A85783:623
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.
Nay, when thou art asleep in thy grave, he whom thou seducedst may have drawn in others, and thy name may be quoted to commend the opinion and practice to others, by which (as it is said, though in another sense, Abel being dead, yet speaks) thou mayest, though dead, sin in those that are alive, generation after generation. A little spark kindled by the error of one, hath cost the pains of many ages to quench it, and when thought to be out, hath broke forth again.
Nay, when thou art asleep in thy grave, he whom thou seducedst may have drawn in others, and thy name may be quoted to commend the opinion and practice to others, by which (as it is said, though in another sense, Abel being dead, yet speaks) thou mayest, though dead, sinne in those that are alive, generation after generation. A little spark kindled by the errour of one, hath cost the pains of many ages to quench it, and when thought to be out, hath broke forth again.
Thirdly, They are not barely wicked, but maliciously wicked. The Devil hath his name [Greek or Hebrew], to denote his spiteful nature, his desire to vex and mischief others. When he draws souls to sin, it is not because he tastes any sweetness, or finds any profit therein; he hath too much light to have any joy or peace in sin: he knows his doom, and trembles at the thought of it, and yet his spiteful nature makes him vehemently desire and uncessantly endeavour the damnation of souls. As you shall see a mad dog run after a flock of sheep, kill one, then another, and when dead, not able to eat of their flesh, but kills to kill: so Satan is carried out with a boundless rage against man, especially the Saints, he would not, if he could, leave one of Christs flock alive; such is the height of his malice against God whom he hates with a perfect hatred, and because he cannot reach him with a direct blow, therefore he strikes him at second hand through his Saints; that wicked arm which reacheth not to God, is extended against these excellent on the earth, well knowing the life of God is in a manner bound up in theirs. God cannot outlive his honour, and his honour speeds as his mercy is exalted or depressed; this being the attribute God means to honour in their salvation so highly, and therefore maligned above the rest by Satan. And this is the worst that can be said of these wicked spirits, that they maliciously spite God, and in God the glory of his mercy.