A85783:451
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.
The Apostle having shown what the Saints enemies are not, flesh and blood, frail men, who cannot come but they are seen, who may be resisted with mans power, or escape by flight; now he describes them Positively, against Principalities, against Powers, &c. Some think the Apostle by these divers names and titles, intends to set forth the distinct orders, whereby the devils are one subordinate to another, so they make the Devil, verse 11. to be the Head or Monarch, and these, verse 12. so many inferior orders, as among men there are Princes, Dukes, Earls, &c. under an Emperor. That there is an order among the devils cannot be denied. The Scripture speaks of a Prince of devils, Matth. 9. and of the Devil and his Angels, who with him fell from their first station, called his Angels as it's probably conceived, because one above the rest (as the head of the faction) drew with him multitudes of other into his party, who with him sinned and fell. But that there should be so many distinct orders among them, as there are several branches in this description, is not probable; too weak a notion to be the ⟨p. 183⟩foundation of a Pulpit-discourse, therefore we shall take them as meant of the devil collectively. We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but devils, who are Principalities, Powers, &c. and not distributively, to make Principalities one rank, Powers another; for some of these branches cannot be meant of distinct orders, but promiscuously of all as spiritual wickednesses; it being not proper to one to be spirits or wicked, but common to all.
THe Apostle having shewen what the Saints enemies are not, flesh and blood, fraile men, who cannot come but they are seen, who may be resisted with mans power, or escape by flight; now he describes them Positively, against Principalities, against Powers, &c. Some think the Apostle by these divers names and titles, intends to set forth the distinct orders, whereby the devils are one subordinate to another, so they make the Devil, verse 11. to be the Head or Monarch, and these, verse 12. so many inferiour orders, as among men there are Princes, Dukes, Earles, &c. under an Emperour. That there is an order among the devils cannot be denied. The Scripture speaks of a Prince of devils, Matth. 9. and of the Devil and his Angels, who with him fell from their first station, called his Angels as it's probably conceived, because one above the rest (as the head of the faction) drew with him multitudes of other into his party, who with him sinned and fell. But that there should be so many distinct orders among them, as there are several branches in this description, is not probable; too weak a notion to be the