After the Gospels, vvhich is a storie of Christ himselfe, and after the Actes of the Apostles, Vvhich is a storie of Christes Church: novv folovv the Epistles of the Apostles, vvhich they vvrote of such matters, as they had then occasion to vvrite of. For being the founders and the Doctors of the Church, they did in their time, as the Doctors that succeded them, did after them: vvho from the beginning vnto this day, haue vvritten Epistles & Bookes against heresies, euer as they arose, and of al other Ecclesiastical matters, as they had occasion ministred vnto them. Of vvhich their doing the Apostles first gaue here the ensample: as also S. Luke in the Actes of the Apostles, led the vvay to al the writers of the Ecclesiastical Historie after him. For al though there be no comparison betvvene them for authoritie, for asmuch as these are Canonical Scripture, and so are not any vvritings of their successors: yet the occasions and matters (as I haue said) are like.

Most of these Epistles are S. Paules Epistles: the rest are called ^note Catholicæ Epistolæ, the Epistles Catholike. For S. Paul vvriteth not any Epistle to al (hovvbeit euery one of them is for al the Church:) but some to particular Churches of the Gentils, as to the Romanes, to the Corinthians, to the Galatians, to the Ephesians, to the Philippians, to the Colo&esset;ians, to the Thessalonians: some to particular persons, as to Timothee, to Tite (vvho vvere Bishops among the Gentiles, to vvit, of Ephesus, and of Crete) and to Philémon, and then one to the Hebrevves, vvho vvere the Ievves of Hierusalem and Iurie. But the Epistles of the other Apostles, that is, of S. Iames, S. Peter, S. Iohn, and S. Iude, are not so intituled to any one Church or person (except S. Iohns tvvo later short Epistles, vvhich yet might not be separated from his first, because they vvere al of one Author) and therefore they are termed Catholike, that is, vniuersal. For so vvriteth S. Iames: To the tvvelue tribes that are in dispersion, greeting. and S. Peter in his first Epistle, thus: To the elect str&abar;gers of the dispersion of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, & Bithynia. in his second, thus: To them that haue obteined equal faith vvith vs. likevvise S. Iude: To them that are in God the father beloued, and in Iesus Christ preserued, and called. S. Iohns first is vvithout title.

Novv, for the occasions of their vvriting, vvhereby vve shal perceiue the matters or arguments that they handle: it must be remembred (as the Storie of that time in the Actes of the Apostles doth at large declare) that the Church then beginning, vvas planted by the Apostles not onely in the Ievves, but also in the Gentiles: yea and specially in the Gentiles. Vvhich thing offended the Ievves many waies. For, they could not abide to see, so much as their owne Countrie to receiue him for Christ, vvhom they had reiected and crucified: much lesse, to see, them preach him to the Gentiles also. that offended euen those Ievves also, that,

beleeued him to be Christ. Hovvbeit such of them as vvere Catholikes, and therefore not obstinat, vvere satisfied vvhen they vnderstood by the Apostles that it vvas Gods pleasure, as Act. 11. vve reade. But others of th&ebar; became heretikes, & preached to the Christian Gentiles, that it vvas necessary for them to receiue also the Ievves religion. Of such vve reade Act. 15. Vnles you be circumcised, you can not be saued. And as these did so preach against the truth, so did the vnchristened Ievves not onely them selues persecute, but also stirre vp the Idolatrous Gentiles euery vvhere to persecute the Christians: by such obstinacie prouoking God to reprobate theire Nation: vvhich yet they thought vnpo&esset;ible to be done, because they vvere the seede of Abraham, and vvere circumcised, and had receiued the Lavv by Moyses. for such carnal respects they trusted in themselues, as though God and Christ vvere vnseparably bound vnto them: attributing also so much to their ovvne workes, (vvhich they thought they did of them selues, being holp&ebar; with the knovvledge of their lavv,) that they vvould not acknovvledge the death of Christ to be necessarie for their saluation: but looked for such a Christ, as should be like other princes of this vvorld, and make them great men temporally.

Herevpon did S. Paul vvrite his Epistles, to shevv both the vocation of the Gentiles, and the reprobation of the Ievves. Moreouer, to admonish both the Christian Gentiles, not to receiue Circumcision and other ceremonies of Moyses lavv, in no vvise: and the Ievves also, not to put their trust in the same, but rather to vnderstand, that novv, Christ being come, they must cease. Againe, to shevv the nece&esset;itie of Christs comming and of his death: that vvithout it, neither the Gentiles could be saued: no nor the Ievves, by no vvorkes that they could doe of them selues, although they vvere also holpen by the Lavv, telling them what vvas good & what vvas bad: for so much as al vvere sinners, and therfore also impotent or infirme: and the Lavv could not take avvay sinne, and infirmitie, and giue strength to fulfil that vvhich it gaue knovvledge of. but this vvas God onely able to doe, and for Christs sake onely vvould he doe it. Therfore it is necessarie for al to beleeue in Christ, and to be made his members, being incorporat into his Body vvhich is his Catholike Church. For so (although they neuer yet did good vvorke, but al il) they shal haue remi&esset;ion of their sinnes, and nevv strength vvithal, to make them able to fulfil the c&obar;ma&ubar;dem&ebar;ts of Gods lavv, yea & their vvorkes after this shal be so gracious in Gods sight, that for them he vvil giue them life euerlasting. This is the nece&esset;itie, this is also the fruite of Christian Religion. And therfore he exhorteth al, both Gentils and Ievves, as to receiue it humbly, so also to perseuêre in it constantly vnto the end, against al seduction of heresie, and against al terror of persecution: and to vvalke al their time in good vvorkes, as novv God hath made them able to doe.

^noteThe same doctrine doth the Catholike Church teach vnto this day most exactly: to vvit, that no vvorkes of the vnbeleeuing or vnbaptized, vvhether they be Ievves or Gentiles, can saue them: no nor of any Heretike, or Schismatike, although he be baptized, because he is not a member of Christ: yea more then that, no vvorke of any that is not a liuely member of Christ, although othervvise he be baptized, and continue vvithin his Church, yet because he is not in grace but in mortal sinne, no vvorke that he doth, is meritorious or able to saue him.

^noteThis very same is S. Paules doctrine: he denieth to the vvorkes of such as haue not the Spirit of Christ, al vertue to iustifie or to saue: neither requireth he a man to haue had knovvledge of the Lavv, or to haue kept it afortime, as though othervvise he might not be saued by Christ: but yet vvhen he is Christened, he requireth of nece&esset;itie, that he keepe Gods commaundements, by auoiding of al sinne, and doing good vvorkes: and to such a mans good vvorkes he attributeth as much vertue as

any Catholike of this time.

Neuerthelesse there vvere certaine at that time (as also al the Heretikes of this our time) vvhom S. Peter termeth vnlearned and vnstable, vvho reading S. Paules Epistles, did misconster his meaning, as though he required not good vvorkes no more after Baptisme, then before Baptisme: but held that onely Faith did iustifie and saue a man. ^{note note} Therevpon the other Apostles vvrote their Epistles, as S. Augustine noteth in these vvordes: Therfore because this opinion (Ad salutem obtinendam sufficere Solam fidem, that onely faith is sufficient to obteine saluation) was then risen: the other Apostolical Epistles, of Peter, Iohn, Iames, Iude, do against it specially direct theire intention: to auouch vehemently, fidem sine operibus nihil prodesse, that faith vvithout vvorkes profiteth nothing, As also Paul him selfe did not define it to be quamlibet fidem, qua in Deum creditur, whatsoeuer maner of faith, vvherevvith vve beleeue in God, but that holesome & expresse Euangelical faith, vvhose vvorkes procede from loue, and the faith (quoth he) that vvorketh by loue. vvherevpon that faith, vvhich some thinke to be sufficient to saluation, he so affirmeth to profite nothing, that he saith, If I should haue al faith so that I could remoue mountaines, and haue not charitie, I am nothing. ^{note note}

He therfore that vvill not erre in this point, nor in any other, reading either S. Paules Epistles, or the rest of the holy Scriptures, must sticke fast to the doctrine of the Catholike Church, vvhich Church S. Paul termeth the piller and ground of the truth: assuring him self that if any thing there sound to him as contrarie herevnto, he faileth of the right sense: and bearing alvvaies in his minde the admonition of S. Peter, saying: As also our most deere brother Paul according to the vvisedom giuen to him, hath vvritten to you: as also in al his Epistles, speaking in them of these things, in the vvhich are certaine things hard to vnderstand, vvhich the vnlearned and vnstable depraue, as also the rest of the Scriptures, to theire ovvne perdition. ^{note note} You therfore brethren, foreknovving, take heede lest ye be led amis by the error of the vnvvise, and fall avvay from your ovvne stedfastnes.

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