A20752:555
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 sign of the child of God who is elected to salvation,1 is, when he seeth his sins and imperfections, and truly repenteth of them, that is, bewaileth those which are past, and endeavoureth to forsake them in the time to come. For naturally we are blind, and yet do not perceive our blindness, we are most sinful and miserable, and yet do not see our sins and misery, but with the proud Pharisee and justiciary Papist we think our selves righteous, and with the Church of the Laodiceans we imagine that we are rich and have need of nothing, not knowing that we are wretched, miserable,2 pour-blind, and naked, until it please the Lord to anoint our eyes with the eye-salve of his spirit, whereby we are enabled to discern the pure gold of Christs merits, which only maketh rich, ⟨p. 238⟩from the dross of our own works, and the white raiment of Christs obedience from the polluted rags of our own righteousness. And though we see our sins, yet naturally we are not sorry for them, nay we delight our selves with their remembrance; or if we sustain any grief, it is not for the sin, but for the punishment which either we feel presently inflicted, or fear as being hereafter threatened, until it please the Lord to adopt us for his sons, and to give us the spirit of adoption, which moveth us to grieve and sorrow for our sins, not so much for fear of punishment, as for son-like affection, because by our sins we have dishonoured and displeased our gracious and loving father: and because we cannot wholly mortify them so long as we continue in this life, we lamentably cry out with Paul, Wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of death? And because we know that we shall be never freed from it altogether so long as we live, we wish earnestly with the Apostle that we may be speedily dissolved, being contented to part with our lives, because we can no otherwise part with our sins. Whosoever therefore hath this sorrow for sin; he may be assured of his election and salvation: for,3 as it is 2. Cor. 7.10. this godly sorrow causeth repentance unto salvation not to be repented of, whereas worldly sorrow causeth death; and all the promises of life and eternal happiness, are made only to such repentant sinners, and to them only they appertain.