A85783:573
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 4
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, you deal unrighteously with God, that train not up your children in the knowledge of God, because your children, if you be Christian Parents are Gods children; they stand in a federal relation to him, which the children of others do not; and shall Gods children be nurtured with the devils education? Ignorance is that which he blinds the minds of the children of disobedience withal. Shall God's children have no better breeding? The children of a Jew God made account were borne to him; Thy sons and daughters whom thou hast borne to me, Ezek. 16.20. God had by the Covenant which he made with that people, married them unto himself, and therefore as the wife bears her children to her husband, (they are his children) so God calls the children of the Jews his, and complains of it as an horrible wickedness in them, that they should not bring them up as his: but offer them up to Molech, They have slain my children, (saith God) v. 21. And are not the children of a Christian his children as well as the Jews were? hath God recalled or altered the first Covenant, and cut off the entail; and darest thou slay not only thy children, but the Lords also? and is not ignorance that bloody knife that doth it? ⟨p. 234⟩My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, Hosea 4.6. Do you not tremble to offer them not to Molech, but the devil, whom before you had given up to God, when you brought them to that solemn ordinance of Baptism, and there desired before God and man that they might become Covenant-servants to the Lord? and hast thou bound them to him, and never teach them, either who their Lord and Master is, or what their duty is as his servants? of thy own mouth God will condemn thee.
Secondly, you deale unrighteously with God, that traine not up your children in the knowledge of God, because your children, if you be Christian Parents are Gods children; they stand in a foederal relation to him, which the children of others do not; and shall Gods children be nurtured with the devils education? Ignorance is that which he blindes the mindes of the children of disobedience withal. Shall Godschildren have no better breeding? The children of a Jew God made account were borne to him; Thy sons and daughters whom thou hast borne to me,