A85783:279
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. V. Wherein is showed the subtlety of Satan, as a Troubler and an Accuser for sin, where many of his wiles and policies to disquiet the Saints spirits are discovered.
CHAP. V. Wherein is shewed the subtilty of Satan, as a Troubler and an Accuser for sin, where many of his wiles and policies to disquiet the Saints spirits are discovered.
The second General in which Satan appears such a subtle enemy; is in molesting the Saints peace, and disquieting the Saints spirit. As this holy Spirits work is not only to be a Sanctifier, but also a Comforter, whose fruits are righteousness and peace, so the evil spirit Satan is both a seducer unto sin, and an accuser for sin, a Tempter and a Troubler, and indeed in the same order. As the Holy Ghost is first a Sanctifier, and then a Comforter; so Satan first a Tempter, then a Troubler. Josephs Mistress first tries to draw him to gratify her lust, that string breaking she hath another to trounce him and charge him, and ⟨p. 115⟩for a plea she hath his coat to cover her malice, nor is it hard for Satan to pick some hole in the Saints coat, when he walks most circumspectly. The proper seat of sin is the Will, of comfort the Conscience; Satan hath not absolute knowledge of, or power over these, (being locked up from any other but God; and therefore what he doth, either in defiling temptations, or disquieting, is by wiles more then by open force, and he is not inferior in troubling, to himself in tempting. Satan hath as the Serpent, away by himself; other beasts, their motion is direct, right on, but the Serpent goes a skew (as we say) winding and wreathing its body, that when you see a serpent creeping along, you can hardly discern which way it tends; thus Satan in his vexing temptations hath many intricate policies, turning this way and that way, the better to conceal his design from the Saint, which will appear in these following methods.