A85783:750
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 12 › 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, the Christians nature is heavenly, borne from above; As Christ is the Lord from heaven, so all his off-spring are heavenly and holy: now Satan's design is to debase and deflower this; 'tis the precious life of this new creature that he hunts for; he hath lost that beauty of holiness which once shone so gloriously on his Angelical nature; and now like a true Apostate he endeavours to ruin that in the Christian which he hath lost himself. The seeds of this war are sown in the Christians nature; you are holy, that he cannot endure; Millet feri faciem, was Caesars speech, when to fight with the Roman Citizens, he bade his soldiers strike at their face, these Citizens (said he) love their beauty, mar that and mar all. The soul is the face whereon Gods image is stamped: holiness is the beauty of this face, which makes us indeed like God, this Satan knows God loves, and the Saint is chary of; and therefore he labours to wound and disfigure this, that he may at once glory in the Christians shame, and pour contempt upon God in breaking his image; and is it not worth engaging limb and life in battle against this enemy, who would rob us of that which makes us like God himself? Have you forgot the bloody Articles of peace ⟨p. 309⟩that Nahash offered to the men of Jabesh-Gilead? no peace to be had, except they would let him thrust out their right eyes, and lay it for a reproach upon all Israel, which how it was entertained read, 1 Sam 11.6. The face is not so deformed that hath lost its eye, as the soul is that loseth its holiness; and no peace to be expected at Satan's hands except he may deprive us of this: Me thinks at the thought of this, the Spirit of the Lord should come upon the Christian, and his anger should be kindled much more against this cursed spirit, then Sauls and the men of Israels was against Nahash