A20752:812
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 Sixthly,1 the longer we defer our repentance the more uneffectuall will the means be of our conversion; for the ⟨p. 389⟩word of God, will either soften our hearts like wax, or harden them like clay, either it will be the savour of life unto life, or the savour of death to our deeper condemnation, as is 2 Cor. 2.16. If it once go out of Gods mouth it shall not return unto him void, but it shall accomplish that which he will, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto he sendeth it, (whether it be for the conversion or hardening of those who hear it) as it is Esa. 55.11. we know if a salve be applied unto a wound either it healeth it, or else the sore overcoming the virtue thereof doth more fester and rankle, and so this spiritual salve, being applied unto our souls wounded with sin, doth either cure them, or else becoming uneffectuall they wax worse and worse. When men sleep & are suddenly wakened with some strange and unusual sound, they presently start up and are amazed, but after a long time they have been acquainted with the noise they can sleep securely and not be much disquieted; so when men sleeping in carnal security are awaked with the threatenings of the law preached unto them, which like Canon shot thundereth in their ears, they are at first somewhat roused up and begin to look about them, but giving themselves to sleep again in their sins, after they have been many times awakened, at last this fearful sound nothing moves nor disquiets them neither will any thing waken them out of this spiritual lethargy, but the voice of the Archangel commanding them to arise and to come unto judgement.
§. Sect. 6 Sixtly,1 the longer wee deferre our repentance the more vneffectuall will the meanes be of our conuersion; for the ⟨p. 389⟩word of God, will either soften our hearts like waxe, or harden them like clay, either it wilbe the sauour of life vnto life, or the sauour of death to our deeper condemnation, as is