or damnable, for the law, circumcision, and such like, are not therefore condemned because they justify not: but Paul therefore taketh from them the office of justification, because the false apostles contended that by them, without faith, and only by the work wrought, men are justified and saved. This was not to be suffered of Paul; for without faith all things are deadly. The law, circumcision, the adoption, the temple, the worship of God, the promises, yea, God and Christ himself, without faith, profiteth nothing. Paul therefore speaketh generally against all things which are contrary to faith, and not against ceremonies only.

VERSE 16. Know that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ.

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This word [the work of the law] reacheth far, and comprehendeth much. We take the work of the law therefore rally for that which is contrary to grace. Whatsoever is not grace, is the law, whether it be judicial, ceremonial, or the ten commandments. Wherefore, if thou couldst do the works of the law according to this commandment: "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart," &c. (which no man yet ever did or could do) yet thou shouldst not be justified before God. for a man is not justified by the works of the law. But hereof we will speak more largely hereafter.

The work of the law, then, according to Paul, signifieth the work of the whole law, whether it be judicial, ceremonial, or moral. Now, if the work of the moral law do not justify, much less doth circumcision justify, which is a work of the ceremonial law. Wherefore, when Paul saith (as he oftentimes doth) "that a man is not justified by the law, or by the works of the law," (which are both one) he speaketh generally of the whole law, setting the righteousness of faith against the righteousness of the whole law. "For by the righteousness of the law," saith he, "a man is not pronounced righteous before God: but the righteousness of faith God imputeth freely through grace, for Christ's sake." The law, no doubt, is holy, righteous, and good, and consequently the works of the law are holy, righteous, and good: yet notwithstanding a man is not justified thereby before God.

Now, the works of the law may be done either before justification or after. There were many good men even amongst the Pagans, as Xenophon, Aristides, Fabius, Cicero, Pomponius, Atticus, and others, which before justification performed the deeds of the law, and did notable works. Cicero suffered death valiantly in a good and just cause. Pomponius was a constant man, and loved truth, for he never made a lie himself, nor could suffer the same in any other. Now, constancy and truth are noble virtues and excellent works of the law, and yet were they not justified thereby. After justification, Peter, Paul, and all

other Christians have done and do the works of the law, yet are they not justified thereby. "I know not myself guilty in any thing (saith Paul) and yet am I not thereby justified,” (1 Cor. iv. 4.) We see then that he speaketh not of any part of the law, but of the whole law, and all the works thereof.

The divinity of the Popish Sophisters, commonly called the Schoolmen.

Wherefore, the wicked and pernicious opinion of the Papists is utterly to be condemned, which attributes the merit of grace and remission of sins to the work wrought. For they say, that a good work before grace, is able to obtain grace of congruence, (which they call meritum de congruo,) because it is meet that God should reward such a work. But when grace is obtained, the work following deserveth everlasting life of due debt and worthiness, which they call meritum de condigno. As for example: if a man being in deadly sin, without grace, do a good work of his own good natural inclination: that is, if he say or hear a mass, or give alms and such like, this man of congruence deserveth grace. When he hath thus obtained grace, he doth now a work which of worthiness deserveth everlasting life. For the first, God is no debtor: but because he is just and good, it behoveth him to approve such a good work, though it be done in deadly sin, and to give grace for such a service. But when grace is obtained, God is become a debtor, and is constrained of right and duty to give eternal life. For now it is not only a work of free will, done according to the substance, but also done in grace, which maketh a man acceptable unto God, that is to say, in charity.

This is the divinity of the Antichristian kingdom; which here I recite, to the end that the disputation of Paul may be the better understood (for two contrary things being set together, may be the better known:) and moreover, that all men may see how far from the truth these blind guides, and leaders of the blind `have wandered, and how by this wicked and blasphemous doctrine they have not only darkened the gospel, but have taken it clean away, and buried Christ utterly. For if I, being in deadly sin, can do any little work which is not only acceptable in God's sight of itself, and according to the substance, but also is able to deserve and when I have received grace, of grace congruence, I may do works according to grace, that is to say, according to charity, and get of right and duty eternal life; what need have I now of the grace of God, forgiveness of sins, of the promise, and of the death and victory of Christ? Christ is now to me unprofitable, and his benefit of none effect: for I have free will and power to do good works, whereby I deserve grace of congruence, and afterwards, by the worthiness of my work, eternal life.

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Such monstrous and horrible blasphemies should have been set forth to the Turks and Jews, and not to the church of Christ. And hereby it plainly appeareth, that the Pope, with his bishops, doctors, priests, and all his religious rabble, had no knowledge or regard of holy matters, and that they were not careful for the health of the silly and miserable scattered flock. For if they had seen, but as it were through a cloud, what Paul calleth sin, and what he calleth grace, they would never have compelled the people to believe such abominations and execrable lies. By deadly sin they understood only the external work committed against the law, as murder, theft, and such like. They could not see, that ignorance, hatred, and contempt of God in the heart, ingratitude, murmuring against God, and resisting the will of God, are also deadly sin, and that the flesh cannot think, speak, or do any thing, but that which is devilish and altogether against God. If they had seen these mischiefs fast rooted in the nature of man, they would never have devised such impudent and execrable dreams touching the desert of congruence and worthiness.

Wherefore we must properly and plainly define what a wicked man or deadly sinner is. He is such a holy and bloody hypocrite as Paul was, when he went to Damascus, to persecute Jesus of Nazareth, to abolish the doctrine of the gospel, to murder the faithful, and utterly to overthrow the church of Christ. And who will not say, but that these were horrible sins? Yet could not Paul see them. For he was so blinded with a perverse zeal of God, that he thought these abominations to be perfect righteousness, and high service unto God: and shall we say, that such as defend these horrible sins to be perfect righteousness, to deserve grace?

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Wherefore with Paul, we utterly deny the merit of congruence and worthiness, and affirm, that these speculations are nothing else but mere deceits of Satan, which were never done in deed, nor notified by any examples. For God never gave grace and everlasting life for the merit of congruence or worthiness. These disputations therefore of the schoolmen, touching the merit of congruence and worthiness, are nothing else but vain toys and dreams of idle brains, to no other end and purpose but to draw men from the true worship of God. And hereupon is the whole papacy grounded. For there is no religious person, but he hath this imagination: I am able by the observation of my holy order to deserve grace of congruence, and by the work, which I do after that I have received this grace, I am able to heap up such treasure of merit, as shall not only be sufficient for me to obtain eternal life, but also to give or sell unto others. Thus have all the religious orders taught, and thus have they lived. And to defend this horrible blasphemy against Christ, the Papists do at this day attempt against us what they can. And there is not one of them all, but the more holy hypocrite

and merit-monger he is, the more cruel and deadly enemy he is to the gospel of Christ.

The true way to Christianity.

Now, the true way to Christianity is this, that a man do first acknowledge himself by the law, to be a sinner, and that it is impossible for him to do any good work. For the law saith, "thou art an evil tree, and therefore all that thou thinkest, speakest, or dost, is against God," (Matt. vii. 17.) Thou canst not therefore deserve grace by thy works: which if thou go about to do, thou doublest thy offence: for since thou art an evil tree, thou canst not but bring forth evil fruits, that is to say, sins. "For whatsoever is not of faith, is sin," (Rom. xiv. 23.) Wherefore he that would deserve grace by works going before faith, goeth about to please God with sins, which is nothing else but to heap sin upon sin, to mock God, and to provoke his wrath. When a man is thus taught and instructed by the law, then is he terrified and humbled, then he seeth indeed the greatness of his sin, and cannot find in himself one spark of the love of God: therefore he justifieth God in his word, and confesseth that he is guilty of death and eternal damnation. The first part then of Christianity is the preaching of repentance, and the knowledge of ourselves.

The second part is: if thou wilt be saved, thou mayest not seek salvation by works: "for God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. He was crucified and died for thee, and offered up thy sins in his own body." Here is no congruence or work done before grace, but wrath, sin, terror and death. Wherefore the law doth nothing else but utter sin, terrify and humble, and by this means prepareth us to justification, and driveth us to Christ. For God hath revealed unto us by his word, that he will be unto us a merciful father, and without our deserts (seeing we can deserve nothing) will freely give unto us remission of sins, righteousness, and life everlasting for Christ his Son's sake. For God giveth his gifts freely unto all men, and that is the praise and glory of his divinity. But the justiciaries and merit-mongers will not receive grace and everlasting life of him freely, but will deserve the same by their own works. For this cause they would utterly take from him the glory of his divinity. To the end therefore that he may maintain and defend the same, he is constrained to send his law before, which, as a lightning and thundering from heaven, may bruise and break those hard rocks.

This briefly is our doctrine as touching Christian righteousness, contrary to the abominations and blasphemies of the Papists, concerning the merit of congruence and worthiness, or works before grace and after grace. Which monstrous dreams were devised by such as were never exercised with any temptations, never had any true feeling of sin, or of the terror of death, and therefore they know not what they say, or what they teach. Moreover,

they can shew no example of any work done either before or after grace that could justify before God. Wherefore they are nothing else but vain toys and foolish fables, whereby the Papists deceive both themselves and others. For Paul here plainly affirmeth," that no man is justified by the works of the law either going before grace (whereof he speaketh in this place) or coming after grace." You see then that Christian righteousness is not such an essential quality engrafted in the nature of man, as the schoolmen do imagine, when they say:

(The Divinity of the Schoolmen:)

When a man doth any good work, God accepteth it, and for this work he poureth into him charity, which they call charity infused. This charity, say they, is a quality remaining in the heart, and this they call formal righteousness (which manner of speaking it is expedient for you to know) and they can abide nothing less than to hear that this quality, forming and adorning the soul, as whiteness doth the wall, should not be counted righteousness. They can climb no higher than to this cogitation of man's reason, that man is righteous by his own formal righteousness, which is grace making hin acceptable unto God, that is to say, charity. So to this quality cleaving unto the soul, that is to wit, charity, (which is a work after the law, for the law saith, "thou shalt love the Lord thy God," &c.) they attribute formal righteousness, that is to say, true Christian righteousness, and they say that this righteousness is worthy of everlasting life, and he that hath it is formally righteous: and moreover he is effectually or actually righteous, because he now doth good works, whereunto everlasting life is due. This is the opinion of the Popish schoolmen, yea, even of the best of them all.

Some others there be which are not so good, as Scotus and Occam, which said, "that for the obtaining of the grace of God, this charity infused or given of God, is not necessary: but that a man even by his own natural strength may procure this charity above all things." For so reasoneth Scotus: if a man may love a creature, a young man a maiden, a covetous man money, which are the less good, he may also love God, which is the greater good. If he have a love of the creature through his natural strength, much more hath he a love of the Creator. With this argument were all the sophisters convicted, and none of them all was able to refute it. Notwithstanding thus they reply:

The scripture compelleth us to confess, say they, that God,, besides that natural love and charity which is engrafted in us (wherewith alone he is not contented) requireth also charity, which he himself giveth. And hereby they accuse God as a tyrant and a cruel exactor, who is not content that we keep and fulfil his law, but above the law (which we ourselves are able to fulfil) requireth also, that we should accomplish it with other circumstance and furniture, as apparel to the same. As if a