A Brief and Pithy Sum of the Christian Faith

These things be greatly to be noted, for it may justly be said, that y• ignorance of this distinction between the law and the Gospel, is one of the principal causes & roots of all the abuse, which hath corrupted, and yet doth corrupt the whole Christianity, because the most part of men blinded by the just judgement of God, have never well considered, into what malediction and curse the law hath brought us, neither for what purpose it was ordained of God. And concerning the gospel they have almost esteemed it to be no other thing, but an other law more perfect than the old, from whence immediately did spring this distinction between precept and counsel ⟨image 66⟩with the whole ruin of all the benefits of Jesus Christ. But we must consider these things more nearer. It is easy to gather of that which hath ben said in the former article, what is common both to the law and the Gospel, and what each hath properly belonging to it self. ^aThey have this in common: both be of one only very God, who remaineth continually like unto him self, so that we may not think that the one abolisheth the other, concerning the substance, but contrary, the one establisheth the substance of the other. As we shall say hereafter▪ ^bThey both do purpose and set forth to us one God only, and one righteousness in substance, ^cwherein consisteth the perfect love of GOD, and our neighbour. But behold where the difference lieth. The law is naturally in man, in whose heart God printed and engraved it from the creation. ^dFor those precepts which God did declare a long time after in the two tables of his law, was not to make a ⟨p. 51⟩new law, but only to quicken and revive the law natural, which by little and little was quenched and blotted out in the harts of men through the corruption of sin. ^e