A85783:719
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.
Secondly, when the soul hath shot the great gulf, and got into a slate of peace and life by closing with Christ, yet this mannerly pride Satan makes use of in the Christians daily course of duty and obedience, to disturb him and hinder his peace and comfort. O how uncheerfully, yea, joylessly do many precious ⟨p. 293⟩souls pass their days! If you enquire what is the cause, you shall find all their joy runs out at the crannies of their imperfect duties and weak graces; they cannot pray as they would, and walk as they desire with evenness and constancy; they see how short they fall of the holy rule in the Word, and the pattern which others more eminent in grace do set before them, and this though it doth not make them throw the Promises away, and quite renounce all hope in Christ, yet it begets many sad fears and suspicions, yea, makes them sit at the feast Christ hath provided, and not know whether they may eat or not. In a word, as it robs them of their joy, so Christ of that glory which he should receive from their rejoicing in him, I do not say, (Christian) thou oughtest not to mourn for those defects thou findest in thy graces and duties, nay, thou couldest not approve thy self to be sincere, if thou didst not. A gracious heart, seeing how far short his renewed state (forth present) falls of mans primitive holiness by Creation, cannot but weep and mourn, (as the Jews to behold the second Temple▪) yet (Christian even while the tears are in thy eyes for thy imperfect graces, (for a soul riseth with his grave-clothes on) thou shouldest rejoice, yea, triumph over all these thy defects by faith in Christ, in whom thou art complete, Col. 1.10. while imperfect in thy self. Christs presence in the second Temple, (which the first had not) made it (though comparatively mean) more glorious then the first Hag. 2.9 how much more doth his presence in this spiritual temple of a gracious heart, imputing his righteousness to cover all its uncomeliness, make the soul glorious above man at first? This is a garment for which (as Christ saith of the lily) we neither spin nor toil; yet Adam in all his created royalty was not so clad, as the weakest believer is with this on his soul.
Secondly, when the soul hath shot the great gulfe, and got into a slate of peace and life by closing with Christ, yet this mannerly pride Satan makes use of in the Christians daily course of duty and obedience, to disturb him and hinder his peace and comfort. O how unchearfully, yea, joylesly do many precious