This shield of faith which appeareth by the virtue thereof, in repelling all the fiery darts of Satan. The Apostle saith, that thereby we may quench his fiery darts, alluding to the custom of soldiers in ancient times who maliciously poisoned their darts, whereby the bodies of those who were wounded were so inflamed, that they could hardly be cured, or eased of their raging and burning pain. And such darts are all Satan's temptations, whereby we are wounded with sin; for if they be not repelled and quenched with the shield of faith, they will inflame our lusts to sin, and one sin will inflame our hearts to another, till there be kindled in us a world of wickedness. And this we may see in the example of David who after that he gave himself to idleness and sloth, and so was pierced with one of Satan's fiery darts, it presently inflamed his heart to commit adultery, and having given place to that, he was provoked to murder; so that if we admit one of these fiery darts, they will inflame us to receive another, and so our burning wounds will torment our conscience, and most hardly admit any cure.
And therefore, it behooveth us to take unto us the shield of faith, whereby we may quench these fiery darts.
—John Downame "The Christian Warfare Against the Devil, the World, and the Flesh." pp. 56-7
Filed under A Puritan at Heart, Daily Quote, John Downame by on Jun 9th, 2010. Comment. 
It may be demanded, why the Lord will suffer his servants to be thus tempted and assaulted, whereas the wicked are free from such conflicts. I answer,
first, for his own glory, for whereas our enemies are strong and might and we weak and feeble, hereby is the Lords omnipotent power manifested to all the world, by whose assistance such impotent wretches conquer and subdue such furious and pursuant enemies.
Secondly, God suffereth his children to be tempted, that so those spiritual graces which he hath bestowed upon the more clearly shine to his glory. For who can know whether they be God's golden vessels before they be brought to the touchstone of temptation? Who could know the faith, patience and valour of God's soldiers, if they always lay quietly in garrison and never came to the skirmish? Who could feel the odorous smell of these aromatical spices, if they were not punned and bruised in the mortar of afflictions? For example, who would have discerned, Abraham's faith, David's piety, Job's patience, Paul's courage and constancy, if they had never been tempted, which now to the glory of God shine to all the world?
—-John Downame
Filed under A Puritan at Heart, Daily Quote, John Downame by on May 4th, 2010. Comment.
If we find the Spirit weak and the flesh strong, we are to disable it by fasting and watchfulness in prayer, by withdrawing from it, the food with which it
But if instead of mortifying and taming the flesh and the lusts thereof, we pamper them like epicures with all voluptuous delights; we shall but strengthen our enemies to cut our own throats: if we delicately bring up this servant, which we should use as a slave, at length it will be not only as our son, but a tyrannous lord and master which will bind us hand and foot in the fetters of sin and cast us into the prison of hell. What folly therefore is it to nourish and arm our enemy to our own destruction?
—John Downame "The Christian Warfare against the devil and the flesh"
Filed under A Puritan at Heart, Daily Quote, John Downame by on Apr 20th, 2010. Comment.
Let us remember that it is impossible to serve God and mammon, Matt. 6:24 to love the world and God also: For if any man love the the world the love of the father is not in him. 1 John 2:15 and as the apostle James tells us, The amity of the world is enmity with God: and whosoever will be a friend of the world, maketh himself the enemy of God. Jam. 4:4.
Neither let us desire the love of the world for it loveth those only which are her own as for those whom Christ hath chosen out of it, those the world hateth them because Christ hath chosen them, as it is John 5:19.
Let us remember it iwll be to small purpose to enjoy these worldly pleasures of sin for a season, and in the end plunge ourselves into everlasting death; that the worlds music is but the siren song, which allureth us to make shipwreck of our souls on the rocks of sin, and while it tickleth the ear it woundeth us to the very heart; that though the cup which it offereth be of gold, and the drink sweet in taste, yet it is deadly poison in operation; for they that drink thereof are so lulled asleep in pleasures and security that they never awake otu of their spiritual lethargy; or if they do, yet like Samson, without strength to resist the spiritual Philistines, after the world (like Delilah) hath lulled them a while in her lap of carnal pleasures. Let us remember that they who drink this cup of voluptuous vanities, must afterwards drink of that cup spoken of Psalm 75:8 that is the cup of God's wrath, and shall be tormented in fire and brimstone forever more as it is expounded Apoc 14:10. Let us remember that the worlds chief good is uncertain in getting, and momentary and mutable in possession it being every day ready to leave us, or we to leave it. Lastly, let us remember that for this short, inconstant, and vain joy, we lose an eternal weight of unspeakable glory, and plunge ourselves into grievous and endless misery. What therefore will it profit us to gain the whole world, and lose our own souls, as our Saviour speaketh, Mark 8:36
—John Downame "The Christian Warfare"
Filed under A Puritan at Heart, Daily Quote, John Downame by on Mar 28th, 2010. Comment.
They are most assaulted when they feel no assault… when we live without a sense of sin, we eat and drink and take our ease without disturbance, but after we make any conscience of our
—John Downame "The Christian Warfare"
Filed under A Puritan at Heart, Daily Quote, John Downame by on Mar 24th, 2010. 1 Comment.
[GOD] respecteth not so much our actions as our affections; nor our works as our desires and endeavours; so that he who desires to be righteous, is righteous; he that would repent, doth repent… For the LORD accepteth the desire for the deed; and if there be a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that a man hath not, as it is 2. Cor. 8:12
[When] Satan (quietly) keeps the house, the things that he poseeseth are in peace; but when a stronger than he cometh to dispossess him, he will never lose his possession without a fight.
[Let us] march forward, and shew a courageous heart and earnest desire to overcome, [and] surely Christ, our grand Captain will acknowledge us for his soldiers, and will give us our pay, even a crown of victory. Rather thereby is a soldier disgraced, if either he dare not march into the field, or being entered the battle doth shamefully flee away, or cowardly yield unto the enemy.
"If a man never enter the field to fight against Satan, or f at the first encounter, he yield himself prisoner… it is no marvel that he doth not rage in his conscience. But resiting Satan, Satan will fight back, and he must needs feel the conflict. While the prisoner lieth in the dungeon, loaded with bolts and tied in chains, the keeper sleepeth securely, …but if, his bolts being filed off and his chains loosed, he have escaped out of pirson, then the jailer beginneth to bustle and pursueth him speedily with hue and cry.
—All 3 quotes are by John Downame The last three from "Christan Warfare" and the first one from "Garden of Spiritual flowers"
Filed under A Puritan at Heart, Daily Quote, John Downame by on Mar 17th, 2010. Comment.
Powered by FireStats
Recent Comments
September 5, 2010
September 4, 2010
August 29, 2010