The Governance of Virtue, Part 2 · Section 31
☞ Against the temptation of the deuel for not satisfiing the lawe, of god, and for nby sinfull liuinge.
If Sathan at the houre of death or any other timet would pluck the from thine assuered & stedfast faith in Christs bloud, and perswade thee that thou art but a dampned wretch forasmuch as thou hast not so trayned thy life that thou hast satisfied the law of God, but rather liued wiakedly and therfore deserued euerlasting damnation, be on good comfort, des… paire not, harken not to this wicked suggestions, neither hauehave thou respecte to thy workes & deedes (which whan they be moste righteous and pure) ax as the Prophet saith like a cloth polluted with m… strue if they be cōpared to that puritye and cleanes whiche the law requireth, and shoulde be iudged of Gods righteousnes according to their desarts, but settle thine eyes stedfast on Christ and his merites. consideringe not what thou haste doone, but what Christ hath done for thee, if thou repent and beleu… and alwayes hauehave these moste comfortable Scriptures in thy remembrance.
Sentences out of the olde Testament.
AL they that put their trust in thee, shallPsal. … ▪ not be put io confusion. Call to remem brāce (O Lord) thy tender mercies and thy louing kindnes which hauehave bene euer of olde. Oh remember not the sins & offences of my youth, but accordinge vntounto thy mercy thincke thou vponupon me O Lord, for thy goodnes sake. Mine eyes are euer looking vntounto the Lord, for he shal plucke my feete out of the net.
Because he hath put his trust in me, IPsal. 91 wil deliuer him, I wil defēd him because he hath knowne my name.
Reade the. 104. Psalme.
I know that thou wouldst maliciously…say. 48 offend, sayth God. Therfore hauehave I called thee a transgressoure, euen from my mothers womb. Neuertheles for my names sake I will withdrawe my wrath, and it shalbe for my honours sake, if I patiently forbeare thee and roote thee not out.
By the knowledge of him whiche is my…ay. 53 righteous seruaunte sayth God the father of christ He shal iustefy the multitude, forasmuch as he hath borne away theyr sins.
To know thee O Lord, is perfect righte15 ousnes, yea to know thy righteousnes and power, is the roote of immortality.
Examples out of the olde Testament.
Adam transgressed thē commaundementn. 3 of God in Paradise, and by his transgression made both hymselfe and all vsus bound to eternall dampnation.Gen. 9
Nohe fell into the sinne of dronkennesGen. 19
Lot was not onelye dronken, but also lay with his owne daughters: and so committed the greuous sinne of incest.
Abraham denied his wife.Gen. 20
Moses committed manslaughter. DauidExo. 2 committed both manslaughter and whoredome.
Salomon was an idolator.2. Reg. 11
All these wyth manye other of the olde3. Reg. 1… Testament were sinners and offended the Lord their God by breaking of his lawes, yet for theyr fayth whiche they had in that blessed seede which was so oft promised of God the father, euen Iesus Christe they were saued.
Sentences out of the newe Testament.
We are not vnderunder the law but vnderunder grace.
The law of the spirite that bringeth lifeRom… 8 thorow Iesu Christ hath made me free frō the law of sinne and death.
Christ is the perfect fulfilling of the laweRo. 10 to iustefy all that beleue
No man is iustefied by the law in the sightGala. 3. of god. The iust, that is the faithful christian, shall liue by faithe.
Christ hath deliuered vsus from the curse of the lawe, whyle he was made accursed for vsus.Gal. 5.
As manye of you as are iustified by the lawe, are fallen from grace. We loke for and hope in the spirite to be iukified thorowe fayth.Eph. …
Christ is our peace, he hath broken down the walle that was a stop betwene vsus, he hath also put awaye thorow his fleshe the cause of hatred, that is to say: the lawe of commaundementes contained in the lawe written, be so making peace hath reconciled vsus to God thorow his crosse.
Christe hath put oute the, band wrighting,Colos. … that was agaynst vsus contained in the lawe written, and that hath he taken out of the way and hath fastned it to his crosse and hathe spoyled rule & power, and hath made a shew of them openly, and hath triumphed ouor them in his owne person.
Be it knowne to you, ye men and brethren,Act. 13. that thorowe this manne Christ: Is preached vntounto you the forgeuenes of sinnes, and that by him all that beleue at iustified from al things from the whiche … could not be iustified by the law of Moses
Examples out of the new Testament.
Math. 9MAthew was a tol gatherer.Math. 20
The Apostles were ambicious and did striue amōg them, who should be highest and of greatest authoritye.Luke. 7.
Mary Magdalen was a greuouse sinner.Iohn. 18
Peter denied and forsoke Christ thrise.Act. 9.
Paule persecuted the congregation of Christe.Ioh. 7
Al these yea and why not? transgressed the lawe of God (for as Christ sayth) Moses hath geuen you a law and yet none of you do fulfil it not with standing for theyr repentance and fayth in Christes bloud they obteyned remission for their sinnes and are made the sonnes of God, heires of God & felow heyres with christe of euerlastinge glory.
For if righteousnes come by the lawe,Galat. 1 then died Christ in vayne but euerl…sting life is y• gieft of God thorow Iesus Christ our Lord.