A20752:868
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. 2 Against which tentations whosoever would be strengthened and enabled to withstand their force and violence,1 they must not rest in themselves, desiring in whole or in part to be justified by their legal righteousness, neither must they measure out unto themselves Gods mercies according to their own merits and worthiness, they must not look only upon Gods justice, and upon that exact obedience which the law requireth of them, nor yet upon those fearful punishments which by their sins they have justly deserved, for then Satan will easily attain unto his purpose, and speedily bring them to desperation and utter destruction. But they must go out of themselves and rejecting their own righteousness, as altogether imperfect & insufficient they are to rest and rely themselves upon the alone righteousness and obedience of Christ Jesus, as being in it self all sufficient both for our justification and salvation. And as they have one eye on Gods justice to keep them from secure presumption, so they must have the other firmly sixth on his infinite mercy to preserve them from falling into desperation, as they have one eye on the law to humble them, and to bring them out of themselves to Christ, so they must have the other eye on the sweet and comfortable promises of the Gospel to comfort and raise them ⟨p. 424⟩up. Finally as on the one side they behold the curse of the law, and the eternal torments prepared for the wicked: so on the other side they must steadfastly look upon the righteousness, death, and obedience of Christ, and also upon those everlasting joys which by his precious bloodshed he hath purchased for them. And if thus being truly humbled and brought to unfeigned repentance they go out of themselves and reject their own righteousness, resting and relying upon the alone righteousness of Christ for their justification & salvation, they may most certainly assure themselves that they have in Christ satisfied Gods justice, & are by his death reconciled unto him, that they are freed from the curse of the law, and from the wrath of God, that their scarlet sins are made as white as wool, & all their imperfections perfected by Christs righteousness and obedience, that they are acquitted from the sentence of condemnation, and delivered from the fearful torments of hell.
§. Sect. 2 Against which tentations whosoeuer would be strengthened and enabled to withstand their force and violence,