in these wordis--"In vane do they wirschepe me, teiching the doctrine being preceptis of men."[238] [236] In the old printed copies, "withstand." [237] In the old printed copies, "Goddis hait and displesoure is kendlit." [238] In the old printed copies, "the doctrines the preccptes of men." THE PERFECTIOUN OF THE LAW AND IMPERFECTIOUN OF MAN.--CAP. XV. [Sidenote: Rom. 7.] [Sidenote: Psal. 19.] [Sidenote: Deut. 5.] [Sidenote: Rom. 10.] [Sidenote: 1 Joan 12. Rom. 10. Gal. 3.] [Sidenote: Deut. 26. Eph. 1. Rom. 4.] [Sidenote: Luc. 17. To put trust in our own workes, is damnable idolatrie.] The Law of God, we confesse and acknawledge most just, most equall, most holy, and most perfite; commanding those thingis, whiche being wrocht in perfectioun, war able to geve lyfe, and [able] to bring man to eternall felicitie: But our nature is so corrupt, so weak, and imperfite, that we ar never able to fulfill the workis of the Law in perfectioun; yea, "Yf we say we have no syn, (evin after we ar regenerat,) we deceive our selfis, and the veritie of God is not into us." And thairfoir it behoved us to apprehend Christ Jesus, with his justice and satisfactioun, who is the end and accomplishment of the Law, to all that beleve, by whome we ar sett at this libertie, that the curse and maledictioun of God,[239] fall not upoun us, albeit that we fulfill not the same in all pointis. For God the Father beholding us in the body of his Sone Christ Jesus, accepteth oure imperfyte obedience as it ware perfite, and coverith our workis, whiche ar defyled with many spottis, with the justice of his Sone. We do not meane that we ar so set at libertie, that we awe no obedience to the Law, (for that befoir we have plainelie confessed); but this we affirme, that no man in earth, (Christ Jesus onlie excepted,) hath gevin, geveth, or shall geve in work, that obedience to the Law which the Law requyreth. But when we have done all thingis, we must fall doun and unfeanedlie confess, "That we ar unprofitable servandis." And thairfoir whosoever boast thame selves of the merittis of thair awin workis, or putt thair trust in the workis of supererogatioun, they boast thame selfis of that whiche is not, and putt thair trust in damnable idolatrie. [239] In the MSS. of Knox, "maledictioun of the Law." OF THE KIRK.[240]--CAP. XVI. [240] Here and elsewhere, in the editions 1561, "Church" is uniformly substituted in place of "Kirk." [Sidenote: Matth. 28.] [Sidenote: Ephes. 1.] [Sidenote: Collos. 3.] [Sidenote: Ephes. 5.] [Sidenote: Apoc. 7.] [Sidenote: Ephes. 2.] [Sidenote: Joan. 5. 6.]