A20752:313
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. 4 The fourth thing to be observed in Satan's fight, is his often changing of his temptations,1 and taking as it were into his hand another weapon, when he perceiveth the first woundeth not. For example, he will tempt us to the contempt of Gods word; if he cannot so prevail, he will entice us at least to neglect it; and if thus he cannot hurt us, he will, if he can, choke the seed of Gods word with the thorny cares of the world, and so make it unfruitful. He will move us to think that Christ was no Saviour; if he cannot persuade us to this, then he will tell us he is not our Saviour. Yea so shameless is this tempter, that he will now tempt us to believe one lie of his coining, and presently after when he seeth we give no credit to that, he will tell us the clean contrary. For example, he will sometimes tell us that we are such grievous sinners that there is no way but damnation: and if we withstand this assault, he will soon after persuade us to an overweening conceit of our own excellency, and to a pharisaical opinion that we are not as other men are. Sometimes he will move us to doubt of our election, and if he cannot thus prevail, he will presently persuade us to think our election so sure, that though we follow our own lusts, and give our selves over to all outrageous wickedness, yet in the end we shall be saved. In a word, this wicked Proteus will transform himself ⟨p. 96⟩into a thousand divers shapes, and in a short space will vary many ways his temptations, that if he cannot prevail by one means, he may overcome us by another. And therefore it behooveth us, if we will withstand him, to arm our selves, not on one side alone, nor to be prepared against two or three assaults of our spiritual enemy, but we must be ready to answer all objections, and not so wholly incline to one side and to the defending one part, as that in the mean time we leave the other naked to be wounded with Satan's blows. And to the end we may the rather be encouraged to stand constantly in our defence, we are to know that when Satan doth so often shift his temptations, and in a short distance of time doth seek to bring us into quite contrary vices,2 it is a manifest sign that he doth not yet prevail:
§. Sect. 4 The fourth thing to be obserued in Sathans fight, is his often changing of his temptations,