A commentary or, exposition upon the divine second epistle general, writtenA commentary or, exposition vpon the diuine second epistle generall, written

Faith without virtue can neither make a man good in himself, nor just before the Lord. Faith, non otiosa, sed officiosa; it must have virtue with it. God requires grapes of the Vine, (implanted to Christ by Faith) in fidei nostrae testimonium: not for his own diet, but in testimony of our faith. If faith have engrafted us into the Vine, we must be bearing branches. And though we shall not be rewarded Propter opera, for our works; yet secundum opera, ^haccording to our works: Virtue must wait at the heels of Faith. There is a great sea of difference between the Papists and us, about good works; which, God knows, are scant and cold among us all. We both agree that they are to be done; both our doctrines persuade to well-doing; but when they talk of merit in them, here we part company: they travelling to heaven by their works, we by our faith; which of us speed best, rests in the conclusion to prove. They cavil that we hold not good works necessary; we hold them as necessary as they, but in another kind of necessity. They in a necessity of priority, ⟨p. 115⟩we in a necessity of posteriority. They in Demonstration a causa, we in Demonstration a signo. They Ut merita, we ut debita. They to bind God to us, we as already bound to God. They to make him our debtor, we in acknowledgement of a debt due to him: even our alms is not a gift, but a debt. Therefore it is said, that no man hath a right in his own, but only the use and disposition. As the wealth of the seven plentiful years, supplied the want of the seven barren: so the wealth of the rich is given to supply the necessity of the poor. Tua superflua, aliorum necessaria. Our alms brings not God accountant to us, but helps us in our account to God. The Papists hold them necessary, Tanquam a servis merce nariis; they look for wages for them: we Tanquam a filiis ingenuis, as of children disposed according to the nature of our father.

Faith without vertue can neither make a man good in himselfe, nor just before the Lord. Faith, non otiosa, sed officiosa; it must have vertue with it. God requires grapes of the Vine, (implanted to Christ by Faith) in fidei nostrae testimonium: not for his owne diet, but in testimony of our faith. If faith have ingraffed us into the Vine, we must be bearing branches. And though we shall not be rewarded Propter opera, for our workes; yet secundum opera, ^h