A85783:113
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 3
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. 3.
Use 1 Is the Almighty power of God engaged for the Saints defence? surely then they will have a hard pull, (the Saints enemies I mean) who meddle with them that are so far above their match. The devil was so cunning, he would have Job out of his trench, his hedge down, before he would fall on; but so desperate are men, they will try the field with the Saints, though encircled with the Almighty power of God. What folly were it to attempt or sit down before such a City, which cannot be blocked up so as no relief can get in: the way to heaven cannot. In the Churches straitest siege, there is a river which shall make glad this City of God, with seasonable succours from heaven. The Saints fresh-springs are all from God, and it is as feasible for sorry man to stop the water-courses of the clouds, as to dam up those streams, which invisibly glide like veins of water in the earth, ⟨p. 37⟩from the fountain-head of his mercy into the bosom of his people: the Egyptians thought they had Israel in a trap, when they saw them march into such a nook by the sea-side; They are entangled, they are entangled; and truly so they had been irrecoverably, had not that Almighty power which led them on, engaged to bring them off with honour and safety; well, when they are out of this danger; behold, they are in a wilderness, where nothing is to be had for back and belly, and yet here they shall live forty years, without trade or tillage, without begging or robbing of any of the Neighbour-nations, they shall not be beholden to them for a penny in their way; what cannot Almighty power do to provide for his people? what can it not do to protect them against the power and wrath of their enemies? Almighty power stood between the Israelites and the Egyptians, so that (poor creatures) they could not so much as come to see their enemy: God sets up a dark cloud as a blind before their eyes, and all the while, his eye through the cloud is looking them into disorder and confusion; And is the Almighty grown weaker now a days, or his enemies stronger, that they promise themselves better success? No, neither; but men are blinder then the Saints enemies of old, who sometimes have fled at the appearances of God among his people, crying out, Let us flee, for the Lord fighteth for them.