Good fruite maketh not the tree good, nor euill frute the tree euill: but a good tree beareth good frute, and an euill tree, euill frute.

A good man can not do euill workes, nor an euill man good workes: for a good tree can not beare euill frute, nor an euill tree, good frute.

A man is good ere he do good workes, and euill ere he do euill workes: for the tree is good ere it beare good frute, and euill ere it beare euill frute.

EVery tree, and the frutes therof, are either good or euill. Either make ye the tree good, and the fruite good also, or els make the tree euill, and the fruite of it lykewise euill. Math. 12.

A good man is knowen by his workes, for a good man doth good workes, and an euill man, euill workes. Ye shall know thē by their fruite, for a good tree beareth good fruite, and an euill tree, euill fruite. A man is likened to the tree, and his workes to the fruite of the tree.

Beware of the false Prophetes whiche come to you in sheepes clothyng, but inwardly they are rauenyng Wolues: ye shall know them by their fruites. Luke. 7.

IF workes make vs neither rightuous nor vnrightuous, then thou wilt say, it maketh no matter what we do.MarginaliaAunswere. I aunswere, if thou do euill, it is a sure argument that thou art euill, and wantest fayth. If thou do good, it is an argument that thou art good, and hast fayth, for a good tree beareth good fruite, and an euill tree euil fruite. Yet good fruite maketh not the tree good, nor euill fruite the tree euill: so that man is good ere he do good deedes, and euill, ere he do euill deedes.

MarginaliaFayth maketh the man good.
A good man maketh good workes. FAyth maketh the good tree, and incredulitie the euill tree: such a tree, such fruite, such a man, such workes: For all thynges that are done in fayth, please God, and are good workes: and all that are done without fayth, displease God, and are euill workes.

Who soeuer beleueth, or thinketh to bee saued by hys workes, denyth that Christ is his Sauiour, that Christ dyed for him, and all thynges that pertayne to Christ. For how is hee thy Sauiour, if thou mightest saue thy selfe by thy workes? or wherto should he dye for thee, if any works might haue saued thee?MarginaliaTo say that our workes do saue vs, is to denye that Christ is our Sauiour.

What is this to say, Christ dyed for thee? Verely that thou shouldest haue dyed perpetually, and Christ to deliuer thee from death, dyed for thee, and chaunged thy perpetuall death, into hys owne death: For thou madest the fault, and hee suffred the payne, and that for the loue hee had to thee, before thou wast borne, when thou haddest done neither good nor euill.

Now seyng he hath payed thy dette, thou nedest not, neither canst thou pay it, but shouldest bee dampned, if hys bloud were not. But sith he was punished for thee, thou shalt not be punished.

Finally, he hath deliuered thee from thy condemnation and all euill, and desireth nought of thee, but that thou wilt acknowledge what he hath done for thee, and beare it in mynde: and that thou wouldest helpe other for hys sake, both in worde and deede, euen as hee hath holpen thee for nought, and without reward.

O how ready whold we be to helpe other, if we knew his goodnes and gentlenes towardes vs? He is a good and a gentle Lord, for he doth all for nought. Let vs I besech you therfore, folow hys footesteppes, whom all the world ought to prayse and worshyp. Amen.

FOr he calleth hymselfe the Sauiour, which perteyneth to Christ onely.

What is a Sauiour, but he that saueth? and he sayth, I saued myselfe, which is as much to say, as I am Christ, for Christ onely is the Sauiour of the world.

FOr who soeuer beleueth to get the inheritaunce of heauen, or remission of sinne through workes, he beleueth not to get the same for Christes sake. And they that beleueth not that their sinnes are forgeuen them, and that they shall be saued for Christes sake, they beleue not the Gospell: For the Gospell sayth, you shall be saued for Christes sake, your sinnes are forgeuen for Christes sake.

He that beleueth not the Gospell, beleueth not God. So it foloweth, that they which beleue to be saued by their workes, or to get remission of their sinnes by their owne deeds, beleue not God, but recount hym as a lyer, and so vtterly deny hym to be God.

Thou wilt say, shall we then do no good deedes?

I say not so, but I say we should do no good workes, for the intent to get the inheritaunce of heauen, or remission of sinne. For if we beleue to get the inheritaunce of heauen through good workes, then we beleue not to get it through the promise of God. Or if we thinke to get remission of our sinnes by our deedes, then we beleue not that they are forgeuen vs, and so we count God a lyer. For God sayth thou shalt haue the inheritaunce of heauen for my sonnes sake, thy sinnes are forgeuen thee for my sonnes sake: & you say it is not so, but I will wynneMarginaliaNot the doyng of good workes, but the trusting in good workes condemned. it through my workes. Thus you see I cōdemne not good deedes, but I condēne the false trust in any workes, for all the workes wherin a man putteth any confidence, are therewith poysoned & become euill.

Wherfore, thou must do good workes, but beware thou do them not to deserue any good through them, for if thou do, thou receyuest the good, not as the giftes of God, but as dette to thee, and makest thy selfe felow with God, bycause thou wilt take nothyng of him for nought. And what needeth hee any thyng of thyne, which geueth all thyng and is not the poorer?

Therfore do nothyng to hym, but take of hym, for he is a gentle Lord, and with a gladder will geueth vs all that we neede, thē we can take it of him: if then we want ought, let vs wite our selues.

Presse not therfore to the inheritaunce of heauen thorough presumption of thy good workes, for if thou doe, thou countest thy selfe holy and equall to God, because thou wilt take nothyng of hym for nought, and so shalt thou fall as Lucifer fell for his pryde.

FINIS.  

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Frith's translation concludes at this point, from here until the end is entirely Foxe's composition. The effect of these alterations is to make the stark contrasts in the original, between faith and works, more flexible for both pastoral purposes and to rebut Catholic polemic.

T His litle treatise of M. Patrickes places, albeit in quantitie it be but short, yet in effect it comprehendeth matter able to fill large Volumes, declaryng to vs the true doctrine of the law, of the Gospell, of fayth, and of workes, with the nature and properties, and also the difference of the same. Which difference is thus to be vnderstāded, that in the cause of saluation, and in the office of Iustifying, these are to be remouedMarginaliaThe lawe & the gospell, how they are to be ioyned, and how to be separated. and separated a sonder, the law from the Gospell, and fayth from workes: Otherwise in the person that is iustified, and also in order of doctrine, they ought commonly to go necessaryly together.

Therfore, where soeuer any question or doubt riseth of saluation, or our iustifying before God, there the law, and all good workes must be vtterly excluded, and stand apart, that grace may appeare free, the promise simple, and that fayth may stand alone. Which fayth alone, without law or workes, worketh to euery man particularly hys saluation, thorough mere promise, and the free grace of God. This word (particularly) MarginaliaParticularly. I adde, for the particulare certifying of euery mans hart priuatly and peculiarly, that beleueth in Christ. ForMarginaliaThe bodie of Christ is the efficient cause of our redemption in generall. as the body of Christ is the cause efficient of the redemptionMarginaliaFayth is the instrumentall cause of euery mās particular saluation. of the whole world in generall: so is fayth the instrumentall cause, by which euery man applieth the sayd body of Christ particularly to his owne saluation. So that in the action and office of iustificatiō, both law and workes here be vtterly secluded and exēpted, as thinges hauyng nothyng to do in this behalfe. The reason is this: for seing that all our redemptiō vniuersally spryngeth onely from the body of the sonne of God crucified, then is there nothing, that can stand vs in stede, but that onely, wherewith this body of Christ is apprehended.MarginaliaNote the obiecte of faith. Now, for somuch as neither the law nor workes, but faith onely is the thyng which apprehendeth the body andMarginaliaFayth with her obiecte, onely saueth. death of Christ, therfore fayth onely is that matter which iustifieth euery soule before God, thorough the strength of that obiect, which it doth apprehend. For the obiect onely of ourMarginaliaA similitude betwene the brasen Serpent & Christes bodye. faith, is the body of Christ, lyke as the brasen Serpent was the obiecte onely of the eyes of the Israelites lookyng, and not of their handes workyng: by the strength of which obiect, through the promise of God, im-