in carping that they vnderstande not, or in seeking out faultes where none is, as by these their sinister cauillations may appeare.

MarginaliaArticles gathered out of Alex. Setons Sermons by hys aduersaries.THe sayinges and wordes of Alexander Seton, spoken and preached by hym in hys sermon, made the. xiij. day of Nouember, at after noone in the parish Church of saynt A.  

in London. Paule sayth, of our selues, vve can do nothing. I pray thee then where is thy wyll? Art thou any better then Paule, Iames, Peter, and all the Apostles? Hast thou any more grace then they? Tell me now if thy wyll be any thing, or nothing. If it be any thing, tel me whether it be to doo good, or yll? If thou saye to doe yll, I wyll graunt thou hast a great deale. If thou say to doo good, I aske whether is more somewhat, or nothing? For Paule sayd he could do nothing, and I am sure thou hast no more grace, then Paule and hys companions.

[Back to Top]

Marginalia1. Will.
2. Consent.
3. Deede.Scripture speaketh of three things in man: the first is wil: the other two are consent & deede. The first (that is wyll) God worketh without vs, and besides vs. The other two he worketh in vs, and wyth vs. And here he alledged saint Augustine, MarginaliaNo will in man of hym self to do good.to proue that we can wyll nothyng that is good. Moreouer he sayde, thou hast not one iot, no not one title to do any good.

[Back to Top]

There is nothing in heauen, nor earth, creature nor other, that can be any meane towards our iustification, nor yet can or may satisfie God the father for our sinne, saue onely Christ, and the sheeding of his bloud.

MarginaliaOur workes merite nothing to saluation. He that preacheth that workes doo merite, or be anye meane to our saluation, or any part of our iustification, preacheth a doctrine of the deuill.

If any thing els saue onelye Christ, be any meane towardes our iustification, then dyd not Christ onelye iustifie vs.

I say that thy good workes, nor any thyng that thou canst do, can be one iot or title towards thy iustification. For if they be, then is not Christ a full iustifier, and that I wyll proue by a familiar example. Be it in case that I haue two seruauntes, the one is called Iohn, and the other Robert, and I promise to send you such a day. xx.li. by Iohn my seruant, and at my day I sende you by Iohn my seruant. xix.li. xix.s. xi.d. ob.q. and there lacketh but one farthyng, which Robert doth bring thee, and so thou hast the. xx.li. euery peny and farthing. Yet wyll I aske if I be true of my promise, or no, & thou mayest say nay. And why? because I promised to send thee þ^e whole. xx. pound by Iohn, and did not, for there lacked a farthyng, which Robert brought. Wherefore I say, if thy workes do merite or bryng one litle iote or title toward thy iustificatiō, then is Christ false of his promise, which sayd that he would do all together.

[Back to Top]

One scripture I will bryng you (which they can not wrythe) to proue that onely Christ was promised to be our onely Iustifier, our onely meane, and that is in the xxij. of Genesis,  

where it is wrytten: In thy seede shall all people be blessed, meaning thereby onely Christ: and he said not in thy seedes, nor in the workes of thy seedes. Wherfore all they that preache, that woorkes be anye part or meane toward our iustification, doo make God false of hys promise.

[Back to Top]

They that preache that workes do merite, doo make workes the tree, which are but the fruites of Iustice, wrought by him that is already a iust mā, which can not chuse but bryng forth good fruite.

MarginaliaGood fruites make not a good man, but a good man can not chuse but to make good fruites.I would aske a question, whether he that worketh be a good man, or a bad, for he must be one of them. If he be a good man, he can not chuse but bring foorth good fruites: if he be an ill man, he can bryng forth no fruite, but ill fruite, for a good tree can not bring forth ill fruit.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaMans workes made checke mate with Christ.He that sayth that workes do merite anye thing towardes our saluation, doth make woorkes checke mate with Christ, and plucketh from Christ that is hys, and geueth it to workes.

Some wyll aske, wherefore then shoulde I do good workes? I aunswer, good woorkes are to be done for no cause els, but onely for the glory of God, and not that they do merite any thing at all. And hee that sayth that workes are to be done for any other cause, then for the glory of God onely, and wyll haue them to merite, or be any meane towardes our iustification, I saye he lyeth, and beleue hym not.

[Back to Top]

He that can shewe me in any scripture, that woorkes do merite, or be any meane to our iustification: for the first scripture I wyll (without anye further iudgement) lose both myne eares, for the second, my toung, and for the third my necke. For I dare say he can not proue in al the whole scripture one title: wherfore beleue thē not.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaThe Papistes belie the Protestantes, as though they denyed good workes.Men say that we deny good workes, and fasting, and prayer. They lye on vs, for we deny nothing but popish workes, and popish fasting, & popish prayer, & hee that preacheth that workes do merite, or fasting doth merite, or prayer doth merite, doth preach a popish doctrine.

[Back to Top]

If you aske when we wyll leaue preaching of works, euen when they doo leaue to preach that workes do merite, and suffer Christ to be a whole satisfier, and onelye meane to our iustification, and tyll then, we wyll not cease in Gods cause to set forth onelye Christ to be a full and perfite, and onely satisfaction.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaGood workes howe they be rewarded.If you aske, if good workes shall be rewarded, I say yea, and with no lesse then eternall glorye, but for no merite that they deserue, for they deserue nothing: but onely because God hath promised, not for the merite of the woorke, but for hys promyse sake, and hee wyll not breake hys promyse.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaOther articles out of Setons sermons.TOuching reconciliation spoken of by Doctor Smyth, preaching in the forenoone at Paules crosse, Alexander Seton preachyng at afternoone at S. Anthonies, and reciting hys sayinges and scriptures, reproued hym for alledging this saying, Reconciliamini Deo,  

Marginalia2. Cor. 5.and englishyng the same thus: Reconcile your selues to God, because it is there spoken passiuely, and not actiuely, so that there shoulde be nothyng in man pertaynyng to reconciliation, but all in God.

[Back to Top]

MarginaliaD. Smyth reproued for noughtie preaching.Also reprouyng the sayde Doctor Smyth, for that the sayd Doctor sayd, that man by hys good workes mighte merite. Whych saying of Doctor Smyth, the sayd Alexander Seton reproued in the pulpyt at Saint Anthonies, the xiij. day of Nouember, the yeare of our Lorde. 1541. as naughtely spoken.

[Back to Top]

Moreouer, the sayd Alexander Seton sayd in the same place, that it was shame that any suche preacher shoulde be suffered, so openly to preach such erroneous doctrine, as to say that workes should merite, adducing: non sunt condignæ passiones, &c. MarginaliaRom. 8.Et postquam feceritis omnia. &c.MarginaliaLuke. 17.

Finally Seton sayd, peraduenture ye wyll saye the church hath determined this matter touching woorkes. And I say (quoth he) that it is Ecclesia malignantium,  

so determinyng any thyng agaynst scripture.

To these pretensed obiections of his aduersaryes, hee made his aūswere agayn by writing, first denying many thinges there presented, takyng vpon his cōscience, that hee neuer spake diuers of those woordes: and agayne many thinges, that he neuer ment to such ende nor purpose, as in the sayd Register may appeare. But all this notwithstandyng, for all that he could say for hym selfe, the ordinarie proceded in his Consistory iudgemēt, ministring to him certeine Interrogatories (after the Popish course) to the number of x. Articles. The greatest matter layd agaynst hym was for preachyng free Iustificatiō by fayth in Christ Iesu, agaynst false confidence in good workes, and mans free will. Also it was sayd vnto him, for affirmyng that priuate Masses, and Diriges, and other prayers profited not the soules departed: MarginaliaSeton bearyng a fagotte at Paules Crosse.So that in the ende, he with Tolwyng aforesayd was caused also to recant at Paules Crosse. an. 1541.

[Back to Top]

Adde to these aforesaid, Doct. Taylor Person of S. Pe- ters in Cornehill. South,   Commentary     Close This is a mysterious case which does not appear in this form in any of the subsequent lists of Six Articles victims. 1570 and subsequent editions do list 'South, Parishe Priest of All halovves in Lumbardstreete' as one of those who was imprisoned for the Six Articles (1570, p. 1380), but this Nicholas South was plainly a layman. [Back to Top] Parishe Priest of all halovves in Lumbardstreete. Some, Priest. Giles,   Commentary     Close Listed above. the kinges bearebruer at the redde Lyon, in S. Ca- therines. Tho. Lancaster,   Commentary     Close Also listed above. Priest. All which were imprisoned likewise for the vj. Articles.

MarginaliaAll prisons in London to litle to holde them that were taken for the vj. Articles.To bee short, such a number out of all Parishes in Londō, and out of Calyce, and diuers other quarters were then apprehended through the sayd Inquisition, that all prisons in London were to litle to hold them, in somuch that they were fayne to lay thē in the Halles. MarginaliaThe Lorde Audley
L. Chauncellour of England.At the last by the meanes of good Lord Audeley, such pardon was obteyned of the kyng, that the sayd Lord Audeley, then Lord Chauncellor, beyng content that one shoulde be bound for an other, they were all discharged, beyng bounde onely to appeare in the starre

[Back to Top]