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Errors and absurdities of the PAPISTS, touching the doctrine of the Law and of the GOSPEL.

"1. THEY

HEY erroneously conceive an opinion of "salvation in the law, which only is to be sought in "the faith of Christ, and in no other.

"2. They erroneously seek God's favour by "works of the law: not knowing that the law, in "this our corrupt nature, worketh only the anger of "God. Rom. iii.

"3. They err also in this, that where the office of "the law is diverse and contrary from the Gospel, "they, without any difference, confound the one " with the other, making the Gospel to be a law, and "Christ to be a Moses.

" 4. They err in dividing the law unskilfully into "three parts, into the law-natural, the law-moral, "and the law-evangelical.

"5. They err again in dividing the law-evangeliVol. III.-No. IV.

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"cal into precepts and counsels, making the precepts "to serve for all men, the counsels only to serve for "them that be perfect.

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"6. The chief substance of all their teaching and "preaching resteth upon the works of the law; as appears by their religion, which wholly consisteth "in men's merits, traditions, laws, canons, decrees, "and ceremonies.

"7. In the doctrine of salvation, of remission, "and justification, either they admit the law equally "with the Gospel, or else, clean secluding the Gos

pel, they teach and preach the law; so that little "mention is made of the faith of Christ, or none at "all.

"8. They err in thinking, that the law of God "requireth nothing in us under pain of damnation; "but only our obedience in external actions: As "for the inward affections and concupiscence, they "esteem but light matters.

"9. They, not knowing the true nature and "strength of the law, do erroneously imagine that it "is in man's power to fulfill it.

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"10. They err in thinking, that it is in man's power not only to keep the law of God, but also "to perform more perfect works than be in God's "law commanded, and these they call the works of "perfection. And hereof rise the works of supere

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rogation, of satisfaction, of congruity, and condig"nity, to store up the treasure-house of the Pope's Church, to be sold out to the people for money. “11. They err in saying, that the state monasti"cal is more perfect for keeping the counsels of the "Gospel, than other states be in keeping the law of "the Gospel.

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"12. The counsels of the Gospel they call the vows of their religious men; as profound humility, perfect chastity, and wilful poverty.

13. They err abominably, in equalling their "laws and constitutions with God's law, and in saying, that man's law bindeth under pain of damna❝tion, no less than God's law.

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"14. They err sinfully, in punishing the transgressors of their laws more sharply than the transgressors of the law of God; as appeareth by their inquisitions, and their canon-law, &c.

"15. Finally, they err most horribly in this, that "where the free promise of God ascribeth our sal"vation only to our faith in Christ, excluding works; they, on the contrary, ascribe salvation only, or principally, to works and merits, excluding faith. Whereupon ariseth the application of the sacrifice "of the mass, ex opere operato, for the quick and "dead, application of the merits of Christ's passion, "in bulls, application of the merits of all religious "orders, and other such like trumpery, as above " mentioned.

"THREE cautions to be observed and avoided in the true understanding of the Law.

"First, that we, through the misunderstanding "of the Scriptures, do not take the law for the Gos"pel, nor the Gospel for the law; but skilfully dis

cern and distinguish the voice of the one from the "voice of the other.. Many there be, who reading "the book of the New Testament, imagine that what

ever they find contained in it, to be only and mere"ly the voice of the Gospel. And on the other hand, "whatever is contained in the Old Testament, that is, "within the law, stories, psalms, and prophets, to be

only and merely the word and voice of the law. In "which they are deceived; for the preaching of the "law and of the Gospel are mixed together in both "the Testaments, as well in the Old as in the New. "Neither is the order of these two doctrines to be

"distinguished by books and leaves, but by the diversity of God's Spirit speaking unto us. For "sometimes in the Old Testament God doth com"fort, as he comforted Adam, with the voice of the Gospel. Sometimes also in the New, he doth "threaten and terrify; as when Christ threatened the "Pharisees. In some places, again, Moses and the

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Prophets play the Evangelists: Insomuch that "Jerom doubted whether he should call Isaiah a

Prophet or an Evangelist. In some places, like"wise, Christ and the Apostles supply the part of "Moses: And as Christ himself, until his death,

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was under the law, (which law he came not to "break, but to fulfill,) so his sermons made to the "Jews, run all for the most part upon the perfect "doctrine and works of the law, showing and teach"ing what we ought to do by the right law of Jus"tice, and what danger ensueth in not performing "the same. All which places, though they be con"tained in the book of the New Testament, yet they "are to be referred to the doctrine of the law, ever "having in them included a privy exception of repentance and faith in Christ Jesus. As for example; where Christ thus preacheth, Blessed are the pure in heart; for they shall see God. Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye "shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. But "he, that doeth the will of my Father, shall enter in"to the kingdom of heavent. Likewise the parable "of the unkind servant, justly cast into prison for "not forgiving his fellow-servant, &c. The cast"ing the rich glutton into hell, &c.|| He, that de"nieth me before men, shall be denied before the an"gels of God¶. With other such like places of

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* Matth. v. 8. † Ibid. xviii. 3. ‡ Ibid. vii. 21. § Ibid. xviii. 23, &c. | Luke xvi. 19. &c. Ibid. xii. 9.

"Scripture. All these, I say, pertaining to the doc"trine of the law, do ever include in them a secret "exception of earnest repentance and faith in "Christ's precious blood. For else, Peter denied, "and yet repented. Many publicans and sinners "were unkind, unmerciful, and hard-hearted to "their fellow-servants; and yet many of them re"pented, and by faith were saved, &c. The grace "of Christ Jesus works in us repentance towards "God, and faith in himself unfeigned.

"Briefly, to know when the law speaketh, and "when the Gospel speaketh, and to discern the "voice of the one from the voice of the other, we 66 may learn from the following remark. That when "there is any moral work commanded to be done, "either to avoid punishment, or upon promise of any "reward temporal or eternal, or else when any pro"mise is made with condition of any work command"ed in the law; there is to be understood the voice "of the law. On the other hand, where the promise "of life and salvation is offered unto us freely, with"out any merits or doings of ours, and simply with

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out any condition annexed, of any law, either na"tural, ceremonial, or moral: All such places, "whether they be read in the Old Testamemt or in "the New, are to be referred to the voice and doc"trine of the Gospel. And this promise of God, "freely made to us by the merits of Jesus Christ, so "long before prophesied to us in the Old Testament, "and afterward exhibited in the New Testament, "and now requiring nothing but our Faith in the "Son of God, is called properly the voice of the "Gospel, and differeth from the voice of the law in this, that it hath no condition adjoined of our merit

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ing, but only respecteth the merits of Christ the "Son of God; by faith in whom alone we are pro"mised of God to be saved and justified, according

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