A Brief and Pithy Sum of the Christian Faith

❧ Theodore de Beze. to the Church of the Lord, grace and peace in him.

Among the errors which reign at this day in the world about faith and Christian religion, there be two which me thinketh be as the springs & fountains of all the others. The first is, that all which is done of a good intent is well done. The second is, that those which live only upon the traffic or merchandise of other mens souls, have persuaded the simple people that they need not read y• scriptures, nor particularly enquire of every point of that which they are bound to believe for to be saved. But that it is sufficient to believe confusedly and in a generality as the church of Rome believeth, and the rest to commit to the Divines or to the conscience of his curate. Touching the first, it is ⟨image 17⟩needful to define what intent is good & what evil. But to speak after their own manner, for as much as they believe that all those which think they do well have a good intent▪ if it so were what would have let saint P•ule to have been saved in his pharisaical •i•ing, seeing that he was an earnest follower of the law of god given by Moses? And as for that he persecuted the members of Jesus christ, it was of ignorance, supposing to have done god good service, as he himself witnesseth. Yet this notwithstanding he saith he was a persecutor and a Blasphemer, so that God saved him of his singular grace and mercy. The like case was of many of those which crucified Christ and stoned saint Steven, thinking they did very good service, because they esteemed them to be false prophets & enemies to God. Nevertheless did their good meaning keep them that they were not horrible murderers? But if God gave forgiven them, then it followeth ⟨image 17⟩that they sinned. And who shall assure those of the like mercy which do as they did? I omit the manifest texts, where such good ententes or meanings be cursed of god, considering where no faith is, there is nought but sin, and where there is no word of God, there is no faith, but a lying and deceivable opinion. I would fai know whether there be any Creditor that would be content and satisfied for his full payment, that his detour should allege, that he had dreamed that he had payed him. Or if a Master had given by writing his whole mind and will to one of his servants, and had given him in charge and commandment, neither to ad to it, nor to diminish it: