The Christian In Complete Armour

This treasure-mine of a book was recently given to me by a friend. William Gurnall is one of the lesser know Puritan writers, and yet his writing stands out among them.

Spurgeon once said, "Gurnall's work is peerless and priceless... and is, in our judgment, the best thought-breeder in all our library... I should think that more discourses have been suggested by it than by any other uninspired volume... John Newton said that if he might read only one book beside the Bible, he would choose, 'The Christian in Complete Armour'"

Here is just one of the many gems I have already found in just 36 rich pages:

"The Christian's comfort increases or wanes, as the aspect of his faith to the power of God... It is true, a soul may scramble to heaven with much ado, relying on God as able to save, without persuasion of its interest in God; but such a soul goes with a scant side-wind, or like a ship whose masts are laid by the board, exposed to wind and laid by the board, exposed to wind and weather, if others better appointed did not tow it along with them. Many fears like waves ever and anon so cover such a soul, that it is more under water than above; whereas one that sees itself folded in the arms of almighty power, O how much such a soul goes mounting afore the wind, with her sails filled with joy and peace! Let afflictions come, storms arise, this blessed soul knows where it shall land...
Surely one shall say, 'In the Lord have I righteousness and strength,' that is, I have righteousness in God's righteousness and strength in his strength, so that in this respect Christ can no more say that his strength is his own, and not the believer's, than the husband can say, 'My body is my own and not my wife's." A soul persuaded of this may sing merrily with the sharpest thorn at its breast... A soul thus provided may lie at ease on a hard bed." - (p. 32-33)