A detection of sundrie foule errours, lies, sclaunders, corruptions, and other false dealinges, touching doctrine, and other matters vttered and practized by M.Iewel, in a booke lately by him set foorth entituled, a defence of the apologie. &c. By Thomas Harding doctor of diuinitie.

Iewel. Pag. 320.

* 1.1S. Iames saith: Faith without workes is dead, but a dead faith is no more a true perfite faith, then a dead man, is a true perfite man.

Harding.

Did not you knowe the answere M. Iewel? Nothing is more common. You belie the Scripture, that is the answer to you. And your forefathers euen vp to Luther haue alwaies belyed it: and being told of it, wil not yet amende no more, then the Deuil, whom they followe. A thing may be dead in two sortes,* 1.2 either bicause it had life in it of his owne, or els bicause it had it of another thing. If a man be deade, he is deade in respecte of the life, which belonged to him selfe. For a man doth con∣sist of body and soule, and not of the one alone. So that when the soule is aparte from the body, then is he no more a perfitte man, during the time of that separation. But the Body being one parte of a man, hath life in it, whiles the soule abideth in it. But that life is not the Bo∣dies owne, but it is the life of the soule, geuing mouing vnto the Body. which life when it is taken away, the Bo∣dy remaineth stil a perfite Body in his owne nature, al∣though it be vnperfite in respect of the soule, which did commende it, and set it forth.

Now it is to be considered, whether Faith haue life in it selfe, and of his owne nature, as a man hath (for then a dead faith is no faith): or els whether faith hath life of another thing, to wit, of Charitie, and then a dead Faith is a true Faith in his owne nature, albeit it be disgraced for lacke of the life, which it was wont to haue through Charitie.

The very expresse worde of God hath ended this que∣stion.

For S. Iames geueth vs to vnderstand, that Faith hath life of an other thing, like as the body hath of the soule, for he saith: Sicut enim corpus sine spiritu mortuum est, ita & fides sine operibus mortua est.* 1.3 As the body with∣out the sowle is dead, so is faith dead without workes. Not as the man is dead without the sowle, but as the body is dead without the soule, so is faith dead without workes: But the body being without the sowle, is stil a true natural body: Therefore faith being without good workes, is stil a true real faith. But it is idle, and no more profitable, vntil good workes be againe graffed into it. This mater is so plaine, that the confirmation of witnesses is needelesse, and so M. Iewel is tried a lier in that he said, an idle faith is in dede no faith at al.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Iacob. 2.
• * 1.2

  Idle faith, i•• a faith.
• * 1.3

  Iacob. 2.