rather stand in need of pardon; but because the bounty of God imputes these works, such as they are, for merits to them who work. Why so? Because they are the works of the faithful; who, if they were not believers, their merits would have no room at all, nor be of any value in the sight of God. As if a father say to a son, If so be thou lovest learning, thou shalt obtain any thing of me, and be my dearly beloved son. By this speech the father doth not so oblige himself to the son, as if for no other cause, but for performing obedience, he would receive him to himself for a son: yea, because he is a son, therefore the father commands what he will, and the son performs what he ought. God useth sometimes thus to propose a recompense and rewards to the regenerate, whereby we may be stirred up to do well. And there is no doubt but the rewards promised will follow the office performed.

But, in the mean while, let us see to whom this promise was made, and for what cause it was made; of which let us understand what is the opinion of Osorio; "God hath promised, to all that live righteously, great wealth, exceeding great pleasures, and an immortal kingdom, very great dignity, everlasting glory," &c. There are many faults in these argumentations, and that is none of the least, which is committed by making a division not sufficient; in which kind Osorio offends here: for, whereas there are two kinds of promises, very much differing from one another; the one belonging to the law, being annexed unto certain conditions; the other belonging to the gospel, being free, without all condition of law; yet the whole discourse of Osorio is so taken up in that legal kind, that he does not so much as make mention of the other. "God hath promised," says he, "to all that live righteously," &c. That is true, indeed, if we look to those things that belong to the law: for the law, as it hath its threatenings, so also it hath its promises, proposed to them that live unblamably; in which we are commanded to do this and live. Concerning which Paul also saith, Peace and life to every one that doeth good. So then the law promiseth, and the gospel also promiseth, but upon a different account; for they differ in this. The promises of the law regard the desert of life. But the grace of the gospel doth not so much regard the manner of life, as the faith of the person; and measures his dignity, not by the merits of works, but measures the merits of works * Osor. de Just. lib. vi. p. 150.

themselves, by the faith of the believer, and the dignity of the object only on whom he believes. Wherefore, as touching rewards proposed in the gospel, it is not enough to look only on the things themselves which are proposed, but the consideration must be referred to the faith and person of believers, of what sort they are, whether planted in Christ by faith, or out of Christ, to whom the promise is made? If out of Christ they are servants and unbelievers; no promise or expectation of reward belongs to them. But if in Christ they are sons, and regenerate by faith, then all is due to faith, not to works: it is of grace, and not of merit, whatsoever the father either promises his sons for love's sake, or imputes unto them in the place of a reward. And indeed this imputation, in which all the confidence of our salvation is contained, proceeds from the grace and favour of God only; and also it must be considered that there is a twofold kind of imputation with God; the one, whereby the righteousness of Christ is ascribed to us, and when for his sake, our petty duties are imputed for great, and recompensed with the highest rewards; the other, when he doth not punish, but pardons great crimes in his own that are regenerate. Concerning which the apostle said, God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, 2 Cor. v. Rom. iv. Psal. xxxii. But the sons of the papacy do in no ways endure this imputation. Why so? They think it an unworthy thing that any man should be called righteous by another man's righteousness, which is not inherent in himself. This cavilling would be well founded, if our affair were carried on by nature, not by grace; if by law, and not by redemption. Our debt indeed is infinite, the payment whereof the law doth necessarily require of us. Neither can it be denied that we are not able to pay, nor shall ever be able to pay that debt, if our ability be considered. But what if some rich king intervene, who paying the debt that was owing, gets himself a right to the indebted citizens; and, having freed them from all obligation, makes them subject to his own command; what will those furious and importunate pleaders for works say here? May we not enjoy the bounty of another, because we have no ability of our own? Will they say that no payment is just, but what is paid with a man's own money? That which is done by a friend, for the sake of a friend, is it not just as if it had been done by himself? If that which was due from us be paid by the

price of Christ, is there any law so cruel as to exact the same debt of us again? And what will the adversaries require more here? that he should be condemned for unjust, whosoever hath no righteousness of his own? and, indeed, this is true in judicatories, if no redemption intervene, which may satisfy in the room of another. But now, seeing our affairs are in such a condition that the condemnation of the law hath nothing that it can demand of us; assuredly that is a sufficient plea for us, which was done by him, who made satisfaction for us. But these men again cry out against us, saying, that it cannot be by nature, and that it is no less contrary to all natural reason, that any thing should take its being from that form, which is not its own, but another's.

Answer to this, That it is true indeed formally, as to the essence of a thing, but not judicially. For, though the righteousness of another, which is not inherent in us, cannot render us essentially just who are by nature unjust, nothing hinders but the righteousness of another may help our righteousness, according to judicial imputation. Even as nothing hinders, but the riches of another may be cast upon another's poverty, by a certain communion or imputation of good things; so that he who in himself is poor, yet may be esteemed rich in another: and not unlike unto this is our communion of mutual imputation with Christ; for, as our sins being imputed to Christ, were hurtful to him, even unto the suffering of punishment, so, by the like mystery of dispensation, the righteousness of Christ being adjudged and imputed to us, though it doth not inhere in us essentially, yet in respect of possession and dispensation of judgment it is profitable to us for a reward of life, just as if it had been our own righteousness; for otherwise, to what purpose is Christ said to have done and suffered all these things for us, if what he did and suffered serve not for our advantage? But if they serve for our advantage, why cannot those things be justly accounted for ours, which were undertaken in our name, and for our sake? If the name of imputation so greatly offends them, which they think doth not well agree with Christian piety, wherefore doth Paul so often seem not only to use this word imputation, but to delight in it ?*

*There is frequent mention of imputation in Paul's writings. Fox.

EXTRACTS FROM

THE SECOND BOOK.

CONCERNING

FAITH AND THE PROMISE.

[Fox commences as follows.]

YE have heard then of grace and merits, of free imputation and remission of sins, on which depends all our justification and salvation. But now, seeing this remission must be received by faith only, it remains that we should treat somewhat of faith, especially that we may confute the calumnies of adversaries, or that, if it be possible, we may help the errors of those who are so great enemies to this manner of justifying, which. we affirm to consist of faith only, without works.

Upon which kind of doctrine, if we only, or first of all men should stand, there would be less wonder at so great tumults of these men.

But seeing Christ himself, and Paul and the prophets and apostles profess themselves to be not only witnesses, but also the authors and leaders in this opinion, whereby we are taught, that we are justified only by faith in the Son; when every one of the most learned writers and interpreters, who were of the primitive antiquity, attest the same with unanimous consent, from whose instructions we ourselves also have learned the same, what is come to those popish reasoners, why they should oppose themselves so unreasonably and so fiercely? And now let us consider what that is which so much offends them. Luther disputes that faith is imputed unto righteousness without works. Paul the apostle taught the same before Luther: what will Osorio say unto this? what will the pope of Rome himself say? what will the senators of Trent say? That good works must be joined with it? What! must all good works be joined with it, or not? if they shall say all, where will they find those that have completed this exact cyclopædia of virtues in this life, except the Son of God only? But if they understand it of most, or some good works at least,

yet that will not be sufficient. For unless every one of the virtues, joined together as it were in a mutual bond, are united for righteousness, they cannot profit at all being separate. Who ever loved his neighbour as himself, according to the prescript of the law? But suppose there were some such man-what if such a man rages with concupiscence of the flesh or eyes, though the inward man doth not consent? What if the mind swells with self-love, or overflows with the pride of life? What if it is enslaved unto covetousness, or somewhere fails in its duty? What advantage will it be to be observant of charity? Briefly, what if it be so, that thou aboundest with all other virtues, but only failest in one command, doth not the sentence of the Scripture condemn thee for the violation of the law?

Moreover we may speak in the words of Thomas Aquinas himself, "That if the mind is inwardly guiltless as to any consent unto the sin, yet such is the condition of our nature, that though, through grace, it is healed in respect of the mind, yet in respect of the flesh, by reason of which it serves the law of sin, corruption and infection remain in it, Rom. vii. The obscurity of ignorance remains also in the intellect, concerning which, Rom. viii. " we know not what to pray for as we ought." From all which it remains, that justification consists either in faith only, as the next cause; or that the accession of our virtues, which are neither perfect nor entire, do not at all avail to righteousness before God, but rather to accusation: for, Cursed is every one that abides not in all things that are commanded in the book of the law to do them, Deut xxvii. Gal. iii.

What is the proper nature and definition of faith, whereby we are justified before God, is inquired into from sure and true foundations of Scripture.

By the many things which we have hitherto discoursed of grace, and its gifts, there is a sufficient defence made against the assaults of sophisters, for the guarding of this principle, which assigns all the power of justifying to faith only, through the free mercy of God. But because I see it is not clear enough amongst divines, what that faith is whereof we speak, I thought it requisite to speak something of it in this place; that having surveyed the opinions of others, and rightly explained those things which seem to need distinction about this word, we may at length be led as it were by the footsteps of the word of God, to that true faith, which truly and simply justifies us.