Α SERMON OF THE Salvation of Mankind, by only Christ our Saviour, from Sin and Death everlasting. BECAUSE all men be sinners and offenders against God, and breakers of his law and commandments, therefore can no man by his own acts, works, and deeds (seem they never so good) be justified, and made righteous before God: but every man of necessity is constrained to seek for another righteousness or justification, to be received at God's own hands, that is to say, the forgiveness of his sins and trespasses, in such things as he hath offended. And this justification or righteousness, which we so receive of God's mercy and Christ's merits, embraced by faith, is taken, accepted, and allowed of God, for our perfect and full justification. For the more full understanding hereof, it is our parts and dutiesd ever to remember the great mercy of God, how that (all the world being wrapped in sin by breaking of the law) God sent his only son our saviour Christ, into this world, to fulfil the law for us, and, by shedding of his most precious blood, to make a sacrifice and satisfaction, or (as it may be called) amends to his Father for our sins, to assuage his wrath and indignation conceived against us for the same. and oblation. Insomuch that infants, being baptized and dying in their The efficacy of infancy, are by this sacrifice washed from their sins, brought Christ's passion to God's favour, and made his children, and inheritors of his kingdom of heaven. And they, which in act or deede do sin after their baptism, when they turn again to God unfeignedly, they are likewise washed by this sacrifice from a A sermon] An homily A.B. the forgiveness] the remission, pardon, and forgiveness A.B. e of God's mercy] by God's mercy A.B. d duties] duty A.B.C. e in act or deed] actually A.B. C Objection. Answer. their sins, in such sort, that there remaineth not any spot of sin, that shall be imputed to their damnation. This is that justification or righteousness which St. Paul speaketh Gal. 2. [16.] of, when he saith, No man is justified by the works of the law, but freely by faith in Jesus Christ. And again he saith, We believe in Jesu Christs, that we be justified freely by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law, because that no man shall be justified by the works of the law. And although this justification be free unto us, yet it cometh not so freely unto ush, that there is no ransom paid therefore at all. But here may man's reason be astonied, reasoning after this fashion: if a ransom be paid for our redemption, then is it not given us freely. For a prisoner that paid his ransom is not let go freely; for if he go freely, then he goeth without ransom: for what is it else to go freely, than to be set at liberty without paying of ransom? This reason is satisfied by the great wisdom of God in this mystery of our redemption, who hath so tempered his justice and mercy together, that he would neither by his justice condemn us unto the everlastingm captivity of the devil, and his prison of hell, remediless for ever without mercy, nor by his mercyn deliver us clearly, without justice, or payment of a just ransom: but with his endless mercy he joined his most upright and equal justice. His great mercy he shewed unto us in delivering us from our former captivity, without requiring of any ransom to be paid, or amends to be made upon our parts, which thing by us had been impossible to be done. And whereas it lay not in us that to do, he provided a ransom for us, that was, the most precious body and blood of his own most dear and best beloved son Jesu Christ, who, besides this ransom, fulfilled the law for us perfectly. And so the justice of God and his mercy did embrace together, and fulfilled the mystery of our redemption. And of this justice and mercy of God, knit together, speaketh St. Paul in the third chapter to the Rom. 3. [23- Romans, All have offended, and have need of the glory of God; but are justified freely by his grace, by redemption which is in Jesu Christ, whom God hath set forth to us for a reconciler and peace-maker, through faith in his blood, to shew his righteousness. And in the tenth chapter, 25.] r n his mercy] this mercy B. o this ransom] his ransom A.B. p but are justified] justified A.B. a by redemption] by the redemption B. r set forth] sent forth D. Christ is the end of the law, unto righteousness, to every Rom. 10. [4.] man that believeth. And in the eighth chapter, That which Rom. 8. [3, 4·] was impossible by the law, inasmuch as it was weak by the flesh, God sending his own son in the similitude of sinful flesh, by sin damned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, which walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. In these foresaid places, the Three things apostle toucheth specially three things, which must go to- must go togethers in our justification. Upon God's part, his great ether in our mercy and grace; upon Christ's part, justice, that is, the satisfaction of God's justice, or the price of our redemption, by the offering of his body, and shedding of his blood, with fulfilling of the law perfectly and throughly; and upon our part, true and lively faith in the merits of Jesus Christ', which yet is not ours, but by God's working in us: so that in our justification, is not only God's mercy and grace, but also his justice, which the apostle calleth the justice of God, and it consisteth in paying our ransom, and fulfilling of the law and so the grace of God doth not shut out u the justice of God in our justification, but only shutteth out the justice of man, that is to say, the justice of our works, as to be merits of deserving our justification. And therefore St. Paul declareth here nothing upon the behalf of man concerning his justification, but only a true and lively faith, [Eph. 2. 8.] which nevertheless is the gift of God, and not man's only work, without God. And yet that faith doth not shut out! How it is to be repentance, hope, love, dread, and the fear of God, to be understood, joined with faith in every man that is justified; but it shut- that faith justeth them out from the office of justifyinga. So that, al- works. though they be all present together in him that is justified, yet they justify not altogether. Nor the faith b also doth not shut out the justice of our good works, necessarily to be done afterwards d of duty towards 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 good by doing of them. For all the good works that we can do be unperfect, and therefore not able to deserve our justification: but our justification s go together] concur and go together A.B. t Jesus Christ] Jesu Christ A.B.C. u shut out] exclude A.B. * shutteth out] excludeth A.B. y shut out] exclude A. B. z shutteth them out] excludeth them A. B. a of justifying] or justifying D. e shut out] exclude A.B.C. d afterwards] afterward A.B.C. tifieth without Gal. 3. [21.] [Gal. 2. 21.] [Gal. 5. 4.] doth come freely by the mere mercy of God, and of so great and free mercy, that, whereas all the world was not able of theirselves to pay any part towards their ransom, it pleased our heavenly Father of his infinite mercy, without any our desert or deserving, to prepare for us the most precious jewels of Christ's body and blood, whereby our ransom might be fully paid, the law fulfilled, and his justice fully satisfied. So that Christ is now the righteousness of all them that truly do 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. f The Second Part of the Sermon of Salvation. YE have heard %, of whom all men ought to seek their justification and righteousness, and how also this righteousness cometh unto men by Christ's death and merits: ye heard also, how that three things are required to the obtaining of our righteousness, that is, God's mercy, Christ's justice, and a true and lively faith, out of the which faith springeth good works. Also before h was declared at large, that no man can be justified by his own good works, that no man fulfilleth the law, according to the full request of the law. And St. Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians proveth the same, saying thus; If there had been any law given, which could have justified, verily righteousness should have been by the law. And again he saith, If righteousness be by the law, then Christ died in vain. And again he saith, You that are justified by the lawk are fallen away from grace. And furthermore, he writeth to the Ephesians on this wise, Ephes. 2. [8,9.] By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, for it is the gift of God, and not of works, lest any man should glory. And, to be short, the sum of all Paul's [Rom. 11. 6.] disputation is this; that if justice come of works, then it cometh not of grace; and if it come of grace, then it cometh not of works. And to this end tendeth all the prophets, as doctrine of old St. Peter saith in the tenth of the Acts; Of Christ all the Acts 10. [43.] prophets, saith St. Peter, do witness, that through his name, all they that believe in him shall receive the remission of sins. And after this wise to be justified only by this true Faith only jusand lively faith in Christ, speaketh all the old and ancient tifieth, is the authors, both Greeks and Latins; of whom I will specially doctors. rehearse three, Hilary, Basil, and Ambrose. St. Hilary saith these words plainly in the ninth canon upon Matthew; Faith only justifieth. And St. Basil, a Greek author, writeth thus; This is a perfect and whole rejoicing in God, when a man advanceth not himself for his own righteousness, but knowledgeth himself to lack true justice and righteousness, and to be justified by the only faith in Christ. And Paul, saith he, doth glory in the contempt of his own right- Philip. 3. [9.] eousness, and that he looketh for the righteousness of God by faith. m These be the very words of St. Basil; and St. Ambrose, a Latin author, saith these words; This is the ordinance of God, that they which believe in Christ should be saved without works, by faith only, freely receiving remission of their sins P. Consider diligently these words, without works, by faith only, freely we receive remission of our sins. What can be spoken more plainly, than to say, that freely without works, by faith only, we obtain remission of our sins? These and other like sentences, that we be justified by faith only, freely, and without works, we do read ofttimes in the most and best ancient writers: as, beside Hilary, Basil, and St. Ambrose, before rehearsed, we read the same in Origen, St. Chrysostom, St. Cyprian, St. Augustin, Prosper, Ecumenius, Photius9, Bernardus, Anselm, and many other authors, Greek and Latin. Nevertheless, this sentence, that we be justified by faith only, is not so meant of them, that the said justifying faith is alone in man, without true repentance, hope, charity, dread, and the fear of God, at any time and seasons. Nor when they say, that we be Faith alone, justified freely, they mean not that we should or might how it is to be afterward be idle, and that nothing should be required on The following sentence is added in A. This is a perfect and an whole glorying in God, when a man doth not boast himself for his own justice, but knoweth himself certainly to be unworthy of true justice, but to be justified by only faith in Christ. m and whole] and a whole A.B.C. n advanceth] avaunteth A. avaunc- o they which believe] he which be- Photius] Phocius B. C. Procius D. understood. |