The Institution of Christian Religion

Of profiting, to crave the grace of his help, Augustine speaketh oft,¹ as when he writeth to Hilary, The law commandeth that endeavouring to do the things commanded, and being wearied with our weakness under the law, we should learn to ask the help of grace.² Again to Aselius. The profit of the law is to convince man of his own weakness, and compel him to crave the Physic of grace that is in Christ.³ Again to Innocent of Rome, The law commandeth, & Grace ministereth strength to do. Again to Valentine:⁴ God commandeth those things that we can not do, that we may learn to know what to ask of him. Again: The law was given to accuse you, that being accused you should fear, that fearing you should crave pardon, and not presume of your own strengths. Again: The law was given for this purpose, of great to make little, to show that thou haste no strength of thine own to righteousness, that thou as poor, unworthy and needy, shouldest flee unto grace.⁵ After, he turneth his speech to God and saith: Do so Lord, do so merciful Lord, command that which can not be fulfilled: yea, command that which can not but by thy grace be fulfilled, that when men can not fulfil it by their own strength, every mouth may be stopped, and no man may think him self great. Let all be little ones, and let all the world be guilty before thee. But I am not wise to heap up so many testimonies, sith that holly man hath written a book properly of that matter, which he hath entitled, Of the Spirit and Letter. The second profiting he doth not so lively describe, either because he knew that it did hang upon the former, or because he did not so well understand it, or because he wanted words where with distinctly and plainly to express his ⟨p. 42⟩meaning of it, which yet he rightly conceived: but this first office of the law is not idle even in the reprobate also. For though they go not thus far forward with the children of God, that after the throwing down of their flesh they be renewed and flourish again in the inward man, but amazed with the first terror do lie still in desperation: yet it serveth to show fourth the equity of Gods judgement, that their consciences be tossed with such ways.