The Christian in Complete Armour - Gurnall - XXXIII - Direction Seventh continued

Required reading
The Christian in Complete Armour by William Gurnall (Available from Amazon or free here) - Continue the Second General Part of Direction Seventh by reading up to the heading 'Directions to sinners as to how they may be at peace with God'.

My summary

Today we continue Direction Seventh, 'And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace', by learning further about the peace we have with God.

Gurnall now teaches us about the superiority of our peace when we compare our nature in Christ to its state in Adam.  Unlike Adam, we have:

(i) a superior union with God;

(ii) a superior communion with God.

Gurnall then gives exhortations to the sinner to embrace this peace with God.  The sinner is told to consider:

(i) what it is that is offered thee - peace with God;

(ii) who it is that offers peace to thee - the great God;

(iii) how God offers thee peace;

(iv) what thou doest when thou refusest peace with God.

What grabbed me

I liked the point about the qualifications of a minister of peace: 'Observe the qualifications required in those he employs as ambassadors to offer peace to sinners. 'The servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient, in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves,' II Tim. 2:24, 25. O how careful is God that nothing should be in the preacher to prejudice the sinner's judgment, or harden his heart, against the offer of his grace. If the servant be proud and hasty, how shall they know the master is meek and patient? God would have them do nothing to make the breach wider, or hinder a happy close betwixt him and them. Indeed, he that will take the bird must not scare it. A froward peevish messenger is no friend to him that sends him. Sinners are not pelted into Christ with stones of hard provoking language, but wooed into Christ by heart-melting exhortations.'

If our God is a God of love, we must be ministers of love or our hearers will not believe.

Next week's reading
Continue the Second General Part of Direction Seventh by reading up to the heading 'Second Kind of Peace'.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.