The Whole Armor of God, Exegesis · Treatise 2 · Part 1
THE FIRST PART.
The duty of ſuch as hauehave thoſe peeces.
Epheſ. 6. 14.
Stand therefore hauing your loynes girt, &c.
§. 1. Of the Coherence.
VNtoUnto the forenamed generall direction the Apoſtle addeth a particular exemplification of the ſame, diſtinctly ſetting downe certaine ſpeciall graces, whereby as with peeces of Armour we may ſtand faſt. This exexemplification is ſet forth in forme of an exhortation, wherein note,
1. The duty whereunto he exhorteth.
2. The meanes and manner how it is to be performed.
The duty is in this wordaforeign ſtand. Though this word be the ſame with that which immediatly before is ſet down, yet is it not of the ſame mood,That was of the infini…ue mood, & implyed an honour and dignity. nor of the ſame tence. That was a ſtanding after the battell is ended, and ſo a word of conqueſt: this is a ſtanding in the battaile, and ſo a word of conflict: this is of the imperatiue mood, and implyet… a duty; and not one duty onelyonly, but many duties: for it is a metaphoricall word taken from ſouldiers: and according to the diuers acceptation of the metaphor, it implieth diuers duties.
§. 2. Of a Souldiers ſtanding.
1. A Souldier-like courage: for as white-liuered, freſh-water, faint-hearted ſouldiers are ready vponupon eueryevery brunt to yeeld and run away: ſo valiant couragious ſouldiers ſtand ſtoutly againſt eueryevery brunt; and will rather ſtand and die, then ſtirre and yeeld.
2 A ſetled abiding in ones proper place, or ſtanding in his rancke, neither ſtragling abroad, nor going into any others place. Experienced ſouldiers well know what a ſafegard it is to hauehave the rancks well kept, and therefore will not ſtep aſide.
3 A watchfulneſſe oppoſed to luskiſhneſſe and ſluggiſhneſſe: an heauy headed, idle, luskiſh ſouldier, is euer ready to lie downe, like a tired Oxe or Horſe; but a wiſe watchfull ſouldier ſtandeth to receiue his enemy whenſoeuer he maketh any aſſault.
4 Perſeuerance with armour ſtill on the backe: faint-hearted weake ſouldiers being loth long to beare the burden of their armour, will oft put it on and off: when a skirmiſh is paſt, off goes the armour, and ſo is laid aſide till they be forced againe to put it on: but old well experienced ſouldiers ſtand ſtill with their armour, looking for a freſh aſſault, and for more conflicts.
§. 3. Of Chriſtian valour.
1: VVE muſt be of a valorous couragious mind againſt all our enemies,Duty 1. Stand ſtoutly ſtanding ſtoutly againſt them, and bidding defiance to them all, euen as a1 Sam. 17. 45Dauid ſtood againſt Goliah. How needfull this is in war againſt fleſh and blood, appeareth bybIoſ. 1. 6. 7. 9. Gods earneſt vrging of it to Ioſhuah: But much more needfull it is in war againſt Spirits.
For they, though bold enough,Reaſons. yet are daunted with the ſtout ſtanding of Chriſts ſouldiers; but heartned with timorouſneſſe. Beſides, the courage of ſome valourous ſouldiers addeth ſpirits to all their fellowes.
That we may with courage ſtand againſt our enemies,Grounds of encouragement. obſerue theſe and ſuch like grounds of encouragement.
1 ThatcIoſ. 1. 5 the Lord is with vsus, and will not faile vsus.
2 Thatd1 Sam. 17. 45 we fight in his name and power, but our enemies in their owne.
3 ThateIudg. 11. 27. 29. out battell is moſt iuſt, and we fight in a iuſt cauſe.
4 That wee fight withfCol. 2. 15. enemies ſpoiled, whoſe weapons are blunted,Heb. 2. 14. whoſe power is limited.
5 That we hauehaveg1 Cor. 10. 13 promiſe of victory, and ſo are ſure not to be ouercome.
§. 4. Of keeping our ranke.
2.Duty 2. Abide in thy place. VVE muſt be careful toh1 Cor. 7. 20. abide in the place where our Lord hath ſet vsus. For this know, that we hauehave a doubling calling, one generall, as we are Chriſtians. The other particular, as we are diſtinguiſhed in Church,Ephe. 4. 1. Common-wealth, or Family. Accordingly theſe two points are to be obſerued.
1 That we remaine ſtedfaſt in the true Church where the Lords banner is diſplaied: that we retaine our profeſſion, and ſtart not from it for gaine asi2 Tim. 4. 10. Demas, or perſecution, ask16. they which forſooke Paul. Stragling ſouldiers loſe the ſuccour of their Captaine, and helpe of their fellow ſouldiers. Such ſtraglers from Chriſts armies are ſeparatiſts, heretikes, time-ſeruers, and all reuolters.
2 That wee be conſcionable and diligent in the ſeuerall functions of our particular callings: as in the Common-wealth, Kings, Iudges, Iuſtices, all Magiſtrates, all Subiects alſo, all of any Office, Trade, &c. In the Church, Miniſters, other Church Officers, and people. In the Family, Maſters and Seruants, Husbands and Wiues, Parents and Children. For this ende are particular duties preſcribed to particular functions in Gods word. Many weighty reaſons there be to vrge this.
1a1 Cor. 7. 17: God hath appointed to eueryevery one his diſtinct place.Reaſons. Now it was the commendation of Chriſt, and of Moſes, that they werebHeb. 3. 2. faithfull to him that appointed them.
2 EueryEvery one ſhall bee called to account for thoſe duties which belong to his particular calling; according to that which was ſaid to the Steward, GiueGive an account of thy ſtewardſhip. Luke. 16. 2.
3 The order wherein eueryevery one is ſet, is the very beautie of the Church, and of the body of Chriſt: as the ſeuerall places of ſeuerall members, are the grace of a naturall body; Yea, this order is the ſtrength of the Church, as in an army: in this reſpect the Apoſtle ſaith, that the body of Chriſt iscCha. 4. v. 16. foreign fitly ioined together, and firmly compacted.
4 The graces which God beſtoweth on vsus, as faith, louelove, obedience, patience, wiſdome, &c: are beſt exerciſed, and manifeſted in our particular callings.
5 In our proper diſtinct places, wee hauehavedPſal. 91. 11. the Lords promiſe of protection, but not out of them. Many iudgements hath God executed on buſi bodies, that entred vppon others places; inſtanceeNum. 16. 12, &c. Corah and his conſpiracy, f2 Sam. 15. 2, &c.Abſolom, g2 Chr 26. 16Vzziah, &c.
Wherefore wee are to take good notice of our particular places, and of the particular duties belonging vntounto them, and both pray and labour for skill and ability to performe them.aProu. 14. 8. It is the wiſdome of the prudent to vnderſtand his way.
§. 5. Of watchfulneſſe.
3. VVEe muſt beb1 Pet. 5. 8 warchfull, and ſtand vponupon our defence againſt our enemy; heecMat 24. 43. as a thiefe will ſuddenly ſet vponupon vsus; comming when we are not aware of him.Duty …. Stand on thy guard. For the better performance of this duty, we muſtdLuk. 21. 3…. take heed of ſuch things as may breed in vsus a ſpirituall ſlumbering and drowſineſſe, as are earthly delights and pleaſures, worldly cares, &c. They which will watch, e1 Pet. 5. 8.muſt be ſober.
§. 6. Of perſeuerance.
4.Perſeuere: Duty 4. VVE muſt perſeuere and continue in well imploying the graces of Gods Spirit to our defence: thus may we better ſtand in the ſpirituall combate, then in our outward bodily fight: for our bodies hauehave need to hauehave the armour put off, for their eaſe and refreſhing: but our ſoules hauehave no ſuch need. The armour of God iseMat. 11. 30. not burdenſome to the ſpirit. Of this duty I ſpake more fully in the 12. §. of the fourth part.
Thus much for the duties which this firſt word ſtand implieth.