A85783:267
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.
First, Carnal reason, this is the great idol which the more intelligent part of the world worship, making it the very standard of their faith, and from this bitter root have sprung those Arian and Socinian heresies. And truly he that will go no further then reason will carry him, may hold out in the plain way of the Moral Law, but when he comes to the depths of the Gospel, must either go back, or be content that faith should help reason over.
First, Carnal reason, this is the great idol which the more intelligent part of the world worship, making it the very standard of their faith, and from this bitter root have sprung those Arrian and Socinian heresies. And truly he that will go no further then reason will carry him, may hold out in the plain way of the Moral Law, but when he comes to the depths of the Gospel, must either go back, or be content that faith should help reason over.
Secondly, another lust that Satan cockers, is pride. Man naturally would be a god to himself, [though for clambering so high he got his fall] and whatever doctrine nourisheth a good opinion of man in his own eye, this is acceptable to him, and this hath spawned another fry of dangerous errors. The Pelagian and semi-Pelagian, which set nature upon its own legs, and persuade man he can go alone to Christ, or at least with a little external help, of an hand to lead, or argument to excite, without any creating work in the soul. O, we cannot conceive how glib such stuff goes down. If one Workman should tell you that your house is rotten, and must be pulled down, and all new materials prepared; and another should say no such matter, ⟨p. 108⟩such a beam is good, and such a spar may stand; a little cost will serve the turn: it were no wonder that you should listen to him that would put you to least cost and trouble: the faithful servants of Christ tell sinners from the Word, that man in his natural state is corrupt and rotten, that nothing of the old frame will serve, and there must needs be all new; but in comes an Arminian and blows up the sinners pride, and tells him he is not so weak or wicked as the other represents him, if thou wilt thou mayest repent and believe, or at least by exerting thy natural abilities, oblige God to superadd what thou hast not. This is the Workman that will please proud man best.