Love.

blood, without help, and before the works of the law bringeth all manner of remission of sins, and satisfaction. Faith is mother of love; faith accompanieth love in all her works to fulfil as much as there lacketh in our doing the law, of that perfect love which Christ had to his Father, and us in his fulfilling of the law for us. Now, when we be reconciled, then is love and faith together our righteousness, our keeping the law, our continuing, our proceeding forward in the grace which we stand in, and our bringing to the everlasting saving and everlasting life. And the works be esteemed of God according to the love of the heart. If the works be great, and love little and cold, then the works be regarded thereafter of God. If the works be small, and love much and fervent, the works be taken for great of God.

And it came to pass, that when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine : for he taught them as one having power, and not as the scribes.

The scribes and pharisees had thrust up the sword of the word of God into a scabbard, or sheath of glosses, and therein had knit it fast, that it could neither stick nor cut; teaching dead works without faith and love, which are the life and the whole goodness of all works, and the only thing why they please God. And therefore their audience abode ever carnal and fleshly minded, without faith to God and love to their neighbours.

Christ's words were spirit and life. (John vi.) That is to say, they ministered spirit and life, and entered into the heart, and grated on the conscience; and, through preaching the law, made the hearers perceive their duties; even what love they owed to God, and what to man, and the right damnation of all them that had not the love of God and man written in their hearts; and, through preaching of faith, made all that consented to the law of God feel the mercy of God in Christ, and certified them

of their salvation. For the word of God is a two-edged
sword, that pierceth and divideth the spirit and soul of
man asunder. (Heb. iv.) A man, before the preaching
of God's word, is but one man, all flesh, the soul con-
senting unto the lusts of the flesh, to follow them. But
the sword of the word of God, where it taketh effect,
divideth a man in two, and setteth him at variance against
his ownself; the flesh hauling one way, and the spirit
drawing another: the flesh raging to follow lusts, and the
spirit calling back again to follow the law and will of God.
A man, all the while he consenteth to the flesh, and before
she be born again in Christ, is called soul or carnal. But
when he is renewed in Christ, through the word of life,
and hath the love of God and of his neighbour, and the faith
of Christ written in his heart, he is called spirit or spiri-
tual. The Lord of all mercy send us preachers with
power: that is to say, true expounders of the word of
God, and speakers to the heart of man; and deliver us
from scribes, pharisees, hypocrites, and all false prophets. draw
Amen.

where it

The word of God, taketh effect, diman into that is, causeth the one way,

videth a

two parts;

flesh to hold

and the spirit to

another.

THE

EXPOSITION

OF THE

FIRST EPISTLE OF ST. JOHN.