A20752:1122
The Christian warfare wherein is first generally showed the malice, power and politic stratagems…The Christian warfare wherein is first generally shewed the malice, power and politike stratagems…
The Christian warfare wherein is first generally showed the malice, power and politic stratagems of the spiritual enemies of our salvation, Satan and his assistants the world and the flesh, with the means also whereby the Christian may withstand and defeat them : and afterwards more specially their particular temptations, against the several causes and means of our salvation, whereby on the one side they allure us to security and presumption, and on the other side, draw us to doubting and desperation, are expressed and answered : written especially for their sakes who are exercised in the spiritual conflict of temptations, and are afflicted in conscience in the sight and sense of their sins / by I. Downame ...The Christian warfare wherein is first generally shewed the malice, power and politike stratagems of the spirituall ennemies of our saluation, Sathan and his assistants the world and the flesh, with the meanes also whereby the Christian may vvithstand and defeate them : and afterwards more speciallie their particvlar temptatiions, against the seuerall causes and meanes of our saluation, whereby on the one side they allure vs to security and presumption, and on the other side, draw vs to doubting and desperation, are expressed and answered : written especially for their sakes who are exercised in the spirituall conflict of temptations, and are afflicted in conscience in the sight and sense of their sinnes / by I. Dovvname ...
London: printed for Cuthbert Burby, 1604
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§. Sect. 4 But unto these and such like manifest places it is answered, that the Apostle speaketh not of the works of the moral law,1 but of the ceremonies only, to which again we reply that no such frivolous distinction can be gathered out of the Apostles words, nay the plain contrary evidently appeareth, by his main scope and drift in his whole discourse of our justification, and also by some particular places. His chief scope is to beat down the pride of all, both Jews and Gentiles to the end that the whole glory and praise of our justification and salvation might be ascribed to the free mercy, grace, and goodness of God alone; now it is most certain that the moral duties are in themselves far more excellent then the ceremonial, and consequently more fit to puff us up with a spiritual pride, and to make us to rest in our selves for our justification, ascribing at least some part of the praise unto our own works and virtues; so that if the Apostle had only spoken of the works of the ceremonial law, mans pride should not be beaten down, neither should God have the whole praise of our salvation, and so his discourse should be vain, as not tending to prove & enforce that, for which end and purpose he chiefly undertakes it. Again this should nothing concern neither the Gentiles in former times, nor any true Christians since the coming of Christ, forasmuch as they did not nor do not, neither were nor are bound to observe the ceremonial law, & consequently could never once dream of obtaining righteousness by fulfilling the ceremonies; but ⟨p. 574⟩they would rather ascribe the glory of their justification to their moral duties, to which they found themselves bound by the law of nature written in their harts, or do find themselves bound by the moral law of God written in his word; and therefore it was necessary for the beating down of their pride, and that they might ascribe the whole glory unto God of their justification and salvation, that the apostles in this discourse should prove that they were not justified neither by observing the law of nature written in their hearts, nor yet the moral law of God revealed in his word. Whereby it manifestly appeareth that howsoever the Apostle excludeth the works of the ceremonial law from being causes of justification, yet not them alone but the works of the moral law also.
§. Sect. 4 But vnto these and such like manifest places it is answered, that the Apostle speaketh not of the works of the morall law,