honour due unto him. Moreover, when by this faith we believe that we are freely reconciled to God through Christ, who gave himself up entirely to become a servant unto our salvation, then also, in like manner, we are enabled to become servants unto our neighbour; and thus again we “render to every one of his own." But unto this righteousness of the heart we shall never attain, by any strivings of our own free-will, or by any powers or merits of our own. For, as no one but God himself can implant in the heart that vital energy, faith, so no one can expel from himself that enmity, the unbelief of the heart; it is the work of the grace and Spirit of God only; so utterly impossible is it to deliver ourselves from one sin by our own powers. How specious a show soever, therefore, external works may carry with them, yet, whatever is not of faith is hypocrisy and sin.

And, finally, concerning the terms Flesh, and Spirit, which so often occur in this epistle.-By Flesh you are not to understand, in the common sense of the term, desires and lusts only. Nor by Spirit are you to understand those things only that are carried on in the internal recesses of the mind and heart. According to the apostle, and Christ himself, John iii., you are to understand by flesh "whatsoever is born of the flesh:" that is, the whole man, his body, his soul, and his whole reason, together with all its greatest and best faculties: because all these faculties savour of nothing but flesh and seek nothing but what is carnal. You are to consider flesh whatever is without the Spirit of God, even though it be thinking or speaking of God, or faith, or any spiritual things. You are to call flesh, all works, how good and holy soever in appearance, that are done without the grace and motions of the Holy Spirit in the heart. This is clear from Gal. v., where the apostle enumerates, among the fruits of the flesh, heresies, and divisions. And, Rom. viii. he saith, the law was weak through the flesh which is to be understood, not of lust only, but of the whole enmity and depravity of nature; and, in one

word, of unbelief, which is the grand secret spring of all sin, yea, the greatest of all sins.

On the contrary, by Spirit, you are to understand spiritual things, even external works, when they proceed from the spiritual man, or from the heart renewed by the Holy Spirit. That washing of the feet which Christ did before his disciples was Spirit, although an external work. The fishing of Peter was Spirit, to which he returned after he was justified by the Spirit.-Flesh, therefore, is whatever a man does seeking and savouring of carnal things. Spirit, is whatever a man does, either within or without, exercising faith and love, and seeking spiritual things.

Unless you understand all these terms, you will comprehend neither this Epistle of St. Paul, nor the other books of the holy scriptures. And therefore, what authors soever they may be who use these terms in any other sense, be thou in nothing moved with such authority of men, but shun them all as a contagious pestilence.

THE USE OF THE LAW.

GALATIANS iii. 19.

Wherefore then serveth the Law? It was added because of transgressions.

As things are divers and distinct, so the uses of them are divers and distinct: therefore, they may not be confounded for if they be, there must needs be a confusion of the things also. A woman may not wear a man's apparel, nor a man a woman's attire. Let a man do the works that belong to a man, and a woman the works that belong to a woman. Let every man do that which his vocation and office requireth. Let pastors and preachers teach the Word of God purely. Let magistrates govern their subjects, and let subjects obey their magistrates. Let every thing serve in his due place and

order. Let the sun shine by day, and the moon and stars by night. Let the sea give fishes; the earth grain; the woods wild beasts and trees, &c. In like manner let not the law usurp the office and use of another; that is to say, of justification; but let it leave this only to grace, to the promise, and to faith. What is then the office of the law?-Transgressions. Or else (as he saith in another place), "The law entered that sin should abound." A goodly office forsooth! "The law (saith he) was added because of transgressions:" that is to say, it was added besides and after the promise, until Christ, the "seed," should come unto whom it was promised.

OF THE DOUBLE USE OF THE LAW.

Here you must understand, that there is a double use of the law. One is civil. For God hath ordained civil laws, yea, all laws, to punish transgresions. Every law then is given to restrain sin. If it restrain sin, then, it maketh men righteous!-No! nothing less! For in that I do not kill, I do not commit adultery, I do not steal; or, in that I abstain from other sins, I do it not willingly, or for the love of virtue, but I fear the prison, the sword, and the hangman. These do bridle and restrain me that I sin not; as bonds and chains restrain a lion or a bear, that he tear and devour not every thing that he meeteth. Therefore, the restraining from sin is not righteousness, but rather, a signification of unrighteousness. For as a mad or wild beast is bound, lest he should destroy every thing that he meeteth; even so, the law doth bridle a mad and furious man, that he sin not after his own lust. This restraint sheweth plainly enough, that they which have need of the law (as all they have which are without Christ,) are not righteous; but rather, wicked and mad men; whom it is necessary by the bonds and prison of the law, so to bridle, that they sin not. Therefore, the law justifieth not!

The first use then of the law is, to bridle the wicked. For the devil reigneth throughout the whole world, and enforceth men to all kinds of horrible wickedness. There

fore, God hath ordained magistrates, parents, ministers, laws, bonds, and all civil ordinances, that if they can do no more, yet, at the least, they may bind the devil's hands, that he rage not in his bond slaves after his own lust. Like as therefore they that are possessed, in whom the devil mightily reigneth, are kept in bonds and chains lest they should hurt others; even so, in the world, which is possessed of the devil and carried headlong into all kinds of wickedness, the magistrate is present with his bonds and chains, that is to say, with his laws, binding his hands and feet, that he run not headlong into all kinds of mischief. And if he suffer not himself to be bridled after this sort, then he loseth his head. This civil restraint is very necessary and appointed of God; as well for public peace, as also for the preservation of all things; but especially, lest the course of the Gospel should be hindered by the tumults and seditions of wicked, outrageous, and proud men. But Paul entreateth not here of this civil use and office of the law. It is indeed very necessary, but it justifieth not. For as a possessed or a mad man is not therefore free from the snares of the devil, or well in his mind, because he hath his hands and his feet bound, and can do no hurt; even so, the world, although it be bridled by the law from outward wickedness and mischief, yet it is not therefore righteous, but still continueth wicked. Yea, this restraint sheweth plainly, that the world is wicked and outrageous, stirred up and enforced to all wickedness by his prince the devil: for otherwise, it need not to be bridled by laws that it should not sin.

Another use of the law is divine and spiritual: which is, as Paul saith, to "increase transgressions:" that is to say, to reveal unto a man his sin, his blindness, his misery, his impiety, ignorance, hatred, and contempt of God, death, hell, and the judgment, and the deserved wrath of God. Of this use, the Apostle treateth notably in the seventh to the Romans. This is altogether unknown to hypocrites, to the Popish sophisters, and school-divines; and to all that walk in the opinion of

the righteousness of the law, or of their own righteousness. But, to the end that God might bridle and beat down this monster and this mad beast (I mean the presumption of man's righteousness and religion, which naturally maketh men proud, and puffeth them up in such sort that they think themselves thereby to please God highly), it behoved him to send some Hercules, which might set upon this monster with all force and courage, to overthrow him and utterly to destroy him: that is to say, he was constrained to give a law in Mount Sinai, with so great majesty, and with so terrible a show, that the whole multitude was astonished, Exod. xix. and xx.

This, as it is the proper and principal use of the law, so is it very profitable and also most necessary. For if any be not a murderer, an adulterer, a thief, and outwardly refrain from sin, as the pharisee did which is mentioned in the Gospel, he would swear (because he is possessed with the devil,) that he is righteous and therefore, he continueth an opinion of righteousness, and presumeth of his good works and merits. Such a one, God cannot otherwise mollify and humble, that he may acknowledge his misery and damnation, but by the law. For that is the hammer of death, the thundering of hell, and lightning of God's wrath, that beateth to powder the obstinate and senseless hypocrites. Wherefore, this is the proper and true use of the law-by lightning, by tempest, and by sound of the trumpet (as in Mount Sinai), to terrify; and, by thundering, to beat down and rend in pieces that beast, which is called the opinion of righteousness! Therefore, saith God by Jeremiah the prophet, "My word is a hammer breaking rocks." For as long as the opinion of righteousness abideth in man, so long there abideth also in him incomprehensible pride, presumption, security, hatred of God, contempt of his grace and mercy, and ignorance of the promises and of Christ. The preaching of the remission of sins through Christ cannot enter into the head of such a one, neither can he feel any taste or savour thereof.