sin, so from eternal death and condemnation, the reward of sin. This grace they will have to be applied by infusion; to the end, that as the body is warm by the heat which is in the body, so the soul might be righteous by inherent grace; which grace they make capable of increase; as the body may be more and more warm, so the soul more and more justified, according as grace should be augmented; the augmentation whereof is merited by good works, as good works are made meritorious by it. Wherefore, the first receipt of grace in their divinity is the first justification; the increase thereof, the second justification. As grace may be increased by the merit of good works; so it may be diminished by the demerit of sins venial; it may be lost by mortal sin. Inasmuch, therefore, as it is needful in the one case to repair, in the other to recover the loss which is made; the infusion of grace hath her sundry after-meals for the which cause they make many ways to apply the infusion of grace. It is applied to infants through baptism, without either faith or works, and in them really it taketh away original sin, and the punishment due unto it; it is applied to infidels and wicked men in the first justification, through baptism without works, yet not without faith; and it taketh away both sins actual and original together, with all whatsoever punishment, eternal or temporal, thereby deserved. Unto such as have attained the first justification, that is to say, the first receipt of grace, it is applied farther by good works to the increase of former grace, which is the second justification. If they work more and more, grace doth more increase, and they are more and more justified. To such as diminish it by venial sins, it is applied by holy water, Ave Marias, crossings, papal salutations, and such-like, which serve for reparations of grace decayed. To such as have lost it through mortal sin, it is applied by the sacrament (as they term it) of penance; which sacrament hath force to confer grace anew, yet in such sort, that being so conferred, it hath not altogether so much power as at the first. For it only cleanseth out the stain or guilt of sin committed, and changeth the punishment eternal into a temporal satisfactory punishment here, if time do serve if not, hereafter to be endured, except it be lightened by masses, works of charity, pilgrimages, fasts, and such-like; or else shortened by pardon for term, or by plenary pardon quite removed and taken away. This is the mystery of the man of sin. This maze the church of Rome doth cause her followers to tread, when they ask her the way to justification. I cannot stand now to unrip this building, and sift it piece by piece; only I will pass

it by in few words, that that may befall Babylon, in the presence of that which God hath builded, as happened unto Dagon before. the ark.

iii. 8, 9.

6. "Doubtless (saith the apostle), I have counted all things lost, Phil. and judge them to be dung, that I may win Christ; and to be found in him, not having my own righteousness, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God through faith." Whether they speak of the first or second justification, they make the essence of a Divine quality inherent, they make it righteousness which is in us. If it be in us, then is it ours, as our souls are ours, though we have them from God, and can hold them no longer than pleaseth him; for if he withdraw the breath of our nostrils, we fall to dust: but the righteousness wherein we must be found, if we will be justified, is not our own; therefore we cannot be justified by any inherent quality. Christ hath merited righteousness for as many as are found in him. In him God findeth us, if we be faithful; for by faith we are incorporated into Christ. Then, although in ourselves we be altogether sinful and unrighteous, yet even the man which is impious in himself, full of iniquity, full of sin; him being found in Christ through faith, and having his sin remitted through repentance; him God upholdeth with a gracious eye, putteth away his sin by not imputing it, taketh quite away the punishment due thereunto, by pardoning it, and accepteth him in Jesus Christ, as perfectly righteous as if he had fulfilled all that was commanded him in the law: shall I say more perfectly righteous than if himself had fulfilled the whole law? I must take heed what I say: but the apostle saith, "God made him to 2 Cor. be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." Such we are in the sight of God the Father, as is the very Son of God himself. Let it be counted folly, or frenzy, or fury, whatsoever, it is our comfort, and our wisdom; we care for no knowledge in the world but this, that man hath sinned, and God hath suffered; that God hath made himself the son of man, and that men are made the righteousness of God. You see, therefore, that the church of Rome, in teaching justification by inherent grace, doth pervert the truth of Christ; and that by the hands of the apostles we have received otherwise than she teacheth. Now concerning the righteousness of sanctification, we deny it not to be inherent: we grant, that unless we work, we have it not only we distinguish it as a thing different in nature from the righteousness of justification: we are righteous the one way, by the faith of Abraham; the other way, except we,

v. 21.

iv. 6.

do the works of Abraham, we are not righteous. Of the one Rom. St. Paul, "To him that worketh not, but believeth, faith is counted for righteousness." Of the other, St. John, "Qui facit justitiam, justus est:-He is righteous which worketh righteousness." Of the one, St. Paul doth prove by Abraham's example, that we have it of faith without works. Of the other, St. James by Abraham's example, that by works we have it, and not only by faith. St. Paul doth plainly sever these two parts of Christian righteousness one from the other. For in the sixth to the RoRom. man's, thus he writeth, " Being freed from sin, and made servants to God, ye have your fruit in holiness, and the end everlasting life. Ye are made free from sin, and made servants unto God;" this is the righteousness of justification; "Ye have your fruit in holiness;" this is the righteousness of sanctification. By the one we are interested in the right of inheriting; by the other we are brought to the actual possession of eternal bliss, and so the end of both is everlasting life.

vi.

7. The prophet Habakkuk doth here term the Jews "righteous men," not only because being justified by faith they were free from sin; but also because they had their measure of fruits in holiness. According to whose example of charitable judgment, which leav eth it to God to discern what we are, and speaketh of them ac cording to that which they do profess themselves to be, although they be not holy men whom men do think, but whom God doth know indeed to be such: yet let every Christian man know, that in Christian equity, he standeth bound for to think and speak of his brethren, as of men that have a measure in the fruit of holiness, and a right unto the titles wherewith God, in token of special favour and mercy, vouchsafeth to honour his chosen servants. So we see the apostles of our Saviour Christ do use every where the name of saints; so the prophet the name of righteous. But let us all be such as we desire to be termed: "Reatus impii est pium nomen," saith Salvianus; "Godly names do not justify godless men." We are but upbraided, when we are honoured with names and titles whereunto our lives and manners are not suitable. If indeed we have our fruit in holiness, notwithstanding we must note, that the more we abound therein, the more need we have to crave that we may be strengthened and supported. Our very virtues may be snares unto us. The enemy that waiteth for all occasions to work our ruin, hath found it harder to overthrow an humble sinner, than a proud saint. There is no man's case so dangerous as his whom Satan hath persuaded that his own

righteousness shall present him pure and blameless in the sight of God. If we could say, we were not guilty of any thing at all in our consciences (we know ourselves far from this innocency, we canot say, we know nothing by ourselves; but if we could), should we therefore plead not guilty before the presence of our judge, that sees farther into our hearts than we ourselves can do? If our hands did never offer violence to our brethren, a bloody thought doth prove us murderers before him: if we had never opened our mouth to utter any scandalous, offensive, or hurtful word, the cry of our secret cogitations is heard in the ears of God. If we did not commit the sins which daily and hourly, either in deed, word, or thoughts, we do commit; yet in the good things which we do, how many defects are there intermingled! God, in that which is done, respecteth the mind and intention of the doer. Cut off then all those things wherein we have regarded our own glory, those things which men do to please men, and to satisfy our own liking, those things which we do for any by-respect, not sincerely and purely for the love of God, and a small score will serve for the number of our righteous deeds. Let the holiest and best things which we do be considered. We are never better affected unto God than when we pray; yet when we pray, how are our affections many times distracted! How little reverence do we shew unto the grand majesty of God, unto whom we speak! How little remorse of our own miseries! How little taste of the sweet influence of his tender mercies do we feel! Are we not as unwilling many times to begin, and as glad to make an end, as if in saying, "Call upon me," he had set us a very burdensome task? It may seem somewhat extreme, which I will speak; therefore let every one judge of it, even as his own heart shall tell him, and no otherwise; I will but only make a demand: If God should yield unto us, not as unto Abraham, if fifty, forty, thirty, twenty, yea, or if ten good persons could be found in a city, for their sakes this city should not be destroyed: but, and if he should make us an offer thus large; search all the generations of men sithence the fall of our father Adam, find one man that hath done one action which hath passed from him pure, without any stain or blemish at all; and for that one man's only action, neither man nor angel shall feel the torments which are prepared for both. Do you think that this ransom, to deliver men and angels, could be found to be among the sons of men? The best things which we do have somewhat in them to be pardoned. How then can we do any thing meritorious, or worthy to be re

warded? Indeed, God doth liberally promise whatsoever appertaineth to a blessed life, to as many as sincerely keep his law, though they be not exactly able to keep it. Wherefore, we acknowledge a dutiful necessity of doing well, but the meritorious dignity of doing well we utterly renounce. We see how far we are from the perfect righteousness of the law; the little fruit which we have in holiness, it is, God knoweth, corrupt and unsound: we put no confidence at all in it, we challenge nothing in the world for it, we dare not call God to reckoning, as if we had him in our debt-books: our continual suit to him is, and must be, to bear with our infirmities, and pardon our offences.

8. But the people of whom the prophet speaketh, were they all, or were the most part of them, such as had care to walk uprightly? Did they thirst after righteousness? Did they wish? Did they long with the righteous prophet, "O that our ways were so direct that we might keep thy statutes?" Did they lament with the righteous apostle, "O miserable men, the good which we wish and purpose, and strive to do, we cannot?" No; the words of the other prophet concerning this people, do shew the contrary. How grievously hath Esay mourned over them! "O sinful nation, laden with iniquity, wicked seed, corrupt children!" All which notwithstanding, so wide are the bowels of his compassion: enlarged, that he denieth us not, no, not when we were laden with iniquity, leave to commune familiarly with him, liberty to crave, and entreat that what plagues soever we have deserved, we may not be in worse case than unbelievers, that we may not be hemmed in by pagans and infidels. Jerusalem is a sinful polluted city; but Jerusalem compared with Babylon is righteous. And shall the righteous be overborne? Shall they be compassed about by the wicked? But the prophet doth not only complain, Lord, how cometh it to pass that thou handlest us so hardly, of whom thy name is called, and bearest with the heathen nations that despise thee? No, he breaketh out through extremity of grief, and inferreth violently, this "proceeding is perverse," the righteous are thus handled; "therefore perverse judgment doth proceed."

9. Which illation containeth many things, whereof it were better much for you to hear, and me to speak, if necessity did Acts xiii. not draw me to another task. Paul and Barnabas being re43, 44. quested to preach the same things again which once they had preached, thought it their duty to satisfy the godly desires of men sincerely affected to the truth. Nor may it seem burdenous for me, nor for you unprofitable, that I follow their example, the like