The Christians in Complete Armor, Title page – Dedication
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 chief deſign 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 at Lavenham▪
Imprimatur,
EDMUND CALAMY.
LONDON, Printed for Ralph Smith, at the Bible in Cornhill, near the Royall Exchange. 1655.
Gurnalls CHRISTIAN-ARMOƲR, I. P.
To my Dearly Beloved Friends and Neighbours, the Inhabitants of LAVENHAM.
My Dear Friends,
SOlomon ſaith, The deſire of a man is his kindeneſſe, and a poor man is better then a liar, Prov. 19.22. If you be of his minde, I dare promiſe theſe Notes, (which I here devote to your ſervice) a kinde acceptance at your hands. You will finde me to be the poor man, by the mite I preſent you with; but the hearty deſire of your eternal happineſſe from which it comes, will (I hope) clear me from being the liar. I never could be ſo ſerviceable to you, as many Miniſters are to their people, having been with you in much weakneſſe, and ſtill it is the good pleaſure of God, I ſhould be ſtaked down to a ſhort tedder of ſtrength and other abilities; I have reaſon therefore, (that I may, though not recompence that want, yet expreſſe my deep ſenſe thereof) to croud the more love into the little I can do for you. And truly my heart is enlarged to you, and to God for you. If any thing makes me loath to be gone into another world, (which my dropping houſe bids me above many prepare for) it is not the leaſt, to think I ſhall leave no more of you walking in the way to eternal life, and you who are on your way thither, in no cloſer Goſpel-order for your mutual help and comfort in your journey: yea, while I am among you, little do you think how much of your poor Miniſters life lies at your mercy. If I ſhould meaſure my life by the joy of it, (as indeed who doth not?) Then in ſome uprightneſſe I can ſay with Paul, I live as I ſee any of you ſtand faſt in the Lord, and die as I ſee others ſtand faſt in their ſins, not to be moved with all the entreaties of the Goſpel which have wooed you. And why (my dear friends) ſhould not the life of your ſoules be much more precious in your own ſight then mine? But I forbear, I would not willingly be thought, as ſome husbands are, to be kinder to you abroad before ſtrangers, then I am at home.
What I preſent you with in this Treatiſe, is a diſh from your own table, and ſo (I hope) will go down the better. You cannot deſpiſe it (though the fare be mean) except you will blame your ſelves who choſe the Cook. I cannot be earneſt with others, to beſtow ſo much time as to read over theſe plain Sermons, leſt it ſhould be to their loſſe; it were but to call them from gathering ſheaves in the more fruitful labours of others, to glean a few eares, and thoſe but thin alſo in mine; yet with you, my people, I may be a little bold. Phyſicians ſay, the mothers milk though not ſo weighty as anothers, if no noxious humour be taſted in it, becauſe natural, is more proper for the childe then a ſtrangers. And, I think, it would not be an errour, if I ſhould ſay it held in the milk which the Miniſter gives to his flock. A people conſcienciouſly lying at the breaſts of their own Miniſter, (if the milk he gives be wholeſome) may expect the bleſſing of God for their nouriſhment, though it has not ſo much luſciouſneſſe to pleaſe the curious taſter as ſome others. Well, whatever theſe Sermons were, ſome of thoſe few ſpirits which you found in hearing, will be miſſing in the reading of them. It is as eaſie to paint fire with the heat, as with pen and ink to commit that to paper, which occurres in preaching. There is as much difference between a Sermon in the Pulpit, and printed in a book, as between milk in the warme breaſt, and in a ſucking bottle, yet what it loſeth in the lively taſte, is recompenced by the convenience of it. The book may be at hand when the Preacher cannot; and truly, that's the chief end of printing, that as the bottle and ſpoon is uſed when the mother is ſick or out of the way; ſo the book, to quiet the Chriſtian and ſtay his ſtomack in the abſence of the Ordinance. He that readeth Sermons and good bookes at home to ſave his paines of going to hear, is a thief to his ſoul in a religious habit: he conſults for his eaſe, but not for his profit; he eats cold meat when he may have hot: He hazards the loſing the benefit of both by contemning of one. If the Spouſe could have had her beloved at home, ſhe needed not to have courſed the ſtreets and waited on the publick. O what need we offer ſacriledge for ſacrifice, rob God of one duty to pay him another? He hath laid our work in better order, one wheele would not interfere with another, if we did more regularly. A chief part of Davids Arithmetick of numbring our dayes, lies in that which we call diviſion, as to caſt the account of this our ſhort life ſo, as to divide the little whole ſumme thereof into the ſeveral portions of time due for the performing of every duty in. An Inſtrument is not in tune, except it have all the ſtrings, and thoſe will not make good muſick, if the Muſician hath not wiſdome to cauſe every ſtring to ſpeak in its due time; The Chriſtian is not in tune, except he takes in all the duties of his place and calling, neither will the performance of them be harmonious in Gods eare, if every one be not done in its proper ſeaſon. O my friends, labour not only to do the duty of your place, but that duty in its own place alſo. Heare when you ſhould hear. Know your rime for cloſet, and time for ſhop: and when your retiring houre comes, a few minutes now and then ſpent in taking a repetition of what formerly you heard, ſhall not (I hope) another day be reckoned with your loſt time. The Subject of the Treatiſe is ſolemn, A War between the Saint and Satan, and that ſo bloody a one, that the cruelleſt which ever was fought by men, will be found but ſport and childes play to this. Alas, what is the killing of bodies to deſtroying of ſoules? 'Tis a ſad meditation indeed, to think how many thouſands have been ſent to the grave in a few late yeares among us by the ſword of man; But far more aſtoniſhing, to conſider how many of thoſe may be ſent to hell by the ſword of Gods wrath. 'Tis a ſpiritual war you ſhall reade of, and that not a hiſtory of what was fought many ages paſt and is now over; but of what now is doing, the Tragedy is at preſent acting, and that not at the furtheſt end of the world, but what concernes thee and every one that reades it. The ſtage whereon this war is fought, is every mans own ſoul. Here is no Neuter in this war, the whole world is engaged in the quarrel, either for God againſt Satan, or for Satan againſt God. It was a great queſtion ſome yeares paſt, Who are you for? The not giving a good account to which hath coſt many a life. O my dear friends, think ſolemnly what anſwer you meane to give to God and conſcience, when they in a dying houre ſhall ask every one of you, Who art thou for? 'Tis an incomparable mercy, that you are yet where you may chooſe your ſide: It will not be ever ſo, may be not a day to an end. If once in another world, you muſt then ſtand to your colours, yet you may run from the Devils quarters, and be taken into Chriſts pay. The Drum beats in the Goſpel for Voluntiers. O, the Lord make you willing in the day of his power. I know you all would be on the ſureſt ſide. O what can you be ſure of, while under the devils Enſigne, but damnation? The curſe of God cleavs to him and all that takes part with him O let not the little plunder & ſpoil of ſinful pleaſures and pelf, bewitch you ſtill to follow his Camp. What is that ſouldier better for his booty he gets in a fight, who before he can get off with it, is himſelf ſlain upon the place? (ſo many have been ſerved in theſe wars, if reports be true.) 'Tis that thou muſt certainly look for. The piece is charg'd, and aime taken at thy breaſt, which will be thy eternal death if thou perſiſteſt. Gods threatenings will go off at laſt and then where art thou? where, but in hell, where thy wedge of gold and Babyloniſh garment, thy wages of unrighteouſneſſe will do thee little ſtead? O Neighbours, I am loath to leave you in the way where Gods bullets flie; but I muſt have a word for you, my Chriſtian friends, who have eſpouſed Chriſts quarrel, and are in the field againſt Satan. My heart is towards you, who have thus willingly offered your ſelves among the Lords people to his help againſt the mighty. He can deſtroy him without you, but he takes your love as kindly as if he could not. God hath ſent me (as Jeſſe did David) with this little preſent to you and the reſt of my Brethren that are in his Camp. May it be but to the ſtrengthening of your hearts and hands in fighting the Lords battels, and I ſhall bleſſe God that put it into my heart thus to viſit you. O hold on, dear friends, in your Chriſtian warfare, let none take the crown from you. Whet your courage at the throne of grace, from whence all your recruits of ſoule-ſtrength come. Send faith oft up the hill of the Promiſe, to ſee and bring you the certain newes of Chriſts coming to you, yea, for you, and aſſured victory with him. Reade the exploits, which Chriſts Worthies by faith have done, and in their Conqueſts reade your own, for in them he ſpake with us, as the Prophet of Jacob. Be thankful for every victory you get, and let not the houling wilderneſſe, yet before you, put the ſong of your praiſes for temptations paſt out of tune, yet rejoyce with trembling, as thoſe who are ſtill in your enemies countrey, and muſt keep by the ſword what you get by the ſword: Be ſure you ſtand in cloſe order amongſt your ſelves; Theſe times give us too many ſad examples of ſuch, who firſt fell from communion with their Brethren, and then into the devourers hand; ſtraglers are ſoon ſnap't; you will finde you are ſafeſt in a body. Take heed of a private ſpirit; let not only your particular ſafety, but of the whole Army of Saints be in your eye and care, eſpecially that company in which you march, (Congregation I mean;) that ſouldier which can ſee an enemy in fight with his brethren, and not help them, he makes …t but the more eaſie for the enemy to ſlay himſelf at laſt; Say not therefore, Am I my brothers Keeper? God would not keep him that cared not to keep his brother. Watch over one another, not to play the Criticks on your brothers failings, and triumph when he halts, but to help him up if he falls, or if poſſible, to keep him from falling by a timely reſcue, as Abiſhai came to Davids ſuccour. Keep your rank and file. We ſee what advantage Satan hath got in theſe looſe times, ſince we have learnt to fight him out of order, and the private ſouldier, (Chriſtian I mean) hath taken the officers work out of his hands. Harden your ſelves againſt the ſcandals, which the cowardize and treachery of falſe brethren hath given you. He is the right ſouldier that is not diſcouraged by thoſe that run from, or that are ſlain in the battel; but ſtill preſſeth on to victory, though he goes to it over the backs of others that are killed upon the place. In a word, Diſintangle your hearts what you can from the love of, and diſtracting cares for this preſent world. No man that warreth intangleth himſelf with the affaires of this life, 2 Tim. 2.4that he may pleaſe him who hath choſen him to be a ſouldier, 2 Tim. 2.4. If it behoves any to have their Will ready made, and their worldly intereſts ſet at ſome ſtay, then ſurely the ſouldier: if any ſouldier, then the Chriſtian. Get but once your hearts mortified to the world, and care rolled upon God, for name, eſtate, and relations here, and then you are fit to march whereever Chriſt will lead you. The want of this hath made many run home to ſave their own private ſtake there, when they ſhould have been in the field for Chriſt. And now, my Chriſtian friends, march on, not in the confidence of your Armour, but in the power of his might, who hath promiſed ſhortly to ſubdue Satan under your feet. I have done, only I muſt crave pardon of you, for rending this part of the Treatiſe from the other, which neither my little ſtrength or leiſure would ſuffer me to graſp at once.
But this having firſt put forth its hand in preaching, can make no great breach upon that, though it get the ſtart a little in printing. Let me therefore, dear friends, (if God ſhall make this imperfect birth any way ſerviceable to your faith,) humbly deſire, that you would as continue to ſtrive at the throne of grace for a bleſſing on my poor Miniſtery among you, ſo alſo lift up a prayer, that ſtrength may be given, to bring forth what of this yet is undeliver'd. I do not ſend you thither where I intend not to meet you, but ſhall deſire grace to be found faithful in ſtriving with you, and for you, that amongſt thoſe who finde any ſpiritual advantage from my weak labours, you to whom they are chiefly devoted may not receive the leaſt.
Lavenham, Jan. 1, 1655. So prayeth your affectionate, though unworthy Miniſter, WILLIAM GURNALL.