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 "cloudy 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 flying 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 sin. 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 will freely forgive it, as though it were nothing at all; not for our sake, neither 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 sophisters 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 unto desperation: which thing had happened unto me also, if Christ had not mercifully looked upon me, and delivered me out of this

error.

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 as 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 unto 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 unto God, that he is almighty, merciful, true, &c. 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 is his sin.

Here we see that every Christian is a high-priest: for first he offereth up and killeth his own reason, and the wisdom of the flesh: then he giveth glory unto 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 righteousness 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 essentially in us, 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 very 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," &c. (Gal. ii. 20. iii. 13.) And this is no vain specutation, that Christ was delivered for my sins, and was made accursed for me, that I might be delivered from everlasting death. Therefore to apprehend that Son by faith, (Isa. ix. 6.) and with the heart to believe in him given unto us and for us of God, causeth that God doth account that faith, although it be imperfect, for perfect righteousness.

we may

ye

And here we are altogether in another world, far from reason, where we dispute not what we ought to do, or with what works 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 counted 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, unreprovable 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 have loved me and believed that I came out from the Father. This object (I) being sent from the Father into the world, 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 commandeth them to ask forgiveness of their sins. These two things are quite contrary: to wit, that a Christian is righteous and beloved of God, and yet notwithstanding he is a sinner. For God cannot deny his own nature; that is, he must needs hate sin and sinners: and this he doth of necessity, for otherwise he should be unrighteous and love sin. How then can these two contradictions stand together: I am a sinner, and most worthy of God's wrath and indignation; and yet the Father loveth me? Here nothing cometh between, but only Christ the mediator. The Father, saith he, doth not therefore love you because ye are worthy of love, but because ye have loved me, and have believed that I came out from him, (John xvi. 27. John xviii. 8.)

Thus a Christian man abideth in true humility, feeling sin in him effectually, and confessing himself to be worthy of wrath, the judgment of God, and everlasting death for the same, that he may be humbled in this life: and yet notwithstanding he continueth still in his holy pride, in the which he turneth unto Christ, and in him he lifteth up himself against this feeling of God's wrath and judgment, and believeth that, not only the remnants of sin are not imputed unto him, but that also he is loved of the Father, not for his own sake, but for Christ's sake, whom the Father loveth.

Hereby now we may see how faith justifieth without works, and yet notwithstanding, how imputation of righteousness is also

necessary. Sins do remain in us, which God utterly hateth. Therefore it is necessary that we should have imputation of righteousness, which we obtain through Christ and for Christ's sake, who is given unto us and received of us by faith. In the mean time, as long as we live here, we are carried and nourished in the bosom of the mercy and long-sufferance of God, until the body of sin be abolished, and we raised up as new creatures in that great day. Then shall there be new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness shall dwell. In the mean while, under this heaven sin and wicked men do dwell, and the godly also have sin dwelling in them. For this cause, Paul (Rom. vii.) complaineth of sin which remaineth in the saints: yet notwithstanding he saith afterwards, in the eighth chapter," that there is no damnation to them which are in Christ Jesus." Now, how shall these things, so contrary and repugnant, be reconciled together: that sin in us is no sin? that he which is damnable, shall not be condemned? that he which is rejected, shall not be rejected? that he which is worthy of the wrath of God and everlasting damnation, shall not be punished? The only reconciler hereof is the mediator between God and man, even the man Jesus Christ, as Paul saith: "there is no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus,” (1 Tim. i. 15. Rom. viii. 1.)`

VERSE 7. Know ye therefore, that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.

This is the general argument and whole disputation of Paul against the Jews, that they which believe are the children of Abraham, and not they which are born of his flesh and his blood, (Rom. ix. 7, 8.) This disputation Paul vehemently prosecuteth in this place, and in the fourth and ninth chapters to the Romans. For this was the greatest confidence and glory of the Jews: "we are the seed and children of Abraham." He was circumcised and kept the law: therefore, if we will be the true children of Abraham, we must follow our father, &c. It was, no doubt, an excellent glory and dignity to be the seed of Abraham; for no man could deny but that God spake to the seed, and of the seed of Abraham. But this prerogative nothing profited the unbelieving Jews. By reason whereof Paul, especially in this place, mightily striveth against this argument, and wresteth from the Jews this strong affiance in themselves; and this could he, as the elect vessel of Christ (Acts ix. 15.) do above all other. For if we at the beginning should have disputed with the Jews without Paul, peradventure we should have prevailed very little against them.

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So, when Paul reasoneth against the Jews which stood so proudly in this opinion, that they were the children of Abraham, saying: we are the seed of Abraham." Well, what then? Abraham was circumcised and kept the law: we do the same. All this I grant: but will ye therefore look to be justified and

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saved? Nay, not so. But let us come to the patriarch Abraham himself, and let us see by what means he was justified and saved. Doubtless, not for his excellent virtues and holy works: not because he forsook his country, kindred, and father's house: not because he was circumcised and observed the law: not because he was about to offer up in sacrifice, at the commandment of God, his son Isaac, in whom he had the promise of posterity; but because he believed, (Gen. xii. 1. xvii. 24. xxii. 1, 3.) Wherefore he was not justified by any other means than by faith alone. If ye then will be justified by the law, much more ought Abraham your father to be justified by the law. But Abraham could not otherwise be justified, nor receive forgiveness of sins and the Holy Ghost, than by faith alone. Since this is true by the testimony of the scripture, why stand ye so much upon circumcision and the law, contending that ye have righteousness and salvation thereby, whereas Abraham himself, your father, your fountain and head-spring, of whom ye do so much glory, was justified and saved without these, by faith alone? What can b. said against this argument?

Paul therefore concludeth with this sentence: " they which are of faith, are the children of Abraham," that corporal birth or carnal seed maketh not the children of Abraham before God. As though he would say, there is none before God accounted as the child of this Abraham (who is the servant of God, whom God hath chosen and made righteous by faith) through carnal generation: but such children must be given him before God, as he was a father. But he was a father of faith, was justified and pleased God, not because he could beget children after the flesh, not because he had circumcision and the law, but because be believed in God. He therefore that will be a child of the believing Abraham, must also himself believe, or else he is not a child of the elect, the beloved and the justified Abraham, but only of the begetting Abraham, which is nothing else but a man conceived, born, and wrapped in sin, without the forgiveness of sins, without faith, without the Holy Ghost, as another man is, and therefore condemned. Such also are the children carnally begotten of him, having nothing in them like unto their father, but flesh and blood, sin and death: therefore these are also damned. This glorious boasting then: "we are the seed of Abraham," (John viii. 33, 39.) is to no purpose.

This argument Paul setteth out plainly in the ninth to the Romans, by two examples of the holy scripture. The first is of Ishmael and Isaac, which were both the seed and natural chi!dren of Abraham; and yet, notwithstanding, Ishmael (which was begotten of Abraham, as Isaac was, yea, and should also have been the first begotten, if carnal generation had had any prerogative, or could have made children to Abraham) is shut out. and yet the scripture saith, "in Isaac shall thy seed be called." The second is of Esa 1 and Jacob, who when they were as yet in