Of free justification

Whereby you do evidently discern, as I suppose, what comes of this your famous Theological Theory of Righteousness; for if there is no way of entering into the Kingdom of life but by Righteousness, and no Righteousness (according to your Opinion) can consist but of a perfect observance of the Divine Law, and dignity of works, what follows then? You must either deny that we are sinners in this life, and assert that we are righteous by works; or if according to Scripture you confess us to be sinners, you must despoil us of all righteousness, and shut us out of the Kingdom of God? And what will you say to Augustin, who esteems all the Righteousness of this life as dung? What will you say to Isaiah, ¹who says, it is as a menstruous cloth? What will you say to Paul, who accounted it as loss? What will you say to Christ, who calls them that acquit themselves most righteously, not only Servants, but also unprofitable Servants, if ²the Scripture evidently testifies that every man is a Liar: If the beloved Evangelist condemns him for a Liar, who would seem to himself to be free from sin: If (according to the Testimony of Paul) we have come short of the glory of God. If, as James testifies, in many things we offend all; if most holy Men in ⟨p. 93⟩Prayer cry daily, forgive us our sins; if Augustine doth manifestly ³deny that any man, after he hath obtained the remission of sins, hath lived so righteously in this flesh, or that he doth live so righteously, that he hath no sin at all: If with one mouth the public consent of the most approved Fathers testifies the same; if moreover continual private confessions, if Conscience it self, which is as a thousand Witnesses, convince even thy self to be a perpetual sinner, darest thou, who art a sinful man, confuted by thy own works, dream yet of the righteousness of works, and promise Heaven to thy self, and others by works? And doth not ⁴the example of the Pharisee in the Gospel affright you, who having been deceived by a false Opinion of his own Righteousness, and who whilst flattering himself, he thought he was not like other men, &c. He was yet so far from that which he persuaded himself concerning himself, that he went away worse than those whom he most despised in Comparison of himself.