A85783:259
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. III. Of Satan's subtlety, in choosing instruments fit for his turn to carry on his tempting design.
CHAP. III. Of Satans subtilty, in choosing instruments fit for his turne to carry on his tempting design.
The third particular in which Satan shows his subtlety, as a Tempter is in the choice of those instruments, whom he useth for the carrying on this his design, he as the Master-workman cuts out the temptation, and gives it the shape, but sometimes he hath his Journeymen to make it up, he knows his work ⟨p. 104⟩may be carried on better by others, when he appears not aboveboard himself. Indeed there is not such a suitableness between the Angelical nature & mans, as there is between one man & another, and therefore he cannot make his approaches so familiarly to us, as man can do to man; and here (as in other things) he is Gods Ape; you know this very reason was given, why the Israelites desired God might not speak to them, but Moses, and God liked the motion;1 They have well said, saith God, I will raise up a Prophet from the midst of them like unto thee. Thus Satan, he useth the Ministry of men like our selves, by which as he becomes more familiar, so he is less suspected, while Joab-like, he gets another to do his errand. Now 'tis not any will serve his turn for this employment, he is very choice in his instruments he pitcheth on; 'tis not every soldier is fit for an Embassy to treat with an enemy, to betray a town and the like. Satan considers who can do his work to his greatest advantage; and in this he is unlike God, who is not at all choice in his instruments, because he needs none, and is able to do as well with one as another; but Satan's power being finite, he must patch up the defect of the Lions skin with the Foxes. Now the persons Satan aims at for his instruments are chiefly of four sorts.
THe third particular in which Satan shewes his subtilty, as a Tempter is in the choice of those instruments, whom he useth for the carrying on this his design, he as the Master-workman cuts out the temptation, and gives it the shape, but sometimes he hath his Journeymen to make it up, he knows his work