Armatura Dei, or, A preparation for suffering in an evil day showing how Christians…Armatura Dei, or, A preparation for suffering in an evil day shewing how Christians…

1. Mortify the unbelief in thy heart: This is the foundation of Apostasy,¹ the greatest of sins, because the greatest separation from God, it dep irts from the living God, Hebr. 3.12. it gives the lie to the true God, 1, Joh. 5.10. it blasts the precious Gospel, ⟨p. 38⟩as if it were not worthy to be obeyed in its Precepts, or credited in its Mysteries or promises. If it totally prevail in the heart, there can be no such thing as suffering for Religion. To such an unbeliever Christ is but a Fancy, and the Gospel but a golden dream, for which suffering is plainly ridiculous; and if it be in thy heart but in some degree, it will in the same degree weaken thee and make thee ready to stagger at the Cross: Watch therefore over the unbelief in thy bosom; assure thy self of this, that which inwardly departs from God will be ready to depart from him outwardly too; that which Secretly gives him the lie will be ready to deny him openly when suffering comes: Look narrowly to thy heart, if there arise there Scruples touching the Mysteries or Promises of the Gospel, bid them be gone, drive them out of thy heart in the power of the word; these come to undermine thy Christianity and make thee fall in a day of trial If distrusts and diffidential fears disquiet thee, chide thy base heart, charge it to trust in that God that never leaves those that are his: When thou art ready to sink in the deep waters, call to thy fearful heart, ask it, why it doubts, the Lord will be with thee to bear thee up in his Arms: When thou startest at the fiery ⟨p. 39⟩Furnace, tell thy self, that the Lord will be there in those inward comforts which will make outward torments tolerable; set thy heart to hate and extirpate this cursed root of Apostasy; expostulate with thy Soul, and say, Hath God let down a Gospel of Grace and Salvation from Heaven to us, and shall it not be believed? Hath he given us the two immutable things, his Word and his Oath, and wilt thou yet be such a wretch as not to believe him? Hath thy Saviour Christ sealed up the Evangelical Truth with his own blood, and wilt thou be so vile as not to seal it up by Faith? Arm and strengthen thy heart against unbelief, that when the trial comes thou mayest be ready to speak to thy soul, as Hilarion did, egredere, animamea, egredere, quid times? quid dubitas? Go out, my soul, Go out, why dost thou sear or doubt?