The answere.
[ 1] I say first, that if Zacharias and Elizabeth had kept ye law exactly in all pointes,* 1.1 then Christ needed not to haue died for them, or to haue risen again for their iustification. For the per∣fite fulling of the law, giueth life to the doer thereof. I say se∣condly, [ 2] that they were of that number, of whom S. Iohn saith; if we say we haue no sinne,* 1.2 we deceiue our selues, and there is no trueth in vs. And of whom S. Paule saith; There is none righteous,* 1.3 no not one, they haue all gone out of the way, there is none that doth good, no not one. And of whom the Psalm••∣graphe saith; for in thy sight shall none that liueth be iustified. And of whom S. Austen saith;* 1.4 Vae etiam laudabili vitae homi∣num, si remota misericordia discutias eam. Woe euen to the best liuers on earth, if thou extend not thy mercie towards them.
I say thirdly, that they were iust before God, as were Da∣uid, [ 3] Peter, Paul, and others; not for that they were perfitly iust and without sinne,* 1.5 but because God reputed them so perfit∣ly iust, as if they had neuer sinned; and of his great mercie tho∣rough the merites of Christ Iesus, did not impute the breach of his law vnto them; according to this saying of the scripture. Blessed are they,* 1.6 whose iniquities are forgiuen, and whose sins are couered. Blessed is the man, to whom the Lord imputeth no sinne.