740 / 808
720
2.
3.
Epbefians,
Chap,6.
V
E
from knowledge
,
yea
he
hath'his
intelligences
from every
Tooke,
geft%
re,
affe
&ion,
&c. that
we
may
fay as
4ram
did ,
We
can doe
nothing
in
our
bedchamber,but
he underftandeth ir,2 King.2. r
r,
r
2.
Secondly, forconcealment,he
is
as
fubtill
to
finde
us
out
as
to hide
himfelfe;
and therefore carrieth
his
matters fo,
that
the moli
are mur-
dered by him before they will who hurt them ; being
like
the Fox,
who
entereth fetching
leaps
into her hole ,
that
one
may
not
be able
to
traceher
to her
den
file
lieth
in
:
which
will appeare more
in his
more
apparent
pra&ices. His
more apparent
pra&ices are
thefe.
First,
his
ambufhment ; and this word
doth note
a stratagem
ufed
by the
Ifraelites againft
Ai:
this
is
the noted courfe
of
the Devil!, that
he
shall
bite at the
heck,
and
come
upon
us
behinde our backe
as it
were. Thus
fometime
he
tempteth
us
to
groffe negleet
of
our duty,
orthe
contrary, but
he commerh upon
us
(leafing,
with indevotion,or
eying
man
in
the performance
ofduty ,
feeking
to
corrupt the manner
orintention: but
thefe things not
taking
place,
he hath lying
in
am-
bufh,pride and fecurity; with which, after performing any good duty,
we
are ready
to be overtaken.
,.A
fecondflratagem,
to
refiraine
courfe
of
viiauall from
the
besieged,
or
to
take
away weapons
from
the
enemy;
the
one pra&ïced
again(}
Sama-
ria,the
other by
the
Philiftims
againft
Ifrael,
i
Sam.r.3.
r9.
Now
this
is
the
attemptofSatanagainftus,
to famith
us
if
it
werepofible;
for
now
at a
Sermon, the
milk, bread, and meat
of
our
foules,
is
dealt
forth by
Gods Steward;
but how many
doth the
devill
keep
from
ta-
iling one mouthfull
a
Tome
vanish in
wandering
thoughts;
fome fit
like
pillars; fame
if
thcy be
held
too long, or
have it not trimly
dished
forth,
fall
out withtheir meat,
and will
none ;
fo
many
worthy com-
municants hemaketh afraid
to touch the
Sacrament
;
uncomfortable
performance, indifpofitions fo trouble
them.
So he doth labour
no-
thing
more,
then to
wring our weapons out
of
our
hands;
as
prayer,
what
a deale
of
difcomfort do
we
know
in
it
a
fuch fwarmes
of
thoughts impertinent,
fuch
mills,
fuch loffe
of
all
comfortable
fenfee
But
the
devil)
knoweth, that
a
prayer preferred
in
the obedience
of
faith,though
out
of
the
deeps
of
death and fpirituall
thraldome,
is
twice
acceptable
:
but
his
drift
is
to make
us
lay afide
prayer. So faith:
what
is
the matter
that
renewing our faith we have fome tryall
pre
-
fently that fhaketh
us
more
then ever
a
The
matter the
devil! aimeth
at
is,
to
make
usbyfuch
continuall
foules,
afterrenewing our
faith,,be
weary
of
this,
and focart
our
shield
from us.
A
third ftratagem
in enemies
is,
to get thecontrary
forces
out
of
their
hold, or to
diforder their march and battell array,
Iof
y.
lad.2o.
Now
this
is
the
Devils politicke
pra&ife
:
for
our wall
and
mount
is
firft
our
beliefe in
the word
of
promife,
and threatning
of
God if
we
fin.
2. Our
confiant
course
in
good
exercifes.
Now
the Devil'
will draw
us
from these, asthofe
in
(Alai.
3. r
4. who
were
brought
to.
fay,
It
isin vaine
to
ferve
the Lord
:
as
Evah, theDevill brought
her
to
make a peradventure
of
death, that
was fo peremptorily
threatned,
and