The Right Way from Danger of Sin and Vengeance, Chapter 4
CHAP. IIII.
The lawfull vsing of the Lawe is, to force men by feare of their owne deseruings, to flee vntoo Christ in the comfortable light of the gospel.
FOR God whiche of his goodnesse did make thée perfect and pure in thy creation, doth nowe by his rightuous law require of thée suche holinesse and perfection, as is according vntounto that integritie whiche thou then receyuedst of his maiestie. And also be promiseth blessings and life vntounto the kéepers, and threatneth cursings and death vntounto the breakers of this his righteous, good, and perfit lawe. Therfore considering and comparing thine owne habilitie and obedience, with the righteousnesse and equitie of this lawe, thou mayst in it as in a glasse, afore the maiestie of God, vnderunder blessings and cursings, betwixte life and death, sée euidently thy face & case, thy conuersation, state, and condition.
But if thou leaue looking into this lawe, and follow the flatterie of thine owne fantasie, thou shalt deceyue thy selfe daungerously, not onelyonly in negligence, but also in labouring tóo confesse thy selfe afore God duely. For as the Pharisie that compared himself with the Publicane, so thou in geuing thankes vntounto God, for all that thou thinkest good in thy selfe, and being bold too preferre thy selfe to some other, for the euils which thou knowest in them, shalt so deserue to depart lesse iustified, and further from the fauor of God, and louelove of thy neyghboure, for the more that thou doest compare thine owne well doings, with the euil doings of others, the lesse shalt thou dispose and submitte thy selfe, to receiue merciemercy of god, & to bear the infirmities of thy brother.
But when as thou doest examine thine owne conscience, and iudge thine own déedes by the law of God afore the face of god, then shalt thou finde such euils inwardly, as shall giuegive thee greate occasion, to be so earnestly occupied in refourming thy selfe, that outwardely thou cannot be bolde eyther to glorie in thy self, or to iudge any other.
They which hauehave not the right vse of the law, can hauehave no true knowledge of sinne. but thou that wilt iudge thy self by the law shalt feele what is in thy selfe against the lawe.
For if thou do not finde thy selfe giltie in hauing any strange God, yet shalt thou find many and great faultes in thy self against the first commaundement, so often as thou dost consider and remember that thou dost not perfitly with all thy heart, wyth all thy minde, and with all thy might, louelove, reuerence, feare, trust, praise, and confesse the eternall liuing God as thy only Lorde and God.
And thou neuer honour or make any Image in any matter carued or painted, yet so often as thou doest imagine the diuinitie of God, vnderunder any forme or fashion in thy minde, and imagination, thou makest such kinde of imagerie, as is by the second commaundement forbidden vntounto thée. Yea, and so ofte as thou makest or takest any image carued or painted, to be like vntounto Christe God and man, so ofte thou presumest too liken the foulest abhomination in ye world, vntounto him that is most glorious in estimation afore God: for man being a lier, maketh and taketh an image that hath eyes, & seeth not, eares and heareth not, as though it were like vntounto Chryst Iesu: but Goddes worde which is truthe, witnesseth that all suche images be not like vntounto Chryst, but vntounto idolaters which make them, and put their trust in them. Undoutedly there is no true knowledge of Chryst learned of Gods worde, but a false idoll of Christ, forged by imagination in the hearts of them, that can be content to say that Chryst their Sauior is like vntounto any such vile things. And also in imagerie of other things many men do much offende in esteeming more the vaine counterfet made by man, than the good creature made by God. I meane in imagerie of things belōging to the secōd table, where imagerie is not forbidden for ciuile vsage amongs men, but that suche may be made & kept if abusing of them be auoyded: yet of things belonging to the first table, where imagerie is forbidden for any vsage in religion or seruice of God, all suche imagerie ought vtterly to bée auoyded and abolished.
Also negligently to heare, speake, or read the word and name of god, or to pray without deuotion: yea, not to heare, reade & confesse God and his truth, with reuerence, diligence, praise, thanks and prayer, so oft as thou may hauehave occasion, is condemned by the third commandement, which requireth honour due vntounto Gods name.
The fourth commaundement requireth perfit diligence in all due labours, & a mind neuer wearied, but alwayes delited with godly meditations, so as any mā may therby euer finde himselfe faultie, both in labor, and rest.
Then doth a man breake the fifth commaundement, when as he doth not with all earnest deligence & louing obedience, obey and maintaine al good orders among men.
Thou sinnest against the sixth as a murtherer, so oft as thou dost not relieue & defende eueryevery man that néedeth, so muche as thou may by any charitable meanes.
Thou art gilty as an adulterous person, agaynst the seuenth commandement, so oft as any filthie lust inflameth thy fleshe. And if thy filthy lust be satisfied in any abuse of naturall seede, then is thy sin not only a vil… corruption of nature, but also a Sodomiticall abhomination contrary vntounto nature.
If thou liue in idlenesse vponupon other mennes labours, or do not get righteously, and bestow charitably, somuch knowledge and comfort, meates, money, and all maner of goods, as thou may be able by al honest and godly wayes, thou arte then iudged a théefe by the eight commandement.
If thou make any manner of lies, or but faintly and vnfaithfully defende thy neighbors truth, and honestie, thou art condemned of false witnesse agaynst thy neighbor, in the ninth commaundement.
Finally, if in consideration of thy necessitie, thou do not onelyonly desire and take as sufficient gods plentie prouided vntounto thée, but in seing any thing faire or good, pertayning vntounto thy neyghbor, dost couet the profite, or pleasure, propertie or possession of the same from him vntounto thée, then dost thou offende afore God against man. Yea eueryevery such lust lying in thy heart may bèe perceyued by the tenth commandement to be sin, albeit so secret, that Paule sayth he should not hauehave known it, but by this commandement, which sayth: Thou shalt not couet.
Surely such knowledge of sinne cōmeth by this lawe, that when as any man in his owne conscience afore the face of God, wil truly measure by the line of this law, howe far he is fallen from the righteousnesse acceptable vntounto God, into sinne abhominably offending God, then shall be perceiue that through the infirmitie of his owne flesh, he doth fall so farre from al power of frée will, from all ablitie to performe fully his duetie vntounto God, that in him selfe he can hauehave no hope to escape the rigor of the lawe, the letter of the law, which killeth, curseth and condemneth all faults, infirmities and imperfections in man, vntounto whome God did giuegive in creation both purenesse and perfection.
Therfore as in him that presumeth to be iustified by his déedes in doing of this law, any impurenesse or imperfectiō is worthily condemned by the righteousnesse contained in the lawe: so contrariwise vntounto him that féeleth and with fayth in Christe confesseth his owne faultes and infirmities, al horrible sinnes, and gréeuons crimes shall be graciously pardoned through the mercyfull pitie of the Lorde ouer the lawe.
So is the lawe a tutour or scholemaster, teaching man what he oweth of dutie, and forcing him to flée vntounto the promise of God in Christ for mercy. They therfore vse the law lawfully, which learne by it to knowe what man ought to do and performe of dutie, and so be made méete and desirous too heare the glad tidings of ye gospel of Christ, in whome God doth promis and performe vntounto man all things freely. For the lawe sheweth vntounto man death and damnation in all his owne deedes, and the gospel allureth man vntounto assuraunce of saluation in Christes merites.
So Adam in Paradise being broughte vntounto a perceiuing and féeling of his owne sinfull miseries through the lawe and commaundemente, was by the gladde tidinges of the Gospell, by the promise in the seede of the woman to breake the heade of the Serpent, comforted and called to come by fayth in Christe forth of his owne miseries vntounto Gods mercies.
So the Israelites in wildernesse, immediatly after their greuous idolatrie vntounto the golden calfe, being brought vnderunder feare of the law, vntounto a féeling of themselues, were recouered with comfort in the promise of a Prophet to be raysed vp of God vntounto them of their brethren. And continually all the dayes of Iosua, the Iudges, and the Kings, and so forth, so oft as by any plagues, preachings and threatnings of the lawe, they were brought vntounto true féeling and confessing of themselues and their owne faultes: they euer lerned to flée vntounto Gods promises, and to finde recouerie in his mercies: but when as they followed their owne fantasies, flattering themselues, then fell they continually from euill vntounto worsse sinnes, and sorrowes, miseries and mischéefs. For in continuance of times, and lack of grace, they lost Iudges, Kings, and good Gouernours of their owne vtterly, they and their countrey were brought into subiection to serue strangers. Their temple, gods house made to be replenished with riches of godlinesse, was turned into a den of theeues, which did rob God of his honour and Gods people of muche riches, and of all maner of godlinesse: and in the place of godly Priestes and true Prophetes, false flatterers, and ambitious prelates did by many meanes draw men from god vntounto themselues, from Goddes lawes, vntounto their traditious, to labour in conscience vnderunder intollerable burdens. Wherefore as afore time God had by the crueltie of Pharao driuen them out of Egypt, to be allured and led by méeke Moses toward the lande of promise, so then at that time did God driue them by those euils frō seruing vnderunder ye letter of the lawe, which killeth, to be called by Christ at his comming, vntounto the libertie of the gospell, which by the spirit quickneth. So all things that be done in the world, and truly written in holie Scriptures pertayning to the lawe and the Gospell, serue to declare and witnesse that al men be sinners, and al their déedes deserue damnation, and that God in many thinges sheweth mercy vntounto all men, and that he also giueth abundance of merciemercy, and grace, vntounto so many as beleus his pronuse made vntounto them in Christ Iesu.