A85783:954
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 6
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, to stand, is here to stand justified and acquitted at the great day of judgement. The phrase is frequent in Scripture, which sets out the solemn discharge they shall have then, by standing in judgement, Psal. 1.5. The wicked shall not stand in the judgement; that is, they shall not be justified, Psal. 130.3. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquity, O Lord, who shall stand? that is, who shall be discharged? The great God, upon whose errand we come into the world, hath appointed a day wherein he will judge the world by Jesus Christ; a solemn day it will be, when all that ever, lived on earth, high and low, good and bad, shall meet in one Assembly to make their personal appearance before Christ, and ⟨p. 393⟩from his mouth to receive their eternal doom, who shall in his Majestic robes of glory ascend the awful seat of Judicature, attended with his illustrious train and guard of Angels about him, as so many officers ready to execute and perform his pleasure according to the definitive sentence that he shall pronounce; either to conduct those blessed ones whom he shall justify into his glorious Kingdom, or bind them hand and foot to be cast into hells unquenchable flames whom he shall condemn. I do not wonder that Pauls Sermon on this subject, did make an earth-quake in Felix his conscience: but rather that any should be so far gone in a lethargy, and dedolent numbness of conscience, as the thought of this day cannot recover them to their sense and feeling. O Sirs, do you not vote them happy men and women that shall speed well on this day? are not your thoughts enquiring who those blessed souls are, which shall be acquitted by the lively voice of Christ the Judge? You need not ascend to search the rolls of election in heaven, here you may know they are such as fight the Lords battles on earth against Satan, in the Lords Armour, and that to the end of their lives. These having done all shall stand in judgement. And were it but at a mans bar, some Court-Martial, where a soldier stood upon trial for his life, either to be condemned as a Traitor to his Prince, or cleared as faithful in his trust. O how such a one would listen to hear how it would go with him, and be overjoyed when the Judge pronounces him innocent! Well may such be bid to fall down on their knees, thank God and the Judge that have saved their lives;