A85783:249
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. Satan's subtlety in managing his temptations, where several stratagems used by him to deceive the Christian, are laid down.
CHAP. II. Satans subtilty in managing his temptations, where several stratagems used by him to deceive the Christian, are laid down.
The second way wherein Satan shows his tempting subtlety, is in those stratagems he useth to deceive the Christian in the act of temptation.
THe second way wherein Satan shews his tempting subtilty, is in those stratagems he useth to deceive the Christian in the act of temptation.
First, he hangs out false colours, and comes up to the Christian in the disguise of a friend, so that the gates are opened to him, and his motions received with applause, before either be discovered; therefore he is said to transform himself into an Angel of light, 2 Cor. 11.14. Of all plots 'tis most dangerous when he appears in Samuel's mantle, and silvers his foul tongue with fair language. Thus in point of error, he corrupts some in their judgements, by commending his notions for precious Gospel-truths, and like a cunning Chapman puts off his old ware, (errors I mean that have lain long upon his hand) only turkening them a little after the mode of the times, and they go for new light, under the skirt of Christian liberty; he conveys in Libertinism, by crying up the Spirit; he decries and vilifies the Scripture by magnifying faith: he labours to undermine repentance, and blow up good works; by bewailing the corruption of the Church in its administrations, he draws unstable souls from it, and amuseth them, till at last they fall into a vertigo, and can see no Church at all in being. And he prevails no less on the hearts and lives of men by this wile, then on their judgements. Under the notion of zeal, he kindles sometimes a dangerous flame of passion and wrath in the heart, which like a rash fire makes the Christians spirit boil over into unchristian desires of, and prayers