A20752:902
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 And these are the arguments which are drawn from the nature of God,1 whereby we may be assured of the remission of our sins; there may also other arguments be drawn from every person of the Trinity. First God the father hath created us of nothing, even according to his own image, and when we had defaced this his image in us, and made our selves slaves to Satan, he so tenderly loved us his poor miserable creatures, that he spared not his dearly beloved & only begotten Son, but sent him into the world to take our nature upon him, that therein he might suffer all misery and affliction, and lastly the cursed and bitter death of the cross, that so he might satisfy his justice for our sins & perfect the work of our redemption. And this the Evangelist witnesseth, John 3.16. Al which love the Lord showed ⟨p. 446⟩unto us even for his own names sake, when we neither deserved it nor yet desired it, for we were bondslaves unto Satan, and well contented to live in his bondage, we were children of wrath and dead in our sins, yea we were enemies unto God and all goodness. And therefore if our merciful God so loved us whilst we were in love with our sins, at league with his enemy Satan, & at enmity with him, that he sent his dearly beloved and only begotten Son to dye for us, that by his death and bloodshed he might redeem and save us out of this miserable estate, how much more will he now receive us to mercy and pardon, and forgive our sins if we seek and sue for grace? if he loved us so dearly when we hated him, and sought all means of reconciliation when we were professed enemies against him, how much more will he receive us into his favour, when as we earnestly desire to be reconciled? If he so loved us that he sent his Son to die for our sins, how much more will he remit those sins for which he hath satisfied, when as with hearty sorrow we do bewail them, and earnestly desire to be freed from them? if he hath given his Son to mankind to this end, that he should save and redeem repentant sinners, why should any doubt of their redemption and salvation if they turn unto him by unfeigned repentance, and lay hold on Christ by a lively faith?
§. Sect. 1 ANd these are the arguments which are drawne from the nature of God,1