A20752:1231
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. 3 We must not therefore imagine, that to be sanctified is to be wholly purged from all corruption,1 to be endued with perfect righteousness, and to have the spirit in full measure; but to have the corruptions of sin lessened and their power abated, so that they cannot wholly oversway us as in former times; to have some holy desires and good endeavours of serving God in holiness and righteousness, which also we express in our actions, although in great weakness and imperfection; to have the first fruits of the spirit in this life, expecting the whole harvest in the life to come: neither let us yield to Satan, suggesting unto us, that we are not at all sanctified, because we have some relics of our old corruptions and manifold imperfections in our best actions; or that therefore our holiness which we have, is so small that it is to no purpose, and that which we want so great and hardly come by, that it is not possible we should ever attain unto it; seeing these suggestions are sufficiently confuted both by the Scriptures and examples of all Gods children. For the Scriptures teach us, that in many things we sin all; that if we say we have no sin, 2we deceive our selves, and there is no truth in us: and therefore because we continually offend, our Saviour requireth that as we ask our daily bread, so also we should pray daily for the forgiveness of our sins. The Apostle also telleth us, that there is a continual fight in every Christian,3 the flesh lusting against the spirit, & the spirit against ⟨p. 627⟩the flesh, the one tempting us unto sin, the other stirring us up to holy obedience. Moreover, the examples of Gods saints are pregnant for this purpose, neither was there ever any so perfectly sanctified, but there remained in them some relics of their natural corruptions, which also showed themselves in actual sins and grievous transgressions; as appeareth plainly in the examples of the Patriarchs, David, Peter, and all others. But most clearly doth the Apostle Paul show this in his own person,4 propounding himself as a true pattern of a man regenerate; for though he had attained unto a great measure of sanctification, yet he complaineth of the great force and violence of his inbred corruptions,