A85783:320
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 7 › Section 2
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.
SECT. II.
2ly, study that grand Gospel-truth of a souls justification before §2God, acquaint thy self with this in all its causes; the moving cause, the free mercy of God, Being justified freely by his grace, the meritorious, which is the blood of Christ; and the instrumental, faith,1 with all the sweet privileges that flow from it. An effectual door once opened to let the soul into this truth, would not only spoil the Popes market (as Gardner said) but the devils also; when Satan comes to disquiet the Christians peace, (for want of a right understanding here) he is soon worsted by his enemy: as the silly hare ⟨p. 130⟩which might escape the dogs in some covert or borough that is at hand, but (trusting to her heels) is by the print of her own feet and sent, which she leaves behind, followed, till at last (weary and spent) she falls into the mouth of them. In all that a Christian doth, there is a print of sinful infirmity, and a sent by which Satan is enabled to trace and pursue him over hedge and ditch, this grace and that duty, till the soul, not able to stand before the accusation of Satan, is ready to fall down in despair at his feet: whereas here's a hiding place, whither the enemy durst not come, the clefts of the rock, the hole of the stairs, which this truth leads unto. When Satan chargeth thee for a sinner, perhaps thou interposest thy repentance and reformation, but soon art beaten out of those works, (when thou art shown the sinful mixtures that are in them) whereas this truth would choke all his bullets, that thou believest on him who hath said, Not unto him that worketh, 2but unto him that believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is imputed for righteousness. Get therefore into this tower of the Gospel-Covenant, and roll this truth, (as she that stone on the head of Abimelech) on the head of Satan.