hly upon us, and denied
Himself so much as to suffer Christ His Son to shed all His blood for
us, and has bestowed upon us the whole treasure. Therefore He would
not have us disregard such great grace, and count it as a small
matter, but continue on our guard, so as to live in fear, that this
treasure be not taken away from us.

And here it is well to remark, that St. Peter says, ye are ransomed
from your vain conversation in the traditions of your fathers; for he
thereby strikes to the ground all the supports whereon we lean when
we imagine our view must be right because it has thus been preserved
from of old, and our forefathers all of them have so held it, among
whom there were certainly wise and pious people. It is as much as to
say, all which our fathers have ordained and done, was evil; what
from them has been taught you of the worship of God, is also evil;
for it has cost the Son of God His blood to redeem the people
therefrom; whatever, therefore, has not been washed in this blood, is
all poisoned and cursed by reason of the flesh. Thence it follows,
the more a man undertakes to make himself righteous and has not
Christ, the more only he confounds himself, and sinks deeper in
blindness and wickedness, and condemns himself in respect to this
precious blood.

External matters, important in themselves, are even trifling in
comparison with this, that a man should teach how we may be justified
by works, and devise a worship of God according to our reason; for
thereby the innocent blood is most deeply dishonored and reviled.

The heathen have committed many great sins, in that they have prayed
to the sun and moon, which they held for the true worship of God,
though this was joined with other sins. But human justification
(justification by human works) is mere reviling of God, and the
greatest of all sins that a man commits. So, also, that mode of life
wherewith the world is now busied and which it holds as the worship
of God, and piety, is in God's sight more provoking than any other
sin, as is the priestly and monkish order, and which while it appears
fair before the world, is yet without faith. Therefore whoever will
not obtain favor before God through this blood, it were better for
him that he should never come into God's presence, for he thereby
only the more and more dishonors His Majesty.

V. 19. _As of an innocent and unspotted lamb._ But here St. Peter
explains the Scripture,--for this though so short i