A Treatise Touching the Liberty of a Christian

Whereby it remaineth easy to be known in what respect good works are to be rejected or embraced, & in what sense all the doctrines ⟨p. 52⟩of men touching works ought to be understood: for if works be compared to righteousness, and be practised by a perverse Leviathan, and of that false persuasion, to presume upon the obtaining true justification thereby, they do now enforce a necessity unavoidable, & do utterly extinguish liberty & faith withal, and so even by this means are now no more good, but merely damnable, for they be not now free, but blasphemous to the grace of God, whose only property is through faith to justify and save, which things works do affect to bring to pass, not of any their ability, but by a wicked foolhardiness only, issuing from our own gross ignorance: by reason whereof they do violently rush, and intrude into the office of grace and the glory thereof.¹ For this cause therefore we do not reject good works, but rather do most heartily embrace and teach them: Neither do we condemn them in respect of themselves, but in respect of the wicked addition given unto them, and perverse opinion conceived of them, in the attaining of righteousness: ⟨p. 53⟩whereby it cometh to pass, that they appear good only in show, being not good in deed, and in truth, thereby being themselves deceived, and deceiving others also, as ravening wolves clothed in sheep's skins.

Wherby it remaineth easie to be knowne in what respect good works are to be reiected or embraced, & in what sense all ye doctrines ⟨p. 52⟩of men touching workes ought to be vnderstood: for if workes be compared to righteousnesse, and be practised by a peruerse Leuiathan, and of that false perswasion, to presume vpon ye obtaining true iustification therby, they do now enforce a necessity vnauoidable, & do vtterly extinguish liberty & faith withall, and so euen by this meanes are now no more good, but méerely damnable, for they be not now frée, but blasphemous to the grace of God, whose onely property is through faith to iustifie and saue, which things workes doe affect to bring to passe, not of any their ability, but by a wicked foolehardinesse only, issuing from our own grosse ignorance: by reason whereof they doe violently rushe, and intrude into the office of grace and the glory thereof.