A85783:830
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, 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.
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 finde 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 decayes men, go more stooping, and 'tis a signe 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 waxe 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.