Luther plainly described the Gospel to be a pure Doctrine of Grace without Works. And as he had before divided the whole Word of God into these two Parts, of Precepts and Promises, and the former he entitled purely to the Law; so he then defines the Gospel to be the other Part of God's Word, distinct from the Law: And how? Only as it is a complete System of gracious Promises to us, that we shall possess all these inestimable Blessings in Christ. And he very suitably a little after says,a Therefore the Promises of God belong to the New Testament, yes, and are the New Testament it self. Which is in few words to express his Sense to be, That the Nature of the Gospel, and Covenant of Grace, strictly and properly taken, consists only in Promises. And the more deference is to be given to what this Great Man says here, because it was a Discourse which he composed on purpose to clear himself of those vile Aspersions which the clamorous Monks perpetually bawled out to the People, That he was an Enemy to Holiness, disparaged good Works, and by his preaching and writing the pure Doctrines of Grace, encouraged all manner of Licentiousness and Villainies. To vindicate himself, he compiled, and sent this Discourse to Pope Leo the Tenth, Anno Dom. 1520. before there was an open Ruptureb Wherefore tho his Adversaries basely reproached him as a Man of a boisterous Spirit, who, for want of a due Temper of Mind, was immoderately hurried, by a fiery Zeal, to speak and write he knew not what; yet we may be sure, that in this his little Treatise of Christian Liberty, there are no Thoughts but what are calm, and composed with mature deliberation: For he would not write like an enraged Man against Popery before War was proclaimed, nor would suffer his Passion to transport him, or overcloud and distemper his Judgment, when he pleaded his Cause before the Pope, who to be sure had no very favourable Opinion of him.
Luther plainly described the Gospel to be a pure Doctrine of Grace without Works. And as he had before divided the whole Word of God into these two Parts, of Precepts and Promises, and the former he entitled purely to the Law; so he then defines the Gospel to be the other Part of God's Word, distinct from the Law: And how? Only as it is a compleat System of gracious Promises to us, that we shall possess all these inestimable Blessings in Christ. And he very sutably a little after says,a Therefore the Promises of God belong to the New Testament, yes, and are the New Testament it self. Which is in few words to express his Sense to be, That the Nature of the Gospel, and Covenant of Grace, strictly and properly taken, consists only in Promises. And the more deference is to be given to what this Great Man says here, because it was a Discourse which he compos'd on purpose to clear himself of those vile Aspersions which the clamorous Monks perpetually bawl'd out to the People, That he was an Enemy to Holiness, disparaged good Works, and by his preaching and writing the pure Doctrines of Grace, encourag'd all manner of Licentiousness and Villanies. To vindicate himself, he compil'd, and sent this Discourse to Pope Leo the Tenth, Anno Dom. 1520. before there was an open Ruptureb Wherefore tho his Adversaries basely reproached him as a Man of a boisterous Spirit, who, for want of a due Temper of Mind, was immoderately hurried, by a fiery Zeal, to speak and write he knew not what; yet we may be sure, that in this his little Treatise of Christian Liberty, there are no Thoughts but what are calm, and compos'd with mature deliberation: For he would not write like an enraged Man against Popery before War was proclaim'd, nor would suffer his Passion to transport him, or overcloud and distemper his Judgment, when he pleaded his Cause before the Pope, who to be sure had no very favourable Opinion of him.
- aIdeo promissa Dei pertinent ad Novum Testamentum, imo sunt Novum Testamentum. Lutherus de Libert. Christian. Fol. 388. pag. 1, & 2. Tom. oper.
- bSleidan. Histor. lib. 2. pag. 25. Edit. in Fol. Francof. 1568.
