A03621:92
A declaration of Christ and of his office compiledA declaration of Christe and of his offyce compylyd
A declaration of Christ and of his office compiled, by Johan Hopper, anno 1547A declaration of Christe and of his offyce compylyd, by Johan Hoper, anno 1547
printed by Augustine Fries, 1547printed by Augustyne Fries, 1547
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
saint James useth this word law in the Hebrew face. Thorah which signifieth à doctrine that teacheth, instructeth and leadeth Amanas well unto the knowledge of himself as of God. So saint Paul admirandis enallagis & prosopopaeis in Epi. Ro. 7. disputat. By the law cometh the knowledge of sin. he calleth the law the power and force of sin, 1. Cor. 15. only the law declareth how great an Isle sin is. and the man that beholdeth the will of god in the law, shall find him self and all his lief guilty of eternal death: red the ⟨image 87⟩7. chapter to the Romans with judgment and then know what man is how miserable spoiled of virtue, wand oppressed with sin: so Paul learned to knew himself. and know not what sin was till the law had made him afraid and showed him that he was with all his holiness being à Pharisee dā nid. Peccatū occasion accepta, per praeceptum. decipit me, & per illud occidit Ro. 7. and in the same chapter he she with plainly what he saw in the glass and contemplation of the law that sin was manifested thereby and the greatness thereof known. Ut appararet peccatum, per id quod erat bonum, mihi gignere mortem, ut fieret maiorem in modum pecans peccatum per praeceptum. Mark the trauyce and play between the law of God, and the conscience of Paul and see how he giveth thanks unto his master the law and proclaimeth he it to be à spiritual and holy ⟨image 88⟩thing, as à light or torch to show man his filthy and stinking nature: saying lex spiritualis est: at ego carnalis sum, uenditus sub peccatū, A bondman of sin, and traitor of god. Here thou seest god reader what a miserable wretch man is, and how man may know his miseri by the law. How be it though we read it many times we be nether the wiser, nether the better, we be not taught à deal by this mistress the law, she cannot make us good scholars we dally and play so with the world, we live in such security and ease, that say she what she list we torn the deaf ear and will not hire: therefore to make man to know himself god sendeth an other mistress to school man, scilicet adversity, then we begin to understand the law of god that dissuadeth from sin, and we then know our misery. As David Crieth that he is ⟨image 88⟩notable to bare the burden of sin if the lord execute justice as the greatness thereof meriteth, Si iniquitates obseruaveris dn̄e, ꝗs sustinebit?