The Institution of Christian Religion

But there seemeth to be much more hardness in these places, which do both garnish good works with the title of righteousness, & affirm that man is justified by them. Of the first sort there be very many places, where the obseruinges of the commandments are called justifications or righteousnesses. Of the other sort, that is an example which is in Moses,¹ This shall be our righteousness, if we keep all these commandments. And if thou take exception & say that this is a promise of the law, which being knit to a condition impossible, proveth nothing. There be other of which you can not make the same answer, as this, And it shall be to thee for righteousness before the Lord,² to redeliver to the poor man his pledge &c. Again, that which the Prophet saith, that the zeal in revenging the shame of Israel, was imputed to Phinehas for righteousness. Therefore the Pharisees of our time think that here they have a large matter to triumph upon. For when we say, that when the righteousness of faith is set up, the justification of works giveth place, by the same right they make this argument, If righteousness be of works, then it is false that we are justified by faith only. Though I grant that the commandments of the law are called righteousnesses: it is no marvel: for they are so in deed. Howbeit we must warn the readers that the Grecians have not fitly translated the Hebrew word Hucmi, Dikaiomata, righteousnesses for commandments. But for the word, I willingly release my quarrel. For neither do we deny this to the law of God, that it containeth perfect righteousness. For although, because we are debtors of all the things that it commandeth, therefore even when we have performed full obedience thereof, we are unprofitable servants: yet because the lord hath vouchsafed to grant it the honour of righteousness, we take not away that which he hath given. Therefore we willingly confess that the full obedience of the law is righteousness: that the keeping of every commandment, is a part of righteousness, if so be that the whole sum of righteousness were had in the other parts also. But we deny that there is any where any such form of righteousness. And therefore we take away the righteousness of the law, not for that it is maimed and unperfect of it self, but for that by reason of the weakness of our flesh it is no where seen.

But there semeth to be much more hardnesse in these places, which do both garnish good workes with the titīe of righteousnesse, & affirme that man is iustified by them. Of the first sort there be very many places, where the obseruinges of the cōmaundementes are called iustifications or righteousnesses. Of the other sort, that is an exāple which is in Moses,