The triall of truth Containing a plaine and short discovery of the chiefest pointes of the doctrine of the great Antichrist, and of his adherentes the false teachers and heretikes of these last times.

CHAP. 12.

That the graunt of eternall life is given to the faithfull onely in Christ, and not partly through him, and partly through their owne workes.

THe holy and sacred word of God doeth lay open * 1.1 vnto vs two covenauntes of life made betweene God & man, the oue legall, the other Evangelicall. The first whereof was made with man presently after his creation, and had for the further confir∣mation thereof the fruite of the tree of life for an holy sacrament, and a sacred assurance of the same; from the most comfortable vse wherof he was vtterly excluded after the breach of that covenant. The articles of this covenant were at the first written in the hart of man, and after set downe in the law of God, which declareth that it depended vpon our owne deedes. And

therefore vvhen the Pharisie vvhich looked to bee saued by the vvorks of the lavv, demaunded of our blessed Saviour, what hee should doe to be saued: it was aunswered him, that seeing by the works of the law he looked to be saued, he should perfectly fulfil the commaundementes of the lavv: doe this, and thou shalt l•…•…. But * 1.2 vvhen man by his fall had broken this covenaunt, and so had stepped out of this vvay that leadeth to life, and had gotten into the most daungerous vvaies of sinne and death, the LORDE vvho is rich in mercy and of endlesse goodnesse suffered him not long to wander therein, but soone reclaimed him, and made with him a second covenaunt of life in the seede of the woman that shoulde * 1.3 bruise the serpentes head, and in whom all the families of the earth shoulde be blessed. And hee appointed vnto him certaine sacrifices at the first for the further strengthening and confirming of his faith, as aftervvard he gaue to Abraham the father of the faithfull the signe of * 1.4 circumcision as a seale of the righteousnesse before obtained by faith. The articles of this covenant are more at large set dovvne in the Apostles Creede; but most briefly comprised in the Apostles an∣swere to the ••aylors demande; what shall I do to be saved beleeue thou * 1.5 (say they) in the Lorde Iesus, and thou shalt bee saved and thy housholde. The opposition of these covenants is set dovvne by the Apostle: Moses (saith he) writeth of the righteousnes of the lawe, that hee vvhich doth the same shall liue therein: but the righteousnes which is of faith spea∣keth * 1.6 on this wise: Say not thou in thine ••eart who shall ascende into heauē? (that is, to fetch Christ from aboue:) either vvho shall descende into the deepe? (that is, to fetch vppe Christ againe from the deade.) For if thou acknovvledge vvith thy mouth that Iesus is the Lorde, and beleeue in thine hearte that God raised vppe him from the dead, thou shalt be sa∣ved. For vvith the heart man beleeveth vnto righteousnes, and with the mouth confession is made vnto salvation. For the scripture saith, vvh••∣soever beleeveth in him shall not be confounded. So thē the first covenāt was foūded on our owne obedience, the secōd on the obedience of Christ: the first dependeth on works, the second on faith, & not on workes. And therfore it is certaine that our deliuery frō death, & our reco∣very to life by the secōd covenātis only by Christ apprehēded by faith: vnles we wil add some third covenāt of life partly in Christ, and partly in our selues; partly by faith, & partly by workes; & so

overthrowe that covenant of life vvhich vvas made vnto vs onely in CHRIST Iesus. For as the making of the second * 1.7 covenant vvas a disanulling of the first, so an establishing of a third must needes be a disanulling of the second. VVhere∣fore let all true Christians vvay vvell vvith themselues this blasphemous doctrine of the church of Rome, vvho hath coy∣ned another nevve gospell, vvhich bringeth to vs the ioyfull tidinges of remission of sinnes and eternall life partly through Christ, and partly through our selues, and so hath disanulled that covenant of mercy which was made vnto vs only in Christ Iesus.

Neither only doth this their doctrine of satisfaction and merites greate wrong vnto our Saviour Christ by disanulling the cove∣nant of life made in him, and by defacing of the sufficiency of his death: but otherwise also it is most iniurious vnto God, and ten∣deth highly to the dishonour of his sacred maiesty.

1. First it maketh him like to a very vniust and hard Land-lord, whoe hauing graunted an estate in a bargaine vnto a yonger brother vpon a sufficient fine tendered by the elder, yet will not let the yonger enioy it, vnlesse he fine for it againe himselfe.

2. Secondly it maketh him like to a cruell Creditour, who hauing the debt discharged to the vttermost by a friēd, yet casteth the poore debtour himselfe into prison, vntill he there also in parte make some satisfaction.

3. Thirdly it maketh him like to a mercilesse Iudge, who hauing pu∣nished an of••ence with condigne punishment, yet will haue the offender punished againe, as if he delighted in the tormentes of the miserable.

4. Fourthly it maketh him lesse mercifull then man, who doth remitte to his penitent brother all manner of offence, and all manner of revenge also.

5. Lastly it ••inistreth matter to the malitious to the satisfying of his ma∣licious humor to the full, seeing as GOD doth pardon vs, so vve are to deale one vvith an other: and therefore if GOD doth so forgiue vs our sinnes in CHRIST, as that we must yet still either afflict our selues vvith the rigorous vvorkes of Penance, or else bee cast into the extreame tormentes of Purga∣torie, then we may also so forgiue our brother, as that we may yet

procure his most greavous punishment.

Wherefore let all true and faithfull Christians abhorre those abo••inations of the whore of Babylon, yea let all such, as looke for forgiuenes of sinne and eternal life by the covenant of mer∣cy in CHRIST Iesus, giue the glory thereof not to themselues or their owne workes, but onely to the death of our al-suffici∣ent Redeemer. And yet let them haue a most earnest care to shew forth their most holy faith by their godly workes, (not as if they were part of the satisfaction made for sinne, or anie parcell of the price giuen for the purchase of eternall glorie) but thereby to te∣stifie their thankefulnes to him, who hath paide the whole price for that purchase himselfe, and hath made for them a perfect and full satisfaction. For true faith is not idle nor deade, but a living faith working by loue: albeit this mother iustifieth vvithout the * 1.8 helpe of her daughters, yea before their very birth as the truth hath forced an enimie to confesse. For workes do follovve the iustifi∣ed man, they go not before our iustification: even as good fruits proceede from a tree which is already good, declaring and not making the tree good. Wherfore if we which by nature are wilde oliues, being ingraffed in Christ are made good oliues; and if we which of our selues bringe forth sowre grapes being planted in∣to the true vine yeeld a sweete liquor; if we be made good trees and pleasant plantes such as are setled in the caelestiall paradise; we owe that wholy to our engra•…•…ing into Christ by a true faith, and not in any vvise to the fruites of our faith, the vvhich are on∣ly requisite and necessary duties, vvhich are carefully to be per∣formed of all such, as are called to be pertakers of so greate mercies. For as in those landes and liuinges vvhich are holden of temporall Lords, ther are besides the fines paide for the pur∣chase of the first estates, certaine rentes, services, and other duties, vvhich are also to be performed for the quiet and peaceable possessing of the same liuinges: and yet he were but a simple tenante that vvoulde imagine those rentes and seruices to be his whole fine, or any part or parcell thereof: even so the faithfull which haue their estates purchased for them by the death of Christ in the kingdome of heaven, must as it vvere pay their rents & performe their services, & submit thēselues to the custōe

of that heavenly mannour, and yet they must neither be so proud nor so simple, as to thinke that these rentes, services, and duties are any part or parcell of that fine, that was paid for the first pur∣chase of that heavenly inheritance.

Notes

• * 1.1

  The new Testament ••r Gospell: •…•…at is, the ••oyfull ty∣••ings of •…•…lvation 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Christ ••esus. Gen. 3. 24.
• * 1.2

  Luk. 10. 28.
• * 1.3

  Act. 3. 25.
• * 1.4

  Rom 4 11.
• * 1.5

  Act. 16. 31.
• * 1.6

  Rom. 10. 5.
• * 1.7

  Heb. 8. 7.
• * 1.8

  Fides iustifi∣cat ante par∣tum. Roffensis.