never went any deeper, nor taught any farther than that we must live so and so, and must become good people, so that we might by our works obtain eternal life. And hereby they drew us into a vain confidence in our own works, by which we utterly lost Christ and wandered wholly out of the way of eternal life. For thou must most carefully separate all things else that can be mentioned from this knowledge. Whatever is not called the knowledge of Christ, cannot lead unto eternal life, nor deliver from sin and death. For as this is true-that he alone gives eternal life through the knowledge of himself; so, on the contrary, this must be true also-that whatever is not this knowledge, must remain under death and damnation.

AND NOW, what is this which is called knowing the Father and Christ? Or how is such a knowledge obtained? The whole stands in these words" whom thou hast sent." He that understands and undoubtingly believes this, hath, most certainly, eternal life. But what is to be understood by " whom thou hast sent?" Consider thou and fully weigh the reason why Christ came, and what he did here in the world.—He came down from heaven, and was made man, that he might finish the work which the Father gave him to do, (as you will find he himself hereafter saith ;) that is, that he might take the sins of the whole world upon himself, and might die to blot them out, and to appease the wrath of the Father; and that he might in his own pers son overcome death and the devil, and redeem us unto himself.

For, as he was "sent" of God, it could not be a light or trifling undertaking, but must be so great and so necessary, that no one of the saints or of the angels could do it, nor any one but the Son of God. That which was to be accomplished by such a person only, must, without doubt, be of some eternal moment between us men and God. Therefore, the whole treasure lies couched in these words" whom thou hast sent." For these words reveal and open up to us the mind, the

heart, and the will of God; and comprehend every thing that Christ accomplished by preaching and by suffering, or that he brought unto us and bestowed upon us. And this also proves and confirms that these words were not spoken concerning the life to come. For to know that Christ was sent by the Father, is nothing less than knowing and believing, how Christ came into the world; and that he died for our sins, that he rose again, and obtained for us, and gave unto us the forgiveness of sins; all which things pertain unto this life.

These things therefore are most diligently to be exercised, and deeply pondered and laid up in our hearts and minds, in order to draw out and establish our faith, and not, as they have been hitherto, to be removed from our eyes. For in these things, most truly, our salvation stands, and our surest consolation in all our afflictionsour knowing, that there is no other counsel nor help either in heaven or in earth against sins and temptations, than this knowledge and this faith. For do thou only for a moment consider a little attentively, what there is that such a faith cannot effect and attain unto. For if I know that Christ was sent down from heaven of the Father for my sake, and given unto me, I conclude with a cheerful and gladdened mind, that the Father in heaven is merciful and favourably inclined towards me, and knows no farther any wrath or indignation. Because, in sending his own Son, he has abundantly manifested his mind and will, (as I have before observed,) so as to leave nothing for us to behold but an immeasurable and inexhaustible ocean of love and mercy. And then, if I have the heart of the Father, I have him altogether, with all his divine power and grace. What then shall I fear or dread? And even if sin, death, and the devil assail me, and ply all their power to take my confidence from me, and to drive me to despair, still I know that the merciful and Almighty Father is mine through Christ, each of whom stands for my help and supports me. Staying myself in these, I can with great boldness and liberty resist the devil, and hold him up to ridicule

and laughter.-Behold, therefore, what an omnipotent and efficacious thing faith is against all power that opposes us.

But, however, only make an attempt in this matter, and thou wilt soon find by experience, how arduous and difficult a thing this knowledge of Christ is. For here, every one will feel how little faith he has, how weak he is in this life, and how ignorant of this doctrine all those teachers of works are who thus lightly esteem faith, and also all those satiated spirits who in so short a time thoroughly learn all things, and go on to seek still higher and higher things to search into. This is the school, as I have deeply experienced to my own sorrow, where we have to sweat and toil; and wherein I still feel by experience, how vain all our human works and powers are to overcome sin, death, and other temptations. And therefore it is, that the devil, knowing this, rages against this doctrine with so much fury, raising up all his sects, his Papists, and his heretics; who, although they hear and preach much about faith, yet know and experience nothing of it whatever, for they know and teach nothing else than good works, and man's own righteousness, which alone they understand and preach. -That it is indeed true I cannot deny, and have myself always taught, that God will have men to live well, to walk honestly in this life, and to be saints and blameless before the world. But this honest conversation cannot make a man a Christian before God: that is, it cannot bring him eternal life. This glory I give to no works nor external righteousness whatever of men: it must be set above all human works, and all life, how honestly and uprightly soever it may be passed. Let our works and life remain here beneath in this world, that they may be called human honesty, or civil righteousness, and that they may enjoy this life, (as the scripture saith, 'he that performed them let him live in them,') and let them end with it. But this, concerning which we speak, is a heavenly and divine righteousness, which procureth eternal life; for it was not founded on human strength and transitory works, but it has another and an eternal

foundation, on which also it will stand for ever. Therefore, I look upon this text as being one of the most forcible of those that utterly exclude all works and leave them here below: because it makes the knowledge of Christ the only way unto salvation. For what work can there be in knowledge? It is not fasting, nor watching, nor afflicting one's body, nor any thing that can be done or endured by the body, but is seated internally in the inmost recesses of the heart. And, to sum up the whole in a few words, knowledge is not a work, but precedes all works; for works follow from knowledge. Moreover, that is called works which we do; but knowledge is that which we receive. Therefore, by this one expression, "that they might know," as by a certain tremendous thunder and lightning, all doctrines that maintain human works, religious orders, and human worshippings of God, are utterly destroyed; because, nothing of these things can deliver from sins and please God.

And here attend and take heed that thou forget not that which I said before-that Christ in these words joins and unites the knowledge of himself and of the Father together; so that the Father can be known only through and in Christ. For I have often said, and I say and repeat it again and again, as it is what I would have to be fixed in the minds of all even after I am deadthat we should beware of all those teachers, as we would of the devil, who, by their high and towering speculations, begin to teach concerning God nakedly, and without Christ: just as our sophists and great masters have done in our schools in their pryings into the works of God in heaven-what he is, what he is thinking of, and what he is doing with himself, &c. But if thou wilt walk safely, and wilt apprehend God and find in him grace and help, then believe no one who would persuade thee that thou canst find God any where but in Christ. Nor be thou engaged in any other thoughts of him, nor seek thou any other works of his, but this one only-his sending of Christ!

With the learning of Christ let all thy studies and pursuits commence, and wander not from that point,

but stand fast therein: and if either thine own imaginations or reason, or any other person shall wish to seduce thee, then shut thine eyes and say, 'I must not, and desire not to know any other God, than in Christ my Lord.' And here behold his face, where he with so much plainness and so much sweetness reveals himself in this word of Christ," that they might know thee the one true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." In which words Christ draws the Father wholly to himself; so that no one can apprehend the one true God, but according to that very word which he speaks. For in what other way can he draw nigh unto thee, or thou draw nigh unto him, so as to apprehend and receive him?

Wherefore, all thy faculties are to be employed in contemplating his countenance, to which he leads thee; and thou art to observe how he leads thee by the Word, and works the whole in thee. Yet no one will believe, how indispensably necessary this is, nor how difficult an exercise it is; with which, even many great and excellent men have been but little acquainted, and which even now is hidden from the wise and learned ones; for they know not that all their faculties and thoughts are to be directed to the Man Christ alone, that they are to contemplate Christ only, and solely to consider what he speaks of the word, and works of the work of God in heaven. And this is the reason why they do not keep their minds upon the words, " whom thou hast sent. If they saw these with right eyes, and believed them, then would their ears, their eyes, and their mind, be directed towards them; and they would say,' Behold, if he came into the world as sent by the Father, we must believe that he came to fulfil some charge committed to him, and to make it known unto us; and therefore, we ought to listen to him as we would to the Divine Majesty himself.' Now then, we hear no other word than that he brings help into the world, and communicates unto us the Father's grace; nor do we see any other work but his going forth, taking upon him the charge of the Father, and fulfilling it by teaching, by suffering, and at