A85783:706
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 10 › Section 1
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.
SECT. I.
First, of the first, to trust in the strength of grace is to be proud of grace. This is opposed to that poverty of spirit so commended by our Saviour, Matth. 5. by which a man lives in the continual sense of his spiritual beggary and nothingness, and so hath his recourse to Christ, as the poor to the rich mans door, knowing he hath nothing at home to maintain him. Such a one was Paul, not able to do any thing of himself; he is not ashamed to let the world know that Christ carries his purse for him. Our sufficiency is of God, yea, after many years trading, this holy man sees nothing he hath got, Phil. 3.13. I count not my self to have apprehended: he is still pressing forward; ask him how he lives, he'll tell you who keeps house for him; I live, yet not I, Gal. 2.20▪ as ask a beggar where he hath his meat, clothes, &c. he'll say, I thank my good Master; Now Satan chiefly labours to puff the soul up with an over-weening conceit of his own ability, as the readiest means to bring him into his snare; Satan knows 'tis Gods method to give his children ⟨p. 287⟩into his hands, when once they grow proud and self-confident: Hezekiah was left to a temptation, 2 Chron. 32.31. to try him. Why? God had tried him to purpose a little before in an affliction; what needs this? O Hezekiahs heart was lift up after his affliction. It was time for God to let the tempter alone a little to foil him; probably now Hezekiah had high thoughts of his grace; O he would never do as he had done before, and God will let him see what a weak creature he is. Peter makes a whip for his own back in that bravado; Though all should forsake thee, yet will not I. Christ now in mere mercy must set Satan on him, to lay him on his back; that seeing the weakness of his faith, he might be dismounted from the height of his pride. All that I shall say from this, is to entreat thee (Christian) to have a care of this kind of pride. You know what Joah said to David, when he perceived his heart lift up with the strength of his Kingdom, and therefore would have the people numbered; The Lord God add unto thy people, how many soever they be, a hundred fold; but why doth my Lord the King delight in this thing?