up the signification or put some signification of God's word thereto, what we ought to do or believe thereby, or else put it down. For it is impossible to observe a Sacrament, without signification, but unto our damnation. If we keep the faith purely and the law of love undefiled, which are the significations of all ceremonies, there is no jeopardy to alter or change the fashion of the ceremony, or to put it down if need require.

WHETHER THE CHURCH CAN ERR.

Whether

can err, or not.

What the very church is, and what faith

saveth.

the church THERE is another question, whether the church may err. Which, if ye understand of the pope and his generation, it is verily as hard a question as to ask whether he which hath both his eyes out, be blind or no; or whether it be possible for him that hath one leg shorter than another, to halt. But I said that Christ's elect 1 church is the whole multitude of all repenting sinners that believe in Christ, and put all their trust and confidence in the mercy of God; feeling in their hearts, that God for Christ's sake loveth them, and will be, or rather is, merciful unto them, and forgiveth them their sins of which they repent; and that he forgiveth them also all the motions unto sin, of which they fear lest they should thereby be drawn into sin again. And this faith they have without all respect of their own deservings, yea, and for none other cause than that the merciful truth of God the Father, which cannot lie, hath so promised, and so sworn.

By faith

we are made the sons of God.

And this faith and knowledge is everlasting life; and by this we be born anew, and made the sons of God, and obtain forgiveness of sins, and are translated from death to life, and from the wrath of God unto his love and favour. And this faith is the mother of all truth, and bringeth with her the Spirit of all truth. Which Spirit purgeth us, as

from all sin, even so from all lies and error noisome and hurtful. And this faith is the foundation laid of the apostles and prophets whereon Paul saith (Eph. ii.) that Eph. ii. we are built, and thereby of the household of God. And this faith is the rock whereon Christ built his congregation. Christ asked the apostles (Matt. xvi.) whom they Matt. xvi. took him for. And Peter answered for them all, saying,

I say that thou art Christ the Son of the living God, that art come into this world. That is, We believe that thou art he that was promised unto Abraham, that should come, bless us, and deliver us. Howbeit, Peter yet wist not by what means. But now it is opened throughout all the world, that through the offering of his body and blood, that offering is a satisfaction for the sin of all that repent, and a purchasing of whatsoever they can ask, to keep them in favour. And that they sin no more. And Christ answered, Upon this rock I will build my congregation: that is, upon this faith. And against the rock of this faith, can no sin, no hell, no devil, no lies, nor error prevail.

And

The offer

ing of Christ's

body and only satisfaction for

blood is the

our sins.

There is no way to salvation, but by

For whatsoever any man hath committed, if he repent and come to this rock, he is safe. And that this faith is the only way by which the church of Christ goeth unto God, and unto the inheritance of all his riches, testify all the apostles and prophets, and all the Scripture, with signs, and miracles, and all the blood of martyrs. whosoever goeth unto God, and unto forgiveness of sins, or salvation, by any other way than this, the same is an heretic out of the right way, and not of Christ's church. For this knowledge maketh a man of the church. And the church is Christ's body, (Col. i.) and every person of the church it a member of Christ. (Eph. v.) Now it is no member of Christ that hath not Christ's spirit in it; (Rom. viii.) as it is no part of me, or member of my Rom. viii body, wherein my soul is not present, and quickeneth it. And then if a man be none of Christ's, he is not of his church.

Christ's death and

passion.

Col. i.

Eph. v.

HOW A TRUE MEMBER OF CHRIST'S CHURCH
SINNETH NOT, AND HOW HE IS YET A SINNER.

FURTHERMORE, he that hath this faith cannot sin,

and therefore cannot be deceived with damnable errors. For by this faith we be (as I said) born of God. Now he that is born of God cannot sin, for his seed dwelleth in him, and he cannot therefore sin, because he is I John. iii. born of God, (1 John iii.) which seed is the Holy Ghost that keepeth a man's heart from consenting unto sin. And therefore, it is a false conclusion that M. More holdeth, how that a man may have a right faith joined with all kinds of abomination and sin.

Faith and sin cannot stand together.

1 John i.

All flesh doth sin.

And yet every member of Christ's congregation is a sinner, and sinneth daily, some more, and some less. For it is written, (1 John i.) If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. And again, If we say, we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. And Paul (Rom. vii.) saith, That good which I would, that do I not, but that evil which I would not, that do I. So it is not I that do it (saith he) but sin that dwelleth in me. Thus are we sinners, and no sinners. No sinners, if thou look unto the profession of our hearts toward the law of God; on our repentance and sorrow that we have, both because we have sinned, and also because we be yet full of sin still; and unto the promises of mercy in our Saviour Christ; and unto our faith. Sinners are we, if thou look unto the frailty of our flesh, which is as the weakness of one that is newly recovered out of a great disease, by the reason whereof our deeds are imperfect. And by the reason whereof also, when occasions be great, we fall into horrible deeds, and the fruit of the sin which remaineth in our members breaketh out. Notwithstanding yet the Spirit leaveth us not, but rebuketh us, and bringeth us home again unto

our profession, so that we never cast off the yoke of God from our necks, neither yield up ourselves unto sin, for to serve it, but fight afresh, and begin a new battle.

HOW A CHRISTIAN MAN CANNOT ERR, AND
HOW HE MAY YET ERR.

AND as they sin not, so they err not.

And on the other

We sin of frailty and weakness.

side as they sin, so they err: but never unto death and damnation. For they never sin of purpose, nor hold any error maliciously, sinning against the Holy Ghost, but of weakness and infirmity. As good obedient children, though they love their father's commandments, yet break them oft, by the reason of their weakness. And as they cannot yield themselves bond unto sin, to serve it: even so, they cannot err in any thing that should be against the promises which are in Christ. And in other things their errors be not unto damnation, though they be never so great, because they hold them not maliciously. As now, if some, when they read in the New Testament of Christ's brethren, would think that they were our lady's children, after the birth of Christ, (because they know not the use of speaking of the Scripture or of the Hebrews, how that nigh kinsmen be called brethren, or haply they might be Josephs' children, by some first wife, neither can have any to teach him for tyranny that is so great,) yet could it not hurt him, though he died therein, because it hurteth not the redemption that is in Christ's blood. For though she had none but Christ, I am, therefore, never the more saved; neither yet the less, though she had had. And in such like, an hundred that pluck not a man's faith from yet be Christ, they might err, and yet be nevertheless saved; saved. no though the contrary were written in the gospel. For as in other sins, as soon as they be rebuked, they repent:

We may

err, and

be, that err from the way of faith.

even so here, as soon as they were better taught, they should immediately knowledge their error and not resist.

But they which maliciously maintain opinions against the Scripture, or that they cannot be proved by the Scripture; or such as make no matter unto the Scripture, and salvation that is in Christ, whether they be true or no; and for the blind zeal of them make sects; breaking the unity of Christ's church, for whose sake they ought to suffer all Who they things; and rise against their neighbours, whom they ought to love as themselves, to slay them; such men, I say, are fallen from Christ, and make an idol of their opinions. For except they put trust in such opinions, and thought them necessary unto salvation, or with a cankered conscience went about to deceive, for some filthy purpose, they would never break the unity of faith, or yet slay their brethren. Now is this a plain conclusion, that both they that trust in their own works, and they also that put confidence in their own opinions, be fallen from Christ; and err from the way of faith that is in Christ's blood; and therefore are none of Christ's church, because they be not built upon the rock of faith.

FAITH IS EVER ASSAILED AND FOUGHT WITHAL.

Faith is

ever as

desperation.

MOREOVER, this our faith which we have in Christ,

is ever fought against, ever assailed and beaten at sailed with with desperation: not when we sin only, but also in all temptations of adversity, into which God bringeth us, to nurture us, and to shew us our own hearts, the hypocrisy and false thoughts that there lie hid, our almost no faith at all, and as little love, even then haply when we thought ourselves most perfect of all. For when temptations come, we cannot stand; when we have sinned, faith is feeble; when wrong is done us, we cannot forgive; in