MarginaliaGood fruites are signes of a good tree, but not the cause therof.EVery tree, and the fruites therof, are either good or euil,

Either make yee the tree good, and the fruite good also, or els make the tree euill, and the fruite of it likewise euill. Math. 12.

A good man is knowen by his workes, for a good man doth good workes, and an euil man, euil workes. Ye shall know thē by their fruit, for a good tree beareth good fruite, and an euil tree, euill fruit. A mā is likened to the tree, and his workes to the fruit of the tree.

Beware of the false Prophetes which come to you in shepes clothing, but inwardly they are rauening wolues: ye shall know them by theyr fruits. Luke. 7.

MarginaliaObiection.IF woorks make vs neither rightuous nor vnrightuous, then thou wilt say, it maketh no matter what we doe. MarginaliaAunswere.I answer, if thou do euill, it is a sure argument, that thou art euill, and wantest faith. If thou do good, it is an argument that thou art good, & haste faith, for a good tree beareth good fruite, and an euill tree euill fruite. Yet good fruite maketh not the tree good, nor euill fruite the tree euill: so that man is good ere he do good dedes, and euill, ere he do euil dedes,

FAith maketh the good tree,MarginaliaFayth maketh the mā good. and incredulity the euill tree: such a tree, such fruite, such a man, such workes: For all thynges that are done in faith, please God, and are good workes:MarginaliaA good man maketh good workes. and all that are done without faith, displease God and are euill workes.

Who so euer beleeueth, or thinketh to be saued by hys workes, denieth that Christe is his Sauiour, that Christe dyed for him, and all things that pertaine to Christe. MarginaliaTo say that our workes do saue vs, is to deny that Christ is our Sauiour.For howe is hee thy Sauiour, if thou mightest saue thy selfe by thy works, or wherto should he die for thee, if any workes might haue saued thee?

What is this to say, Christ died for thee? Verely that thou shouldest haue died perpetually, and Christ to deliuer thee from death, died for thee, and chaunged thy perpetual death, into hys owne death: For thou madest the fault, and he suffered the payne, and that for the loue he had to thee, before thou wast borne, when thou haddest done ncyther good nor euill.

Nowe seeing he hath payed thy dette, thou needest not, neyther canst thou pay it, but shouldest be damned, if hys bloud were not. But sithe hee was punished for thee, thou shalt not be punished.

Finally, he hath deliuered thee from thy cōdemnation and all euil, and desireth nought of thee, but that thou wylt acknowledge what hee hath done for thee, and beare it in minde: and that thou wouldest helpe other for hys sake, both in woorde and deede, euen as he hath holpen thee for nought, and wythout reward.

O how ready would we be to helpe other, if we knewe his goodnes and gentlenes towards vs? He is a good and a gentle Lord, for he doth all for nought. Let vs I beseeche you therfore, folow his footesteppes, whom all the worlde ought to praise and worship. Amen.

FOr he calleth himselfe the Sauiour, which pertaineth to Christ onely.

What is a Sauiour, but he that saueth? and he sayeth, I saued my selfe, which is as much to say, as I am Christ, MarginaliaNo Sauiour but Christ.for Christ onely is the Sauiour of the worlde.

MarginaliaNo remyssiō but in Christ.FOr whosoeuer beleueth to get the inheritāce of heauen, or remission of sinne through works, he beleueth not to get the same for Christes sake. And they that beleeue not that theyr sinnes are forgeuen them, and that they shall be saued for Christes sake, they beleeue not the Gospell: For the Gospel sayth, you shall be saued for Christes sake, your sinnes are forgeuen for Christes sake.

He that beleeueth not the Gospell, beleeueth not God. So it foloweth, that they which beleue to be saued by their woorkes, or to get remission of their sinnes by their owne dedes, beleeue not God, but recoūt him as a lier, and so vt-terly deny him to be God.

Thou wilt say, shall we then do no good deedes?

MarginaliaGood workes excluded not to be lefte vndone, but not to iustyfie vs, whē they are done.I say not so, but I say we should doe no good workes, for the intent to get the inheritance of heauen, or remission of sinne. For if we beleue to get the inheritaunce of heauen through good workes, then we beleue not to get it through the promise of God. Or if we think to get remission of our sinnes by our dedes, then we beleeue not that they are forgeuen vs, and so we count God a lier. For God sayth thou shalt haue the inheritaunce of heauen for my sonnes sake, thy sinnes are forgeuen thee for my sonnes sake: and you say it is not so, but I wil win it through my works. MarginaliaNot the doing of good workes, but the trusting in good workes condemned.Thus you see I cōdemne not good dedes, but I condēne the false trust in any workes, for all the workes wherin a man putteth any confidence, are therwith poysoned & become euil,

Wherfore, thou must do good works, but beware thou do them not to deserue any good thorough them, for if thou doe, thou receiuest the good, not as the giftes of God, but as dette to thee, and makest thy selfe fellow with God, because þ^u wilt take nothing of hym for nought. And what needeth hee any thing of thine, which geueth all thyng and is not the poorer?

Therfore do nothing to him, but take of hym, for he is a gentle Lord, and with a gladder will geueth vs al that we neede, then we can take it of hym: if then we want ought, let vs wite our selues.

Presse not therefore to the inheritaunce of heauen thorough presumption of thy good works, for if thou do, thou countest thy selfe holy and equal to God, because thou wilt take nothing of hym for noughte, and so shalt thou fall as Lucifer fell for his pride.

FINIS.  

Commentary     Close

Frith's translation concludes at this point, from here until the end is entirely Foxe's composition. The effect of these alterations is to make the stark contrasts in the original, between faith and works, more flexible for both pastoral purposes and to rebut Catholic polemic.

MarginaliaNotes.THis litle treatise of M. Patricks places, albeit in quantitie it be but short, yet in effecte it comprehendeth matter able to fill large volumes, declaring to vs the true doctrine of the lawe, of the Gospel, of faith and of works, with the nature and properties, & also the difference of the same. MarginaliaThe lawe & the Gospell, how they are to be ioyned, & how to be seperated.Which difference is thus to be vnderstanded, that in the cause of saluation, and in the office of iustifying, these are to be remooued and separated a sonder, the lawe from the Gospel, and faith from workes: Otherwise in the person that is iustified, and also in order of doctrine, they ought cōmonly to goe necessarily together.

Therfore, where soeuer any question or doubt riseth of saluation, or our iustifying before God, there the law, & al good works must be vtterly excluded, and stand apart, that grace may appeare free, the promise simple, and that faith may stād alone.MarginaliaGrace free. Promise simple. Faith alone. Which faith alone, without law or workes, worketh to euery man particularly his saluation, through mere promise, and the free grace of God. This worde (particularlyMarginaliaParticularly.) I adde, for the particulare certifying of euery mans hart priuately and peculiarly, that beleueth in Christ. MarginaliaThe body of Christ is the efficient cause of our redemption in generall.For as the body of Christ is the cause efficient of the redemption of the whole world in generall: MarginaliaFaith is the instrumental cause of euery mans particular saluation.so is faith the instrumentall cause, by which euery man applieth the sayde body of Christ particularly to his owne saluation. So that in the action and office of iustification, both law & workes here be vtterly secluded and exempted, as things hauing nothing to doe in this behalfe. The reason is this: for seing that all our redemption vniuersally springeth only frō the body of the sonne of God crucified, then is there nothing, that can stande vs in steade, but that onely, wherewith thys bodye of Christ is apprehended. Now, for somuch as neither the law nor works, but faith onely is the thing which apprehendeth the body and death of Christ, MarginaliaNote the obiecte of faith.therfore faith onely is that matter which iustifieth euery soule before God, thorough the strength of that obiect which it doth apprehend. For the obiect onely of our faith,MarginaliaFaith with her obiecte, onely saueth. is the body of Christ, like as the brasen Serpent was the obiecte onely of the Israelites looking, and not of their handes working:MarginaliaA similitude betweene the brasen Serpente and Christes bodye. by the strength of which obiect, through the promise of God, immediatly proceeded health to the beholders. So the body of Christ being the obiecte of our faithe, striketh righteousnesse to our soules, not through working, but beleuing onely.

Thus you see, MarginaliaFaith is only the eye of the soule, which looketh to Christ.howe faith being the onely eye of our soule, standeth alone with her obiecte, in case of iustifying: but yet neuerthelesse, in the body she standeth not alone: for besides the eye, there be also handes to worke, feete to walke, eares to heare, and other members moe, euery one conuenient for the seruyce of the body, and yet there is none of them all that can see, but onely the eye. So in a christian mans life, and in order of doctrine, ther is the law, there is repentance, there is hope, charitie, and dedes of charitie: all which in life, and in doctrine, are ioyned, & necessarily do concurre together, and yet in the action of iustifying, there is nothing els in man, that hath any parte or place, but onely Fayth apprehending the obiect which is the body of Christ Iesus for vs