clare in your faith virtue, in virtue knowledge, in knowledge temperance, in temperance patience, again in patience godliness, in godliness brotherly charity, in brotherly charity love. So shall we shew indeed that we have the very lively Christian faith, and may so both certify our conscience the better that we be in the right faith, and also by these means confirm other men. If these fruits do not follow, we do but mock with God, deceive ourselves, and also other men. Well may we bear the name of Christian men, but we do lack the true faith that doth belong thereunto: for true faith doth ever bring James ii. forth good works, as St. James saith: Shew me thy faith by thy deeds. Thy deeds and works must be an open testimonial of thy faith: otherwise thy faith, being without good works, is but the devil's faith, the faith of the wicked, a phantasy of faith, and not a true Christian faith. And like as the devils and evil people be nothing the better for their counterfeit faith, but it is unto them. the more cause of damnation: so they that be christened, and have received knowledge of God, and of Christ's merits, and yet of a set purpose do live idly, without good works, thinking the name of a naked faith to be either sufficient for them, or else setting their minds upon vain pleasures of this world, do live in sin without repentance, not uttering the fruits that do belong to such an high profession; upon such presumptuous persons, and wilful sinners, must needs remain the great vengeance of God, and eternal punishment in hell, prepared for the devil and wicked livers. Therefore as you profess the name of Christ, good Christian people, let no such phantasy and imagination of faith at any time beguile you; but be sure of your faith, try it by your living, look upon the fruits that cometh of it, mark the increase of love and charity by it toward God and your neighbour, and so shall you perceive it to be a true lively faith. If you feel and perceive P [See Annot. p. 68. and Notes on Justification, p. 128.] such a faith in you, rejoice in it; and be diligent to maintain it, and keep it still in you; let it be daily increasing, and more and more be well working, and so shall you be sure that you shall please God by this faith; and at the length, as other faithful men have done before, so shall ye, when his will is, come to him, and receive the end and final reward of your faith, as St. Peter nameth it, the sal- 1 Pet. i. vation of your souls: the which God grant us, that hath promised the same unto his faithful; to whom be all honour and glory, world without end. Amen. ["St. James spake of such a justification which is a declaration, con"nuation, and increase of that justification which St. Paul spake of be"fore." Notes on Justification, p. 128. See also the Authorities under that head.] I An Homily or Sermon of Good Works annexed unto Faith. No good work can be done without faith. John xv. Heb. xi. In the last sermon was declared unto you, what the lively and true faith of a Christian man is; that it causeth not a man to be idle, but to be occupied in bringing forth good works, as occasion serveth. in me. Now, by God's grace, shall be declared the second thing that before was noted of faith; that without it can no good work be done, acceptable and pleasant unto God; For as a branch cannot bear fruit of itself, saith our saviour Christ, except it abide in the vine; so cannot you, except you abide I am the vine, and you be the branches: he that abideth in me, and I in him, he bringeth forth much fruit: for without me you can do nothing. And St. Paul proveth, that Enoch had faith, because he pleased God: For without faith, saith he, it is not possible to please God. And Rom. xiv. again, to the Romans he saith: Whatsoever work is done without faith, it is sin. Faith giveth life to the soul; and they be as much dead to God that lack faith, as they be to the world whose bodies lack souls. Without faith, all that is done of us is but dead before God, although the work seem never so gay and glorious before man. Even as a picture graven or painted is but a dead representation of the thing itself, and is without life, or any manner of moving; so be the works of all unfaithful persons before God: they do appear to be lively works, and indeed they be but dead, not availing to the eternal life: they be but shadows and shows of lively and good things, and not good and lively things indeed: for true faith doth give life to the work, and out of such faith come good works, that be very good works indeed; and without it no work is good before God. As saith St. Augustin: "We must set no good works b[In Psul. xxxi. Enarrat. II. §. 4.] "before faith, nor think that before faith a man may do 66 any good work; for such works, although they seem unto "men to be praiseworthy, yet indeed they be but vain, and "not allowed before God. They be as the course of a horse "that runneth out of the way, which taketh great labour, "but to no purpose. Let no man, therefore," saith he, "reckon upon his good works before his faith; whereas "faith was not, good works were not. The intent,” saith he, "maketh good works; but faith must guide and order the "intent of man." And Christ saith, If thine eye be naught, Matt. vi. thy whole body is full of darkness. "The eye doth signify "the intent,” saith St. Augustin, "wherewith a man doth a 66 66 thing so that he which doth not his good works with a godly intent, and a true faith that worketh by love, the "whole body beside, that is to say, all the whole number "of his works, is dark, and there is no light in it." Ford good deeds be not measured by the facts themselves, and so dissevered from vices; but by the ends and intents, for the which they be done. If a heathen man clothe the naked, feed the hungry, and do such other like works; yet, because he doth them not in faith for the honour and love of God, they be but dead, vain, and fruitless works to him. Faith it is that doth commend the work to God: "for," as St. Augustine saith, "whether thou wilt or no, that "work that cometh not of faith, is naught;" where the faith of Christ is not the foundation, there is no good work, what building soever we make. "fThere is one work, in "the which be all good works, that is, faith which worketh by charity:" if thou have it, thou hast the ground of all 66 с [De Sermone Dom. in monte, lib. ii. §. 45. et Contra Julian. Pelag. lib. iv. §. 33.] d ["Noveris itaque non officiis sed finibus a vitiis discernendas esse virtutes." August. Contr. Julianum Pelag. lib. iv. §. 21. where also is to be found in substance, and often in expression, most of what follows. The same work is quoted in the Authorities, p. 132. "Sunt opera quæ videntur bona sine fide Christi; et non sunt bona, quia non referuntur ad eum finem ex quo sunt bona: Finis enim legis Christus ad justitiam omni credenti." Aug. In Joan. Tract. xxv. ed. Ben. tom. iii. p. ii. p. 489.] [Contra Julianum Pelag. lib. iv. §. 32.] John vi. good works; for the virtues of strength, wisdom, temperance, and justice, be all referred unto this same faith. Without this faith we have not them, but only the names and shadows of them; as St. Augustins saith: "All the life "of them that lack the true faith is sin, and nothing is 66 good without him that is the author of goodness: where "he is not, there is but feigned virtue, although it be in "the best works." And St. Augustin", declaring this verse of the Psalm, The turtle hath found a nest where she may keep her young birds, saith, that Jews, heretics, and pagans do good works; they clothe the naked, feed the poor, and do other good works of mercy: but because they be not done in the true faith, therefore the birds be lost. But if they remain in faith, then faith is the nest and safeguard of their birds, that is to say, safeguard of their good works, that the reward of them be not utterly lost. And this matter (which St. Augustin at large in many books disputeth) St. Ambrose concludeth in few words, saying, "He that by nature would withstand vice, either by natural "will or reason, he doth in vain garnish the time of this "life, and attaineth not the very true virtues; for without "the worshipping of the true God, that which seemeth to "be virtue is vice." 66 And yet most plainly to this purpose writeth St. John Chrisostome in this wise, "k You shall find many which have "not the true faith, and be not of the flock of Christ, "and yet, as it appeareth, they flourish in good works "of mercy; you shall find them full of pity, compassion, "and given to justice; and yet, for all that, they have "no fruit of their works, because the chief work lack"eth. For when the Jews asked of Christ, what they "should do to work good works, he answered, This is the "work of God, to believe in him whom he sent : so that he "called faith the work of God. And as soon as a man [Prosper, Lib. sentent. ex August. cvi.] hIn Psalm. lxxxiii. Enarrat. §. 7.] i De vocatione gentium lib. i. c. 3. k In Sermone de fide, lege, et Spiritu Sancto, ad init. [See p. 155.] |