A85783:926
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
A TREATISE Of the whole Armour Of God. › Introduction › Chapter 8 › Section 5
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.
SECT. V.
Every soul clad with this Armour of God shall stand and persevere: Or thus, true grace can never be vanquished.1 The Christian is borne a Conqueror, the gates of hell shall nor prevail against him. He that is borne of God overcometh the world, 1 John 5.4. Mark, from whence the victory is dated, even from his birth. There is victory sown in his new nature, even that seed of God, which will keep him from being swallowed up by sin or Satan. As Christ rose never to die more, so doth he raise souls from the grave of sin, never to come under the power of spiritual death more. These holy ones of God cannot see corruption. Hence he that believes is said in the present tense to have eternal life. At the Law that came four hundred years after, could not make void the promise made to Abraham, so nothing that intervenes can hinder the accomplishing of that promise of eternal life, which was given, and passed to Christ in their behalf before the foundation of the world. If a Saint could any way miscarry, and fall short of this eternal life, it must be from one of these three causes, 1. Because God may forsake the Christian, and withdraw his grace and help from him; Or, 2. Because the believer may forsake God; Or lastly, because Satan may pluck him out of the hands of God. A fourth I know not Now none of these can be.
Every soule clad with this Armour of God shall stand and persevere: Or thus, true grace can never be vanquish't.1 The Christian is borne a Conquerour, the gates of hell shall nor prevail against him. He that is borne of God overcometh the world, 1 John 5.4. Mark, from whence the victory is dated, even from his birth. There is victory sowen in his new nature, even that seed of God, which will keep him from being swallowed up by sin or Satan. As Christ rose never to die more, so doth he raise soules from the grave of sin, never to come under the power of spiritual death more. These holy ones of God cannot see corruption. Hence he that believes is said in the present tense to have eternal life. At the Law that came foure hundred years after, could not make void the promise made to Abraham, so nothing that intervenes can hinder the accomplishing of that promise of eternal life, which was given, and passed to Christ in their behalf before the foundation of the world. If a Saint could any way miscarry, and fall short of this eternal life, it must be from one of these three causes, 1. Because God may forsake the Christian, and withdraw his grace and help from him; Or, 2. Because the believer may forsake God; Or lastly, because Satan may pluck him out of the hands of God. A fourth I know not Now none of these can be.