A85783:577
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.
First, by his own ignorance. Knowledge is so fundamental to the work and calling of a Minister, that he cannot be one without it. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no Priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy children, Hos. 4.6. The want of knowledge in a Minister is such a defect, as cannot be supplied by any thing else; be he never so meek, patient, bountiful, unblameable, if he hath not skill to divide the Word aright, he is not cut out for a Minister. Every thing is good, as its good for the end it is appointed to; a knife, though it had a haft of diamonds, yet if it will not cut 'tis no knife. A bell, if not sound, is no bell. The great work of a Minister is to teach others, his lips are to preserve knowledge, he should be as ⟨p. 237⟩conversant in the things of God, as others in their particular trades. Ministers are called Lights; if the light then be darkness, how great is the darkness of that people like to be? I know these stars in Christs hands are not all of the same magnitude; there is a greater glory of gifts and graces shines in some then others; yet so much light is necessary to every Minister, as was in the star the wise men saw at Christs birth, to be able out of the Word to direct sinners the safe and true way to Christ and salvation. O Sirs, it is a sad way of getting a living by killing of men, as some unskilful Physicians do; but much more to get a temporal livelihood by ruining souls, through our ignorance. He is a cruel man to the poor Passengers, who will undertake to be Pilot, when he never so much as learned his Compass.
First, by his own ignorance. Knowledge is so fundamental to the work and calling of a Minister, that he cannot be one without it. Because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no Priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the Law of thy God, I will also forget thy children, Hos. 4.6. The want of knowledge in a Minister is such a defect, as cannot be supplied by any thing else; be he never so meek, patient, bountiful, unblameable, if he hath not skill to divide the Word aright, he is not cut out for a Minister. Every thing is good, as its good for the end it is appointed to; a knife, though it had a haft of diamonds, yet if it will not cut 'tis no knife. A bell, if not sound, is no bell. The great work of a Minister is to teach others, his lips are to preserve knowledge, he should be as