A20752:848
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. 4 So that whosoever have not a true sense and feeling of the unsupportable weight of sin,1 they are destitute of true faith and repentance, and therefore the promises of the gospel being made, only to the faithful & repentant sinners, do not appertain unto them. Which may more evidently appear if we consider some of the particulars; Isaiah 61.1. It is said that our saviour Christ was sent to preach glad tidings unto the poor, to bind up the broken hearted, to preach liberty to the captives, and to them that are bound, the opening of the prison. 2. To comfort all that mourn, and to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of gladness for the spirit of heaviness. Math. 9.13. our saviour saith that he came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, and the apostle witnesseth of him, that he came into the world to save sinners. 1. Tim. 1.15. If therefore we be not poor in spirit and ⟨p. 414⟩broken hearted, if we be not miserable captives, heavy mourners, & wretched sinners, our saviour Christ was not sent to preach the glad tidings of the gospel unto us, he will not give us liberty nor afford us any comfort, he came not to call us neither will he save us. So our Saviour professeth, Math. 18.11. that he came to save that which was lost, and to fetch home the wandering sheep. If therefore we be not lost in our selves we shall never be found of Christ, if we do not confess with the Prophet Isaiah, that we have gone astray like wandering sheep,2 he will never seek us, nor carry us on his blessed shoulders to the sheepfold of eternal happiness. In a word as without the sense of sin, we can never attain unto faith and repentance, so without faith and repentance, we can never have any assurance of any of the promises of the Gospel.
§. Sect. 4 So that whosoeuer haue not a true sense and feeling of the vnsupportable waight of sinne,1