A godlye and learned treatise wherein is proued the true iustificacion of a Christian manne to come frely of the mercy of god in Christ, without the deseruyng of man by his merites: and also how good workes oughte to bee done [and] what be true good works in dede. Whereunto is ioyned a co[n]ference betwene the law and the gospel, very profitable for al men to exercise themselues therin.

By faith onely are we iustified, which terme, onely, is not of mans braine inuented. (Book 8)

The 8. Chapter. (Book 8)

ANd where as I haue all∣ready added there vnto: We are iustified onelie by faith for Christes sake, & not for our workes: the sāe haue I not lēt of myne own, but taken it out of the holie scrip∣ture. For the sonne of god, Iesus Christ, saieth in the gospell: Ex∣cepte ye eate the flesh of y^e sonne * 1.1 of man and drinke his bloude, ye haue no life in you. Lo, the ōly eating of the flesh, and drinking of the bloude of Christ, maketh vs lyuinge: nether is there eny

thingels in y^e whole world, that geueth life. Now what it is to eate the flesh of Christ, he decla∣reth immediatlie in y^e same chap. sayeng: Verelie verely I saie vn∣to you: Who so beleueth on me, hath euerlasting life. Item: He, that cōmeth vnto me, shal not hō∣ger: And he that beleueth on me, shal neuer be a thirst. Here shuld he haue saide: He, that drynketh me, shal neuer thirste: but in the place of this word, drinke, he hath set, beleue. Therfore to eate and drynke here, is nothing els but to beleue. So then yf we beleue not that the sonne of god was gyuen for vs vnto death, we can neuer lyue: Ergo faith it is that maketh lyuinge. With this euangelist a∣greeth Paul also, saiēg: we know * 1.2 that a man is not iustified by the dedes of the lawe, but by y^e faith of Iesus Christ, And we haue

beleued on Iesus Christ, y^t we might be iustified by the fayth of Christ, and not by the workes of the lawe. For in that he saieth: A man can not be iustified but by the faith of Christ, what geueth he with this sayenge els to vn∣derstand, but that a man must be iustified by the onelie faith of Christ or in Christ? For in Gene. * 1.3 Ioseph saide vnto his brethren: loke that ye se not my face, except your yōgest brother be with you. And in the boke of Numerus, the * 1.4 people complayned, whyninge against god, and saienge: Oure eyes se nothing but this Manna. And in the same boke saieth Ba∣laam: * 1.5 Must not I kepe that and speake it, which the lord hath put in my mouth? In Deuteronomy * 1.6 saieth Moses also: And now Is∣rael, what doth y^e lorde thy god requyre of the, but to feare the

lord thy god, and to walke in all his waies: And Paul himselfe to the Romaynes vseth y^e same ma∣ner of speche whan he saieth: ther is no power but of god. Item in * 1.7 y^e first epistle to the Corinthiās: Euen so knoweth no mā what is in god, but the sprite of god. And * 1.8 againe: I shewed not my selfe forth amonge you, that I knewe eny thing, saue only Iesus christ, that was crucified.

These, and such like sentences innumerable in the scripture, sig∣nifie nothing els, then yf thou shuldest saie: This onelie poynte shal open you the entraunce vnto me agayne, yf ye bring your yon∣geste brother with you: Oure eyes see but onlie Manna, and nothing els: Onelie that, which y^e lorde committeth vnto me, maie I doe and speake: This onelie re∣quyreth the lorde of the, y^t thou

loue him: All power is onely of god: Onelie gods sprite knoweth the thinges that are in god: I haue compted my selfe to knowe onely Christ, that was crucified.

Seynge thē it is thus vndoub∣tedlie, and no man can denye it to be most euidently spoken also of Christ and Paul, namely, that no man is made lyuing, iust or righ∣tuous but by faith: It is much to be wōdred, that certayne famous men, which will be reputed to be syngularly lerned, braule & chyde so vehemētlie against vs, for that we saie, we are iustified onelye by faith.

For Christ and Paul haue spo∣ken so afore. Why goe thei not to rebuke thē, yf thei thinke them to haue failed therein? We speake but as we haue learned out of thē: the sense & meaning of oure doc∣trine we finde in them.

For very childish is it, y^t thei obiecte: Namely, that this word, onelie or alone, is not added of them. For this is euen one thing, as yf a scholar wolde thinke the scholmaster had not geuen him leue to go forth, whan he had as∣ked him: Syr geue ye me leue to go? And he made him answere, I geue: And dyd not expreslie saie after the cōmen maner: Yea. For either of both the saiēges geueth one vnderstāding. Euen so, whā thou saiest: we knowe that no mā is iustified but by faith: Or, we knowe that a mā is iustified one∣lie by faith: The saienges are all one, & meane one thing. And whā it is saied, that a man is iustified by faith not by workes, is it not euen asmuch, as to geue euident testimonye, that a mā is iustified onelie by faith? The Apostle sai¦eth: they are made rightuous * 1.9

frelie (or for naught) by his grace But howe can eny thinge be don frelie or for naught, that is done for rewarde or worker Doubtles yf we be iustified frelie thorow the grace of Christ, then is it not done by workes. For in the xi. chapter also saieth this Apostle: Yf it be of grace, thē is it not now of workes: for els grace then is nomore grace. but yf it be of wor∣kes, then is it now no grace: for els were deseruing then nomore deseruyng. Therfore in the most assured trueth we knowledge, & be stedfastly persuaded, that a Christian man is iustified by the helpe and mynistracion of onelie faith. Faith standeth or leaueth vpon the grace of god, and not vpon mans strength. But vnto god it ascribeth altogether, as I wil shortlie declare hereafter at large.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iohn. 6.
• * 1.2

  Gala. 2.
• * 1.3

  Gene. 43.
• * 1.4

  Num. 11.
• * 1.5

  Nume. 23.
• * 1.6

  Deut. 10.
• * 1.7

  Roma. 13.
• * 1.8

  1. Cor. 2.
• * 1.9

  Roma. 3.