A20752:1037
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.
And thus it fareth with Gods children oftentimes, after that by the seed of the word faith is begotten and conceived in them, they feel no life, motion, nor undoubted signs thereof a long while, and after that they have the remission of their sins and are reconciled unto God, they have not the feeling and sense of pardon and reconciliation divers months, yea sometimes many years together which the Lord in his wisdom and mercy doth that he may move them hereby unto more serious repentance, and earnestly to hunger after a greater measure of faith, carefully using the means ordained for this purpose, and that they may more esteem and be more thankful for his invaluable benefits after that they have full assurance of them. And after they have a feeling of faith and other spiritual graces by their motions and fruits, ofttimes again they are deprived of it, either because they have wounded their consciences by falling into some known sin, or for that it pleaseth the Lord to exercise their faith and manifest his power in their weakness, moving them ⟨p. 531⟩hereby to deny themselves and to rest wholly upon him, yielding unto him the whole glory and praise of their salvation. What therefore is to be done in such a case? Surely they are not utterly to be discouraged nor to suffer themselves to sink into the gulf of desperation; but as the sense and feeling of their state ought to humble them under Gods hand, and to move them to enter into a due examination of themselves, and to a serious repentance for their sins, so they must take comfort unto themselves, and prop up their declining faith by calling to mind former times wherein the Lord hath showed his merciful and gracious countenance unto them, and wherein they in token of thankfulness have glorified God, by their holiness and righteousness of life. An example whereof we have in the Prophet David, Psal. 77. who being grievously afflicted, could not receive in his soul any true comfort,1 for howsoever he did think upon the Lord yet he was still troubled, and though he prayed unto him yet his spirit was full of anguish. What help• did he then find in this his present distress? He telleth us in the first verse: Then (saith he) I considered the days of old, and the years of ancient time;