PUBLIC-DOMAIN CHRISTIAN BOOK
The Christian in Complete Armour
William Gurnall, 1617–1679 · 726,331 words · 834 reading sections
CHAP. PA«E
Library of the Theological Seminary PRINCETON » NEW JERSEY Donation of John M. Krebs 1860 BV4500 .Ct8 1845 Gurnail, William, 1617-1679. Christian in complete armour : or, A treati Ihe saints' war wiih ihs dt^v^l vvhsrein a di. THE CHRISTIAN IN COMPLETE ARMOUR; OR, A TREATISE ON • WHEREIN A DISCOVERY IS MAD…
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XIII. An exhortation to the pursuit of heaven and heavenly things . 158 'wherefore TAKE UNTO YOU THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.' Ver. 1-3. I. The reason why the apostle renews the same exhortation ; and also what truths ministers are often to preach to their people 163 II. The best of saints subject to decline in their gr…
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IV. The second reason why the Christian should wear this breast- plate of righteousness, and maintain the power of holiness so carefully taken from Satan's great design against it . . 299 V. The third reason, taken from the excellency of righteousness and holiness ..... 301 VI. Contains the first instance, wherein t…
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Some arguments to make us serious in the trial of our faith, with one direction taken from the manner of the Spirit's working faith ..... Where our faith is put upon trial by its obedience, with some particular characters that faith's obedience is stamped with . Two properties of faith : it is prayerful, and unifor…
816 wordsSECTION 5XXXVII. XXXVIII,
VII. The Divinity of tlie ScriptiU'c proved from its preceptive part . 567 vni. The heart-searching property of the Scriptiu-es . . . 570 IX. The property of the word to awaken and terrify the conscience . 571 X. The comforting property of the word to bleeding consciences . 572 XI. The converting power of the word …
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A threefold argument which Satan draws from God's deport- ment to the Christian, in and after prayer, to make him ques- tion its acceptance . . ... How to know whether a mercy comes to us by common provi- dence, or as a gracious answer to prayer, resolved . The first importance of 'praying always,' shewn The second …
859 wordsSECTION 7INTRODUCTION.
XI. The minister's dignity and duty shewn . . .81.5 XII. Why Godsends ambassadors; and why he useth men, notangels . 810 XIII. An exhortation to hearken to God's ambassadors . . 821 XIV. How ministers should do the duty of ambassadors . . 82;5 XV. Five things touched upon, from Paul's being in bonds . . 824 A TREA…
908 wordsSECTION 8OF CHRISTIAN COURAGE AND RESOLUTION, WHEREFORE NECESSARY, AND HOW OBTAINED.
First, The word of encouragement to battle. With this he begins his speech : * Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord ;' the best way indeed to prepare them for the following directions. A soul deeply possessed with fear, and dispirited with strong impressions of danger, is in no posture for counsel. As we see in …
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First, The Christian is to proclaim and prosecute an irreconcilable war against his bosom sins ; those sins which have lain nearest his heart, must now be trampled under his feet. So David, ' I have kept myself from my iniquity.' Now what courage and resolution doth this require ? You think Abraham was tried to purpose…
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Secondly, The Christian is to walk singularly, not after the world's guise, Rom. xii. 2. We are commanded not to be conformed to this world ; that is, not to accommodate ourselves to the corrupt customs of the world. The Christian must not be of such a complying nature, to cut the coat of his pro- fession according to …
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Fourthly, The Christian must trust in a withdrawing God, Isa. 1. 10 : ' Let him that walks in darkness, and hath no light, trust in the name of the Lord,* and stay upon his God.' This requires a holy boldness of faith, indeed, to venture into God's presence, as Esther into Ahasuerus's, when no smile is to be seen on hi…
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and prowess, which is so needful for your Christian profession, that without it you cannot he wliat you profess. Tlie fearful are in the forlorn of those that march for hell, Rev. xxi. The violent and valiant are they which take heaven by force ; cowards never won heaven. Say not, thou hast royal blood running in ^thy …
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retreat, while holy resolution, built on fast principles, lifts up its head like a rock in the midst of the waves. ' Those that know their God shall be strong and do exploits.' Dan. xi. 32. The angel told Daniel who were the men that would stand to their tackling, and bear up for God in that hour, both of temptation an…
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bottom of a well, which will not ascend with all our pumping, till God pour in his exciting grace, and then it conies. To will is more than to think; to exert our will into action, more than both; these are of God, Phd. ii. 13: 'It is God that work eth in you to will and to do of his good pleasure.' He makes the heart …
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to conceive of it, that the barren soul becomes a joyful mother of children. David sat for half a year under the public lectures of the law, and the womb of his heart shut up, till Nathan comes, and God with him ; and now is the time of life : he conceives presently, yea, and brings forth in the same day ; falls presen…
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judge them. What, this fellow, a stranger, control iis ! And Satan heads this mutinous rout against the Christian : so that if God did not continually rein- force this his new planted colony in the heart, the very natives (I mean cor- ruptions) that are left would come out of their dens and holes where they lie lurking…
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magnified indeed, because it was more than God did owe the creature ; but lie had not been glorified as now, when, not only the Christian's first strength to close with Christ is from God ; but he is beholden still to God for the exercise of that strength, in every action of his Christian coiu-se. As a child that trave…
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with his grace. Walk humbly, therefoi'e, before thy God, and husband well that strength thou hast, remembering that it is borrowed strength. Nemo prodiget quod mendicat. Who will waste what he begs ? or who will give that beggar that spends idly his alms ? When thou hast most, thou canst not be long from thy God's door…
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winter of captivity to come between the promise and the spring-time of the promise; therefore, to keep their faith aUve in this space, the prophet calls them up to act their faith on God Almighty (ver. 4) : ' Trust ye in the Lord Jehovah, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength.' So when his saints are going in…
877 wordsSECTION 20Section I. — First, I shall prove that the almighty power of Gocl is engaged for the Christian's defence ; with tlie groinuls of it.
Thirdly, because God is very tender of this flower of his crown, this part of his name ; indeed he cannot spell it right, and leave out this letter ; for that is God's name, whereby he is known from all his creatures. Now man may be called wise, merciful, mighty ; God only all-wise, all-merciful, all-mighty ; so when w…
842 wordsSECTION 21IQ AND IN THE POWER OF HIS MIGHT.
First, The almighty power of God is engaged for the saints' defence : God brought Israel out of Egypt with a high hand ; but did he set them down on the other side the Red Sea, to find and force their way to Canaan, by their own policy or power ? When he had opened the iron gate of their house of bondage, and brought t…
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Thirdly, The covenant engageth God's almighty power. Gen. xvii. 1 : ' I am the Almighty God, walk before me.' There is a league offensive and defensive between God and his saints; he gives it under his hand, that he will put forth the whole power of his godhead for them, 1 Chron. xvii. 24 : ' The Lord of hosts is the G…
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heaven, as he had for what he suffered on earth : he that ordained him a priest to die for sinners, did not then strip him of his priestly garments, as Aaron, hut appoints him to ascend in them to heaven, where he sits a priest for ever by God's oath. And this office of intercession was erected purely in mercy to be- l…
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not, will I not carry thee through thy work ? Away goes Gideon in the faith of this, and doth wonders. This brought the righteous man from the east to God's foot, though he knew not whither he went, yet he knew with whom he went, God Almighty. But take a soul not persuaded of this ; how imeven and unstable is he in thi…
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safety. Well, when they are out of this danger, behold, they are in a wilderness, where nothing is to be had for back and belly, and yet here they shall live forty years, withont trade or tillage, without begging or robbing of any of the neigh- bour nations ; they shall not be beholden to them for a penny in their way.…
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First, In agonies of conscience that arise from the greatness of thy sins, fly for refuge into the almighty power of God. Truly, sirs, when a man's sins are displayed in all their bloody colours, and spread forth in their killing aggra- vations, and the eye of conscience awakened to behold them through the multi- plyin…
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Thirdly, Christian, improve this, when oppressed with the weight of any duty and service, which in thy place and calling lies upon thee. Perhaps thou findest the duty of thy calling too heavy for thy weak shoulders ; make bold by faith to lay the heaviest end of thy burden on God's shoulder, which is thine, if a believ…
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Answer. First, Look once again, poor heart, into thine own bosom, and see whether thou findest not some strength sent into thee, which thou didst over- look before ; this may be, yea, very ordinary in this case, when God answers our prayer, not in the letter, or when the thing itself is sent, but it comes in at the bac…
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Second, Christian, candidly interpret God's dealings with thee. Suppose it be as thou sayest, thou hast pleaded the promise, and waited on the means, and yet findest no strength from all these receipts, either in thy grace or comfort ; now take heed of charging God foolishly, as if God were not what he promised ; this …
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show the more of his supporting strength, in upholding weak grace : we do not wonder to see a man of strong constitution, that eats his bread heartily, and sleeps soundly, live : but for a crazy body, full of pains and infirmities, to be so patched and shored up by the physician's art, that he stands to old age, this b…
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Third, Art thou humble under the assistance and strength God hath given thee ? pride stops the conduit. If the heart begins to swell, it is time for God to hold his hand, and turn the cock; for all that is poured on such a soul, rims over into self-applauding, and so is as water spilt in regard of any good it doth the …
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yield into the hands of thine enemies, then expect succours from heaven to enable thee to hold out under the temptation : thus to Paul, ' My grace is sufficient,' or power from heaven to raise the siege, and drive away the tempter; thus to Job, when Satan had him at an advantage, then God takes him off. Like a wise mod…
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Obs. — That a person in a Chi-istless, graceless state, is naked and unarmed, and so unfit to fight Christ's battles against sin and Satan. Or thus, a soul out of Christ is naked and destitute of all armour to defend them against sin and Satan. God at first sent man forth in complete armour, ' being created in righteou…
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a step of the right ! Now, that the Christless state is a state of ignorance, see Eph. v. 8 : ' Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord.' Ye were dai'kness, not in the dark, so one that hath an eye may he. A child of light is often in the dark, concerning some truth or promise, but then hath a spir…
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governor for God in the creature, stands out a while, all the other powers, as will and affections, are in a discontent, (like mutinous soldiers in a garrison,) who never rest till they have brought over conscience to yield, or against its command set open the city gate to the enemy, and so deliver traitorously their c…
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and earth to witness, whether ever they suffered a hotter persecution of the tongue, than in this apostatizing age. A new generation of professors are started up, that will not know them to be the ministers of Christ, though those before them (as well in grace, as time, more able to derive their sjnritual pedi- gree th…
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directed rather to have phindered the Egyptians of their horse and arms (as more necessary for such an expedition) than to borrow their jewels and ear- rings ; but God will have them come out naked and on foot ; and Moses keeps close to his order; yea, when horses were taken in battle, because God com- manded they shou…
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the loud music of carnal delights, that the noise of one may drown the other ; or with Cain, they will go from the presence of the Lord, and come no more at those ordinances which make their head ache, and hinder the rest of their raving consciences. If yet the ghost haunts them, then they labour to pacify it with some…
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First, When we engage in a dnty, and look not up to God for his blessing. Didst thou eye God's appointment in the means, thou woiddst say, ' Soul, if there come any good of thy present service, it must drop from heaven, for it is God's appointment, not man's, and can I profit, whether God will or no? or think to find a…
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First, It is liarder to work on such a soul savingly, because he hath a form, though not the power, and this affords him a plea. A soul purely naked, having nothing like the wedding garment on, he is speechless ; the drunkard hath nothing to say for himself, when you ask him why he lives so swinishly ; yon may come up …
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for God than an hypocrite that is clad in fleshly annour ? I will tell you what the world saith, and if you be Christians, clear yourselves, and wipe off that dirt which they throw upon your glistening armour ; they say, These professors indeed have God more in their talk than we, they are oftener in the mount of duty …
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Secondly, When true grace is under the foot of a temptation, yet then it will stir up in the heart a vehement desire of revenge, like a prisoner in his enemy's hand, who is thinking and plotting how to get out ; and what he will do when out, waiting and longing every moment for his delivery, that he may again take up a…
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heart by a holy life, as the flesh which plasters over the frame of man's body, though it receive its heat from the vitals within, yet helps to preserve the very life of those vitals ; thus good works and gracious actions have their life from faith, yet are necessary helps to preserve the life of faith ; thus we see so…
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Lord.' Yet, Christian, all thy armour is not on. Thy godliness indeed would suffice, wert thou to live in a world by thyself, or hadst nothing to do but im- mediate communion with God. But, Christian, thou must not always dwell on this mount of immediate worship ; and when thou descendest, thou hast many brethren and s…
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First, Because grace is subject to decays, and it ever needs completing ; as in an army, especially, which often engageth in battle, their aimis are baltei-ed and broken ;' one man hath his helmet bent, another his sword gapped, a third his pistol unfixed ; and therefore recruits are ever necessary. In one temptation, …
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like that in Nebuchadnezzar, to give them the heart of a beast; I mean, for a time, suffer them to fall into beastly practices, by which he shows them how far they are from that perfection they dreamed of so vainly. Thirdly, Others who have true grace, and desire the advancement of it, yet are discouraged in their ende…
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and your lights burning, is that we should be ready for a march, having our annoiu- on, (for the belt goes over all,) and our matchlight ready to give fire at the first alarm of temptation. If as to servants, which seems more natural, then he bids us, (as our master that is gone abroad,) not through sloth or sleep put …
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is in a town, at some sudden alarm in the dead of the niglit, the enemy at the gates, and they asleep within. O what a cry is there heard ! one wants his clothes, another his sword, a third knows not what to do for powder ; thus in a fright they run up and down, which would not be if the enemy did find them upon their …
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Such a commodity, saith the tradesman, if I had bought with that money in my bags, would have brought me in so nnich gain, which is now lost ; so the Cliristian may say. My dawning knowledge, had I followed on to know the Lord, might have spread to broad day: ' I have more understanding,' saith David, ' than all my tea…
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Use 2. It reproves those who flout and mock at the saints, while exercising their graces ; none so jeered as the saint in his calling. Men may work in their shops, and every one follow his calling, as diligently as they please, and no wonder made of this by those that pass by in the streets ; but let the Christian be s…
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Use 4. Be exhorted, O ye saints of God, to walk in the exercise of grace. It is the minister's duty, with the continual breath of exhortation, and if need be, reproof, to keep this heavenly fire clear on the saints' altar. Peter saw it necessary to have bellows always in his hands : 2 Peter i. 12, 'I will not be neglig…
882 wordsSECTION 52AGAIXST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL. ^Y
To begin with the first, the saint's enemy, the devil, described by his wiles ; properly the methods of Satan, which signifies, that art and order one observes in handling a point ; we say, such a one is methodical. Now, because it shews ingenuity and acuteness of wit so to compose a discourse, therefore it is trans- f…
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to carry the town than in snch a low condition ? and therefore he tries them all. Indeed, the advantages are so many, that we may wonder how the young conv-ert escapes with his life ; knowledge weak, and so soon led into an error, especially in divided times ; when many ways are held forth, one saying, Here is Christ :…
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knowing well, if he endured her there, there was hope that he might take her into his bed at last : if the Christian can let the object come so near, Satan will promise himself his suit may in time be granted. Therefore it should be our care, if we would not yield to the sin, not to walk by, or sit at the door of the o…
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ware (errors I mean that have laid long upon his hand) only turning them a little after the mode of the times, and they go for new light; under the skirt of Cln-istian liberty, he conveys in libertinism ; 1)y crying up the Spirit, ha decries and vilifies the Scripture"; by magnifying faith, he labours to undermine repe…
879 wordsSECTION 56AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVJI>. 5 J
that he will put such upon ! Kow easily, having first blown them up with vain hopes, doth he draw them uito horrid sins ! Thus Haman, that he may have a monopoly of his prince's favom-, is hurried into that bloody plot (fatal at last to himself) against the Jews. Is uncleanness the lust after which the creature's eye w…
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doth thus change his hand, as when we have resisted one way, fall on aft'esh another, vea, plant his succeeding temptation upon our very resistance in the former. Now it requires some readiness in our postures, and skill at all our weapons, to make our defence ; like a disputant, when he is put out of his road, and hat…
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First, Satan makes choice of persons of place and power. These are either in the commonwealth or church ; if he can, he will secure the throne and the pulpit, as the two forts that command the whole line. First, men of power in the commonwealth. It is his old trick to be tampering with such. A prince, a rulei', may sta…
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faithful servants. Thus he taught Korah, Dathan, and Abirani, to charge Moses and Aaron, ' Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation is holy,' Numb. xvi. 3, 16. They would make the people believe, that it was the pride of their heart to claim a monopoly to themselves, as if none but Aaron and his fraternit…
833 wordsSECTION 60AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL. 55
which is in man by nature, who is a son of Belial, without yoke ; and if he must wear any, that will please best which hath the softest lining, and pincheth the flesh least ; and therefore, when the sincere teachers of the word will not abate the strictness of the command, but press sincere obedience to it, then come S…
816 wordsSource & rights
Public-domain historical work by William Gurnall, 1617–1679. OCR from an original historical scan hosted by Internet Archive; OCR may contain recognition errors.
Project Gutenberg source record →
Historical Christian writing; not Scripture.