nies to be justified by this counterfeit and hypocritical faith. But on the contrary, those that sincerely repent and mourn for their sins, and, abhorring their own wickedness, return to Christ with all their hearts, and receive him by faith, these only are the sinners whom faith alone justifies without works, according to that well-known saying of Paul. And by this means it will not be difficult to reconcile both the apostles, Paul and James, to one another. For as James, a servant of Jesus Christ, cannot deny but faith, when it is found in a penitent and humbled sinner, justifies him freely without works, and before all good works; so on the other side, neither doth Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, approve of that faith which works not by love, nor does he admit abominable wretches of profligate lives, to have any fellowship with Christ.

[Fox next gives "An answer to those that say the preaching of faith is pernicious, pretending that it opens a door to irreligion and licentiousness.” He urges that the truth or falsehood of things depends not on the use or abuse of them, and says,]

In order to answer this objection, though it hath been sufficiently answered already, two things must be considered, one belongs to the manner of preaching, and the other to the truth of the doctrine. And first as touching preaching, their objection is very false. For though we teach that faith only justifies, yet we neglect not to use strong motives to the practice of good works, and sharp admonitions, and not only admonitions, but also severe threatenings, yea, and moreover excommunications, if need be, to restrain wicked practices.

The frequent sermons that are preached in our churches bear witness to this, in which, according to our power, we exhort unto works of piety, and, by the authority of Scripture, thunder the judgments of God against harlots, adulterers, covetous persons, highwaymen, sorcerers, that they may know there will be no place for such in the kingdom of God and Christ, except they amend their lives. Who was more zealous than Paul, in exalting the righteousness of faith? And who was more holy in life than he, or more fervent against the sins of those that walked not after the spirit, but after the flesh? The books of our divines do evidence the same, in which they discourse no less of repentance, and good works, than of faith, joining always the one with the other. Therefore, as touching the manner of teaching, you

will find that it is not faith only, which is treated of in the churches and books of men of our persuasion. But if the matter of debate between us be about the cause of salvation and justification, there is nothing more agreeable to sound doctrine, than that an ungodly sinner is justified before God, by faith only without works.

But you may object; "This doctrine hardens the people in their sinful courses." If you understand it of all, it is false: if of evil doers, that run on in sin against their conscience, and take no care to restrain their lusts, as for such, who ever said or taught, that they are justified by faith only? And yet nevertheless, the truth of this assertion remains invincible, whereby we affirm that a wicked man is justified by faith only, without works, if the scope and meaning thereof be well understood. Which will be easy if we understand aright who they are whom faith only justifies without works, according to the saying of Paul; for herein chiefly lies the difficulty of this controversy. Neither is there any thing wherein the adversaries are more grossly mistaken; and herein they follow the footsteps of those, concerning whom Cyprian justly complains, saying, "They look at that which is said in the first place, but regard not what follows after." They catch at that which we assert of faith only, exclusively, and think there is injury done to good works, if faith only is sufficient to salvation; but they take no notice what manner of persons they are, to whom this justification by faith belongs. Christ affirms, Paul confirms, yea, the common practice of life, natural reason, and experience, and the consciences of all good men proclaim, that ruin comes only from our works, and salvation only from Christ. And because we receive this only Mediator Christ, by faith only, hence it is that we assert it is faith which justifies believing sinners before God. But let us see what manner of sinners they are, whom faith justifies. Is it the rebellious and impenitent? No verily. Then it must be such sinners as are converted, and humbled, and have the fear of God before their eyes. But there is no fear, that such will continue to wallow in their former filthiness, on the contrary, they are hereby so much the more stirred up to amend their lives. All ages have abounded with examples of those, to whom the doctrine of free justification by faith in Christ, as it conduced much to their necessary consolation, so it was no hinderance to their leading a holy life. If charity, according as the adversaries

themselves do testify, is the perfection of the law, which is the rule of life, let such men declare, whether he to whom more, or he to whom fewer sins are forgiven, hath the strongest obligation to love either God or his neighbour? Which of these two, mentioned in the gospel, loved Christ with the greater ardency of affection, Simon the pharisee, or Mary, that brought with her no good works at all, but a great multitude of sins? And why was her love to the Lord more vehement, but because she had more sins forgiven her? But let us proceed; Wherefore were so many and so great offences forgiven her, but for her faith, which guided her love? for she did not therefore believe in Christ, because she loved him, but because she knew him to be the Son of God; her faith being thereby incited to act the more vigorously, she loved much. For, love proceeds from faith, and not faith from love. Because we believe, therefore we love; but we do not believe, because we love. Whence the Lord, regarding more her faith than her love, said to her, Thy faith, not thy love, hath saved thee. How love and repentance are concerned in justification. But you may say, "Is faith alone here? Is it not joined together with love and repentance?" I grant indeed, that they are all three together in the person of the believer. But in the case of justification, faith only is regarded. And the others do follow as fruits and effects thereof. For as that woman, unless she had believed in the Mediator, made known unto her by faith, had never loved him; so she had never come unto him, as her physician, unless the disease of her troubled conscience had driven her. Wherefore, if we reason aright about causes, these things follow faith as effects and fruits thereof; but they are no causes of obtaining salvation.

We have spoken of Mary Magdalen; let us now behold the pharisee, and compare the one with the other. If the woman that was a sinner, by her love merited, as they speak, justification, what shall we say of the pharisee? Did not he also love the Lord? Would he have gone to him so courteously, or invited him so lovingly, or received him into his house so kindly, or entertained him at dinner so honourably, unless he had been moved with some affection of love? What shall we say of his faith? Did he not believe, being instructed by the Holy Scriptures, in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth? Did he

not receive Christ as a prophet? Now he, believing in the Father, and receiving the Son with affectionate love, what could be wanting to him, that was necessary to justification, if so be that all our justification is perfected by charity? And yet, I suppose, no man will say, that this pharisee was justified by Christ, that is, set free from all condemnation by this love of his. Why not? Because faith in Christ as a Saviour was wanting. But suppose he had faith, and he, trusting to his own righteousness, but being puffed up with pride upon that account, had begged no help, and imagined he needed no pardon, would this faith have availed him to justification? Assuredly not.

But you may say, "That is true indeed, and therefore this proves, that faith only doth not justify." I answer, and request the adversaries, that, laying aside the desire of vain jangling, they would examine the matter according to Scripture and right reason.

Though the manifest testimony of the apostle Paul, and the examples of the saints make it an undoubted truth, that only faith in Christ the Son of God hath the power of justifying without works, yet it cannot open this power upon all, but only those in whom a fitness is found for receiving the displayings of divine grace.

But none are found more fit, than those that seem to themselves most unworthy, and none less fit, than those that are most highly conceited of their own worthiness. Seeing we are all sinners by nature, nothing can be more reasonable, than that we should acknowledge the filthiness of our own abominations, and cast ourselves at the feet of almighty God. And there is nothing that God more requires, than this: whose nature, or rather mercy is such, that he delights not in any thing more than in a humble heart and a broken spirit, as the psalmist declares, He saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. And, in the prophet Isaiah, God testifies of himself, that he is the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, and dwells in the high and holy place, and also with him that is humble and of a contrite spirit, to comfort the humble spirit, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones. And for that cause he calls aloud in the gospel, and offers his kind invitations, chiefly to such as labour, and are heavy laden, that they may come unto him, and be eased.

What is coming to Christ, but believing? What is it to be eased or refreshed, but to be justified? Though indeed he calls all, and despises none that come to him, yet so it

comes to pass for the most part, that none come to Christ as they ought, unless they are pressed and burdened under the sense of their sin and misery. And again, that heavenly Physician is seldom sent unto any others, but such. As the prophet bears witness, who making a particular description of those to whom Christ was to be sent, he sets before us the meek, the broken in heart, the captives, the prisoners, the mourners in Sion, them that are walking in darkness, and sitting in the shadow of death, &c. And the psalmist speaks much to the same purpose, Psal. cvii. describing the mercy of God on this manner. He filleth the hungry soul with goodness, and such as sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron. Though he, being sent by the Father, is given to all, yet he is not entertained by all with the like affection.

The Lord himself shows the cause thereof: For what need have the whole of the physician? Therefore, as a skilful physician doth not administer his medicines but when sickness requires it; so faith cleanses none, but those whom repentance also amends; neither doth the gospel heal any but those whom first the law hath slain, and conscience hath wounded. And as that is most true, which we preach by the authority of Paul the apostle, that men are justified by faith only without works, so on the other side it is false, which the adversaries assert, that by this doctrine of faith it comes to pass, that all care of good works is cast off, and the reins are let loose to all manner of wickedness. Howbeit, if they speak of such impenitent persons as go on resolutely in their sins, we acknowledge, that such as they are not justified by faith, and yet we assert that this is no way prejudicial to the cause that we plead. But if they speak of such as join repentance with evangelical faith, and therefore stand in need of consolation, if they deny that those are justified by the faith of Christ only; they discover themselves to be utter enemies of the gospel, and adversaries to Christ. And again, if they assert that such penitent believers become worse by this doctrine, they do therein err exceedingly, and lie abominably.

Wherefore, that the mouth of malice and slander may be stopped, let these professors of divinity, who condemn this doctrine of Paul as heretical, take our proposition, not by halves, but whole, that when faith is said to justify, they should understand aright, whom this faith justifies. Namely, none of those that continue stubborn and impenitent in