A85783:472
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, how came he into the throne? Satan had once the quiet possession of thy heart: thou wast by birth as the rest of thy neighbours, Satan's vassal, yea, hast oft vouched him in the course ⟨p. 188⟩of thy life to be thy Liege Lord, how then comes this great change? Satan surely would not of his own accord resign his Crown and Sceptre to Christ; and for thy self thou wert neither willing to renounce, nor able to resist his, power: this then must only be the fruit of Christs victorious arms, whom God hath exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, Acts 5.31. Speak therefore, hath Christ come to thee, as once Abraham to Lot, when prisoner to Kederlaomer, rescuing thee out of Satan's hands, as he was leading thee in chains of lust to hell? Didst thou ever hear a voice from heaven in the Ministry of the Word calling out to thee, as once to Saul, so as to lay thee at Gods foot, and make thee face about for heaven, to strike thee blind in thine own apprehension, who before hadst a good opinion of thy state, to tame and meeken thee; so as how thou art willing to be led by the hand of a child after Christ? Did ever Christ come to thee, as the Angel to Peter in prison, rousing thee up, and not only causing the chains of darkness and stupidity to fall off thy mind and conscience, but make thee obedient also, that the iron gate of thy Will hath opened to Christ before he left thee? then thou hast something to say for thy freedom: But if in all this I be a Barbarian, and the language I speak be strange, thou knowest no such work to have passed upon thy spirit, then thou art yet in thy old prison; can there be a change of Government in a Nation by a Conqueror that invades it, and the subjects not hear of this? one King unthroned, and another crowned in thy soul, and thou hear no scuffle all this while? The regenerating Spirit is compared to the wind, John 3.8. His first attempts on the soul may be so secret, that the creature knows not whence they come, or whither they tend; but before he hath done, the sound will be heard throughout the soul, so as it cannot but see a great change in it self, and say, I that was blind, now I see; I that was as hard as ice, now relenting for sin; now my heart gives, I can melt and mourn for it.
First, how came he into the throne? Satan had once the quiet possession of thy heart: thou wast by birth as the rest of thy neighbours, Satans vassal, yea, hast oft vouch't him in the course