A85783:302
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
A TREATISE Of the whole Armour Of God. › Introduction › Chapter 5 › Section 4
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.
Quest. But how shall I answer this subtle enemy, when he thus perplexeth my spirit, with not being humbled enough for sin, &c?
Quest. But how shall I answer this subtile enemy, when he thus perplexeth my spirit, with not being humbled enough for sin, &c?
Answ. I answer as to the former, labour to spy the fallacy of his argument, and his mouth is soon stopped.
Answ. I answer as to the former, labour to spie the fallacy of his argument, and his mouth is soon stop't.
First, Satan argues thus: There ought to be a proportion between sin and sorrow: But there is no proportion between thy sins ⟨p. 122⟩and thy sorrow: Therefore thou art not humbled enough. What a plausible argument is here at first blush? For the major, that there ought to be a proportion between sin and sorrow, this Satan will show you Scripture for.1 Manasseh was a great sinner, and an ordinary sorrow will not serve his turn; He humbled himself greatly before the Lord. Now (saith Satan) weigh thy sin in the balance with thy sorrow; art thou as great a Mourner as thou hast been a sinner? so many years thou hast waged war against the Almighty, making havoc of his laws, loading his patience till it groaned again, raking in the sides of Christ with thy bloody dagger (while thou didst grieve his Spirit, and reject his grace▪) and doest think a little remorse (like a rolling cloud letting fall a few drops of sorrow) will now be accepted? no, thou must steep in sorrow as thou hast soaked in sin. Now to show you the fallacy, we must distinguish of a twofold proportion of sorrow.