laws, to punish transgressions. Every law then is given to restrain sin. If it restrain sin, then it maketh men righteous. No, nothing less. For in that I do not kill, I do not commit adultery, I do not steal, or in that I abstain from other sins, I do it not willingly, or for the love of virtue, but I fear the prison, the sword, and the hangman. These do bridle and restrain me that I sin not, as bonds and chains do restrain a lion, or a bear, that he tear and devour not every thing that he meeteth: therefore the restraining from sin is not righteousness, but rather a signification of unrighteousness. For, as a mad or a wild beast is bound, lest he should destroy every thing that he meeteth: even so the law doth bridle a mad and a furious man, that he sin not after his own lust. This restraint sheweth plainly enough that they which have need of the law (as all they have which are without Christ) are not righteous, but rather wicked and mad men, whom it is necessary, by the bonds and prison of the law, so to bridle, that they sin not. Therefore the law justifieth not.

The first use then of the law, is to bridle the wicked. For the devil reigneth throughout the whole world, and enforceth men to all kinds of horrible wickedness. Therefore God hath ordained magistrates, parents, ministers, laws, bonds, and all civil ordinances, that if they can do no more, yet, at the least, they may bind the devil's hands, that he rage not in his bondslaves after his own lust. Like as therefore they that are possessed, in whom the devil mightily reigneth, are kept in bonds and chains, lest they should hurt others: even so, in the world, which is possessed of the devil, and carried headlong into all kinds of wickedness, the magistrate is present with his bonds and chains; that is to say, with his laws, binding his hands and feet, that he run not headlong into all mischief. And, if he suffer not himself to be bridled after this sort, then he loseth his head. This civil restraint is very necessary, and appointed of God, as well for public peace, as for the preservation of all things, but especially lest the course of the gospel should be hindered by the tumult and seditions of wicked, outrageous, and proud men. But Paul entreateth not here of this civil use and office of the law. It is indeed very necessary, but it justifieth not. For, as a possessed or a mad man is not therefore free from the snares of the devil, or well in his mind, because he hath his hands and his feet bound, and can do no hurt: even so, the world, although it be bridled by the law from outward wickedness and mischief, yet is it not therefore righteous, but still continueth wicked: yea, this restraint sheweth plainly that the world is wicked and outrageous, stirred up and enforced to all wickedness by his prince the devil; for, otherwise, it need not be bridled by laws that it should not sin.

Another use of the law is divine and spiritual, which is (as Paul saith) "to increase transgressions;" that is to say, to reveal

unto a man his sin, his blindness, his misery, his impiety, ignorance, hatred, and contempt of God, death, hell, the judgment and deserved wrath of God. Of this use the apostle entreateth notably in the seventh to the Romans. This is altogether unknown to hypocrites, to the popish sophisters and school-divines, and to all that walk in the opinion of the righteousness of the law, or of their own righteousness. But to the end that God might bridle and beat down this monster, and this mad beast, (I mean, the presumption of man's righteousness and religion) which naturally maketh men proud, and puffeth them up in such sort, that they think themselves thereby to please God highly; it behoved him to send some Hercules which might set upon this monster, with all force and courage, to overthrow him, and utterly to destroy him: that is to say, he was constrained to give a law in mount Sinai, with so great majesty and with so terrible a shew, that the whole multitude was astonished, (Exod. xix. xx.)

This, as it is the proper and the principal use of the law, so is it very profitable and also most necessary. For if any be not a murderer, an adulterer, a thief, and outwardly refrain from sin, as the Pharisee did, which is mentioned in the gospel, he would swear (because he is possessed with the devil) that he is righteous, and therefore he conceiveth an opinion of righteousness, and presumeth of his good works and merits. Such a one God cannot otherwise mollify and humble, that he may acknowledge his misery and damnation, but by the law: for that is the hammer of death, the thundering of hell, and the lightning of God's wrath, that beateth to powder the obstinate and senseless hypocrites. Wherefore this is the proper and true use of the law, by lightning, by tempest, and by the sound of the trumpet (as in mount Sinai) to terrify, and by thundering to beat down and rent in pieces that beast which is called the opinion of righteousness. Therefore, saith God, by Jeremy the prophet, "my word is a hammer, breaking rocks." (Jer. xxiii. 29.) For as long as the opinion of righteousness abideth in man, so long there abideth also in him incomprehensible pride, presumption, security, hatred of God, contempt of his grace and mercy, ignorance of the promises and of Christ. The preaching of free remission of sins, through Christ, cannot enter into the heart of such a one, neither can he feel any taste or savour thereof; for that mighty rock and adamant wall, to wit, the opinion of righteousness, wherewith the heart is environed, doth resist it.

As therefore the opinion of righteousness is a great and a horrible monster, a rebellious, obstinate and stiff-necked beast, so, for the destroying and overthrowing thereof, God hath need of a mighty hammer, that is to say, the law; which then is in his proper use and office, when it accuseth and revealeth sin after this sort: Behold, thou hast transgressed all the commandments of God, &c. and so it striketh a terror into the conscience, so that

it feeleth God to be offended and angry indeed, and itself to be guilty of eternal death. Here the poor afflicted sinner feeleth the intolerable burden of the law, and is beaten down even to desperation; so that now, being oppressed with great anguish and terror, he desireth death, or else seeketh to destroy himself. Wherefore the law is that hammer, that fire, that mighty strong wind, and that terrible earthquake renting the mountains, and breaking the rocks, (1 Kings xix. 11, 12, 13.) that is to say, the proud and obstinate hypocrites. Elijah, not being able to abide these terrors of the law, which by these things are signified, covered his face with his mantle. Notwithstanding, when the tempest ceased, of which he was a beholder, there came a soft and a gracious wind, in the which the Lord was; but it behoved that the tempest of fire, of wind, and the earthquake should pass, before the Lord should reveal himself in that gracious wind.

ness.

The terrible shew and majesty wherein God gave his law in mount Sinai, did represent the use of the law. There was in the people of Israel which came out of Egypt, a singular holiThey gloried and said, "We are the people of God. We will do all those things which the Lord our God hath commanded." (Exod. xix. 8.) Moreover, Moses did sanctify the people, and bade them wash their garments, refrain from their wives, and prepare themselves against the third day. There was not one of them but he was full of holiness. The third day, Moses bringeth the people out of their tents to the mountain into the sight of the Lord, that they might hear his voice. What followed then? When the children of Israel did behold the horrible sight of the mount smoking and burning, the black clouds and lightnings flashing up and down in this horrible darkness, and heard the sound of the trumpet blowing long and waxing louder and louder: and moreover, when they heard the thunderings and the lightnings, they were afraid, and standing afar off, they said unto Moses: "We will do all things willingly, so that the Lord speak not unto us, lest that we die, and this great fire consume us. Teach thou us, and we will hearken unto thee." (Exod. xx. 19. Deut. v. 24. xviii. 16.) I pray you, what did their purifying, their white garments, and refraining from their wives profit then? Nothing at all. There was not one of them that could abide this presence of the Lord in his majesty and glory: but all being ainazed and shaken with terror, fled back as if they had been driven by the devil. "For God is a consuming fire," in whose sight no flesh is able to stand. (Deut. iv. 24.)

The law of God, therefore, hath properly and peculiarly that office which it had then in mount Sinai, when it was first given, and was first heard of them that were washed, righteous, purified, and chaste: and yet, notwithstanding, it brought that holy people into such a knowledge of their own misery, that they were thrown down even to death and desperation. No purity

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nor holiness could then help them; but there was in them such a feeling of their own uncleanness, unworthiness and sin, and of the judgment and wrath of God, that they fled from the sight of the Lord, and could not abide to hear his voice. "What flesh was there ever," say they," that heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, and yet lived? This day have we seen that God talketh with man, and yet he liveth." (Deut. v. 26.) They speak now far otherwise than they did a little before, when they said: "we are the holy people of God, whom the Lord hath chosen for his own peculiar people, before all the nations upon the earth. We will do all things which the Lord hath spoken." So it happeneth at length to all justiciaries, who being drunken with the opinion of their own righteousness, do think, when they are out of temptation, that they are beloved of God, and that God regardeth their vows, their fastings, their prayers, and their will-works, and that for the same he must give unto them a single crown in heaven. But when that thundering, lightning, fire, and that hammer which breaketh in pieces, that is to say, the law of God, cometh suddenly upon them, revealing unto them their sin, the wrath and judgment of God: then the self-same thing happeneth unto them which happened to the Jews standing at the foot of mount Sinai.

Here I admonish all such as fear God, and especially such as shall become teachers of others hereafter, that they diligently learn out of Paul to understand the true and proper use of the law: which, I fear, after our time will be trodden under foot, and utterly abolished by the enemies of the truth. For even now, while we are yet living, and employ all our diligence to set forth the office and use both of the law and the gospel, there be few, yea, even among those which will be counted Christians, and make a profession of the gospel with us, that understand these things rightly, and as they should do. What think ye then shall come to pass when we are dead and gone? I speak nothing of the Anabaptists, of the new Arians, and such other vain spirits, who are no less ignorant of these matters than are the Papists, although they talk never so much to the contrary; for they are revolted from the pure doctrine of the gospel, to laws and traditions, and therefore they teach not Christ. They brag and they swear that they seek nothing else but the glory of Christ and the salvation of their brethren, and that they teach the word of God purely: but in very deed they corrupt it and wrest it to another sense, so that they make it to sound according to their own imagination. Therefore, under the name of Christ, they teach nothing else but their own dreams; and under the name of the gospel, ceremonies and laws. They are like therefore unto themselves, and so they still continue, that is to say, monks, workers of the law, and teachers of ceremonies, saving that they devise new names, and new works.

It is no small matter, then, to understand rightly what the law

is, and what is the true use and office thereof. And forasmuch as we teach these things both diligently and faithfully, we do thereby plainly testify that we reject not the law and works, as our adversaries do falsely accuse us: but we do altogether establish the law, and require the works thereof, and we say that the law is good and profitable, but in his own proper use: which is, first, to bridle civil transgressions, and then to reveal and to increase spiritual transgressions. Wherefore the law is also a light, which sheweth and revealeth, not the grace of God, not righteousness and life; but sin, death, the wrath and judgment of God. For as, in the mount Sinai, the thundering, lightning, the thick and dark cloud, the hill smoking and flaming, and all that terrible shew, did not rejoice nor quicken the children of Israel, but terrified and astonished them, and shewed how unable they were, with all their purity and holiness, to abide the majesty of God speaking to them out of the cloud: even so the law, when it is in his true use, doth nothing else but reveal sin, engender wrath, accuse and terrify men, so that it bringeth them to the very brink of desperation. This is the proper use of the law, and here it hath an end, and it ought to go no farther.

Contrariwise, the gospel is a light which lighteneth, quickeneth, comforteth, and raiseth up fearful consciences. For it sheweth that God, for Christ's sake, is merciful unto sinners, yea, and to such as are most unworthy, if they believe that by his death they are delivered from the curse, that is to say, from sin and everlasting death; and that through his victory, the blessing is freely given unto them; that is to say, grace, forgiveness of sins, righteousness, and everlasting life. Thus, putting a difference between the law and the gospel, we give to them both their own proper use and office. Of this difference between the law and the gospel, there is nothing to be found in the books of the monks, canonists, schoolmen; no, nor in the books of the ancient fathers. Augustine did somewhat understand this difference, and shewed it. Jerom and others knew it not. Briefly, there was wonderful silence many years, as touching this difference, in all schools and churches and this brought men's consciences into great danger. For, unless the gospel be plainly discerned from the law, the true Christian doctrine cannot be kept sound and uncorrupt. Contrariwise, if this difference be well known, then is also the true manner of justification known, and then it is an easy matter to discern faith from works, Christ from Moses, and all politic works. For all things without Christ are the ministers of death for the punishing of the wicked. Therefore, Paul answereth to this question after this manner :

:

VERSE 19. The law was added, because of transgressions.

That is to say, that transgressions might increase, and be more known and seen. And indeed so it cometh to pass. For when sin, death, the wrath and judgment of God, and hell, are