Let us alfo acknowledge the exceeding mercy of God towards us, and confefs, that as of ourselves cometh all evil and damnation; fo likewife of him cometh all goodness and falvation, as God himself faith by the Prophet Hofea, Hofea xiii. O Ifrael, thy deftruction cometh of thyself: but in me only is thy help and comfort. If we thus humbly fubmit ourselves in the fight of God, we may be fure that in the time of his vifitation, he will lift us up unto the kingdom of his dearly beloved Son Chrift Jefus our Lord; to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory for ever. Amen.

A SER

A

SERMON

OF THE

Salvation of Mankind, by only Chrift our Saviour, from
Sin and Death everlasting.

ECAUSE all men be finners and offenders against

B God, and

God, and breakers of his Law and Commandments, therefore can no man by his own acts, works, and deeds (feem they never fo good) be juftified, and made righteous before God: but every man of neceffity is constrained to seek for another righteoufnefs of juftification, to be received at God's own hands, that is to fay, the forgiveness of his fins and trefpaffes, in fuch things as he hath offended. And this juftification, or righteoufnefs, which we fo receive of God's mercy and Chrift's merits, embraced by faith, is taken, accepted, and allowed of God, for our perfect and full juftification. For the more full understanding hereof, it is our parts and duties ever to remember the great mercy of God, how that (all the world being wrapped in fin by breaking of the Law) God fent his only Son our Saviour Chrift into this world, to fulfil the Law for us, and, by fhedding of his moft precious blood, to make a facrifice and fatisfaction, or (as it may be called) amends to his Father for our fins, to affuage his wrath and indignation conceived against us for the fame.

Infomuch that infants, being baptized and dying in The efficatheir infancy, are by this facrifice washed from their fins, cyof Chrift's paffion and brought to God's favour, and made his children, and in- oblation. heritors of his kingdom of heaven. And they, which in act or deed do fin after their baptifm, when they turn again to God unfeignedly, they are likewife washed by this facrifice from their fins, in fuch fort, that there remaineth

с

Gal. ii.

Answer.

maineth not any fpot of fin, that fhall be imputed to their damnation. This is that juftification of righteousness which St. Paul fpeaketh of, when he faith, No man is juftified by the works of the Law, but freely by faith in Jefus Chrift. And again he faith, We believe in Jefus Chrift, that we be juflified freely by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law, becaufe that no man fhall be juftified by the works of the Law. And although this juftification be free unto us, yet it cometh not fo freely unto us, that there is no ranfom paid therefore at all. But here may man's reason Objection. be aftonifhed, reafoning after this fashion: If a ranfom be paid for our redemption, then is it not given us freely. For a prifoner that paid his ranfom is not let go freely; for if he go freely, then he goeth without ranfom: for what is it elfe to go freely, than to be fet at liberty without paying of ranfom? This reafon is fatisfied by the great wifdom of God in this myftery of our redemption, who hath fo tempered his juftice and mercy together, that he would neither by his juftice condemn us unto the everlasting captivity of the devil, and his prifon of hell, remedilefs for ever without mercy, nor by his mercy deliver us clearly, without justice, or payment of a juft ranfom: but with his endlefs mercy he joined his moft upright and equal juftice. His great mercy he fhewed, unto us in delivering us from our former captivity, without requiring of any ranfom to be paid, or amends to be made upon our parts, which thing by us had been impoffible to be done. And whereas it lay not in us to do that, he provided a ransom for us, that was, the moft precious body and blood of his own moft dear and beft beloved Son Jefus Christ, who, befides this ranfom, fulfilled the Law for us perfectly. And fo the juftice of God and his mercy did embrace together, and fulfilled the mystery of our redemption. And, of this juftice and mercy of God knit together, fpeaketh Rom. ii. St. Paul in the third chapter to the Romans, All have of fended, and have need of the glory of God; but are juflified freely by grace, by redemption which is in Jefus Chrift, whom God bath fent forth to us for a reconciler and peace-maker, through faith in his blood, to fhew his righteousness. And in the tenth chapter, Chrift is the end of the Law unto righteoufness, to every man that believeth. And in the eighth Rom. viii. chapter, That which was impoffible by the Law, inasmuch as it was weak by the flesh, God fending his own Son in the fimilitude of finful flesh, by fin condemned fin in the flesh, that the righteoufnels of the Law might be fulfilled in us, which walk not after the flefb, but after the Spirit. In thefe fore

Rom. x.

faid places, the Apoftle toucheth fpecially three things, Three which must go together in our juftification. Upon God's things muft part, his great mercy and grace; upon Chrift's part, juf- go together tice, that is, the fatisfaction of God's juftice, or the price fication. of our redemption, by the offering of his body, and thedding of his blood, with fulfilling of the Law perfectly and throughly; and upon our part, true and lively faith in the merits of Jefus Chrift, which yet is not ours, but by God's working in us: fo that in our juftification, there is not only God's mercy and grace, but alfo his juftice, which the Apostle calleth the juftice of God, and it confifteth in paying our ranfom, and fulfilling of the Law: and fo the grace of God doth not fhut out the juftice of God in our juftification, but only shutteth out the juftice of man, that is to fay, the juftice of our works, as to be merits of deferving our juftification. And therefore St. Paul declareth here nothing upon the behalf of man concerning his juftification, but only a true and lively faith, which neverthelefs is the gift of God, and not man's only work, without God. And yet that faith doth not fhut out repentance, hope, love, dread, and the fear of God, to be joined with faith in every man that is juftified; but it fhutteth them out from the office of juftifying. So that, although they How it is be all prefent together in him that is juftified, yet they to be under juftify not altogether: neither doth faith thut out the juf- food, that tice of our good works, neceffarily to be done afterwards of fieth withduty towards God; (for we are moft bounden to ferve out works. God, in doing good deeds, commanded by him in his holy Scripture, all the days of our life:) but it excludeth them, fo that we may not do them to this intent, to be made juft by doing of them. For all the good works that we can do be imperfect, and therefore not able to deferve our juftification: but our juftification doth come freely by the mere mercy of God, and of fo great and free mercy, that whereas all the world was not able of themfelves to pay any part towards their ranfom, it pleafed our heavenly Father of his infinite mercy, without any our defert or deferving, to prepare for us the moft precious jewels of Chrift's body and blood, whereby our ranfom might be fully paid, the Law fulfilled, and his juftice fully fatisfied. So that Chrift is now the righteoufness of all them that truly do believe in him. He for them paid their ranfom by his death. He for them fulfilled the Law in his life. So that now in him, and by him, every true Christian man may be called a fulfiller of the Law; foraf

C 2

much

Gal. ii.

much as that which their infirmity lacked, Christ's justice hath supplied.

The Second Part of the Sermon of Salvation.

E have heard, of whom all men ought to seek their

righteoufnefs cometh unto men by Chrift's death and merits: ye heard alfo, how that three things are required to the obtaining of our righteoufnefs, that is, God's mercy, Chrift's juftice, and a true and lively faith, out of the which faith fpring good works. Alfo before was declared at large, that no man can be juftified by his own good works, that no man fulfilleth the Law, according to the ftrict rigour of the Law.

And St. Paul in his Epiftle to the Galatians proveth the fame, faying thus; If there had been any law given, which could have juflified, verily righteousness should have been by the Law. And again he faith, If righteoufnels be by the Law, then Chrift died in vain. And again he faith, You that are juftified by the Law are fallen away from grace. And Ephef. ii. furthermore, he writeth to the Ephefians on this wife, By grace are ye faved through faith, and that not of yourfelves, for it is the gift of God, and not of works, left any man should glory. And, to be fhort, the fum of all Paul's difputation is this; that if juftice come of works, then it cometh not of grace; and if it come of grace, then it cometh not of works. And to this end tend all the Prophets, as St. Peter faith in the tenth of the Acts; Of Christ all the Prophets, faith St. Peter, do witness, that through his name, all they that believe in him fhall receive the remiffion of fins. Faith only And after this wife to be juftified only by this true and juftifieth, is lively faith in Christ, speak all the old and ancient authors, the doctrine both Greeks and Latins; of whom I will specially rehearse

A&ts x.

of old Doc

tors.

three, Hilary, Bafil, and Ambrofe. St. Hilary faith these words plainly in the ninth Canon upon Matthew; Faith only juftifieth. And St. Bafil, a Greek author, writeth thus; This is a perfect and whole rejoicing in God, when a man advanceth not himself for his own righteousness, but acknowledgeth himself to lack true juftice and righteoufnefs, and to be juftified by the only faith in Chrift. Philip. iii. And Paul, faith he, doth glory in the contempt of his own. righteoufnefs, and that he looketh for the righteousness of God by faith.

Thefe