A85783:420
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 2 › 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.
First, for the Negative part of the Description; we are not to take it for a pure negation, as if we had no conflict with flesh and blood, but wholly and solely to engage against Satan; but by way of comparison, not only with flesh and blood, and in some sense not chiefly. It is usual in Scripture such manner of phrase, Luke 14.12. Call not thy friends to dinner, but the poor; that is, not only those, so as to neglect the poor. Now what is meant here by flesh and blood? there is a double interpretation of the words.
First, for the Negative part of the Description; we are not to take it for a pure negation, as if we had no conflict with flesh and blood, but wholly and solely to engage against Satan; but by way of comparison, not only with flesh and blood, and in some sense not chiefly. It is usual in Scripture such manner of phrase, Luke 14.12. Call not thy friends to dinner, but the poore; that is, not only those, so as to neglect the poor. Now what is meant here by flesh and blood? there is a double interpretation of the words.
First, by flesh and blood may be meant our own bosom-corruptions; that sin which is in our corrupt nature so oft called flesh in the Scripture; The flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and sometimes flesh and blood, as Matth. •6.17. Flesh and blood hath not revealed this, that is, this Confession thou hast made comes from above; thy fleshly corrupt mind could never have found out this supernatural truth, thy sinful Will would never have embraced it. So, 1 Cor 15.20. Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God, that is, sinful mortal flesh, as it's expounded in the words following. So, Gal. 1.21. I consulted not with flesh and blood, that is, carnal reason. Now this bosom-enemy may be called flesh, partly from its derivation, and partly from its operation; from its derivation, because it's derived and propagated to us by natural generation; thus Adam is said to beget a son in his own likeness, sinful as he was, as well as mortal and miserable; yea, the holiest Saint on earth having flesh in him, derives this corrupt and sinful nature to his child, as the circumcised Jew begat an uncircumcised child; and the wheat cleansed and fanned (being sown) comes up with a husk,