A85783:390
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 1 › 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.
The Christians life is a continual wrestling.1 He is as Jeremiah said of himself, borne a man of strife, or what the Prophet to Asa, may be said to every Christian; From hence thou shalt have wars, from thy spiritual birth to thy natural death, from the hour when thou first diddest set thy face to heaven, till thou shalt set thy foot in heaven. Israels march out of Egypt was in Gospel-sense our taking the field against sin and Satan, and when had they peace? not till they lodged their colours in Canaan. No condition wherein the Christian is here below is quiet. Is it prosperity or adversity, here is work for both hands, to keep pride and security down in the one, faith and patience up in the other: no place which the Christian can call privileged ground. Lot in Sodom wrestled with the wicked inhabitants thereof, his righteous soul being vexed with their unclean conversation. And how fares he at Zoar? do not his own daughters bring a spark of Sodoms fire into his own bed, whereby he is inflamed with lust? Some have thought if they were but in such a family, under such a Ministry, out of such occasions: O then they should never be tempted as now they are; I confess change of air is a great help to weak nature, and these forenamed as vantage-ground against Satan; but thinkest thou to fly from Satan's presence thus? No, though thou shouldest take the wings of the morning he would fly after thee, these may make him ⟨p. 160⟩change his method in tempting, but not lay down his design; so long as his old friend is alive within, he will be knocking at thy door without. No duty can be performed without wrestling; The Christian needs his sword as much as his trowel. He wrestles with a body of flesh; this to the Christian in duty is as the beast to the traveller; he cannot go his journey without it, and much ado to go with it. If the flesh be kept high and lusty, then 'tis wanton and will not obey; if low, then it's weak and soon tires: Thus the Christian rids but little ground, because he must go his weak bodies pace. He wrestles with a body of sin as well as of flesh, this mutters and murmurs when the soul is taking up any duty. Sometimes it keeps the Christian from duty, so that he cannot do what he would. As Paul said, I would have come once and again, but Satan hindered me.