I. The law of Moses came between the promise of redemption by Christ, and the accomplishment thereof, and to what end.

But between the promise of redemption by Christ made first unto Adam, and after more manifestly declared as well to others, as most especially to Abraham, sealed with the sacrament of circumcision and confirmed as it were by the death of Isaac, his first begotten offered for a sacrifice and established by an everlasting covenant--and between the accomplishment of the same promise, the law was given which Moses delivered; the people which came of Abraham's seed being gathered together and wonderfully increased, (of whom also Christ should be borne) and being also delivered out of the bondage of Egypt by a wonderful means that God might have a church known and visible, and separate from other nations, and gathered together in one certain place, in which church that promise concerning Christ made unto the fathers might be kept safe, and an acceptable service of God maintained, even unto the coming of the true promised Redeemer. The law, I say delivered by Moses from God unto His Church, came between, containing three kinds of commandments: Moral, by which the life and piety of everyone should be directed; ceremonial, with the form whereof the church should be governed in her outward service and religion; and judicial, pertaining to the government of the whole commonwealth in matters political and economical, that by these means the people of God of whom Christ was to come might both be restrained from the profane manners and idolatries of wicked nations, and might be kept within their duty and obedience to God's will, and finally might be upholden [upheld] in the faith and hope of the promise to be performed concerning the true redemption by Christ, and so might be prepared more and more for the receiving of Christ, and so in that people God might be glorified.

II. Whatsoever was necessary to be done for salvation is contained in the law of God.

To let pass then the two latter parts of the law which do not appertain to us, and to speak only of the former--we believe that in that law, as it is declared in the books of Moses, the prophets and apostles, all things which are necessary to salvation are so perfectly set down, and God's will which He will have us to do in His Word so revealed, as nothing can be added or taken from it (2 Tim. 3:16; Deut. 2:4; 5:22; 12:32).

III. The law of the Decalog, or ten commandments, is a declaration of the law of nature, and a picture of the image of God.

We also believe that this law is a declaration of the law of nature which was written in the hearts of the first men perfectly, of others imperfectly, and but in part; and therefore by this law is condemned whatsoever is not agreeable to that image of God whereunto man was created; and is commanded whatsoever is agreeable to the same. For God would show by that law what man was in his first estate, and what he was made in the second estate, and what manner one he ought to be, and further what he should afterwards be in the third estate in part, and what perfectly in the fourth by Christ. So that the law is nothing else but a true and lively picture of the image of God to which man was created, whereby we are instructed what we were, what we are, what we ought to be, and indeed what we shall be if we trust in Christ.

IV. The sum of the law to be restrained to the love of God and our neighbor.

Now we believe and confess that Christ did teach that the sum or substance of the whole law is contained in these two precepts: Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy mind, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself [(Mark 12:30-31 OR, Matt. 22:37,39)].

V. If God alone be [exists] to be loved with the whole heart, He alone is to be worshipped.

And if the sum of the first table, which containeth the whole worship due unto God, do consist in the perfect love of God alone--from hence, besides other express commandments of God declaring this commandment, we gather and we believe that God alone is to be adored, invocated [invoked] and served with a religious worship, and that we must swear only by His name because these be all contained within that commandment of loving God with all our heart. To let pass, that the image of God whereof this law is a type, did teach Adam the same thing.

VI. That our very concupiscence and corruption of nature is a sin.

But if by God's law be condemned whatsoever offense is repugnant to that first image of God, that is, to justice, holiness, and righteousness wherein man was created--we hold that in man not only his actions committed with consent of his will against the law of God, but even the motions also of lust, yea the concupiscence itself, and the whole corruption of his nature is sin, and by the law of God condemned, because it is repugnant to that uprightness and justice wherein man was created, and wherein he ought and might have kept himself, if he would (Rom. 7:7).

VII. Although the law cannot be observed, yet it was not given in vain nor unprofitably.

And although the law of God be so perfect that it never could or can be observed of any man, either all or always, or in such measure as it ought--yet we believe that it was not given in vain, nor unprofitably since God doth not anything in vain, but all things with His exceeding high wisdom, to His own glory and to our profit and salvation (Rom. 7:10; 8:3).

VIII. A three-fold profit by the law of God.

First by the perfect declaration of the will of God by this law, men might and may better understand what was pleasing unto God; what was good and what ill; what was to be done, and what to be avoided. Then by the only relics of the law of nature remaining in man's mind, and therefore all cloak of ignorance being clean taken away, the Jews were made more inexcusable than other nations if they kept not the law--which thing falls out greatly to the glory of God, since men do thereby understand that His judgments towards us are very just. Furthermore, by the curses which are added against the transgressors, and the blessings for the observers, men were restrained by fear, of those as it were with a bridle, from committing sin; and by hope, of these as it were with a spur, were stirred up to keep the law--if not wholly and perfectly, yet in part and for the external observances; and so might be the better held within their duties, which how profitable it is, not only to a whole commonwealth, but to every particular man so bearing himself, none can be ignorant. Last of all, by that, that men saw by daily experience how they continually sinned against this so perfect a law, and perceived that they were not able to observe it as it ought to be, and so that they were daily more and more in danger of God's wrath and guilty of eternal death. It came to pass that distrusting themselves and their own strength they grew to have a greater and earnester [more earnest] desire of the promised Savior and Redeemer. And therefore how much the more they knew their sins by the law and their weakness, and more sensibly felt the wrath of God, so much the more greedily did they hunger and thirst after righteousness and were disposed and prepared to take hold on Christ by faith. So that very true were both those sayings of the apostle: By the law is the knowledge of sin (Rom. 2:20); and, the law was a schoolmaster unto Christ (Gal. 3:24).

IX. The law hath still the same use, yea even in men regenerate.

And we believe that these uses of the law are perpetual as long as we remain in this world--not only in men not regenerate, as is said, but also in the very regenerate. For since our minds are still blinded with much darkness and our memory so slippery that we can neither perfectly understand the things that are of God, nor keep in mind that which we have understood--we have evermore need of this glass of the divine law wherein we may daily behold and still more certainly understand what God will have us to do. Moreover, since our heart is not yet perfectly cleansed from all corruption, that it can be fully settled upon doing the will of God, but that the flesh still wrestleth against the spirit (Gal. 5:17), therefore the law is most necessary, which may terrify us with the threatenings and hold us in from offending; and with the promises may stir us forward to obedience and to the working of righteousness. Lastly, since there is none so holy, which sinneth not many ways, and which hath not sin dwelling in him (1 John 1:8), whereby we be made weak unto goodness and prone to ill, therefore the law is profitable unto us, by which our sins and infirmities being made known to us, we may daily more and more acknowledge how impossible it is that we by our own works should at any time be justified or saved. And therefore [we] should be filled with the greater desire, hunger, and thirst of the righteousness of Christ and embrace Him by faith. And thus the law, when it can never justify us, yet it may always draw us nearer unto Christ who justifieth, more and more to be justified.

X. The moral law, touching the substance, was not to be disannulled by Christ.

For we know and believe that the law, touching the substance, and those wholesome uses of which we speak, was not to be abolished by Christ, and so not abolished at all--but only touching the curse and condemnation, because there is "no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1). But yet the law was profitable even in the condemnation, and always is to them which are not yet in Christ, inasmuch as it driveth them to Christ, that they may avoid condemnation.

XI. Errors.

Therefore we condemn those which reject the law out of the church as unprofitable, and not pertaining to Christians; and again, those which teach that a man may either wholly or in part be justified by the law, since it was rather given to shut up all men under sin, and to lead them to Christ, who alone taketh away the sins of the world (John 1:29). And this is briefly our confession of the law, delivered from God by Moses, and declared by the prophets which prepareth, disposeth, and bringeth men unto Christ. And therefore Christ is [the] end thereof, as the apostle writeth (Rom. 10:4).