A20752:958
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.
Besides whereas those who repent turn from their sins with a true and unreconcilable hatred of them, and spend the rest of their life that remaineth in the service of God, whereas they have their hard stony harts mollified and turned into harts of flesh, which are flexible unto holy obedience and full of alacrity and cheerfulness in performing service to God, thou through thy hardness and heart that cannot repent livest still in thy sins, and spendest a great part of thy time in vanity and worldly delights, thy heart as hard as the adamant is ready sooner to break then to bow to Gods will, and when thou forcest thy self hereunto, thou canst not but discern the blindness of thy understanding in spiritual things, which is so sharp and eagle sighted in matters concerning the world, thy spirits so dull & blockish, & thine affections so glutted & tired in performing service unto God which are so full of life, & alacrity in following worldly vanities. And therefore it is impossible that thou shouldest have any true repentance, for how can repentance and hardness of hart, a hart of flesh & an hart of stone be at once in thee.
Besides wheras those who repent turne from their sinnes with a trueand vnreconcilable hatred of them, and spend the rest of their life that remaineth in the seruice of God, whereas they haue their hard stonie harts mollified and turned into harts of fleshe, which are flexible vnto holy obedience and full of alacritie and chearefulnesse in performing seruice to God, thou through thy hardnesse and heart that cannot repent liuest still in thy sinnes, and spendest a great part of thy time in vanitie and worldly delightes, thy heart as hard as the adamāt is ready sooner to breake then to bowe to Gods will, and when thou forcest thy selfe hereunto, thou canst not but discerne the blindnes of thy vnderstanding in spiritual thinges, which is so sharpe and eagle sighted in matters concerning the world, thy spirits so dull & blockish, & thine affectiōs so glutted & tyred in performing seruice vnto God which are so ful of life, & alacritie in following worldly vanities. And therefore it is impossible that thou shouldest haue any true repentance, for how can repentance and hardnes of hart, a hart of flesh & an hart of stone be atonce in thee.