A Treatise Touching the Liberty of a Christian

But thou doest ask by what means it cometh to pass, that faith only may justify, & give such a treasure of so great goodness without works, seeing that the whole scriptures do prescribe unto us so many works, ⟨p. 13⟩so many ceremonies, and so many laws? I do answer, above all things be mindful of this chiefly that hath bin spoken of before, to wit, that only faith without works doth justify, doth deliver, and doth save, which we will make more manifest hereafter. In the mean time seal up this, that the whole Scripture of God is divided into two branches, namely,¹ commandments and promises. Indeed the commandments do teach good things, but the things that are taught by them are not forthwith performed, for they do pronounce what we ought to do, but do not give power to do the same, but are instituted to this end, to discover man to himself, by means whereof, man may know his own disability towards the good, & so despair of his own strength: and for this cause they are called the old Testament, and so they be indeed. As for example, Thou shalt not covet, is a Commandment, by the which we are convinced all to be sinners, because man cannot choose but covet, whatsoever his endeavour be to the contrary, And therefore, that he may not covet, & so consequently fulfil the ⟨p. 14⟩commandment, he is compelled to despair of himself, & to seek elsewhere for help of another, which he is not able to find in himself,² as Hosea saith, Thy destruction cometh of thy self, O Israel, & thy health only from me. ³The observation of which one commandment, is general to be observed in all the rest, for all the commandments are in all respects alike impossible unto us, & beyond our reach. Now when man is taught his own weakness by the commandments, & thereby brought into perplexity, how he may be able to accomplish the law, knowing that the law must be so of all parts accomplished, that no one jot so much,⁴ or title thereof may be pretermitted, otherwise in danger of eternal damnation irrecoverable, being then truly humbled, and embased to nought in his own eyes, he findeth nothing in himself, whereby he may be justified, and come to salvation. Lo, here cometh the other branch of the Scripture, namely, the promises of God, which do bring the glad tidings of the glory of God, & speak on this wise.