How faith and obedience do concur to salvation.
12. Faith and obedience have divers parts in accomplishing the salvation of a Christian; for this contributes the power or capacity, that the act; and either is said to justify in its kind. For Christ forgives not the sins of all men, but of the penitent or the obedient, that is to say, the just. I say not the guiltless, but the just; for justice is a will of obeying the laws, and may be consistent with a sinner; and with Christ, the will to obey is obedience. For not every man, but the just shall live by faith. Obedience therefore justifies, because it maketh just; in the same manner as temperance maketh temperate, prudence prudent, chastity chaste; namely, essentially; and puts a man in such a state, as makes him capable of pardon. Again, Christ hath not promised forgiveness of sins to all just men; but only those of them who believe him to be the Christ. Faith therefore justifies in such a sense as a judge may be said to justify, who absolves, namely, by the sentence which actually saves a man; and in this acception of justification (for it is an equivocal term) faith alone justifies; but in the other, obedience only. But neither obedience alone, nor faith alone, do save us; but both together.
In a Christian city there is no contrariety between the command of God, and of the city.
13. By what hath been said hitherto, it will be easy to discern what the duty of Christian subjects is towards their sovereigns; who, as long as they profess themselves Christians, cannot command their subjects to deny Christ, or to offer him any contumely: for if they should command this, they would profess themselves to be no Christians. For seeing we have showed, both by natural reason and out of holy Scriptures, that subjects ought in all things to obey their princes and governors, excepting those which are contrary to the command of God; and that the commands of God, in a Christian city, concerning temporal affairs, that is to say, those which are to be discussed by human reason, are the laws and sentence of the city, delivered from those who have received authority from the city to make laws and judge of controversies; but concerning spiritual matters, that is to say, those which are to be defined by the holy Scripture, are the laws and sentences of the city, that is to say, the Church, (for a Christian city and a Church, as hath been showed in the foregoing chapter, [art. 10], are the same thing), delivered by pastors lawfully ordained, and who have to that end authority given them by the city; it manifestly follows, that in a Christian commonweal obedience is due to the sovereign in all things, as well spiritual as temporal. And that the same obedience, even from a Christian subject, is due in all temporal matters to those princes who are no Christians, is without any controversy; but in matters spiritual, that is to say, those things which concern God’s worship, some Christian Church is to be followed. For it is an hypothesis of the Christian faith, that God speaks not in things supernatural but by the way of Christian interpreters of holy Scriptures. But what? Must we resist princes, when we cannot obey them? Truly, no; for this is contrary to our civil covenant. What must we do then? Go to Christ by martyrdom; which if it seem to any man to be a hard saying, most certain it is that he believes not with his whole heart, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God; for he would then desire to be dissolved, and to be with Christ; but he would by a feigned Christian faith elude that obedience, which he hath contracted to yield unto the city.
The doctrines which this day are controverted about religion, do for the most part belong to the right of dominion.
14. But some men perhaps will wonder, if (excepting this one article, that Jesus is the Christ, which only is necessary to salvation in relation to internal faith) all the rest belong to obedience; which may be performed, although a man do not inwardly believe, so he do but desire to believe, and make an outward profession, as oft as need requires, of whatsoever is propounded by the Church; how it comes about that there are so many tenets, which are all held so to concern our faith, that except a man do inwardly believe them, he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. But if he consider that, in most controversies, the contention is about human sovereignty; in some, matter of gain and profit; in others, the glory of wits: he will surely wonder the less. The question about the propriety of the Church, is a question about the right of sovereignty. For it being known what a Church is, it is known at once to whom the rule over Christians[Christians] doth belong. For if every Christian city be that Church, which Christ himself hath commanded every Christian, subject to that city, to hear; then every subject is bound to obey his city, that is to say, him or them who have the supreme power, not only in temporal, but also in spiritual matters. But if every Christian city be not that Church, then is there some other Church more universal, which must be obeyed. All Christians therefore must obey that Church, just as they would obey Christ, if he came upon earth. It will therefore rule either by the way of monarchy, or by some assembly. This question then concerns the right of ruling. To the same end belongs the question concerning infallibility. For whosoever were truly and internally believed by all mankind, that he could not err, would be sure of all dominion, as well temporal as spiritual, over all mankind, unless himself would refuse it. For if he say that he must be obeyed in temporals, because it is supposed he cannot err, that right of dominion is immediately granted him. Hither also tends the privilege of interpreting Scriptures. For he to whom it belongs to interpret the controversies arising from the divers interpretations of Scriptures, hath authority also simply and absolutely to determine all manner of controversies whatsoever. But he who hath this, hath also the command over all men who acknowledge the Scriptures to be the word of God. To this end drive all the disputes about the power of remitting and retaining sins; or the authority of excommunication. For every man, if he be in his wits, will in all things yield that man an absolute obedience, by virtue of whose sentence he believes himself to be either saved or damned. Hither also tends the power of instituting societies. For they depend on him by whom they subsist, who hath as many subjects as monks, although living in an enemy’s city. To this end also refers the question concerning the judge of lawful matrimony. For he to whom that judicature belongs, to him also pertains the knowledge of all those cases which concern the inheritance and succession of all the goods and rights, not of private men only, but also of sovereign princes. And hither also in some respect tends the virgin life of ecclesiastical persons; for unmarried men have less coherence than others with civil society. And besides, it is an inconvenience not to be slighted, that princes must either necessarily forego the priesthood, which is a great bond of civil obedience; or have no hereditary kingdom. To this end also tends the canonization of saints, which the heathen called apotheosis. For he that can allure foreign subjects with so great a reward, may bring those who are greedy of such glory, to dare and do anything. For what was it but an honourable name with posterity, which the Decii and other Romans sought after; and a thousand others, who cast themselves upon incredible perils? The controversies about purgatory, and indulgences, are matter of gain. The questions of free-will, justification, and the manner of receiving Christ in the sacrament, are philosophical. There are also questions concerning some rites not introduced, but left in the Church not sufficiently purged from Gentilism. But we need reckon no more. All the world knows that such is the nature of men, that dissenting in questions which concern their power, or profit, or pre-eminence of wit, they slander and curse each other. It is not therefore to be wondered at, if almost all tenets, after men grew hot with disputings, are held forth by some or other to be necessary to salvation and for our entrance into the kingdom of heaven. Insomuch as they who hold them not, are not only condemned as guilty of disobedience; which in truth they are, after the Church hath once defined them; but of infidelity: which I have declared above to be wrong, out of many evident places of Scripture. To which I add this one of Saint Paul’s (Rom. xiv. 3, 5): Let not him that eateth, despise him that eateth not, and let not him that eateth not, judge him that eateth; for God hath received him. One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
[21]. I say, that to a Christian.] Although I conceive this assertion to be sufficiently proved by the following reasons, yet I thought it worth my labour to make a more ample explication of it; because I perceive that being somewhat new, it may possibly be distasteful to many divines. First therefore, when I say this article, that Jesus is the Christ, is necessary to salvation; I say not that faith only is necessary, but I require justice also, or that obedience which is due to the laws of God; that is to say, a will to live righteously. Secondly, I deny not but the profession of many articles, provided that that profession be commanded by the Church, is also necessary to salvation. But seeing faith is internal, profession external, I say that the former only is properly faith; the latter a part of obedience; insomuch as that article alone sufficeth for inward belief, but is not sufficient for the outward profession of a Christian. Lastly, even as if I had said that true and inward repentance of sins was only necessary to salvation, yet were it not to be held for a paradox; because we suppose justice, obedience, and a mind reformed in all manner of virtues to be contained in it. So when I say that the faith of one article is sufficient to salvation, it may well be less wondered at; seeing that in it so many other articles are contained. For these words, Jesus is the Christ, do signify that Jesus was that person, whom God had promised by his prophets should come into the world to establish his kingdom; that is to say, that Jesus is the Son of God, the creator of heaven and earth, born of a virgin, dying for the sins of them who should believe in him; that he was Christ, that is to say, a king; that he revived (for else he were not like to reign) to judge the world, and to reward every one according to his works (for otherwise he cannot be a king); also that men shall rise again, for otherwise they are not like to come to judgment. The whole symbol of the apostles is therefore contained in this one article. Which, notwithstanding, I thought reasonable to contract thus; because I found that many men for this alone, without the rest, were admitted into the kingdom of God, both by Christ and his apostles; as the thief on the cross, the eunuch baptized by Philip, the two thousand men converted to the Church at once by St. Peter. But if any man be displeased that I do not judge all those eternally damned, who do not inwardly assent to every article defined by the Church, and yet do not contradict, but, if they be commanded, do submit: I know not what I shall say to them. For the most evident testimonies of Holy Writ, which do follow, do withhold me from altering my opinion.
END OF VOL. II.