Confession of Faith Ratification Act 1560

The perfectioun of the Law and imperfectioun of manS

THE Law of God we confess and acknawlege maist Just maist equall maist haly and maist perfyte commanding thir thingis quhilk being wrocht in perfectioun wer habill to gif lyfe and habill to bring man to eternall felicitie Bot our nature is sa corrupt sa waik and sa vnperfyte that we are neuer habill to fulfill the warkis of the law in perfectioun Yea gif we say we haue na syne euin efter we ar regenerat we dissaif our selfis and the veritie of god is not in ws And thairfoir it behuifit vs to apprehend Christ Jesus with his Justice and satisfactioun quha is the end and accomplischement of the law to all that beleve be quhome we ar set at this libertie that the curss and maledictioun of god fall not vpon ws albeit we fulfill not the same in all poinctis ffor God the father behalding ws in the body of his sone Christ Jesus acceptis oure imperfyte obedience as it wer perfyte and coueris our warkis quhilk ar defylit with mony spottis with the Justice of his sone We do not mene that we are so set at libertie that we aw na obedience to the law (for that befoir we haue plainly confessit) But this we affirme that na man in eird (Christ Jesus onlie except) hes geuin geuis or sall giue in work that obedience to the law quhilk the law requyreth Bot quhan we haue done all thingis we man fall downe and vnfenyeitlie confess that we ar vnprofitabil seruandis And thairfoir quhasaeuer bostis thame selfis of the meritis of thair awin warkis or put thair traist in the warkis of supererogatioun boist them selfis of that quhilk is nocht and put thair traist in dampnabill Idolatrie