••ad taught that the Ievves and Gentils il life and incredulity had been directly the cause of Gods more mercie, and that therfore sinne commeth of God to the aduancement of his glorie, and con∣sequently that men might or should doe il, that good might ensue thereof. Vvhich blasphemous constructions they tooke of these and the like vvordes: vvhere sinne abounded, there did grace more abound, and, The Lavv entered in, that sinne might abound. and our our of the Psalme 50. That thou maiest be iustified in thy vvordes, and ouercome vvhen thou art iu••ged. As though he meant that men do sinne, to the end that God may be iustified. And at al these and the like places of the Apostle though forevvarned by S. Peter, and by the Apostles ovvne defense and Protestation, that he neuer meant such horrible things, yet the vvicked also of this time do stumble and fall. But the true meaning is in al such places, that God can and doth vvhen it pleaseth him, conuert those sinnes vvhich man committeth against him and his commaundements, to his glorie: though the sinnes them selues stand not vvith his vvil, intention, nor honour, but be directly against the same, and therfore may not be committed that any good may fall. for, vvhat good so euer accidentally fal∣leth, it procedeth not of the sinne, but of Gods mercie that can pardon, and of his omnipotencie that can turne il to good. And therfore against those earnal interpretations, S. Paul very carefully & diligently giueth reason also in this place v. 6, that it is impossible: because God could not iustly punish any man, nor sit in iudgement at the later day for sinne vvithout plaine iniurie, if either him self vvould haue sinne committed, or man might doe it to his glorie. Therfore let al sincere readers of the Scriptures, and specially of S. Pauls vvritings, hold this for a certaintie, as the Apostles ovvne defense (vvhatsoeuer he seeme to say hereafter sounding in their sense, that sinne commeth of God, or may therfore be committed that he may vvorke good thereof) that the Apostle him self con∣demneth that sense as slaunderous and blasphemous.
10. Not any iust] These general speaches, that both Ievv and Gentile be in sinne, and none at al iust, are not so to be taken, that none in neither sort vvere euer good: the Scriptures expresly saying that Iob, Zacharie, Elisabeth, and such like, vvere iust before God, & it vvere blasphemie to say that these vvordes alleaged out of the 13 Psalme, vvere meant in Christes mother, in S. Iohn the Baptist, in the Apostles &c. For, this only is the sense: that neither by the lavv of nature, nor lavv of Moyses, could any man be iust or auoid such sinnes as here be reckened, but by faith and the grace of God, by vvhich there vvere a number in al ages (specially among the Ievves) that vvere iust and holy, vvhom these vvordes touch not, being spoken only to the multitude of the vvicked, vvhich the Prophet maketh as it vvere a seueral body conspiring against Christ, and persecuting the iust and godly, of vvhich il companie he saith, that none vvas iust nor feared God.
20. By the vvorkes of the Lavv.) S. Hierom and S. Chrysostom expound this of the ceremonial vvorkes only, and in that sense the Apostle specially prosecuteth this proposition in his Epistle to the Galatians but it is true also of al mans moral vvorkes done vvithout faith & the grace of God: vvhich can not be acceptable or auailable in Gods sight, to iustifie any man, And so S. Augustine taketh it de Sp. & lit. c. ••. to. ••.
22. Iustice of God) Bevvare of the vvicked and vaine commentarie of the Caluinistes, glosing, the iustice of God to be that vvhich is resident in Christ, apprehended by our faith: and so that imputed to vs vvhich vve in deede haue not, Vvherein at once they haue forged them selues against Gods manifest vvord, a nevv no iustice, a phantastical apprehension of that vvhich is not, a false faith and vntrue imputation, vvhereas the iustice of God here, is that vvherevvith he endueth a man at his first conuersion, and is novv in a man, and therfore mans iustice: but yet Gods Iustice also, because it is of God. Of this iustice in vs, vvhereby vve be truely iustified and in deede made iust, S. Augustine speaketh thus: The grace of Christ doth vvorke our illumination and iustification invvardly also. And againe, He giueth to the faithful the most secrete grace of his Spirit, vvhich se••retly he povvreth into infants also. And againe, They are iustified in Christ that beleeue in him through the secrete commu∣nication and inspiration of spiritual grace, vvhereby euery one leaneth to our Lord. And againe, Hemaketh iust ••e••evving by the Spirit, and regeneration by grace.
28. By faith, vvithout vvorkes.) This is the place vvherevpon the Protestants gather falsly their only faith, and vvhich they commonly auouch, as though the Apostle said, that only faith doth iustifie. Vvhere he both in vvordes and meaning excepteth only the vvorkes of the Lavv done vvithout Christ before our conuersion: neither excluding the Sacraments of Baptisme or Penance, not hope and charitie, or other Christian vertues, al vvhich be the iustice of faith, as the good vvorkes proceding thereof, be likevvise the lavv and iustice of faith. Al vvhich the Aduersaries vvould exclude by foisting in the ter••e, only. Of vvhich kind of men S. Augustine vpon this place faith thus: Men not vnderstanding that vvhich the Apostle saith, (vve counte a man to be iustified by faith vvithout the vvorkes of the Lavv) did thinke that he said, faith vvould suffise a man though he liued il and had no good vvorkes. Which God forbid the vessel of election should thinke: vvho in a certaine place after he had said, * In Christ IESVS neither circumcision nor prepuce auaileth any vvhit, he straight added, but faith vvhich vvorketh by loue.