Passiō be applied to vs & made ours, ye heard before how S. Paule onely ascrybeth the same to faith: as appeareth by all his letters, especially to the Romanes. Where he excluding al kind of works, ascribeth al our saluation, iustification, righteousnes, reconciliation, and peace with god onely to faith in Christ. Contrary to which doctrine the Pope and his church hath set vp diuers and sondry other meanes of their owne deuising, whereby the merites of Christes passion (they saye) are applyed to vs and made ours,MarginaliaThe meanes of applying Christes merites vnto vs by the Popes doctrine.to the putting away of sinnes, and for our iustification, as hope, charitie, sacrifice of the Masse, auricular confession, satisfacion, merits of Saintes, and holy orders, the Popes pardons, &c. So that Christs sacrifice, stripes, and sufferyng, by this teaching doth not heale vs, nor is not beneficiall to vs, though we beleeue neuer so well, vnles wee add also these workes and merites aboue recited. Which if it be true; then is it false that Esay the prophet doth promise: chap. 53. In his stripes all we are made hole. &c. This errour and heresie of the Church of Rome, though it serue at fyrst sight to the naturall reason of man to be but of small importaunce yet if it be earnestly considered, it is in very deede the most pernicious heresie that euer almost crept into the Church,MarginaliaThe taking away of this Article of fayth onely to iustifie, is the roote of great inconuenience in Christes Church.vpon the which as the onely foundation, all, or the most part of all the errours, absurdities, and inconueniences of the Popes Church are grounded. For this being once admitted, that a man is not iustified by his fayth in Christ alone, but that other meanes must be sought by our owne working and merites to apply the merites of Christes Passiō vnto vs, then is there neither any certeinty left, of our saluation, nor end in setting vp newe meanes and merites of our own deuising, for remission of sinnes. Neyther hath there beene any heresye that eyther hath rebelled more presumptuously against the high Maiestie of God the Father, nor more perniciously hath iniuried the soules of the simple, then this doctrine.MarginaliaNo heresie to be cōpared to the heresie of Papistes.

MarginaliaThe first inconuēience.First of all it subuerteth the will and testament of God. For where almighty God of mercy hath giuen vs his son to dye for vs, and with him hath giuen out his full promise, that whosoeuer beleeueth vpō him should be saued by their fayth, & assigneth none other condition either of the lawe or any works, but onely of fayth, to be þ^e meanes betweene his sonne and vs:MarginaliaNo condition limitted of God to man for saluation but one.these men take vpon them to alter this testament that God hath set, and adioyne other conditions, which the Lord in his word neuer appointed nor knew. To whom the wordes of Hierome may be well applyed vpon the Epistle to the Gal. speaking of such.MarginaliaHieroni. in Epist. ad Gal. cap. 1.Qui de Euangelio Christi faciunt hominis Euangelium, vel quod peius est, Diaboli, &c. That is, Which make of the Gospell of Christ, the Gospell of men, or rather the Gospell of the deuil &c.

MarginaliaThe 2. incōuenience. What hurt commeth into the Church, by taking away the Article of iustification.Secondly, whereas the Christian reader in the Gospell, reading of the great grace and swete promises of god gyuen to mankinde in Christ his sonne, might thereby take much comfort of soule, and be at rest and peace with the Lorde his God: commeth in the pestiferous doctrine of these heretikes, wherewyth they obscure this free grace of God, to choake the sweete comforts of man in the holy Ghost, and oppresse Christen libertie, and bring our spirituall into bondage.

MarginaliaThe third inconuenience.Thirdly, as in this their impious doctrine they shew themselues manifest enimies to Gods grace: so are they no lesse iniurious to Christen men, whom they leaue in a doubtfull distrust of Gods fauour and of their saluation, contrary to the worde and will of God, and right institutiō of the Apostolicke doctrine. And wheras our new schoolemen of late, to mayntaine the sayde wicked point of doctrine, doe obiect vnto vsMarginaliaObiection of the Papistes aunswered.that wee rather leaue mens consciences vncertaine, for so much as, if lyfe (saye they) were not a due rewarde, it were vncerteine. And nowe for somuch as due debt is certaine, and mercy or fauour is vncerteine, therefore (say they) we leauing mens consciences to the mercy of God, doe leaue them in a doubtfull vncerteintie of their saluation.MarginaliaThe Papistes doe teach the mercye of God to be vncertayne.To this I aunswere that due debt if it be proued by the law duely deserued, it must be certeine. But if the lawe shall prooue it vnperfect or vnsufficiently due, then is it not certeine, neither can there be any thing duely claymed. Nowe as touching mercye, so long as it remaineth secret in the Princes wyll, and not knowne to his subiectes, so long it is vncerteine, But when this mercy shall be openly published by proclamation, ratified by promise, conferred by will and Testamēt, established in bloude, and sealed wyth Sacraments, then this mercy remayneth no more doubtful, but ought firmely to be beleued of euery true faythfull subiect.MarginaliaMercy of God made certayne by hys owne promises.And therefore Saint Paule, to establish our harts in this assuraunce, and so aunswere to this doubte, in his Epistle to the Romaines doth teach vs, saying: And therefore of fayth, that after grace the promise might be firme & sure to thewhole seede of Abraham. &c. Rom. 4. Meanyng hereby, that workes haue nothing to doe in this case of Iustifying, and noteth the reason why.MarginaliaSaluation standeth sure and certayne by Gods promise.For then our saluation should stande in a doubtfull wauering, because in working we are neuer certeine whether our desertes be perfect and sufficient in Gods iudgement or no. And therefore (sayeth Saint Paule) to the intent our saluation should be out of all doubt, and certeine, it standeth not of workes, in deseruing, but of fayth in apprehending, and of Gods free grace in promising.MarginaliaThe place of S. Paule. Rom. 4. expounded.

MarginaliaThe 4. inconuenience.Fourthly, as in this their sinister doctryne they break this principle of Christian Religion, which sayth that a man is iustified by fayth wythout workes, so agayne it breaketh an other principle aboue rehearsed. For this rule beyng graunted that nothing is to be added to gods word nor taken from it: then haue these men done wickedly in adding (as they doe) to Gods worde.MarginaliaThe 4. principle aboue recited broken.For where the word of god lymiteth to our iustification no cōdition but fayth: Beleeue (sayth he) in the Lorde Iesu and thou shalt be saued, and thy whole house, &c. Act. 16. these Iusticiaries doe adde thereto dyuers and sondry other conditions besides, and such as the worde also precisely excludeth, as hope, charitie, the sacrifice of their Masse, the work of the Priest Ex opere operato, auricular confession, satisfaction, meritorious deedes. &c. And thus much concerning the doctrine of fayth and iustification. Whereby it may appeare to what horrible blindnes and blasphemie, the Church of Rome is now fallen: where this kinde of doctrine is not only suffered, but also publikely professed, which speaking against fayth, thus blasphemously dare say:MarginaliaEx Lindano in Epitome doctrinæ Euangelicæ.Fides illa qua quis firmiter credit, & certo statuit propter Christum sibi remissa esse peccata, seseq; possessurum vitam æternam, non fides est, sed temeritas: non spiritus sancti persausio, sed humanæ audaciæ presumptio. That is, That fayth wherewith a man firmely beleueth and certeinely assureth himselfe, that for Christes sake his sinnes be forgyuen him, and that he shall possesse eternal life, is not faith but rashnes: not the perswasion of the holy Ghost, but presumption of a mans boldnes.

AS touching the doctrine of good workes and the lawe,MarginaliaThe first errour of the Papistes touching good workes. what the teaching of Saint Paule was to the Romanes, yee hearde before. Who although hee excludeth good workes from the office of Iustifying, yet excludeth he them not from the practise and conuersation of Christen life, but most earnestly calleth vpon all faythfull beleeuers in Christ, to walke worthye their vocation, to laye downe their olde conuersation, to gyue theyr members seruauntes of ryghteousnes, to offer their bodyes vppe to God a liuelye Sacrifice, &c. The like example of whose teachyng, if the Churches nowe reformed doe not folowe, let their Sermons, their Preachynges, wrytinges, exhortynges, and lyues also beare recorde. Who although they can not say with Christ. Which of you can blame me of sinne, yet they may say to the aduersaryes, whosoeuer of you is wythout fault, cast the fyrst stone of reproch agaynst vs. Wherefore Hosius,MarginaliaHosius in 2. tom. confessionis. Cap. 1.Pighius, wyth their fellowes, doe them open wrong, and slaunderously belye them in comparing them in this behalfe to Ætius Eunominus, and other heretikes called Anomæi, who taking the good sentences of S. Paule, did abuse the same to filthy licence of the flesh, and corruption of wicked life, &c.

But to let these slaunders passe, nowe what the errours be of the Church of Rome, touching this part of doctryne, remayneth to be declared. Whose errour first standeth in this, that they mysunderstanding the definition of good workes, doe call good workes, not such as properly are commaunded by the lawe of God, but such as are agreable to the Popes law: As buylding of Abbayes and churches, gyuing to the high altar, founding of trentales, fynding of chautries, gylding of Images, hearing of Masses, going on pilgrimage, fyghting for the holye crosse, keeping of vowes, entryng to orders, fastyng of vigiles, creepyng to the Crosse, praying to Saintes, &c. All which are not onely reputed for good workes, but so preferred also before all other workes, that to these is gyuen pardon from the Pope, double and triplefolde more, then to any other good worke of charitie commaunded in the law of almightie God.

An other errour also may be noted in the Papists,MarginaliaThe second errour of the Papistes in the doctine of good workes. touching the efficient or formall cause of good workes. For albeit they all confesse in their bookes, that Gratia dei gratis data, is the chiefe priucipall cause thereof,MarginaliaFayth the roote and cause of good workes.and worketh in vs iustitiam primam (as they call it) yet the good workes after regeneration, they refer to other subordinate causes vnder God, as to fre wil, or to habitum virtutis, or ad inte-