A85783:45
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
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.
1The Christian of all men needs courage and resolution. Indeed there is nothing he doth as a Christian, or can do, but is an act of valour: A cowardly spirit is beneath the lowest duty of a Christian: Josh. 1.7. Be thou strong and very courageous, that thou mayest: what? stand in battle against those warlike Nations? No, But that thou mayest observe to do according to all the Law, which Moses my servant commanded thee. It requires more prowess and greatness of spirit to obey God faithfully, then to command an Army of men, to be a Christian then to be a Captain. What seems less, then for a Christian to pray? yet this cannot be performed aright, without a Princely Spirit; As Jacob is said ⟨p. 5⟩to behave himself like a Prince, when he did but pray: for which he came out of the field Gods Banneret. Indeed if you call that prayer, which a carnal person performs, nothing more poor and dastard-like. Such a one is as great a stranger to this enterprise, as the craven soldier is to the exploits of a valiant Chieftain. The Christian in prayer comes up close to God, with an humble boldness of faith, and takes hold of him, wrestles with him, yea, will not let him go without a blessing, and all this in the face of his own sins, and divine justice, which let fly upon him from the fiery mouth of the Law; while the others boldness in prayer is but the child, either of ignorance in his mind, or hardness in his heart; whereby not feeling his sins, and not knowing his danger, he rushes upon duty with a blind confidence, which soon quails, when conscience awakes and gives him the alarm, that his sins are upon him, as the Philistines on Samson; alas, then in a fright the poor-spirited wretch throws down his weapon, flies the presence of God with guilty Adam, and dares not look him on the face. Indeed there is no duty in a Christians whole course of walking with God, or acting for God, but is lined with many difficulties, which shoot like enemies through the hedges at the Christian, whilst he is marching toward Heaven: so that he is put to dispute every inch of ground as he goes. They are only a few noble-spirited souls, (who dare take Heaven by force) that are fit for this calling. For the further proof of this Point, see some few pieces of service that every Christian engageth in.