tilent beast reason, I say, being once slain, all outward and gross vices should be nothing.

Wherefore, we must first and before all things go about by faith to kill infidelity, the contempt and hating of God, and murmuring against his judgment, his wrath, and all his words and works. For then do we kill reason, which can be killed by none other means, but by faith which, in believing God, giveth unto him his glory, notwithstanding that he speaketh those things which seem both foolish, absurd, and impossible unto reason notwithstanding also, that God setteth forth himself otherwise than reason is able either to judge or to conceive: that is to say, after this manner:

- I will account and pronounce thee as righteous, not for the keeping of the law, not for thy works and thy merits, but for thy faith in Jesus Christ mine only begotten Son, who was born, suffered, was crucified, and died for thy sins; and that sin which remaineth in thee, I will not impute unto thee. If reason, then, be not killed, and all kinds of religion, and all services of God under heaven that are invented by men to get righteousness before God, be not condemned, the righteousness of faith cannot take place.

When reason heareth this, by-and-by it is offended; it rageth and uttereth all her malice against God; saying, Are then my good works nothing? Have I then laboured and borne the heat of the day in vain? (Matt. xx. 11.) Hereof ariseth those uproars of nations, of kings and princes against the Lord and against his Christ (Psalm ii.) For the world neither will nor can suffer that his wisdom, righteousness, religions, and worshippings, should be reproved and condemned. The Pope with all his Popish rabblement will not seem to err, much less will he suffer himself to be condemned.

Wherefore, let those which give themselves to the study of the Holy Scripture, learn out of it this saying, "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness," to set forth truly and rightly this true Christian righteousness after this manner;that it is a faith and confidence in the Son of God; or rather, a

confidence of the heart in God through Jesus Christ And let them add this clause as a difference, which faith and confidence is accounted righteousness for Christ's sake. For these two things, as I said before, work Christian righteousness; namely, faith in the heart which is a gift of God and assuredly believeth in Christ; and also, that God accepteth this imperfect faith for perfect righteousness for Christ's sake, in whom I have begun to believe. Because of this faith in Christ, God seeth not my doubting of his good-will towards me, my distrust, my heaviness of spirit, and other sins which are yet in me. For as long as I live in the flesh, sin is truly in me. But because I am covered under the shadow of Christ's wings, as is the chicken under the wing of the hen, and dwell without all fear under that most ample and large heaven of the forgiveness of sins which is spread over me, God covereth and pardoneth the remnant of sin in me; that is to say, because of that faith wherewith I began to lay hold upon Christ, he accepteth my imperfect righteousness even for perfect righteousness, and counteth my sin for no sin, which, notwithstanding, is sin indeed."

So we shroud ourselves under the covering of Christ's flesh; who is "our cloudly pillar for the day, and our pillar of fire for the night (Exod. xiii. 21,) lest God should see our sin. And although we see it, and for the same do feel the terrors of conscience, yet, fleeing unto Christ our Mediator and Reconciler, through whom we are made perfect, we are sure and safe. For as all things are in him, so, through him, we have all things, who also doth supply whatsoever is wanting in us. When we believe this, God winketh at the sins and remnants of sin yet sticking in our flesh, and so covereth them as if they were no sins. Because (saith he) thou believest in my Son, although thou have many sins; yet, notwithstanding, they shall be forgiven thee, until thou be clean delivered from them by death.

Let Christians learn with all diligence to understand this article of Christian righteousness. And to this end, let them read Paul, and read him again both often and

with great diligence, and let them compare the first with the last, yea, let them compare Paul wholly and fully with himself; then shall they find it to be true, that Christian righteousness consisteth in these two things, namely, in faith which giveth glory unto God, and in God's imputation. For faith is weak, as I have said, and therefore God's imputation must needs be joined withal; that is to say, that God will not lay to our charge the remnant of sin; that he will not punish it nor condemn us for it; but will cover it and freely forgive it, as though it were nothing at all; not for our sake, nor for our worthiness and works, but for Jesus Christ's sake in whom we believe.

Thus a Christian man is both righteous and a sinner, holy and profane, an enemy of God and yet a child of God. These contraries no sophister will admit, for they know not the true manner of justification. And this was the cause why they constrained men to work well so long, until they should feel in themselves no sin at all. Whereby they gave occasion to many, (which striving with all their endeavour to be perfectly righteous could not attain thereunto,) to become stark mad. Yea, an infinite number also of those which were the authors of this devilish opinion, at the hour of death, were driven to desperation. Which thing had happened unto me also, if Christ had not mercifully looked upon me and delivered me out of this terror.

Contrariwise, we teach and comfort the afflicted sinner after this manner. Brother, it is not possible for thee to become so righteous in this life, that thou shouldst feel no sin at all, that thy body should be clear like the sun without spot or blemish, but thou hast yet wrinkles and spots, and yet art thou holy notwithstanding. But thou wilt say, how can I be holy when I have and feel sin in me? I answer: in that thou dost feel and acknowledge thy sin, it is a good token; give thanks to God, and despair not. It is one step of health, when the sick man doth acknowledge and confess his infirmity. But how shall I be delivered from sin? Run to Christ the physician, which healeth them that are broken in

heart, and saveth sinners. Follow not the judgment of reason, which telleth thee that he is angry with sinners, but kill reason and believe in Christ. If thou believe, thou art righteous; because thou givest glory to God, that he is almighty, merciful, true, &c. and thou justifiest and praisest God. To be brief, thou yieldest unto him his divinity, and whatsoever else belongeth unto him. And the sin which remaineth in thee is not laid to thy charge, but is pardoned for Christ's sake in whom thou believest; who is perfectly just, whose righteousness is thy righteousness, and thy sin his sin.

Here we see, that every Christian is an high-priest. For first, he offereth up and killeth his own reason and the wisdom of the flesh. Then, he giveth glory to God, that he is righteous, true, patient, pitiful, and merciful. And this is that daily sacrifice of the New Testament, which must be offered evening and morning. The evening sacrifice, is to kill reason: the morning sacrifice, is to glorify God. Thus a Christian daily and continually is occupied in this double sacrifice, and in the exercise thereof. And no man is able to set forth sufficiently, the excellency and dignity of this Christian Sacrifice.

This is therefore a strange and wonderful definition of Christian righteousness:-that it is the imputation of God for righteousnes, or unto righteousness, because of our faith in Christ, or for Christ's sake. When the popish schoolmen hear this definition, they laugh at it. For they imagine, that righteousness is a certain quality poured into the soul, and afterwards spread into all the parts of man. They cannot put away the vain imaginations of reason; which teacheth, that a right judgment and a good will, or a good intent, is true righteousness. This unspeakable gift, therefore, excelleth all reason;-that God doth account and acknowledge him for righteous, without works, which embraceth his Son by faith alone, who was sent into the world, was born, suffered, and was crucified for us.

This matter, as touching the words, is easy; (to wit,

that righteousness is not essentially inus as the papists reason out of Aristotle, but without us in the grace of God only and in his imputation; and that, there is no essential substance of righteousness in us besides that weak faith or first-fruits of faith, whereby we have begun to apprehend Christ, and yet sin in the mean time remaineth verily in us ;) but, in very deed, it is no small or light matter, but weighty and of great importance. For Christ, which was given for us, and whom we apprehend by faith, hath done no small thing for us, but, as Paul said before, "He hath loved us and given himself in very deed for us. He was made accursed for us, (Gal. ii. 10. iii. 13.) And this is no vain speculation, that Christ was delivered for my sins, and was accursed for me that I might be delivered from everlasting death. Therefore, to apprehend that Son by faith, and with the heart to believe him given unto us (Isaiah ix. 6.) and for us of God, causeth that God doth account that faith, although it be imperfect, for perfect righteousness.

And here, we are altogether in another world far from reason; where we dispute, not what we ought to do, or with what grace we may deserve grace and forgiveness of sins, but we are in a matter of most high and heavenly divinity, where we do hear this Gospel or glad tidings, that Christ died for us, and that we, believing this, are accounted righteous, though sins notwithstanding do remain in us, and that great sins. So our Saviour Christ also defineth the righteousness of faith; "The Father (saith he) loveth you." Wherefore doth he love you? Not because ye were Pharisees unreproveable in the righteousness of the law, circumcised, doing good works, fasting, &c. ; but, because I have chosen you out of the world, and ye have done nothing but that ye have loved me, and believed that I am come out from the Father. This object (I) being sent from the Father, pleased you. And because you have apprehended and embraced this object, therefore, the Father loveth you, and therefore ye please him. And yet, notwithstanding, in another place, he calleth them evil, and