A85783:718
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 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.
a soul pining and perishing in sin, and yet rejecting the mercy of God, and the helping hand of Christ to save him, Though Abigail did not ⟨p. 292⟩think her self worthy to be Davids wife, yet she thought David was worthy of her, and therefore she humbly accepted his offer, and makes haste to go with the messengers: That's the sweet frame of heart indeed, to lie low in the sense of your own vileness, yet to believe; to renounce all conceit of worthiness in our selves, yet not therefore to renounce all hope of mercy, but the more speedily to make haste to Christ that woos us. All the pride and unmannerliness lies in making Christ stay for us, who bids his messengers invite poor sinners to come and tell them all things are ready. But may be thou wilt say still, it is not pride that keeps thee off, but thou canst not believe that ever God will entertain such as thou art. Truly, thou mendest the matter but little with this, either thou keepest some lust in thy heart, which thou wilt not part with to obtain the benefit of the promise, and then thou art a notorious hypocrite, who under such an out-cry for thy sins, canst drive a secret trade with hell at the same time; or if not so, thou doest discover the more pride in that thou darest stand out, when thou hast nothing to oppose against the many plain and clear promises of the Gospel, but thy peremptory unbelief. God bids the wicked forsake his ways, and turn to him, and he will abundantly pardon him; but thou sayest thou canst not believe this for thy own self. Now who speaks the truth? One of you two must be the liar, either thou must take it with shame to thy self, for what thou hast said against God and his promise, (and that is thy best course) or thou must proudly, yea, blasphemously cast it upon God, as every unbeliever doth, 1 John 5.10. Nay, thou makest him forsworn for God, to give poor sinners the greater security in flying for refuge to Christ, who is that hope set before them, Heb. 6.17, 18. hath sworn they should have strong consolation: O beatos quorum causâ Deus jurat! O miserrimos si nec juranti credamus. Tertul. de poenit. O happy we, for whose sake God puts himself under an oath; but O miserable we, who will not believe God, no, not when he swears!
a soule pining and perishing in sin, and yet rejecting the mercy of God, and the helpng hand of Christ to save him, Though Abigail did not