M.  Into what chief parts dost thou divide all this word of God?

      S.  Into the law and the gospel.

      M.  How be these two known the one from the other?

      S.  The law setteth out our duties both of godliness toward God, that is, the true worshipping of God, and of ^ccharity toward our neighbour, and severely requireth and exacteth ^dour precise obedience, and to the obedient promiseth everlasting life, but to the disobedient pronounceth threatenings and pains, yea, and eternal death.  The gospel ^econtaineth the promises of God; and to the offenders of the law, so that they repent them of their offence, it promiseth that God will be merciful through faith in Christ.

      M.  Hitherto then thou hast declared that the word of God doth teach us his will, and containeth all things needful to salvation, and that we ought earnestly to study upon it, and diligently to hear the teachers and expounders of it; but, above all things, that we must by prayer obtain us a teacher from heaven; and what is the word of God, and of what parts it consisteth.

      S.  It is true.

      M.  Since then Christian religion floweth out of God’s word as out of a spring-head, as thou hast before done with God’s word, so now divide me also religion itself, which is to be drawn out of God’s word into her parts and members, that we may plainly determine whereunto each part ought to be applied, and, as it were, to certain marks to be directed.

      S.  As of the word of God, so of religion also, there are principally two parts; ^fobedience, which the law, the perfect rule of righteousness commandeth, and faith, ^gwhich the gospel, that embraceth the promises concerning the mercy of God, requireth.

      M.  It seemeth yet, that there are either more or other parts of religion; for sometime, in dividing it, the holy scriptures do use other names.

      S.  That is true.  For sometime they divide whole religion into faith ^hand charity, and sometime into ⁱrepentance and faith.  For sometime for obedience they set ^kcharity, which by the law is required to be perfect toward God and men; and sometime because we perform neither obedience ^lnor charity such as we ought, they put in place thereof ^mrepentance most necessary for sinners to the obtaining of the mercy of God.  Some, which like to have more parts, do set forth first out of the law, ⁿthe knowledge of our due duty, and damnation by the law for forsaking and rejecting our duty; secondly, out of the gospel, the ^oknowledge and affiance of our deliverance; thirdly, ^pprayer and craving of the mercy and help of God; fourthly, ^qthanksgiving for deliverance and other benefits of God.  But howsoever they differ in names, they be the same things; and to those two principal parts, obedience and faith, in which is contained all the sum and substance of our religion, all the rest are referred.  For whereas many do add, as parts, invocation and thanksgiving, and the divine mysteries most nearly conjoined to the same, which are commonly called sacraments, these, in very deed, are comprised within those two former parts.  For no man can truly perform the duty toward God, either of affiance or of obedience, which will not, when any necessity distresseth him, flee to God, and account all things to come from him, and, when occasion in time serveth, rightly use his holy mysteries.