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Finally where the wholesome doctrine of the gladsome ⟨p. 64⟩Gospel seemeth to interlace here and there many grave and weighty counsels to the embracing of most absolute integrity, & to prescribe many •ules to allure to live well. If a man would descend into the due consideration of the end & scope of the Evangelical exhortations, he shall find nothing that doth more nearly resemble the meaning & purpose of Christ our Saviour, that doth approach more nearly to the direct end of all his speeches, actions, & miracles then this one thing chiefly above all other: namely, to draw all men to faith & the knowledge of Christ, as who did very well know that all our safety & righteousness doth depend wholly upon this only faith in him. Paul likewise treating upon nothing else almost throughout all his Epistles: how learnedly, how industriously doth he urge all his force of skill to acquaint us throughly with this doctrine, that the whole substance of our salvation, & strongest pillar of our righteousness was grounded not upon the sa•des of the law, not propped up with the slimy mortar of works, not raised up with any our sweating or moiling, but promised by the free mercy of god accomplished by the only workmanship of Christ, given & received through our only faith and belief in him:¹ and yet not excluding mean whiles the works of the law so, as they might not be always attendant upon the man that is justified, as fruits and effects of faith: but that they should in no wise be taken for the original cause of justification: and again neither making this cause of justification to depend so wholly upon faith, as that we might therefore slack any part of our duty in doing good all the rest of our life.² But to the end we should not be carried away with vain confidence of works, nor ground our righteousness, which we receive only at Christs hands,³ else where in the only faith in Jesus Christ. And for this cause Of faith (saith S. Paul) that the promise might be made sure by grace which otherwise would be always whirled about in unstable uncertainty, if it rested wholly upon perfection ⟨image 69⟩