Puritan of the Week: William Gurnall (1616-1679)

If you only read a handful of Puritans Gurnall should be one of them.  His work, The Christian in Complete Armour, is an essential work on the subject of spiritual warfare.  It is available in three volumes from Banner of Truth and condensed into a helpful devotional by Moody Press.  This work is endorsed by the likes of J.C. Ryle, Spurgeon, and John Newton who said, “If I might read only one book beside the Bible, I would choose The Christian in Complete Armour.”

Gurnall began his ministry sometime in his mid-twenties.  Although Puritan in his doctrine he remained in the Church of England .  There is little given about Gurnall’s personal life in the book, Meet the Puritans, but several lines are worth comment:

Despite poor health, Gurnall spent the next thirty-five years ministering there (West Suffolk).

Gurnall married Sarah Mott…The couple had at least fourteen children, six of whom survived.

 I am reminded of the words of Paul, “For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”  Would Gurnall have ever written so in depth on the spiritual war between Satan and man had he not been of poor health?  What part would the loss of at least 8 children play in this?  These are questions that we cannot fully answer, but surely his weakness lead to his depth of understanding on this subject.  We often despise weakness, insults, hardships, persecution, and calamities.  We count these as curses and negative in life rather than seeing them as the graces of God that make us fit for heaven.  It is in this weakness that we are strong!