A Golden Chain

The III. difference concerning faith is this: the Papist saith, that a man is justified by faith: yet not by faith alone, but also by other virtues, as hope, love, the fear of God, &c. The reasons which are brought to maintain their opinion are of no moment.

The III. difference concerning faith is this: the Papist saith, that a man is iustified by faith: yet not by faith alone, but also by other vertues, as hope, loue, the feare of God, &c. The reasons which are brought to maintaine their opinion are of no moment.

I. Reason. Luke 7.47. Many sins are forgiven her, ^abecause she loved much. Whence they gather that the woman here spoken of, was justified and had the pardon of sins by love. Ans. In this text, love is not made an impulsive cause to move God to pardon her sins, but only a sign to show and manifest ⟨p. 935⟩that God had already pardoned them. Like to this is the place of John who saith, 1. Joh. 3. 14. We are translated from death to life, because we love the brethren: where love is no cause of the change, but a sign & consequent thereof. II. Reason. Gal. 5.6. Neither circumcision, nor uncircumcision availeth any thing, but faith that worketh by love. Hence they gather that faith doeth justify together with love. Ans. The property of true faith is, to apprehend and receive something unto it self: and love, that goes always with faith, as a fruit and an unseparable companion thereof, is of another nature. For it doeth not receive in, but as it were give out it self in all the duties of the first and second table towards God and man: and this thing faith by it self cannot do: and therefore Paul sayeth, that faith worketh by love. The hand hath a property to reach out it self, to lay hold of any thing, and to receive a gift: but the hand hath no property to cut a piece of wood of it self, without saw or knife, or some like instrument: & yet by help of them, it can either divide or cut. Even so it is the nature of faith, to go out of it self & to receive Christ into the heart: as for the duties of the first and second table, faith cannot of it self bring them forth; no more then the hand can divide or cut: yet join love to faith, & then can it practise duties commended concerning God and man. And this I take to be the meaning of this text, which speaketh not of justification by faith, but only of the practice of common duties, which faith putteth in execution by the help of love. III. Reason. Faith is never alone, therefore it doth not justify alone. Ans. The reason is naught, and they might as well dispute thus. The eye is never alone from the head, and therefore it seeth not alone: which is absurd. And though in regard of substance the eye be never alone, yet in regard of seeing, it is alone: and so though faith subsist not without love and hope and other graces of god, yet in regard of the act of justification it is alone without them all.