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.

¶Probacions of the diffinicion.

¶Christ, saith Paule, hathe reduced vs from the curse of the law while he was made for vs accursed. For it is written cursed is euery one that hāgeth on tree,

that the blyssing of Abrahā might come on the gētyles through Iesus Christ. &c. Christ is the person by whome the lawe is disanulled {pro}mised ī scripture to that intent. Hither pertayne all the {pro}myses ī the prophetes of that new leagge or co¦uenaunt, as Ieremy. 33. Ezech. xxxv. gen xxxix. deu. xviii. The rest in the dyffyny∣cion is proued by Paul where he saith. There is no condemnacion now to thē whiche are in Christ Iesu whiche walke not after the flesh but after the spirite. &c. But forasmoch as I sayde the curse or power of y^• lawe is takē awaye I ad∣des (to suche as beleue in Chrst Iesu) lest perchaunce I might be thought to bold that olso the wicked be made free frō the curse of the law. For the law is ordey∣ned for the vnrightous, that is, for y^• vn¦faithful & such as be not yet vnder grace or by faith haue take hold of Christ ney¦ther receyued the holy ghost of whome they myght beguyded, Upō these I saye the law still exeryseth her office now ac∣cusing now condemnīg theyr conscience euē as it did in times past vnder Moses For no doubte to suche as beleue not in Christ y^• lawe is not abrogate but shall be still in her force, tyll y^• tyme they be cōuerted to Christ accordīg to Paul, the

lawe is our scholemaster tyl the com∣myng of Christ. I••ē where the spirite of the lorde is, there is freedome, as who sholde laye where the spirite of Christ is there ceaseth & is abrogate the tyranny power & cursse of the law. I added the cause of the accusing or condemnyng of the law that thou myghtest know that such as beleue in Christ be no longer ac∣cused & condēned by the law. Albeit the kepe not the law to the perfect obediēce according to Paul. There is no condem∣naciō now to such as be plāted in christ Iesu. An therfore the apostle calleth to be vnder grace whē the conscience is de∣lyuered.

THE causes of the law abrogate be these the promise, Christ, & our weaknes The promyse is cause▪ bycause god hath promysed this intinguysment of y^• law to be in Christ. And to this cause belong such places of scripture as treate of the newe kingdome or couenaunte of grace Chryst is the cause that the law is abro¦gate, forasmoch as by hym it was abro∣gate. Finally our weaknes is cause, for that it ministreth an occacion that the law sholde be abrogate.

FOR as witnesseth Pet. neither our fa¦thers nor we were able to bere it. Thus

the cōmaūdemēt that went afore is disa¦nulled bicause of her weaknes & vn{pro}fi∣tablenes. Also the {pro}phet Hieremie bryn¦geth in this cause (that is to wite) y^• the fathers kepe not the olde couenaunt or testament but brake it, & therfore a new was gyuen, whervnto agreeth Paule, sayng: what the lawe coulde not do, in asmoch as it was weak bycause of the flesshe, y^• {per}formed god, & sent his son. &c.

VVE must thynke holly that the hole lawe is abrogate. For els he that wyll cōtende that but a parte of the lawe is disanulled, & saueth a parte vnabrogate is gyltye of the hole lawe, accordyng to Paule, who sayth. I testifye agayn to e¦uery man which is circūcised that he is become dettour to kepe the hole lawe. Yea moreouer to requyre a {per}te of y^• law as necessary to iustificacion after Chryst is to make Chryst the ministre of syn, as wytnesseth the same Pau. sayng. Ther∣fore we haue byleued on Iesu Chryste, that we myght be iustifyed by the faith of Chryst▪ & not by the dedes of the law forasmoch as by the dedes of the lawe no fleshe cā be iustifyed. If thē while we seke to be made ryghtous by Chryst we our selues are foūd sīners, is not thē chr¦ist y^• minister of syn? god forbid. Undoub¦tedly

I can not denye but y^• the gospell kepeth styl y^• parte of the lawe which cō∣sēteth w^t nature, not bicause of Moses, or bycause it teacheth y^• men be iustifyed therbi, but bycause it wolde (yf Moises neuer had bē) kepe the lawes of nature to thintent there myght be work{is} to de∣clare our grauitie and kyndnes for the ••¦cedyng benefytes receyued in Chryste.

¶Theffectes of disanullynge the lawe, be fetched forth of y^• cōmodities which we haue by the abrogacion, & be these: To bryng vs a newe testament or coue∣naūt of grace wherby we be made fee•• from the tyranny & curse of the lawe, as wytnesseth the prophet Hiere. saing. Lo¦the days shall come (sayth the lorde) I shall stryke w^t the house of Israell & the house of Iuda a newe bargayne, not ac∣cordynge to the couenaūt which I haue couenaūted w^t your fathers. &c. The pro¦phet vnderstandeth by the couenaunte made with the fathers, that couenaunt cōdicionall, by which was sought tygh∣tousnes vpon condicion, & yet was not found, without the promyse of the new couenaunt of grace, in which frely syn∣nes be forgyuen without condicyon.

To bryng a couenaūt of remissiō of syn¦nes w^tout ceasyng, For y^• gospell is a fre

tidynges of forgyuenes of synnes. To make vs fre from the hole lawe, accor∣dyng to Pau. where the spiryt of y^• lorde is, there is libertie. Item he sayth. He y^• is circūcised, is dettour of the hole lawe Ergo either the hole lawe ought to be kept, or no parte. Now we be made free from the hole lawe, as perteyneth to y^• purchase of ryghtousnes, whiche vnder this newe couenaūt or testament is gy∣uen for no lawes or workes. To take a way the tyrāny domyniō power & curse of y^• law accordīge to Pau. Chryst hath redemed vs from y^• curse of y^• lawe. To brīg a sure iustificacyō which is of faith For iustificaciō is therfore gyuē by faith (sayth S. Paul that it may be sure. To translate vs frome vnder y^• lawe vnto grace. Ro. vi. For ye be not vnder y^• law but vnder grace. Truli to be vnder grac¦is to please god bycause of Chryst, & to be fre from y^• law, to thyntēt y^• sholdest no lenger seke w^t an vncertayne & doubt full cōscience to be iustifyed ī the lawe. To bryng & gyue tholy ghost wherby y^• deleuers are quyckned, guyded, & defēded agaynst the cruelty of the deuel, of deth of syn, & of law, laboryng to damne vs, vnto euerlastyng life accordyng to that saing of the abrogatour of the lawe. I

wyll not leaue you comfortles as or∣phanes or fatherles chyldrē. To make y^• our fulfyllyng of the lawe wherby we testifye our thankfulnes towardes god may please god bycause of Chryste.

¶Cōtraryes to thabrogaciō of the law be these. To holde that thabrogaciō of the lawe is onely a disanullyng y^• letter of the lawe. To say the disanullyng of the lawe is onely an expyryng or extyn∣guyshement of Moses polycye or cōmō¦welth. To say thabrogacyō of the lawe was not spokē of before in the {pro}phetes whiche errour spyngeth of not merkyng the cōdicyō added to the lawe, as yf ye shall kepe my cōmaūdementes. &c. Also the places heretofore cyted in the proue of the diffinicyō which be of the {pro}phe∣cies of {pro}phetes cōcernyng a newe kyng¦dome to be set vp, teache the cōtrary of this errour. To deny y^• our infyrmitye gaue occasiō of abrogating the law. To holde y^t the abrogacyō of the lawe {per}tey¦neth also to suche as beleue not ī Christ or haue not the holy ghost. To graunt with the Cerynthyans y^• the hole lawe is so abrogate y^• no {per}te of the same is {pro}∣fitable to the Chry••tians. To say w^t the Nazereys all thynges of the olde lawe about Chryst are to be kept. To graunt

with the Hebionites y^• the carnall com¦maundementes of the lawe as circūcy∣sion & such lyke are yet to be kept of the Chrystians. To say onlye a parte of the lawe is abrogate, y^• is to wyce, the iu∣dicyall & ceremonyall cōmaundement{is} To this errour answereth Pau. which sayth that the lawe of the cōmaunde∣mentes, which stand in decrees is abro∣gate, in which place vndoubtedly tha∣postle speaketh of the hole lawe. More ouer to saye y^t onely a parte of the lawe is abrogate by Chryst a mynistre of syn as Paule teacheth to the Galathians. In which epistle he teacheth in dyuers ••laces that euen the hole lawe is abro∣gate in so moche also that he rebuked Peter which compelled the gentyles to playe the Iues, To holde that the lawe is in suche wyse abrogate as neyther y^• two tables of Moses cōteynīg the .x. cō¦maundementes are to be kepte amonge chrystē men. But for asmoche as y^• law of the .x. cōmaūdementes e••pounde the lawe of nature, yea and is al one w^t the lawe of nature and furthermore setteth forth with a certeyn goodly and siguler ordre the true worshyp of god & the tru work{is}: Therfore it is cōuenient to kepe the same, not for Moses sake but by

cause of the mutuall consent & agremēt of the lawe of nature & the two tables. To say that onely the ceremonyal & iu∣diciall lawes be abrogate bycause that for the multitude of thē no man coulde kepe them but that the decalogie cōtey¦nynge the .x. cōmaundementes is not a∣brogate sithēs the same is natural, and therfore easy to be kept. To graūt that some cōmaūdemētes of the lawe are to be kept styll bycause of the plenarye or full iustificacyon, as be the cōmaunde∣mentes of sacryfices for synnes. To af∣fyrme y^• euen therfore the lawe of the .x. cōmaūdemētes is not abrogate bycause it is yet kept of y^• Chrystyās. To which errour I answere, y^• īdede it is kept not as Moses lawe but as a lawe consen∣tyng with nature. To holde y^• the lawe of the .x. cōmaūdemētes is kept amonge the Chrystyans to iustifye them. This errour is agaynste the finall effectes of thabrogacyō of the lawe which dec••are the lawe to be therfore abrogate y^• we myght be iustifyed frely by Christ & that for no lawes or workes. To saye y^• the iudicialles or at lestway not all of thē be abrogate bycause some yet remayn a¦monge y^• Chrystyās as of wedlocke of distinction of dominions & so forth, I an¦swer.

These iudicials be therfore kept amōg christiās, bicause they agre w^t the lawes of nature. To hold y^• in stede of Moses lawes haue succeded popes la∣wes, namely concernyng ceremonies. This arrour shall be brought to lyght better in the title of mēs tradiciōs. To deny y^t the chefest effect of abrogacion is y^• we be frely iustified for Christ. To say the law is abrobate w^t a cōdiciō an¦nexed or cōdicionaly, as if we shall do this or y^t. &c. To hold y^t the curse & po∣wer of the law hāgeth stil aswel vpon the good as vpon the bad. This errour is cōfuted sufficiently among theffect{is} of abrogaciō, & is directly against scri¦pture. To bring agayn w^t Storky, Mo∣netary, Pipery & other heretikes y^• hole law of Moses. To dreme w^t the wret∣ched Anabaptistes y^• the time shal ones come when the kingdom of Israel shal be restored agayn with al the lawes of the same. This erroure is all togyther Iudaical.

Notes

• Gala. iii.c.
• Roma. viii.••
• Note vpon whome the lawe hath stil her power & operation.
• Gala. iii. d
• ii. Cor. iii. d
• Roma. viii. a
• Roma. vi. c
• Causes of a∣••brogation.
• Act. xv. ••.
• Hebre. vii.
• Hiere. xxxi.
• Roma. viii. ••
• Partes of a∣brogacion b•• none
• Gal▪ v. ••.
• Gala. ii. ••
• Theffectes or workes of abrogation.
• Herem. xxxi. f
• ii. Corin. iii. d Gala. v. a
• Gala. iii. ••
• Roma. iiii. ••
• Roma. vi. ••
• Iohan. xiiii. c
• Contraryes or errours.
• The heresye of the Ceryn¦thians.
• Nazarees.
• Nevyonyte••.
• The errour of scholeme••.
• Ephe. ii. ••.
• Gala. ii. d
• This errour is papisticall.
• Papisticall.
• Iudicialles be suche la∣wes as be for the conserua¦cyon of tran∣quylite in the cōmon welth
• The heresye of papystes.
• Storkie.
• Monetarie.
• Piperie.
• Anabaptist{is}.