A85783:581
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.
Use. 3 Is the ignorant soul such a slave to Satan? Let this stir you up that are ignorant from your seats of sloth, whereon like the blind Egyptians you sit in darkness, speedily come out of this darkness, or resolve to go down to utter darkness. The covering of Hamans face did tell him, that he should not stay in the Kings presence. If thou livest in ignorance, it shows thou art ⟨p. 231⟩in Gods black bill; he puts this cover before their eyes in wrath, whom he means to turn off into hell, 2 Cor. 4. If our Gospel be hid, it is to those that perish. In one place sinners are threatened, they shall die without knowledge; in another place,1 they shall die in their sins, John 8. He indeed that dies without knowledge, dies in his sins: and what more fearful doom can the great God pass upon a creature then this? better die in a prison, die in a ditch, then die in ones sins. It thou die in thy sins, thou shalt rise in thy sins: as thou fallest asleep in the dust, so thou awakest in the morning of the resurrection; if an ignorant Christless wretch, as such thou shalt be arraigned and judged. That God whom now sinners bid depart from them, will then be worth their acquaintance (themselves being Judges;) but alas! then he will throw their own words in their teeth, and bid them depart from him, he desires not the knowledge of them. O sinners, you shall see at last, God can better be without your company in heaven, then you could without his knowledge on earth: Yet, yet 'tis day, draw your curtains, and behold Christ shining upon your face with Gospel-light; hear wisdom crying in the streets, and Christ piping under your window in the voice of his Spirit and Messengers,2 How long will ye simple ones love simplicity, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my Spirit unto you, and make known my words unto you. What can you say (sinners) for your sottish ignorance? Where is your cloak for this sin? the time hath been when the Word of the Lord was precious, and there was no open vision, not a Bible to be found in town or Country; when the tree of knowledge was forbidden fruit, and none might taste thereof without licence from the Pope; happy he that could get a leaf or two of the Testament into a corner, afraid to tell the wife of his bosom. O how sweet were these waters, when they were forced to steal them?