A85783:876
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.
First, in point of duty. First, it is upon our allegiance to the great God, that we provide and arm our selves against this day. Suppose a subject were trusted with one of his Princes castles, and this man should hear that a puissant enemy was coming to lay siege to this castle, yet takes no care to lay in arms and provision for his defence, and so 'tis lost, how could such a one be cleared of treason? doth he not basely betray the place, and with it his Princes honour into the enemies hand? Our souls are this castle which we are every one to keep for God. We have certain intelligence that Satan hath a design upon them, and the time when he intends to come with all his powers of darkness, to be that evil day. Now as we would be found true to our trust, we are obliged to stand upon our defence, and store our selves with what may enable us to make a vigorous resistance.
First, in point of duty. First, it is upon our allegiance to the great God, that we provide and arme our selves against this day. Suppose a subject were trusted with one of his Princes castles, and this man should hear that a puissant enemy was coming to lay siege to this castle, yet takes no care to lay in armes and provision for his defence, and so 'tis lost, how could such a one be clear'd of treason? doth he not basely betray the place, and with it his Princes honour into the enemies hand? Our souls are this castle which we are every one to keep for God. We have certain intelligence that Satan hath a design upon them, and the time when he intends to come with all his powers of darknesse, to be that evil day. Now as we would be found true to our trust, we are obliged to stand upon our defence, and store our selves with what may enable us to make a vigorous resistance.
Secondly, we are obliged to provide for that day, as a suitable return for, and improvement of the opportunities and means, which God affords us for this very end. We cannot without shameful ingratitude to God, make waste of those helps God gives us in order to this great work. Every one would cry out upon him that should basely spend that money upon riot in prison, which was sent him to procure his deliverance out of prison; And do we not blush to bestow those talents upon our lusts and Satan? which God graciously indulgeth to deliver us from them, and his rage in a dying hour? what have we Bibles for, Ministers and preaching for? if we mean not to furnish our selves by them with armour for the evil day? In a word,