Adam was. By reason hereof as I said, we be of ourselves the very
children of the indignation and vengeance of God, the true inheritors of
hell, and working all towards hell: which is the answer to this question,
made to every man and woman, by themselves, "Who art thou?"

And now, the world standing in this damnable state, cometh in the
occasion of the incarnation of Christ. The Father in heaven, perceiving
the frail nature of man, that he, by himself and of himself, could do
nothing for himself, by his prudent wisdom sent down the second person in
Trinity, his Son Jesus Christ, to declare unto man his pleasure and
commandment: and so, at the Father's will, Christ took on him human
nature, being willing to deliver man out of this miserable way, and was
content to suffer cruel passion in shedding his blood for all mankind;
and so left behind for our safeguard laws and ordinances, to keep us
always in the right path unto everlasting life, as the evangelists, the
sacraments, the commandments, and so forth: which, if we do keep and
observe according to our profession, we shall answer better unto this
question, "Who art thou?" than we did before. For before thou didst
enter into the sacrament of baptism, thou wert but a natural man, a
natural woman; as I might say, a man, a woman: but after thou takest on
thee Christ's religion, thou hast a longer name; for then thou art a
christian man, a christian woman. Now then, seeing thou art a christian
man, what shall be thy answer of this question, "Who art thou?"

The answer of this question is, when I ask it unto myself, I must say
that I am a christian man, a christian woman, the child of everlasting
joy, through the merits of the bitter passion of Christ. This is a
joyful answer. Here we may see how much we be bound and in danger unto
God, that hath revived us from death to life, and saved us that were
damned: which great benefit we cannot well consider, unless we do