A85783:493
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 4 › 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.
Fourthly, their unity and order makes their number formidable. We cannot say there is love among them, that heavenly fire cannot live in a devils bosom, yet there is unity and order as to this, they are all agreed in their design against God and man: so their unity and consent is knit together by the ligaments, not of love, but of hatred and policy; Hatred against God and his children which they are filled with; and policy, which tells them, that if they agree not in their design, their Kingdom cannot stand. And how true they are to this wicked brotherhood, our Saviour gives a fair testimony, when he saith, Satan fights not against Satan. Did you ever hear of any mutiny in the devils army? or that any of those Apostate Angels did freely yield up one soul to Christ? They are many, and yet but one spirit of wickedness in them all. My name, said the devils, (not our name,) is legion. The devil is called the Leviathan, Isa. 27.1. The Lord with his strong sword shall punish Leviathan, from their cleaving together of [Greek or Hebrew] compact or joined together, used for the Whale, Job 4. whose strength lies in his scales, which are so knit, that he is, as it were, covered with armour. Thus these cursed spirits do accord in their machinations, and labour to bring their instruments into the same league with them, not contented with their bare obedience, but where they can obtain it do require an express oath of their servants to be true to them, as in witches.
Fourthly, their unity and order makes their number formidable. We cannot say there is love among them, that heavenly fire cannot live in a devils bosome, yet there is unity and order as to this, they are all agreed in their designe against God and man: so their unity and consent is knit together by the ligaments, not of love, but of hatred and policy; Hatred against God and his children which they are filled with; and policy, which tells them, that if they agree not in their designe, their Kingdome cannot stand. And how true they are to this wicked brotherhood, our Saviour gives a faire testimony, when he saith, Satan fights not against Satan. Did you ever heare of any mutiny in the devils army? or that any of those Apostate Angels did freely yield up one soule to Christ? They are many, and yet but one spirit of wickednesse in them all. My name, said the devils, (not our name,) is legion. The devil is call'd the Leviathan, Isa. 27.1