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unto us, spíritually, to the end that we may increase in faith, and in the knowledge of him, that the conscience may apprehend him more fully and perfectly from day to day, and that the law of the flesh and of sin, with the terror of death and all evils that the law bringeth with it, may be daily diminished in us more and more. As long then as we live in the flesh which is not without sin, the law oftentimes returneth and doth his office, in one more and in another less, as their faith is strong or weak; and yet, not to their destruction, but to their salvation. For this is the exercise of the law in the saints; namely, the continual mortification of the flesh, of reason, and of our own strength, and the daily renewing of our inward man, as it is said in 2 Cor. iv.

We receive then the first-fruits of the Spirit: the leaven is hid in the mass of the dough, but all the dough is not yet leavened: now it is yet, but only begun to be leavened. If I behold the leaven, I see nothing else but pure leaven. But if I behold the whole mass, I see that it is not all pure leaven: that is to say, if I behold Christ, I am altogether pure and holy, knowing nothing at all of the law, for Christ is my leaven. But if I behold my own flesh, I feel in myself covetousness, lust, anger, pride, and arrogancy; also, the fear of death, heaviness, hatred, murmuring and impatiency against God. The more these sins are in me, the more Christ is absent from me; or, if he be present, he is felt but a little. Here, we have need of a schoolmaster to exercise and vex this strong ass the flesh, that, by this exercise, sins may be diminished, and a way prepared unto Christ. For as Christ came once, corporally, at the time appointed, abolished the whole law, vanquished sin, and destroyed death and hell; even so, he cometh, spiritually, without ceasing, and daily quencheth and killeth those sins in us. ¡

This I say, that thou mayest be able to answer if any shall thus object, Christ came into the world, and at once took away all our sins and cleansed us by his blood; what need we, then, to hear the Gospel or receive the sacraments. True it is, that, inasmuch as thou

beholdest Christ, the law and sin are quite abolished. But Christ is not yet come unto thee; or, if he be come, yet, notwithstanding, there are remnants of sin in thee; thou art not yet thoroughly leavened. For where concupiscence, heaviness of spirit, and fear of death is, there is yet also the law and sin. Christ is not yet thoroughly come; but when he cometh indeed, he driveth away fear and heaviness, and bringeth peace and quietness of conscience. So far forth then as I do apprehend Christ by faith, so much is the law abolished in me. But my flesh, the world, and the devil, do hinder faith in me that it cannot be perfect. Right gladly I would, that that little light of faith which is in my heart were spread throughout all my body and all the members thereof; but it is not to be done; it is not by-and-by spread, but only beginneth to be spread. In the mean season, this is our consolation, that we who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, do now begin to be leavened. But we shall be thoroughly leavened, when this body of sin is dissolved, and we shall rise new creatures, wholly, together with Christ.

Albeit then that Christ be one and the same yesterday, to-day, and shall be for ever; (Heb. xiii. 8.) and albeit that all the faithful which were before Christ, had the Gospel and faith; yet, notwithstanding, Christ came once in the time before determined. Faith also came once when the apostles preached, and published the Gospel throughout the world. Moreover, Christ cometh also spiritually, every day. Faith likewise cometh daily by the word of the Gospel. Now when faith is come, the schoolmaster is constrained to give place with his heavy and grievous office. Christ cometh also, spiritually, when we still more and more do know and understand those things which by him are given unto us, and increase in grace and in the knowledge of him, 2 Pet. iii.

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CONTINUANCE OF THE LAW.

GALATIANS iii. 19.

"Until the seed came unto which the promise was made."

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Paul maketh not the law perpetual, but he saith that it was given and added to the promise "for transgressions; that is to say, to restrain them civilly; but especially, to reveal and to increase them spiritually; and that, not continually, but for a time. Here it is necessary to know, how long the power and tyranny of the law ought to endure which discovereth sin, sheweth unto us what we are, and revealeth the wrath of God. They whose hearts are touched with an inward feeling of these matters, should suddenly perish if they should not receive comfort. Therefore, if the days of the law should not be shortened, no man should be saved. A time, therefore, must be set, and bounds limited to the law, beyond the which it may not reign. How long then ought the dominion of the law to endure? "Until the seed come:" to wit, that seed of which it is written, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." The tyranny of the law then must so long continue, until the fulness of time, and until that seed of the blessing come. Not to the end that the law should bring this seed, or give righteousness; but that it should civilly restrain the rebellious and obstinate, and shut them up as it were in prison; and then, spiritually, should reprove them of sin, humble them and terrify them; and when they are thus humbled and beaten down, it should constrain them to look up to that blessed seed.

We may understand the continuance of the law, both according to the letter, and also spiritually. According to the letter, thus:-that the law continued until the time of grace. "The law and the prophets (saith Christ) prophesied until John. From the time of John until this day the kingdom of heaven suffereth

violence, and the violent take it by force," Matt. xi. 12, 13. In this time, Christ was baptized and began to preach. At what time also, (after the letter) the law and all the ceremonies of Moses ceased.'

Spiritually, the law must be thus understood,-that it ought not to reign in the conscience, any longer than to the appointed time of the blessed seed. When the law sheweth unto me my sin, terrifieth me, and revealeth the wrath and judgment of God, so that I begin to tremble and to despair, there hath the law his bounds, his time, and his end limited; so that now, he ceaseth to exercise his tyranny any more. For when he hath done his office sufficiently, he hath revealed the wrath of God, and terrified enough. Here we must say, 'Now leave off, law: thou hast done enough: thou hast terrified and tormented me enough.' "All thy floods have run over me, and thy terrors have troubled me. Lord, turn not away thy face in thy wrath from thy servant. Rebuke me not, I beseech thee, in thine anger," &c. (Ps. xlii. 7, lxix. 2, xxvi. 9.). When these terrors and troubles come, then is the time and the hour of the blessed seed come. Let the law then give place; which, indeed, is added to reveal and to increase transgressions, and yet, no longer than until that blessed seed be come. When it is come, then let the law leave off to reveal sin, and to terrify any more, and let him deliver up his kingdom to another; that is to say, to the blessed seed, which is Christ; who hath gracious lips, wherewith he accuseth and terrifieth not, but speaketh of far better things than doth the law ; namely of grace, peace, forgiveness of sins, victory over sin, death, the devil, and damnation, gotten by his death and passion unto all believers.

Paul therefore sheweth by these words, "Until the seed should come unto whom the blessing was promised," how long the law should endure, literally, and spiritually. According to the law, it ceased after the blessed seed came into the world, taking upon him our flesh, giving the Holy Ghost, and writing a new law in our hearts. But the spiritual time of the law, doth not end at once, but continueth fast rooted in the conscience.

Therefore it is a hard matter for a man which is exercised with the spiritual use of the law, to see the end of the law. For in these terrors and feeling of sin, the mind cannot conceive this hope that God is merciful, and that he will forgive sins for Christ's sake; but it judgeth only that God is angry with sinners, and that he accuseth and condemneth them. If faith come not here to raise up again the troubled and afflicted conscience, or ⚫ else (according to that saying of Christ," Where two or three be gathered together in my name," &c.) there be some faithful brother at hand that may comfort him, by the word of God, which is so oppressed and beaten down by the law, desperation and death must needs follow. There, it is perilous for a man to be alone; "Wo be to him that is alone (saith the preacher;) for when he falleth, he hath none to raise him up." Wherefore, they that ordained that cursed monkish solitary life, gave occasion to many thousands to despair. If a man should separate himself from the company of others for a day or two, to be occupied in prayer, (as we read of Christ, that sometime he went aside alone into the mount, and by night continued in prayer,) there were no danger therein. But when they constrained men continually to live a solitary life, it was a device of the devil himself. For when a man is tempted and is alone, he is not able to raise up himself, no not in the least temptation that can be.

RIGHTEOUSNESS AND JUSTIFICATION
BY FAITH.

GALATIANS iii. 6.

"As Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness."

The apostle now addeth the example of Abraham, and rehearseth the testimony of the scripture. The first is out of Gen. xv. 6. "Abraham believed God," &c. This place the apostle here mightily prosecuteth, as also he did in his Epistle to the Romans; "If Abraham

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