A20752:1251
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. 1 And so much for answering Satan's temptations,1 drawn from the relics of sin which remain in us, and the small measure of our sanctification: the second temptation whereby he laboureth to discourage the weak christian, from going forward in his course of true godliness, he taketh from his slow progress and slack proceedings in sanctification, upon which occasion he thus assaulteth him. ⟨p. 637⟩Thou labourest much (will he say) and toilest thy self with intolerable pains that thou mayest become a sanctified man, but all in vain; for though thou hearest the word often, and readest much, and prayest continually, and beatest thy brains with daily care, to the end that thou mayest attain unto some perfection in christianity; yet, dost thou not see how little thou profitest by all thy labours, seeing thy knowledge is still small, thy faith weak, thy charity cold, thy heart dull and hard, thy good works few and imperfect, and all thy zealous resolutions easily hindered and quite overthrown with every small temptation? Why then dost thou strive against the stream, and undertake a task which is to thee not only hard but even impossible? for do what thou canst, yet all will be to little purpose, seeing this work is full of great difficulties, thy self disabled with manifold corruptions, and thy enemies which oppose against thee exceeding strong and mighty, as thy self findest by lamentable experience, and thy much labouring and little profiting do clearly prove. Cease therefore thy bootless travail, and rather embrace thy pleasing delights, than turmoil thy self with vain labour.
§. Sect. 1 ANd so much for answering Sathans temptations,1 drawne from the reliques of sinne which remaine in vs, and the small measure of our sanctification: the second temptation whereby he laboreth to discourage the weake christian, from going forward in his course of true godlinesse, he taketh from his slow progresse and slacke proceedings in sanctification, vpon which occasion he thus assaulteth him. ⟨p. 637⟩Thou laborest much (will he say) and toylest thy selfe with intollerable paines that thou maiest become a sanctified man, but all in vaine; for though thou hearest the word often, and readest much, and prayest continually, and beatest thy braines with daily care, to the end that thou mayest attaine vnto some perfection in christianitie; yet, dost thou not see how little thou profitest by all thy labours, seeing thy knowledge is still small, thy faith weake, thy charitie cold, thy heart dull and hard, thy good workes few and imperfect, and all thy zealous resolutions easily hindred and quite ouerthrowne with euery small temptation? Why then dost thou striue against the streame, and vndertake a taske which is to thee not onely hard but euen impossible? for doe what thou canst, yet all will bee to little purpose, seeing this worke is full of great difficulties, thy selfe disabled with manifold corruptions, and thy enemies which oppose against thee exceeding strong and mightie, as thy selfe findest by lamentable experience, and thy much laboring and little profiting doe clearely proue. Cease therefore thy bootlesse trauaile, and rather imbrace thy pleasing delights, than turmoyle thy selfe with vaine labour.