A20752:1066
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.
CHAP. XLVI. Satan's tentations concerning smallness, and weakness of faith answered.
CHAP. XLVI. Sathans tentations concerning smalnesse, and weaknesse of faith answered.
§. Sect. 1 And so much for answering those tentations,1 whereby Satan laboureth to persuade the afflicted Christians that they have no faith, wherewith if he cannot prevail, in the next place he will tell them that their faith is so small if it be any at all, so overwhelmed with doubting, so unfruitful, and so mixed with imperfections, that it will not be effectual and sufficient for their salvation. Which tentation if we would withstand, we must not dream or imagine that to have a true faith, is to have a perfect faith which is never assaulted with doubting nor shaken with any tentations, for there is no such faith to be found in any of Gods children, seeing the most perfect are partly flesh and partly spirit, and as the fruit of the spirit is faith and affiance in God, so the fruit of the flesh is doubting and infidelity, & these continually assault & fight one against another.
§. Sect. 1 ANd so much for answering those tētations,1 wherby Sathan laboureth to perswade the afflicted Christians that they haue no faith, wherewith if he cannot preuaile, in the next place hee will tell them that their faith is so small if it be any at all, so ouerwhelmed with doubting, so vnfruitfull, and so mixt with imperfections, that it will not bee effectuall and sufficient for their saluation. Which tentation if we would withstand, we must not dreame or imagine that to haue a true faith, is to haue a perfect faith which is neuer assaulted with doubting nor shaken with any tentations, for there is no such faith to be found in any of Gods childrē, seing the most perfect are partly flesh and partly spirit, and as the fruite of the spirit is faith and affiance in God, so the fruit of the flesh is doubting and infidelitie, & these continually assault & fight one against another.