A85783:817
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.
Thirdly, take heed thou doest not mistake, and think thy grace decays, when may be it is only thy temptations increase, and not thy grace decrease. If you should hear a man say, because he cannot to day run so fast, when a hundred weight is on his back, as he could yesterday without any such a burden, that therefore he was grown weaker, you would soon tell him where his mistake lies. Temptation lies not in the same heaviness alway upon the Christians shoulder; observe therefore whether Satan is not more then ordinary let loose to assault thee, whether thy temptations come not with more force and violence then ever; possibly, though thou doest not with the same facility overcome these, as thou hast done less, yet grace may act stronger in conflicting with the greater, then in overcoming the less. The same ship, that when lightly ballasted, and favoured with the wind goes mounting, at another time deeply laden, and going against wind and tide, may move with a slow pace, and yet they in the ship take more pains to make it sail thus, then they did when it went faster.
Thirdly, take heed thou doest not mistake, and think thy grace decayes, when may be it is only thy temptations increase, and not thy grace decrease. If you should hear a man say, because he cannot to day run so fast, when a hundred weight is on his back, as he could yesterday without any such a burden, that therefore he was grown weaker, you would soon tell him where his mistake lies. Temptation lies not in the same heavinesse alway upon the Christians shoulder; observe therefore whether Satan is not more then ordinary let loose to assault thee, whether thy temptations come not with more force and violence then ever; possibly, though thou doest not with the same facility overcome these, as thou hast done lesse, yet grace may act stronger in conflicting with the greater, then in overcoming the lesse. The same ship, that when lightly ballasted, and favoured with the winde goes mounting, at another time deeply laden, and going against winde and tide, may move with a slow pace, and yet they in the ship take more pains to make it sail thus, then they did when it went faster.
Secondly, positively, how thou mayest conclude that grace is declining; and that in a threefold respect.