The Christian in Complete Armour

THE CHRISTIAN Compleat Armour. A TREATISE OF THE Saints War against the Devil: A Discovery is made of that Grand Enemy of GOD and his People, in his Policies, Power, Seat of his Empire, Wickedness, and chief design he hath against the Saints. THE MAGAZIN OPENED: From whence the Christian is furnished with Spiritual Arms for the Battel, help'd on with his Armour, and taught the use of his Weapon, together with the happy issue of the whole War. By William Gurnall, M. A. of Eman. Coll. now Pastor of the Church of Christ in Lavenham. Sussex. The Fifth Edition. LONDON, Printed for Ralph Smith, at the Bible in the first Court, entering into Gresham-Colledge out of Bishopsgate-street, 1669.

TO THE Right Honourable, and truly Religious, the Lady, MARY VERE., BARONESSE of TILBURY, And my much honoured Lady.

SOME have thought it better to define Man from Religion his chief End, than from Reason his principal Faculty; supposing that by it he may most exactly be distinguished from other Animals, that are all utterly uncapable of Religion, but have some of them a sagacity that is something like Mans discursive Faculty. Whatever there is in this nice Notion, sure I am, that Mans chief Prerogative and Dignity which he hath to glory of, is this, That he is the only Creature in the whole visible World made to worship and enjoy his Maker. All the Creatures are servants, Psal. 119. 91. But Man only is a Priest to God; they obey their Creator, he only worships him. How then comes it to pass, that true Piety and Religion should be thought a diminution to the honour of any? yet to our amazement we see, the readiest way a man can take to be made a mock and laughing stock, is with David, to dance zealously before the Ark. The Temple of Virtue led the Heathen to the other of Honour; but Piety and Godliness brings the Christian to disgrace and scorn. No sooner does any dare to own Religion in the power of it, but Fanatique is writ on his back, and a Fools Cap is set upon his head; which makes many turn Nicodemites in this scornful Age, and carry their Religion in a dark Lanthorn, like those in Salvians time, Ne viles haberentur; lest they should be counted base and vile for their pains. We have had I confess too many in our late degenerate days (Men born, as one saith, to do Religion a mischief) who by professing high, and living low, in sordid practices, have given Religion such a wound in its reputation, as is not like to be cured while they are above ground, who have thus scandalized both it, and the Professours of it. It is the Worlds custom to dress up the faithful servants of Christ in the broken Professors Cloaths, and to draw their picture with the Hypocrites ill-favoured face, that they all may be thought to be alike, a company who would cheat the World in a religious habit; so that he who means now to be religious, must be content to be thought a counterfeit by others. But Madam, you are not (blessed be God) to begin now to cast up what it will cost to build for Heaven; you have not amidst these scandals been (as the manner of some is) offended with Religion for the faults of those that have pretended to it; neither have you in this scandalizing Age laid a stone of offence before others, but admirably vindicated the honour of Religion (which others have prostituted) by the amiable uniformity of your Piety, Beneficence, Charity, Humility; yea, all those

The Epistle Dedicatory.

those graces which have the greatest advantage to bring Religion again into credit amongst us. The Floods of temptation which have carried away the work of many sandy Builders in our days, into the Sea of Errour and Irreligion, have not been able to shake the Truth out of your Judgment, nor the practice of Piety out of your Conversation; so strongly founded is your building on a judicious knowledge of the Truth, and close pinned together by a sincere love of what you know. Madam, This, had I nothing else, were enough to make me ambitious of having a name so honourable to patronize my weak labours; yet should I not have presumed, had not the many Favours, received from your Noble Hand, obliged me to attempt some way of expressing my Gratitude; and this I hope will not be thought the worse, because it is so publick; your munificent Nobleness hath been such, that I cannot call in too many Witnesses to the acknowledgement of my Obligations.

As for this Treatise which I humbly present to your Honours hands, in every Page of it you will find occasion to exercise your Candour towards the unworthy Author: But the Subjects treated of, are such, as I am sure will relish well on your spiritual palate. I lead not your Honour into the dusty road of Controversies, which hath made Christians so unsociable, and keep aloof one from another, though travelling all to the same Heaven: But into the green paths of practical Divinity, where all sincere souls can agree to walk together. They all unite in the ultimate object of their hope; in Heaven and Salvation: Not the World in Hand, but Heaven in hope, brings them in their joy. The Holy Scriptures is their Libellus in Angulo (as once a devout soul for himself said) Never is the sincere Christian more solaced, than when he can get out of the Worlds noise, to spend a little time in a Corner in reading or Text cleaned:

worse, because it is so publick; your munificent Nobleness hath been such, that I cannot call in too many Witnesses to the acknowledgement of my Obligations. As for this Treatise which I humbly present to your Honours hands, in every Page of it you will find cause to exercise your Candour towards the unworthy Author …