A85783:774
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
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.
CHAP. XIII. An Exhortation to the pursuit of heaven and heavenly things.
Use 3 Thirdly, Is it heaven and all that is heavenly that Satan seeks to hinder us of? let this provoke us the more earnestly to contend for them. Had we to do with an enemy that came only to plunder us of earthly trifles, would honours, estates, and what this world affords us stay his stomach, it might suffer a debate (in a soul that hath hopes of heaven,) whether it were worth fighting to keep this lumber: but Christ and heaven, these sure are too precious to part withal upon any terms. Ask the Kingdom for him also, said Solomon to Bath-sheba, when she begged Abishag for Adonijah. What can the devil leave thee worth if he deprive thee of these? and yet I confess I have heard of one, that wished God would let him alone, and not take him from what he had here: Vile Brute! the voice of a swine and not a man, that could choose to wallow in the dung and ordure of his carnal pleasures, and wish himself for ever shut up with his swill in the hogs coat of this dunghill earth, rather then leave these to dwell in Heavens Palace, and be admitted to no meaner pleasures, then what God himself with his Saints enjoy. It were even just if God gave such brutes as these a swines face to their swinish hearts: But alas, how few then should we meet that would have the countenance of a man? the greatest part of the world (even all that are carnal and worldly,) being of the same mind, though not so impudent as that wretch, to speak what they think. The lives of men tell plain enough that they say in their hearts, it is good being here, that they wish they could build Tabernacles on earth for all the mansions that are prepared in heaven. The transgression of the wicked said in Davids heart, that the fear of God, was not before ⟨p. 322⟩them, Psal. 36.1. and may not the worldliness of a muck-worm say in the heart of any rational man, that heaven and heavenly excellencies are not before their eyes or thoughts? O what a deep silence is there concerning these in the conversations of men! Heaven is such a stranger to the most, that very few are heard to enquire the way thither, or so much as ask the question in earnest, what they shall do to be saved. The most express no more desires of attaining heaven, then those blessed souls now in heaven do of coming again to dwell on earth;