Of free justification

Concerning the Assurance of Christian Reliance, against Hosius.

A Worthy comparison for sooth, ¹of God and Men, which disannuls and destroys all the Promises of God, the whole Doctrine of the Gospel, yea and the foundations of all Religion. For to what purpose should God promise by his Word, if he would not have us assured of those things which are promised? A ⟨p. 298⟩Son was promised to Abraham, and he believed, not at all distrusting him that promised, and it is accounted a praise to him: What then? Do you praise the undaunted confidence of Abraham, and do you dispraise ours? In like manner the Seed to come was promised to miserable Adam: To what purpose? that he might stick in a trembling wavering diffidence? or rather that he might support his mind with the expectation of the promised consolation? There are so many engagements of promises in both Covenants, which if the Divine Truth would not have made sure unto us, why then would he have them written in the Word, and recorded in Books? Briefly, why are we commanded in the Christian Articles of Faith to believe the remission of sins, the Resurrection of the flesh, and Life Eternal, but that we might reckon those things to be most sure unto us, which are inserted in the Articles? Therefore that is false, which Hosius affirms, That no man is bound to believe firmly, or to hold assuredly either concerning himself, or this man or that man, that his sins are forgiven him for Christ's sake; that he is in a state of grace, and that he is assuredly to possess the Kingdom of ²Heaven, &c. And again, neither is that less false, which he fathers upon men of our persuasion, as if we held thus, that every man is a partaker upon that account only, because he hath determined himself to be a person that will be accepted of God; which is not true,