou then say that we must use prayer and supplication, like as all other duties of godliness, according to the prescription of God's word, or else we cannot please God? |