nature, grace, working and believing, deeds and faith. Lest we ascribe to the one that which belongeth to the other, and make of Christ, Moses; of the Gospel, the law; despise grace and rob faith; and fall from meek learning into idle despitions, brawling and scolding about words.

The Old Testament is a book, wherein is written the laws of God, and the deeds of them which fulfil them, and of them also which fulfil them not.

The New Testament is a book, wherein are contained the promises of God, and the deeds of them which believe them or believe them not.

Euangelion (that we call the Gospel) is a Greek word and signifieth good, merry, glad, and joyful tidings, that maketh a man's heart glad, and maketh him sing, dance, and leap for joy. As when David had killed Goliath the giant, came glad tidings unto the Jews, that their fearful and cruel enemy was slain, and they delivered out of all danger; for gladness whereof they sung, danced, and were joyful. In like manner is the Euangelion of God, which we call Gospel and the New Testament, joyful tidings, and, as some say, a good hearing, published by the Apostles throughout all the world, of Christ the right David, how that he hath fought with sin, with death, and the devil, and overcome them. Whereby all men that were in bondage to sin, wounded with death, overcome of the devil, are without their own merits or deservings, loosed, justified, restored to life, and saved, brought to liberty and reconciled unto the favour of God, and set at one with him again which tidings as many as believe, laud, praise, and thank God, are glad, sing, and dance for joy.

This Euangelion or Gospel (that is to say, such joyful tidings) is called the New Testament, because as a man, when he shall die, appointeth his goods to be dealt and distributed, after his death, among

them which he nameth to be his heirs: even so Christ, before his death, commanded and appointed that such Euangelion or Gospel or tidings should be declared throughout all the world, and therewith to give unto all that repent and believe all his goods:" that is to say, his life, wherewith he swallowed and devoured up death: his righteousness, wherewith he banished sin his salvation, wherewith he overcame eternal damnation. Now can the wretched man (that knoweth himself to be wrapped in sin, and in danger to death and hell) hear no more joyous a thing than such glad and comfortable tidings of Christ; so that he cannot but be glad and laugh from the low bottom of his heart, if he believe that the tidings are true.

To strengthen such faith with all, God promised this his Euangelion in the Old Testament, by the prophets (as Paul saith, Rom. i.), how that he was chosen out to preach God's Euangelion, which he before had promised by the prophets, in the Scriptures that treat of his Son, which was born of the seed of David. (Gen. iii.) God saith to the serpent, "I will put hatred between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed, that self seed shall tread thy head underfoot." Christ is this woman's seed, he it is that hath trodden underfoot the devil's head, that is to say, sin, death, hell, and all his power. For without this seed can no man avoid sin, death, hell, and everlasting damnation.

Again (Gen. xxii.) God promised Abraham, saying, "In thy seed shall all the generations of the earth be blessed." Christ is that seed of Abraham, saith St. Paul (Gal. iii.) He hath blessed all the world. through the Gospel; for where Christ is not, there remaineth the curse that fell on Adam as soon as he had sinned, so that they are in bondage under the damnation of sin, death, and hell. Against this curse blesseth now the Gospel all the world, inasmuch

as it crieth openly, unto all that knowledge their sins and repent; saying, Whosoever believeth on the seed of Abraham shall be blessed, that is, he shall be delivered from sin, death, and hell, and shall henceforth continue righteous and saved for ever, as Christ himself saith (John, xi.), " He that believeth on me shall never more die."

"The law (saith John, i.) was given by Moses, but grace and verity came by Jesus Christ." The law (whose minister is Moses) was given to bring us unto the knowledge of ourselves, that we might thereby feel and perceive what we are of nature, The law condemneth us and all our deeds, and is called by Paul (2 Cor. iii.) "the ministration of death." For it killeth our consciences and driveth us to desperation, inasmuch as it requireth of us that which is impossible for our nature to do. It requireth of us the deeds of a whole man. It requireth perfect love from the low bottom and ground of the heart, as well in all things which we suffer, as in the things which we do. But saith John, in the same place, "Grace and verity is given us in Christ." So that when the law hath passed upon us, and condemned us to death (which is its nature to do), then have we in Christ grace, that is to say favour, promises of life, of mercy, of pardon, freely by the merits of Christ, and in Christ have we verity and truth, in that God for his sake fulfilleth all his promises to them that believe. Therefore is the Gospel the ministration of life. Paul calleth it in afore-rehearsed place (2 Cor. iii.) the ministration of the spirit and of righteousness. In the Gospel, when we believe the promises, we receive the spirit of life and are justified in the blood of Christ, from all things whereof the law condemned us. And we receive love unto the law and power to fulfil it, and grow therein daily. Of Christ it is written in the fore-rehearsed (John, i.),

"This is he of whose abundance or fulness all we have received grace for grace or favour for favour." That is to say, for the favour that God hath to his Son Christ, he giveth unto us his favour and good will, and all gifts of his grace as a father to his sons: as affirmeth Paul, saying, "which loved us in his Beloved, before the creation of the world." So that Christ bringeth the love of God unto us, and not our own holy works. Christ is made Lord over all, and is called in Scripture God's mercy stool: whosoever, therefore, flieth to Christ, can neither hear nor receive of God any other thing save mercy.

In the Old Testament are many promises, which are nothing else but Euangelion or Gospel, to save those that believed them from the vengeance of the law. And in the New Testament is oft made mention of the law, to condemn them which believe not the promises. Moreover, the law and Gospel may never be separate; for the Gospel and promises serve but for troubled consciences, which are brought to desperation, and feel the pains of hell and death under the law, and are in captivity and bondage under the law. In all my deeds I must have the law before me, to condemn mine unperfectness. For all that I do (be I never so perfect) is yet damnable sin, when it is compared to the law, which requireth the ground and bottom of mine heart. I must therefore have always the law in my sight, that I may be meek in the spirit, and give God all the laud and praise, ascribing to him all righteousness, and to myself all unrighteousness and sin. I must also have the promises before mine eyes, that I despair not, in which promises I see the mercy, favour, and good will of God upon me, in the blood of his Son Christ, which hath made satisfaction for mine unperfectness, and fulfilled for me, that which I could not do.

Here may ye perceive that two manner of people

are scre deceived; first, they which justify themselves with outward deeds, in that they abstain outwardly from that which the law forbiddeth, and do outwardly that which the law commandeth. They compare themselves to open sinners; and in respect of them justify themselves, condemning the open sinners. They set a vail on Moses's face, and see not how the law requireth love from the bottom of the heart, and that love only is the fulfilling of the law. If they did, they would not condemu their neighbours. "Love hideth the multitude of sins," saith St. Peter, in his first Epistle. For whom I love from the deep bottom and ground of mine heart, him condemn I not, neither reckon his sins, but suffer his weakness and infirmity, as a mother the weakness of her son, until he grow up into a perfect man.

Those also are deceived which without all fear of God give themselves unto all manner of vices with full consent, and full delectation, having no respect to the law of God, under whose vengeance they are locked up in captivity; but say, God is merciful and Christ died for us; supposing that such dreaming and imagination is that faith which is so greatly commended in Holy Scripture. Nay, that is not faith, but rather a foolish blind opinion, springing of their own corrupt nature, and is not given them by the Spirit of God, but rather by the spirit of the devil, whose faith, now-a-days, the Papists compare and make equal unto the best trust, confidence and belief that a repenting soul can have in the blood of our Saviour Jesus, unto their own confusion, shame, and uttering what they are within. But true faith (as saith the apostle Paul) is the gift of God, and is given to sinners after the law hath passed upon them, and hath brought their consciences unto the brim of desperation and sorrows of hell.

They that have this right faith consent to the law