Required reading
The Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall (Available from Amazon or free here) - Conclude Direction First.
My summary
Today's doctrine from the second branch of the first direction is that 'Satan with all his wits and wiles, shall never vanquish a soul armed with true grace; nay, he that hath this armour of God on shall vanquish him.
The reasons for such success are:
(i) the curse that lies upon Satan and his cause;
(ii) the wisdom of God
The particulars for how God doth outwit the devil in his tempting of saints to sin are:
(i) the ends Satan propounds;
(ii) how Satan is prevented in all;
(iii) the gracious issue God puts to Satan's temptations.
What grabbed me
I enjoyed this comment about the love of Christ: 'Christ's love is to fuel ours; as it gives its being, so it affords growth. It is both mother and nurse to our love. The more Christ puts forth his love, the more heat our love gets; and next to Christ's dying love, none greater than his succouring love in temptation. The mother never hath such advantage to show her affection to her child as when in distress, sick, poor or imprisoned; so neither hath Christ to his children as when tempted, yea, worsted by temptation. When his children lie in Satan's prison, bleeding under the wounds of their consciences, this is the season he takes to give an experiment of his tender heart in pitying, his faithfulness in praying for them, his mindfulness in sending succour to them, yea, his dear love in visiting them by his comforting Spirit.'
It is often when we suffer, that we feel the love of Christ more than ever!
Next week's reading
Read the First General Part of Direction Second.
Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.
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