A85783:154
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
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.
CHAP. I. Showeth the Christless and graceless soul, to be the soul without Armour, and therein his misery.
CHAP. I. Sheweth the Christlesse and gracelesse soule, to be the soule without Armour, and therein his misery.
1That a person in a Christless, graceless state is naked and unarmed, and so unfit to fight Christs battles against sin and Satan. Or thus, A soul out of Christ is naked and destitute of all armour to defend him against sin and Satan. God at first sent man forth in complete armour, being created in righteousness and true holiness; but by a wile the devil stripped him, and therefore as soon as the first sin was completed, it is written, Gen. 3.7. They were naked, that is, poor weak creatures, at the will of Satan a subdued people, disarmed by their proud Conqueror, and unable to make head against him. Indeed it cost Satan some dispute to make the first breach, but after that he had once the gates opened to let him in as Conqueror into the heart of man, he plays Rex: behold, a troop of other sins crowd in after him, without any stroke or strife, in stead of confessing their sins, they run their head in a bush, and by their good will would not come where God is, and when they cannot fly from him, how do they prevaricate before him? They peal one of another, shifting the sin rather then suing for mercy. So quickly were their hearts hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. And this is the woeful condition of every son and daughter of Adam, naked he finds us, and slaves he makes us, till God by his effectual call delivers us from the power of Satan into the Kingdom of his dear Son, which will further appear, if we consider this Christless state in a four-fold notion.
1THat a person in a Christlesse, gracelesse state is naked and unarm'd, and so unfit to fight Christs battels against sin and Satan. Or thus, A soule out of Christ is naked and destitute of all armour to defend him against sin and Satan. God at first sent man forth in compleat armour, being created in righteousnesse and true holines; but by a wile the devil strip't him, and therfore assoon as the first sin was compleated, it is written,