HEre I thought it good to speake somewhat concerning the nature of the lawe, 1 and therewithall to shew, how the Manicheis and Pelagians vnderstood it not: and what the same worketh in vs, either before regeneration, or after we be iustified. First, as touching the forme thereof, the same must be affirmed, which Paule saith in his epistle to the Romans, when he writeth, that it is spirituall. But the vniuersall end therof, and which apperteineth vnto all men, is to bring men vnto the knowledge of sinne. Which thing Paule signified, saieng; 2 that By the lawe commeth the knowledge of sinne. Here if thou demand wherefore the apostle said not rather; By the lawe commeth the knowledge of righteousnesse? I answer, bicause a man not yet regenerate, so long as he is without Christ, can not haue in himselfe the féele of good works, or of true righteousnesse, which may satisfie the lawe of God. Wherefore, when he compareth his dooings with the lawe, he perceiueth them to be onelie falles and transgressions. But if we doo speake of the end of the lawe, as touching the elect; that is Christ. And this dooth also Paule teach, saieng; 3 The end of the lawe is Christ vnto saluation: which yet he speaketh not vniuersallie, but Vnto euerie one that beleeueth. 4 For the lawe it selfe, by it selfe dooth not bring a man to this end. The Ethniks said, that The end of the lawe is a knowledge, which it bréedeth as touching things to be doone. Wherevpon Chrysippus (as he is cited in the Digests) saith; that The lawe is the knowledge of things diuine and humane. Howbeit, this end, and this definition be to largelie extended: for all wisdome, and all good arts, doo teach some knowledge of diuine and heauenlie things.
Now there remaineth, that we diligentlie consider what is the matter an⟨…⟩ efficient cause of the lawe. 5 And to comprehend these things bréeflie, I saie, that The lawe is the commandement of God, wherin both his will, and also his disposition or nature is expressed. 6 When I saie, A commandement; I note the generall word: for there be commandements of the people, of the senate, of kings, of emperors. But when I saie, Of God; I make a difference, which betokeneth the efficient cause. Whereas I saie, that in the lawe is expressed the will of God, that is more euident than néedeth exposition. But perhaps it may séeme more obscure, that I said, 7 we be taught in the lawe concerning the disposition of God, and be stirred vp to the knowledge of his nature: wherefore we will make the same plaine by examples. When God commandeth vs, that we should loue him; he teacheth vs thereby, that he is of a nature to be beloued: for things can not rightlie be loued, vnlesse the verie same are worthie to be loued. And vnlesse he were well affected towards vs, he would not set foorth vnto vs that chéefe good, which we should loue: wherfore he chéeflie persuadeth vs vnto this, bicause he desireth to haue vs partakers of himselfe. We perceiue therefore, that he is such a one towards vs, as he also desireth vs to be. And when he forbiddeth that we should not kill, first he sheweth his owne will. Further, he declareth himselfe to be a God, which detesteth violence and iniuries, and he had rather doo good vnto men, than hurt them. After the same sort these two things might be shewed in the rest of the precepts.
And out of this definition those things may be also gathered, the which we spake aboue, touching the forme and end of the lawe: bicause it is of necessitie, that such a doctrine be spirituall, & that it bréed an excellent knowledge. And we be taught, 8 that it is no small benefit, that God hath thereby giuen vnto men: for he bringeth to passe, that both we knowe our selues, and vnderstand the properties of God. 9 Plato in his bookes of the lawe of a publike weale, and in Minoe, séemeth thus to define a lawe; namelie, that It is a right waie of gouerning, which by profitable meanes directeth vnto the best end; by setting foorth punishments vnto the transgressors, and rewards vnto the obedient. This definition may verie well be applied vnto the lawe of God: yea verelie, there can be no such lawe, vnlesse it be of God. It is no maruell then, 10 if the old Law-makers, when they would haue their lawes commended, did feigne some god to be the author of them: for Minos ascribed his lawes to Iupiter; Lycurgus, his to Apollo; Solon and Draco, theirs to Minerua; Numa Pompilius, his to Aegeria. And we are assured out of the holie scriptures, that our lawe was giuen of God by Moses in mount Sina.