A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon…A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon…

First, it overthroweth a main pillar of Romish religion: Justification by works: For how can a man be justified by his works, when he himself must be just afore the works can be? Unless he be just, his works be wicked: if they be wicked afore his person be just, how can they then justify him. And if the person be once just, what needs it then to be again justified by works? Good works make not a man good: but a good man makes a work good? & shall that work that a man made good, return again & make the man good? 1. That is absurd in reason: And 2. It is needless. For, the man is good already: else the work could not have been good. We may therefore say, works are rather justified ⟨p. 51⟩by the person of a man, then his person by the works: and it is a most vain thing to look for Justification from that which thou thy self must first justify afore it be just: if we had no other reasons against justification by works but this, this were sufficient.

First, it ouerthroweth a maine pillar of Romish religion: Iustification by workes: For how can a man be iustified by his workes, when hee himselfe must be iust afore the works can be? Vnlesse hee be iust, his workes be wicked: if they be wicked afore his person be iust, how can they then iustifie him. And if the person bee once iust, what needes it then to be again iustified by works? Good works make not a man good: but a good man makes a worke good? & shall that work that a man made good, return againe & make the man good? 1. That is absurd in reason: And 2. It is needlesse. For, the man is good alreadie: else the worke could not haue beene good. Wee may therefore say, workes are rather iustified ⟨p. 51⟩by the person of a man, then his person by the works: and it is a most vaine thing to looke for Iustification from that which thou thy selfe must first iustifie afore it be iust: if wee had no other reasons against iustification by workes but this, this were sufficient.

Secondly, hence we learn, that till a man be called, and his person justified and sanctified, all that ever he doth is sin. 1. His common actions, his eating, drinking, sleeping, walking, talking, are all sins. Yea 2. The works of his calling, & his labour in the same, though never so just, equal, and upright. 3. Further, his civill actions, namely the practice of civill virtues: his outward gravity, meekness, sobriety, temperance, quietness, uprightness, and all outward conformity, are all sins. Yea more then all this, his best actions, namely his practicing of the parts of Gods worship, or his deeds of charity, his prayer, his hearing the word, his receiving the sacraments, his giving of alms; they are all sins unto him, if he have not a believing and penitent heart: yea such sins as shall condemn hm, if he had no other. Object. This should seem strange divinity, that the most holy actions, as prayer, &c. should be damnable sins. I answer, they are in themselves holy and good, and as far forth as God hath commanded them; yet in the doer they are sins, because he doth them from a foul & unholy heart: for the same action may be holy in it self and in regard of God the author of it, and yet a sin in him that is the doer of it. As clear water, pure in the fountain, is corrupted or poisoned by running through a filthy and polluted channel; so are even the best actions, sins: as even the preaching of the word to a minister, whose heart is not cleansed by faith, and his person accepted of God; it is a sin unto him, and (if he repent not) shall be his condemnation. Cain sinned not only in hating and murdering his brother, in lying and dissembling with God; but Cain sinned also even in offering sacrifice. And Abel's sacrifice had been a damnable sin, but that his person was justified before