A85783:246
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.
Thirdly, when the Christian is about some notable enterprise for Gods glory, then Satan will lie like a Serpent in the way, an Adder in the path, that biteth his horse-heels, so that his Rider shall fall backward. Thus he stood at Joshua's right hand to resist him. The right hand is the working hand, and his standing there implies his desire to hinder him in his enterprise. Indeed the devil was never friend to Temple-work, and therefore that work is so long a doing. What a handsome excuse doth he help the Jews unto, The time is not come: Gods time was come,1 but not the devils, and therefore he helps them to this poor shift, perverting the sense of Providence as if it were not time, because they were so poor, whereas they thrive no better because they went no sooner about the work, as God tells them plainly. Paul and Barnabas had a holy design in their thoughts, to go visit the brethren in every City, and strengthen their faith; the devil ⟨p. 96⟩knew what a blow this might give to his Kingdom, their visiting might hinder him in his Circuit, and he stirs up an unhappy difference between these two holy men, who grow so hot that they part in this storm, Acts 15.30. There were two remarkable periods of Christs life, his Intrat and Exit, his entrance into his public Ministry at his Baptism, and his finishing it at his passion, and at both we have the devil fiercely encountering him. The more public thy place, Christian, and the more eminent thy service for God, the more thou must look that the devil will have some more dangerous design or other against thee, and therefore if every private soldier needs armour against Satan's bullets of temptation, then the Commanders and Officers, who stand in the front of the battle, much more.
Thirdly, when the Christian is about some notable enterprize for Gods glory, then Satan will lie like a Serpent in the way, an Adder in the path, that biteth his horse-heels, so that his Rider shall fall backward. Thus he stood at Joshua's right hand to resist him. The right hand is the working hand, and his standing there implies his desire to hinder him in his enterprize. Indeed the devil was never friend to Temple-work, and therefore that work is so long a doing. What a handsom excuse doth he help the Jews unto, The time is not come: Gods time was come,