should boast." Again to Titus: "The grace and love of God our Saviour towards all men hath appeared, not of the works of our own righteousness which we did, but according to his mercy hath he saved us." Likewise, in the second Epistle to Timothy, the first chapter, he saith: "God hath saved us, and hath called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus"." I think, verily, that if a man had been set of purpose to have feigned anything for the defence of this matter, he could not have framed any sentence so fit and evident as these words are. So now it is manifest, that the grace of God is altogether free, as that which excludeth all our works and merits; and The cause of the gospel. this free love of God is the only cause and true beginning of the gospel for which cause Paul calleth the gospel the preaching of grace. of God's But now, although the grace of God doth not depend The working upon us or our works 10, yet doth it not idly abide in God, as grace. if it were utterly without us and altogether far from us, as the thing that is neither felt nor yet worketh in us. For we understood by the cited testimonies, that grace is the favour of God wherewith he loveth us men; we understood that men are saved by grace: for since God loveth men, he would not have them perish; and therefore he hath through grace sent his Son to deliver them from destruction, and that in him the justice and mercy of God might be known to all the world. But none are delivered save those that believe; therefore grace hath somewhat whereby to work in man for by the pouring of the Holy Ghost into our hearts, the understanding and will are instructed in the faith. To be short, grace (as I have already 12 told you) doth call, justify, save, or glorify the faithful: so that we must make our account, that the whole work of our salvation and all the virtues of the godly do proceed of the only grace of God alone, whose working we do at all times acknowledge [ Eph. ii. 8. 9, gratia per fidem, Lat.] [11 Rather, therefore again grace hath something to work in man.] [Rom. viii. 29-32.] and confess1. And that is again proved both by divine and human testimonies. Paul to the Romans saith: "Those which he knew before, he also did predestinate: and those which he did predestinate, he also called: and those whom he called, he also justified: and those whom he justified, he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be on our side, who can be against us? Which spared not his own Son, but gave him for us, how shall he not with him also give us all things?" Again, in the first chapter of his Epistle to the Ephesians, he hath referred the whole work of election and salvation, with all the parts thereof, unto the grace of God. Moreover, the holy fathers in the council Mileventanum, among whom also St Augustine was present, made this decree touching the grace of God: "If any man say, that mercy is without the grace of God bestowed from above upon us, believing, willing, desiring, endeavouring, studying, asking, seeking, and striving, (as of ourselves;) doth not confess, that even to believe, to will, and to be able to do all these things as we should do, is wrought by the pouring in and inspiration of the Holy Ghost; if he join the humility or obedience of man as an help unto grace3; and if he doth not consent that it is the very gift of grace, even that we are humble and obedient; he is directly contrary to the apostle, who saith, 'For what hast thou that thou hast not received?' and, By the grace of God I am that I am 4."" Thus much say they. Now these divine and human testimonies being throughly [1 ubique, Lat.; throughout.] [2 pro nobis omnibus, Lat.] [3 More correctly, and maketh the help of grace to follow after either man's humility or obedience.-Beveridge on the Thirty-Nine Articles, Vol. I. p. 383. Oxf. 1840.] [4 There is a mistake in the reference: the following is the canon meant: Si quis sine gratia Dei credentibus, volentibus, conantibus, laborantibus, vigilantibus, studentibus, petentibus, quærentibus, pulsantibus nobis misericordiam dicit conferri divinitus; non autem ut credamus, velimus, vel hæc omnia sicut oportet agere valeamus per infusionem Spiritus Sancti in nobis fieri confitetur; et aut humilitati aut obedientiæ humanæ subjungit gratiæ adjutorium, nec ut obedientes et humiles simus ipsius gratiæ donum esse consentit; resistit apostolo dicenti, Quid habes quod non accepisti? et, Gratia Dei sum id quod sum. -Concil. Arausic. II. can. 6. Concil. Labb. et Cossart. Tom. IV. col. 1668. Par. 1671. This second council of Orange was held A.D. 529. Augustine was dead long before.] considered, there is none, I hope, which may not understand that the grace of God is the same that I told you; to wit, the favour and good-will of the eternal Godhead, wherewith he according to his incomprehensible goodness doth embrace, call, justify, and save men freely for Christ his sake, our Lord and Saviour. versy betwixt and Pelagius grace of God. The blessed man Aurelius Augustine had a sharp conflict The contro with Pelagius the Briton concerning the grace of God. For Augustine the heretic did by grace understand nothing but the benefit touching tod of the creation; which as Augustine denied not to be grace, so did he vehemently urge that the apostle did especially speak of that free grace, whereby, without any merit of ours, we are freely saved for Christ his sake. This did he urge therefore the more earnestly, because he saw that the heretic affirmed that his own human nature was sufficient unto him", not to do only, but also to do perfectly, the commandments of God by free-will. But of these matters St Augustine doth very largely and religiously dispute in his ninety-fifth Epistle, Ad Innocentium®. 1. Gratia gratum 2. Gratia gratis data. Many of the late writers, for teaching's sake, have divided grace into grace that doth things acceptable, and grace that is gratis or freely given: again, they have divided it into faciens. working grace, and joint-working grace: finally, they part Gratia it into grace that goeth before, and grace that followeth after. gratia coAnd the very same writers also reckon up the operations 4. Gratia or effects of grace after this manner almost: grace healeth et gratia [5 Apostolos, Lat. ; the apostles.] [6 Pelagium, Lat. omitted.] [7 Rather, that human nature was sufficient unto itself.] [8 Aurelius aliique episcopi, inter quos Augustinus, Innocentio Papæ, de Pelagio quem audierant jam ad presbyterii gradum evectum.—Aug. Ep. 95. (in the Benedictine Edition, 177.) Op. Par. 1531. Vol. II. fol. 83. col. 2. In the course of this epistle it is charged against Pelagius,-illum dicere gratiam, quam etiam cum impiis habemus, cum quibus homines sumus; negare vero eam qua Christiani et filii Dei sumus:—and it is replied,-Etsi enim quadam non improbanda ratione dicitur gratia Dei, qua creati sumus.... quia non præcedentium aliquorum operum meritis, sed gratuita Dei bonitate donata est; alia est tamen qua prædestinati vocamur, justificamur, glorificamur. It is also stated that Pelagius affirmed,-non solum ad facienda, verum etiam ad perficienda mandata divina per liberum arbitrium humanam sibi sufficere naturam,—as here alleged by Bullinger.] operans, et operans. præveniens, subsequens. We are justified by grace. God exhibiteth his grace Christ. the soul, and maketh it first to will well, and then to work effectually the thing that it willeth so it causeth it to persevere in goodness, and at length to come to eternal glory. But I am not so careful to reckon up the sentences of writers, to shew you every one's several opinion, (which both were an excessive labour, and also more than my ability is to do); as I am willing to cite the places of scripture (which is the one and only rule how to think, and how to judge rightly), to shew you thereby what the scripture would have you think: as I have in my former treatise, Of the grace of God, both briefly and evidently enough, I hope, declared unto you. And also the discourse of Christ', which followeth hereafter, (through whom the Father hath poured the most excellent and heavenly grace into us,) shall help to make up that which seemeth to be wanting here. But now, before I depart from this argument, I thought good to admonish you, that the sentences of God's word do not jar among themselves, when we do in sundry places read and hear, first, that we are saved freely or by the grace of God; then, that we are saved by the love of God; thirdly, that we are saved through the mercy of God; fourthly, that we are saved through Christ; fifthly, that we are saved through the blood, or death, or incarnation of Christ; and lastly, that we are saved through faith in Christ, or in the mercy or grace of God. For all these speeches tend to one and the same end, and do ascribe the whole glory and cause of man's salvation unto the very mercy or grace of God. The pledge of grace, yea, and our only Saviour, is the onlybegotten Son of God betrayed unto death. Sincere faith layeth hold on mere grace in Christ, and nothing else. Now therefore, having thus expounded according to my to us in small ability that which I had to speak in general of the grace of God, I do here descend to handle that singular or particular work of God's grace, which is nothing else but that the merciful Father hath exhibited to us his Son in that manner and order as he promised him to us in the old prophets, and that in him he hath fully given us all things requisite to eternal life and absolute felicity; because he is the Lord and Messiah, or only and true Saviour, which was [1 disputatio de Christo, Lat.] [2 salutis, Lat.] incarnate, dead, raised to life, and taken up into heaven for us and our salvation. For Christ is both king and high priest, that is, our Saviour; he is the mark, the star, and very sun-light of the preaching of the gospel. Now in expounding these things particularly I will use this course and order. First of all, I will out of the law and the prophets recite unto you some evident promises of Christ3 made by God unto the church; which shall be those especially that the apostles themselves have already touched and expounded. Secondly, I will prove unto you that God hath now performed that which he promised so long ago; to wit, that he hath already exhibited to us his only-begotten Son; and that he is that true and so long-looked-for Lord and Messiah, which should come to save the world. Lastly, I will shew you how that in this Son the Father is pleased and reconciled to the world again: in whom also he hath fully given us all things requisite to eternal life and absolute felicity. For he for us and for our salvation was incarnate, dead, raised to life again, and taken up into heaven, there to be a Mediator for ever and advocate unto his Father1. And in these points do lie the lively veins of the gospel, which flow with wholesome waters unto eternal life; for in them doth consist the sound consolation of the faithful, and the enduring tranquillity of a quiet conscience: without them there is no life or quiet rest. touching Saviour. The promises made by God concerning Christ, which are The promises uttered in the holy scriptures, are threefold, or of three sorts: Christ our I therefore, to make them the plainer unto you, do divide the promises of one and the same sort according to the times. The first promises were made to the patriarchs or ancient fathers before the giving of the law and these again consist of two sorts; for one sort of them are plain, uttered evidently in simple words, without all types and figurative shadows; the other sort are figurative and couched under types. : evangelie, preaching of The first and most evident promise of all was made by the The first very mouth of God unto our first parents, Adam and Evah, gospel, or being oppressed with death, calamities, and the horrible fear of God's revenging hand for their transgression5; [3 eximias promissiones de Christo, Lat.] which pro glad tidings. Gen. iii. |