A85783:866
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.
Secondly, if affliction were thus intrinsically evil, it could in no respect be the object of our desire, which sometimes it is and may be. We are to choose affliction rather then sin, yea, the greatest affliction before the least sin. Moses chose affliction with the people of God, rather then the pleasures of sin for a season. We are bid rejoice when we fall into divers temptations, that is, afflictions.
Secondly, if affliction were thus intrinsecally evil, it could in no respect be the object of our desire, which sometimes it is and may be. We are to choose affliction rather then sin, yea, the greatest affliction before the least sin. Moses chose affliction with the people of God, rather then the pleasures of sin for a season. We are bid rejoyce when we fall into divers temptations, that is, afflictions.
But in what respects then may the day of affliction be called evil?
First, as it is grievous to sense in Scripture, evil is oft put as contradistinct to joy and comfort: We looked for peace, and behold no good. A merry heart is called a good heart, a sad spirit an evil §1spirit, because nature hath an abhorrency to all that opposeth its joy, and this every affliction doth more or less. No affliction,1 while present is joyous, but grievous; it hath like Physic, an unpleasing farewell to the sense. Therefore Solomon, speaking of the evil days of sickness, expresseth them to be so distasteful to nature, that we shall say, We have no pleasure in them. They take away the joy of our life. Natural joy is a true flower of the Sun of prosperity, it opens and shuts with it. 'Tis true indeed, the Saints never have more joy then in their affliction, but this comes in upon another score; they have a good God that sends it in, or else they would be as sadly on it as others. 'Tis no more natural for comfort to spring from afflictions, then for grapes to grow on thorns, or Manna in the wilderness. The Israelites might have looked long enough for such bread, if heaven had not miraculously rained it down. God chooseth this season to make the Omnipotency of his love the more conspicuous. As Elijah to add to the miracle, first causeth water in abundance to be poured upon the wood and sacrifice, so much as to fill the trench, and then brings fire from heaven by his prayer, to lick it up: Thus God pours out the flood of affliction upon his children, and then kindles that inward joy in their bosoms which licks up all their sorrow, yea, he makes the very waters of affliction they float on, add a further sweetness to the music of their spiritual joy, but still it is God that is good, and affliction that is evil.