A20752:586
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 Besides these places, there are others also objected,1 as that Job. 9.21. Though I were perfect, yet I know not my soul; therefore I abhor my life. To which I answer, that Jobs scope and drift in this place is to show, that even the most just and holy man cannot stand before Gods judgement seat in his own righteousness and holiness, which is polluted and imperfect, and that therefore it behooveth every one to despair in himself and his legal righteousness, as not being able to justify him in Gods sight, in respect of whose purity even the very heavens are unclean, that so he may wholly rely upon Gods mercy and Christs merits; and this appeareth vers. 2.3. I know verily (saith he) that it is so (that is,2 that God is just and all men are sinners, who are righteously punished for their demerits, as Bildad had reasoned in the former chapter) and therefore how should man compared unto God be justified? 3.3 If he would dispute with him, he could not answer him one thing of a thousand. And vers. 20. If I would justify my self,4 mine own mouth should condemn me; if I would be perfect, he shall judge me wicked. 21. And though I were innocent or perfect, (that is, though I seemed just in mine own eyes, and knew nothing ⟨p. 256⟩by my self) yet I know not mine own soul, nor what secret corruptions may lurk in it, and therefore I will not hereby look to be justified, nay in this respect I abhor my life, and cast mine own righteousness from me as a polluted clout. By which manner of reasoning he confuteth Bildad's objection, who affirmed that Job and his sons were punished of God for their sins and that justly, and therefore they were not so just and innocent as they had seemed: to this Job answereth, that it is true indeed he could not justify himself in respect of his own righteousness, if he compared himself with Gods exact justice, but must needs condemn himself for a wretched sinner; yet hence it followed not that therefore God thus afflicted him, seeing this was the state not of him only but of all men whatsoever: and therefore this could not be the only cause of his extraordinary afflictions. So that this place makes nothing against the assurance of our salvation, which is grounded upon Gods free mercy and Christs merits;