A20752:431
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. 6 So that by these and many such like examples,1 that is manifest unto our comforts which the Apostle speaketh, 1. Cor. 10.13. There hath no temptation taken you but such as appertaineth to man; for the same afflictions (which we suffer) are accomplished in our brethren which are in the world, as it is, 1. Pet. 5.9. Yea the same and far greater were endured by our head Jesus Christ himself, who received deep and grisly wounds, in respect of those small scratches which we suffer, and drunk the full cup of Gods heavy displeasure, of which we only sip or taste; for he was not only in his outward state dejected and reputed as an abject amongst men, nor persecuted by his cruel enemies alone, even to the taking away of his precious life, by a cruel and shameful death; but also inwardly in his soul he sustained far more heavy crosses than that which he outwardly carried on his shoulders, though the weight thereof caused him to faint for weariness. for to say nothing of Satan's temptations and the power of hell which was set against him, let us consider of that bitter agony which he sustained in the garden, where the burden of Gods anger, for our sins was so heavy upon him, that it pressed out of his blessed body a sweat of water and blood; neither was he presently cased of this unsupportable weight, but he was fain to bear it even unto his cross; neither was he comforted in mind when the pangs of death had taken hold of his body, but even then he was so vexed with the sense of his fathers displeasure, that in bitterness of soul he crieth out my God, My God why hast thou forsaken me: Not that he despaired utterly of Gods love and assistance, or thought himself a reprobate and castaway, for he calleth him still his God: but the deity having for a time withdrawn it self, to the end the humane nature might suffer that punishment which we had deserved even unto death it self, which otherwise it could not have been subject unto, he uttereth this speech truly according to his present sense and apprehension. Now if we consider who it is that was thus grievously afflicted both in body and mind, we shall find that it was not one hated of God, but his only begotten ⟨p. 165⟩and best beloved son, in whom he professeth himself to be well pleased.