A85783:729
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 11 › 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, when God calls a person to some eminent place, or useth him to do some special piece of service: Indeed it requires a great measure of grace to keep the heart low, when the man stands high. The Apostle speaking how a Minister of the Gospel should be qualified, 1 Tim. 3.6. saith, he must not be a Novice, or a young Convert, lest he should be lift up with pride, and fall into the condemnation of the devil; as if he had said, this calling is honourable; if he be not well ballast with humility, a little gust from Satan will topple him into this sin; The Seventy that Christ first sent out to preach the Gospel, and prevailed so miraculously over Satan, even these while they trod on the Serpents head, he turned again, and had like to have stung them with pride, which our Saviour perceived, when they returned in triumph, and told what great miracles they had wrought, and therefore he takes ⟨p. 300⟩them off that glorying, left it should degenerate into vain glory, and bids them not rejoice that devils were subjest to them,1 but rather that their names were writ in Heaven. As if he had said, It is not the honour of your calling, and success of your Ministry will save you; there shall be some cast to the devils, who shall then say, Lord, Lord, in thy name we have cast out devils; and therefore value not your selves by that, but rather evidence to your souls that ye are of mine elect ones, which will stand you more in stead at the great day then all this.
First, when God calls a person to some eminent place, or useth him to do some special piece of service: Indeed it requires a great measure of grace to keep the heart low, when the man stands high. The Apostle speaking how a Minister of the Gospel should be qualified,