§. 7. Every grace to be used.§. 7. Euery grace to be vsed.

§. 7. Every grace to be used.

§. 7. Euery grace to be vsed.

AS this particle, whole, is annexed to armour, to commend unto us the sufficiency of the armour of God, whereof we have heard before: so this compound word, whole armour, is inferred upon that action of putting on, to teach us, that it is not sufficient to put on some parts and pieces thereof, but every part and piece, the whole armour must be put on. From the true scope of the Apostles meaning, I gather that,

AS this particle, whole, is annexed to armour, to commend vnto vs the sufficiencie of the armour of God, whereof we haue heard before: so this compound word, whole armour, is inferred vpon that action of putting on, to teach vs, that it is not sufficient to put on some parts and peeces thereof, but euery part and peece, the whole armour must be put on. From the true scope of the Apostles meaning, I gather that,

The power of every sanctifying grace must be manifest in the life of a Christian. ¹This was it whereunto he exhorted before, saying,^a Let us in all things grow up, &c. There he useth a Metaphor taken from the members of a natural body, implying that spiritual graces are to the spirit, as fleshly members to a body; now if the body grow in some parts only, and not in every part proportionably, (as if it⟨p. 27⟩ should grow all in the head, and not answerably in the legs, or all in the shoulders, and not at all in the thighs) it would be but a monstrous body: or if it abound with noisome humours, which make it swell in some parts, those humours will be so far from preserving the body, that they will rather impair the health, and shorten the life of it. So if a Christian shall be hot in faith, and cold in love; or have great knowledge, and show little obedience: or be full of devotion, and empty of discretion, surely he is a monstrous Christian: the want of some graces make the other to be of no use. Such professors are a shame and dishonour to others; they are full of noisome and distempered humours, which will destroy that show of spiritual life which they seem to have. Fitly may they be compared to