A85783:620
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 6 › Section 2
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, these Apostate Angels are the inventers of sin; the first that sounded the Trumpet of rebellion against their Maker, and led the dance to all that sin which since hath filled the world. Now what tongue can accent this sin to its full? for such a noble creature whom God had set on the top as it were of all the creation nearest to himself, from whom God had kept nothing but his own royal diadem, for this Peer and Favourite of the Court without any cause or solicitation from any other, to make this bold and blasphemous attempt to snatch at Gods own Crown, this paints the devil blacker then the thoughts of men and Angels can conceive. He is called the father of lies, as those who found out any Art, are called the father of it. Jubal the father of all such as handle the harp, and organ; he invented Music; and this is a dreadful aggravation, because they sinned without a Tempter. And though man is not in such a degree capable of this aggravation, yet some men sin after the very similitude of the devils transgression in this respect, who as Saint Paul, Rom. 1.30. stiles them, are inventers of evil things. Indeed sin is an old trade, found out to our hand; but as in other trades and arts, some famous men arise, who add to the inventions of others, and make trades and arts (as it were) new; so there ever are some infamous in their generation, that make old sins new by superadding to the wickedness of others. Uncleanness is an old sin from the beginning, but the Sodomites will be filthy in a new way, and therefore it carries their name to this day. Some invent new errors, others new oaths, such as are of their own coining, hot out of the mint, they scorn to swear after the old fashion. Others new devices of persecuting, as Julian had a way by himself different from all before him; and to the end of the world every age will exceed other in the degrees of sinning Ishmael and the mockers of the old world, were but children and bunglers to the scoffers and cruel mockers of the last time. Well take heed of showing thy wit in inventing new sins, lest thou stir up God to invent new punishments. Is not destruction to the wicked, and a strange punishment to the workers of iniquity? Job 31.3. Sodom sinned after a new mode, and God destroys them after a new ⟨p. 255⟩way, sends hell from above upon them.