A85783:662
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 8 › 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, make it thy chief care to get a through change of thy heart. If once the root of the matter be in thee, and thou beest bottomed by a lively faith on Christ, thou art then safe, I do not say wholly free from all error, but this I am sure, free from engulfing thy soul in damning error. They went out from us, (saith Saint John) but they were not of us, for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us, 1 John 2.19 As if he had said, they had some outward Profession, and common work of the Spirit with us, which they have either lost or carried over to the devils quarters, but they never had the unction of the sanctifying Spirit. By this, verse 20. he distinguisheth them, and comforts the sincere ones, who possibly might fear their own fall by their departure: But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 'Tis one thing to know a truth, and another thing to know it by unction. An hypocrite may do the former, the Saint only the latter It is this unction which gives the soul the savour of the knowledge of Christ; those are the fit prey for Impostors, who are enlightened, but not enlivened. O it's good to have the heart established with grace, this as an anchor will keep us from being set a drift, and carried about with divers and strange doctrines, as the Apostle teacheth us, Heb. 13.9.
First, make it thy chief care to get a through change of thy heart. If once the root of the matter be in thee, and thou beest bottom'd by a lively faith on Christ, thou art then safe, I do not say wholly free from all errour, but this I am sure, free from ingulphing thy soule in damning errour. They went out from us, (saith Saint John) but they were not of us, for if they had been of us they would no doubt have continued with us, 1 John 2.19 As if he had said, they had some outward Profession, and common work of the Spirit with us, which they have either lost or carried over to the devils quarters, but they never had the unction of the sanctifying Spirit. By this, verse 20. he distinguisheth them, and comforts the sincere ones, who possibly might feare their own fall by their departure: But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. 'Tis one thing to know a truth, and another thing to know it by unction. An hypocrite may do the former, the Saint only the latrer It is this unction which gives the soule the savour of the knowledge of Christ; those are the fit prey for Impostors, who are enlightened, but not enlivened. O it's good to have the heart establish't with grace, this as an anchor will keep us from being set a drift, and carried about with divers and strange doctrines, as the Apostle teacheth us,