A85783:104
The Christian in Complete Armour
The Christian in complete armour. Or, A treatise of the saints war against the Devil, wherein a discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his people, in his policies, power, seat of his empire, wickedness, and chief design he hath against the saints. A magazine opened: from whence the Christian is furnished with spiritual arms for the battle, helped on with his armour, and taught the use of his weapon, together with the happy issue of the whole war. The first part. / By William Gurnall, Minister of the Gospel in Lavenham. Imprimatur, Edmund Calamy.The Christian in compleat armour. Or, A treatise of the saints war against the Devil, wherein a discovery is made of that grand enemy of God and his people, in his policies, power, seat of his empire, wickednesse, and chiefe designe he hath against the saints. A magazin open'd: from whence the Christian is furnished with spiritual armes for the battel, help't on with his armour, and taught the use of his weapon, together with the happy issue of the whole warre. The first part. / By William Gurnall, Minister of the Gospel in Lavenham. Imprimatur, Edmund Calamy.
London: printed for Ralph Smith, 1655
A TREATISE Of the whole Armour Of God. › Introduction › Chapter 4 › Section 1
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.
Secondly, God loves his Saints as the purchase of his Sons blood; they cost him dear, and that which is so hardly got, shall ⟨p. 31⟩not be easily lost. He that was willing to expend his Sons blood to gain them, will not deny his power to keep them.
Thirdly, God loves the Saints for their likeness to himself, so that if he loves himself, he cannot but love himself appearing in them; and as he loves himself in them, so he defends himself in defending them. What is it in a Saint that enrageth hell, but the image of God, without which the war would soon be at an end? It is the hatred the Panther hath to man that makes him fly at his picture; For thy sake we are slain all the day long: and if the quarrel be Gods, surely the Saint shall not go forth to war at his own cost.
Thirdly, God loves the Saints for their likenesse to himselfe, so that if he loves himself, he cannot but love himself appearing in them; and as he loves himself in them, so he defends himself in defending them. What is it in a Saint that enrageth hell, but the image of God, without which the war would soon be at an end? It is the hatred the Panther hath to man that makes him flie at his picture; For thy sake we are slain all the day long: and if the quarrel be Gods, surely the Saint shall not go forth to war at his own cost.
Thirdly, the Covenant engageth Gods Almighty power, Gen. 17.1. I am the Almighty God, walk before me. There is a League offensive and defensive between God and his Saints, he gives it under his hand, that he will put forth the whole power of his Godhead for them,