A20752:270
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.
Neither doth he angle with this bait in the Court and country only, but he thinketh it fit for the city also: for he cometh to the covetous Merchant, and promiseth him that in such a country he shall have good traffic, if he will dissemble his religion, that is, deny Christ before men: he offereth to the shop-keeper increase of wealth, if he will use false weights & measures, and false lights, or else sell such wares as are neither profitable for the Church nor Common-wealth; or adulterate and falsify his stuff by mixing bad with good; or ask double the price, swearing that it cost him more than afterwards himself is contented to take: in a word, if in buying and selling he will use fraud, lying, swearing and forswearing, he promiseth to make him a rich man, though oftentimes he deceiveth him, for in stead of increasing in wealth by these ungodly practises, oftentimes he becomes bankrupt, the Lord laying his curse on those wicked means, without whose blessing the builder buildeth and the labourer laboureth but in vain, as it is Psal. 127. 1.2.1 So also he cometh to the Artificer, and telleth him that if he will be rich, he must make sale ware: and what is that? such as is sleight and altogether unfit for use; as though that were most fit for sale which is sleight and altogether unprofitable. And so common nowadays is this fault, that no greater dispraise can be given, than to say it is sale ware, as though now nothing ⟨p. 76⟩which is good and substantial were fit to be sold. And with these and such like snares doth Satan entangle those that are covetous, and have set their hearts upon the earthly Mammon; which I have the longer stood upon, because it is a temptation most dangerous; neither doth Satan by any means more easily sack our souls, and spoil us of Gods graces, than when he ascendeth by these golden ladders, or maketh a breach in our hearts with these rich bullets.
Neither doth hee angle with this baite in the Court and countrie onely, but he thinketh it fit for the citie also: for he commeth to the couetous Merchant, and promiseth him that in such a countrie he shall haue good trafficke, if hee will dissemble his religion, that is, denie Christ before men: he offereth to the shop-keeper increase of wealth, if hee will vse false waights & measures, and false lights, or els sell such wares as are neither profitable for the Church nor Common-wealth; or adulterate and falsifie his stuffe by mixing bad with good; or aske double the price, swearing that it cost him more than afterwards himselfe is contented to take: in a word, if in buying and selling he will vse fraud, lying, swearing and forswearing, hee promiseth to make him a rich man, though oftentimes hee dēceiueth him, for in stead of increasing in wealth by these vngodly practises, oftentimes he becomes bankerupt, the Lord laying his curse on those wicked meanes, without whose blessing the builder buildeth and the labourer laboureth but in vaine, as it is