A85783:443
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 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.
First, the Christian wrestles with good men. Many a sharp conflict there hath been betwixt Saint and Saint, scuffling in the dark through mis-understanding of the truth, and each other: Abraham and Lot at strife. Aaron and Miriam jostled with Moses for the wall, till God interposed and ended the quarrel by his immediate stroke on Miriam. The Apostles even in the presence of their Master, were at high words, contesting who should be greatest. Now in these Civil wars among Saints, Satan is the great kindle-coal, though little seen, because, like Ahab, he fights in a disguise, playing first on one side, and then on the other, aggravating every petty injury, and thereupon provoking to wrath and revenge: therefore the Apostle dehorting from anger, useth this argument, Give no place to the devil; as if he had said, Fall not out among your selves, except you long for the devils company, who is the true soldier of fortune (as the common phrase is.) living by his sword, and therefore hastes thither where there is any hope of war. Gregory compares the Saints in their sad differences to two cocks, which Satan the Master of the pit sets on fighting, in hope, when killed to sup with them at night. Solomon saith, Prov. 18.6. The mouth of the contentious man calls for strokes. Indeed we by our mutual strifes give the devil a staff to beat us with; he cannot well work without fire, and therefore blows up these coals of contention, which he useth as his forge, to heat our spirits into wrath, and then we ⟨p. 180⟩are malleable, easily hammered as he pleaseth. Contention puts the soul into disorder, and inter arma silent leges. The Law of grace acts not freely, when the Spirit is in a commotion; Meek Moses provoked, speaks unadvisedly. Me thinks this (if nothing else will) should sound a retreat to our unhappy differences, that this Joab hath a hand in them, he sets this evil spirit betwixt brethren, and what folly is it for us to bite and devour one another to make hell sport? we are prone to mistake our heat for zeal, whereas commonly in strifes between Saints, it is a fire-ship sent in by Satan to break their unity and order; wherein while they stand they are an Armada invincible, and Satan knows he hath no other way but this to shatter them: when the Christians language which should be one, begins to be confounded, they are then near a scattering;
First, the Christian wrestles with good men. Many a sharp conflict there hath been betwixt Saint and Saint, scuffling in the dark through mis-understanding of the truth, and each other: Abraham and Lot at strife. Aaron and Miriam justled with Moses for the wall, till God interposed and ended the quarrel by his immediate stroak on Miriam. The Apostles even in the presence of their Master, were at high words, contesting who should be greatest. Now in these Civil wars among Saints, Satan is the great kindle-coale, though little seen, because, like Ahab, he fights in a disguise, playing first on one side, and then on the other, aggravating every petty injury, and thereupon provoking to wrath and revenge: therefore the Apostle dehorting from anger, useth this argument, Give no place to the devil; as if he had said, Fall not out among your selves, except you long for the devils company, who is the true souldier of fortune (as the common phrase is.) living by his sword, and therefore hastes thither where there is any hope of war. Gregory compares the Saints in their sad differences to two cocks, which Satan the Master of the pit sets on fighting, in hope, when kill'd to sup with them at night. Solomon saith,