A85783:59
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
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.
The second Branch of the words followeth, which contains a cautionary direction. Having exhorted the Saints at Ephesus, and in them all believers to a holy resolution and courage in their warfare; lest this should be mistaken, and beget in them an opinion of their own strength for the battle, the Apostle leads them out of themselves for this strength, even to the Lord; Be strong in the Lord. From whence observe,
THe second Branch of the words followeth, which contains a cautionary direction. Having exhorted the Saints at Ephesus, and in them all believers to a holy resolution and courage in their warfare; lest this should be mistaken, and beget in them an opinion of their own strength for the battel, the Apostle leads them out of themselves for this strength, even to the Lord; Be strong in the Lord. From whence observe,
That the Christians strength lies in the Lord, not in himself.1 The strength of the General in other hosts lies in his troops; he fl•es, as a great Commander once said to his soldiers, upon ⟨p. 14⟩their wings; if their feathers be clipped, their power broken, he is lost; but in the Army of Saints, the strength of every Saint, yea, of the whole host of Saints lies in the Lord of hosts. God can overcome his enemies without their hands, but they cannot so much as defend themselves without his arm. It is one of Gods names, The strength of Israel, 1 Sam. 15.19. He was the strength of Davids heart, without him this valiant Worthy (that could, when held up in his arms, defy him that defied an whole Army) behaves himself strangely for fear, at a word or two that dropped from the Philistines mouth. He was the strength of his hands, He taught his fingers to fight, and so he is the strength of all his Saints in their war against sin and Satan. Some propound a question, whether there be a sin committed in the world, in which Satan hath not a part? but if the question were, whether there be any holy action performed without the special assistance of God concurring? that is resolved,