A85783:351
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 9 › Section 1
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. I.
First, Satan by his temptations aims at the defiling of the Christians conscience, and disfiguring that beautiful face of Gods image, which is engraven with holiness in the Christians bosom, he is an unclean spirit himself, and would have them such, that he might glory in their shame; but God out-wits him, for he turneth the temptations of Satan to sin, to the purging them from sin; they are the black soap with which God washeth his Saints white.
First, Satan by his temptations aimes at the defiling of the Christians conscience, and disfiguring that beautiful face of Gods image, which is engraven with holinesse in the Christians bosome, he is an unclean spirit himself, and would have them such, that he might glory in their shame; but God out-wits him, for he turneth the temptations of Satan to sin, to the purging them from sinne; they are the black soap with which God washeth his Saints white.
First, God useth the temptations of Satan to one sin, as a preventive against another; to Pauls thorn in the flesh to prevent his pride. God sends Satan to assault Paul on that side where he is strong, that in the mean time he may fortify him where he is weak. Thus Satan is befooled, as sometimes we see an army sitting down before a town, where it wastes its strength to no purpose, and in the mean time gives the enemy an advantage to recruit; and all this by the counsel of some Hushai, that is a secret friend to the contrary side: God, who is the Saints true friend, sits in the devils Council, and over-rules proceedings there to the Saints advantage; He suffers the devil to annoy the Christian with temptations to blasphemy, atheism, and by these, together with the troubles of spirit they produce; the soul is driven to duty, is humbled in the sense of these horrid apparitions in its imagination, and secured from abundance of formality and pride, which otherwise God saw invading him. As in a family, some business falls out, which keeps the Master up later then ordinary, and by this the thief, who that night intended to rob him, is disappointed; had not such a soul had his spirit of prayer and diligence kept awake by those afflicting temptations, 'tis likely Satan might have come as a seducer, and taken him napping in security.