A85783:588
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, be faithful with that little knowledge thou hast. Art thou convinced this is a sin, and that is a duty? Follow the light close, you know not what this little may grow to; We use to set up our children with a little stock at first, and as they use it, so we add. The Kingdom of God comes of small beginnings. God complains of Israel, they were brutish in their knowledge, Jer. 10.14. he doth not say brutish in their ignorance, had they sinned because they did not know better, this would have excused à tanto, but they did that which was brutish and unreasonable, as their worshipping graven images notwithstanding they knew to the contrary. That man shall not excel in knowledge who prostitutes it to sin, Job 36.12. If they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and shall die without knowledge. A candle pent up close in a dark lantern, swales out apace: and so doth light shut up in the conscience, and not suffered to come forth in the conversation. Those Heathens that are charged for holding the truth in unrighteousness, Rom. 1.18. the next news you hear of them is, that they became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened, ver. 21.
Secondly, be faithful with that little knowledge thou hast. Art thou convinced this is a sinne, and that is a duty? Follow the light close, you know not what this little may grow to; We use to set up our children with a little stock at first, and as they use it, so we adde. The Kingdome of God comes of small beginnings. God complains of Israel, they were brutish in their knowledge, Jer. 10.14. he doth not say brutish in their ignorance, had they sinned because they did not know better, this would have excused à tanto, but they did that which was brutish and unreasonable, as their worshiping graven images notwithstanding they knew to the contrary. That man shall not excel in knowledge who prostitutes it to sinne, Job 36.12. If they obey not, they shall perish by the sword, and shall die without knowledge. A candle pent up close in a dark lanthorn, swailes out apace: and so doth light shut up in the conscience, and not suffered to come forth in the conversation. Those Heathens that are charged for holding the truth in unrighteousnesse,