fallen away from faith, an evil spirit entereth again into the house, out of the which he was driven, and taketh unto him seven worse spirits than himself, and there dwelleth: and then the latter end of that man is worse than the beginning," (Luke xi. 26.)

Let us therefore receive this most sweet doctrine and full of comfort, with thanksgiving, and with an assured faith, which teacheth that Christ being made a curse for us, (that is, a sinner subject to the wrath of God,) did put upon him our person, and laid our sins upon his own shoulders, saying, I have committed the sins which all men have committed. Therefore he was made a curse indeed according to the law, not for himself, but, as Paul saith, for us. For unless he had taken upon himself my sins

and thine, and the sins of the whole world, the law had had no right over him, which condemneth none but sinners only, and holdeth them under the curse. Wherefore he could neither have been made a curse nor die, since the only cause of the curse and of death is sin, from the which he was free. But because he had taken upon him our sins, not by constraint, but of his own good will, it behoved him to bear the punishment and wrath of God: not for his own person (which was just and invincible, and therefore could be found in no wise guilty) but for our person.

So making a happy change with us, he took upon him our sinful person, and gave unto us his innocent and victorious person: wherewith we being now clothed, are freed from the curse of the law. For Christ was willingly made a curse for us, saying, as touching my own person, I am blessed, and need nothing. But I will abase myself, and will put upon me your person, (Phil. ii. 7.) that is to say, your human nature, and I will walk in the same among you, and will suffer death, to deliver you from death. Now, he thus bearing the sin of the whole world in our person, was taken, suffered, was crucified and put to death, and became a curse for us. But because he was a person divine and everlasting, it was impossible that death should hold him. Wherefore he rose again the third day from death, and now liveth for ever: and there is neither sin nor death found in him any more, but mere righteousness, life, and everlasting blessedness.

This image and this mirror we must have continually before us, and behold the same with a stedfast eye of faith. He that doth so, hath this innocency and victory of Christ, although he be never so great a sinner. By faith only therefore we are made righteous, for faith layeth hold upon this innocency and this victory of Christ. Look then how much thou believest this, so much thou dost enjoy it. If thou believe sin, death, and the curse to be abolished, they are abolished. For Christ hath overcome and taken away these in himself, and will have us to believe, that like as in his own person there is now no sin nor death, even so there is none in ours, seeing he hath performed and accomplished all things for us. Wherefore, if sin vex thee, and death terrify thee, think that it

is (as it is indeed) but an imagination, and a false illusion of the devil. For in very deed there is now no sin, no curse, no death, no devil, to hurt us any more, for Christ hath vanquished and abolished all these things. Therefore, the victory of Christ is most certain, and there is no defect in the thing itself, (since it is most true,) but in our incredulity: for to reason it is a hard matter to believe these inestimable good things and unspeakable riches. Moreover, Satan, with his fiery darts, and his ministers, with their wicked and false doctrine, go about to wrest from us and utterly to deface this doctrine; and specially for this article, which we so diligently teach, we sustain the hatred and cruel persecution of Satan and of the world; for Satan feeleth the power and fruit of this article.

And that there is no more sin, death, or malediction, since Christ now reigneth, we daily confess also in the creed of the apostles, when we say: "I believe that there is a holy church." Which indeed is nothing else but as if we should say: I believe that there is no sin, no malediction, no death in the church of God. For they which do believe in Christ, are no sinners, are not guilty of death, but are holy and righteous, lords over sin and death, and living for ever. But faith only seeth this: for we say, I believe that there is a holy church. But if thou believe reason and thine own eyes, thou wilt judge clean contrary; for thou seest many things in the godly which offend thee. Thou seest them sometimes to fall into sin, and to be weak in faith; to be subject unto wrath, envy, and such other evil affections: therefore the church is not holy. I deny the consequence. If I look upon mine own person, or the person of my brother, it shall never be holy. But if I behold Christ, who hath sanctified and cleansed his church, then is it altogether holy: for he hath taken away the sins of the whole world.

Con

Therefore, where sins are seen and felt, then are they indeed no sins; for, according to Paul's divinity, there is no sin, no death, no malediction any more in the world, but in Christ, who is the Lamb of God that hath taken away the sins of the world: who is made a curse, that he might deliver us from the curse. trariwise, according to philosophy and reason, sin, death, and the curse, are no where else but in the world, in the flesh, or in sinners. For a sophistical divine can speak no otherwise of sin, than doth the heathen philosopher. Like as the colour, saith he, cleaveth in the wall, even so doth sin in the world, in the flesh, or in the conscience: therefore it is to be purged by contrary operations, to wit, by charity. But the true divinity teacheth that there is no sin in the world any more: for Christ, upon whom the Father hath cast the sins of the whole world, hath vanquished and killed the same in his own body. (Isa. liii. 6.) He once dying for sin, and raised up again, dieth no more. Therefore, wheresoever is a true faith in Christ, there sin is abolished, dead, and buried. But where no faith in Christ is, there sin doth still

remain. And albeit the remnants of sin be as yet in the saints, because they believe not perfectly, yet are they dead, in that they are not imputed unto them because of their faith in Christ.

This is therefore a strong and a mighty arguinent, which Paul here prosecuteth against the righteousness of works. It is not the law nor works that do deliver us from the everlasting curse, but Christ alone. See therefore, good Christian reader, I beseech thee, that thou distinguish Christ from the law, and diligently mark how Paul speaketh, and what he saith. "All," saith he, "which do not fulfil the law, are necessarily under the curse. But no man fulfilleth the law: therefore all men are under the curse." He addeth moreover another proposition-“Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: therefore it followeth, that the law and works do not redeem us from the curse, but bring us rather under the curse." Charity therefore (which, as the schoolmen say, giveth form and perfection unto faith) hath not only not redeemed us from the curse, but rather it wrappeth us more and more in the curse.

This text then is plain, that all men, yea, the apostles, prophets and patriarchs had remained under the curse, if Christ had not set himself against sin, death, the curse of the law, the wrath and judgment of God, and overcome them in his own body: for no power of flesh and blood could overcome these huge and hideous monsters. But now, Christ is not the law, or the work of the law, but a divine and human person, which took upon him sin, the condemnation of the law and death, not for himself, but for us: therefore all the weight and force hereof consisteth in this word, "for us.”

We must not then imagine Christ to be innocent, and as a private person (as do the schoolmen, and almost all the fathers have done) which is holy and righteous for himself only. True it is indeed that Christ is a person most pure and unspotted: but thou must not stay there: for thou hast not yet Christ, although thou know him to be God and man; but then thou hast him indeed, when thou believest that this most pure and innocent son is freely given unto thee of the Father, to be thy highpriest and Saviour, yea, rather thy servant, that he, putting off his innocency and holiness, and taking thy sinful person upon him, might bear thy sin, thy death, and thy curse, and might be made a sacrifice and a curse for thee, that by this means he might deliver thee from the curse of the law.

per

Ye see then with what an apostolic spirit Paul handleth this argument of the blessing of the curse, whilst he not only maketh Christ subject to the curse, but saith also that he is made a curse. So in 2 Cor. v. he calleth him sin, when he saith: "he hath made him to be sin for us, which knew no sin, that we should be made the righteousness of God in him." And although these sentences may be well expounded after this manner: Christ is made a curse. that is to say, à sacrifice for the curse; and sin, that is, a sucri

fice for sin: yet in my judgment it is better to keep the proper signification of the words, because there is a greater force and vehemency therein. For when a sinner cometh to the knowledge of himself indeed, he feeleth not only that he is miserable, but misery itself: not only that he is a sinner, and is accursed, but even sin and malediction itself. For it is a terrible thing to bear sin, the wrath of God, malediction and death. Wherefore that man which hath a true feeling of these things (as Christ did truly and effectually feel them for all mankind) is made even sin, death, malediction, &c.

Paul therefore handleth this place with a true apostolical spirit. There is neither sophister, nor lawyer, nor Jew, nor Anabaptist, nor any other that speaketh as he doth. For who durst allege this place out of Moses: "accursed is every one that hangeth on a tree," and apply it unto Christ? Like as Paul then applied this sentence to Christ, even so may we apply it unto Christ, not only that whole twenty-seventh chapter of Deuteronomy, but also may gather all the curses of Moses' law together, and expound the same of Christ. For as Christ is innocent in this general law, touching his own person: so is he also in all the rest. And as he is guilty in this general law, in that he is made a curse for us, and is hanged upon the cross as a wicked man, a blasphemer, a murderer, and a traitor: even so is he also guilty in all others. For all the curses of the law are heaped together and laid upon him, and therefore he did bear and suffer them in his own body for us. He was therefore not only accursed, but also was made a curse for us.

This is to interpret the scriptures truly and like an apostle. For a man is not able to speak after this manner without the Holy Ghost: that is to say, to comprehend the whole law in this one saying, "Christ is made a curse for us," and lay the same altogether upon Christ: and contrariwise to comprehend all the promises of the scripture, and say, that they are all at once fulfilled in Christ. Wherefore this is indeed an apostolic and invincible argument, not taken out of one place of the law, but out of the whole law: which Paul also useth as a sure ground.

Here we may see with what diligence Paul read the holy scriptures, and how exactly he weighed every word of this place, "in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." First, out of this word blessing he gathereth this argument: if blessing shall be given unto all nations, then are all nations under the curse, yea, the Jews also, who have the law. And he allegeth a testimony of the scripture, whereby he proveth that all the Jews which are under the law, are under the curse; "cursed is every one that abideth not in all the things that are written in this book."

Moreover, he diligently weigheth this clause: "all nations," Out of the which he gathereth thus: that the blessing belongeth not only to the Jews, but also to all the nations of the whole

world. Seeing then it belongeth to all nations, it is impossible that it should be obtained through the law of Moses, forasmuch as there was no nation that had the law, but only the Jews. And although they had the law, yet were they so far off from obtaining the blessing through it, that the more they endeavoured to accomplish it, the more they were subject to the curse of the law. Wherefore there must needs be another righteousness, which must be far more excellent than the righteousness of the law, through the which, not only the Jews, but also all nations throughout the whole world, must obtain the blessing.

Finally, these words, "in thy seed," he expoundeth after this manner: that a certain man should issue out of the seed of Abraham, that is to say, Christ, through whom the blessing should come afterwards upon all nations. Seeing therefore it was Christ that should bless all nations, it was he also that should take away the curse from them. But he could not take it away by the law, for by the law it is more and more increased. What did he then? He joined himself to the company of the accursed, taking unto him their flesh and blood, and so set himself for a mediator between God and men, saying, although I be flesh and blood, and now dwell among the accursed, yet notwithstanding I am that blessed one, through whom all men must be blessed. So in one person he joineth God and man together, and being united unto us which were accursed, he was made a curse for us, and hid his blessing in our sin, in our death, and in our curse, which condemned him and put him to death. But because he was the Son of God, he could not be holden of them, but overcame them, led them captive and triumphed over them: and whatsoever did hang upon the flesh, which for our sake he took upon him, he carried it with him. Wherefore all they that cleave unto this flesh, are blessed and delivered from the curse, that is, from sin and everlasting death.

They that understand not this benefit of Christ (whereof the gospel especially entreateth) and know not another righteousness besides the righteousness of the law, when they hear that the works of the law are not necessary to salvation, but that men do obtain the same by only hearing and believing that Christ the Son of God hath taken upon him our flesh, and joined himself to the accursed, to the end that all nations might be blessed, they, I say, are offended: for of all this they understand nothing, or else they understand it carnally. For their minds are occupied with other cogitations and fantastical imaginations: therefore these things seem unto them strange matters. Yea, even unto us which have received the first fruits of the spirit, it is impossible to understand these things perfectly; for they mightily fight against reason.

To conclude, all evils should have overwhelmed us, as they shall overwhelm the wicked for ever; but Christ being made