A01979:893
The whole-armour of GodThe vvhole-armor of God
The whole-armour of God: or A Christians spiritual furniture, to keep him safe from all the assaults of Satan First preached, and now the second time published and enlarged for the good of all such as well use it:whereunto is also added a treatise of the sin against the Holy Ghost. By William Gouge B.D. and preacher of Gods Word in Black Fryers London. ...The vvhole-armor of God: or A Christians spiritual furniture, to keepe him safe from all the assaults of Satan First preached, and now the second time published and enlarged for the good of all such as well vse it:whereunto is also added a treatise of the sinne against the Holy Ghost. By VVilliam Gouge B.D. and preacher of Gods Word in Blacke Fryers London. ...
London: printed by John Beale, 1619London: printed by Iohn Beale, 1619
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.
2 That all things shall turn to his good.
2 That all things shall turne to his good.
For the first,1 most sure it is that nothing can make us miserable, but only sin: Sin is the very sting of all troubles and crosses: sin is it which maketh them to be heavy burdens: this maketh trouble of conscience to be intolerable: death and the grave to be most terrible: the devil which hath the power of death to be so horrible: yea, the Law of God, and God himself to be so full of dread and terror. Let sin be removed, and our conscience assured thereof; then may we, then will we comfort our selves in all troubles: for then shall we appear before the Throne of God, as before the mercy-seat of a gracious Father, and take his Law, as a direction to teach us how to please him. Then shall we esteem all crosses as corrections of the Lord for our profit, yea, as⟨p. 171⟩ his physic to purge out our corruptions, & as proofs of his graces in us. Then will our conscience rest quiet and well contented: then shall we think of death, as of a gate to heaven, and of the grave, as of a sweet bed to rest in, till the day of the consummation of our eternal bliss in body and soul: yea, then shall we not need to fear the devil, because he can have no power over us, much less hell and the torment thereof. Therefore doth aDavid annex blessedness to remission of sin: so that bupon this ground might Christ well say to the man sick of the palsy, Son, be of good comfort.
For the first,1 most sure it is that nothing can make vs miserable, but onely sinne: Sinne is the very sting of all troubles aed crosses: sinne is it which maketh them to be heauy burdens: this maketh trouble of conscience to be intollerable: death and the graue to be most terrible: the diuell which hath the power of death to bee so horrible: yea, the Law of God, and God himselfe to bee so full of dread and terrour. Let sinne be remoued, and our conscience assured thereof; then may we, then will we comfort our selues in all troubles: for then shall we appeare before the Throne of God, as before the mercy-seat of a gracious Father, and take his Law, as a direction to teach vs how to please him. Then shall wee esteeme all crosses as corrections of the Lord for our profit, yea, as