A85783:169
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.
(for surely God had an eye in that to our marching to heaven, and our fighting with these cursed spirits and lusts that stand in our way) but that we should fight lawfully, using those means, which we have from his mouth in his Word?
Use 1 This reproveth two sorts:
Ʋse 1 This reproveth two sorts:
First, those that fight Satan in Armour, that hath no divine Institution, as
First, the Papist. Look into his armoury, and hardly a piece that will be found Armour of God. They fight in the Popes armour: his authority is the shop, wherein their weapons are forged; It were a kind of penance to your patience, to repeat all the several pieces of armour, with which they load silly souls, too heavy indeed for the broadest shoulders among them to bear; yea, more then the wiser sort of them mean to use, their masses, matins, vigils, pilgrimages, Lent-fasts, whippings, vows of chastity, poverty, with a world of such trash; where is a Word of God for these? who hath required these things at their hands? a thousand woes will one day fall upon those Impostors, who have stripped the people of the true Armour of God, and put these reeds and bulrushes in their hands. This may justify us in the sight of God and men, for our departure from them, who will force us to venture the life of our souls in such, paper-armour, when God hath provided better.