Faith, and Justification by Faith Alone

Christ saith “if carnal fathers do give good gifts to their children when they ask them, how much more shall your Heavenly Father, being in substance all holy and most highly good, give good gifts to all them that ask him?” It is no small nor little gift that I require, neither think I myself worthy to receive such a noble gift, being so ingrate, unkind and wicked a child. But when I behold the benignity, liberality, mercy and goodness of the Lord, I am encouraged, boldened and stirred to ask such a noble gift. The Lord is so bountiful and liberal that he will not have us satisfied and contented with one gift, neither to ask simple and small gifts. And therefore he promiseth and bindeth himself by his Word to give good and beneficial gifts to all them that ask him with true faith; without which nothing can be done acceptable or pleasing to God.

For faith is the foundation and ground of all other gifts, virtues and graces; and therefore I will say: Lord increase my faith. For this is the life everlasting, Lord: that I must believe thee to be the true God, and, whom thou didst send, Jesus Christ. By this faith I am assured, and by this assurance I feel the remission of my sins. This is it that maketh me bold, this is it that comforteth me, this is it that quencheth all despair.

I know, O my Lord, thy eyes look upon my faith. St Paul saith “we be justified by the faith in Christ, and not by the deeds of the law,” for “if righteousness come by the law, then Christ died in vain.” St Paul meaneth not, here, a dead, human, historical faith, gotten by human industry; but a supernal lively faith, which worketh by charity, as he himself plainly expresseth. This dignity of faith is no derogation to good works, for out of this faith springeth all good works. Yet we may not impute to the worthiness of faith or works our justification before God, but ascribe and give the worthiness of it wholly to the merits of Christ’s passion; and refer and attribute the knowledge and perceiving thereof only to faith, whose very true only property is to take, apprehend and hold fast the promises of God’s mercy, the which maketh us righteous; and to cause me continually to hope for the same mercy; and in love to work all manner of ways allowed in the Scripture, that I may be thankful for the same.

Thus I feel myself to come, as it were, in a new garment before God, and now, by his mercy, to be taken just and righteous; which of late, without his mercy, was sinful and wicked; and by faith to obtain his mercy, the which the unfaithful cannot enjoy. And although Saint John extolleth charity in his Epistle, saying that “God is charity, and he that dwelleth in charity, dwelleth in God”: truly, charity maketh men live like angels, and of the most furious, unbridled, carnal men, maketh meek lambs. Yea, with how fervent a spirit ought I to call, cry and pray to the Lord to make his great charity to burn and flame in my heart ─ being so stony and evil affected that it never would conceive, nor regard, the great inestimable charity and love of God in sending his only begotten and dear beloved Son into this vale of misery, to suffer the most cruel and sharp death of the cross for my redemption! Yet I never had this unspeakable and most high charity and abundant love of God printed and fixed in my heart duly, ‘til it pleased God of his mere grace, mercy and pity to open mine eyes, making me to see and behold, with the eye of lively faith, Christ crucified to be mine only saviour and redeemer. For then I began (and not before) to perceive and see mine own ignorance and blindness. The cause, thereof, was that I would not learn to know Christ, my saviour and redeemer. But when God, of his mere goodness, had thus opened mine eyes and made me see and behold Christ ─ the wisdom of God, the light of the world ─ with a supernatural sight of faith; all pleasures, vanities, honour, riches, wealth and aids of the world began to wax bitter unto me. Then I knew it was no illusion of the devil, nor false nor human doctrine I had received, when such success came thereof: that I had in detestation and horror, that which I erste so much loved and esteemed, being of God forbidden, that we should love the world or the vain pleasures and shadows in the same.

Then began I to perceive that Christ was my only saviour and redeemer, and the same doctrine to be all divine, holy and heavenly, infused by grace into the hearts of the faithful; which never can be attained by human doctrine, wit, nor reason, although they should travail and labour for the same to the end of the world. Then began I to dwell in God by charity, knowing, by the loving charity of God in the remission of my sins, that God is charity, as Saint John saith; so that of my faith (whereby I came to know God, and whereby it pleased God even because I trusted in him, to justify me) sprang this excellent charity in my heart.

I think no less but many will wonder and marvel at this, my saying that I never knew Christ for my saviour and redeemer, until this time; for many have this opinion, saying ‘Who knoweth not there is a Christ? Who, being a Christian, doth not confess him his saviour?’ And thus, believing their dead, human, historical faith and knowledge (which they have learned in their scholastical books) to be the true infused faith and knowledge of Christ ─ which may be had (as I said before) with all sin ─ they use to say by their own experience of themselves that their faith doth not justify them. And true it is, except they have this faith, the which I have declared here before: they shall never be justified. And yet it is not false that by faith only I am sure to be justified. Even this is the cause that so many impugn this office and duty of true faith: because so many lack the true faith. And even as the faithful are forced to allow true faith, so the unfaithful can in no wise probably entreat thereof: the one feeling in himself that he saith, the other having not in him for to say.

I have certainly no curious learning to defend this matter withal, but a simple zeal and earnest love to the truth, inspired of God, who promiseth to pour his Spirit upon all flesh; which I have by the grace of God (whom I most humbly honour) felt in myself to be true. Let us therefore now, I pray you, by faith, behold and consider the great charity and goodness of God in sending his Son to suffer death for our redemption when we were his mortal enemies, and after what sort and manner he sent him.