What are contained in the Old Testament. The New Testament. The law. The gospel. Moses, Christ, Nature, Grace. Working and believing. Deeds and faith. Lest we ascribe to the one that which belongeth to the other, and make of Christ Moses, of the gospel the law, despise grace and rob faith: and fall from meek learning into idle disputations, brawling and scolding about words. The Old Testament is a book, wherein is written the law of God, and the deeds of them which fulfil them, and of them also which fulfil them not. The conThe New Testament is a book, wherein are contained tents of the promises of God, and the deeds of them which bethe New Testament. lieve them or believe them not. The etymology of this word Evangelion. Evangelion is called the New Testament. Evangelion (that we call the gospel) is a Greek word, and signifieth good, merry, glad and joyful tidings, that maketh a man's heart glad, and maketh him sing, dance and leap for joy. As when David had killed Goliah the giant, came glad tidings unto the Jews, that their fearful and cruel enemy was slain, and they delivered out of all danger: for gladness whereof, they sung, danced, and were joyful. In like manner is the Evangelion of God (which we call gospel, and the New Testament) joyful tidings; and, as some say, a good hearing published by the apostles throughout all the world, of Christ the right David, how that he hath fought with sin, with death, and the devil, and overcome them. Whereby all men that were in bondage to sin, wounded with death, overcome of the devil, are, without their own merits or deservings, loosed, justified, restored to life and saved, brought to liberty and reconciled unto the favour of God, and set at one with him again which tidings, as many as believe laud, praise, and thank God; are glad, sing and dance for joy. : This Evangelion or gospel (that is to say, such joyful Because that as a tidings) is called the New Testament. man, when he shall die, appointeth his goods to be dealt and distributed after his death among them which he nameth to be his heirs; even so Christ before his death commanded and appointed that such Evangelion, gospel, or tidings should be declared throughout all the world, and therewith to give unto all that repent and believe, all his goods that is to say, his life wherewith he swallowed and devoured up death; his righteousness, wherewith he banished sin; his salvation, wherewith he overcame eternal damnation. Now, can the wretched man (that knoweth himself to be wrapped in sin, and in danger to death and hell) hear no more joyous a thing, than such glad and comfortable tidings of Christ. So that he cannot but be glad and laugh from the low bottom of his heart, if he believe that the tidings are true. To strength such faith withal, God promised this his Evangelion in the Old Testament by the prophets, as Paul saith, (Rom. i.) How that he was chosen out to preach God's Evangelion, which he before had promised by the prophets in the Scriptures, that treat of his Son which was born of the seed of David. In Gen. iii. 15, God saith to the serpent, I will put hatred between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed, that self seed shall tread thy head under foot. Christ is this woman's seed, he it is that hath trodden under foot the devil's head, that is to say, sin, death, hell, and all his power. For without this seed can no man avoid sin, death, hell, and everlasting damnation. Again, (Gen. xxii.) God promised Abraham saying, In thy seed shall all the generations of the earth be blessed. Christ is that seed of Abraham, saith St. Paul, (Gal. iii.) He hath blessed all the world through the gospel. For where Christ is not, there remaineth the curse that fell on Adam as soon as he had sinned, so that they are in bondage under damnation of sin, death, and hell. Against this curse blesseth now the gospel all the world, inasmuch as it crieth openly, unto all that knowledge their sins and repent, saying, Whosoever believeth on the seed of Abraham shall be blessed, that is, he shall be delivered from sin, death, and hell, and shall henceforth continue righ No greater comfort can happen to a sinner being penitent, than the pro mises of the gospel. The gospel mised of was pro God in the ment by the Christ hath overthrown the devil and all his power. The law was given by Moses, grace and truth by Jesus Christ. The law requireth of us that which is impossible for our na When the law hath condemned us, Christ granteth us free pardon. teous, and saved for ever, as Christ himself saith (in the eleventh of John,) He that believeth on me shall never more die. The law, (saith John i.) was given by Moses: but grace and verity by Jesus Christ. The law (whose minister is Moses) was given to bring us unto the knowledge of ourselves, that we might thereby feel and perceive what we are of nature. The law condemneth us and all our deeds, and is called of Paul, (in 2 Cor. iii.) the ministration of death. For it killeth our consciences and driveth us to desperation, inasmuch as it requireth of us that which is unpossible for our nature to do. It requireth of us the deeds of an whole man. It requireth ture to do. perfect love from the low bottom and ground of the heart, as well in all things which we suffer, as in the things which we do. But, saith John in the same place, grace and verity is given us in Christ. So that when the law hath passed upon us, and condemned us to death (which is his nature to do) then we have, in Christ's grace, that is to say, favour, promises of life, of mercy, of pardon, freely by the merits of Christ; and in Christ have we verity and truth, in that God for his sake fulfilleth all his promises to them that believe. Therefore is the gospel the ministration of life. Paul calleth it in the fore rehearsed place of the Cor. ii. the ministration of the Spirit and of righteousness. In the gospel when we believe the promises, we receive the spirit of life, and are justified in the blood of Christ from all things whereof the law condemned us. And we receive love unto the law, and power to fulfil it, and grow therein daily. Of Christ it is written in the fore rehearsed John i. This is he of whose abundance or fulness, all we have received, grace for grace, or favour for favour. That is to say, for the favour that God hath to his Son Christ, he giveth unto us his favour and good will, and all gifts of his grace as a father to his sons. As affirmeth Paul, saying, Which loved us in his Beloved before the creation of the world. So that Christ bringeth the love of God unto us, and not our own holy works. Christ is made Lord over all, and is called in Scripture God's mercy stool: whosoever therefore flieth to Christ, can neither hear nor receive of God any other thing save mercy. In the Old Testament are many promises, which are nothing else but the Evangelion or gospel, to save those that believed them from the vengeance of the law. And in the New Testament is oft made mention of the law to condemn them which believe not the promises. Moreover the law and the gospel may never be separate: for the gospel and promises serve but for troubled consciences, which are brought to desperation, and feel the pains of hell and death under the law, and are in captivity and bondage under the law. In all my deeds I must have the law before me to condemn mine unperfectness. For all that I do (be I never so perfect) is yet damnable sin, when it is compared to the law, which requireth the ground and bottom of mine heart. I must therefore have always the law in my sight, that I may be meek in the spirit, and give God all the laud and praise, ascribing to him all righteousness, and to myself all unrighteousness and sin. I must also have the promises before mine eyes, that I despair not, in which promises I see the mercy, favour, and good will of God upon me in the blood of his Son Christ, which hath made satisfaction for mine unperfectness, and fulfilled for me, that which I could not do. Here may ye perceive that two manner of people are sore deceived. First, they which justify themselves with outward deeds, in that they abstain outwardly from that which the law forbiddeth, and do outwardly that which the law commandeth. They compare themselves to open sinners and in respect of them justify themselves, condemning the open sinners. They set a vail on Moses' face, and see not how the law requireth love from the bottom of the heart and that love only is the fulfilling of the law. If they did they would not condemn their neigh He that hath a right faith de lighteth in the law al though his weakness cannot ful fil the same. bours. Love hideth the multitude of sins, saith St. Peter in his first Epistle. For whom I love from the deep bottom and ground of mine heart him condemn I not, neither reckon his sins, but suffer his weakness and infirmity, as a mother the weakness of her son, until he grow up into a perfect man. Nay Those also are deceived which, without all fear of God, give themselves unto all manner [of] vices with full consent, and full delectation, having no respect to the law of God (under whose vengeance they are locked up in captivity); but say, God is merciful and Christ died for us, supposing that such dreaming and imagination is that faith which is so greatly commended in holy Scripture. that it is not faith, but rather a foolish blind opinion springing of their own corrupt nature, and is not given them of the Spirit of God, but rather of the spirit of the devil, whose faith, now-a-days, the popish compare and make equal unto the best trust, confidence and belief that a repenting soul can have in the blood of our Saviour Jesus, unto their own confusion, shame, and uttering what they are within. But true faith is (as saith the apostle Paul) the gift of God, and is given to sinners after the law hath passed upon them and hath brought their consciences unto the brim of desperation, and sorrows of hell. They that have this right faith, consent to the law that it is righteous, and good, and justify God which made the law, and have delectation in the law (notwithstanding that they cannot fulfil it as they would, for their weakness) and they abhor whatsoever the law forbiddeth, though they cannot always avoid it. And their great sorrow is, because they cannot fulfil the will of God in the law; and the spirit that is in them crieth to God night and day for strength, and help, with tears as (saith Paul) that cannot be expressed with tongue. Of which things the belief of our popish or of their father, whom they so magnify for his strong faith, hath none experience at all. The first, that is to say, he which justifieth himself with |
