A20752:981
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 Secondly,1 whereas they complain that they cannot pray in any good form, but oftentimes fill Gods ears with impatient cries & uncomfortable roarings in stead of prayers, they are to know that this is often incident unto the children of God, especially when his hand is heavy upon them, either in some outward affliction of body, or some inward anguish of mind. For example the Prophet David confesseth that when Gods hand was heavy upon him day and night his prayers were but roarings. Psal. 32.3.2 So Hezekiah faith, that when he should have prayed he chattered like a Crane or a Swallow, & mourned as a Dove, Esa. 38.14.3 And the poor Publican oppressed with the heavy burden of his sins in stead of a long & eloquent speech uttereth these few words; O God be merciful unto me a sinner, and yet our Saviour Christ testifieth of him that he received the remission of his sins ⟨p. 498⟩and went home justified.4 Luk. 18.13.14. Neither in trueth doth the Lord regard the eloquence of the tongue, but the earnestness of the hart, he respecteth not our well couched words and smooth uttered stile, but the fervency of the spirit, and our humble and hearty desires, which are acceptably heard of him though our tongues be silent. The sacrifices of God are not eloquent words but a contrite spirit, a contrite and broken heart will not the Lord despise. 5as it is Psal. 51.17. The prayers indited by Gods spirit which also are according to the will of God, consist not in the words of the mouth, but in the sighs of the heart which cannot be expressed,