A85783:552
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 5 › 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.
ask not counsel of them, they may go about to give you ease, but all those stitches with which they sow up thy wounds, must be ripped open, or thou diest for it.
ask not counsel of them, they may go about to give you ease, but all those stitches with which they sowe up thy wounds, must be ripp't open, or thou diest for it.
Thirdly, Satan labours to while off the sinner with delays. Floating, flitting thoughts of repenting he fears not, he can give sinners leave to talk what they will do; so he can beg time, and by his Art keep such thoughts from coming to a head, and ripening into a present resolution; few are in hell but thought of repenting; but Satan so handled the matter, that they could never pitch upon the time in earnest when to do it. If ever thou meanest to get out of his clutches, fly out of his doors, and run for thy life, wherever this warning finds thee stay not, though in the midst of thy joys, with which thy lusts entertain thee: As the paper which came to Brentius, (from that Senator his dear friend) took him at supper with his wife and children, and bade him flee citò, citiùs, citissimè; which he did, leaving his dear company and sweet cheer; so do thou or else thou mayest repent thy stay when 'tis too late. A vision charged the wise men to go back another way, and not so much as see Herod, though he had charged them otherwise. O go not back, drunkard, to thy good fellows; adulterer to thy Queans; covetous wretch, to thy usury and unlawful gain: turn another way, and gratify not the devil a moment. The command saith, now repent; ⟨p. 225⟩the Imperative hath no future tense. God saith, To day, while it is to day: The devil saith, To morrow; which wilt thou obey, God or him? Thou sayest, thou meanest at last to do it, then why not now? Wilt thou stand with God for a day or two, huckle with him for a penny? Heaven is not such a hard pennyworth, but thou mayest come up to his terms: And which is the morrow thou meanest? thou hast but a day in thy life for ought thou knowest, where then canst thou find a morrow for repentance? but shouldest thou have as many days to come is Methuselah lived, yet know, sin is hereditary, and such sort of diseases grow more upon us with our years. 'Tis with long accustomed sinners, as with those who have sate long under a Government, they rather like to be as they are, (though but ill on it) then think of a change, or like those who in a journey have gone out of their way all the day, will rather take any new way, over hedge and ditch, then think of going so far back to be set right.