A20752:1268
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 And so much for answering Satan's temptations drawn from our sins committed after repentance.1 The second sort are taken from sins committed voluntarily against our knowledge and conscience; which if we have fallen into, he presently suggesteth that we have sinned presumptuously against God, and therefore cannot be reckoned in the number of Gods children, nor conceive any hope of pardon and forgiveness. For the answering unto which temptation, we are to know these two things; first, that all sins committed against knowledge and conscience are not presumptuous: secondly, that though we should fall into presumptuous sins, yet we may be the children of God, who are neither debarred of true repentance nor of Gods mercy. For the first, we are to know that not the heinousness of the sin committed maketh it to be presumptuous, but the manner of the fact, and the mind of the offender; for howsoever Peter fell grievously, yet we cannot say that he fell presumptuously,2 because he sinned through infirmity and fear of danger, whereas to sin presumptuously, is to sin ⟨p. 648⟩of a stubborn wilfulness, either through the neglect of Gods justice and judgements, or through the abuse of his mercy and benefits. In the first respect they offend, who having divers times themselves sinned, and yet escaped punishment, or having seen others in the like case, do take occasion hereby to sin again, hoping to escape as in former times: and of such the wise man speaketh, Eccles. 8.11, Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, 3therefore the heart of the children of men is fully set in them to do evil. In the other respect, such offend as take occasion upon Gods mercy and long suffering to fall into sin, presuming before they commit it, that God upon their repentance will in his infinite mercy forgive them: and thus they abuse Gods mercy and goodness which should lead them to repentance, as an argument to make them more desperately to run into all wickedness.4