A85783:829
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, when a Christian gets little spiritual nourishment from communion with God, to what it hath done. The time hath been (may be) thou couldest show what came of thy praying, hearing and fasting; but now the case is altered. There is a double strength communion with God imparts to a soul in a healthful disposition, strength to faith, and strength for our obediential walking; doest thou hear and pray, and get no more strength to hold by a promise, no more power over, or brokenness of heart under thy usual corruptions? what? come down the Mount and break the Tables of Gods Law, as soon as thou art off the place? as deep in thy passion, as uneven in thy course as before? there is a sure decay of that inward heat which should and would (if in its right temper) suck some nourishment from these.
Thirdly, when a Christian gets little spiritual nourishment from communion with God, to what it hath done. The time hath been (may be) thou couldest shew what came of thy praying, hearing and fasting; but now the case is altered. There is a double strength communion with God imparts to a soule in a healthful disposition, strength to faith, and strength for our obediential walking; doest thou hear and pray, and get no more strength to hold by a promise, no more power over, or brokennesse of heart under thy usual corruptions? what? come down the Mount and break the Tables of Gods Law, assoon as thou art off the place? as deep in thy passion, as uneven in thy course as before? there is a sure decay of that inward heat which should and would (if in its right temper) suck some nourishment from these.
Thirdly, by thy behaviour in thy worldly employments.
First, when thy worldly occasions do not leave thee in so free and spiritual a disposition, to return into the presence of God as formerly; may be thou couldest have come from thy shop and family-employments to thy closet, and find that they have kept thee in frame, yea, may be delivered thee up in a better frame for those duties, but now 'tis otherwise, thou canst not so shake them off, but they cleave to thy spirit, and give an earthly savour to thy praying and hearing; thou hast reason to bewail it; when nature decays men, go more stooping, and 'tis a sign some such decay is in thee, that thou canst not as thou usest, lift up thy heart from earthly to spiritual duties. They were intended as helps against temptation, and therefore when they prove snares to us there is a distemper on us. If we wax worse after sleep, the body is not right, because the nature of sleep is to refresh; if exercise indisposeth for work, the reason is in our bodies: So here.