THE

CHRISTIAN IN COMPLETE ARMOUR;

OR,

A TREATISE ON CRES

The Saints' War with the Devil:

WHEREIN A DISCOVERY IS MADE OF THE POLICY, POWER, WICKEDNESS,
AND STRATAGEMS, MADE USE OF BY THAT

ENEMY OF GOD AND HIS PEOPLE.

A MAGAZINE OPENED,

FROM WHENCE

THE CHRISTIAN IS FURNISHED WITH SPIRITUAL ARMS FOR THE BATTLE,
ASSISTED IN BUCKLING ON HIS ARMOUR, AND TAUGHT

CAREFULLY REVISED AND CORRECTED BY THE

REV. JOHN CAMPBELL, D. D.

LONDON:

PRINTED FOR THOMAS TEGG, 73, CHEAPSIDE;

R. GRIFFIN AND CO., GLASGOW; T. LE MESURIER, DUBLIN; ALSO, J. AND S. a. tegg

SYDNEY AND HOBART TOWN.

MDCCCXLV.

CONTENTS.

'FINALLY, MY BRETHREN, BE STRONG IN THE LORD, AND IN THE POWER OF

HIS MIGHT.-EPH. vi. 10.

CHAP.

1.

II.

III.

IV.

V.

I.

II.

III.

IV.

Of Christian courage and resolution, wherefore necessary, and

how obtained

Of the saints' strength, where it lies, and wherefore laid up in

God

Of acting our faith on the almighty power of God

Of acting our faith on the almighty power of God, as engaged

for our help

Wherein is answered a grand objection, which some disconsolate

souls may raise against the former discourse

Sheweth that the Christless and graceless soul is a soul without

armour, and therein his misery

Sheweth that the armour that we use against Satan, must be

divine in the institution, such only as God appoints

Sheweth that the armour we use for our defence against Satan

must not only be divine by institution, but constitution also

Of the entireness of our furniture; it must be the whole armour

of God

v. Of the use of our spiritual armour, or the exercise of grace

THAT YE MAY BE ABLE TO STAND AGAINST THE WILES OF THE DEVIL.'

-Ver. 11.

Of Satan's subtlety, to choose out the most advantageous seasons

for tempting

Satan's subtlety in managing his temptations, where several

stratagems used by him to deceive the Christian are laid down

Of Satan's subtlety in choosing instruments fit for his turn, to

carry on his tempting design.

48

51

This point of Satan's subtlety, as a tempter to sin, is briefly

applied

54

III.

IV.

V. Wherein is shewed the subtlety of Satan, as a troubler and an

accuser for sin, where many of his wiles and policies to dis-

quiet the saints' spirits are discovered

VI.

A brief application of the second branch of the point, viz., of

Satan's subtlety as a troubler and accuser for sin

VII. Containing some directions tending to entrench and fortify the

Christian against the assaults and wiles of the Devil, as a

troubler

CHAP.

VIII.

IX.

X.

Of the saints' victory over their subtle enemy, and whence it is

that creatures so over-matched should be able to stand against

Satan's wiles

An account is given, how the all-wise God doth out-wit the

devil in his tempting of saints to sin, wherein are laid down

the ends Satan propounds, and how he is prevented in all,

with the gracious issue that God puts to these his temptations

A brief application of the point in two branches

'FOR WE WRESTLE NOT AGAINST FLESH AND BLOOD,' &c.-Ver. 12.

PAGE

68

70

75

77

888

Sheweth the Christian life here to be a continual wrestling with

sin and Satan; and the paucity of those who are true wrestlers,

as also how the true wrestlers should manage their combat

Wherein is shewed what is meant by flesh and blood, how the

Christian doth not, and how he doth, wrestle against the same 84

Wherein is shewn what a principality Satan hath, how he came

to be such a prince, and how we may know whether we be

under him as our prince or not

89

Of the great power Satan hath, not only over the elementary and

sensitive part of the world, but intellectual also, the souls of

men

Of the time when, the place where, and the subjects whom Satan

rules

Of the spirituality of the devil's nature, and their extreme

wickedness

Of Satan's plot to defile the Christian's spirit with heart-sins.-

The second point follows

How Satan labours to corrupt the Christian's mind with error

Of pride of gifts, and how Satan tempts the Christian thereto

Of pride of grace

The third kind of spiritual pride, viz., pride of privileges

Sheweth what the prize is which believers wrestle against these

principalities, powers, spiritual wickednesses for, in high

places

€ 151

XIII. An exhortation to the pursuit of heaven and heavenly things 158

WHEREFORE TAKE UNTO YOU THE WHOLE ARMOUR OF GOD.'-Ver. 13.

1. The reason why the apostle renews the same exhortation; and

also what truths ministers are often to preach to their people 163

The best of saints subject to decline in their graces, and why we

are to endeavour a recovery of decays in grace

IV.

V.

VI.

A cautionary direction from what we may not, as also from what

we may judge, our graces to be in a declination

A word of counsel for the recovery of declining grace

The words opened, and what is meant by the evil day: "That

ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, having done," &c. 172

Sheweth that the day of affliction is evil, and in what respects;

as also unavoidable; and why to be prepared for

The application of the point

169

VII.

VIII.

The second argument with which the exhortation is pressed,

drawn from the assured victory which shall crown the soul's

conflict if in this armour, where several points couched in the

argument are briefly handled

" STAND THEREFORE.'-Ver. 14.

1. Wherein is briefly shewed the necessity of resisting Satan's

temptations, with the danger of yielding to them

CHAP.

II.

PAGE

Wherein is shewed, what it is for a Christian to stand in order,

together with his duty in this particular, and the danger of

stragglers from their own place

198

III.

Wherein is contained the third and last importance of the word

"stand," and the Christian's duty of standing on his watch

spoken to; why he is to watch, and how he should

203

HAVING YOUR LOINS GIRT ABOUT WITH TRUTH.'-Ver. 14.

1.

A brief explication of the words

207

11.

Wherein is shewn, it is the Christian's duty to labour for a judg-

ment established in the truth, with the reasons of it; as also

some application of the point

208

III.

IV.

V.

VI.

VII.

VIII.

IX.

X.

XI.

XII.

XIII.

XIV.

XV.

XVI.

XVIL

XVIII.

Some directions for the establishing the judgment of professors

in the truth

Wherein is contained the second way of having our loins girt

with truth, viz., so as to make a free and bold profession of it;

and why this is our duty; and a short exhortation to it

A direction or two for the girding of truth close to us in the pro-

fession of it

213

216

220

229
236

Of the second kind of truth: truth of heart, or sincerity, with

the kinds of it; and in particular, of moral uprightness, toge-

ther with its deficiency; and a double caution about this; the

one to the saints, the other to the morally upright person 226

Of evangelical or godly sincerity, what it is, and what uncome-

liness this girdle covers, as also how it covers them

An account why sincerity covers the saints' uncomeliness

Of the odious nature of hypocrisy, and hatefulness of it to God 240

Where all are stirred up to put themselves upon the trial,

whether sincere or not; three arguments used to provoke to

the work; and four false characters, by which the hypocrite

flatters himself into a conceit of being upright

The weak grounds whereby tempted souls argue against their

own uprightness

Four characters of truth of heart, or sincerity

A word of direction to those who, upon trial, are found unsound

and false-hearted

An exhortation to those who, upon trial, are found to be true in

heart, or sincere, to wear this belt close girt to them in the

daily exercises of it; with directions for that purpose

Counsel and comfort to those who are sincere, but drooping,

doubting souls, who neither are condemned absolutely in their

consciences for hypocrites, nor fully absolved from the sus-

picion of it in their own thoughts

Wherein the second reason of the metaphor is opened; why

sincerity is set out by the soldier's belt; viz., from the esta-

blishing and strengthening nature of this grace, particularly

of a preserving strength it hath; with some special seasons

wherein the hypocrite falls off

264

272

277

Of a recovering strength that sincerity hath, and whence . 280

Of a supporting and comforting property sincerity hath shewn

in several particular instances

282

XIX.

A brief applicatory improvement of the point, both in general

and particular branches also

AND HAVING ON THE BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS.'-Ver. 14.

A short point from the connexion of this piece of armour with

the first; righteousness with truth

294