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1    The occasion wherevpon, together
2with the ende wherefore,
3this Epistle was written, is opened
4in the front & entrie of the
5same. There were then, as there
6are now, many evill and wickedly
7disposed persons, not of
8the mysticall body, yet within the visible bounds of
9the Church, men which were of old ordained to co~demnation,
10vngodly men which turned the grace of
11our God into wantonnesse and denied the Lord Iesus.
12For this cause the spirit of the Lord is in the hand
13of Iude, the servant of Iesus and brother of Iames, to
14exhort them that are called, and sanctified of God the
15father, that they would earnestly contend to maintaine

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16the faith; which was once delivered vnto the
17Saints. Which faith because wee cannot maintaine
18except wee knowe perfectly, first against whom, secondly
19in what sort it must be maintained; therefore
20in the former three verses of that parcell of Scripture
21which I haue read, the enimies of the crosse of Christ
22are plainely described; and in the later two, they that
23loue the Lord Iesus haue a sweet lesson giuen them
24how to strengthen & stablish themselues in the faith.
25Let vs first therefore examin the description of these
26reprobates concerning faith; and afterwards come
27to the words of the exhortation; wherein Christians
28are taught how to rest their hearts on Gods eternall
29and everlasting truth. The description of these godlesse
30persons is two fold; Generall and Speciall . The generall
31doth point them out and shew what manner
32of men they should be. The particular pointeth at
33them, and saith plainely these are they. In the generall
34description we haue to consider of these things. First,
35when they were described, they were told of before. Secondly ,
36the men by whom they were described, They
37were spoken of by the Apostles of our Lord Iesus Christ.
38Thirdly , the daies when they should bee manifested
39vnto the world, they told you they should bee in the
40last time. Fourthly , their disposition and whole demeanure,
41mockers and walkers after their own vngodly lusts .
42    2 In the third to the Philippians, the Apostle
43describeth certaine. They are men , saith hee of whom I
44haue told you often, and now with teares I tell you of them,
45their God is their belly, their glorying and reioycing is in

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46their owne shame, they mind earthly things.
47    These were enimies of the crosse of Christ, enimies
48whom he saw, & his eies gusht out with teares
49to behold them. But we are taught in this place, how
50the Apostles spake also of enimies, whom as yet they
51had not seen, described a family of me~ as yet vnheard
52of, a generation reserved for the end of the world, &
53for the last time, they had not onely declared what
54they heard and saw in the daies wherein they lived,
55but they haue propheci'd also of me~ in time to come.
56And you doe well , saith S. Peter, in that yee take heed, to
57the words of prophecie, so that yee first know this, that no
58prophecie in the Scripture commeth of any mans owne
59resolution . No prophecie in Scripture commeth of
60any mans owne resolution. For all prophecy, which
61is in Scripture, came by the secret inspiration of God.
62But there are prophecies which are no scripture, yea
63there are prophecies against the Scripture: my brethren
64beware of such prophecies, and take heed you
65heed them not. Remember the things that were spoken
66of before; but spoken of before by the Apostles
67of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ. Take heed to
68prophecies, but to prophecies which are in scripture.
69For both the manner and the matter of those prophecies
70doth shew plainely that they are of God.
71    3 Touching the manner, how men by the spirit
72of prophecie in holy Scripture haue spoken & written
73of things to come, wee must vnderstand, that as
74the knowledge of that they spake, so likewise the vtterance
75of that they knewe came not by these vsuall

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76and ordinary meanes whereby we are brought to vnderstand
77the mysteries of our salvation, and are wont
78to instruct others in the same. For whatsoever wee
79know, we haue it by the hands and ministrie of men,
80which lead vs along like children from a letter to a
81syllable, from a syllable to a word, from a word to a
82line, from a line to a sentence, from a sentence to a
83side, and so turne over. But God himselfe was their
84instructour, he himselfe taught the~ partly by dreames
85and visions in the night, partly by revelations in the
86daie, taking them aside from amongst their brethre~,
87and talking with them, as a man would talke with his
88neighbour in the way. Thus they became acquainted
89even with the secret and hidden counsels of God.
90They saw things which themselues were not able to
91vtter, they beheld that whereat men and Angels are
92astonished. They vnderstood in the beginning, what
93should come to passe in the last daies.
94    4 God, which lightned thus the eies of their vnderstanding
95giving them knowledge by vnvsuall and
96extraordinarie meanes, did also miraculously himself
97frame and fashion their wordes and writings, in so
98much that a greater difference there seemeth not to
99bee betweene the manner of their knowledge, then
100there is between the manner of their speech & ours.
101When we haue conceiued a thing in our hearts and
102throughlie vnderstand it, as wee thinke within our
103selues, yet we can vtter it in such sort that our brethre~
104may receaue instruction or comfort at our mouths,
105how great, how long, how earnest meditation are

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106we forced to vse? And after much travaile, and much
107paines, when we open our lips to speake of the wonderfull
108workes of God, our tongues doe faulter within
109our mouthes, yea many times wee disgrace the
110dreadfull mysteries of our faith, and grieue the spirit
111of our hearers by words vnsavory, and vnseemely
112speeches. Shall a wise man fill his bellie with the easterne
113wind , saith Eliphaz, shall a wise man dispute with words
114not comely? or with talke that is not profitable ? Yet behold,
115even they that are wisest amongst us living, co~pared
116with the Prophets, seem no otherwise to talke
117of God, then as if the children which are caried in
118armes should speake of the greatest matters of state.
119They whose words doe most shew forth their wise
120vnderstanding, and whose lips doe vtter the purest
121knowledge, so as long as they vnderstand and speake as
122men, are they not faine sundry waies to excuse themselues?
123Sometimes acknowledging with the wise ma~,
124hardly can we discerne the things that are on earth, and
125with great labour finde wee out the things that are before
126vs, who can then seeke out the things that are in heauen ?
127Sometimes confessing with Iob the righteous, in treating
128of things too wonderfull for vs, we haue spoke~
129we wist not what. Sometimes ending their talke, as
130doth the history of the Macchabees, if we haue done
131wel, & as the cause required, it is that we desire, if we
132haue spoke~ slenderly and barely, we haue done what
133we could. But God hath made my mouth like a sword ,
134saith Esay . And we haue received , saith the Apostle, not
135the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God, that

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136wee might know the things, which are given to vs of God
137which things also we speake, not in words, which mans wisdome
138teacheth, but which the holy Ghost doth teach . This is
139that which the Prophets mean by those books writte~
140ful within, & without; which books were so often delivered
141the~ to eat, not because God fed the~ with inke,
142& paper, but to teach vs, that so oft as he employed
143them in this heavenly worke, they neither spake, nor
144wrote any word of their owne, but vttered sillable by
145sillable as the spirit put it into their mouths, no otherwise
146then the Harp or the Lute doth giue a sound according
147to the discretion of his hands that holdeth &
148striketh it with skill. The difference is only this. An
149instrument whether it be a pipe or harpe maketh a distinction
150in the times and sounds, which distinction is
151well perceived of the hearer, the instrumente it selfe
152vnderstanding not what is piped or harped. The Prophets
153and holy men of God not so. I opened my mouth ,
154saith Ezechiel , and God reached me a scroule, saying, son of
155man cause thy belly to eat & fill thy bowels with this I giue
156thee, I eate it, and it was sweet in my mouth as hony , saith
157the Prophet. Yea sweeter, I am perswaded, then either
158hony or the hony combe. For herein they were
159not like Harps or Lutes, but they felt, they felt the
160power and strength of their owne words. Whe~ they
161spake of our peace, every corner of their hearts, was
162filled with joy. Whe~ they prophecied of mournings,
163lamentations, and woes, to fall vpon vs, they wept in
164the bitternes and indignation of spirit, the arme of
165the Lord being mighty and strong vpon them.

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166    5 On this manner were all the prophecies of holy
167scripture. Which prophecies, although they containe
168nothing which is not profitable for our instruction,
169yet as one starre differeth from another in glory,
170so every word of prophecy hath a treasure of matter
171in it, but all matters are not of like importance, as
172al treasures are not of equal price. The chiefe & principal
173matter of prophecie is the promise of righteousnesse,
174peace, holinesse, glory, victory, immortality
175vnto every soule which beleeveth, that Iesus is
176Christ, of the Iew first, and of the Gentile. Nowe
177because the doctrine of salvation to bee looked
178for by faith in him, who was in outward appearance
179as it had beene a man forsaken of God, in him who
180was numbred, Iudged, and condemned with the wicked,
181in him whom men did see buffited on the face,
182scoft at by Souldiers, scourged by tormentours, hanged
183on the crosse, pearced to the heart, in him whom
184the eies of many witnesses did behold, when the anguish
185of his soule enforced him to roare as if his hart
186had rent in sunder, O my God, my God why haste thou forsaken
187me ? I say, because the doctrine of salvatio~ by him
188is a thing improbable to a natural man, that whether
189we preach it to the Gentile, or to the Iew, the one
190condemneth our faith as madnes, the other as blasphemy,
191therefore to establish and confirme the certainety
192of this saving trueth in the harts of men; the
193Lord togither, with their preachings, whom hee sent
194immediatly from himselfe, to reveale these things vnto
195the world, mingled prophecies of things both civill

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196and Ecclesiasticall, which were to come in everie
197age from time to time, till the very last of the latter
198daies; that by those things, wherein we see daily their
199words fulfilled and done, we might haue strong consolation
200in the hope of things which are not seene,
201because they haue revealed as well the one as the other.
202For when many things are spoken of before in
203scripture, whereof we see first one thing accomplished,
204and then another, and so a third, perceiue wee not
205plainely, that God doeth nothing else but lead vs along
206by the hand, til he haue setled vs vpon the rocke
207of an assured hope, that no one iote or title of his
208word shall passe till all be fulfilled? It is not therefore
209saide in vaine, that these godlesse wicked ones were
210spoken of before .
211    6 But by whom? By them whose words, if men
212or Angels from heauen gainesaie, they are accursed;
213by them, whom whosoever despiseth, despiseth not
214them, but me, saith Christ. If any man therefore doth
215loue the Lord Iesus (and woe worth him that loueth
216not the Lord Iesus!) hereby wee may know that hee
217loveth him indeed, if hee despise not the things that
218are spoken of by his Apostles; whom many haue despised
219even for the basenesse and simplenesse of their
220persons. For it is the propertie of fleshly and carnall
221men, to honour and dishonour, credit, and discredit
222the words and deeds of every man according to that
223he wanteth or hath without. If a man with gorgeous
224apparell come amongst vs, although he bee a theefe
225or a murtherer (for there are theeues and murtherers

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226in gorgeous apparell) be his heart whatsoever, if his
227coat be of purple, or velvet, or tissue, every one riseth
228up, and all the reverent solemnities wee can vse, are
229too little. But the man that serveth God, is contemned
230and despised amongst vs for his povertie. Herod
231speaketh in iudgement, and the people to cry out, The
232voice of God and not of man. Paul preacheth Christ,
233they tearme him a trifler. Harken beloued: hath not
234God chosen the poore of this world, that they should
235be rich in faith? hath hee not chosen the refuse of the
236world to be heires of his kingdome, which hee hath
237promised to them that loue him? hath he not chosen
238the ofscowrings of men to be the lights of the world,
239and the Apostles of Jesus Christ. Men vnlearned, yet
240how fully replenished with vnderstanding? fewe in
241number, yet how great in power? contemptible in
242shew, yet in spirit how strong? how wonderfull? I
243would faine learne the mysterie of the eternall generation
244of the sonne of God , saith Hilary . Whom shall I seeke?
245shall I get me to the schooles of the Grecians ? why? I
246haue read, vbi sapiens? vbi scriba? vbi conquisitor huius
247seculi ? These wise men in the world must needs bee
248dumbe in this, because they haue reiected the wisdome
249of God. Shall I beseech the Scribes and Interpreters
250of the law, to become my teachers? how can
251they knowe this, sith they are offended at the crosse
252of Christ? It is death for me to be ignorant of the vnsearchable
253misterie of the sonne of God: of which misterie
254notwithstanding I should haue been ignorant,
255but that a poore fisherman, vnknowne, vnlearned,

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256new come from his bote with his cloathes wringing
257wet, hath opened his mouth and taught me, In the beginning
258was the word, and the word was with God, & the word
259was God . These poore sillie creatures haue made
260vs rich in the knowledge of the mysteries of Christ.

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261    7 Edifie your selues. The speech is borrowed fro~
262material builders, and must be spiritually vnderstood.
263It appeareth in the 6. of S.Iohns gospel by the Iewes,
264that their mouthes did water too much for bodilie
265food, Our Fathers , say they, did eate Manna in the Desert,
266as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to
267eate; Lord, evermore giue vs of this bread ! Our Saviour,
268to turne their appetite another way, maketh the this
269answere, I am the bread of life, hee that co~meth to me shall
270not hunger, and hee that beleeveth in mee, shall never
271thirst .
272    8 An vsuall practise it is of Satan to cast heapes
273of worldly baggage in our way, that whilest we desire
274to heape vp gold as dust, wee may be brought at the
275length to esteeme vilely that spiritual blisse. Christ, in
276the 6. of Matthew , to correct this evill affection, putteth
277vs in minde to lay vp treasure for our selues in
278heaven. The Apostle, 1. Tim.3. chapt. misliking the vanity
279of those wome~, which attired themselues more
280costly, then beseemed the heavenly calling of such as
281professed the fear of God, willeth them to cloath
282themselues shamefastnes and modestie, and to
283put on the apparel of good workes. Tabiter pigmentatae
284Deum habebitis amatorem , saith Tertullian . Put on
285righteousnesse as a garment: in steed of Civit haue
286Faith, which may cause a favour of life to issue from
287you, and God shall be enamoured, he shall be ravished
288with your beauty. These are the ornaments, & bracelets,
289and jewels, which inflame the loue of Christ, and
290set his hart on fire vpon his spowse. We see, how he

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291breaketh out in the Canticles at the beholding of
292this attire, How faire art thou, and how pleasant art
293thou, O my loue, in these pleasures!
294    9 And perhaps S. Iude exhorteth vs here not to
295build our houses but our selues, foreseeing by the spirit
296of the Almighty, which was with him, that there
297should be men in the last daies like to those in the first,
298which should encourage and stirre vp each other to
299make bricke & to burne it in the fire, to build houses
300huge as cities, and towers as high as heaven, thereby
301to get them a name vpon earth; men that shoulde
302turne out the poore, and the fartherlesse, and the widdow
303to build places of rest for dogs & swine in their
304roomes; men that should lay houses of praier even
305with ground, and make the~ stables where Gods people
306haue worshipped before the Lord. Surely this is a
307vanity of all vanities, and it is much amongst men, a
308speciall sicknesse of this age. What it should meane, I
309know not, except God haue set the~ on worke to provide
310sewel against that day, when the Lord Iesus shal
311show himselfe from heaven with his mighty angels
312in flaming fire. What good commeth vnto the owners
313of these things, saith Solomon , but only the beholding
314thereof with their eies? Martha, Martha, thou
315busiest thy selfe about many things, One thing is necessarie.
316Yee are too busie, my brethren, with timber, and
317bricke; They haue chosen the better part, they haue
318taken a better course, that build themselues. Yee are
319the Temples of the living God; as God hath said, I
320wil dwel in them, and will walke in them, & they shal

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321be my people, and I wil be their God.
322    10 Which of you wil gladly remaine, or abide
323in a mishapen, a ruinous, or a broken house? And shal
324we suffer sinne, and vanity to drop in at our eies, and
325at our eares, at every corner of our bodies, & of our
326soules, knowing that we are the Temples of the holy
327Ghost? Which of you receiveth a guest, whom he
328honoureth, or whom he loveth, and doth not sweepe
329his chamber against his comming? And shal we suffer
330the chamber of our hearts and consciences to lie
331full of vomiting, full of filth, ful of garbidge, knowing
332that Christ hath said, I, and my Father will come, and
333dwell with you? Is it meete for your Oxen to lay in
334parlours, and your selues to lodge in cribs? Or is it
335seemely for your selues to dwell in your setled houses
336and the house of the Almighty to lie wast, whose
337house yee are your selues? Do not our eies behold,
338how God every day overtaketh the wicked in their
339iourneies, how suddenly they pop downe into the
340pit? how Gods iudgements for their times come so
341swiftly vpon them, that they haue not the leasure to
342crie, Alas? how their life is cut off like a threed in a
343moment? how they passe like a shadow? how they open
344their mouthes to speake, and God taketh them
345even in the midst of a vaine or an idle word? And dare
346we for all this lay downe, take our rest, eate our meat
347securely and carelessly in the midst of so great and so
348many ruines? Blessed and praised for ever and ever be
349his name, who perceiuing of how senselesse & heavy
350mettall we are made, hath instituted in his Church a

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351spirituall supper, and an holy communion, to be celebrated
352often, that we might thereby bee occasioned
353often to examine these buildings of ours, in what case
354they stand. For sith God doth not dwell in Temples
355which are vncleane, sith a shrine cannot be a sanctuary
356vnto him; and this supper is receaued as a seale vnto
357vs, that we are his house and his sanctuarie, that his
358Christ is as truly vnited to me, and I to him, as my
359arme is united and knit vnto my shoulder, that hee
360dwelleth in me as verily as the elements of bread and
361wine abide within me, which perswasion, by receiving
362these dreadfull mysteries, we professe our selues
363to haue; a due comfort, if truly, and if in hypocrisie
364then woe worth vs. Therefore ere wee put forth our
365hands to take this blessed Sacrament, we are charged
366to examine, and to trie our hearts whether God bee
367in vs of a truth or no: and if by faith and loue vnfained
368we be found the temples of the holy Ghost, then
369to iudge, whether we haue had such regard every one
370to our building, that the spirit which dwelleth in vs
371hath no way beene vexed, molested, and grieued. Or
372if it haue, as no doubt sometimes it hath by incredulitie,
373sometimes by breach of charitie, sometimes by
374want of zeale, sometimes by spots of life, even in the
375best and most perfect amongst vs, (for who can say,
376his heart is cleane?) O then to fly vnto God by vnfained
377repentance, to fall downe before him in the humilitie
378of our soules, begging of him whatsoever is
379needfull to repaire our decaies, before wee fall into
380that desolation, whereof the Prophet speaketh, saying

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381Thy breach is great like the sea, who can heale thee ?
382    11 Receiving the sacrament of the Supper of
383the Lord, after this sort (you that are spiritual, iudge
384what I speake) is not all other wine like the water of
385Marah , being compared to the cup, which we blesse?
386Is not Manna like to gall, and our bread like to Manna ?
387Is there not a tast, a tast of Christ Iesus in the hart
388of him that eateth? Doth not hee which drinketh, behold
389plainely in this cup, that his soul is bathed in the
390blood of the lambe? O beloued in our Lord and Saviour
391Iesus Christ, if yee will tast how sweet the Lord
392is, if yee will receaue the king of glory, Build your
393selues .
394    12 Young men , I speake this to you, for yee are
395his house, because by faith, yee are conquerers over
396Satan , and haue overcome that evill. Fathers , I speake
397it also to you, yee are his house, because yee haue
398knowne him, which is from the beginning. Sweete
399Babes , I speake it even to you also; yee are his house,
400because your sinnes are forgiven you for his namesake.
401Matrons and Sisters , I may not hold it from you,
402yee are also the Lords building, and, as S. Peter speaketh,
403heires of the grace of life as well as we. Though
404it be forbidden you to open your mouthes in publike
405assemblies, yet yee must bee inquisitiue in things concerning
406this building, which is of God, with your husbands
407and friends at home, not as Dalila with Sampson ,
408but as Sara with Abraham , whose daughters yee
409are, whilst yee doe well, and build your selues.
410    13 Having spoken thus farre of the exhortation,

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411as whereby we are called vpon to edifie and build
412our selues. It remaineth now, that wee consider the
413thing prescribed, namely wherein we must bee built.
414This pr.scription standeth also vpon two points, the
415thing prescribed, and the adiuncts of the thing . And
416that is our most pure, and holy faith .
417    14 The thing prescribed is Faith . For as in a
418chaine, which is made of many linkes, if you pull the
419first, you drawe the rest; and as in a ladder of many
420staues, if you take away the lowest, all hope of ascending
421to the highest will be remoued, So because all
422the precepts and promises in the law and in the Gospell
423doe hang vpon this, Beleeue ; and because the last
424of the graces of God doth so follow the first, that he
425glorifieth none, but whom he hath iustified, nor iustifieth
426any, but whom he hath called to a true, effectual,
427and liuely faith in Christ Iesus, therefore S Iude exhorting
428us to build our selues , mentioneth here expresly
429only faith, as the thing wherein we must be edified,
430for that faith is the ground and the glorie of all the
431welfare of this building.
432    15 Yee are not strangers & forrainers, but citizens
433with the Saints, and of the houshold of God , saith the Apostle,
434and are built vpon the foundation of the Prophets &
435Apostles, Iesus Christ himselfe being the cheefe corner
436stone, in whom all the building being coupled together,
437groweth vnto an holy Temple in the Lord, in whom we
438also are built together to be the habitation of God by the
439spirit . And we are the habitation of God by the spirit,
440if we beleeue. For it is written, whosoever confesseth

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441that Iesus is the sonne of God, in him God dwelleth,
442and he in God. The strength of this habitatio~ is great;
443it prevaileth against Satan; it conquereth sinne; it hath
444death in derision; neither principalities, nor powers
445can throwe it downe; it leadeth the world captiue, &
446bringeth every enimie, that riseth vp against it, to co~fusion
447and shame, and all by faith; for this is the victorie
448that overcommeth the world, even our faith.
449Who is it that overco~meth the world, but hee which
450beleeueth, that Iesus is the sonne of God?
451    16 The strength of every building, which is of
452God, standeth not in any mans armes or legs: it is only
453in our faith, as the valour of Sampson lay only in his
454haire. This is the reason, why wee are so earnestly called
455vpon to edifie our selues in faith . Not as if this bare
456action of our minds, whereby wee beleeue the Gospel
457of Christ, were able in it selfe, as of it selfe, to make
458vs vnconquerable and invincible, like stones, which abide
459in the building for ever and fall not out. No, it is
460not the worthinesse of our beleeuing, it is the vertue
461of him in whom we beleeue, by which we stand sure
462as houses that are builded vpon a rocke. He is a wise
463man, which hath builded his house vpon a rocke; for
464he hath chosen a good foundation, and no doubt his
465house will stand. But how shall it stand? verily by the
466strength of the rocke which beareth it, & by nothing
467else. Our fathers, whom God delivered out of the
468land of Egypt, were a people, that had no peeres amongst
469the nations of the earth, because they were
470built by faith vpon the rocke, which rocke is Christ.

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471And the rocke , saith the Apostle in the first to the Corinthians ,
472the tenth Chapter, did follow him . Whereby
473we learne not only this, that being built by faith on
474Christ as on a rocke, and grafted into him as into an
475Oliue, wee receiue all our strength and fatnesse from
476him, but also that this strength and fatnesse of ours
477ought to be no cause why we should be high minded
478and not worke out our salvation with a reverent, tre~bling,
479and holy feare. For if thou boastest thy selfe of
480thy faith, knowe this that Christ chose his Apostles,
481his Apostles chose not him; that Israel followed not
482the rocke, but the rocke followed Israel, and that thou
483bearest not the roote, but the root thee. So that every
484heart must this thinke, and every tongue must
485thus speake, Not vnto vs, O Lord, not vnto vs , nor vnto
486any thing which is within vs, but vnto thy name
487onely, only to thy name belongeth all the praise of al
488the treasures and riches of every Temple which is of
489God. This excludeth al boasting and vaunting of our
490faith.
491    17 But this must not make vs carelesse to edifie
492our selues in faith. It is the Lord that delivereth mens
493soules from death, but not except they put their trust
494in his mercy. It is God that hath given vs eternall life,
495but no otherwise then thus, If wee beleeue in the
496name of the sonne of God; for hee that hath not the
497sonne of God hath not life. It was the spirit of the
498Lord which came vpon Sampson , & made him strong
499to teare a lion as a man would rent a kid: but his
500strength forsooke him, and he became like other men

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501when the razer had touched his head. It is the power
502of God whereby the faithfull haue subdued kingdomes,
503wrought righteousnesse, obtained the promises,
504stopped the mouthes of Lions, quenched the violence
505of fire, escaped the edge of the sword: But take
506away their faith, and doth not their strength forsake
507them? are they not like vnto other men?
508    18 If yee desire yet farther to knowe how necessarie
509and needfull it is, that we edifie and build vp our
510selues in faith, marke the words of the blessed Apostles,
511without faith it is impossible to please God . If I offer
512vnto God all the sheepe and oxen, that are in the
513world, if all the Temples, that were builded since the
514dayes of Adam till this houre, were of my foundation,
515if I breake my very heart with calling vpon God,
516and weare out my tongue with preaching, if I sacrifice
517my body and my soule vnto him, and haue no faith
518all this availeth nothing. Without faith it is impossible
519to please God. Our Lord and Saviour therefore being
520asked in the sixt of S. Iohns Gospell, What shall we doe
521that we might worke the workes of God , maketh answer,
522This is the worke of God, that yee beleeue in him, whom hee
523hath sent .
524    19 That no worke of ours, no building of our
525selues in any thing can be available or profitable vnto
526vs, except we be edified & built in faith, what need
527we to seeke about for long proofe? looke vpon Israel
528once the very chosen and peculiar to God, to whom
529the adoption of the faithfull, and the glory of Cherubins,
530and the covenants of mercy, and the lawe of

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531Moses , and the service of God, and the promises of
532Christ were made impropriate, who not onely were
533the ofspring of Abraham , father vnto all them which
534doe beleeue, but Christ their ofspring, which is God
535to be blessed for evermore.