"Like as we grant them, that no good work of man is rewardable in heaven of its own nature, but through the mere goodness of God, that lists to set so high a price upon so poor a thing; and that this price God setteth through Christ's passion, and for that also they be his own works with us; for good works to Godward worketh no man, without God work in him: and as we grant them also, that no man may be proud of his, works, for his imperfect working; and for that in all that man may do, he can do God no good, but is a servant unprofitable, and doth but his bare duty: as we, I say, grant unto them these things, so this one thing or twain do they grant us again, that men are bound to work good works, if they have time and power; and that whoso worketh in true faith most, shall be most rewarded; but then set they thereto, that all his rewards shall be given him for his faith alone, and nothing for his works at all, because his faith is the thing, they say, that forceth him to work well." I see by, this of Sir Thomas More, how easy it is for men of the greatest capacity to mistake things written or spoken as well on the one side as on the other. Their doctrine, as he thought, maketh the work of man rewardable in the world to come through the goodness of God, whom it pleased to set so high a price upon so poor a thing: and ours, that a man doth receive that eternal and high reward, not for his works, but for his faith's sake, by which he worketh: whereas in truth our doctrine is no other than that we have learned at the feet of Christ; namely, that God doth justify the believing man, yet not for the worthiness of his belief, but for the worthiness of him which is believed; God rewardeth abundantly every one which worketh, yet not for any meritorious dignity which is, or can be in the work, but through his mere mercy, by whose commandment he worketh. Contrariwise, their doctrine is, that as pure water of itself hath no savour, but if it pass through a sweet pipe, it taketh a pleasant smell of the pipe through which it passeth; so, although before grace received, our works do neither satisfy nor merit; yet after, they do both the one and the other. Every virtuous action hath then power in such to satisfy; that if we ourselves commit no mortal sin, no heinous crime, whereupon to spend this treasure of satisfaction in our own behalf, it turneth to the benefit of other men's release, on whom it should please the steward of the house of God to bestow it; so that we may satisfy for ourselves and others, but merit only for ourselves. In me

Works of riting, our actions do work with two hands; with one, they get superero- their morning stipend, the increase of grace; with the other, their gation. evening hire, the everlasting crown of glory. Indeed they teach, that our good works do not these things as they come from us, but as they come from grace in us, which grace in us is another thing in their divinity, than is the mere goodness of God's mercy towards us in Christ Jesus.

S4. If it were not a long deluded spirit which hath possession of their hearts; were it possible but that they should see how plainly they do herein gainsay the very ground of apostolic faith? Is this that salvation by grace, whereof so plentiful mention is made in the Scriptures of God? was this their meaning, which first taught the world to look for salvation only by Christ? By grace, the apostle saith, and by grace in such sort as a gift; a thing that cometh not of ourselves, nor of our works, lest any man should boast and say, "I have wrought out my own salvation." By grace they confess; but by grace in such sort, that as many as wear the diadem of bliss, they wear nothing but what they have won. The apostle, as if he had foreseen how the church of Rome would abuse the world in time by ambiguous terms, to declare in what sense the name of grace must be taken, when we make it the cause of our salvation, saith," He saved us according to his mercy:" which mercy, although it exclude not the washing of our new birth, the renewing of our hearts by the Holy Ghost, the means, the virtues, the duties which God requireth of our hands which shall be saved; yet it is so repugnant unto merits, that to say, we are saved for the worthiness of any thing which is ours, is to deny we are saved by grace. Grace bestoweth freely; and therefore justly requireth the glory of that which is bestowed. We deny the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ; we abuse, disannul, and annihilate the benefit of his bitter passion, if we rest in these proud imaginations, that life is deservedly ours, that we merit it, and that we are worthy of it.

35. Howbeit, considering how many virtuous and just men, how many saints, how many martyrs, how many of the ancient fathers of the church, have had their sundry perilous opinions; and amongst sundry of their opinions this, that they hoped to make God some part of amends for their sins, by the voluntary punishment which they laid upon themselves, because by a consequent it may follow hereupon, that they were injurious unto

Christ, shall we therefore make such deadly epitaphs, and set them upon their graves, ، They denied the foundation of faith directly, they are damned, there is no salvation for them ?" St. Augustine saith of himself, "Errare possum, hæreticus esse nolo." And, except we put a difference between them that err, and them that obstinately persist in error, how is it possible that ever any man should hope to be saved? Surely, in this case, I have no respect of any person either alive or dead. Give me a man, of what estate or condition soever, yea, a cardinal or a pope, whom in the extreme point of his life affliction hath made to know himself; whose heart God hath touched with true sorrow for all his sins, and filled with love towards the gospel of Christ, whose eyes are opened to see the truth, and his mouth to renounce all heresy and error any wise opposite thereunto, this one opinion of merits excepted; he thinketh God will require at his hands, and because he wanteth, therefore trembleth, and is discouraged; it may be I am forgetful, and unskilful, not furnished with things new and old, as a wise and learned scribe should be, nor able to allege that, whereunto, if it were alleged, he doth bear a mind most willing to yield, and so to be recalled, as well from this, as from other errors; and shall I think, because of this only error, that such a man toucheth not so much as the hem of Christ's garment ? If he do, wherefore should not I have hope, that virtue might proceed from Christ to save him? Because his error doth by consequent overthrow his faith, shall therefore cast him off, as one that hath utterly cast off Christ? one that holdeth not so much as by a slender thread? No, I will not be afraid to say unto a pope or cardinal in this plight, Be of good comfort, we have to do with a merciful God, ready to make the best of a little which we hold well, and not with a captious sophister, which gathereth the worst out of every thing wherein we err. Is there any reason that I should be suspected, or you offended, for this speech? Is it a dangerous thing to imagine, that such men may find mercy? The hour may come, when we shall think it a blessed thing to hear, that if our sins were the sins of the pope and cardinals, the bowels of the mercy of God are larger. I do not propose unto you a pope with the neck of an emperor under his feet ; a cardinal, riding his horse to the bridle in the blood of saints; but a pope or a cardinal sorrowful, penitent, disrobed, stripped, not only of usurped power, but also delivered and recalled from

I

a Let all affection be laid aside, let the matter indifferently be considered.

error and antichrist, converted and lying prostrate at the foot of Christ; and shall I think that Christ shall spurn at him? and shall I cross and gainsay the merciful promises of God, generally made unto penitent sinners, by opposing the name of a pope or cardinal? What difference is there in the world between a pope and a cardinal, and John a Style, in this case? If we think it impossible for them, if they be once come within that rank, to be afterward touched with any such remorse, let that be granted. The apostle saith," If I, or an angel from heaven, preach unto," &c. Let it be as likely, that St. Paul, or an angel from heaven, should preach heresy, as that a pope or cardinal should be brought so far forth to acknowledge the truth; yet if a pope or cardinal should, what find we in their persons why they might not be saved? It is not the persons, you will say, but the error wherein I suppose them to die, which excludeth them from the hope of mercy; the opinion of merits doth take away all possibility of salvation from them. What if they hold it only as an error? although they hold the truth truly and sincerely in all other parts of Christian faith: although they have in some measure all the virtues and graces of the Spirit, all other tokens of God's elect children in them although they be far from having any proud presumptuous opinion, that they shall be saved by the worthiness of their deed: although the only thing which troubleth and molesteth them, be but a little too much dejection, somewhat too great a fear, rising from an erroneous conceit that God would require a worthiness in them, which they are grieved to find wanting in themselves: although they be not obstinate in this persuasion: although they be willing, and would be glad to forsake it, if any one reason were brought sufficient to disprove it: although the only let, why they do not forsake it ere they die, be the ignorance of the means by which it might be disproved: although the cause, why the ignorance in this point is not removed, be the want of knowledge in such as should be able, and are not, to remove it. Let me die, if ever it be proved, that simply an error doth exclude a pope or a cardinal in such a case, utterly from hope of life. Surely, I must confess unto you, if it be an error, that God may be merciful to save men even when they err, my greatest comfort is my error; were it not for the love I bear unto this error, I would never wish to speak, nor to live.

36. Wherefore to resume that mother-sentence, whereof I little thought that so much trouble would have grown, "I doubt

not but God was merciful to save thousands of our fathers, living in popish superstition, inasmuch as they sinned ignorantly." Alas! what bloody matter is there contained in this sentence, that it should be an occasion of so many hard censures? Did I say, That thousands of our fathers might be saved? I have shewed which way it cannot be denied. Did I say, I doubt not but that they were saved? I see no impiety in this persuasion, though I had no reason for it. Did I say, Their ignorance did make me hope they did find mercy, and so were saved? What hindereth salvation but sins? Sins are not equal; and ignorance, though it doth not make sin to be no sin, yet seeing it did make their sin the less, why should it not make our hope concerning their life the greater? We pity the most, and doubt not but God hath most compassion over them that sin for want of understanding. As much is confessed by sundry others, almost in the selfsame words which I have used. It is but only my evil hap, that the same sentences which savour verity in other men's books, should seem to bolster heresy when they are once by me recited. If I be deceived in this point, not they, but the blessed apostle hath deceived me. What I said of others, the same he said of himself, "I obtained mercy, for I did it ignorantly." Construe his words, and you cannot misconstrue mine: I speak no otherwise, I mean no otherwise, than he did.

37. Thus have I brought the question concerning our fathers at length unto an end. Of whose estate, upon so fit an occasion as was offered me, handling the weighty causes of separation between the church of Rome and us, and the weak motives which are commonly brought to retain men in that society; amongst which motives the examples of our fathers deceased is one; although I saw it convenient to utter the sentence which I did, to the end that all men might thereby understand, how untruly we are said to condemn as many as have been before us otherwise persuaded than we ourselves are; yet more than that one sentence, I did not think it expedient to utter, judging it a great deal meeter for us to have regard to our own estate, than to sift over-curiously what is become of other men; and fearing, lest that such questions as these, if voluntarily they should be too far waded in, might seem worthy of that rebuke which our Saviour thought needful in a case not unlike, "What is this unto thee?" When I was forced, much beside my expectation, to render a reason of my speech, I could not but yield at the call of others, and proceed so far as