A85783:574
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.
Fourthly, consider you who are Parents, that by not instructing your children, you entitle your selves to all the sins they shall commit to their death. We may sin by a proxy, and make another's fact our own. Thou hast (saith God by Nathan to David concerning Uriah,) slain him with the sword of the children of Ammon, 2 Sam. 12.9. So thou mayest pierce Christ, and slay him over and over with the bloody sword of thy wicked children▪ if thou beest not the more careful to train them up in the fear of God: There might be something said for that Heathen, who when the Scholar abused him, fell upon the Master and struck him. Indeed 'tis possible he might be in the most fault. When the child breaks the Sabbath, it is his sin; but more the fathers, if he never taught him what the command of God was. And if the Parent be accessary to the sin of the child, it will be hard for him to escape a Partnership, yea, a Precedency in the punishment. O what a sad greeting will such have of their children at the great day! will they not then accuse you to be the murderers of their precious souls, and lay their blood at your door, cursing you to your face that taught them no better? But grant, that by the interposition of thy timely repentance, thou securest thy soul from the judgement of that day; yet God can scourge thee here for the neglect of thy duty to them. How oft do we see children become heavy crosses to such Parents? It is just that they should not know their duty to thee, who didst not teach them their duty to God; or if thou shouldest not live so long to see this, yet sure thou canst not but go in sorrow to thy grave, to leave children behind thee that are on their way to hell. Some think, that Lots lingering so long in Sodom, was his loathness to leave his sons in law behind him, to perish in the flames. No doubt (good man) it ⟨p. 235⟩was very grievous to him, and this might make him stay pleading with them, till the Angel pulled him away. And certainly nothing makes holy Parents more loath to be gone out of this Sodomitical world, then a desire to see their children out of the reach of that fire, (before they go) that God will rain upon the heads of sinners. You know not how soon the messenger may come to pluck you hence; do your best while you are among them to win them home to God.
Fourthly, consider you who are Parents, that by not instructing your children, you entitle your selves to all the sins they shall commit to their death. We may sin by a proxy, and make anothers fact our own. Thou hast (saith God by Nathan to David concerning Ʋriah,) slaine him with the sword of the children of Ammon,