his heart, nor know that its taste is sweet. But those who have tasted it, such are always dwelling upon this food, even the word; they know what the taste of it is, and they are acquainted with its marvellous sweetness. This tasting, is, when I believe in my heart that Christ gave himself for me, and put himself in my stead: and that now, all my sins and all my destruction are his, and his life mine. When that is taken up and entered into by the heart, its taste is wonderfully sweet : for how can it be that I should not be anointed with joy and pleasure at this, if I rejoice so much when any friend gives me only a hundred pounds? But he who does not take up this in his heart, he cannot be affected with any joy concerning it. Moreover, they taste the most of these things, who are exercised with the burthen of death, or are tormented with an unhealed conscience: to them, as the proverb saith, hunger is the best sauce:' that hunger, renders this food wonderfully savory. For the heart and conscience, when they have begun to feel their plagues, can hear of nothing so sweet as the Gospel : they are always longing for this: they can smell the savor of it afar off: and they can never be satisfied with it. Thus Mary sings, "He filleth the hungry with good things." Whereas those obstinate men, who live upon their own holiness and lean upon their own works, and feel nothing of their sins and plagues, taste nothing of these things. So when a hungry man sits down to the table, all the dishes have to him a savory taste; but he who has already eaten to the full, has no relish for their savoriness at all; nay, even the most delicious meats are to him disgustful. Therefore, the apostle saith, "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." As though he had said, If ye have not yet tasted this, my preaching these things to you is all in vain. TRUE FAITH, TRUE OBEDIENCE, AND I PETER i. 13. Hope with all confidence in the grace which is offered unto you by the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children. The nature of Christian faith, is, to trust to the word of God with all reliance, to commit itself unto the word with all safety, and to undertake whatever is required with all confidence. And therefore Peter saith, then are the loins of your mind girded up, then is your faith sound and sincere, when you do what you do with this full reliance upon the word of God; not regarding what will be endangered that belongs to you, whether your property, your fame, your body, or even your life. And therefore, he has in these words beautifully described sincere, and truly unfeigned faith. For faith must not be indolent and sleepy, which would rather be a dream than faith, but it must be lively and efficacious: so that the man may expose himself to all things with all confidence, resting wholly on the word, not in the least regarding what kind of a portion God shall allot to him, but undergoing with the same mind both adversity and prosperity. Thus, if I am to die, it behoves me to commit myself with all confidence unto Christ, to offer my neck freely, relying upon the word which cannot deceive me, and boldly to triumph over the powers versaries. Moreover, it is necessary that faith go right of my ad on, and suffer not itself to be hindered or terrified by any thing, but cast away all opposition which it may either hear, see, or feel. In a word, Peter requires such a faith as standeth not in imagination, nor in word, but power. in Moreover, Peter saith, "Hope in the grace which is offered unto you:" that is, ye did not merit this great grace, but it is offered unto you wholly free! For the Gospel, which proclaims this grace unto us, we never found out or thought of ourselves, but the Holy Spirit revealed it unto the world from heaven. And what is there offered unto us? Even those things of which we have spoken already :-that he who believes in Christ, and cleaves to his word, partakes, together with him, of all his benefits: he is in truth the Lord over sin, death, the devil, and hell, and sure of eternal life! This immense treasure is, as the German proverb saith, brought to our mouths and put into our bosoms, without any working or merit of ours: nay, when we never expected, never knew, and never thought of any such thing. Wherefore, the apostle exhorts us to expect this grace with all assurance, because, God who offers it unto us, most certainly cannot lie. By the revelation of Jesus Christ God offers his grace to no one but by Christ; wherefore, no mortal man can presume to come into his presence without this Mediator: this also we have shewn before. For he will hear no one but him who brings with him as an advocate Christ his well-beloved Son; he will only look on him; and, for his sake, those who cleave to him. Wherefore, he requires that we acknowledge his Son, as him through whose blood we are received into his favour, and now dare to appear before him. Because it was for this that Christ the Lord came into the world, and, having assumed flesh and blood, united himself unto us, that he might obtain for us grace to appear before his Father. It was by this faith that all the prophets and patriarchs were preserved, and attained unto salvation. For they must all have had faith in that promise which was made unto Abraham, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Wherefore, the faith of the Jews, the Turks, and all those who trust in their own works, and hope by them to obtain heaven, is a nothing at all. And therefore Peter saith, that grace is offered unto us; but, by the revelation of Jesus Christ. Or, to set it forth more plainly, by Jesus Christ being revealed unto us. By the Gospel, it is declared unto us what Christ is, that we might know him; namely, that he is our Saviour who takes away our sins; who delivers us from all evils; who reconciles us to his Father; and who makes us righteous and saved without any of our own works. He who does not know Christ thus, is manifestly deceived. For even if thou know that he is the Son of God who died and rose again, and now sitteth at the right hand of God, yet, thou hast not known Christ aright, nor will this knowledge profit thee any thing: but it is necessary that thou know and believe, that he did all these things for thy salvation. Wherefore, all that they have hitherto preached and taught in the schools, is vain; because, they were destitute of this knowledge of Christ, and advanced no farther than discussing how much pain the Lord Christ's passion must have cost him before he could, as he now does, sit down at rest in heaven, and rejoice in himself: therefore their hearts remain utterly barren, and lively faith cannot grow therein. Whereas, Christ ought not to be preached as living and reigning for himself, but as being ours. Otherwise, what need was there for him to come down upon earth and shed his blood? But he was sent into the world that by him the world might be saved; which he himself saith, John chap. iii. was necessary, that he might accomplish that work which his Father sent him into the world to do. And that mission and coming is not to be understood of the divine nature only, but rather of the human nature, and of the office which Christ bore. For as soon as he was baptised he commenced his office, and began to do that for which he was sent, and for which he came into the world: preach the truth, and to declare unto men, that all who should believe in him should be saved. For this purpose, he shewed himself openly, studiously made himself known, and offered unto us grace in and through himself. As obedient children. - to That is, walk as becometh obedient children. Obedience in the scriptures means faith. But the Pope with his schools, and herds of monks have, by perverting this word, warped and twisted, according to their own lies and vanities, every thing that is read in the scriptures concerning obedience. So, as soon as they saw that great passage, 1 Kings xv., "To obey is better than sacrifice," and found that obedience was so highly extolled in the scriptures, they laid hold of it in order to draw men into this error; to think, that to do all that they should impose upon them, was the obedience which is so much commended in the scriptures. And thus, they would draw us from the word of God to their own lies and diabolical obediences! Whereas, he is the obedient child of God, who hears, and by faith embraces, the Gospel and word of God! Therefore, whatever is not the word, pay no regard to it, but rather tread it under thy feet! Not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance: but as he that hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation. Because it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. Here St. Peter adduces a passage from the Old Testament, Levit. xix., where the Lord saith, "Be ye holy, for I am holy:" that is, because I am the Lord your God, and ye are my people, it is right that that ye should be as I am. For he that rightly acts the part of a lord, studies to make his people like himself; that they may be obedient in all things, and ready to conform themselves to his will. Hence it is, that, as the Lord our God is holy, so also we his people are holy; that is, when we walk in faith. For the scripture by no means has to do with the saints that are dead, but always speaks of those saints which are alive, and are still upon the earth even as the prophet David, Ps. lxxxvi, boasts that he is holy saying, "Preserve thou my soul, O Lord, for I am holy." But our wise ones pervert this passage also; saying, that the prophet had some peculiar revelation, and therefore, called himself "holy." Wherein they plainly confess, that they are both destitute of faith, and know nothing of the revelation of Christ; if it were not so, they would at once understand what it is. For whoever is a |