H. Zanchius his confession of Christian religion Which novve at length being 70. yeares of age, he caused to bee published in the name of himselfe & his family. Englished in sense agreeable, and in words as answerable to his ovvne latine copie, as in so graue a mans worke is requisite: for the profite of all the vnlearneder sort, of English christians, that desire to know his iudgement in matters of faith.

CHAP. X. Of the law.

I. The law of Moses came betweene the promise of redemption by Christ, and the accom∣plishment thereof, and to what ende.

BVt betweene the promise of redemption by Christ; made first vnto Adam, & after more manifestly declared, aswell to o∣thers, as most especially to Abraham, sealed with the sacrament of circumcision, and con∣firmed as it were by the death of Isaac his first begotten, offered for a sacrifice, and establi∣shed by an euerlasting couenant: & betweene the accomplishment of the fame promise, the lawe was giuen which Moses deliuered: the people which came of Abrahams seed beeing gathered together and wonderfully encrea∣sed, (of whome also Christ should be borne) and beeing also deliuered out of the bondage of Egypt by a wonderfull meanes, that God might haue a church knowne and visible, and separate from other nations, and gathered to∣gether in one certaine place: in which church, that promise concerning Christ made vnto the fathers might be kept safe, and an accep∣table seruice of God maintained, euen vnto the comming of the true promised redeemer:

The law, I say deliuered by Moses from God vnto his church, came betweene, containing three kindes of commandements: Morall, by which the life and pietie of euerie one should bee directed: Ceremoniall, with the forme whereof the church should bee gouerned in her outward seruice and religion: and iudicial, pertaining to the gouernement of the whole common wealth in matters politick and oe∣conomicall: that by these meanes the people of God, of whome Christ was to come, might both bee restrained from the prophane man∣ners & idolatries of wicked nations, & might be kept within their duetie and obedience to Gods will, and finallie might be vpholden in the faith and hope of the promise to bee per∣formed concerning the true redemption by Christ: and so might bee prepared more and more for the receiuing of Christ: and so in that people God might be glorified.

II. VVhatsoeuer was necessarie to be done, for sal∣uation, is contained in the law of God.

To let passe then the two latter parts of the lawe, which doe not appertaine to vs, and to speake onely of the former: wee beleeue, that in that law, as it is declared in the bookes of Moses, the Prophets and Apostles, * 1.1 al things which are necessary to saluation are so per∣fectly set downe, and Gods will, * 1.2 which he will haue vs to do in his word, so reuealed, as no∣thing can be added or taken from it.

III. The law of the Decaloge or ten commandements, is a declaration of the law of nature, and a picture of the image of God.

We also beleeue that this law, is a declara∣tion of the lawe of nature, which was written in the heartes of the first men perfectly, of o∣thers imperfectly, and but in part: and there∣fore by this law is condemned, whatsoeuer is not agreeable to that image of God, where∣unto man was created; and is commaunded, whatsoeuer is agreeable to the same. For God would shew by that law, what man was in his first estate, and what hee was made in the se∣cond estate, and what manner one he ought to be: and further what he should afterwards be in the third estate in parte, and vvhat per∣fectly in the fourth, by Christ: so that the lavve is nothing else, but a true and liuely picture of the image of God, to vvhich man vvas crea∣ted: vvhereby vvee are instructed, vvhat vvee vvere, vvhat vvee are, vvhat vve ought to bee, and in deede vvhat vvee shall be, if vve trust in Christ.

IV. The summe of the law to bee restrained to the loue of God and our neighbour.

Novv vve beleeue and confesse, that Christ did teach, * 1.3 that the summe or substance of the vvhole lavv is cōtained in these two precepts: Thou shalt loue the Lord thy God with all thy heart, withall thy minde, withall thy soule, and vvithall thy

strength: & thou shalt loue thy neighbour as thy self: the first of these is the summe of the first table, the other, the summe of the second table.

V. If God alone bee to be loued with the whole heart, he alone is to be worshipped.

And if the summe of the first table, which containeth the whole worship due vnto God, doe consist in the perfect loue of God alone: from hence, besides other expresse comman∣dements of God, declaring this commande∣ment, we gather and we beleeue that God a∣lone is to bee adored, inuocated and serued with a religious worshipp, and that wee must sweare onelie by his name, because these bee all contained within that commaundement of louing God with all our heart: to let passe, that the image of God, whereof this lawe is a type, did teach Adam the same thing.

VI. That our verie concupiscence and corruption of nature is a sinne.

But if by Gods law be condemned, what∣soeuer offence is repugnant to that first image of God, that is, to iustice, holinesse, and righ∣teousnes, wherein man was created: we hold that in man not onely his actions committed with cōsent of his will against the law of god, but euen the motions also of lust, yea the con∣cupiscence it selfe, and the whole corruption of his nature, is sinne, * 1.4 and by the lawe of God condemned: because it is repugnant to that

vprightnes and iustice wherein man was cre∣ted, and wherein he ought, and might haue kept himselfe, if he would.

VII. Although the law cannot bee obserued: yet it was not giuen in vaine nor vn∣profitablie.

And although the law of God be so perfect, * 1.5 that it neuer could or can be obserued of anie man, either all, or alwaies, or in such measure as it ought: yet we beleeue that it was not gi∣uen in vaine, nor vnprofitablie, sith God doth not anie thing in vaine, but all things with his exceeding high wisedome, to his owne glo∣rie, and to our profit and saluation.

VIII. A threefold profit by the law of God.

First by the perfect declaration of the will of God by this law, men might and may bet∣ter vnderstand, what was pleasing vnto god: what was good, and what ill, what was to bee done, and what to be auoided: then by the onely reliques of the law of nature remaining in mans minde: and therefore all cloake of ig∣norance being cleane taken awaye, the Iewes were made more inexcusable then other nati∣ons, if they kept not the law: which thing falls out greatlie to the glorie of God: sith men do therby vnderstand, that his iudgements tow∣ards vs are verie iust. Furthermore, by the cur∣ses which are added against the transgressors, and the blessings for the obseruers, men were

restrained by feare of those as it were with a bridle, from committing sinne, and by hope of these as it were with a spurre, were stirred vp to keep the law, if not wholly and perfect∣lie, yet in part, and for the externall obseruan∣ces: and so might bee the better held within their dueties: which how profitable it is not onely to a whole common wealth, but to eue∣rie particular man, so bearing himselfe, none can be ignorant. Last of all, by that, that men saw by dailie experience, how they continual∣ly sinned against this so perfect a law; and per∣ceiued, that they were not able to obserue it, as it ought to be, and so that they were dailie more and more in daunger of Gods wrath, & guiltie of eternall death: It came to passe that distrusting themselues, & their owne strēgth, they grew to haue a greater and earnester de∣sire of the promised Sauiour and redeemer. And therfore how much the more they knew their sinnes by the law, and their weakenes, & more sensiblie felt the wrath of God, so much the more greedilie did they hunger and thirst after righteousnesse, and were disposed and prepared to take holde on Christ by faith: so that verie true were both those sayings of the Apostle: by the lawe is the knowledge of sinne, * 1.6 and the law was a schoolemaister vnto Christ.

IX. The lavv hath still the same vse, yea euen in men regenerate.

And we beleeue, that these vses of the law

are perpetuall, as long as wee remaine in this world: not onely in men not regenerate, as it said, but also in the verie regenerate. For sith our mindes are still blinded with much dark∣nesse, and our memorie so slipperie, that wee can neither perfectlie vnderstand the thinges that are of god, nor keep in minde that which we haue vnderstood: we haue euermore need of this glasse of the diuine lawe, wherein wee may dailie behold, and still more certainelie vnderstād, what god will haue vs to do. More∣ouer, sith our heart is not yet perfectly clean∣sed from all corruption, that it can bee fullie setled vppon doing the will of God, but that the flesh still wrastleth against the spirite, * 1.7 therefore the law is most necessarie, which may terrifie vs with the threatninges, and hold vs in from offending: and with the promises may stirre vs forward to obedience and to the working of righteousnesse. Lastlie sith there is none so holie which sinneth not manie waies, * 1.8 & which hath not sinne dwelling in him, whereby wee bee made weake vnto goodnesse, and prone to ill: Therefore the lawe is proffitable vnto vs, by which our sinnes and infirmities being made knowne to vs, wee may dailie more and more acknowledge how impossible it is that we by our owne works, should at anie time bee iusti∣fied or saued: and therefore should bee filled with the greater desire, hunger, and thirst of the righteousnesse of Christ, and embrace him by faith: And thus the law, when it can neuer

iustifie vs, yet it may alwaies drawe vs neerer vnto Christ who iustifieth, more and more to be iustified.

X. The morall lawe, touching the substance, vvas not to be disanulled by Christ.

For we knovve and beleeue that the lawe, touching the substance, and those wholesome vses, of which we speake, was not to be aboli∣shed by Christ, and so not abolished at all: but onelie touching the curse and condemnation: because there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Iesus, * 1.9 which walke not after the flesh, but after the spirite. But yet the law was proffitable euen in the condemnation, and alwaies is, to them which are not yet in Christ: in as much as it driueth them to Christ, that they may auoide condemnation.

XI. Errors.

Therefore wee condemne those which re∣iect the law out of the church, as vnprofitable, and not pertaining to christians; and againe, those which teach that a man may either who∣lie, or in part, bee iustified by the lawe: fith it was rather giuen, * 1.10 to shutt vp all men vnder sinne, and to leade them to Christ, who alone taketh away the sinnes of the world. And this is brieflie our confession of the law, deliuered from god by Moses, and declared by the Pro∣phets, vvhich prepareth, disposeth, and brin∣geth

men vnto Christ: * 1.11 and therefore Christ is ende thereof as the Apostle writeth.

Notes

• * 1.1

  2. Tim. 3.16
• * 1.2

  Deut. 2.4. & 5.22. & 12.32
• * 1.3

  Mat. 22.37
• * 1.4

  Rom. 7, 7
• * 1.5

  Rom. 7.101 & 8.3
• * 1.6

  Rom. 2.20 Gal. 3.24
• * 1.7

  Gal. 5.17
• * 1.8

  1. Ioh. 1.8
• * 1.9

  Rom. 8.1
• * 1.10

  Io. 1.29
• * 1.11

  Rom. 10.4