But, out of the matter of justification, we ought with Paul to think reverently of the law, to commend it highly, to call it holy, righteous, good, spiritual, and divine, (Rom. vii. 12.) Out of the case of conscience we should make a god of it, but in the case of conscience it is a very devil. For, in the least temptation that can be, it is not able to raise up and comfort the conscience; but it doth clean contrary: it terrifieth, it oppresseth it with heaviness, and plucketh it from the assurance of righteousness, of life, and of all goodness. Hereupon Paul, a little after, calleth it "weak and beggarly rudiments." (Gal. iv. 9.) Wherefore let us not suffer the law, in any case, to bear rule in our couscience, especially seeing it cost Christ so great a price to deliver the conscience from the tyranny of the faw. "For he was made a curse for us, that he might deliver us from the curse of the law." Let the godly learn, therefore, that the law and Christ are two contrary things, whereof the one cannot abide the other. For when Christ is present, the law may in no case rule, but must depart out of the conscience, and leave the bed, (which is so strait that it cannot hold two, as Isaiah saith, chap. xxviii. 20,) and give place only to Christ. Let him only reign in righteousness, in peace, in joy, and life, that the conscience may sleep and repose itself joyfully in Christ, without any feeling of the law, sin, and death.

Paul here of purpose useth this figurative speech, "elements of the world;" whereby (as I said) he doth much abase and diminish the glory and authority of the law, to stir up our minds. (2 Cor. iii.) For he that readeth Paul attentively, when he heareth that he calleth the law the ministry of death, the letter that killeth, &c. by-and-by he thinketh thus with himself: why doth he give such odious, and, as it appeareth to reason, blasphemous terms to the law, which is a divine doctrine revealed from heaven? To this Paul answereth, that the law is both holy, just, and good, and that it is also the ministry of sin and death, but in divers respects. Before Christ, it is holy; after Christ, it is death. Therefore, when Christ is come, we ought to know nothing at all of the law, unless it be in this respect: that it hath power and dominion over the flesh, to bridle it, and to keep it under. Here is a conflict between the law and the flesh (to whom the yoke of the law is hard and grievous) as long as we live.

Only Paul, among all the apostles, calleth the law "the rudiments of the world, weak and beggarly elements, the strength of sin, the letter that killeth," &c. (2 Cor. iii. 6.) The other apostles spake not so of the law. Whosoever, then, will be a right scholar in Christ's school, let him mark diligently this manner of speech used of the apostle. Christ calleth him an elect vessel, and therefore gave unto him an exquisite utterance, and a singular kind of speech above all the rest of the apostles, that he, as an elect vessel, might faithfully lay the foundations of the article of justification, and clearly set forth the same. (Acts ix. 15.)

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VERSE 4. But after the fulness of time was come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, and made under the law, that he might redeem them which were under the law.

That is to say, after that the time of the law was fulfilled, and that Christ was revealed, and had delivered us from the law, and that the promise was published among all nations, &c.

Mark here diligently how Paul defineth Christ. Christ (saith he) is the Son of God and of a woman, which for us sinners was made under the law, to redeem us that were under the law. In these words he comprehendeth both the person of Christ and the office of Christ. His person consisteth of his divine and human nature. This he sheweth plainly, when he saith, "God sent his own Son, born of a woman." Christ, therefore, is very God and very man. His office he setteth forth in these words: "being made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law," &c.

And it seemeth that Paul here, as it were in reproach, calleth the Virgin Mary but only a woman; which thing was not well taken, even of some of the ancient doctors, who would that he should rather have called her a virgin, than a woman. But Paul entreateth in this epistle of the most high and principal matter of all; to wit, of the gospel, of faith, of Christian righteousness: also, what the person of Christ is, what is his office, what he hath taken upon him and done for our cause, and what benefits he hath brought to us wretched sinners. Wherefore the excellency of so high and so wonderful a matter was the cause that he had no regard to her virginity. It was enough for him to set forth and preach the inestimable mercy of God, which would that his Son should be born of that sex. Therefore he maketh no mention of the dignity of the sex, but of the sex only. And in that he nameth the sex, he signifieth that Christ was made true and very man of womankind. As if he said, he was not born of man and woman, but only of womankind. Therefore, when he nameth but only the womankind, saying, " made of a woman," it is as if he should have said, made of a virgin. John the evangelist, when he thus setteth forth the word, that "it was in the beginning, and was made flesh," (John i. 1.) speaketh not one word of his mother.

Furthermore, this place also witnesseth that Christ, when the time of the law was accomplished, did abolish the same, and so brought liberty to those that were oppressed therewith, but made no new law after, or besides that old law of Moses. Wherefore the monks and Popish schoolmen do no less err and blaspheme Christ, in that they imagine that he hath given a new law besides the law of Moses, than do the Turks, which vaunt of their Mahomet, as of a new lawgiver after Christ, and better than Christ. Christ then came not to abolish the old law, that he might make a new, but (as Paul here saith) he was sent of his Father into the world, to redeem those which were kept in thral

dom under the law. These words paint out Christ lively and truly; they do not attribute unto him the office to make any new law, but to redeem them which were under the law. And Christ himself saith, "I judge no man." And in another place: "I come not to judge the world, but that the world should be saved by me," (John viii. 15. xii. 47.) that is to say, I came not to bring any law, nor to judge men according to the same, as Moses and other lawgivers; but I have a higher and a better office. The law killed you, and I again do judge, condemn and kill the law, and so I deliver you from the tyranny thereof.

We that are old men, which have been so nusled up in this pernicious doctrine of the Papists, that it hath taken deep root, even in our bones and marrow, have conceived an opinion quite contrary to that which Paul here teacheth. For, although we confessed with our mouth that Christ redeemed us from the tyranny of the law, yet in very deed in our hearts we thought him to be a lawgiver, a tyrant, and a judge, more terrible than Moses himself. And this perverse opinion we cannot yet at this day, in so great light of the truth, utterly reject; so strongly are those things rooted in our hearts which we learn in our youth. But ye which are yet young, and are not infected with this pernicious opinion, may learn Christ purely with less diffioulty than we that are old can remove out of our minds these blasphemous imaginations which we have conceived of him, notwithstanding ye have not utterly escaped the deceits of the devil. For although ye be not as yet infected with this cursed opinion, that Christ is a lawgiver, yet have ye in you the root whereof it springeth; that is, ye have the flesh, reason, and the corruption of nature, which can judge no otherwise of Christ, but that he is a lawgiver. Therefore ye must endeavour, with all your power, to learn so to know and to apprehend Christ, as Paul has set him forth in this place. But if, besides this natural corruption, there come also corrupt and wicked teachers, (of whom the world is full,) they will increase this corruption of nature, and so shall the evil be doubled: that is to say, evil instruction will increase and confirm the pernicious error of blind reason, which naturally judgeth Christ to be a lawgiver, and printeth that error mightily in our minds, that without great travail and difficulty it can never be abolished.

Wherefore, it is very profitable for us to have always before our eyes this sweet and comfortable sentence, and such-like, which set out Christ truly and lively, that in our whole life, in all dangers, in the confession of our faith before tyrants, and in the hour of death, we may boldly and with sure confidence say: O law, thou hast no power over me, and therefore thou dost accuse and condemn me in vain. For I believe in Jesus Christ the Son of God, whom the Father sent into the world to redeem us miserable sinners oppressed with the tyranny of the law. He gave his life, and shed his blood for me. Therefore,

feeling thy terrors and threatenings, O law, I plunge my conscience in the wounds, blood, death, resurrection and victory of my saviour, Christ. Besides him I will see nothing, I will hear nothing. This faith is our victory, whereby we overcome the terrors of the law, sin, death, and all evils, and yet not without great conflicts. And here do the children of God, which are daily exercised with grievous temptations, wrestle and sweat indeed. For oftentimes it cometh into their minds that Christ will accuse them, and plead against them: that he will require an account of their former life, and that he will condemn them. They cannot assure themselves that he is sent of his Father to redeem us from the tyranny and oppression of the law. And whereof cometh this? They have not yet fully put off the flesh, which rebelleth against the spirit: therefore, the terrors of the law, the fear of death, and such-like sorrowful and heavy sights, do oftentimes return, which hinder our faith, that it cannot apprehend the benefit of Christ (who hath redeemed us from the bondage of the law) with such assurance as it should do.

But how, or by what means hath Christ redeemed us? This was the manner of our redemption: "he was made under the law." Christ, when he came, found us all captives under governors and tutors, that is to say, shut up and holden in prison under the law. What doth he then? Although he be lord of the law, and therefore the law hath no authority or power over him, (for he is the Son of God), yet of his own accord he maketh himself subject to the law. Here the law executeth upon him all the jurisdiction it had over us. It accuseth and terrifieth us also: it maketh us subject to sin, death, the wrath of God, and with his sentence condemneth us. And this it doth by good right: "for we are all sinners, and by nature the children of wrath." (Eph. ii. 3.) Contrariwise, Christ did no sin, neither was there any guile found in his mouth. (1 Pet. ii. 22.) Therefore he was not subject to the law. Yet notwithstanding the law was no less cruel against this innocent, righteous, and blessed lamb, than it was against us cursed and damned sinners, yea much more rigorous. For it accused him as a blasphemer, and a seditious person: it made him guilty before God of the sins of the whole world; it so terrified and oppressed him with heaviness and anguish of spirit, that he sweat blood; and, briefly, it condemned him to death, yea even to the death of the cross. (Matth. xxvi. 65. Luke xxiii. 5. xxii. 44.)

This was indeed a wonderful combat, where the law, being a creature, giveth such an assault to his creator; and, against all right and equity, practiseth his whole tyranny upon the Son of God which it exerciseth upon us the children of wrath. Now, therefore, because the law did so horribly and cursedly sin against his God, it is accused and arraigned. There Christ saith: O law, thou mighty queen, and cruel regent of all mankind, what have I done that thou hast accused me, terrified me, and con

demned me, which am innocent? Here the law, which had before condemned and killed all men, when it hath nothing wherewith to defend or purge itself, is again so condemned and vanquished, that it loseth his whole right, not only over Christ, (whom it so cruelly handled and killed) but also over all them that believe in him; for to those Christ saith, "Come unto me all ye that labour under the yoke of the law." (Matt. xi. 28.) I could have overcome the law by my absolute power, without mine own smart: for I am the Lord of the law, and therefore it hath no right over me. But I have made myself subject unto the law for your cause which were under the law, taking your flesh upon me that is to say, of mine inestimable love I humbled and yielded myself to the same prison, tyranny, and bondage of the law, under the which ye served as captives and bond-slaves; I suffered the law to have dominion over me which was his Lord, to terrify me, to make me thrall and captive unto sin, death, and the wrath of God, which it ought not to have done. Therefore I have vanquished the law by double right and authority: first, as the Son of God, and Lord of the law; secondly, in your person; which is as much as if ye had overcome the law yourselves; for my victory is yours.

After this manner Paul speaketh every where of this marvellous combat between Christ and the law; and, to make the matter more delectable and more apparent, he is wont to set forth the law by a figure called prosopopaia, as a certain mighty person, which had condemned and killed Christ: whom Christ, again overcoming death, had conquered, condemned and killed, (Eph. ii.) "Killing enmity in himself." Again, "Thou hast gone up on high, thou hast led captivity captive,' &c. (Psalm Ixviii.) He useth the same figure also in his epistles to the Romans, Corinthians, and Colossians. "By sin he condemned sin," &c. (Rom. viii. 3.) Christ, therefore, by this victory banished the law out of our conscience, so that now it can no more confound us in the sight of God, drive us to desperation, or condemn us. Indeed, it ceaseth not still to reveal our sin, to accuse and terrify us but the conscience, taking hold of this word of the apostle, "Christ hath redeemed us from the law," is raised up by faith, and conceiveth great comfort. Moreover, it triumpheth over the law with a certain holy pride, saying, I care not for thy terrors and threatenings; for thou hast crucified the Son of God, and this hast thou done most unjustly; therefore, the sin that thou hast committed against him cannot be forgiven. Thou hast lost thy right and sovereignty, and now for ever thou art not only overcome, condemned, and slain unto Christ, but also to me believing in him, unto whom he hath freely given this victory. So the law is dead to us for ever, so that we abide in Christ. Thanks be therefore to God, which hath given us the victory, through our Lord Jesus Christ, (1 Cor. xv. 57.)