A17183:1397
Fifty Godly and Learned Sermons (The Decades)
Fifty godly and learned sermons divided into five decades, containing the chief and principal points of Christian religion, written in three several tomes or sections, by Henry Bullinger minister of the church of Tigure in Switzerland. Whereunto is adjoined a triple or three-fold table very fruitful and necessary. Translated out of Latin into English by H.I. student in divinity.Fiftie godlie and learned sermons diuided into fiue decades, conteyning the chiefe and principall pointes of Christian religion, written in three seuerall tomes or sections, by Henrie Bullinger minister of the churche of Tigure in Swicerlande. Whereunto is adioyned a triple or three-folde table verie fruitefull and necessarie. Translated out of Latine into English by H.I. student in diuinitie.
London: printed by Henry Middleton for Ralph Newberrie, 1577London: printed by Henry Middleton for Ralphe Newberrie, 1577
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.
As for those which stay here, and go no further to make any other use 1and effect of the law, but as though Moses did nothing but kill, & the law nothing but slay, they are diversly and that not lightly deceived. I do here again repeat it, and tell them that the ⟨p. 402⟩very proper office of the law is to make sin manifest, & also that Moses his chief office is to teach us what we have to do, & with threatenings and cursings to urge it, especially when the law is compared with the Gospel. For in the third Chapter of the 2. Epistle 2to the Corinthians Paul calleth the law the letter, and immediately after the ministration of death, then again he calleth it a doctrine written in letters and ink, and figured in tables of stone, which should not endure, but perish and decay. The same Apostle on the other side again doeth call the Gospel the ministration or doctrine of the spirit, which endureth, & decayeth not, which is written in mens hearts, & giveth life to the believers. Whereupon we do freely confess that the law doeth properly make manifest our infirmity, but that the Gospel giveth a medicine & a remedy to that, which was almost past hope. And now here we must think that our holy ancestors had not the law alone to convince them of sin, nor Moses to do nothing else but kill and slay, nor that Moses was given to wound them, but to heal them: & that not by his own power or virtue, but by the guiding of them to him that cherisheth the contrite in heart, and healeth all their sorrows: that is Christ Jesus, who also wrought by the ministry of Moses. For we must not think from the beginning of the world, nor from Moses his time till the coming of Christ, that the bare letter was preached only, and that the grace and spirit of God was idle & wrought not in the minds of the faithful. For in that the law doth show us, and invincibly prove to us, that in us, I mean in our flesh, y• perfection is not, which the most holy and perfect God doth in his law require of us, it doeth therein revoke and pull back mankind (not by the virtue of it self, but by the power of the quickening spirit of Christ) from confidence of the flesh, as that wherein there is no health, nor jot of perfection: and so consequently doeth give us occasion to turn our selves to Christ our mediator, who is alone our sanctification & perfection.