Co[m]mon places of Scripture ordrely and after a co[m]pendious forme of teachyng set forth with no litle labour, to the gret profit and help of all such studentes in Gods worde as haue not had longe exercyse in the same, by the ryghte excellent clerke Eras. Sarcerius ; translated in to Englysh by Rychard Tauerner.

Of fulfyllynge the lawe. CA. XXVIII.

THe fulfyllyng of the lawe, is a {per}∣fyte satisfaction, wherby the law is satisfyed both w^t a consentynge hert, & also with outward worke{is}. But bicause no man could {per}forme this, ther∣fore came Chryst & accōplished fully y^t the lawe for vs vnto ryghtousnes, en∣duryng for euer, giuyng also tholy ghost y^t we may truly feare god, byleue in god loue god & our neyghbour, thoughe in great im{per}fectiō, which neuertheles god taketh ī good parte bicause of his Christ the hole & perfyte fulfyller of the lawe in the name of all that beleue.

¶I cal y^• fulfyllyng of the lawe a {per}fite satisfactiō, which standeth in the cōsent of the mynde, togyther with y^e execuciō of good workes. Now y^t the lawe requi¦reth a cōsentynge mynde, the wordes of Paule do proue which saith y^t the lawe is spirytuall (y^t is to saye) requyreth spy∣rytuall thynges. Also Chryst through∣out the hole .v. chap. of Mat. requyreth to y^• fulfillyng of the lawe y^• affections & herte cōsētyng to the same. Lykewise Pau i. Timo. i. requyreth to the fulfyl∣līg of y^e law cha••••e of a pure hert good cōscience & fayth vnfayned. Nowe▪ the old testamēt eueri where requireth loue of the hole hert, of the hole mynd, & of y^e

hole power. Concernyng the outwarde kepyng of y^e lawes, there is no doubte. For the vse fulfylling the law, is of .ij. sort{is} y^e one is inward, y^e other outward.

THAT no mā can kept the lawe the place ī the act{is} of the apostles teacheth sufficiētly where S. Pet. teacheth these wordes, why tēpte ye god y^• yt wyl put a yoke on the disciples neckes which ne¦ther our fathers nor we were hable to beare. This is sure yf we had bē hable {per}fytly to haue kepte the lawe. Chryste neded not to haue come whose offyce (as he hym selfe expreslye declareth) was to fulfyll the lawe. But by cause the bele∣uers be iustifyed vnto good work{is} (wit∣nessynge thapostle Ephes. ij. created to good work{is}. &c.) therfore Chryst gyueth tholy ghost to the beleuers which hel∣peth theyr infyrmityes y^• after a maner they myght bryng a cōsentyng herte vn to the lawe, thoughe it be weake & im{per}¦fyte, which neuertheles god accepteth & taketh in good parte bycause of Chryst which hath satisfyed the lawe pefectly vnto the perfecte rightousnes of y^e same y^• is of force & strength before god for e∣uermore, accordīge to Pau, saing, which also (meanyng Chryst) maketh interces∣siō for vs. Also of y^e prophet. Thou arte

the euerlastynge prseste after the ordre Melchisedech.

¶There be two maners of fulfilynge y^e lawe, the one īward the other outward which two conioyned togyther do {per}fect¦ly satisfye the lawe. But there was yet neuer mā which {per}fectly either hath euer cōioyned or coulde cōsoyne these partes besydes Chryst, & therfore only Chryste is the perfecte accomplysher of the lawe euen to the full {per}fection. who also vnto vs hath deserued & purchased the gylte of fulfyllynge the same after a maner so that we also may bryng (through Christ & grace of tholy ghost) to the outwarde fulfyllyng of the law a cōsētyng mynde and may feare god truly, truli beleue in god, refreyne our mynde & hande frome slaughter & suche lyke wyckednes. But yet vnder great weaknes & imperfectiō we do these thynges & therfore our ful∣fyllyng cā not be pleaded ne laid agaīst goddes yre, neyther is it done of vs to that purpose that we shold be iustifyed by the same, but to thyntent fyth we be all ready iustifyed of Chryst the perfect executour of the law, we myght declare & shewe by our fulfyllyng suche as it is, our kyndnes & loue towardes god for y^e rightousnes receyued through Christ, as

I haue heretofore declared the selfe thynge in theffectes of good workes.

AS concernyng the perfyte fulfyllyng of the lawe, which brought to the hole worlde a righttousnes which is of force before god for euermore: Chryst is the cause of fulfyllyng y^e law, who perfytly hath satisfied the law, for which entent also, he was {pro}mysed of y^e father: as him self testifyeth, sayng he cam not to breke or destroye the lawe but to fulfyll it.

¶Thoccasion that Chryst had to fulfil the law towarde vs, was our infirmite & weaknes, by which we were not hable to satisfye the lawe, the burthē wherof (as Pe. ī the act{is} declareth) neyther our fathers nor we coulde beare, Pau. testy∣fyenge y^e same saing what y^e lawe could not do in that it was weake bycause of the flesshe, that {per}formed god. & sent his sonne in the similitude of synfull flesshe and by synne, damned sinne in the fleshe y^t the ryghtousnes requyred of the lawe myght be fulfylled in vs, that is to say that by Chryst we myght be rekened to haue satisfyed the lawe.

AS {per}teynyng to our fulfilling, which god requyreth of the iustifyed, Christ al∣so togyther w^t tholy ghoste is the cause. For Christ through his {per}fyte fulfilling

of the lawe, merited and wan vnto vs the gifte of the fulfylling the same, gy∣uynge vs the holy ghoost to helpe oure weakenes in y^e fulfillīg therof not vn∣to rightousnes or that we myght be iu∣stified therby for to that purpose onlye serueth the fulfyllyng of Christ, but for y^e declaraciō of our louing & kinde herte to wardes god for y^e rightousnes & great benefites that we haue receyued of his handes in Christe. Certeynlye this ho¦ly gost fasshyoneth & createth in vs new intentes & mociōs of mynde. which he cō¦uenyent (although in a great ī{per}fection) to y^• true trusting in god to the true lo∣uing of god & of the neighbour.

¶Forasmoch as y^• perfite fulfillīg of y^e lawe serueth for rightousnes, & our im∣{per}fite fulfillīg serue to declare our kind∣nes toward god for the rightousnes re∣ceyued ī Christ therfore I thīke it good to set forth .ii. maner of effectes of fulfil¦ling y^e law, being also of two sortes.

¶Theffectes of y^• {per}fite fulfilling of the law which Christ {per}formed for our iusty¦fieng before god may be these. To satis∣fy y^e lawe w^t a consenting hert & minde togither w^t outwarde workes. This ef∣fect is suffyciētly {pro}ued by y^e {pro}phet Esay where he describeth y^t īnocency clennes &

holynes of Christ w^t these wordes, he did neuer violence ne vnrighte, neyther hath there ben any disceitfulnes in his mouth also to performe perfyte obedy∣ence, for a perfite and euerlastinge righ∣tousnes accordinge to the saide place of Paul. That the lawe coulde not do in that it was weake bycause of the flesh that performed god. &c. Sundry effectes also may be gathered of the commody∣dities which we haue by Christes fulfyl¦lynge of the law as to delyuer vs from the curse of the law as witnesseth Paul To deserue vs a gifte to fulfill after a maner the law to the declaracion & vt∣teraunce or our kindnes in that y^e Christ hath fullfylled the same to our iustyfy∣cation. To deserue & get vs y^e holy ghost whiche helpeth our weaknes & our im∣{per}fectiō y^t we may truly kepe y^• law. But we shal rekē vp moo effectes of y^• {per}fecte fulfilling of Christ in y^• titles of abroga¦tiō of y^e law & of y^e christen liberty. Now theffectes of our fulfillyng which Christ hath purchased for vs & which the holye gost fourmeth & fasshioneth ī vs be these To haue a cōsētīg minde vnto outward workes. To fere god hertely. To beleue god hertely. To brydle the hert and the mind frō slaughter. Not to steale actual¦ly

& also to haue a minde repugnafit and striuing w^t any such affections of pluckīg away frō other mē their goodes. These & semblable effectes of our fulfyling for∣asmoch as they be weake & im{per}fite, may not be pleaded for rightousnes againste god, yet neuertheles they please god by cause of Christ, & be vnto him most com¦mendable & thankfull sacrifices, yea and so they be called in holy scripture. These effectes of our fulfyllyng y^• law serue to none other ende but to gyue thankes by them for the rightousnes which Christ hath purchased vnto vs by his perfite fulfyllyng of the law & finally to pro∣uoke others by our fulfylling to receyue the gospell lyke as heretofore I haue de¦clared in theffectes of good workes.

¶Contraryes to the fulfyllynge of the lawe be these. To saye the fulfyllynge of the law is onely an outwarde keping of the same.

TO say the fullfillyng of the law for a rightousnes before god is & hath ben al¦wayes in mās power, To graūt y^• these is made a perfite fulfyllyng of y^e law for rightousnes before god, yf we do as moch as lyeth in vs. To say y^t thē y^• law is {per}fitli satisfied, whē at lest our wyl by any maner of wise is added to outward

workes albeit a pure consenting minde altogither be not had to y^e same, to deny y^t the perfite fulfyllyng of y^e law whiche is accepted before god for rightousnes re¦quyreth not a consentinge & pure hert be¦side thexecuciō of outward workes. To holde that vnder the old testamēt was requyred a pure & consenting minde, but in the new testamēt that god gaue place to our infirmytye & weakenes. so y^t now it is ynough in the fulfillyng of y^e lawe onely to kepe outward workes. To saye in the newe testamente the commaun∣dementes of god chaunged in to coun∣sels, and that it perteyneth not vnto all men to satisfye the law with consenting affectiōs, but only to such as be of more perfection, and can do the same. This er¦roure is contrary to y^• wordes of Christ. Math. v. where yet styl in the new testa¦ment (which Chryst came to ordeyen) he calleth them the leest in the kingdom of ••euen, which breake one of the leest com¦maundementes, wherfore also through out all the hole chapiter Chryst requy∣reth pure affections to the fulfilling of y^• lawe. beside the outward execuciō. Also Christ cōmaūdeth there that the law of god be not destroyed & abrogate for our infirmitie. It is also an erroure to saye

that the conscience of men can not be sa¦ued & kept from desperacion, oneles, we wyl snstre and permyte the commaunde¦mentes of god to be turned into coun∣sels & giuen onely to men of more per∣fection to be fulfylled. I answere. It wolde haue besemed these p̄iudicatours of Christ (I call them so which run be∣fore y^e iudgemēt & sentēce of Christ, coū∣ting thē selues better clerkes than he) which of preceptes haue made counsels y^• whan they saw y^t y^e perfecte fulfilling of y^e law was not ī our powers, to haue sēt rather our cōsciēce vnto Christ, who hath fulfilled the law for vs to y^• exacte & perfyte rightousnes, so that thus they myght haue saued the cōscience frō de∣spayre. To denye that it was onely the office of Christ to fulfyl the law vnto {per}∣fect rightousnes, contrary to the text of Mat. I am not come to destroy the law but to fulfil it. To holde that the lawe was for this cause gyuē, that it shold be fulfilled of vs to the {per}fecte iustcie, wher¦as this honoure was appoynted of the father vnto Christ, as testify the {pro}mises gyuē of Christ lōg before y^• law. To saye y^• Christ did ons satisfy the law only for al sinnes past, & that we now ought to fulfyl the law vnto the perfite rightous¦nes

to be infused by the same. To argue by the place of paul, col. i. That y^e fulfil¦lyng of Christ is not {per}fite for rightous∣nes, but is made {per}fecte whē our fulfyl∣ling is put thervnto. The wordes of y^e apostle be these. Now ioye I in my suffe∣ringes & fulfil againe y^t which is behind of y^• passiōs of christ ī my flesh for his bo¦dyes sake whiche is the congregacion. This proueth not that the passion of Christ was lackīg or īperfecte to our sal∣uacion but it signifieth that y^• passion of Christ & of his membres is all one pas∣sion & that we suffce for his sake sith we haue {pro}fessed & are appointed to suffce w^t Christ. To denye y^t the fulfillyng of the law of Christ indureth for euermore for al such as beleue. To deny that Chryste by his perfecte fulfillīg of the law hath deserued vnto vs the gift of fulfilling y^• lawe after a maner, not y^t it sholde serue for a ryghtousnes before god whiche as many of vs as be iustified haue alredy ī Chryst but y^t it sholde declare vs thāke∣full for Chrystes fulfylling wherin we haue foūd our perfecte rightousnes. To graūt y^• the fulfylling of the law in such as be iustyfyed which Christ hath deser∣ued vnto vs can be so perfecte as it may be set against gods vengeaunce. To de∣ny

that onr fulfilling of the law whiche was purchased & deserue by Christ is al∣wayes ful of weakenes & imperfection. To hold that one fnlfilling of the law purchased vnto vnto vs by Christ dothe therfore please god bycause we do per∣forme it & not rather bycause it {pro}cedeth of faith in Christ. To deny that our ful¦fillīg displesech god if the same de done w^tout faith. To deny that our fulfillīg of y^• lawe is done for any other ende thē y^t we sholde declare & exhibite thankful∣nes and grauytie towardes god for the ryghtousnes receyued in Crhyste.

Notes

• Diffinicion
• Probation of the diffyni¦cyon.
• ••••. xviii.v
• Math. v.c
• Roma. viii.••
• Psal. 109.••
• The 〈◊〉〈◊〉 of fulfyllyng the lawe.
• ☞
• The causes of thaccōplish¦ment and fulfyllinge of the Lawe.
• Math. v.b.••
• Act. xv.d
• Roma. viii.a
• Marke wher¦fore the gyft of our fufyl∣lyng the lawe serueth.
• Theffectis of of fulfyllyng the lawe.
• Theffectis of Chrystes per¦fect fulfilling
• Esay. liii.c
• Roma. viii.a
• Galath. iii.c
• Theffectes of our fulfyl¦lyng.
• Cōtraries or errours.
• The errour of certayne papistes.
• Math. v.
• This errour is at this day maynteyned of some.
• Collos. i.d
• ☞