A20752:612
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.
Seventhly,1 they object that though there were no cause of doubting, so long as we look upon Gods mercy and truth in his promises, and Christs obedience and merits, yet at least there is cause of doubting when we look upon our selves, and find our great indisposition to perform the condition of faith and repentance, which God requireth of all who shall be partakers of his promises, and our manifold imperfections and great unworthiness of the least of Gods mercies. And thus these jugglers play fast and loose, making their faith like unto the ignis fatuus, or going fire, which interchangeably sometimes shineth clearly, and sometimes vanisheth and leaveth behind it nothing but black darkness. But let us constantly oppose our selves against such inconstancy, and in no wise admit of such mutable variety in our faith, which maketh it more changeable than the Moon, which one while shineth with full brightness, and in small distance of time cannot be discerned; and to this end let us know, first, that though in our selves we be not worthy of the least of Gods mercies, yet our unworthiness maketh us not uncapable of the greatest, for all Gods benefits are his free gifts, which he promiseth and bestoweth without any respect of our worthiness or deserts, of his mere grace and undeserved love: and therefore as when we are most worthy in our own conceit, there is no reason why we should presume the more; so when we find our selves unworthy, there is no cause why we should hope the less, or be more weakly assured of Gods promises; for as they are not made upon the condition of our worthiness, so they are not disannulled and made void by our unworthiness, otherwise no man living could have assurance of them, seeing all men living are unworthy of them. But the Lord hath made all his promises unto us in Christ, who was sent to be our Mediator, to the end that we who were altogether unworthy in our selves, might be made worthy in him of all Gods mercies and benefits. And therefore whosoever lay hold upon Christ, with a true though a weak faith, and bring forth the fruits thereof in repentance, they may certainly be assured of their election and salvation, notwithstanding their unworthiness. Secondly, we are to know ⟨p. 271⟩that our faith doth not respect our selves in our selves, neither are we the object thereof, but Christ and his merits and obedience;
Seuenthly,