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A06063
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The spirituall armour With which being furnished, a Christian may be able to stand fast in the euill day, and time of tryall; and to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. Written by that godly and learned man, Paul Baine; sometime Preacher of Gods word at S. Andrewes in Cambridge.
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Baynes, Paul, d. 1617.
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1620
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STC 1647; ESTC S116770
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71,493
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320
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blesse our selues wee would be loth to haue one neer vs come into such condition for the outward man so shamefull so miserable but let vs look our soules be not in worse hands It is so with vs that the eye sees not the heart dreads not yea vvee count our chaines and imprisonment the onely liberty and to knowe nothing nor to care for any thing in matters of religion the pleasant life Men loue darknes better then light because they haue euer beene in this hell they thinke there is no other heauen but if you be thus imprisoned in darknes of vnderstanding in vnrighteousnes vnder Gods displeasure knowe this there will come a day of execution too soon vpon you Vse 2 Secondly wee must stirre vp our selues to thankfulnes who are now made light in the Lord for if the divell 's territories reach no further then darknes we are delivered from his kingdom who haue received the light of vnderstanding and holiness in any measure This made the Apostle Col. 1.12 break out into thanksgiving Is it not a merry time when the gaole-delivery comes when their fees are payed when their Irons are took off and themselues discharged that they now may walk at liberty it is merry with them though they hault a little after so with vs though wee limp by reason of the chains wee carried so long vvee should tell this treasure often Doct. The fourth thing to bee marked from hence is that the divels are called spiritual wickednes or spirits of wickednes that As wee will haue nothing to doe with the diuâ—ll so must we flee from his wickednes if we lâ—t-in his wickednesse we cannot but giue him entertainment for the diuell cometh vnto vs in suggestions of vnrighteousnes if vvee consent to them vvee entertaine the divell Ananias and Iudas when they consented to the wicked motions the divell inspired into them the divell is said to fill the heart of the one and to enter into the other Luke 22.3 Acts 5.3 and not onely of these enormous sinners but of all that walke in euill and for the diuell he hath a dwelling in them The strong man armed keepeth the house Mat. 12. yea the godly if they listen to wickednes they giue place to the diuell Eph. 4 for looke as when God knocketh at our harts by a holy motion if wee open in obeying the Lord doth come and further dwell in vs Apo. 3.21 So when these wicked spirits doo reach out their wickednes vnto vs if vvee consent to it they come to possesse vs after a sort and haue a dvvelling in vs. But you will say then Quest Who hath not the divell dvvelling vvith him for vvho doth not often yeeld to evil Ans Answ None but doo somtime giue place to him yet he dvvelleth not alike in all Those that with full consent of heart receiue his suggestions he hath full hould in them but the godly vvhen they giue place to him they let him come into the suburbs and out-parts but because Christ dwelleth in their hearts by faith the tovver being kept hee is by the renevving of their faith and repentance forced to retire This therefore is to bee marked that seeing the diuell is nothing but a spirit of vvickednes that by consenting to vvickednes vvee let-in the divell vnto vs. Novv then take heed Vse men vvill spet at his name and blesse themselves from having to doe vvith him but if you giue place to vvrath stomachfulnes contention pride good fellowship and the suggestions of this kinde you receiue him into your bosome and are notably foolish like as men should be afraid at the name of fire but care not to bee burned vvith the heat of it You must not conceiue of the diuell as of som hideous shape as if hee should come like as you dresse him in May-games and Pageants vvith hornes in an ox-hide and cloven feet squirting fire no saith hee I vvill goe to such a one I vvill bee a spirit of vntruth I vvill be a spirit of error 1. Reg. vlt. 22. a spirit of couetousnes of pride of malice I vvill suggest these things Consent to these vvickednesses and you receiue the spirit which prompteth you vvith them to your vnderstanding And the Lord teach vs to hate vvickednes even as the divell that is a spirit of it full of it and labouring to fill vs vvith it Lastly that they are in high places are aboue vs Hence learne circumspection for seeing vve ly naked to the vievv of them vvee must bee carefull that they spy nothing in vs to their advantage againe vvhat are they not only lion-like enemies but malitious Promoters Novv if a Promoter that should bear vs no good vvil should stand ouer our heads vvould vve not be watchful knovving that every fault vvould be informed against vs so the divell is no other then a malitious accuser of vs and these spirituall vvickednesses hang hovering over our heads vvherefore we had need be circumspect ver 13. and for this cause Now followeth the sounding of the alarum a second time by the Apostle to vs the vse of all this great description of the povver of darknes which though for substance it is all one vvith verse 11 yet the considerations in it are divers for the holy Ghost doth in repetitions inforce circumstances different both for our further delight and instruction as the same meat maketh divers dishes if diversly cooked The words are plaine the parts are the exhortation to our duty grounded on the vvords before and the ends of our duty he exhorteth to the one leading to the other First resistance amplified from the circumstance of time in the evill day that is in the houres of temptation of afflictions of the power of darknes Secondly perseuerance set down by the antecedent That hauing finished all things that is hauing out-wrestled all the euills which meete you in these hard times you may bee able to holde your owne yea to go on more and more strenghened and fuller of resolution then before Wee see then what is the end of all that is reuealed of euill Angels their subtiltie and power That we pull vp good hearts to resist them It is not to feed curiosity but to make vs more vigilant 1. Pet. 5.8 Be sober watch for your aduersary the Diuel goes about as a roaring LioÌ„ c. Much lesse is it the purpose of Paul to disharten vs as those naughty Spies NuÌ„ 13. who tolde of the Gyants of Canaan so as to quaile the courage of the Israelites but this faithfull seruant doth so tell them that hee may whet vp our spirits to the resistance of them 1. Pet. 5.9 Whom resist stedfast in the faith This then must be our care when we know how powerfull subtill aduersaries wee haue To buckle our selues to battell and gird vp our loynes to martial resistance Now that we may bee encouraged to wage this warre who are so weake First we must consider the spirit in vs is
and vvhich a man may haue by their ovvne confession and bee vvounded vvith despair and bee full of all deadly sinne their faith therfore is a vvicked shield it is so far from defending vs from all the fiery darts of the diuell that a man may haue it and bee an incarnate diuell Novv follovveth hope for saluation is here put for hope of it the thing hoped for for the hope it selfe For thus it is construed 1. Thes 5.8 First therefore it may bee asked What hope this is Answ Not only hope of saluation which shall bee in the last day but of all teÌ„porall deliuerance from euill And it may bee described A certaine expecting to attaine every thing faith beleeueth grounded onely on Gods grace The proper work of hope is to make vs expect which is to be marked For measuring the word by our common acception and distinguishing it from the expectance in heauen it is one ground amongst others of the Papists errours whereas expectation in the life to come differeth not from hope in that it is certaine expectation Rom. 8.15 Phil. 1.20 I certainely look for hope but in this First that our expectation heere is grounded in faith that in sight this accoÌ„pani'd with grief that without any difficulty Secondly it is a certaine expecting not in it selfe but neuer fayling the party which hopeth 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Which must be vnderstood not as if it were certaine in his sense but in the eueÌ„t the reason is because hope hangeth on faith which in that it beleeueth is certaine if the pin be sure that which hangeth on it cannot fall Thirdly the obiect is not strictly eternall life but all the good things temporall and eternall which faith beleeueth Lastly the means on which hope leaneth is here set downe Gods grace Trust perfectly the vvord is hope on the grace of God in Christ 1. Pet. 1.13 Not parting stakes halfe on grace halfe on workes Againe hope expecteth so to obtaine as faith beleeueth but faith beleeueth through the word of promise not through working Gal. â— 3 A person so soone as hee is a tâ—ue conuert hath hope as well as loue though hee hath no workes as yet neither can a house be built and a foundation bee layd aftervvard Besides if he should die on his conuersion and being receiued though hee had done no good workes hee should bee saued according to hope And this error hath three things which occasion it They conceiue that workes are partiall causes of our saluation with mercy because the Scriptures vse such conditionall speeches If you mortfie the deedes of the flesh yee shall liue c. But these conditions are spoken to parties already now beleeuing are conditions that follow not causes going before an heire of saluation If vvee say to our children Be good children ply your bookes you shall be my heire who wold gather that going to school is the cause of inheritance Secondly they distinguish not betwixt that which helpeth hope and that vvhich erecteth it to hope froÌ„ that on vvhich it dependeth in hoping but these are farre different If the stomack be vvell that neither fumes nor distillations trouble the eye seeth cleerly yet the eye doth not depend on the stomack as the means of seeing so if the conscience be not surcharged fume not vp accusations feares c. the eye of the soule seeth cleerely vvhich vvee may tearme hope Yet it doth not depend on the goodnes of the conscience as the cause why it hopeth And hence it is that they abuse Scripture vvhich shew the cheery hoping of a good conscience as if they prooued that our hope expecteth as well by vvorkes as mercy to attaine that wee look for Thirdly they consider not that these are such Theologicall vertues as are appropriated to God and are no way communicable with the creature Why you vvill say loue is so too yet wee may loue the creature tâ—ankfulnesse yet wee may thank the creature Ans It may be sayd we loue not absolutely but in for God and after a sort loue God in the creature as hee loving vs so farre as his work loueth himselfe in vs but the reason is not alike of these For therefore wee loue the creature and giue thankes because there is in them matters of loue and thanksgiving but there is no matter to ground hope on in the creature Psal 108 Giue vs helpe against trouble for vaine is the helpe of man Psal 127 It is in vaine to rise early c. Psal 146.3 There is no help in Princes Why may one say Hath not God put vertue in creatures to doe thus and thus as in a horse to carry one in a medicine to heale one Answ Hee hath but yet the exercise of this power hee keepeth in dependance on himselfe and cannot be further then hee pleaseth to put it forth For till he who is the Lord of Hoastes becken send foorth his word as Psal 107 and giue them their moouing they can do nothing As I haue power to goe to such a place yet God maketh me in it to depend on his pleasure Iam. 4 I will doe this c. if God will Now the vse of this helmet is first to strengthen faith which is the principal first thing in the new creature as the helmet couereth the head of the bodie but faith you vvill say breedeth hope yet hope is such a daughter as is a staffe to her aged mother Secondly it doth repell the battery of our daily distrestes and impressions of despaire I had fainted had I not looked to see the goodnes of the Lord in the Land of the living For hope that God will send strength and giue issue doe so holde vp the chinne that we sinke not in deep waters For the third thing the Diuell doth seeke many waies to disfurnish vs of this munition Ob. 1 First by putting vs off with hope that will not serue false vaine hopes wicked hopes such as are the presuÌ„ptions of many who by their honest liues who with saying Lord have mercy on vs though they lie in ignorance and the lust of ignorance yet say they haue good hopes These are wicked hopes and to hope vppon vaine grounds as on this that God hath blessed vs with outward things that therefore wee are in his fauour but all our hope must bee brought to this touch stone Ans 1. Iohn 3 Hee that hath this hope purgeth himselfe even as he is pure Hee that hath true hope towards God will bee carefull to cleanse out all corruption of flesh and spirit which are displeasing to God If wee hope to haue any good from man we vvill be carefull not to incurre his displeasure doe that which he desireth Ob. 2 Whosoeuer nourisheth hopes from God wil not liue in sinne which God hateth Secondly if wee haue hope the Divell will labour many waies to break it off by pleading against vs our vnworthinesse If thy consciende did not tel thee thou