Luther indeed did write of Faith, I know, and confess it, but what 1then? What fault I pray you did he commit in so doing? What hath he deserved? Why might not he as well write of Faith, as you of Righteousness? but perhaps that displeases you, not that he did write of Faith, but because attributing too much thereunto, he refers the whole of our Righteousness to this Faith. Be it so, and you on the contrary refer all to the works of the Law, which ⟨p. 41⟩of you two is worthiest to be accused? Which comes nearest to Evangelical Doctrine? You who refer all to, and comprehend all in the observance and study of the Law, or he that refers unto, and comprehends all in 2the Faith of Christ? Let Paul be called for a Witness and Umpire between you, who though he himself was very careful in observing the Law of God, in his Epistle to the Philippians, proposing a twofold manner of Righteousness, the one of the Law, and the other of Faith, he judges the latter to be so much better, and prefers it so far before the other, that he esteemed all those other things of his own, though otherwise excellent and praise-worthy things, being placed in the study of the Law of God, yet he esteemed them all as loss, yea as dung, for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, that he might be found in him, having on the Righteousness, not which is of the Law, but which is of the Faith of Christ, which is the Righteousness of God by Faith, &c. What then? shall you bring us away from this faith, which is placed in Christ, and call us back to that dung contrary to the will of Christ, and the Doctrine of Paul; that by your teaching and guidance we may be found to possess a righteousness, not that which is placed in Faith, but that which is only placed in the Law? And are you upon this account so outrageously invective against ⟨p. 42⟩Luther, because he chose rather to follow Pauls opinion, than yours in this point of Salvation? No, but there is some other thing in the wind, which puts you in such a heat of contending, not because Luther attributes Righteousness to faith, to which you your self use sometimes to attribute very much, but because he so shuts up our Salvation in this faith alone, that he seems wholly to exclude and despise the excellent works of Charity and labours after Piety, in the point of Justification and Righteousness before God.
Luther indeed did write of Faith, I know, and confess it, but what 1then? What fault I pray you did he commit in so doing? What hath he deserved? Why might not he as well write of Faith, as you of Righteousness? but perhaps that displeases you, not that he did write of Faith, but because attributing too much thereunto, he refers the whole of our Righteousness to this Faith. Be it so, and you on the contrary refer all to the works of the Law, which ⟨p. 41⟩of you two is worthiest to be accused? Which comes nearest to Evangelical Doctrine? You who refer all to, and comprehend all in the observance and study of the Law, or he that refers unto, and comprehends all in 2the Faith of Christ? Let Paul be called for a Witness and Umpire between you, who though he himself was very careful in observing the Law of God, in his Epistle to the Philippians, proposing a twofold manner of Righteousness, the one of the Law, and the other of Faith, he judges the latter to be so much better, and prefers it so far before the other, that he esteemed all those other things of his own, though otherwise excellent and praise-worthy things, being placed in the study of the Law of God, yet he esteemed them all as loss, yea as dung, for the excellency of the knowledge of Iesus Christ, that he might be found in him, having on the Righteousness, not which is of the Law, but which is of the Faith of Christ, which is the Righteousness of God by Faith, &c. What then? shall you bring us away from this faith, which is placed in Christ, and call us back to that dung contrary to the will of Christ, and the Doctrine of Paul; that by your teaching and guideance we may be found to possess a righteousness, not that which is placed in Faith, but that which is only placed in the Law? And are you upon this account so outragiously invective against ⟨p. 42⟩Luther, because he chose rather to follow Pauls opinion, than yours in this point of Salvation? No, but there is some other thing in the wind, which puts you in such a heat of contending, not because Luther attributes Righteousness to faith, to which you your self use sometimes to attribute very much, but because he so shuts up our Salvation in this faith alone, that he seems wholly to exclude and despise the excellent works of Charity and labours after Piety, in the point of Iustification and Righteousness before God.
- 1A defence of Luther.
- 2A twofold manner of Righteousness mention'd by Paul, the one received, the other rejected. Philip. 3. Righteousness of the Law, Righteousness of Faith, in Faith of God.
