) Sect.~. defertion?The fame blelfe(l Man ofGod,who writes 'the Story, and was hirnfdfe with the Party,teiis us: .Al!Jeit He~ fojfored many yearn fo foarpe temptati~ :ows, andflrong 6ujfotings qf Satan: yet the Lord who grt~cioH.flJ preferv~d him ~lll the while, not one!y at !aft .tlid rid him out of ail difcomfort, Gut alfo foamed him ,there6y tfl foch mortification of lifi, tU the lik,£ . /ight!y hath not 6eene foene; In fuch fort .u he, 6eing ljk§ one plnced i11 Heaven a!muly, and t:kad in thu world, b(Jth in wordandmeditation, leda lifi alto!,ether ulefti~ all, abhorrin,rt_ in hi& mina till proph~1:ze doings. Thus a {piritu~ll defertion, or fome other afRiClion of { oirit, doth that alone..many times; which vanety ;nd a long continued fucceffion ofordinary outward crof~ fes one upon the necke of another, is not able to etf.:..."t. For troubles offoule fooner take, ;md are of a guicker and frronger operation, then thofe which afflid the body. The f}irit of~t man will foftaine hu infirmity: Bllt awounded fjiritw"ho can 6eare? Prov. I S•vr All othet afflictions are nothing to this Theyare but flea-bitings to the fiery Scorpion. The Ll:outne{fe ofa mans fpirit will frand under a world of outward miferies many times: ·But if the eye, which is the light-of the body, bee in darken~ff~; how gr;eat js that darknelfe? If the 1pirit it felfe be :crufut, which lhould fupport the whole man, how great is the confufion ?· Hence it was that faithfull Davidwaded thoro\.\'1 a W<ilrld of troubles; yet 1411 ,that time no ma!ic:e of Saul, no hatred of the Phi!iflin.es, no reGellion of A6(o!om, m treachery of Ahitaphel, no grap!ing with a Lyon,mfighting with aBeare, ,no threatning ofa vaunting Go!iah, could(o muchdif:. .courage him: Bttt when at any time, he fuff:red inimediatdy in his Soule, under the wrath of God, 0 ! then.his very hone!, the mafter-timber ofhis body 1are . broken in peeces. He roares all the d.Jr, atzd hi& moy~ flHre u tH.r»edinto the dro11.~ht of Summer. Then hee f_2eaks
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