Saint Augustine his enchiridion to Laurence, or, The chiefe and principall heads of all Christian religion a most profitable booke to all those which desire to haue a most compendious briefe of Augustines doctrine, out of Augustine himselfe, when he was old, being repurged, by the old manuscript, of many faults and vnusuall wordes, wherewith it formerly flowed.

CHAP. 41.

That Christ was without original sinne, and that he was that sa∣crifice for our sinnes, by the which wee were reconciled to God.

HEe therefore, beeing not in∣gendred or conceiued by a∣ny pleasure of carnall concupis∣cence, (and therefore not infe∣cted with any originall sinne) & also by the grace of God bee∣ing, in respect of the vnitie of his person, by a wonderfull and vn∣speakable meanes annexed and conioyned to the worde, which was the onely begotten sonne of God, not by grace, but by na∣ture (and therefore no actuall sinner himselfe) yet was hee not∣withstanding, in respect of the

similitude of sinfull flesh wher∣in he came, called a sinner, or sin, beeing to become a sacrifice for satisfaction of sinnes: Which sa∣crifice or oblation he truely be∣came, whereof other sacrifices, performed in the old law, were but shadowes. Hereupon, after the Apostle had said, Let vs beg reconciliation or attonement with God, for his Christs sake; he forth-with addeth this, affirming, That God, for our sakes, made him to become sinne, who was of himselfe blamelesse, and without sin, that through him we should be righte∣ous in Gods sight. He saith not, as it is reade in certaine vitious books, He that knew no sinne, be∣cam sinful for our sakes; as thogh Christ in regard of vs, should commit sin: But he saith, That man which knew no sinne, which was Christ, was made sin by God, to whome wee were to be reconci∣led: that is to say, was made an oblation or sacrifice for sinnes, wherby that attonement

should be wrought. He therfore was made a sinner, that wee might be righteous. Yet is hee not our righteousnes, but Gods: neither yet righteousnes in re∣gard of vs, but in respect of him∣selfe: like as he gaue demonstra∣tion that he was sinne, not of his owne nature, but of ours: not in himselfe, but in respect of vs, put vpon him in the similitude of sinnefull flesh, wherein he suffe∣red, and was crucified. That al∣though there dwell no sinne in him, yet should hee after a sort die vnto sinne, in that death which hee suffered of the flesh, wherein there was a resemblāce of sin. And, for that hee was not an ancient transgressor with A∣dam, hee doth by his new resur∣rection, declare or prefigure our restitution to life, from that olde death, wherein wee were dead through sinne.