A85783:363
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 3
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.
Thirdly, Satan in tempting the Saint to sin, labours to make a breach between God and the soul. He hates both, and therefore labours to divide these dear friends. If I can (thinks he) get such a one to sin, God will be angry, and when angry he'll whip his child soundly, this will be some sport, and when God is correcting the Saint, he'll be questioning the love of God to him, and cools in his love to God; so though I should not keep him from heaven at last, yet he shall have little joy thither in the way. In this case God and the soul will be like man and wife fallen out, who neither of them look kindly one upon another. Now see how God befooles Satan in both these.
Thirdly, Satan in tempting the Saint to sin, labours to make a breach between God and the soule. He hates both, and therefore labours to divide these dear friends. If I can (thinks he) get such a one to sin, God will be angry, and when angry he'll whip his childe foundly, this will be some sport, and when God is correcting the Saint, he'll be questioning the love of God to him, and cooles in his love to God; so though I should not keep him from heaven at last, yet he shall have little joy thither in the way. In this case God and the soul will be like man and wife fallen out, who neither of them look kindly one upon another. Now see how God befooles Satan in both these.
First, God useth his Saints temptations, as his method by which he advanceth the communications of his love unto them. The devil thought he had got the goal, when he got Adam to eat the forbidden fruit, he thought now he had man in the same predicament with himself, as unlikely ever to see the face of God, as those Apostate spirits; but (alas!) this was by God intended to usher in that great Gospel-plot of saving man by Christ, who (as soon as this Prologue of mans fall is done) is brought upon the stage in that grand Promise of the Gospel made to Adam, and at Gods command undertakes the charge of recovering lost man out of Satan's clutches, and re-instating him ⟨p. 147⟩in his primitive glory, with an access of more then ever man had at first, so that the meanest lily in Christs field, exceeds Adam in all his native Royalty. And as Satan sped in his first temptation, so he is still on the losing hand: what got he by all his pains upon Job, but to let that holy man know at last how dearly God loved him? When he foiled Peter so shamefully, do we not find Christ owning Peter with as much love as ever? Peter must be the only disciple, to whom by name the joyful news of his resurrection is sent: Go tell my disciples and Peter. As if Christ had said, Be sure let his sad heart be comforted with this news, that he may know I am friends with him for all his late cowardice.