The Christian Warfare Part 1, Book 1 · Chapter 9
CHAP. IX. Of the ſpirituall armour deſcribed, Eph. 6.
§ Sect. 1 ANd thus hauehave I ſhewed the nature and qualitie of our enemie againſt whom wee muſt fight; both in reſpect of his wil, and alſo his power, conſiſting in his ſtrength and policie; and alſo I hauehave ſhewed ſome meanes which in our preparation againſt him we muſt vſe carefully, that wee may withſtand him; namely, by oppoſing againſt his malitious will, chriſtian reſolution; againſt his ſtrength, the omnipotent power of Gods might; againſt his ſubtil policie, chriſtian wiſedom, conſiſting in the knowledge of Gods word, and true integritie and ſimplicitie of heart.
That the weapons of our Chriſtian warfare muſt be ſpirituall.Now wee are to ſpeake of the laſt meanes which we are to vſe in our preparation immediatly before our combat; that is, we are to arme our ſelues againſt the encounter: and to this end (becauſe we are but freſh-water-ſouldiers & of ſmall experience) let vsus take the counſaile and aduice of the Apoſtle Paul, one of Gods chiefe champions and expert ſouldiers, as he ſetteth it downe,Eph. 6.11. &c. Eph. 6.11, 12, 13, 14, &c. where firſt he deſcribeth the quality, and as it were the mettall of our armour; in which reſpect hee telleth vsus, that wee muſt put on the armour of God which is ſpirituall, and that our weapons and armour muſt not be carnall.2. Cor. 10.4. For being of this nature, though they were neuer ſo ſtrōg, they were to no purpoſe, ſeeing our enemie is ſpiritual; neither do we wrestle againſt fleſh & blood, but againſt principalities, Eph. 6.12.powers and ſpirituall wickedneſſes, as it is Eph. 6.12. In vaine therfore it were with the Papiſts to ſeeke to defend our ſelues with holy water, or Crucifixes, or ragges and reliques of Saints, from the violent aſſaults of this our enemie; or els with deſperate hackſters to truſt in our ſword, buckler and ſpeare: for well is that verified of this ſpirituall Leuiathan, which the Lord ſpeaketh of the earthly Leuiathan, Iob. 41.17.20. When the ſword doth touch him, he will not riſe vp, Iob. 41.17.20.and he laugheth at the ſhaking of the ſpeare. And therefore when we are to encounter this great Goliah, we are to lay aſide the carnall weapons of Saul, 1. Sam. 17.39.44.which are altogether vnfit for a Chriſtian, ſeruing rather to burthen and ſo hinder him, than to defend and further him in this ſpiritual combat; and we are to go againſt him in the name of the Lord, ſtrengthened in the power of his might, putting on vsus the armour of God, that is, ſuch diuine and ſpirituall armour as the Lord hath giuen and appointed vsus to vſe. For it is not ſufficient that we prepare vsus this armour, if we let it lie by vsus, or ſuffer it (as it were) to hang vponupon the walles, there to ruſt without vſe; but we are to put it on, and keepe it faſt buckled vntounto vsus both night and day, that wee may be alwaies in readines to endure the aſſault of our enemies.
§ Sect. 2 Neither is it enough that wee put on one peece of the armour, That we must put on the whole armour of God.and like young ſouldiers leaue off the reſt for lightnes ſake, or els through foole-hardines to ſhew needleſſe valour; we muſt not put on the helmet of ſaluation, and leaue off the breaſt-plate of righteouſnes; nor take vntounto vsus the girdle of veritie and the ſhield of faith, and caſt away from vsus the ſword of the ſpirit, but we are to put on the whole armour of God, and like valiant ſouldiers, who meane indeede to ſtand to it, wee are to arme our ſelues at all points in compleat armour of proofe, which will keepe vsus from fleeing, and our enemie from ouercomming. For if we take none of the Chriſtian armour, or but ſome of the lighteſt parts, if wee take the ſhield of faith, and leaue behinde vsus the breaſt-plate of righteouſnes, we ſhal either deſperatly fight and be ouerthrowne in the battaile, or els cowardly runne away and forſake the field. But on the other ſide, if we buckle vntounto vsus the whole armour of God, we ſhall not neede to flee away for feare, being ſo well defended; nor to doubt of victorie, for we ſhall ſurely ouercome; the Lord hauing hauing giuen, and we hauing receiued this armour to this end, as the Apoſtle noteth vntounto vsus in theſe words; that you may be able to ſtand againſt the aſſaults of the diuell, or his treacherous ambuſhments, as the word here vſed, ſignifieth. So that the Lord hath giuen vsus this armour, and we put it on, to the end that we may be enabled to reſiſt Sathan; and therefore ſeeing it is armour of Gods own making and beſtowing, we may aſſure our ſelues that he will not ſuffer his workmanſhip and gift to be ſo much diſgraced, as that ſathan ſhould pearce thorow it and wound vsus. For the Lord knoweth the force of Sathans darts, & bullets of temptation; and he hath made his armour high proofe; and therefore ſtrong enough to repell all the batterie of Sathans ſuggeſtions.
§ Sect. 3 The neceſſitie of the ſpirituall armour.And that we may be the rather ſtirred vp with all care and diligence to prouide and buckle faſt to vsus the armour which he after deſcribeth, he ſheweth the neceſſitie thereof, by deſcribing the daungerouſnes of our enemies, who being not fleſh and blood, but principalities, powers, worldly gouernours, princes of the darknes of this world, and ſpirituall wickedneſſes, which are in high places, cannot poſſibly be reſiſted by our owne ſtrength and meanes. And (therefore) for this cauſe he willeth vsus to take vntounto vsus the whole armour of God, that we may be able to reſiſt in the euill day, that is, the time of temptation,VVhat is meant by the euill day. which is therefore called the euill day, partly becauſe therein Sathan tempteth vsus vntounto euill, and partly becauſe it is a time of trouble, aduerſitie and affliction, when Sathan ſifteth vsus with his temptations. And thus the euill day is taken Pſal. 41.1.Pſal. 41.1. The Lord will deliuer him in the euill day, that is, (as our tranſlation alſo reades it) in the time of trouble.Eph. 5.16. And thus alſo it is vſed Eph. 5.16. Redeeming the time, becauſe the daies are euill, that is, full of troubles and afflictions. And therefore Beza doth tranſlate in this place foreign, tempore aduerſo, the time of aduerſitie.
By which we learne not to eſteeme our ſpirituall fight as a May-game, but as a time of trouble and aduerſitie, wherein wee are aſſaulted by mightie enemies, and oftentimes foyled and wounded; and therefore we muſt not voluntarily runne into temptations, ſeeing the time of them is euill and full of trouble; but rather feruently pray vntounto the Lord that hee will not leade vsus into temptation, conſidering our owne weaknes and our enemies power; or if it pleaſe him to make triall of vsus, that he will not ſuffer vsus to fall therein, but that he will deliuer vsus from euill, for as much as the kingdome and power and glorie is his alone, and therefore he is of power ſufficient to ſaue and deliuer vsus.
That we muſt not cowardly flee in the ſpirituall conflict.But as we are not ſecurely to ruſh into the field of temptation againſt our ſpirituall enemies, ſo wee are not when our enemies ſound the alarum to battaile and aſſault vsus, cowardly to caſt downe our weapons and to runne away: for the Apoſtle would not take away from vsus true valour and Chriſtian fortitude, but carnall ſecuritie and retchleſnes; and therfore though our enemies be mightie, and the time of temptation full of trouble, yet he biddeth vsus not to caſt off our armour and to runne away, wholie deſpairing of victorie, but he exhorteth vsus for this cauſe, to take vntounto vsus the whole armour of God, that wee may be able to reſiſt in the euill day, and hauing finiſhed all things may ſtand faſt; that is, hauing put our enemies to flight and obtained the victorie, we may like conquerors ſtand laſt in the field, as it were triumphantly inſulting ouer them; whereby hee intimateth thus much, that if wee will take vntounto vsus the whole armour of God, how weake ſoeuer wee be in our ſelues, yet ſhall wee be enabled to reſiſt our ſpirituall enemies in the euill day; and not onelyonly ſo, but alſo obtaine victorie and triumph ouer them.
§ Sect. 4 And therefore hee willeth vsus not to be diſmaied, That eueryevery one muſt abide in his vocation.neither with our enemies power, nor our owne trouble, but to ſtand to it, ſaying, verſ. 14. Stand therefore: by which word hee intimateth vntounto vsus diuers duties: firſt, as in the campe eueryevery man hath his place appointed him, and his proper colours vnderunder which he is to keep him; ſo all Chriſtian ſouldiers hauehave their ſtations, that is, their vocations whereunto they are called of God, within the limits whereof they are to containe themſelues: and theſe are firſt their generall calling whereby they are intertained into the Church militant, which is Gods campe or armie, where they are to fight vnderunder the ſtanderd of their captaine Chriſt: and ſecondly their ſpeciall callings, whereby there is appointed to eueryevery member of the militant Church, a certaine ſtanding, and particular and proper duties and functions which he is to execute, as it is in the armies of earthly princes. Firſt therefore wee muſt containe our ſelues within our generall vocation and ſtation, that is, wee muſt keepe vsus in Gods armie and campe, the Church militant: for as thoſe ſtragling ſouldiers who depart from the armie and raunge abroad to forrage, or get ſome bootie, are eaſily vanquiſhed by their enemies; ſo thoſe who depart and make an apoſtaſie from Gods Church, to gaine or retaine their pleaſures and worldly preferments, are eaſily ouerthrowne, falling into Sathans ambuſhments. And ſecondly, eueryevery one is to containe himſelfe within the limits of his ſpeciall vocation, and to keepe his peculiar ſtanding appointed him by God: for as there is nothing more pernitious to an armie than diſorder, when as ſome intrude themſelues into others place, as when the common ſouldier will be an officer, the Lieutenant Captaine, and the Captaine, Generall of the armie; ſo nothing is more hurtfull to the Church militant, than when diſorderly one vſurpes another place and office, as when the Miniſters will be Magiſtrates, and the Magiſtrates Miniſters, and when the common people vſurpe the office of them both.
Secondly, when as he biddeth vsus ſtand in our places, he reſtraineth vsus from two extreames: the one, that wee doe not wilfully thruſt our ſelues into the combat of temptations before we be aſſaulted, and ſo as it were runne out of our ſtandings to ſeeke an enemie: and ſecondly, that when wee are aſſaulted we doe not flee away, but ſtand to it valiantly and endure the violence of the aſſailants. Laſtly, he exhorteth vsus to watchfulnes and painfull diligence, for we muſt not drowſily and ſecurely lay vsus downe and giuegive our ſelues to ſleepe, nor yet ſit idlely as though wee had nothing to doe; but wee are to ſtand vponupon our guard, and to watch continually, that wee may alwaies be in readines to withſtand the aſſaults of our enemies; otherwiſe if wee ſleepe in ſecuritie, they will ſuddenly ſet vponupon vsus and ſurprize vsus at vnawares.