A85783:505
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 2
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.
Secondly, Satan's power is limited, and that two ways; he cannot do what he will, and he shall not do what he can.
Secondly, Satans power is limited, and that two ways; he cannot do what he will, and he shall not do what he can.
First, he cannot do what he will. His desires are boundless, they walk not only to and fro here below, but in heaven it self, where he is pulling down his once fellow-Angels, knocking down the carved-work of that glorious Temple, as with axes and hammers, yea, unthroning God, and setting himself in his place, this fool saith in his heart, There is no God; but he cannot do this, nor many other things which his cankered malice stirs him up to wish; he is but a creature, and so hath the length of his Tether to which he is staked and cannot exceed; and if God be safe then thou also, for thy life is hid with Christ in God; If I live (saith Christ) you shall live also. You are engraven on the table of his heart, if he plucks one away, he must the other also. ⟨p. 206⟩Again, as he cannot hurt the being of God, so he cannot pry into the bosom of God. He knows not mans, much less the thoughts of God. The Astrologers nor their Master could bring back Nebuchadnezzars dream. As men have their closets for their own privacy, where none can enter in but with their Key: so God keeps the heart as his withdrawing room, shut to all besides himself, and therefore when he takes upon him to foretell events: if God teach him not his lesson, nor second causes help him, he is beside his book; so to save his credit, delivers them dubiously, that his text may bear a gloss suitable to the effect whatever it is. And when he is bold to tell the state of a person, there is no weight to be laid on his judgment. Job was an hypocrite in his mouth, but God proved him a liar. Again, thirdly, he cannot-hinder those purposes and counsels of God he knows. He knew Christ was to come in the flesh and did his worst, but could not hinder his landing, though there were many devices in his heart, yet the counsel of the Lord concerning him did stand, yea, was delivered by the midwifery of Satan suggesting, and his instruments executing his lust as they thought, but fulfilling Gods counsel against themselves. Fourthly, he cannot ravish thy will, Diabolus non est jussor vitiorum, sed incentor. He cannot command thee to sin against thy will; he can motum agere, make the soul go faster, that is, on its way, as the wind carries the tide with more swiftness, but he cannot turn the stream of the heart contrary to its own course and tendency.