our adversaries do not consider, but lay hold upon this sentence, "that he gave alms unto the poor:" for that seemeth to make for the establishing of their merit of congruence or desert going before grace. But first the person or the tree must be commended, and then the works and the fruit. Cornelius is a good tree, for he is righteous and feareth God: therefore he bringeth forth good fruit, he giveth alms, he calleth upon God, and these fruits please God, because of his faith. Wherefore the angel commendeth Cornelius for his faith in Christ to come, and bringeth him from that faith, to another faith in Christ which was already come, when he saith: "Call for Simon, whose sirname is Peter: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do," &c. (Acts x. 5, 6.) Like as then Cornelius was without the law before Christ was revealed: even so, after Christ was revealed, he received neither the law nor circumcision. And as he kept not the law before, so did he not keep it afterwards. This argument therefore concludeth strongly: Cornelius was justified without the law, therefore the law justifieth not.

Naaman the Syrian.

Likewise Naaman the Syrian was, no doubt, a good and godly man, and had a religious and reverent opinion of God. And although he was a Gentile, and belonged not to the kingdom of Moses, which then flourished; yet notwithstanding his flesh was cleansed, and the God of Israel was revealed unto him, and he received the Holy Ghost. For thus he saith: "now I know assuredly that there is no other God in all the world but in Israel," (2 Kings v. 15, &c.) He doth nothing at all, he keepeth not the law, he is not circumcised: but only he prayeth that so much of that earth might be given unto him, as two mules should be able to carry away. Moreover it appeareth that faith was not idle in him. For thus he speaketh to the prophet Heliseus: " Thy servant will henceforth neither offer burnt sacrifice, nor offering unto any other God, saving the Lord. But in this thing the Lord be merciful unto thy servant: that when my master goeth into the house of Rimmon to worship there, and leaneth on my hand, and I bow myself in the house of Rimmon; when I do bow down, I say, in the house of Rimmon, the Lord be merciful to thy servant in this point." To whom the prophet saith, "Go in peace." So was he justified. The Jew hearing this, fretteth for anger, and saith: What! Should the Gentile be justified without the keeping of the law? Should he be compared with us which are circumcised?

The Gentiles justified without the law, even when the law and policy of Moses was yet in force.

Therefore God, long before, when the kingdom of Moses was yet standing and flourishing, did shew that he justified men without the law, as indeed he justified many kings in Egypt

and in Babylon: also Job, and many other nations of the East. Moreover, Nineveh, a great city, was justified, and received the promise of God, that it should not be destroyed. By what means? Not because it heard and fulfilled the law: but because it believed the word of God which the prophet Jonas preached. For so saith the prophet: " and the Ninevites believed God, and proclaimed a fast, and put on sackcloth;" that is to say, they repented. Our adversaries do craftily pass over this word [believed], and yet the effect of all together resteth therein. Thou readest not in Jonas: and the Ninevites received the law of Moses, were circumcised, offered sacrifice, fulfilled the works of the law: but believing the word, they repented in sackcloth and ashes.

This was done before Christ was revealed, when that faith yet reigned, which believed in Christ to come. If then the Gentiles were justified without the law, and received secretly the Holy Ghost, when the law was yet in force, why should the law be required as necessary to righteousness, which by the coming of Christ is now abolished? Wherefore this is a strong argument, grounded upon the experience of the Galatians: " Received ye the Holy Ghost by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith preached?" (Gal. iii. 2.) For they were compelled to grant that they heard nothing of the Holy Ghost, before the preaching of Paul; but when he preached the gospel, then they received the Holy Ghost.

So we also, at this day, convicted by the testimony of our own conscience, are constrained to confess, that the Holy Ghost is not given by the law, but by the hearing of faith. For many heretofore in the papacy have gone about with great labour and study, to keep the law, the decrees of the fathers, and the traditions of the Pope; and some, with painful and continual exercises in watching and praying, did so weary and weaken their bodies, that afterwards they were able to do nothing; whereby notwithstanding they gained nothing else, but that they miserably afflicted and tormented themselves. They could never attain to a quiet conscience, and peace in Christ, but continually doubted of the good will of God towards them. But now, since the gospel teacheth that the law and works do not justify, but faith alone in Jesus Christ, hereupon followeth a most certain knowledge and understanding, a most joyful conscience, and a true judgment of every kind of life, and of all things else whatsoever. The believing man may now easily judge that the papacy, with all the religious orders and traditions thereof, is wicked; which before he could not do. For so great blindness reigned in the world, that we thought those works which men had advised, not only without the will of God, but also contrary to his commandment, to be much better than those which the magistrate, the householder, the child, the servant did at the commandment of God.

Indeed we ought to have learned by the word of God, that the religious orders of the Papists (which only they call holy) are wicked, since there is no commandment of God, or testimony in the holy scriptures as touching the same. Contrariwise, other orders of life, which have the word and commandment of God, are holy and ordained of God. But we were then wrapped in such horrible darkness, that we could not truly judge of any thing. But now, since the clear light of the gospel doth appear, all kinds of life in the world are under our judgment. We may boldly pronounce out of the word of God, that the condition of servants, which before the world is most vile, is far more acceptable unto God, than all the religious orders of the Papists. For by this word he commendeth, approveth, and adorneth the state of servants, and so doth he not the orders of monks, friars, and such other. Therefore this argument, grounded upon experience, ought to prevail with us also. For although many men in the papacy wrought many and great works, yet could they never be certain of the will of God towards them, but they were always in doubt: they could never attain to the knowledge of God, of themselves, of their calling: they never felt the testimony of the Spirit in their hearts. But now that the truth of the gospel appeareth, they are fully instructed by the only hearing of faith, in all these things.

It is not without cause that I do so largely intreat of these things. For it seemeth to reason but a small matter, that the Holy Ghost is received by the only hearing of faith, and that there is nothing else required of us, but that we, setting apart all our works, should give ourselves only to the hearing of the gospel. Man's heart doth not understand nor believe that so great a treasure, namely, the Holy Ghost, is given by the only hearing of faith; but reasoneth after this manner: forgiveness of sins, deliverance from death, the giving of the Holy Ghost, of righteousness, and everlasting life, are great things; therefore, if thou wilt obtain these inestimable benefits, thou must perform some other great and weighty matter. This opinion the devil doth well like and approve, and also increaseth the same in the heart. Therefore, when reason heareth this: thou canst do nothing for the obtaining of the forgiveness of sins, but must only hear the word of God, by-and-by it crieth out, and saith, Fie, thou makest too small account of the remission of sins, &c. So the inestimable greatness of the gift, is the cause that we cannot believe it: and because this incomparable treasure is freely offered, therefore it is despised.

But this we must needs learn, that forgiveness of sins, Christ, and the Holy Ghost are freely given unto us at the only hearing of faith preached, notwithstanding our horrible sins and demerits. And we must not weigh how great the thing is that is given, and how unworthy we are of it (for so should the greatness of the gift, and our unworthiness terrify us), but we must think that

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it pleaseth God freely to give unto us this unspeakable gift; unto us, I say, which are unworthy, as Christ in Luke saith, "fear not, little flock: for it is your father's pleasure to give it unto you: lo, to give unto you," saith he, "a kingdom," (Luke xii. 32.) To whom? to you, unworthy, which are his little flock. If I then be little, and the thing great (nay, rather, of all things the greatest) which God hath given unto me, I must think that he also is great, and only great, which giveth it. If he offer it and will give it, I consider not my own sin and unworthiness, but his fatherly good-will towards me which is the giver, and I receive the greatness of the gift with joy and gladness, and am thankful for so inestimable a gift, given freely unto me, to me, I say, unworthy, by the hearing of faith.

Here, again, foolish reason is offended, and reproveth us, saying, where ye teach men to do nothing at all for the obtaining of so great and inestimable a gift, but to hear the word of God, this seemeth to tend to the great contempt of grace, and to make men secure, idle, and dissolute, so that they slack their hands and do no good at all. Therefore it is not good to preach this doctrine, for it is not true: but men must be urged to labour and to exercise themselves unto righteousness, and then shall they obtain this gift. The self-same thing the Pelagians, in times past, objected against the Christians. But hear what Paul saith in this place: "ye have received the Holy Ghost:" not by your own labour and travel, not by the works of the law, "but by the hearing of faith." Briefly, hear what Christ himself saith, and what he answereth to Martha, being very careful, and hardly bearing that her sister Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus, and hearing his word, should leave her to minister alone. "Martha, Martha," saith he, "thou carest, and art troubled about many things; but one thing is needful. Mary hath chosen the good part, which shall not be taken from her," (Luke x. 41, 42.) A man therefore is made a Christian, not by working, but by hearing; wherefore, he that will exercise himself to righteousness, must first exercise himself in hearing the gospel. Now, when he hath heard and received the gospel, let him give thanks to God with a joyful and a glad heart, and afterwards let him exercise himself in those good works which are commanded in the law, so that the law and works may follow the hearing of faith. So may he quietly walk in the light, which is Christ, and boldly choose and do works, not hypocritical, but good works indeed, such as he knoweth to please God and to be commanded of him, and contemn all those hypocritical shadows of free-will works.

Our adversaries think that faith, whereby we receive the Holy Ghost, is but a light matter: but how high and hard a matter it is, I myself do find by experience, and so do all they which with me do earnestly embrace the same. It is soon said, that by the only hearing of faith, the Holy Ghost is received: but it is not so easily heard, laid hold on, believed and retained,

as it is said. Wherefore if thou hear of me that Christ is that lamb of God, sacrificed for thy sins, see also that thou hear it effectually. Paul, very aptly, calleth it the "hearing of faith," and not the word of faith (although there be small difference); that is, such a word as thou hearing dost believe, so that the word be not only my voice, but may be heard of thee, and may enter into thy heart, and may be believed of thee: then it is truly and indeed the hearing of faith, through the which thou receivest the Holy Ghost: which, after thou hast once received, thou shalt also mortify thy flesh.

The faithful do find, by their own experience, how gladly they would hold and embrace the word when they hear it, with a full faith, and abandon this opinion of the law and of their own righteousness: but they feel in their flesh a mighty resistance against the spirit. For reason and the flesh will needs work together. This saying: "Ye must be circumcised and keep the law," cannot be utterly rooted out in our minds, but it sticketh fast in the hearts of all the faithful. There is in the faithful, therefore, a continual conflict between the hearing of faith and the works of the law. For the conscience always murmureth, and thinketh, that this is too easy a way, that by the only hearing of the word, righteousness, the Holy Ghost, and life everlasting is promised unto us. But come once to an earnest trial thereof, and then tell me how easy a thing it is to hear the word of faith. Indeed he which giveth is great; moreover, he giveth great things willingly and freely, and upbraideth no man therewith: but thy capacity is hard and faith weak, still striving against thee, so that thou art not able to receive this gift. But let thy conscience murmur against thee never so much, and let this (must) come never so often into thy mind, yet stand fast and hold out, until thou overcome this (must). So as faith increaseth by little and little, that opinion of the righteousness of the law will diminish. But this cannot be done without great conflicts.

VERSE 3. Are ye so foolish, that after ye have begun in the spirit, ye would now end in the flesh?

This argument being concluded, how that the Holy Ghost cometh not by the works of the law, but by the preaching of faith, he beginneth here to exhort and terrify them from a double danger or incommodity. The first is: "Are ye so foolish, that after ye have begun in the spirit, ye would now end in the flesh?" The other followeth: "Have ye suffered so great things in vain?" As if he said, Ye began in the spirit: that is, your religion was excellently well begun. As also a little after, he saith: "Ye ran well," &c. But what have ye gotten thereby? Forsooth, ye will now end in the flesh.

Paul setteth here the spirit against the flesh. He calleth not the flesh (as before I have said) fleshly lust, beastly passions, or sensual appetites: for he intreateth not here of lust and such