A20752:810
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.
Fourthly, the longer we live in sin the more unpleasant will virtue and godliness be unto us; and the more we are delighted in the fulfilling the lusts of the flesh, the more bitter it will be to mortify them, and to embrace any strict course of sanctification, seeing these are contrary the one to the other; he that hath long continued in darkness cannot ⟨p. 388⟩endure the light of the sun; he that never tasted any thing but sweet and pleasant meats, cannot abide to feed upon those which are sour and bitter; he that was borne and bred in hot countries, is not able to brook those which are cold; and so those who have accustomed themselves to sin will hardly be ever brought to embrace virtue and godliness, these being as contrary one to another, as light and darkness, sweet and sower, hot and cold, especially considering that sin is as delightful to the taste of a natural man, as drink when he is extremely thirsty, or meat when he is ready to pine for hunger.
Fourthly, the longer wee liue in sinne the more vnpleasant will vertue and godlinesse be vnto vs; and the more wee are delighted in the fulfilling the lustes of the flesh, the more bitter it wilbe to mortifie them, and to imbrace any strict course of sanctification, seing these are contrary the one to the other; he that hath long continued in darknesse cannot ⟨p. 388⟩indure the light of the sunne; hee that neuer tasted any thing but sweet and pleasant meats, cannot abide to feed vpon those which are sowre and bitter; hee that was borne and bred in hote countries, is not able to brooke those which are cold; and so those who haue accustomed themselues to sinne wil hardly be euer brought to imbrace vertue and godlinesse, these being as contrarie one to another, as light and darkenesse, sweet and sower, hote and cold, especially considering that sinne is as delightful to the tast of a natural man, as drink when hee is extreamely thirstie, or meat when he is ready to pine for hunger.
§. Sect. 5 Fifthly,