A reply to Fulke, In defense of M. D. Allens scroll of articles, and booke of purgatorie. By Richard Bristo Doctor of Diuinitie ... perused and allowed by me Th. Stapleton.

About Good-works in generall.

Good works in generall it concerneth, that he saith, They do not

iustifie: wherevnto he alleageth two places, one of S. Paule, the other of Esay, We beleue (saith he) that a man is not iustified by workes, but by faith onely, Rom. 3. And yet we beleue that good workes are necessary to be in euery man that is iustified, Iac. 5. The wordes of S. Iames be not as he saieth, but expressely a∣gainst him:

A man is iustified by workes, and not by faith onely.

Where you sée also, that it is in all one sense, that works do iusti∣fie and faith. The words of S. Paule likewise be not as he saith, but thus: A man is iustified by faith, without the workes of the law. That is to say, although he haue not euermore done the works which the law commaundeth, to wit, good works, yea al∣though he haue sometimes, yea and alwayes done the cleane con∣trarie, to wit, all euill works: yet let him come to the Catholike faith, and he shall there finde a remedie for all, and of a wicked and so wicked a man be made iuste, all his sinnes and wickednes béeing remitted him. This sayth S Paule, and the same say we. But after he is so iustified, he must not do the like agayne, he must then kéepe the commaundementes of the Law, béeing now by Christ made a new man, and able therevnto, and by so doing he shall be more iustified, as S. Iames saith. Conferre these two places of S. Paules also.

The iustice that is of the Law, qui fe∣cerit homo, the man that hath done it, shall liue by it, Rom. 10. ex Leuit. 18. Which is in effect that no man shall liue by it, be∣cause no man hath done it, but all men haue done against it, all being borne in sinne, & therfore not by the works of iustice which we had done, but according to his owne great mercy he saued vs by baptisme. Tit. 3. Do you marke the tense? He speaketh of works before faith, where you should haue alleaged of works af∣ter faith.

And so withall is answered your other place, where you say, that the Popish Church is not content to be clothed in the white shining silke, which is the iustification of Saintes, made white in the bloud of the Lambe, but with the filthy ragges of mans righteousnes, Esai. 64. If God conuert your heart, that you may returne to your mother the Catholike Churche, you shall finde that she will make nothing of all the good workes which you do nowe in Heresie, because it is but mans righ∣teousnesse. But the good workes whiche afterwarde in the Churche you shoulde haue of her husbande the Lambe,

where learned you to call them The filthy ragges of mans righ∣teousnes? He that doubteth whether those Iustifications of the faithfull in the Apocalipse, be (as I say) iust workes, the same Apostle (if he will conferre places) in his first Epistle telleth him:

O my children let no man deceiue you: he that worketh iustice, is iust.

You alleage also two places against Frée-will, which againe concerneth Good works in generall:

We beleeue that man after his fall hath not Free-will, no not aptnes of will to thinke any thing that is good, 2. Cor. 3. S. Paules words are these: We are not sufficient of our selues to thinke any thing, as of our selues, but our sufficiencie is of God.

This doth not take away from vs naturall fréewill, nor naturall aptnes of will, as it doth not take away our selues from vs; but onely it sheweth, from whence we haue power to do as we do in matters of saluation, to witte, of Gods gift, and not of our selues. If your scholler should vpon iust cause commend him selfe for writing (as S. Paule there cōmen∣mendeth him selfe for conuerting hartes to God,) and then to a∣uoyde arrogancie should say, that it is not of him selfe, but of his Masters instruction, that he can write so well, the scholler, for all this (I trow) had vnderstanding and aptnes to vnderstand. For els howe could he haue bene taught to write? You know, the Scripture likeneth the holy Ghost to a teacher, and the grace of God to teaching, and to teaching of our hartes or wills. Your o∣ther place I finde, Pur. 35. How shall Free-will be mainteined, if Gods Spirite haue any place, that distributeth to euery one ac∣cording to the good pleasure of his owne will. 1. Cor. 12. You do not denie, but Man afore his fall had Fréewill, and yet Gods spi∣rite then also did distribute to euery one according to the good pleasure of his owne will. And now likewise after the fall, doth not S. Paule in the very same Chapter giue some place to mens willes in the giftes of Gods spirite? saying to the Corinthians:

Couet after the better giftes, but specially after charitie, because that passeth all those giftes, yea and faith and hope also: therefore Sectamini, Labour al that you can for Charitie: mary couet also after those giftes, to speake with tongues, and to prophecie, but of the two, rather for to prophecie. Againe: He that speaketh with a tongue, let him pray to interprete.

Sée how playnely he

stirreth their mindes or willes to séeke for the giftes that God giueth to euery one according to his owne will. This deceiueth you, that you do not consider, that God can worke his owne will vpon our willes: and therefore you imagine that he is not omni∣potent, if we haue willes of our owne. Yes syr, be our willes ne∣uer so vnwilling, he can (as you may sée by the conuersion of S. Paule, turne them to his owne will, and to the very bende of his owne will, more or lesse, euen as much as he wil. Howbeit I am not ignorant, that S. Paule there treateth specially of the giftes called Gratiae gratis datae, and not gratum facientes: in the distri∣bution whereof, Gods will maye and did commonly worke, without cooperation of mans will, although mans will may in such also, and did sometimes concurre, as in them that prayed for the gifte to interprete tongues.

Notes

• Iustification.
• Pur. 450.
• A fa••sarie.
• Ar. 102.
• Apoc. 19.
• 1. Ioh. 3.
• Free-vvill.
• Pur. 450.
• Ioan. 6. Heb. 10. Psa. 118.
• 1. Cor. 12.13 14.