A20752:742
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. 1 That all other arguments are insufficient without the testimony of Gods spirit,1 hereby it is more then manifest, in that not many wise, nor many learned in the world do believe the Scriptures, which is the cause why they do not submit themselves to the obedience thereof; whereas if faith might be wrought in men by force of arguments or natural reason,2 they who best conceive them would most easily be persuaded by them: but contrariwise, we see that these things are hid from the wise and prudent, and are revealed unto babes, not by means of natural reason, but by the testimony of Gods spirit. For naturally we are all blind in spiritual things, neither can the natural man discern the ⟨p. 343⟩things of the spirit of God, neither can he know them, 3because they are spiritually discerned, as it is 1. Cor. 2.14. and therefore, though the Scriptures be the glorious light of Gods truth, shining as bright as the sun in the firmament, to those whose eyes are enlightened with Gods spirit; yet to those who continue in their natural blindness, and were never anointed with the precious eye-salve of Gods spirit, this glorious light appeareth not, no more than the sunshine to those who want their sight, and hence it is that they grope at noon days. And as the poor woman, of whom Seneca speaketh, being suddenly in the night stricken with blindness, desired the next day to undraw the curtains and open the windows that she might see, whereas the cause of her not seeing was not want of light, but want of eyes: So these men who are stricken with natural blindness, complain that they cannot see the glorious light of Gods truth shining in his word, and therefore desire to have it cleared by taking away the clouds of objections which seem to shadow it, and by adding unto it the light of humane reason; but the truth is, the fault is not in this glorious light, which always shineth, but in their blindness who cannot discern it; and yet such is the pride, self love, and vain opinion, which every one hath of his own gifts, that they will sooner imagine that the sun wanteth light, than they eyes to look upon it.