A85783:764
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 4
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.
Fourthly, it reproves those who make a great bustle and noise in Religion, who are forward in Profession, very busy to meddle with the strictest duties, as if heaven had monopolized their whole hearts; but like the Eagle, when they tower highest, their prey is below where their eye is also. Such a generation ⟨p. 315⟩there ever was and will be, that mingle themselves with the Saints of God, who pretend heaven, and have their outward garb faced and fringed (as it were) with heavenly speeches and duties, while their hearts are lined with hypocrisy, whereby they deceive others, but most of all themselves; such may be the worlds Saints, but devils in Christs account. Have not I chosen twelve, one of you is a devil? And truly of all devils none so bad as the professing devil, the preaching, praying devil. O Sirs, be plain-hearted; Religion is as tender as your eye, it will not be jested with; Remember the vengeance which fell on Belshazzar, while he caroused in the bowls of the Sanctuary. Religion and the duties of it are consecrated things, not made for thee to drink thy lusts out of God. hath remarkably appeared in discovering and confounding such as have prostituted sacred things to worldly ends. Jezebel fasts and prays the better, to devour Naboths vineyard, but was devoured by it. Absalom was as sick till he had ravished his fathers Crown, as his brother Amnon till he had done the like to his sister, and to hide his treason he puts on a religious cloak, and therefore begs leave to go and pay his vow in Hebron, when he had another game in chase, and did he not fall by the hand of his hypocrisy? of all men their judgement is endorst with most speed, who silver over worldly or wicked enterprises with heavenly semblances, of this gang were those, 2 Pet. 2.3. concerning whom the Apostle saith, Their damnation slumbers not; and those, Ezek. 14.7, 8. to whom God saith, I the Lord will answer him by my self, and I will set my face against that man, and will make him a sign, and a Proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people, and ye shall know that I am the Lord.
Fourthly, it reproves those who make a great busle and noise in Religion, who are forward in Profession, very busie to meddle with the strictest duties, as if heaven had monopolized their whole hearts; but like the Eagle, when they tower highest, their prey is below where their eye is also. Such a generation