A85783:338
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 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.
Answ. First, renew thy repentance, as if thou hadst never repented. Put forth fresh acts of faith, as if thou hadst never believed. This seriously done will stop Satan's mouth with an unexpected answer. Let him object against thy former actings as hypocritical, what can he say against thy present repenting and believing, which if true, sets thee beyond his shot. It will be harder for Satan to disprove the present workings of Gods gracious Spirit, whilst the impressions thereof are fresh, then to pick an hole in thy old deeds and evidences. Acts are transient, and as wicked men look at sins committed many years since, as little or none, by reason of that breadth of time which interposeth; so the Christian upon the same account stands at great disadvantage, to take the true aspect of those acts of grace, which so ⟨p. 136⟩long ago passed between God and him, though sometimes even these are of great use. As God can make a sinner possess the sins of his youth, as if they were newly acted to his terror in his old age; so God can present the comforts and evidences which of old the Saint received, with those very thoughts he had then of them, as if they were fresh and new.
Answ. First, renew thy repentance, as if thou hadst never repented. Put forth fresh acts of faith, as if thou hadst never believed. This seriously done will stop Satans mouth with an unexpected answer. Let him object against thy former actings as hypocritical, what can he say against thy present repenting and beleeving, which if true, sets thee beyond his shot. It will be harder for Satan to disprove the present workings of Gods gracious Spirit, whilest the impressions thereof are fresh, then to pick an hole in thy old deeds and evidences. Acts are transient, and as wicked men look at sins committed many yeares since, as little or none, by reason of that breadth of time which interposeth; so the Christian upon the same account stands at great disadvantage, to take the true aspect of those acts of grace, which so ⟨p. 136⟩long ago passed between God and him, though sometimes even these are of great use. As God can make a sinner possesse the sins of his youth, as if they were newly acted to his terrour in his old age; so God can present the comforts and evidences which of old the Saint received, with those very thoughts he had then of them, as if they were fresh and new.