¶ What shal we say then? Shal we continue in synne, that there may be aboundance of grace? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead as touchyng synne liue any longer therin. Knowe ye not that all we, whiche are baptised into Iesus Christ, are baptised to dye with him? We are buried then with him by baptisme, for to dye: that likewise as Christ was raised vp frō death by the glory of the father, euen so we also should walke in a new life. For if we be graft in death like vnto him: euen so shal we be partakers of the resurreccion: knowyng this that our olde man is crucified with him also, that the body of synne might vtterly be destroyed, that hensfoorth we should not be seruauntes vnto synne. For he that is dead, is iustified from synne.
BVt because we before sayd, that through the lawe sinne encreased, & that of sinne this good came, that the grace of God more encreased, lest by so saying some take occasion to continue in synne, and this wyse thynke with him selfe: if synne auaunce and encrease Gods grace towardes mā, well done wer it to synne more often, that his fre gifte may more and more encrease. Herevnto I answer, that pitie were it that any man should so thinke. When I so sayd, I ment and spake of the synnes of our former life, whiche God of his goodnes turned to our weale and profite. But now after that we are ons brought frō the tyrāny of synne, into the kyngdome of innocencie, God forbid that we should a∣gaine departe from our redemer, and fall againe headlong into our olde tyrannous subiection. Lyfe and death are so quite contrarye one to ano∣ther, that eche one destroyeth the other, nor can they after like considera∣cion stande together. Therfore, if that as soone as we begynne to liue to Christ warde, we be dead towarde the deuil, with what reason standeth it that we should still liue to him warde, to whom we are already dead? If we liue to Christ, then liue we not to y• deuil, And if we through sinne liue vnto the deuil, then are we to Christwarde dead. But nowe forasmuche as we liue to Christ, it foloweth that we are dead to synne, whiche he hath by his death vāquished. For mete it is that ye should know, since ye haue receiued the baptisme of Christ, what the sayd baptisme in vs doth bothe worke and signifie. What tyme we are in Christes name baptised, we dye with him touchyng y• synnes of our former life, which synnes are through his death abolished, and not onely so, but buried also are we with him, & that by the same baptisme: that as he, whiche neuer liued synfully, diyng yet for our synnes, was raised vppe again to life euerlastyng, not by any worldely power, but by the mightie power of his father: so should we beyng through him raised out of the death of synne, & becomen dead to our former life leadyng hereafter a newe life, walke in the trade of god∣ly conuersacion, continually encreasyng vpwarde from better to better.
For seyng that we are through baptisme planted into Christes bodye, and in maner altered into him, mete is it that whatsoeuer we see done in