A85783:163
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.
Use 2 Secondly, this gives us a reason why the devil hath so great a spite against the Gospel. Why? because this opens a magazine of arms and furniture for the soul; the Word is that Tower of David, Cant. 4.4. built for an Armoury, wherein there hang a thousand bucklers; all the shields of mighty men. Hence the Saints have ever had their armour, and the preaching of the Gospel unlocks it. As Gospel-light ascends, so Satan's shady Kingdom of darkness vanisheth. Rev. 14.6. there one Angel comes forth to preach the everlasting Gospel, and another Angel follows at his back, verse 8. crying Victoria, Babylon is fallen, is fallen. The very first charge the Gospel gave to the Kingdom of darkness, shak't the foundations thereof, and put the legions of hell to the run. The seventy, whom Christ sent out, bring this speedy account of their embassy; Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy Name: and Christ answers, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. As if he had said, 'tis no news you ⟨p. 59⟩tell me, I beheld Satan falling when I sent you: I knew the Gospel would make work where it came; and therefore no wonder Satan labours to dispossess the Gospel, which dispossesseth him; he knows that army is near lost, whose magazine is blown up; 'Tis true indeed, under the very Gospel the devil rageth more in such swinish sinners, as are given over of God to be possest of that fiend, for rejecting of his grace; but he is cast out of others, who before the loving kindness of God to man appeared in the Gospel, were commanded by him, serving divers lusts and pleasures; But now by the light of the Gospel they see their folly, and by the grace it brings are enabled to renounce him. This, this is that which torments the foul spirit, to see himself forsaken of his old friends and servants, and this new Lord to come and take his subjects from him: and therefore he labours either by persecution to drive the Gospel away, or by policy to persuade a people to send it away from their coasts, and was he ever more likely to effect it among us? What a low esteem hath he brought the preaching of the Gospel unto? the price is fallen half in half to what it was some years past, even among those that have been counted the greatest Merchants upon the Saints Exchange.