CHAPTER VI.

The third Office of Christ is concerning his Priesthood, to offer Sacrifice unto God, and by the same to purge the World from Sin.

Paul (Phil. ii.) saith, that Christ humbled himself unto the death of the, cross. (Heb. ii.) He was made partaker of man's mortal nature, that by death he might destroy him that had the empire and dominion of death, that is to say, the devil. John calleth him the Lamb that doth take away the sin of the world. (John, i.) All the sacrifices of the old law were figures and types of this only sacrifice, which was appointed by God to die and to suffer the ire and displeasure of God for the sin of man, as though he himself were a sinner, and had merited this displeasure. The greatness of this ire, sorrow, confusion, ignominy, and contempt, neither angel nor man can express: his pains were so intolerable, and his passion so dolorous, his deity so obedient with the Father's will, that it was not only a sacrifice, but also a just recompense to satisfy for all the world solely and only, as Christ taught Nicodemus, John, iii. as Paul, Heb. vii. viii. ix. x. Isa. liii. and so all the Prophets and Patriarchs. And such a sacrifice as once for all sufficeth, Heb. vii..

These two offices of Christ should never be out of remembrance. They declare the infinite mercy of God, and likewise his indifferent and equal justice unto all creatures without respect of persons. The token of his mercy may be known in this, that he would not that all mankind should be lost, though in Adam all deserved eternal death. He opened his mercy unto Adan not only by word, but also by the fire that descended upon his sa rifices and his son's.. So to Abraham, then to the world by the incarnation

and death of his only Son, and the promise of grace and the promise of everlasting life unto such as repent and believe in him.

The sign of his ire and displeasure unto man is this, that he would not accept man again into his favour for any penance, any sorrow, any trouble, any adversity, any weeping, any wailing, nor for the death of any person, until his own Son, most dear beloved, by death appeased his displeasure, and became surety to satisfy the justice of God and the right that the devil had unto all mankind. This if man remembered as deeply and as earnestly as the matter requireth, it should make his heart full sorry, and bring him unto an honest and virtuous trade of life. It would bring him to consider this example of God's justice and equity in the appeasing of his own justly conceived ire, and likewise that he would do no wrong unto his mortal enemy the devil. Except the Son of God had been an equal and just redemption, a price correspondent to make amends and satisfy the fault and guilt of man's sin, God would not have taken one soul from the right and justice of the devil.

Now of this infallible truth, that Christ hath sacrificed only for sin, and his death is accounted only sufficient for the salvation of man, the church is aright instructed by two most necessary articles; first, of justification, and then of the right use of the sacrament of his holy body. Concerning justification thus the word of God teacheth.

CHAPTER VII.

Qf Justification.

St. Paul, when he saith that we be justified by faith (Rom. iii. 4, 5), he meaneth that we have remission of sins, reconciliation, and acceptance into

the favour of God. So doth this word, "justify," signify (Deut. xxv.) hisdich, where God commandeth the judge to justify, quit, and absolve the innocent, and to condemn and punish the person culpable.

Paul saith, We are justified by faith, and not by

works.

To be justified by faith in Christ is as much to say as, we obtain remission of sin, and are accepted into the favour of God by the merits of Christ.

To be justified by works is as much to say, as to deserve remission of sin by works.

Paul declareth, that for the death and merits of Christ we be saved, and not by our own virtues. . So that faith doth not only shew us Christ that died, and now sitteth at the right hand of God; but also applieth the merits of this death unto us, and maketh Christ ours. Faith layeth nothing to gage unto the justice of God but the death of Christ, and thereupon claimeth mercy and God's promise, the remission of sin, and desireth God to justify and deliver the soul from the accusation of the law and right of the devil, which he is bound to do for his promise sake. (Ezek. xxxiii. Matt. xvii.) And although with this remission of sin he giveth likewise the Holy Ghost to work the will of God, to love both God and his neighbour, yet notwithstanding, the conscience, burdened and charged with sin, first seeketh remission thereof. For this thing the conscience laboureth and contendeth in all fears and terrors of sorrow and contrition. It disputeth not, what virtues it bringeth (wretched soul) to claim this promise of mercy; but forsaking her own justice, offereth Christ, dead upon the cross, and sitting at God's right hand. It maketh nothing to be the cause, wherefore this mercy should be given, saving only the death of Christ, which is the only sufficient price and gage for sin.

And although it be necessary and requisite, that in the justification of a sinner contrition be present, and that necessarily charity and virtuous life must follow; yet doth the Scripture attribute the only remission of sin unto the mercy of God, which is given only for the merits of Christ, and received solely by faith. Paul doth not exclude those virtues to be present, but he excludeth the merits of those virtues, and deriveth the cause of our acceptance into the grace of God only for Christ. And mark this manner of speech : "Fide justificamur;" hoc est, "fiducia misericordiæ sumus justi." "We are justified by faith;" that is, "we are just through the confidence of mercy." This word, faith, doth comprehend as well a persuasion and confidence, that the promise of God appertaineth unto us for Christ's sake, as the knowledge of God. For faith, though it desire the company of contrition and sorrow for sin, yet contendeth it not in judgment upon the merits of any works, but only for the merits of Christ's death. In case it did, it availeth nothing; for if a man desire to be delivered from the law, the law must be satisfied, which saith, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, and all thy heart, and all thy strength." (Deut. vi.) Now there is not, nor ever was, any man born of the stock of Aḍam in original sin, that feared God, as much as the law requireth, nor ever had such constant faith as is required, or such ardent love as it requireth: seeing those virtues that the law required be infirm and weak: for their merits we can obtain nothing of God. We must therefore only trust to the merits of Christ, which satisfied the extreme jot and uttermost point of the law for us. And this his justice and perfection he imputeth and communicateth to us by faith.

Such as say, that faith only justifieth not, because

other virtues be present, they cannot tell what they say. Every man that will have his conscience appeased, must mark these two things: How remission of sin is obtained, and wherefore it is obtained. Faith is the mean whereby it is obtained, and the cause wherefore it is received is the merits of Christ. Although faith be the means whereby it is received, yet hath neither faith, nor charity, nor contrition, nor the word of God, nor all those knit together, sufficient merits wherefore we should obtain this remission of sin. But the only cause wherefore sin is forgiven, is the death of Christ.

Now mark the words of Paul: "Freely," saith he, "we are justified by his grace." Let the man burst his heart with contrition, believe that God is good a thousand times, and burn in charity, yet shall not all these satisfy the law, nor deliver man from the ire of God, until such time as faith letteth fall all hope and confidence in the merits of such virtues as be in man, and say, "Lord, behold thy unfruitful servant; only for the merits of Christ's blood give me remission of sins; for I know no man can be justified otherwise before thee, as David saith, "No man living shall be justified in thy sight." (Psa. cxliii.) And again, "Blessed is the man, to whom the Lord imputeth no sin." (Psa. xxxii.)

He that would mark Christ's communication with that nobleman and great clerk Nicodemus (John, iii.) should be satisfied how and wherefore man is justified so plainly, that no adversary of the truth should hurt this infallible verity, "Sole faith to justify:" Nicodemus, having a good opinion, although not a sufficient knowledge of Christ, came unto him by night, and confessed him to be sent from God, and that because of such works and miracles as he had wrought. Christ made answer, Truly, Nicodemus, I say unto thee, no man can see the kingdom