that worketh by love, which excites man to the practice of those works which God has commanded in his word. Which works, as they proceed from the good root of faith, are good and acceptable in the sight of God, for as much as they are all sanctified by his grace: Howbeit they are of no account towards our justification. For it is by faith in Christ, that we are justified, even before we do good works; otherwise they could not be good works, any more than the fruit of a tree can be good, before the tree itself is good. Therefore we do good works, but not to merit by them (for what can we merit) nay, we are beholden to God for the good works we do, and not he to us, since it is he that worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Let us therefore attend to what is written, when ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say we are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do. In the mean time, we do not deny, that God rewards good works, but it is through his grace that he crowns his gifts. Moreover, though we do good works, we do not found our salvation upon them; for we can do no work but what is polluted by our flesh, and also punishable; and although we could perform such works, still the remembrance of one sin is sufficient to make God reject them. Thus, then, we would always be in doubt, tossed to and fro without any certainty, and our poor consciences would be continually vexed, if they relied not on the merits of the suffering and death of our Saviour.
XXV. Of the abolishing of the Ceremonial Law.
We believe, that the ceremonies and figures of the law ceased at the coming of Christ and that all the shadows are accomplished: so that the use of them must be abolished amongst Christians; yet the truth and substance of them remain with us in Jesus Christ, in whom they have their completion. In the mean time, we still use the testimonies taken out of the law and the prophets, to confirm us in the doctrine of the gospel, and to regulate our life in all honesty, to the glory of God, according to His will.
XXVI. Of Christ’s intercession
We believe that we have no access unto God, than alone through the only mediator and advocate, Jesus Christ, the righteous, who therefore became man, having united in one person the divine and human natures, that we men might have access to the divine Majesty, which access would otherwise be barred against us. But this Mediator, whom the Father hath appointed between him and us, ought in no wise to affright us by his majesty, or cause us to seek another according to our fancy. For there is no creature either in hea-
