A20752:1084
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
Book 2 › Chapter 47: Other tentations concerning faith answered.
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.
Though he kill me yet will I trust in him, so he hath expressed also the faith of Nicodemus, in knowledge weak and simple, and in practise and profession cowardly and fearful, as he hath set down the strong faith of Paul, who grew to this fullness of persuasion that nothing should be able to separate him from the love of God in Jesus Christ, so he hath not left out the little & weak ⟨p. 558⟩saith of Thomas who would not believe further then he saw and felt. Yea the Lord in his word hath revealed unto us the divers degrees of faith in the same men in respect of divers times;1 at one time like a grain of mustard seed, at another time like a great tree, at one time like a little smoke, and soon after bursting out into a great flame, now like a weak reed wavering and declining with the smallest blast of any trial, and within a while like an immovable rock which beateth back huge billows and even a whole sea of violent tentations; in a word it setteth out to our view as it were portrayed in a fresh and live picture the divers ages of a christian as he is in his conception and preparation to grace, and as he is in his new birth and first conversion, as he is a babe, and as he groweth from his infancy to greater age and strength, till he come to ripe years and to be a strong man in Christ. Besides it showeth unto us his divers relapses through sin the sickness of the soul, and how oftentimes the spiritual growth is hindered, and the strength of Gods graces abated and much weakened by the cotidian ague of our corruptions and Satan's tentations, and also after these fits be driven away by virtue of Gods spirit, how we receive a greater increase of grace and measure of strength, whereby we grow more in christianity and godliness in a year then we did in two before. All which is set down to this end that we should not make our infancy our [Greek or Hebrew] and full growth, but labour to increase in grace till we become of babes strong men in Christ;
Though hee kill me yet will I trust in him, so he hath expressed also the faith of Nicodemus, in knowledge weake and simple, and in practise and profession cowardly and fearefull, as hee hath set downe the strong faith of Paul, who grew to this fulnesse of perswasion that nothing should be able to separate him from the loue of God in Iesus Christ, so he hath not left out the little & weak ⟨p. 558⟩