order. Let the sun shine by day, and the moon and stars by night Let the sea give fishes; the earth grain; the woods wild beasts and trees, &c. In like manner let not the law usurp the office and use of another; that is to say of justification: but let it leave this only to grace, to the promise, and to faith. What is then the office of the law?-Transgressions. Or else (as he saith in another place,) "The law entered that sin should abound." A goodly office forsooth! "The law (saith he) was added because of transgressions:" that is to say, that is to say, it was added besides and after the promise, until Christ, the "seed,' should come unto whom it whom it was promised.

OF THE DOUBLE USE OF THE LAW.

Here you must understand, that there is a double use of the law. One is civil. For God hath ordained civil laws, yea, all laws, to punish transgressions. Every law then is given to restrain sin. If it restrain sin, then, it maketh men righteous!-No! nothing less! For in that I do not kill, I do not commit adultery, I do not steal; or, in that I abstain from other sins, I do it not willingly, or for the love of virtue, but I fear the prison, the sword, and the hangman. These do bridle and restrain me that I sin not; as bonds and chains restrain a lion or a bear, that he tear and devour not every thing that he meeteth. Therefore, the restraining from sin is not righteousness, but rather, a signification of unrighteousness. For as a mad or wild beast is bound, lest he should destroy every thing that he meeteth; even so, the law doth bridle a mad and furious man, that he sin not after his own lust. This restraint sheweth plainly enough, that they which have need of the law (as all they have which are without Christ,) are not righteous; but rather, wicked and mad men; whom it is necessary by the bonds and prison of the law, so to bridle, that they sin not. Therefore, the law justifieth not!

The first use then of the law is, to bridle the wicked. For the devil reigneth throughout the whole world, and enforceth men to all kinds of horrible wickedness. There

fore, God hath ordained magistrates, parents, ministers, laws, bonds, and all civil ordinances, that if they can do no more, yet, at the least, they may bind the devil's hands, that he rage not in his bond slaves after his own lust. Like as therefore they that are possessed, in whom the devil mightily reigneth, are kept in bonds and chains lest they should hurt others; even so, in the world, which is possessed of the devil and carried headlong into all kinds of wickedness, the magistrate is present with his bonds and chains, that is to say, with his laws, binding his hands and feet, that he run not headlong into all kinds of mischief. And if he suffer not himself to be bridled after this sort, then he loseth his head. This civil restraint is very necessary and appointed of God; as well for public peace, as also for the preservation of all things; but especially, lest the course of the Gospel should be hindered by the tumults and seditions of wicked, outrageous, and proud men. But Paul entreateth not here of this civil use and office of the law. It is indeed very necessary, but it justifieth not. For as a possessed or a mad man is not therefore free from the snares of the devil, or well in his mind, because he hath his hands and his feet bound, and can do no hurt; even so, the world, although it be bridled by the law from outward wickedness and mischief, yet it is not therefore righteous, but still continueth wicked. Yea, this restraint sheweth plainly, that the world is wicked and outrageous, stirred up and enforced to all wickedness by his prince the devil: for otherwise, it need not to be bridled by laws that it should not sin.

Another use of the law is divine and spiritual: which is, as Paul saith, to "increase transgressions;" that is to say, to reveal unto a man his sin, his blindness, his misery, his impiety, ignorance, hatred, and contempt of God, death, hell, and the judgment, and the deserved wrath of God. Of this use, the Apostle treateth notably in the seventh to the Romans. This is altogether unknown to hypocrites, to the Popish sophisters, and school-divines; and to all that walk in the opinion of

the righteousness of the law, or of their own righteousness. But, to the end that God might bridle and beat down this monster and this mad beast (I mean the presumption of man's righteousness and religion, which naturally maketh men proud, and puffeth them up in such sort that they think themselves thereby to please God highly), it behoved him to send some Hercules, which might set upon this monster with all force and courage, to overthrow him and utterly to destroy him : that is to say, he was constrained to give a law in Mount Sinai, with so great majesty, and with so terrible a show, that the whole multitude was astonished, Exod. xix. and xx.

This, as it is the proper and principal use of the law, so is it very profitable and also most necessary. For if any be not a murderer, an adulterer, a thief, and outwardly refrain from sin, as the pharisee did which is mentioned in the Gospel, he would swear (because he is possessed with the devil,) that he is righteous; and therefore, he continueth an opinion of righteousness, and presumeth of his good works and merits. Such a one, God cannot otherwise mollify and humble, that he may acknowledge his misery and damnation, but by the law. For that is the hammer of death, the thundering of hell, and lightning of God's wrath, that beateth to powder the obstinate and senseless hypocrites. Wherefore, this is the proper and true use of the law-by lightning, by tempest, and by sound of the trumpet (as in Mount Sinai), to terrify; and, by thundering, to beat down and rend in pieces that beast, which is called the opinion of righteousness! Therefore, saith God by Jeremiah the prophet, "My word is a hammer breaking rocks." For as long as the opinion of righteousness abideth in man, so long there abideth also in him incomprehensible pride, presumption, security, hatred of God, contempt of his grace and mercy, and ignorance of the promises and of Christ. The preaching of the remission of sins through Christ cannot enter into the head of such a one, neither can he feel any taste or savour

thereof. For that mighty rock and adamant wall, to wit, the opinion of righteousness wherewith the heart is environed, doth resist it.

As therefore, the opinion of righteousness is a great and horrible monster; a rebellious, obstinate, and stiffnecked beast; so, for the destroying and overthrowing thereof, God hath need of a mighty hammer, that is to say, the law; which then is in his proper use and office, when it accuseth and revealeth sins after this sort-Behold! thou hast transgressed all the commandments of God, &c.! And so, it striketh terror into the conscience, so that it feeleth God to be offended and angry indeed, and itself to be guilty of eternal death. Here the poor afflicted sinner feeleth the intolerable burthen of the law, and is beat down even to desperation; so that now, being oppressed with great anguish and terror, he desireth death, or else seeketh to destroy himself. Wherefore, the law is that hammer, that fire, that mighty strong wind, and that terrible earthquake, rending the mountains and breaking the rocks; that is to say, the proud and obstinate hypocrites. Elias, not being able to abide these terrors of the law, which by these things are signified, covered his face with his mantle. Notwithstanding, when the tempest ceased of which he was a beholder, there came a soft and gracious wind, in which the Lord was. But it behoved, that the tempest of fire, of wind, and the earthquake should pass, before the Lord should reveal himself in that gracious wind.

This terrible show and majesty, wherein God gave his law in Mount Sinai, did represent the use of the law. There was in the people of Israel which came out of Egypt, a singular holiness. They gloried and said, We are the people of God; we will do all those things which the Lord our God hath commanded." Moreover, Moses did sanctify the people, and bade them wash their garments, refrain from their wives, and prepare themselves against the third day. There was not one of them but he was full of holiness. The third day, Moses bringeth the people out of their tents to the mountain unto the sight of the Lord, that they might hear his voice,

What followed then?-When the children of Israel did behold the horrible sight of the mount smoking and burning, the black clouds, and the lightnings flashing up and down in this horrible darkness, and heard the sound of the trumpet blowing long and waxing louder and louder; and moreover, when they heard the thunderings and lightnings, they were afraid, and standing afar off, they said, Moses, we will do all things willingly, so that the Lord speak not unto us, lest that we die, and this great fire consume us. Teach thou us, and we will hearken unto thee.' I pray you what did their purifying, their holiness, their white garments, and refraining from their wives, profit them? Nothing at all! There was not one of them that could abide this presence of the Lord in his majesty and glory. But all being amazed and shaken with terror, fled back as if they had been driven by the devil. For God is a consuming fire; in whose sight, no flesh is able to stand.

The law of God, therefore, hath properly and peculiarly that office, which it had then in Mount Sinai when it was first given, and was first heard of them that were washed, righteous, purified, and chaste: and yet, notwithstanding, it brought that holy people into such a knowledge of their own misery, that they were thrown down even to death and desperation. No purity nor holiness could then help them; but there was in them such a feeling of their own uncleanness, unworthiness, and sin, and of the judgment and wrath of God, that they fled from the sight of the Lord, and could not abide to hear his voice. "What flesh was there ever (say they,) that heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the midst of the fire, and yet lived? This day have we seen that God talketh with man, and yet he liveth." They speak now far otherwise than they did a little before, when they said, 'We are the holy people of God, whom the Lord hath chosen for his own peculiar people before all nations upon the earth. We will do all things which the Lord hath spoken.' So it happeneth at length to all justiciaries; who, being drunken with the opinion of their own righteousness, do think, when they are out