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dread and the fear of God, to be joined with faith, in every man that is justified; but it shutteth them out from the office of justifying. So that they be 'all present together in him that is justified; yet, they justify not altogether. Neither doth faith shut out the justice of our good works, necessarily 'to be done afterwards, of duty to God; (for we are most bounden to serve God, in doing good deeds, commanded by him in his holy Scripture, all the days of our life;) but it excludeth them, so that we, may not do them to this intent, to be made just by doing them. Christ is now the Righte'ousness of all, that do truly believe in him. He

for them paid their ransom by his death. He for ' them fulfilled the law in his life. So that now, in him, and by him, every true christian man may be called a fulfiller of the law: forasmuch as that ' which their infirmity lacked, Christ's justice hath 'supplied."-If good works had, in the judgment of our reformers, been needful in order to a justified man's continuance in a justified state: they would surely have given some hint of this, when speaking of the necessity of good works in a justified person, and the good works done after justification. But no intimation of this is given, either here or elsewhere. The same living faith, which justifies, preserves the believer in a justified state; or rather God by it preserves him. "Ye are kept by the power "God through faith unto salvation:"2 but this faith may 6 as evidently be known,' by producing good works, as a tree discerned by the fruit.'

1 Homily on salvation, first part.
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2 1 Pet. i. 5.

of

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P. cl. l. 9. This saying, &c." These and other sentences, that we be justified by faith only, freely, ' and without works, we do read often times in the best and most ancient writers; as besides Hilary, Basil, and St. Ambrose, before rehearsed, we read the same in Origen, St. Chrysostom, St. Cyprian, St. Augustine, Prosper, Oecumeneus, Proclus, Bernardus, Anselm, and many other authors. Nevertheless, this sentence is not so meant by them, that the said justifying faith is alone in man, without 'true repentance, hope, charity, dread and fear of "God, at any time or season." I have not read all, or even the most, of these ancient writers; and so am not competent to judge on the subject: but it is the express declaration of our reformers, (who were deeply versed in these studies, especially Cranmer, to which this homily is generally ascribed,) that they all maintain justification by faith, only, freely, and without works; in exactly the same sense, as far as I can perceive, in which the evangelical clergy at present do. After some things more to the same effect, the quotation follows which is printed below. P. cl. l. 21. 6 Although, &c. After this After this quota

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This saying, that we be justified by faith alone, freely and without works, is spoken for to take away clearly all merit of our work, as being unable to deserve our justification at God's hands, and thereby most plainly to express the weakness of man ⚫ and the goodness of God; the great infirmity of ourselves, and the might and power of God; the imperfection of our own • works, and the most abundant grace of our Saviour Christ; and therefore wholly to ascribe the merit and deserving of our justification unto Christ only, and his most precious blood-shedding." (Homily on salvation 2d part.)

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Although this doctrine be never so true (as it is most true

tion, the following passage is found.

Justification

is not the office of man, but of God: for man 'cannot make himself righteous by his own works, "either in whole, or part.' And some other things to the same effect.

P. cli. 1. 3.

'The true, &c." After this quotation, it follows, So that as St. John Baptist, al

though he were never so virtuous and godly a

indeed), that we be justified freely, without all merit of our own good works (as St. Paul doth express it), and freely, by this lively and perfect faith in Christ only, (as the antient authors used to speak it), yet this true doctrine must be also 6 truly understood, and most plainly declared, lest carnal men * should take unjust occasion thereby to live carnally, after the appetite of the world, the flesh, and the devil.'

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The true understanding of this doctrine, we be justified freely by faith without works, or that we be justified by faith in Christ only, is not, that this our own act to believe in Christ, or this our faith in Christ, which is within us, doth justify us, ⚫ and deserve our justification unto us (for that were to count our. selves to be justified by some act or virtue that is within ourselves;) but the true understanding and meaning thereof is, that although we hear God's word, and believe it; although we have faith, hope, charity, repentance, dread and fear of God within us, and do never so many works thereunto; yet we 'must renounce the merit of all our said virtues of faith, hope, and charity, and all other virtues and good deeds, which we ' either have done, shall do, or can do, as things that be far too

'weak, and insufficient, and imperfect, to deserve remission of

our sins, and our justification; and therefore we must trust only in God's mercy, and that sacrifice which our High Priest ⚫ and Saviour Christ Jesus, the Son of God, once offered for us upon the cross, to obtain thereby God's grace and remission, as well of our original sin in baptism, as of all actual sin committed by us after our baptism, if we truly repent, and turn ⚫ unfeignedly to him again.

man; yet in this matter, of forgiving sin, he did. 'put the people from him, and appointed them unto Christ, saying thus unto them: "Behold the "Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the "world." Then follows the next quotation. P. clii. 1. 1. 'As great, &c." After this quotation, it follows So that our faith in Christ, (as it were) saith unto us thus: It is not I that take

away your sins, but it is Christ only; and to him

only I send you for that purpose, forsaking therein all your good virtues, words, thoughts, works, and only putting your trust in Christ.'

another may be

P. clii. l. 5. We put, &c." To these quotations from the homily on salvation,' added, from the homily of faith.

First, thus faith "doth lie hid in the heart, but is lively and fruitful

in bringing forth good works. Secondly, that without it can no good works be done, that shall 'be acceptable and pleasant unto God. Thirdly, "what manner of works they be, that this faith doth bring forth. The soul, that hath a lively faith, in it, will be always doing some good work, which shall declare that it is living, and will not be un

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'As great and as godly a virtue as the lively faith is, yet it ⚫ putteth us from itself, and remitteth or appointeth us unto Christ, for to have only by him remission of our sins or justi'fication.'

2 We put our faith in Christ, that we be justified by him only, that we be justified by God's free mercy and the merits of our Saviour Christ only, and by no virtue or good works of our own, that is in us, or that we can be able to have, or to 'do, for to deserve the same; Christ himself only being the cause meritorious thereof. (Homily on salvation, 3d part.)

'occupied. Therefore, when men hear in the Scrip"ture so high commendations of faith, that it mak'eth us to please God, to live with God, and to ⚫ become the children of God: if then they fancy, that they be set at liberty from doing all good 'works, and may live as they list, they trifle with "God, and deceive themselves. And it is a mani'fest token, that they be far from having a true and lively faith and also far from knowing what a lively faith is.' It would be easy to adduce many more quotations: but the reader, who has patience, to read attentively even these, will probably choose to study the homilies, themselves. Let it be observed, however, that there is not in them, any intimation of justifying faith containing good works; or of good works preserving a justified person in a justified state; or of a living faith, after justifying the professor, degenerating to a dead faith, or being changed for a dead faith. And if outward baptism, when rightly administered, renders us the children of God, how can baptized persons "become the "children of God by faith? If adults, and sincere believers, they were previously the children of God: according to the homily and to Scripture, if baptized in infancy, they were previously to believing the children of God, according to this opinion.

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P. clii. l. 26. Let it be, &c."1

The condition

Let it be observed, that in this quotation, faith and good works are mentioned together, as not being the meritorious cause of justification. The expressions of faith only,' and • faith without works,' were not intended to exclude the neces

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sity of works as the condition of salvation, but were directed,