A85783:165
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. II. Showeth, that the Armour we use against Satan, must be divine in the Institution, such only as God appoints.
CHAP. II. Sheweth, that the Armour we use against Satan, must be divine in the Institution, such only as God appoints.
First,1 the Christians Armour which he wears must be of divine Institution and appointment. The soldier comes into the field with no arms, but what his General commands, 'tis not left to every ones fancy to bring what weapons he please, this will breed confusion. The Christian soldier is bound up to Gods order, though the army be on earth, yet the Council of War fits in Heaven; This duty ye shall do, that means ye shall use; and to do more or use other then God commands, though with some seeming success against sin; such shall surely be called to account for this boldness. The discipline of war among men is strict in this case. Some have suffered death by a Council of war, even when they have beaten the enemy, because out of their place, or beside their order. God is very precise in this point, he will say to such as invent ways to worship him of their own, coin means to mortify corruption, obtain comfort in their own mint; Who hath required this at your hands? this is truly to be righteous over-much, (as Solomon speaks) when we will pretend to correct Gods Law, and add supplements of our own to his rule. Who will pay that man his wages that is not set on work by God? God tells Israel, 2the false Prophets shall do them no good, because they come not of his errand; so neither will those ways and means help, which are not of Gods appointing; Gods thoughts are not as mans, nor his ways as ours, which he useth to attain his ends by. If man had been to set forth the Israelitish army, now to march out of Egypt; surely his wisdom would have directed rather to have plundered the Egyptians of their horse and arms, (as more necessary for such an expedition)