A Golden Chain

then my heart began to wax soft and melt at the bounteous mercy of God, and kindness showed of Christ. For when the gospel was preached, the spirit of God (me thought) entered into my heart, and opened my inward eyes and wrought a lively faith in me, and made my woeful conscience feel and taste how sweet a thing the bitter death of Christ is, and how merciful and loving God is through Christs purchasing and merits, and made me to begin to love again, and to consent to the law of God how that it is good & ought so to be, and that God is righteous that made it: lastly, it wrought in me a desire to be whole, and to hunger and thirst after more righteousness and more strength to fulfil the law more perfectly: and in all that I do or leave undone to seek Gods honour and his will with meekness, evermore condemning the imperfectness of my deeds by the law. Now then this good work of God to my salvation standeth in two points, the working of the law, & the working of the gospel: the preaching of the law was a key that bound and damned my conscience, the preaching of the gospel was another key that loosed me again. These two salves (I mean the law & the gospel) used God and his preacher to heal & cure me a wretched sinner withal. The law did drive out my disease and made it appear, & was a sharp salve and fretting corrosive, and killed the dead flesh, and loosed and drew the sore out by the root, and all corruption. It pulled from me all trust and confidence I had in my self, and in mine own works, merits, deservings, and ceremonies, and robbed me of all my righteousness, and made me poor. It killed me in sending me down to hell, and bringing me almost to utter desperation, and prepared the way of the Lord, as it is written of John Baptist. For it was not possible that Christ should come unto me as long as I trusted in my self or in any worldly thing, or had any righteousness of mine own, or riches of holy works. Then afterward came the gospel a more gentle plaster, which suppled and swaged the wounds of my conscience and brought me health: it brought the spirit of God, which loosed the bands of Satan, and coupled me to God and his will through a strong faith and fervent love. Which bands were to strong for the devil, the world, or any creature to loose.

then my heart began to waxe soft and melt at the bounteous mercie of God, and kindnes shewed of Christ. For when the gospel was preached, the spirit of God (mee thought) entred into my heart, and opened my inwarde eies and wrought a liuely faith in me, and made my woofull conscience feele and tast how sweet a thing the bitter death of Christ is, and how mercifull and louing God is through Christs purchasing and merits, and made me to beginne to loue againe, and to consent to the lawe of God how that it is good & ought so to be, and that God is righteous that made it: lastly, it wrought in me a desire to be whole, and to hunger and thirst after more righteousnesse and more strength to fulfill the law more perfectly: and in all that I do or leaue vndone to seeke Gods honour and his will with meekenesse, euermore condemning the imperfectnes of my deedes by the law. Now then this good work of God to my saluation standeth in two points, the working of the law, & the working of the gospel: the preaching of the law was a key that bound and damned my conscience, the preaching of the gospel was another key that loosed me againe. These two salues (I meane the lawe & the gospel) vsed God and his preacher to heale & cure me a wretched sinner withall. The law did driue out my disease and made it appeare, & was a sharp salue and fretting corrasiue, and killed the dead flesh, and loosed and drew the sore out by the root, and all corruption. It pulled from me all trust and confidence I had in my selfe, and in mine owne works, merits, deseruings, and ceremonies, and robbed me of all my righteousnesse, and made me poore. It killed me in sending me downe to hell, and bringing me almost to vtter desperation, and prepared the way of the Lord, as it is written of Iohn Baptist. For it was not possible that Christ should come vnto me as long as I trusted in my selfe or in any worldly thing, or had any righteousnes of mine own, or riches of holy works. Then afterward came the gospel a more gentle plaister, which suppled and swaged the woundes of my conscience and brought mee health: it brought the spirit of God, which loosed the bandes of Satan, and coupled me to God and his will through a strong faith and feruent loue. Which bandes were to strōg for the deuill, the world, or any creature to loose.