A85783:722
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 3
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. III.
First, thy grace cannot thrive so long as thou thus restest on it. A legal spirit is no friend to grace, nay, a bitter enemy against it, as appeared by the Pharisees in Christs time. Grace comes not by the Law, but by Christ; thou mayest stand long enough by it, before thou gettest any life of grace into thy soul, or further life into thy grace. If thou wouldest have this, thou must set thy self under Christs wings by faith; from his Spirit in the Gospel alone, comes this kindly natural heat to hatch thy soul to the life of holiness, and increase what thou hast and thou canst not come under Christs wings, till thou comest from under the shadow of the other, by renouncing all expectation from thy own works and services. You know Reubens curse, that he should not excel, because he went up into his fathers bed; when other tribes increased, he stood at a little number. By trusting in thy own works thou doest worse by Christ, and shalt thou excel in grace? Perhaps some of you have been long Professors, and yet come to little growth in love to God, humility, heavenly-mindedness, mortification, and 'tis worth the digging to see what lies at the root of your Profession, whether there be not a legal principle that hath too much acted you. Have you not thought to carry all with God from your duties and services, and too much laid up your hopes in your own actings? Alas, this is as so much dead earth, which must be thrown out, and Gospel principles laid in the room thereof; try but this course, and see whether the spring of thy grace will not come on apace. David gives an account how he came to stand and flourish, when some ⟨p. 297⟩that were rich and mighty, on a sudden withered and came to nothing. Lo, (saith he) this is the man that made not God his strength, but trusted in the abundance of his riches. But I am like a green olive-tree in the House of God; I trust in the mercy of God forever and ever, Psal. 52.7, 8. While others trust in the riches of their own righteousness and services and make not Christ their strength, do thou renounce all, and trust in the mercy of God in Christ, and thou shalt be like a green olive when they fade and wither.