A85783:938
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.
First, it is derogatory to Gods design in the Gospel-Covenant, which we find plainly to be this, that his children might be put into a state sure and safe from miscarrying at last, which by the first Covenant man was not. See, Rom. 4.16. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be of grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed. God on purpose because of the weakness of the first Covenant through the mutable nature of man, makes a new Covenant of a far different constitution and frame, not of works as that was, but of faith, and why? the Apostle tells us, that it might be sure to all the seed, that not one soul, who by faith should be adopted into Abraham's family, and so become a child of the promise, should fail of inheriting the blessing of the promise, which is eternal life; called so, Titus 1.2. and all this because the promise is founded upon grace, that is, Gods immutable good pleasure in Christ, and not upon the variable and inconstant obedience of man as the first Covenant was. But if a Saint may finally fall, then is the promise no more sure in this Covenant then it was in that, and so God should not have his end he propounds.
First, it is derogatory to Gods design in the Gospel-Covenant, which we finde plainly to be this, that his children might be put into a state sure and safe from miscarrying at last, which by the first Covenant man was not. See, Rom. 4.16. Therefore it is of faith, that it might be of grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed. God on purpose because of the weaknesse of the first Covenant through the mutable nature of man, makes a new Covenant of a far different constitution and frame, not of works as that was, but of faith, and why? the Apostle tells us, that it might be sure to all the seed, that not one soule, who by faith should be adopted into Abrahams family, and so become a childe of the promise, should faile of inheriting the blessing of the promise, which is eternal life; called so, Titus 1.2. and all this because the promise is founded upon grace, that is, Gods immutable good pleasure in Christ, and not upon the variable and inconstant obedience of man as the first Covenant was. But if a Saint may finally fall, then is the promise no more sure in this Covenant then it was in that, and so God should not have his end he propounds.