A85783:195
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 2
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. II.
Secondly, the Christian must be in complete armour, in regard of the several pieces and weapons, that make up the whole Armour of God. Indeed there is a concatenation of graces, they ⟨p. 74⟩hang together like links in a chain, stones in an arch, members in the body; prick one vein, and the blood of the whole body may run out at that sluice; neglect one duty, and no other will do us good. The Apostle Peter, in his second Epistle, chap. 1. ver. 5, 6, 7. presseth the Christian to a joint endeavour, to increase the whole body of grace; indeed, that is health when the whole body thrives. Add (saith he) to your faith virtue; Faith is the file-leading grace. Well, hast thou faith, add virtue: True, faith is of a working stirring nature; without good works it is dead or dying. Fides pinguescit operibus, Luther. 'Tis kept in plight and heart by a holy life, as the flesh which plasters over the frame of mans body, though it receives its heat from the vitals within, yet helps to preserve the very life of those vitals; thus good works and gracious actions have their life from faith, yet are necessary helps to preserve the life of faith; thus we see sometimes the child nursing the Parent that bare it, and therein performs but his duty. Thou art fruitful in good works, yet thou art not out of the devils shot, except thou addest to thy virtue knowledge. This is the candle without which faith cannot see to do its work. Art thou going to give an alms? if it be not oculata charitas, if charity hath not this eye of knowledge to direct when, how, what, and to whom thou art to give, thou mayest at once wrong God, the person thou relievest, and thy self. Art thou humbling thy self for thy sin? for want of knowledge in the tenor of the Gospel, Satan may play upon thy ignorance, and either persuade thee thou art not humbled enough, when, God knows, thou art almost quackled with thy tears, and even carried down by the impetuous torrent of thy sorrow into despair, or else showing thee thy blubbered face, may flatter thee into a carnal confidence of thy humiliation.