A85783:801
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.
The second observable in the exhortation is taken from the verb, which the Apostle useth, [Greek or Hebrew], which signifies not only to take, but to take again, or recover a thing which we have lost, or re-assume a thing which for the present we have left. Now the Apostle writing to the Saints at Ephesus, who (at least many of them) were not now to put on this Armour by a Conversion, (or the first work of faith, which no doubt had already past upon many among them) he in regard of them and believers to the end of the world hath a further meaning, i. e. that they would put on more close where this armour hangs loose, and they would recover where they have let fall any duty, or decayed in any grace. So that the Note is,
THe second observable in the exhortation is taken from the verbe, which the Apostle useth, 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, which signifies not only to take, but to take again, or recover a thing which we have lost, or re-assume a thing which for the present we have left. Now the Apostle writing to the Saints at Ephesus, who (at least many of them) were not now to put on this Armour by a Conversion, (or the first work of faith, which no doubt had already past upon many among them) he in regard of them and believers to the end of the world hath a further meaning, i. e. that they would put on more close where this armour hangs loose, and they would recover where they have let fall any duty, or decayed in any grace. So that the Note is,
1That the Christian should have an especial care to repair his broken Armour to recover his decaying graces. This Armour may be battered; I might show sad examples in the several pieces. Was not Jacobs girdle of truth and sincerity unbuckled, when he used that sinful policy to get the blessing? he was not the plain man then, but the supplanter; but he had as good have stayed Gods time: he was paid home in his own kind. He puts a cheat on his father, and did not Laban put a cheat on him, giving Leah for Rachel? What say you to Davids breast-plate of righteousness in the matter of Uriah? was it not shot through, and that holy man fearfully wounded? who lay almost a year (for ought we read of him,) before he came to himself, so far as to be thoroughly sensible of his sin, till Nathan a faithful Chirurgeon was sent to search the wound, and clear it of that dead